The plant-lore & garden-craft of Shakespeare Part 97

This obsolete word is preserved in our English Bibles, "gathering where thou hast not strawed," "he strawed it upon the water," "straw me with apples;" and in Shakespeare--

The bottom poison, and the top o'erstrawed With sweets.--_Venus and Adonis._

From another point of view there is almost as great a mistake in the second half of the name, for in strict botanical language the fruit of the Strawberry is not a berry; it is not even "exactly a fruit, but is merely a fleshy receptacle bearing fruit, the true fruit being the ripe carpels, which are scattered over its surface in the form of minute grains looking like seeds, for which they are usually mistaken, the seed lying inside of the sh.e.l.l of the carpel." It is exactly the contrary to the Raspberry, a fruit not named by Shakespeare, though common in his time under the name of Rasps. "When you gather the Raspberry you throw away the receptacle under the name of core, never suspecting that it is the very part you had just before been feasting upon in the Strawberry. In the one case, the receptacle robs the carpels of all their juice in order to become gorged and bloated at their expense; in the other case, the carpels act in the same selfish manner upon the receptacles."--LINDLEY, _Ladies' Botany_.

Shakespeare's mention of the Strawberry and the Nettle (No. 2) deserves a pa.s.sing note. It was the common opinion in his day that plants were affected by the neighbourhood of other plants to such an extent that they imbibed each other's virtues and faults. Thus sweet flowers were planted near fruit trees, with the idea of improving the flavour of the fruit, and evil-smelling trees, like the Elder, were carefully cleared away from fruit trees, lest they should be tainted. But the Strawberry was supposed to be an exception to the rule, and was supposed to thrive in the midst of "evil communications" without being corrupted. Preachers and emblem-writers naturally seized upon this: "In tilling our gardens we cannot but admire the fresh innocence and purity of the Strawberry, because although it creeps along the ground, and is continually crushed by serpents, lizards, and other venomous reptiles, yet it does not imbibe the slightest impression of poison, or the smallest malignant quality, a true sign that it has no affinity with poison. And so it is with human virtues," &c. "In conversation take everything peacefully, no matter what is said or done. In this manner you may remain innocent amidst the hissing of serpents, and, as a little Strawberry, you will not suffer contamination from slimy things creeping near you."--ST.

FRANCIS DE SALES.

I need only add that the Strawberry need not be confined to the kitchen garden, as there are some varieties which make very good carpet plants, such as the variegated Strawberry, which, however, is very capricious in its variegation; the double Strawberry, which bears pretty white b.u.t.ton-like flowers; and the Fragaria lucida from California, which has very bright shining leaves, and was, when first introduced, supposed to be useful in crossing with other species; but I have not heard that this has been successfully effected.

FOOTNOTES:

[279:1] "Mrs. Somerville made for me a delicate outline sketch of what is called Oth.e.l.lo's house in Venice, and a beautifully coloured copy of his shield surmounted by the Doge's cap, and bearing three Mulberries for device--proving the truth of the a.s.sertion that the _Otelli del Moro_ were a n.o.ble Venetian folk, who came originally from the Morea, whose device was the Mulberry, the growth of that country, and showing how curious a jumble Shakespeare has made both of name and device in calling him a _Moor_, and embroidering his arms on his handkerchief as _Strawberries_."--F. KEMBLE'S _Records_, vol. i. 145.

[281:1] It seems probable that the Romans only knew of the Wild Strawberry, of which both Virgil and Ovid speak--

"Qui legitis flores et humi nascentia fraga."--_Ecl._, ii.

"Contentique cibis nullo cogente creatis Arbuteos ftus montanaque fraga legebant."--_Metam._, i, 105.

[282:1] "Quae neque confirmare argumentis neque refellere in animo est; ex ingenio suo quisque demat vel addat fidem."--TACITUS.

[282:2] The flowers of Fragaria lucida are slightly violet-scented, but I know of no Strawberry flower that can be said to "give most odorous smell."

[282:3]

"The wood nymphs oftentimes would busied be, And pluck for him the blushing Strawberry, Making from them a bracelet on a bent, Which for a favour to this swain they sent."

BROWNE'S _Brit. Past._, i, 2.

SUGAR.

(1) _Prince Henry._

But, sweet Ned--to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of Sugar, clapped even now into my hand by an under-skinker.

To drive away the time till Falstaff comes, I prithee, do thou stand in some by-room, while I question my puny drawer to what end he gave me the Sugar.

Nay, but hark you, Francis; for the Sugar thou gavest me, 'twas a pennyworth, was't not?

_1st Henry IV_, act ii, sc. 4 (23, 31, 64).

(2) _Biron._

White-handed mistress, one sweet word with thee.

_Princess._

Honey, and Milk, and Sugar, there is three.

_Love's Labour's Lost_, act v, sc. 2 (230).

(3) _Quickly._

And in such wine and Sugar of the best and the fairest, that would have won any woman's heart.

_Merry Wives_, act ii, sc. 2 (70).

(4) _Ba.s.sanio._

Here are sever'd lips Parted with Sugar breath; so sweet a bar Should sunder such sweet friends.

_Merchant of Venice_, act iii, sc. 2 (118).

(5) _Touchstone._

Honesty coupled to beauty is to have honey a sauce to Sugar.

_As You Like It_, act iii, sc. 2 (30).

(6) _Northumberland._

Your fair discourse hath been as Sugar, Making the hard way sweet and delectable.

_Richard II_, act ii, sc. 3 (6).

(7) _Clown._

Let me see,--what am I to buy for our sheep-shearing feast?

Three pound of Sugar, five pound of Currants.

_Winter's Tale_, act iv, sc. 3 (39).