Like the Egyptian thief, at point of death, kill what I love.
Mr. Donnelly writes: ‘This is an allusion to a story from Heliodorus’s
“AEthiopica.” I do not know of any English translation of it in the time
of Shakespeare.’ The allusion is, we conceive, to Herodotus, ii. 121,
the story of Rhampsinitus, translated by ‘B. R.’ and published in 1584.
In ‘Macbeth’ we find--
All our yesterdays have LIGHTED fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, BRIEF CANDLE.