The Andrian: Act the First: Scene II
DAVUS. (to himself). I thought 'twere wonderfulIf this affair went off so easily;And dreaded where my master's great good-humorWould end at last: who, after he perceiv'dThe Lady was refus'd, ne'er said a wordTo any of us, nor e'er took it ill.SIMO. (behind). But now he will; to your cost too, I warrant you!
DAVUS. This was his scheme; to lead us by the noseIn a false dream of joy; then all agapeWith hope, even then that we were most secure,To have o'erwhelm'd us, nor have giv'n us timeTo cast about which way to break the match.Cunning old Gentleman!SIMO. What says the rogue?
DAVUS. My master and I did not see him!
DAVUS. Well! what now? (Pretending not to see him.)
SIMO. Here! this way!
DAVUS. What can he want? (To himself.)
SIMO. (overhearing). What say you?
DAVUS. Upon what? Sir.
SIMO. Upon what!The world reports that my son keeps a mistress.
DAVUS. Oh, to be sure, the world cares much for that.
SIMO. D'ye mind what I say? Sirrah!
DAVUS. Nothing more, Sir.
SIMO. But for me now to dive into these mattersMay seem perhaps like too severe a father:For all his youthful pranks concern not me.While 'twas in season, he had my free leaveTo take his swing of pleasure. But to-dayBrings on another stage of life, and asksFor other manners: wherefore I desire,Or, if you please, I do beseech you, Davus,To set him right again.DAVUS. What means all this?
SIMO. All, who are fond of mistresses, dislikeThe thoughts of matrimony.
DAVUS. So they say.
SIMO. And then, if such a person entertainsAn evil counselor in those affairs,He tampers with the mind, and makes bad worse.DAVUS. Troth, I don't comprehend one word of this.
SIMO. Then for the rest I have to say to you,You choose I should speak plainly.
DAVUS. By all means.
SIMO. If I discover then, that in this matchYou get to your dog's tricks to break it off,Or try to show how shrewd a rogue you are,I'll have you beat to mummy, and then thrownIn prison, Sirrah! upon this condition,That when I take you out again, I swearTo grind there in your stead. D'ye take me now?Or don't you understand this neither?
DAVUS. Clearly.You have spoke out at last: the very thing!Quite plain and home; and nothing round about.
SIMO. I could excuse your tricks in any thing,Rather than this.
DAVUS. Good words! I beg of you.
SIMO. You laugh at me: well, well!--I give you warningThat you do nothing rashly, nor pretendYou was not advertis'd of this--take heed! (Exit.
HarperTo have o'erwhelm'd us, nor have giv'n us timeColman 1768To have o'erwhelm'd us, nor allow'd us time
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- agape adv.
- Gaping, as with wonder, expectation, or eager attention. [Pref. a- + gape.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- troth n.
- Belief; faith; fidelity. [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
- discover v. i.
- To discover or show one's self.
- 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.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Andrian: Act the First: 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 First: 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-first-scene-ii.html, id L25718.
Form and metre
The Andrian: Act the First: Scene II is 66 lines in 24 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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.
- 19 ---AA--- match · off · are · thrownA · conditionA · swear · now · neither
- 24 -A-A harper · timeA · — · timeA
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. (to himself). I thought 'twere wonderful | 11 | ···˘/···/˘˘ |
| If this affair went off so easily; | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| And dreaded where my master's great good-humor | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Would end at last: who, after he perceiv'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| The Lady was refus'd, ne'er said a word | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| To any of us, nor e'er took it ill. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| SIMO. (behind). But now he will; to your cost too, I warrant you! | 16 | /˘···········/˘· |
| DAVUS. This was his scheme; to lead us by the nose | 12 | ············ |
| In a false dream of joy; then all agape | 10 | ········˘/ |
| With hope, even then that we were most secure, | 10 | ··/·····˘/ |
| To have o'erwhelm'd us, nor have giv'n us time | 10 | ·········· |
| To cast about which way to break the match. | 10 | ·········· |
| Cunning old Gentleman! | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| SIMO. What says the rogue? | 6 | /˘···· |
| DAVUS. My master and I did not see him! | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| DAVUS. Well! what now? (Pretending not to see him.) | 12 | ·····˘/˘···· |
| SIMO. Here! this way! | 5 | /˘··· |
| DAVUS. What can he want? (To himself.) | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| SIMO. (overhearing). What say you? | 9 | /˘·˘/˘··· |
| DAVUS. Upon what? Sir. | 6 | ······ |
| SIMO. Upon what! | 5 | /˘··· |
| The world reports that my son keeps a mistress. | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| DAVUS. Oh, to be sure, the world cares much for that. | 12 | ············ |
| SIMO. D'ye mind what I say? Sirrah! | 9 | /˘·····/˘ |
| DAVUS. Nothing more, Sir. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| SIMO. But for me now to dive into these matters | 13 | /˘·········/˘ |
| May seem perhaps like too severe a father: | 11 | ··˘/··˘/·/˘ |
| For all his youthful pranks concern not me. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| While 'twas in season, he had my free leave | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To take his swing of pleasure. But to-day | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Brings on another stage of life, and asks | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| For other manners: wherefore I desire, | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Or, if you please, I do beseech you, Davus, | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| To set him right again. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| DAVUS. What means all this? | 6 | ······ |
| SIMO. All, who are fond of mistresses, dislike | 11 | /˘·····/˘˘/ |
| The thoughts of matrimony. | 7 | ···/˘·˘ |
| DAVUS. So they say. | 5 | ····· |
| SIMO. And then, if such a person entertains | 12 | /˘·····/˘·˘/ |
| An evil counselor in those affairs, | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| He tampers with the mind, and makes bad worse. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| DAVUS. Troth, I don't comprehend one word of this. | 12 | ······˘/···· |
| SIMO. Then for the rest I have to say to you, | 12 | /˘·········· |
| You choose I should speak plainly. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| DAVUS. By all means. | 5 | ····· |
| SIMO. If I discover then, that in this match | 12 | /˘··˘/˘····· |
| You get to your dog's tricks to break it off, | 10 | ·········· |
| Or try to show how shrewd a rogue you are, | 10 | ·········· |
| I'll have you beat to mummy, and then thrown | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| In prison, Sirrah! upon this condition, | 11 | ·/˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| That when I take you out again, I swear | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| To grind there in your stead. D'ye take me now? | 10 | ·········· |
| Or don't you understand this neither? | 9 | ····˘/·/˘ |
| DAVUS. Clearly. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| You have spoke out at last: the very thing! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Quite plain and home; and nothing round about. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| SIMO. I could excuse your tricks in any thing, | 12 | /˘··˘/···/˘· |
| Rather than this. | 4 | /˘·· |
| DAVUS. Good words! I beg of you. | 8 | ········ |
| SIMO. You laugh at me: well, well!--I give you warning | 13 | /˘·········/˘ |
| That you do nothing rashly, nor pretend | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| You was not advertis'd of this--take heed! (Exit. | 12 | ···/˘·····/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| To have o'erwhelm'd us, nor have giv'n us time | 10 | ·········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| To have o'erwhelm'd us, nor allow'd us time | 10 | ······˘/·· |
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