Phormio: Act the Fourth: Scene IV
CHREM. Ha!Has Phormio had the money yet?
DEM. I paid himImmediately.
CHREM. I'm sorry for't.-- (Seeing NAUSISTRATA.)--My wife!I'd almost said too much. (Aside.)DEM. Why sorry, Chremes?
CHREM. Nothing.--No matter.
DEM. Well, but hark ye, Chremes!Have you been talking with the girl, and told herWherefore we bring your wife?CHREM. I've settled it.
DEM. Well, and what says she?
CHREM. 'Tis impossibleTo send her hence.
DEM. And why impossible?
DEM. What's that to us?
CHREM. A great deal. And besides,I have discover'd she's related to us.DEM. Are you mad?
DEM. She's no relation to us.
CHREM. Don't deny it.Her father had assum'd another name,And that deceiv'd you.
DEM. What! not know her father?
CHREM. Perfectly.
DEM. Why did she misname him then?
DEM. What can I understand from nothing?
CHREM. Still? (Impatiently.)
NAUS. I can't imagine what this means.
CHREM. Would you know all?--Why then, so help me Heaven,She has no nearer kindred in the worldThan you and I.
DEM. Oh, all ye powers of heaven!--Let us go to her then immediately:I would fain know, or not know, all at once. (Going.)CHREM. Ah! (Stopping him.)
DEM. What's the matter?
CHREM. Can't you trust me then?
DEM. Must I believe it? take it upon trust?--Well, be it so!--But what is to be doneWith our friend's daughter?
CHREM. Nothing.
DEM. Drop her?
DEM. And keep this?
DEM. Why then, Nausistrata,You may return. We need not trouble you.
NAUS. Indeed, I think, 'tis better on all sides,That you should keep her here, than send her hence.For she appear'd to me, when first I saw her,Much of a gentlewoman. (Exit NAUSISTRATA.
HarperCHREM. Ha!Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- misname v. t.
- To call by the wrong name; to give a wrong or inappropriate name to.
- impatiently adv.
- In an impatient manner.
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- gentlewoman n.
- A woman of good family or of good breeding; a woman above the vulgar.
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Phormio: Act the Fourth: Scene IV 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 Fourth: Scene IV, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/phormio-act-the-fourth-scene-iv.html, id L25908.
Form and metre
Phormio: Act the Fourth: Scene IV is 54 lines in 29 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHREM. Ha! | 2 | ·· |
| Has Phormio had the money yet? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| DEM. I paid him | 4 | ···· |
| Immediately. | 5 | ˘/˘˘˘ |
| CHREM. I'm sorry for't.-- (Seeing NAUSISTRATA.)--My wife! | 12 | ··/˘·/······ |
| I'd almost said too much. (Aside.) | 8 | ·/····˘/ |
| DEM. Why sorry, Chremes? | 5 | ··/˘· |
| CHREM. Nothing.--No matter. | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| DEM. Well, but hark ye, Chremes! | 6 | ······ |
| Have you been talking with the girl, and told her | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Wherefore we bring your wife? | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHREM. I've settled it. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| DEM. Well, and what says she? | 6 | ······ |
| CHREM. 'Tis impossible | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| To send her hence. | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. And why impossible? | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| DEM. What's that to us? | 5 | ····· |
| CHREM. A great deal. And besides, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| I have discover'd she's related to us. | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘·· |
| DEM. Are you mad? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. She's no relation to us. | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| CHREM. Don't deny it. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| Her father had assum'd another name, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘/˘· |
| And that deceiv'd you. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| DEM. What! not know her father? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| CHREM. Perfectly. | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| DEM. Why did she misname him then? | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| DEM. What can I understand from nothing? | 10 | ·····˘/·/˘ |
| CHREM. Still? (Impatiently.) | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| NAUS. I can't imagine what this means. | 9 | ···˘/˘··· |
| CHREM. Would you know all?--Why then, so help me Heaven, | 11 | ··········/ |
| She has no nearer kindred in the world | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Than you and I. | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. Oh, all ye powers of heaven! | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| --Let us go to her then immediately: | 11 | ······˘/˘˘˘ |
| I would fain know, or not know, all at once. (Going.) | 11 | ··········/ |
| CHREM. Ah! (Stopping him.) | 5 | ··/˘· |
| DEM. What's the matter? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREM. Can't you trust me then? | 6 | ······ |
| DEM. Must I believe it? take it upon trust? | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| --Well, be it so!--But what is to be done | 10 | ·········· |
| With our friend's daughter? | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| CHREM. Nothing. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| DEM. Drop her? | 3 | ··· |
| DEM. And keep this? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. Why then, Nausistrata, | 7 | ······· |
| You may return. We need not trouble you. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| NAUS. Indeed, I think, 'tis better on all sides, | 11 | ·˘/···/˘··· |
| That you should keep her here, than send her hence. | 10 | ·········· |
| For she appear'd to me, when first I saw her, | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| Much of a gentlewoman. (Exit NAUSISTRATA. | 13 | ···/˘·˘/˘···· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| CHREM. Ha! | 2 | ·· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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