ermione was confined; and she said to Emilia, a lady who attended
upon Hermione, "I pray you, Emilia, tell the good queen, if her
majesty dare trust me with her little babe, I will carry it to the
king its father; we do not know how he may soften at the sight of his
innocent child." "Most worthy madam," replied Emilia, "I will acquaint
the queen with your noble offer; she was wishing to-day that she had
any friend who would venture to present the child to the king." "And
tell her," said Paulina, "that I will speak boldly to Leontes in
her defence." "May you be for ever blessed," said Emilia, "for your
kindness to our gracious queen!" Emilia then went to Hermione, who
joyfully gave up her baby to the care of Paulina, for she had feared
that no one would dare venture to present the child to its father.

Paulina took the new-born infant, and forcing herself into the king's
presence, notwithstanding her husband, fearing the king's anger,
endeavoured to prevent her, she laid the babe at its father's feet,
and Paulina made a noble speech to the king in defence of Hermione,
and she reproached him severely for his inhumanity, and implored him
to have mercy on his innocent wife and child. But Paulina's spirited
remonstrances only aggravated Leontes's displeasure, and he ordered
her husband Antigonus to take her from his presence.

When Paulina went away, she left the little baby at its father's feet,
thinking, when he was alone with it, he would look upon it, and have
pity on its helpless innocence.

The good Paulina was mistaken; for no sooner was she gone than the
merciless father ordered Antigonus, Paulina's husband, to take the
child, and carry it out to sea, and leave it upon some desert shore to
perish.

Antigonus, unlike the good Camillo, too well obeyed the orders of
Leontes; for he immediately carried the child on ship-board, and put
out to sea, intending to leave it on the first desert coast he could
find.

So firmly was the king persuaded of the guilt of Hermione, that he
would not wait for the return of Cleomenes and Dion, whom he had sent
to consult the oracle of Apollo at Delphos; but before the queen was
recovered from her lying-in, and from her grief for the loss of her
precious baby, he had her brought to a public trial before all the
lords and nobles of his court. And when all the great lords, the
judges, and all the nobility of the land were assembled together to
try Hermione, and that unhappy queen was