In sign whereof I pluck a white rose.

-Lawyer

King Henry The Sixth Part I            Act II, Scene iv, Line 58

The Wars of the Roses. That’s what this is the start of. It’s the beginning of the wars fought for the English throne between the Yorks and the Lancasters. And it supposedly got its name because of this scene in a Shakespeare play where a bunch of Yorkists and Lancasterians were in a garden and they started picking roses to signify which side they were taking: a white rose for York and a red rose for Lancaster. Did this scene actually take place in real life? I doubt it. But it makes for good theater, doesn’t it? 

And by the way, I looked up the word 'whereof', and it’s a legit modern word. It means ‘of what’ or ‘of which’. And I think that’s a little funny since we use the word ‘where’ when we’re talking about ‘what’ or ‘which.’ Why don’t we say ‘whatof’ or ‘whichof’? It’s that crazy English language in action.

 

The storm, whereof these clouds are an indication, passed us by completely.

 

Ay, forsooth; and then you may come and see the picture, she says, that you wot of;--Master Ford, her husband, will be from home.

-Mistress Quickly

The Merry Wives Of Windsor          Act II, Scene ii, Line 87

Okay, another play I don’t know much of anything about. But I do like the name: Mistress Quickly. And for the record, ‘wot’ means ‘know’. I looked it up. ‘Come and see the picture that you know of’, is what Mistress Quickly is saying. Apparently she’s telling Falstaff that Mistress Ford wants him to come around to see the picture when her husband won’t be around. And of course our good friend Falstaff shows every sign that he’ll do just that. Sounds like it might be an interesting play, doesn’t it? Maybe I should read/listen to it sometime.

You know what this is, don't you? It's a picture of Pete's merry wife at Windsor; Windsor Castle, that is. So I don't really know anything about The Merry Wives Of Windsor, but I do know something about this merry wife at Windsor. How about that.

Oh well done! I commend your pains. 

-Hectate

Macbeth                               Act IV, Scene i, Line 39

Here’s Hectates full speech in this scene:

O well done! I commend your pains;
And every one shall share i' the gains;
And now about the cauldron sing,
Live elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.

I thought that since that’s all she says, and since it’s got the rhyming thing going on, and it’s only five lines, that you’d like to read the whole thing.

Hectate comes into this scene, recites the five lines above, and leaves. The scene starts with the three sisters/witches talking and chanting. Then Hectate shows up, I guess tells them what a good job they’re doing with their chants, and then leaves. Very shortly afterward Macbeth shows up.

Say what you will, but it’s always nice to get an ‘atta boy’, isn’t it?

This is my paint and misc shelf in my workshop. I moved it from another part of the cellar and got an 'Atta boy' for moving it. You just never know. Those witches got one for doing some silly chants. Life is so unpredictable.