| Play | Key Line | Modern Text | Original Text |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE III.i.51 | Have at you with a proverb: shall I set in my staff? | haue at you with a Prouerbe, / Shall I set in my staffe. |
| The Comedy of Errors | CE V.i.20 | Who, but for staying on our controversy, | Who but for staying on our Controuersie, |
| Coriolanus | Cor I.i.203 | They said they were an-hungry, sighed forth proverbs – | They said they were an hungry, sigh'd forth Prouerbes |
| Coriolanus | Cor II.i.67 | then rejourn the controversy of threepence to a second | then reiourne the Controuersie of three-pence to a second |
| Coriolanus | Cor II.i.72 | dismiss the controversy bleeding, the more entangled | dismisse the Controuersie bleeding, the more intangled |
| Cymbeline | Cym II.iv.25 | To their approvers they are people such | To their Approuers, they are People, such |
| Hamlet | Ham II.ii.353 | controversy. There was, for a while, no money bid for | Controuersie. There was for a while, no mony bid for |
| Hamlet | Ham III.ii.351 | Ay, sir, but ‘ while the grass grows ’ – the proverb | I, but while the grasse growes, the Prouerbe |
| Henry IV Part 1 | 1H4 I.ii.118 | proverbs. He will give the devil his due. | Prouerbs: He will giue the diuell his due. |
| Henry V | H5 II.iv.109 | That shall be swallowed in this controversy. | That shall be swallowed in this Controuersie. |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.65 | any such proverb so little kin to the purpose. | any such Prouerbe, so little kin to the purpose. |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.111 | I will cap that proverb with ‘ There is flattery | I will cap that Prouerbe with, There is flatterie |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.116 | devil. Have at the very eye of that proverb with ‘ A pox | Deuill: haue at the very eye of that Prouerbe with, A Pox |
| Henry V | H5 III.vii.118 | You are the better at proverbs by how much ‘ A | You are the better at Prouerbs, by how much a |
| Henry VI Part 2 | 2H6 III.i.170 | The ancient proverb will be well effected: | The ancient Prouerbe will be well effected, |
| Julius Caesar | JC I.ii.109 | And stemming it with hearts of controversy. | And stemming it with hearts of Controuersie. |
| King Edward III | E3 IV.vii.16 | Now is the proverb verified in you: | Now is the prouerbe verefied in you, |
| King John | KJ I.i.44 | My liege, here is the strangest controversy, | My Liege, here is the strangest controuersie |
| King John | KJ II.i.137 | You are the hare of whom the proverb goes, | You are the Hare of whom the Prouerb goes |
| Measure for Measure | MM I.ii.25 | controversy; as, for example, thou thyself art a wicked | controuersie: as for example; Thou thy selfe art a wicked |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV II.ii.138 | The old proverb is very well parted between | The old prouerbe is verie well parted betweene |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV II.v.53 | A proverb never stale in thrifty mind. | A prouerbe neuer stale in thriftie minde. |
| The Merchant of Venice | MV IV.i.154 | him with the cause in controversy between the Jew and | him with the cause in Controuersie, betweene the Iew and |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW III.i.96 | Hugh? No; he gives me the proverbs and the no-verbs. | Hugh? No, he giues me the Prouerbes, and the No-verbes. |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | MW III.v.139 | have horns to make one mad, let the proverb go with | haue hornes, to make one mad, let the prouerbe goe with |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | MND III.ii.458 | And the country proverb known, | And the Country Prouerb knowne, |
| Much Ado About Nothing | MA V.i.17 | Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk | Patch griefe with prouerbs, make misfortune drunke, |
| Romeo and Juliet | RJ I.iv.37 | For I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase – | For I am prouerb'd with a Grandsier Phrase, |
| The Taming of the Shrew | TS V.i.55 | end of this controversy. | end of this controuersie. |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TG III.i.296 | And thereof comes the proverb: ‘ Blessing of | And thereof comes the prouerbe: (Blessing of |
| The Winter's Tale | WT I.ii.176 | Next to thyself and my young rover, he's | Next to thy selfe, and my young Rouer, he's |
| The Winter's Tale | WT II.iii.96 | And, might we lay th' old proverb to your charge, | And might we lay th' old Prouerb to your charge, |