Phormio: Act the Fifth: Scene I
DEM. Well may we thank the gracious Gods, good brother,That all things have succeeded to our wish.--But now let's find out Phormio with all speed,Before he throws away our thirty minae.
PHOR. (pretending not to see him).I'll go and see if Demipho's at home,That I may----DEM. (meeting him).--We were coming to you, Phormio.
PHOR. On the old score, I warrant.
PHOR. I thought so.--Why should you go to me?--ridiculous!Was you afraid I'd break my contract with you?No, no! how great soe'er my poverty,I've always shown myself a man of honor.
CHREM. Has not she, as I said, a liberal air?
PHOR. --And therefore I was coming, Demipho,To let you know I'm ready to receiveMy wife whene'er you please. For I postpon'dAll other business, as indeed I ought,Soon as I found ye were so bent on this.
DEM. Aye, but my brother has dissuaded meFrom going any further in this business."For how will people talk of it?" says he:"At first you might have done it handsomely;But then you'd not consent to it; and now,After cohabitation with your son,To think of a divorce is infamous."--In short, he urg'd almost the very thingsThat you so lately charg'd me with yourself.PHOR. You trifle with me, gentlemen.
PHOR. How so? Because I can not marry t'other,With whom I told you I was first in treaty.For with what face can I return to herWhom I have held in such contempt?
CHREM. Tell himAntipho does not care to part with her. (Prompting DEMIPHO.)
DEM. And my son too don't care to part with her:--Step to the Forum then, and give an orderFor the repayment of our money, Phormio.
PHOR. What! when I've paid it to my creditors?
DEM. What's to be done then?
PHOR. Give me but the wifeTo whom you have betroth'd me, and I'll wed her.But if you'd rather she should stay with you,The portion stays with me, good Demipho,For 'tis not just I should be bubbled by you;When, to retrieve your honor, I've refus'dAnother woman with an equal fortune.
DEM. A plague upon your idle vaporing,You vagabond!--D'ye fancy we don't know you?You, and your fine proceedings?PHOR. You provoke me.
DEM. Why, would you marry her, if proffer'd?
DEM. What! that my son may keep her privatelyAt your house?--That was your intention.
PHOR. Ha!What say you, Sir?DEM. Give me my money, Sirrah!
PHOR. Give me my wife, I say.
DEM. To justice with him!
PHOR. To justice? Now, by Heaven, gentlemen,If you continue to be troublesome----
DEM. What will you do?
PHOR. What will I do? PerhapsYou think that I can only patronizeGirls without portion; but be sure of this,I've some with portions too.CHREM. What's that to us?
CHREM. Ha! (Carelessly.)
DEM. What's the matter?
PHOR. --Had another wifeAt Lemnos.
CHREM. (aside). I'm a dead man.
PHOR. --By which otherHe had a daughter; whom he now brings upIn private.
CHREM. (aside). Dead and buried.
PHOR. This I'll tell her. (Going toward the house.)
CHREM. Don't, I beseech you!
PHOR. Oh! are you the man?
DEM. Death! how insulting!
CHREM. (to PHORMIO). We discharge you.
CHREM. What would you more? The money you have gotWe will forgive you.
PHOR. Well; I hear you now.--But what a plague d'ye mean by fooling thus,Acting and talking like mere children with me?--I won't; I will: I will; I won't again:----Give, take; say, unsay; do, and then undo.CHREM. (to DEMIPHO). Which way could he have learn'd this?
DEM. I don't know;But I am sure I never mention'd it.
CHREM. Good now! amazing!
PHOR. I have ruffled them. (Aside.)
DEM. What! shall he carry off so large a sum,And laugh at us so openly?--By Heaven,I'd rather die.--Be of good courage, brother!Pluck up the spirit of a man! You seeThis slip of yours is got abroad; nor can youKeep it a secret from your wife. Now, therefore,'Tis more conducive to your peace, good Chremes,That we should fairly tell it her ourselves,Than she should hear the story from another.And then we shall be quite at libertyTo take our own revenge upon this rascal.
PHOR. Ha!--If I don't take care I'm ruin'd still.They're growing desperate, and making tow'rd meWith a determin'd gladiatorial air.
CHREM. (to DEMIPHO). I fear she'll ne'er forgive me.
DEM. Courage, Chremes!I'll reconcile her to't; especiallyThe mother being dead and gone.
PHOR. Is thisYour dealing, gentlemen? You come upon meExtremely cunningly.--But, Demipho,You have but ill consulted for your brother,To urge me to extremities.--And you, Sir (to CHREMES),When you have play'd the whoremaster abroad;Having no reverence for your lady here,A woman of condition; wronging herAfter the grossest manner; come you nowTo wash away your crimes with mean submission?No.--I will kindle such a flame in her,As, though you melt in tears, you sha'n't extinguish.
DEM. A plague upon him! was there ever manSo very impudent?--A knave! he oughtTo be transported at the public chargeInto some desert.
CHREM. I am so confounded,I know not what to do with him.
DEM. I know.Bring him before a judge!
PHOR. Before a judge?A lady-judge; in here, Sirs, if you please.DEM. Run you and hold him, while I call her servants.
CHREM. I can not by myself; come up and help me.
PHOR. I have an action of assault against you. (To DEMIPHO.)
PHOR. Another against you too, Chremes!
DEM. Drag him away! (Both lay hold of him.)
PHOR. (struggling). Is that your way with me!Then I must raise my voice.--Nausistrata!Come hither.
CHREM. Stop his mouth!
DEM. (struggling). A sturdy rogue!How strong he is!
PHOR. (struggling). Nausistrata, I say.Nausistrata!
CHREM. (struggling). Peace, Sirrah!
PHOR. Peace, indeed!
DEM. Unless he follows, strike him in the stomach!
PHOR. Aye, or put out an eye!--But here comes oneWill give me full revenge upon you both.
Words in this poem 15
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- cohabitation n.
- The act or state of dwelling together, or in the same place with another. Feltham. [L. cohabitatio.]
- forum n.
- A market place or public place in Rome, where causes were judicially tried, and orations delivered to the people. [L.; akin to foris, foras, out of doors. See Foreign.]
- retrieve n.
- A seeking again; a discovery. B. Jonson.
- vaporing a.
- Talking idly; boasting; vaunting.
- patronize v. t.
- To act as patron toward; to support; to countenance; to favor; to aid.
- unsay v. t.
- To recant or recall, as what has been said; to refract; to take back again; to make as if not said. [1st pref. un- + say.]
- amazing a.
- Causing amazement; very wonderful; as, amazing grace.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
- desperate a.
- Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. [L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.]
- gladiatorial a.
- Of or pertaining to gladiators, or to contests or combatants in general.
- whoremaster n.
- A man who practices lewdness; a lecher; a whoremonger.
- knave n.
- A boy; especially, a boy servant. Wyclif. [OE., boy, servant, knave, AS. cnafa boy, youth; cf. AS. cnapa boy, youth, D. kna, G. knabe boy, knappe esquire, Icel. knapi, Sw. knape esquire, knäfvel knave.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Phormio: Act the Fifth: Scene I is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Comedies of Terence, Project Gutenberg ebook #22695; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Terence, Phormio: Act the Fifth: Scene I, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/phormio-act-the-fifth-scene-i.html, id L25914.
Form and metre
Phormio: Act the Fifth: Scene I is 152 lines in 59 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 7 A-A--B---B meA · business · heA · handsomely · now · sonB · infamous · things · yourself · gentlemenB
- 13 --A-A-- wife · her · youA · demipho · youA · refus'd · fortune
- 39 --A-----A-- sum · heaven · brotherA · see · you · therefore · chremes · ourselves · anotherA · liberty · rascal
- 43 -------A--A- this · me · demipho · brother · chremes · abroad · here · herA · now · submission · herA · extinguish
- 44 -A-A man · oughtA · charge · desertA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| DEM. Well may we thank the gracious Gods, good brother, | 12 | ······/˘··/˘ |
| That all things have succeeded to our wish. | 10 | ····˘/˘·/· |
| --But now let's find out Phormio with all speed, | 10 | ·········· |
| Before he throws away our thirty minae. | 10 | ····˘///˘· |
| PHOR. (pretending not to see him). | 8 | ·˘/˘···· |
| I'll go and see if Demipho's at home, | 10 | ·········· |
| That I may---- | 3 | ··· |
| DEM. (meeting him).--We were coming to you, Phormio. | 12 | ·/˘···/˘···· |
| PHOR. On the old score, I warrant. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| PHOR. I thought so. | 4 | ···· |
| --Why should you go to me?--ridiculous! | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| Was you afraid I'd break my contract with you? | 11 | ··˘/···/··· |
| No, no! how great soe'er my poverty, | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| I've always shown myself a man of honor. | 11 | ·/···/···/˘ |
| CHREM. Has not she, as I said, a liberal air? | 11 | ········/˘· |
| PHOR. --And therefore I was coming, Demipho, | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| To let you know I'm ready to receive | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| My wife whene'er you please. For I postpon'd | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| All other business, as indeed I ought, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| Soon as I found ye were so bent on this. | 10 | ·········· |
| DEM. Aye, but my brother has dissuaded me | 11 | ····/˘·˘/˘· |
| From going any further in this business. | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘··/˘ |
| "For how will people talk of it?" says he: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| "At first you might have done it handsomely; | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| But then you'd not consent to it; and now, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| After cohabitation with your son, | 10 | ··˘·˘/˘··· |
| To think of a divorce is infamous." | 10 | ····˘/·/˘˘ |
| --In short, he urg'd almost the very things | 10 | ····/··/˘· |
| That you so lately charg'd me with yourself. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| PHOR. You trifle with me, gentlemen. | 9 | ··/˘··/˘˘ |
| PHOR. How so? Because I can not marry t'other, | 13 | ········/˘˘/˘ |
| With whom I told you I was first in treaty. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| For with what face can I return to her | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Whom I have held in such contempt? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| CHREM. Tell him | 3 | ··· |
| Antipho does not care to part with her. (Prompting DEMIPHO.) | 15 | ··········/˘··· |
| DEM. And my son too don't care to part with her: | 11 | ··········· |
| --Step to the Forum then, and give an order | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| For the repayment of our money, Phormio. | 11 | ··˘/˘·//˘·· |
| PHOR. What! when I've paid it to my creditors? | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| DEM. What's to be done then? | 6 | ······ |
| PHOR. Give me but the wife | 6 | ······ |
| To whom you have betroth'd me, and I'll wed her. | 11 | ··········· |
| But if you'd rather she should stay with you, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The portion stays with me, good Demipho, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| For 'tis not just I should be bubbled by you; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| When, to retrieve your honor, I've refus'd | 10 | ··˘/·/˘·˘/ |
| Another woman with an equal fortune. | 11 | ˘/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| DEM. A plague upon your idle vaporing, | 11 | ······/˘/˘˘ |
| You vagabond!--D'ye fancy we don't know you? | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| You, and your fine proceedings? | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| PHOR. You provoke me. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| DEM. Why, would you marry her, if proffer'd? | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| DEM. What! that my son may keep her privately | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| At your house?--That was your intention. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| PHOR. Ha! | 2 | ·· |
| What say you, Sir? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. Give me my money, Sirrah! | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| PHOR. Give me my wife, I say. | 7 | ······· |
| DEM. To justice with him! | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| PHOR. To justice? Now, by Heaven, gentlemen, | 11 | ··/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| If you continue to be troublesome---- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| DEM. What will you do? | 5 | ····· |
| PHOR. What will I do? Perhaps | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| You think that I can only patronize | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Girls without portion; but be sure of this, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I've some with portions too. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| CHREM. What's that to us? | 5 | ····· |
| CHREM. Ha! (Carelessly.) | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| DEM. What's the matter? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| PHOR. --Had another wife | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| At Lemnos. | 3 | ··· |
| CHREM. (aside). I'm a dead man. | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| PHOR. --By which other | 5 | ···/˘ |
| He had a daughter; whom he now brings up | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In private. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| CHREM. (aside). Dead and buried. | 7 | ·˘/··/˘ |
| PHOR. This I'll tell her. (Going toward the house.) | 10 | ·····/···· |
| CHREM. Don't, I beseech you! | 6 | ···˘/· |
| PHOR. Oh! are you the man? | 6 | ······ |
| DEM. Death! how insulting! | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| CHREM. (to PHORMIO). We discharge you. | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| CHREM. What would you more? The money you have got | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| We will forgive you. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| PHOR. Well; I hear you now. | 6 | ······ |
| --But what a plague d'ye mean by fooling thus, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Acting and talking like mere children with me? | 11 | /˘·/˘··/˘·· |
| --I won't; I will: I will; I won't again:---- | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Give, take; say, unsay; do, and then undo. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| CHREM. (to DEMIPHO). Which way could he have learn'd this? | 12 | ············ |
| DEM. I don't know; | 4 | ···· |
| But I am sure I never mention'd it. | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| CHREM. Good now! amazing! | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| PHOR. I have ruffled them. (Aside.) | 9 | ···/˘˘·˘/ |
| DEM. What! shall he carry off so large a sum, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And laugh at us so openly?--By Heaven, | 11 | ·····/˘˘·/˘ |
| I'd rather die.--Be of good courage, brother! | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Pluck up the spirit of a man! You see | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| This slip of yours is got abroad; nor can you | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Keep it a secret from your wife. Now, therefore, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| 'Tis more conducive to your peace, good Chremes, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| That we should fairly tell it her ourselves, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Than she should hear the story from another. | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| And then we shall be quite at liberty | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| To take our own revenge upon this rascal. | 11 | ··/·˘/···/˘ |
| PHOR. Ha!--If I don't take care I'm ruin'd still. | 11 | ········/˘· |
| They're growing desperate, and making tow'rd me | 10 | ·/˘/˘·/˘·· |
| With a determin'd gladiatorial air. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| CHREM. (to DEMIPHO). I fear she'll ne'er forgive me. | 12 | ·········˘/· |
| DEM. Courage, Chremes! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| I'll reconcile her to't; especially | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| The mother being dead and gone. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| PHOR. Is this | 3 | ··· |
| Your dealing, gentlemen? You come upon me | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Extremely cunningly.--But, Demipho, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘˘···· |
| You have but ill consulted for your brother, | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| To urge me to extremities.--And you, Sir (to CHREMES), | 12 | ····˘/˘····· |
| When you have play'd the whoremaster abroad; | 9 | ·····/˘˘/ |
| Having no reverence for your lady here, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| A woman of condition; wronging her | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘/˘· |
| After the grossest manner; come you now | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| To wash away your crimes with mean submission? | 11 | ··˘/····˘/˘ |
| No.--I will kindle such a flame in her, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| As, though you melt in tears, you sha'n't extinguish. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| DEM. A plague upon him! was there ever man | 10 | ········/· |
| So very impudent?--A knave! he ought | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| To be transported at the public charge | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Into some desert. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREM. I am so confounded, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| I know not what to do with him. | 8 | ········ |
| DEM. I know. | 3 | ··· |
| Bring him before a judge! | 6 | ······ |
| PHOR. Before a judge? | 5 | ····· |
| A lady-judge; in here, Sirs, if you please. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| DEM. Run you and hold him, while I call her servants. | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| CHREM. I can not by myself; come up and help me. | 12 | ······/····· |
| PHOR. I have an action of assault against you. (To DEMIPHO.) | 16 | ····/˘·˘/······· |
| PHOR. Another against you too, Chremes! | 9 | ·˘/˘····· |
| DEM. Drag him away! (Both lay hold of him.) | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| PHOR. (struggling). Is that your way with me! | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Then I must raise my voice.--Nausistrata! | 10 | ·········· |
| Come hither. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| CHREM. Stop his mouth! | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. (struggling). A sturdy rogue! | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| How strong he is! | 4 | ···· |
| PHOR. (struggling). Nausistrata, I say. | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Nausistrata! | 4 | ···· |
| CHREM. (struggling). Peace, Sirrah! | 7 | ·/˘˘·/˘ |
| PHOR. Peace, indeed! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| DEM. Unless he follows, strike him in the stomach! | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| PHOR. Aye, or put out an eye!--But here comes one | 11 | ··········· |
| Will give me full revenge upon you both. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
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