The Andrian: Act the Fourth: Scene III
MYSIS to GLYCERIUM (within). Be where he will, I'll find yourPamphilus,And bring him with me. Meanwhile, you, my soul,Forbear to vex yourself.
MYSIS. Who's there?Oh Pamphilus, well met, Sir!
PAM. What's the matter?
MYSIS. My mistress, by the love you bear her, begsYour presence instantly. She longs to see you.
PAM. Ah, I'm undone: This sore breaks out afresh.Unhappy that we are, through your curs'd means,To be tormented thus. (To DAVUS.)--She has been toldA nuptial is prepar'd and therefore sends.
CHAR. From which how safe you were, had he been quiet! (Pointing toDAVUS.)
DAVUS. Aye, if he raves not of himself enough,Do, irritate him. (To CHARINUS.)
MYSIS. Truly that's the cause;And therefore 'tis, poor soul, she sorrows thus.
PAM. Mysis, I swear to thee by all the Gods,I never will desert her: though assur'dThat I for her make all mankind my foes.I sought her, carried her: our hearts are one,And farewell they that wish us put asunder!Death, naught but death shall part us.
PAM. Apollo's oracles are not more true.If that my father may be wrought upon,To think I hinder'd not the match, 'tis well:But if that can not be, come what come may,Why let him know, 'twas I--What think you now? (To CHARINUS.)CHAR. That we are wretches both.
DAVUS. My brain 's at work.
PAM. I know what you'd attempt.
DAVUS. Well, well!I will effect it for you.PAM. Aye, but now.
DAVUS. For him, Sir, not for you.Be not mistaken.
CHAR. I am satisfied.
PAM. Say, what do you propose?
DAVUS. This day, I fear,Is scarce sufficient for the execution,So think not I have leisure to relate.Hence then! you hinder me: hence, hence I say.PAM. I'll to Glycerium. (Exit.
DAVUS. Well, and what mean you?Whither will you, Sir?
CHAR. Shall I speak the truth?
DAVUS. Oh to be sure: now for a tedious tale!
CHAR. What will become of me?
DAVUS. How! not content!Is it not then sufficient, if I give youThe respite of a day, a little day,By putting off his wedding?DAVUS. Ridiculous!
CHAR. If you succeed, come to me.
DAVUS. Wherefore come?I can't assist you.
DAVUS. Well, well, I'll come.
CHAR. If aught, I am at home. (Exit.
Words in this poem
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- afresh adv.
- Anew; again; once more; newly. [Pref. a- + fresh.]
- 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,]
- propose v. i.
- To speak; to converse.
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- whither adv.
- To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Andrian: Act the Fourth: Scene III 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 Fourth: Scene III, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-andrian-act-the-fourth-scene-iii.html, id L25739.
Form and metre
The Andrian: Act the Fourth: Scene III is 60 lines in 26 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.
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.
- 17 --A-A fear · execution · relateA · say · exitA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MYSIS to GLYCERIUM (within). Be where he will, I'll find your | 15 | /˘············· |
| Pamphilus, | 3 | ··· |
| And bring him with me. Meanwhile, you, my soul, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Forbear to vex yourself. | 6 | ˘/··˘/ |
| MYSIS. Who's there? | 4 | /˘·· |
| Oh Pamphilus, well met, Sir! | 7 | ······· |
| PAM. What's the matter? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MYSIS. My mistress, by the love you bear her, begs | 12 | /˘·/˘······· |
| Your presence instantly. She longs to see you. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| PAM. Ah, I'm undone: This sore breaks out afresh. | 11 | ···˘/····˘/ |
| Unhappy that we are, through your curs'd means, | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| To be tormented thus. (To DAVUS.)--She has been told | 13 | ··/·˘········ |
| A nuptial is prepar'd and therefore sends. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| CHAR. From which how safe you were, had he been quiet! (Pointing to | 14 | ··········//˘· |
| DAVUS.) | 2 | ·· |
| DAVUS. Aye, if he raves not of himself enough, | 12 | ········˘/˘/ |
| Do, irritate him. (To CHARINUS.) | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| MYSIS. Truly that's the cause; | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| And therefore 'tis, poor soul, she sorrows thus. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| PAM. Mysis, I swear to thee by all the Gods, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| I never will desert her: though assur'd | 10 | ·/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| That I for her make all mankind my foes. | 10 | ······//·· |
| I sought her, carried her: our hearts are one, | 10 | ···/˘·/··· |
| And farewell they that wish us put asunder! | 11 | ··/·····˘/˘ |
| Death, naught but death shall part us. | 7 | ······· |
| PAM. Apollo's oracles are not more true. | 10 | ·˘/˘/˘···· |
| If that my father may be wrought upon, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To think I hinder'd not the match, 'tis well: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| But if that can not be, come what come may, | 10 | ·········· |
| Why let him know, 'twas I--What think you now? (To CHARINUS.) | 14 | ·············· |
| CHAR. That we are wretches both. | 7 | ······· |
| DAVUS. My brain 's at work. | 7 | ······· |
| PAM. I know what you'd attempt. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| DAVUS. Well, well! | 4 | ···· |
| I will effect it for you. | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| PAM. Aye, but now. | 4 | ···· |
| DAVUS. For him, Sir, not for you. | 8 | ········ |
| Be not mistaken. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| CHAR. I am satisfied. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| PAM. Say, what do you propose? | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| DAVUS. This day, I fear, | 6 | ······ |
| Is scarce sufficient for the execution, | 11 | ··˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| So think not I have leisure to relate. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Hence then! you hinder me: hence, hence I say. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| PAM. I'll to Glycerium. (Exit. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| DAVUS. Well, and what mean you? | 7 | ······· |
| Whither will you, Sir? | 5 | /˘··· |
| CHAR. Shall I speak the truth? | 6 | ······ |
| DAVUS. Oh to be sure: now for a tedious tale! | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| CHAR. What will become of me? | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| DAVUS. How! not content! | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Is it not then sufficient, if I give you | 11 | ····˘/˘···· |
| The respite of a day, a little day, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| By putting off his wedding? | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| DAVUS. Ridiculous! | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| CHAR. If you succeed, come to me. | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| DAVUS. Wherefore come? | 5 | ··/˘· |
| I can't assist you. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| DAVUS. Well, well, I'll come. | 6 | ······ |
| CHAR. If aught, I am at home. (Exit. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
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