Herodotus tells the story of the Thalassokrat (Sea-king) Polycrates of Samos whose never-failing fortune so alarmed his friend and ally, the Pharaoh Amasis of Egypt, that he wrote to him begging him to sacrifice something he valued most highly to propitiate the fateful Nemesis, goddess of retribution. In obedience to this request Polycrates, with many regrets, threw from a boat his precious emerald ring into the sea far from the shore. Some few days afterwards a fisherman caught a fish so large and shapely that, thinking it a prize for the King, he took it to the palace of Polycrates. When the cook was preparing the fish for the King’s table he found within it his master’s emerald ring. Amasis, when informed of the incident by Polycrates, was greatly concerned as it foretold to him a fatal end for the Thalassokrat, with whom he broke off negotiations and alliances. Polycrates, being induced by his crafty enemy the Persian satrap Oroetes to visit him, was seized and crucified. The story is discredited by some historians—notably Grote—but this is not the only story of a fish swallowing a ring or some other article of value. The legend of Solomon’s ring has been already alluded to. Mr. King collecting evidence from Herodotus, Pausanius, and other old writers finds that the ring of Polycrates was a “signet of emerald set in gold, the work of Theodorus of Samos.” That famous father of the church, Titus Flavius Clemens, better known as Clemens Alexandrinus, says that on the emerald ring of Polycrates was engraved “a musical lyre.” A fine quality emerald bearing a similar device was found about fifty years ago in a vineyard at Aricia, and that this may have been the famous ring is not impossible. In the reign of Philip II, of Spanish Armada repute, there appeared in Spain a strange ring of gold, in the centre of which was an emerald cut so as to contain a ruby surrounded by diamonds. This curious ring is said to have been the symbol of misfortune wherever it came. The church which received it as a gift from the King was destroyed by fire; the fatal ring, rescued from the fire, was placed in a museum that was badly damaged by lightning; whilst again in the possession of the King of Spain, Spain was defeated in the war with the United States of America. Then this ring of ill-omen was buried in an iron coffin in a secret place. Its evil influence can readily be accounted for in the light of occult philosophy—the ruby is a stone under the Celestial Leo, the emerald is under Taurus. These signs form the evil square, being counted in astrological science 90° apart. A square aspect is always accounted an evil one. The admixture of the beautiful crystal symbols was unfortunate. Spain again is under the celestial Sagittarius, and would not hold gems of Taurus. Philip II himself had an evil influence on Spain. Astrologically neither the emerald nor the ruby would be in harmony with his nativity and the diamond would be fatal.