you think that he
cannot die as well for his father as you did for yours? Let him die!
Let his death too spare me the disgraceful ransom! Strato, I am bereft
now, I poor man! You have a son;--he shall be mine. For a son one must
have! Happy Strato!

PHILOTAS.

Your son too lives still, king! And will live! I hear it!

ARIDAeUS.

Does he live still? Then I must have him back. But you--die! I will
have him back, let what will come of it. And in exchange for you! Or I
will have such disgrace and dishonour shown to your body--I will have
it----

PHILOTAS.

The dead body!--If you will revenge yourself, king, awaken it again!

ARIDAeUS.

Ah! What do I say?

PHILOTAS.

I pity you! Farewell, Strato! There, where all virtuous friends and all
brave men are members of one blessed state--in Elysium we shall meet
again! We also, king, shall meet again.

ARIDAeUS.

And reconciled! Prince!

PHILOTAS.

O then, ye gods, receive my triumphant soul; and thou, goddess of
peace, thy offering!

ARIDAeUS.

Hear me, prince!

STRATO.

He dies! Am I traitor, king, if I weep over your enemy? I cannot
restrain myself. A wondrous youth!

ARIDAeUS.

Weep over him, weep! And I too! Come! I must have my son again. But do
not oppose me, if I pay too high a ransom for him! In vain have we shed
our streams of blood, in vain have we conquered lands. There he departs
with our booty, the greater victor!--Come! Get me my son! And when I
have him, I will no more be king. Do ye believe, ye men, that one does
not grow weary of it? (_Exeunt_.)

EMILIA GALOTTI.

A TRAGEDY IN FIVE ACTS.

(_Translated by B. Dillon Boylan_.)

'Emilia Galotti' was commenced in 1757, when Lessing was at Leipzig,
but was thrown aside for some years, until in 1767, when at Hamburg, he
again took it up, intending to have it represented on the Hamburg
stage. But on the failure of the theatrical enterprise with which he
was connected, he once more abandoned it until 1771, when he again
turned his attention to it, and completed it in February of the
following year. It w