| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Autol’ycus. | | |
|
The craftiest of thieves. He stole the flocks of his neighbours, and changed their marks. Si’syphos outwitted him by marking his sheep under their feet, a device which so tickled the rogue that he instantly “cottoned” to him. Shakespeare introduces him in The Winter’s Tale as a pedlar, and says he was called the son of Mercury, because he was born under that “thieving planet.” | 1 |
| |
“Autolycus is no lapidary, though he drives a roaring trade in flash jewellery.”—Pall Mall Gazette. |
|
| |
|
|
