e unreturning Dushyanta at his court; who, under the spell of
Durvasas, fails to recognise her. If what she claims is true,
she can produce the ring?--But no; she has lost it on her
journey through the forest. He repudiates her; whereupon
she is caught up by the Gods into the Grove of Kasyapa beyond
the clouds.

But the ring had fallen into a stream in the forest, and a fish
had swallowed it, and a fisherman had caught the fish, and the
police had caught the fisherman .... and so it came into the
hands of Dushyanta again; who, at sight of it, remembered all,
and was plunged in grief over his lost love.

Years pass, and Indra summons him at last to fight a race of
giants that threaten the sovereignty of the Gods. In the course
of that warfare, mounting to heaven in the car of Indra,
Dushyanta comes to the Grove of Kasyapa, and is reunited with
Sakoontala and with their son, now grown into an heroic boy.

As in _The Tempest_ a certain preoccupation with the magical
beauty of the island dims the character-drawing a little,
and perhaps thereby makes the symbol more distinct,--so in
Sakoontala. It is a faery piece: begining in the morning calm
and forest magic; then permitting passion to rise, and sadness
to follow; ending in the crystal and blue clearness of the upper
air. In this we see the basic form of the Soul-Symbol, which is
worked out in the incidents and characters. Dushyanta, hunting
in the unexplored forest, comes to the abode of holiness, finds
and loves Sakoontala;--and from their union is born the perfect
hero,--Sarva-Damana, the 'All-tamer.'--Searching in the
impersonal and unexplored regions within us, we do at some time
in our career of lives come to the holy place, get vision of our
Immortal Self; from the union of which with this, our human
personality is to be born some time that new being we are to
become,--the Perfect Man or Adept. But that first vision may be
lost; I suppose almost always is;--and there are wanderings and
sorrows, forgetfulness and above all heroic services to be
performed, before the final reunion can be attained.

XVI. THE BEGINNINGS OF ROME

We have seen an eastward flow of cycles: which without too much
Procrusteanizing may be given dates thus:--Greece, 478 to 348;
Maurya India, 320 to 190; Western Han China, 194 to 63; in this
current, West Asia, being then in long pralaya, is overleaped.
We have also seen a tide in the other direction; it was first
Pers