The Brothers: Act the Fifth: Scene VI
SYRUS. I have executedYour orders, Demea.
DEM. A good fellow!----TrulySyrus, I think, should be made free to-day.MICIO. Made free! He!----Wherefore?
DEM. Oh, for many reasons.
SYRUS. Oh Demea, you're a noble gentleman.I've taken care of both your sons from boys;Taught them, instructed them, and given themThe wholesomest advice that I was able.
DEM. The thing's apparent: and these offices,To cater;--bring a wench in, safe and snug;--Or in mid-day prepare an entertainment;----All these are talents of no common man.
SYRUS. Oh most delightful gentleman!
DEM. Besides,He has been instrumental too this dayIn purchasing the Music-Girl. He manag'dThe whole affair. We should reward him for it.It will encourage others.--In a word,Your AEschinus would have it so.
MICIO. Do youDesire it?
MICIO. Well, if you desire it----Come hither, Syrus!--Be thou free! (SYRUS kneels; MICIO strikes him,being the ceremony of manumission, or giving a slave his freedom.)
SYRUS. I thank you:Thanks to you all; but most of all, to Demea!DEM. I'm glad of your good fortune.
SYRUS. I do believe it; and I wish this joyWere quite complete, and I might see my wife,My Phrygia too, made free, as well as I.
DEM. The very best of women!
SYRUS. And the firstThat suckled my young master's son, your grandson.
DEM. Indeed! the first who suckled him!--Nay then,Beyond all doubt, she should be free.
DEM. For that. Nay, take the sum, whate'er it be,Of me.
SYRUS. Now all the powers above grant allYour wishes, Demea!
MICIO. You have thriv'd to-dayMost rarely, Syrus.
DEM. And besides this, Micio,It would be handsome to advance him somethingTo try his fortune with. He'll soon return it.MICIO. Not that. (Snapping his fingers.)
AESCH. He's honest.
SYRUS. Faith I will return it.Do but advance it.
MICIO. Well, I'll think on't.
DEM. I'll see that he shall do't. (To SYRUS.)
SYRUS. Thou best of men!
AESCH. My most indulgent father!
MICIO. What means this?Whence comes this hasty change of manners, brother?Whence flows all this extravagance? and whenceThis sudden prodigality?
DEM. I'll tell you:To show you, that the reason why our sonsThink you so pleasant and agreeable,Is not from your deserts, or truth, or justice,But your compliance, bounty, and indulgence.--Now, therefore, if I'm odious to you, son,Because I'm not subservient to your humorIn all things, right or wrong; away with care!Spend, squander, and do what you will!--but if,In those affairs where youth has made you blind,Eager, and thoughtless, you will suffer meTo counsel and correct--and in due seasonIndulge you--I am at your service.
AESCH. Father,In all things we submit ourselves to you.What's fit and proper, you know best.--But whatShall come of my poor brother?
DEM. I consentThat he shall have her: let him finish there.
Words in this poem
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- cater n.
- A provider; a purveyor; a caterer. [OE. catour purchaser, caterer, OF. acator, fr. acater, F. acheter, to buy, provide, fr. LL. accaptare; L. ad + captare to strive, to seize, intens, of capere to]
- manumission n.
- The act of manumitting, or of liberating a slave from bondage. [L. manumissio: cf. F. manumission. See Manumit.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- snapping
- a. & n. from Snap, v. Snapping beetle. (Zoöl.) See Snap beetle, under Snap.
- 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,]
- prodigality n.
- Extravagance in expenditure, particularly of money; excessive liberality; profusion; waste; -- opposed to frugality, economy, and parsimony."The prodigality of his wit." [F. prodigalité, L. prodigalitas. See Prodigal.]
- bounty n.
- Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Brothers: Act the Fifth: Scene VI 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 Brothers: Act the Fifth: Scene VI, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-brothers-act-the-fifth-scene-vi.html, id L25854.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Fifth: Scene VI is 77 lines in 28 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
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.
- 9 -AA it · himA · freedomA
- 15 AA beA · meA
- 20 AA itA · itA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SYRUS. I have executed | 8 | ····/˘·˘ |
| Your orders, Demea. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| DEM. A good fellow!----Truly | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Syrus, I think, should be made free to-day. | 10 | ·········· |
| MICIO. Made free! He!----Wherefore? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| DEM. Oh, for many reasons. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. Oh Demea, you're a noble gentleman. | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| I've taken care of both your sons from boys; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Taught them, instructed them, and given them | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| The wholesomest advice that I was able. | 11 | ·/˘˘˘/···/˘ |
| DEM. The thing's apparent: and these offices, | 11 | ···˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| To cater;--bring a wench in, safe and snug; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| --Or in mid-day prepare an entertainment;---- | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| All these are talents of no common man. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| SYRUS. Oh most delightful gentleman! | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘˘ |
| DEM. Besides, | 3 | ·˘/ |
| He has been instrumental too this day | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| In purchasing the Music-Girl. He manag'd | 11 | ·/˘˘·/˘··/˘ |
| The whole affair. We should reward him for it. | 11 | ··˘/··˘/··· |
| It will encourage others.--In a word, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Your AEschinus would have it so. | 8 | ········ |
| MICIO. Do you | 4 | ···· |
| Desire it? | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| MICIO. Well, if you desire it---- | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| Come hither, Syrus!--Be thou free! (SYRUS kneels; MICIO strikes him, | 15 | ·/˘············ |
| being the ceremony of manumission, or giving a slave his freedom.) | 19 | /·/˘·˘······/˘···/˘ |
| SYRUS. I thank you: | 5 | ····· |
| Thanks to you all; but most of all, to Demea! | 11 | ··········· |
| DEM. I'm glad of your good fortune. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| SYRUS. I do believe it; and I wish this joy | 12 | ····˘/······ |
| Were quite complete, and I might see my wife, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| My Phrygia too, made free, as well as I. | 10 | ·········· |
| DEM. The very best of women! | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| SYRUS. And the first | 5 | ····· |
| That suckled my young master's son, your grandson. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/· |
| DEM. Indeed! the first who suckled him!--Nay then, | 11 | ·˘/···/˘··· |
| Beyond all doubt, she should be free. | 8 | ········ |
| DEM. For that. Nay, take the sum, whate'er it be, | 12 | ·······˘˘/·· |
| Of me. | 2 | ·· |
| SYRUS. Now all the powers above grant all | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Your wishes, Demea! | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| MICIO. You have thriv'd to-day | 7 | ······· |
| Most rarely, Syrus. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| DEM. And besides this, Micio, | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| It would be handsome to advance him something | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| To try his fortune with. He'll soon return it. | 11 | ···/˘···˘/· |
| MICIO. Not that. (Snapping his fingers.) | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| AESCH. He's honest. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| SYRUS. Faith I will return it. | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| Do but advance it. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| MICIO. Well, I'll think on't. | 6 | ······ |
| DEM. I'll see that he shall do't. (To SYRUS.) | 10 | ·········· |
| SYRUS. Thou best of men! | 6 | ······ |
| AESCH. My most indulgent father! | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| MICIO. What means this? | 5 | ····· |
| Whence comes this hasty change of manners, brother? | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Whence flows all this extravagance? and whence | 10 | ····˘/˘˘·· |
| This sudden prodigality? | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| DEM. I'll tell you: | 4 | ···· |
| To show you, that the reason why our sons | 10 | ·····/˘·/· |
| Think you so pleasant and agreeable, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Is not from your deserts, or truth, or justice, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| But your compliance, bounty, and indulgence. | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| --Now, therefore, if I'm odious to you, son, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Because I'm not subservient to your humor | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| In all things, right or wrong; away with care! | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Spend, squander, and do what you will!--but if, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In those affairs where youth has made you blind, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Eager, and thoughtless, you will suffer me | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| To counsel and correct--and in due season | 11 | ·/˘·˘/···/˘ |
| Indulge you--I am at your service. | 9 | ˘/·····/˘ |
| AESCH. Father, | 3 | ·/˘ |
| In all things we submit ourselves to you. | 10 | ····˘/˘/·· |
| What's fit and proper, you know best.--But what | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Shall come of my poor brother? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| DEM. I consent | 4 | ··˘/ |
| That he shall have her: let him finish there. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
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.