> as lemmas

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 46 Oure hoost..gan to speke as lordly as a kyng.

?1565 Enterlude of Youth sig. A.iv^v I wyll make as mery as a kinge.

1578 T. Lupton All for Money sig. C.j I euer haue ynough wherewith I am content, So that contentation makes me as rich as a king.

1644 Winters Tale xliv. sig. B^v He thought himselfe as happy as a King.

1694 P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais Pantagruel's Voy.: 4th Bk. Wks. xvi. 70 Which made the Dog get on his Legs, pleas'd like a little King, or two [Fr. aise comme vn Roy ou deux].

a1732 J. Gay New Song Similes in Poet. Wks. (1784) II. 117 Full as an egg was I with glee, And happy as a king.

1767 W. Dodd Poems Pref. Mod. Pastorals 210 I think myself as happy as a shepherd.., and as rich as a king.

1831 Youth's Keepsake 20 He entered the house, calling out, ‘Mother, mother, I'm as rich as a king!’

1847 Let. 7 May in Ann. Propagation Faith (1849) 10 149 I am always as happy as an angel, as content as a king.

1920 H. St. J. Cooper Sunny Ducrow lxv. 478 Gibbins was installed in Mrs. Bagley's front bedroom, as happy as a king.

1968 V. Hamilton House of Dies Drear 204 He got to thinking hard about old Mr. Drear dying wealthy as a king.

2013 Africa News (Nexis) 8 Dec. A man..can be as poor as a church rat, and yet be as happy as a king.