The Andrian: Prologue
The Bard, when first he gave his mind to write,Thought it his only business, that his PlaysShould please the people: but it now falls out,He finds, much otherwise, and wastes, perforce,His time in writing Prologues; not to tellThe argument, but to refute the slandersBroach'd by the malice of an older Bard.And mark what vices he is charg'd withal!Menander wrote the Andrian and Perinthian:Know one, and you know both; in argumentLess diff'rent than in sentiment and style.What suited with the Andrian he confessesFrom the Perinthian he transferr'd, and us'dFor his: and this it is these sland'rers blame,Proving by deep and learned disputation,That Fables should not be contaminated.Troth! all the knowledge is they nothing know:Who, blaming; him, blame Naevius, Plautus, Ennius,Whose great example is his precedent;Whose negligence he'd wish to emulateRather than their dark diligence. Henceforth,Let them, I give them warning, be at peace,And cease to rail, lest they be made to knowTheir own misdeeds. Be favorable! sitWith equal mind, and hear our play; that henceYe may conclude, what hope to entertain,The comedies he may hereafter writeShall merit approbation or contempt.
HarperThat Fables should not be contaminated.Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- perforce v. t.
- To force; to compel.
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- troth n.
- Belief; faith; fidelity. [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- conclude v. t.
- To shut up; to inclose. [L. concludere, conclusum; con- + claudere to shut. See Close, v. t.]
- hereafter adv.
- In time to come; in some future time or state. [AS. hræfter.]
- 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,]
- approbation n.
- Proof; attestation. [L. approbatio: cf. F. approbation. See Approve to prove.]
- 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: Prologue 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: Prologue, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-andrian-prologue.html, id L21033.
Form and metre
The Andrian: Prologue is 31 lines in 2 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.
- 1 AB---B----------C-----C---A- writeA · playsB · out · perforce · tell · slandersB · bard · withal · perinthian · argument · style · confesses · us'd · blame · disputation · contaminated · knowC · ennius · precedent · emulate · henceforth · peace · knowC · sit · hence · entertain · writeA · contempt
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Bard, when first he gave his mind to write, | 10 | ·········· |
| Thought it his only business, that his Plays | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Should please the people: but it now falls out, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He finds, much otherwise, and wastes, perforce, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| His time in writing Prologues; not to tell | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| The argument, but to refute the slanders | 11 | ·/˘˘··˘/·/˘ |
| Broach'd by the malice of an older Bard. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And mark what vices he is charg'd withal! | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Menander wrote the Andrian and Perinthian: | 11 | ··········· |
| Know one, and you know both; in argument | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Less diff'rent than in sentiment and style. | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| What suited with the Andrian he confesses | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| From the Perinthian he transferr'd, and us'd | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| For his: and this it is these sland'rers blame, | 10 | ·········· |
| Proving by deep and learned disputation, | 10 | /˘····˘//˘ |
| That Fables should not be contaminated. | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘·˘ |
| Troth! all the knowledge is they nothing know: | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Who, blaming; him, blame Naevius, Plautus, Ennius, | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Whose great example is his precedent; | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Whose negligence he'd wish to emulate | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| Rather than their dark diligence. Henceforth, | 10 | /˘···/˘˘// |
| Let them, I give them warning, be at peace, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And cease to rail, lest they be made to know | 10 | ·········· |
| Their own misdeeds. Be favorable! sit | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘˘· |
| With equal mind, and hear our play; that hence | 10 | ·/˘···/··· |
| Ye may conclude, what hope to entertain, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| The comedies he may hereafter write | 10 | ·/˘˘··˘/˘· |
| Shall merit approbation or contempt. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘·˘/ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| That Fables should not be contaminated. | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘·˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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.