8 THE WINTER'S TALE.

against him, and they fled from the Court of Sicily that night, and
returned to Bohemia where Camillo lived on as Polixenes’ friend and
counsellor.

Leontes threw the Queen into prison ; and her son, the heir to the
throne, died of sorrow to see his mother so unjustly and cruelly treated.

While the Queen was in prison she had a little baby, and a friend
of hers, named Paulina, had the baby dressed in its best, and took it
to show the King, thinking that the sight of his helpless little daughter
would soften his heart towards his dear Queen, who had never done
him any wrong, and who loved him a great deal more than he deserved ;
but the King would not look at the baby, and ordered Paulina’s
husband to take it away in a ship, and leave it in the most desert
and dreadful place he could find, which Paulina’s husband, very
much against his will, was obliged to do.

Then the poor Queen was brought up to
be tried for treason in preferring Polixenes to
her King ; but really she had never thought
of anyone except Leontes, her husband.
Leontes had sent some messengers to ask the
god, Apollo, whether he was not right in his
cruel thoughts of the Queen. But he had
not patience to wait till they came back, and
so it happened that
they arrived in the
middle of the trial.
The Oracle said—

“Hermione is
innocent,  Polixenes
blameless, Camillo a
true subject, Leontes
a jealous tyrant, and
the King shall live
without an heir, if
that which is lost be
not found.”

Then a man came