The Gold and Silver Shield
Preserved but no longer current.
A mediaeval allegory tells how two knights coming from opposite directions stopped in sight of a shield suspended from a tree branch, one side of which was gold and the other silver, and disputed about its metal, proceeding from words to blows. Luckily a third knight came up: the point was referred to him, and the disputants were informed that the shield was silver on one side and gold on the other.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Gold and Silver Shield” mean?
A mediaeval allegory tells how two knights coming from opposite directions stopped in sight of a shield suspended from a tree branch, one side of which was gold and the other silver, and disputed about its metal, proceeding from words to blows. Luckily a third knight came up: the point was referred to him, and the disputants were informed that the shield was silver on one side and gold on the other.
Is “The Gold and Silver Shield” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.