r
giving away her ring; and she said, Nerissa had taught her what to
believe, and that she knew some woman had the ring. Bassanio was very
unhappy to have so offended his dear lady, and he said with great
earnestness, "No, by my honour, no woman had it, but a civil doctor, who
refused three thousand ducats of me, and begged the ring, which when I
denied him, he went displeased away. What could I do, sweet Portia? I
was so beset with shame for my seeming ingratitude, that I was forced to
send the ring after him. Pardon me, good lady; had you been there, I
think you would have begged the ring of me to give the worthy doctor."

"Ah!" said Antonio, "I am the unhappy cause of these quarrels."

Portia bid Antonio not to grieve at that, for that he was welcome
notwithstanding; and then Antonio said, "I once did lend my body for
Bassanio's sake; and but for him to whom your husband gave the ring, I
should have now been dead. I dare be bound again, my soul upon the
forfeit, your lord will never more break his faith with you."--"Then you
shall be his surety," said Portia; "give him this ring, and bid him keep
it better than the other."

When Bassanio looked at this ring, he was strangely surprised to find it
was the same he gave away; and then Portia told him how she was the
young counsellor, and Nerissa was her clerk; and Bassanio found, to his
unspeakable wonder and delight, that it was by the noble courage and
wisdom of his wife that Antonio's life was saved.

And Portia again welcomed Antonio, and gave him letters which by some
chance had fallen into her hands, which contained an account of
Antonio's ships, that were supposed lost, being safely arrived in the
harbour. So these tragical beginnings of this rich merchant's story were
all forgotten in the unexpected good fortune which ensued; and there was
leisure to laugh at the comical adventure of the rings, and the husbands
that did not know their own wives: Gratiano merrily swearing, in a sort
of rhyming speech, that

----while he lived, he'd fear no other thing
So sore, as keeping safe Nerissa's ring.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CYMBELINE

During the time of Augustus Caesar, Emperor of Rome, there reigned in
England (which was then called Britain) a king whose name was Cymbeline.

Cymbeline's first wife died when his three children (two sons and a
daughter) were very young. Imogen, the eldest of these children, was
brought up in her father's co