The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene II
DAVUS. A more commodious man,Arriving just in season, at a timeSo critical, I never knew. (To himself.)
SIMO. A knave!Who's that he praises? (Listening.)DAVUS. All is now secure. (To himself.)
SIMO. Why don't I speak to him?
DAVUS. My master here! (Turning about.)What shall I do? (To himself.)SIMO. Good Sir, your humble Servant! (Sneering.)
DAVUS. Oh, Simo! and our Chremes!--All is nowPrepar'd within.
SIMO. You've taken special care. (Ironically.)
DAVUS. E'en call them when you please.
SIMO. Oh, mighty fine!That to be sure is all that's wanting now.--But tell me, Sir! what business had you there? (Pointing toDAVUS. I? (Confused.)
DAVUS. I--? (Stammering.)
DAVUS. I went in but now. (Disordered.)
SIMO. As if I ask'd, how long it was ago.
DAVUS. With Pamphilus.
SIMO. Is Pamphilus within?--Oh torture.--Did not you assure me, Sirrah,They were at variance?
DAVUS. So they are.
SIMO. Why thenIs Pamphilus within?
CHREMES. Oh, why d'ye think?He's gone to quarrel with her. (Sneering.)
DAVUS. Nay, but Chremes,There's more in this, and you shall hear strange news.There's an old countryman, I know not who,Is just arriv'd here; confident and shrewd;His look bespeaks him of some consequence.A grave severity is in his face,And credit in his words.SIMO. What story now?
DAVUS. Nay, nothing, Sir, but what I heard him say.
SIMO. And what says he, then?
DAVUS. That he's well assur'dGlycerium's an Athenian citizen.
DAVUS. What now?
DAVUS. Hear me.
SIMO. Speak but a word more--Dromo!
DAVUS. Pray, Sir, hear!
Words in this poem
- 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.]
- 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,]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- shrewd a.
- Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. [Originally the p. p. of shrew, v.t.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene II 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, The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene II, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-andrian-act-the-fifth-scene-ii.html, id L25746.
Form and metre
The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene II is 46 lines in 24 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 |
|---|---|---|
| DAVUS. A more commodious man, | 9 | ····˘/˘˘· |
| Arriving just in season, at a time | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘··· |
| So critical, I never knew. (To himself.) | 10 | ·/˘˘·/··˘/ |
| SIMO. A knave! | 4 | /˘·· |
| Who's that he praises? (Listening.) | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| DAVUS. All is now secure. (To himself.) | 10 | ·····˘/·˘/ |
| SIMO. Why don't I speak to him? | 8 | /˘······ |
| DAVUS. My master here! (Turning about.) | 10 | ···/˘·/˘·· |
| What shall I do? (To himself.) | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| SIMO. Good Sir, your humble Servant! (Sneering.) | 11 | /˘···/˘/˘/˘ |
| DAVUS. Oh, Simo! and our Chremes!--All is now | 11 | ···/˘·/···· |
| Prepar'd within. | 4 | ˘/·· |
| SIMO. You've taken special care. (Ironically.) | 11 | /˘·/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| DAVUS. E'en call them when you please. | 8 | ········ |
| SIMO. Oh, mighty fine! | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| That to be sure is all that's wanting now. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| --But tell me, Sir! what business had you there? (Pointing to | 13 | ·····/˘···/˘· |
| DAVUS. I? (Confused.) | 5 | ···˘/ |
| DAVUS. I--? (Stammering.) | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| DAVUS. I went in but now. (Disordered.) | 10 | ·······˘/˘ |
| SIMO. As if I ask'd, how long it was ago. | 12 | /˘········˘/ |
| DAVUS. With Pamphilus. | 6 | ······ |
| SIMO. Is Pamphilus within? | 8 | /˘······ |
| --Oh torture.--Did not you assure me, Sirrah, | 11 | ·/˘···˘/·/˘ |
| They were at variance? | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| DAVUS. So they are. | 5 | ····· |
| SIMO. Why then | 4 | /˘·· |
| Is Pamphilus within? | 6 | ······ |
| CHREMES. Oh, why d'ye think? | 5 | ····· |
| He's gone to quarrel with her. (Sneering.) | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| DAVUS. Nay, but Chremes, | 5 | ····· |
| There's more in this, and you shall hear strange news. | 10 | ·········· |
| There's an old countryman, I know not who, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Is just arriv'd here; confident and shrewd; | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| His look bespeaks him of some consequence. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| A grave severity is in his face, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| And credit in his words. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| SIMO. What story now? | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| DAVUS. Nay, nothing, Sir, but what I heard him say. | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| SIMO. And what says he, then? | 7 | /˘····· |
| DAVUS. That he's well assur'd | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Glycerium's an Athenian citizen. | 11 | ····˘/˘˘/˘˘ |
| DAVUS. What now? | 4 | ···· |
| DAVUS. Hear me. | 4 | ···· |
| SIMO. Speak but a word more--Dromo! | 9 | /˘······· |
| DAVUS. Pray, Sir, hear! | 5 | ····· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.