This website serves as the online component to a series of articles exploring various aspects of the work of John Cotgrave (b. 1611, d. ?). The primary focus of the website centres on his English Treasury of Wit and Language (1655), a work renowned as the “first English drama anthology” (Lopez, 45). Through this platform, scholars can delve into the study of 58 dramatists and approximately 238 of their plays from the perspective of Cotgrave’s interests.

The website offers an extensive collection of approximately 1,701 extracts, ranging in length from two to 60 lines. By meticulously identifying accurate and probable sources for 1,686 of these quotations—using a comprehensive method that combines digital searching and hands-on comparison of four extensively annotated copies—the site establishes a new protocol for facet classification and the study of theatrical “patches” (Stern, 1). Each extract is thoughtfully categorized under 202 unique subject headings found in Cotgrave’s book.