“That causeth love is all of golde with point full sharp and bright.
That chaseth love, is blunt, whose steele with leaden head is dight.”
This borrowing and using of the epithet “golden” might equally well, and with as much probability, have taken place through the influence of Alciat, or by adoption from Whitney’s very beautiful translation and paraphrase of Joachim Bellay’s Fable of Cupid and Death. The two were lodging together at an inn,[[169]] and unintentionally exchanged quivers: death’s darts were made of bone, Cupid’s were “dartes of goulde.”
The conception of the tale is admirable, and the narrative itself full of taste and beauty. Premising that the same device is employed by Whitney as by Alciat, we will first give almost a literal version from the 154th and 155th Emblems of the latter author (edition 1581),—
“Wandering about was Death along with Cupid as companion,
With himself Death was bearing quivers; little Love his weapons;
Together at an inn they lodged; one night together one bed they shared;
Love was blind, and on this occasion Death also was blind.
Unforeseeing the evil, one took the darts of the other,
Death the golden weapons,—those of bone the boy rashly seizes.