On the anniversary of Shakespeare's death (23 April, 1616), it occurred to me that we often hear that Shakespeare left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his second-best bed. So who was deemed worthy to inherit his best bed?

Shakespeare's bequest of his second-best bed to his wife is sometimes seen as off-hand, but as FE Halliday says in his Life of Shakespeare, she was legally entitled to live at New Place and to a life interest in one-third of most of the estate, so there was no need to make special provision for her, and the bequest seems to acknowledge that it had sentimental value.

After specific bequests, the residue of Shakespeare's estate, presumably including his best bed, was entailed to his daughter, Susanna Hall, "and her sons", with provisions for any failure in the male line. As it happened, the line did fail, and his granddaughter Elizabeth, who died in 1670, was the last direct descendant. Whether she still had the "best bed" at this point, I don't know.
Bill Evershed, Kidlington, Oxon

I studied a poem for my GSCE English last year by Carol-Ann Duffy, called Anne Hathaway. It was about Shakespeare's "second-best bed". This term has been misinterpreted to suggest that he didn't deem his wife worthy of the best bed. But it apparently refers to the fact that when they had vistiors staying, Anne and Shakespeare stayed in their second-best bed. It was here that they loved each other while, "In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed on, dribbling their prose" (Duffy). So the bed was in fact the one he treasured in his memories as a symbol of their love. Granted, I don't know whether this is fact, or just Duffy's interpretations, but it's a nicer story than thinking he didn't like his wife.
Roz Hayes, Plymouth

Back to the here and now

How long does now last?

Perception of time changes. When bored, time appears to drag. When we are happy or when we are battling against an impossible deadline, time seems to fly. Time appears to speed up as one gets older and we seem to have all the time in the world when we are young. However, there is no evidence that the interval of time is changing, not on the scale of a human experience anyway.

According to the second law of thermodynamics, the arrow of time is always in the same direction - towards increasing entropy or disorder. In other words, we cannot turn back the clock. However, with his theories of relativity, Einstein made the speed of light a universal constant. One upshot of this is that the interval of time can change - time would be dilated (or stretched) if we moved at speeds approaching that of light, or if we approached a body sufficiently massive to distort the fabric of space-time.
Mike Follows, Willenhall, W Mids

I am reminded (N&Q, 22 April) of a discussion on a similar issue - namely, for how long can it be said to be "exactly" three o'clock?

Surely, time must be said to be just coming up to three, or else it is just past three. We are, of course, being very pedantic when we quibble over very small units of time, but still, the duration of the actual event must be zero time units. And if this is so, can it not be argued that an event that lasts zero units of time is the same as the event not happening at all?
Ken Short, Deal, Kent

Atishoo, atishoo

Why do I always sneeze twice?

Mindful of the origins of the nursery rhyme Ring a ring o' roses, and the sudden outbreak of swine flu, I hope it's nothing too serious ...
Sally Clarke, London SE20

Sneezing is one of many paroxysm behaviours which we may experience. Others include coughing, vomiting, defaecating, labour, epileptic fits, laughter, orgasm. All have aspects in common; a build-up of tension, a series of stereotyped muscular spasms, and afterwards a feeling of relief. The number of spasms depends on the strength of the stimulus and there is nothing special about two.

Since we lose control of ourselves during these behaviours we usually like to have them in private, or at least turn away and apologise. After the event, it is often a little difficult to fully recall what the experience was like. For some, the less often the better; for other experiences, the more the merrier.
David Kinnaird, Norwich

Because you have an unconscious desire to be kissed. (One's a wish, two's a kiss, three's a letter and four's something better.)
Pippa Howell, Frome, Somerset

Sounds like you're allergic to ringing postmen.
Mia Bainbridge, Peterborough

Only twice? Five, six or seven is my usual range.
Lisa Orton, Greenford, Middx

Trailblazers

Who was coming round the mountains wearing silk pyjamas and did she ever arrive?

I have always believed (N&Q, 8 April) that the "she" who was coming round the mountain was the railway itself as it reached out over the North American prairies.
Bill Tulloch, Dunfermline, Fife

Any answers?

In the new BBC series Robin Hood, why is Friar Tuck a black churchman, able to speak Latin and English? Surely it is anachronistic and distorts history.
Richard Lewis, Cardiff

When did people start shaving, and what did they use before metal razors were introduced? When did soap start to be used for shaving?
Robin Reeves, London SW19

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