In Greece and Italy 281 



he was rifling honey from the hives, and pricked his finger- 

 tips all ; then he was in pain, and blew upon his hand, and 

 leaped, and stamped the ground. And then he showed 

 his hurt to Aphrodite, and made mucji complaint, how 

 that the bee is a tiny creature, and yet what wounds it 

 deals ! And his mother laughed out, and said, ' Art thou 

 not even such a creature as the bees ? — for tiny art thou, 

 but what wounds thou dealest ! ' " 



There are frequent allusions to Cupid mischievously 

 overturning a bee-hive, and Albert Diirer has given us a 



most delightful picture of this event, in which Venus appears 



coming to the rescue of the naughty child. 



Moschus, in one of his idyls, causes Venus thus to 



describe the lost Cupid whom she is trying to find : — 

 " The child is most notable ; thou couldst tell him among 



twenty together ; his skin is not white, but flame colored ; 



his eyes are keen and burning ; an evil heart and a sweet 



tongue has he, for his speech and his mind are at variance. 



Like honey is his voice, but his heart of gall ; all tameless 



is he, and deceitful, the truth is not in him, a wily brat, and 



cruel in his pastime." 



Venus too received libations of honey, to which Emped- 



ocles thus refers : — 



" Venus was their only queen. 

 Her they propitiate and duly worship 

 With pious images, with beauteous figures 

 Skilfully carved ; with fragrant incenses, 

 And holy offerings of unmixed myrrh, 

 And sweetly smelling frankincense ; and many 

 A pure libation of fresh golden honey 

 They pour'd along the floor.'' 



The word " honey " or other words derived from it were 

 used as terms of endearment by the ancients, very much as 

 they are used by us to-day. We hear of a " puer melHtus " 



