ACIS. I don't want to be hard on the poor devils; but they are making me feel uneasy in my inside. I never had such a sensation before. MARTELLUS. I took a lot of trouble with them. But as far as I am concerned, destroy them by all means. I loathed them from the beginning. ALL. Yes, yes: we all loathe them. Let us calcine them. THE FEMALE FIGURE. Oh, don't be so cruel. I'm not fit to die. I will never bite anyone again. I will tell the truth. I will do good. Is it my fault if I was not made properly? Kill him; but spare me. THE MALE FIGURE. No! I have done no harm: she has. Kill her if you like: you have no right to kill me. THE NEWLY BORN. Do you hear that? They want to have one another killed. ARJILLAX. Monstrous! Kill them both. THE HE-ANCIENT. Silence. These things are mere automata: they cannot help shrinking from death at any cost. You see that they have no self-control, and are merely shuddering through a series of reflexes. Let us see whether we cannot put a little more life into them. [_He takes the Male Figure by the hand, and places his disengaged hand on its head_]. Now listen. One of you two is to be destroyed. Which of you shall it be? THE MALE FIGURE [_after a slight convulsion during which his eyes are fixed on the He-Ancient_] Spare her; and kill me. STREPHON. Thats better. THE NEWLY BORN. Much better. THE SHE-ANCIENT [_handling the Female Automaton in the same manner_] Which of you shall we kill? THE FEMALE FIGURE. Kill us both. How could either of us live without the other? ECRASIA. The woman is more sensible than the man. _The Ancients release the Automata._ THE MALE FIGURE [_sinking to the ground_] I am discouraged. Life is too heavy a burden. THE FEMALE FIGURE [_collapsing_] I am dying. I am glad. I am afraid to live. THE NEWLY BORN. I think it would be nice to give the poor things a little music. ARJILLAX. Why? THE NEWLY BORN. I don't know. But it would. _The Musicians play._ THE FEMALE FIGURE. Ozymandias: do you hear that? [_She rises on her knees and looks raptly into space_] Queen of queens! [_She dies_]. THE MALE FIGURE [_crawling feebly towards her until he reaches her hand_] I knew I was really a king of kings. [_To the others_] Illusions, farewell: we are going to our thrones. [_He dies_]. _The music stops. There is dead silence for a moment._ THE NEWLY BORN. That was funny. STREPHON. It was. Even the Ancients are smiling. THE NEWLY BORN. Just a little. THE SHE-ANCIENT [_quickly recovering her grave and peremptory manner_] Take these two abominations away to Pygmalion's laboratory, and destroy them with the rest of the laboratory refuse. [_Some of them move to _obey]. Take care: do not touch their flesh: it is noxious: lift them by their robes. Carry Pygmalion into the temple; and dispose of his remains in the usual way.