twelve o'clock at night
The winter and spring of 1587-8 was a busy time for William . In addition to his prompting and casting the various plays for Burbage , he was engaged in collecting his sonnets , putting finishing touches on `` Venus and Adonis , '' as well as composing the `` Rape of Lucrece , '' a Roman epic , based on historic truth . He had also planned and mapped out the English play of `` Henry the Fourth , '' taken from an old historical play , and was figuring on two comedies -- `` Midsummer Night 's Dream '' and the `` Merry Wives of Windsor . '' Often when entering his workroom at twelve o'clock at night , or six o'clock in the morning , I found him scratching , cutting , and delving away at his literary bench and oak chest . He could work at three or four plays alternately , and , from crude plots taken out of ancient history , novels , religious or mythological tableaus , devised his characters and put words in their mouths that burned in the ears of British yeomen , tradesmen , professional sharpers and lords and ladies who crowded the benches and boxes of the Blackfriars . He reminded me of an expert cabinet-maker , who had piled up in a corner of his shop a variety lot of rough timber , from which he fashioned and manufactured the most exquisite dressers , sofas and bureaus , dovetailing each piece of oak , rosewood or mahogany , with exact workmanship , and then with the silken varnish of his genius , sending his wares out to the rushing world to be admired , and transmitted to posterity , with perfect faith in the endurance of his creations ! In putting the finishing touches on the fifth act of a play he would quickly change to the composition of the first act of another , and , with lightning rapidity embellish the characters in the third act of some comedy , tragedy or history , that constantly occupied his multifarious brain .