The Brothers: Act the First: Scene II
DEMEA. Oho!Well met: the very man I came to seek.MICIO. But you appear uneasy: What's the matter?
DEMEA. Is it a question, when there's AEschinusTo trouble us, what makes me so uneasy?
DEMEA. What has he done? a wretch, whom neither tiesOf shame, nor fear, nor any law can bind!For not to speak of all his former pranks,What has he been about but even now!
DEMEA. Burst open doors, and forc'dHis way into another's house, and beatThe master and his family half dead;And carried off a wench whom he was fond of.The whole town cries out shame upon him, Micio.I have been told of it a hundred timesSince my arrival. 'Tis the common talk.----And if we needs must draw comparisons,Does not he see his brother thrifty, sober,Attentive to his business in the country?Not given to these practices; and whenI say all this to him, to you I say it.You are his ruin, Micio.
MICIO. How unjustIs he who wants experience! who believesNothing is right but what he does himself!
DEMEA. Why d'ye say that?
MICIO. Because you, Demea,Judge wrongly of these matters. 'Tis no crimeFor a young man to wench or drink.--'Tis not,Believe me!--nor to force doors open.--This,If neither you nor I have done, it wasThat poverty allow'd us not. And nowYou claim a merit to yourself, from thatWhich want constrain'd you to. It is not fair.For had there been but wherewithal to do't,We likewise should have done thus. Wherefore you,Were you a man, would let your younger son,Now, while it suits his age, pursue his pleasures;Rather than, when it less becomes his years,When, after wishing long, he shall at lastBe rid of you, he should run riot then.
DEMEA. Oh Jupiter! the man will drive me mad.Is it no crime, d'ye say, for a young manTo take these courses?
MICIO. Nay, nay; do but hear me,Nor stun me with the self-same thing forever!Your elder son you gave me for adoption:He's mine, then, Demea; and if he offends,'Tis an offense to me, and I must bearThe burden. Does he treat? or drink? or dress?'Tis at my cost.--Or wench? I will supply him,While 'tis convenient to me; when 'tis not,His mistresses perhaps will shut him out.--Has he broke open doors? we'll make them good.Or torn a coat? it shall be mended. I,Thank Heaven, have enough to do all this,And 'tis as yet not irksome.--In a word,Or cease, or choose some arbiter between us:I'll prove that you are more in fault than I.
DEMEA. Ah, learn to be a father; learn from thoseWho know what 'tis to be indeed a parent!MICIO. By nature you're his father, I by counsel.
DEMEA. You! do you counsel any thing?
MICIO. Nay, nay;If you persist, I'm gone.
DEMEA. Is't thus you treat me?
MICIO. Must I still hear the same thing o'er and o'er?
DEMEA. It touches me.
MICIO. And me it touches too.But, Demea, let us each look to our own;Let me take care of one, and mind you t'other.For to concern yourself with both, appearsAs if you'd redemand the boy you gave.
MICIO. So it seems to me.
DEMEA. Well, well;Let him, if 'tis your pleasure, waste, destroy.And squander; it is no concern of mine.If henceforth I e'er say one word----
MICIO. Again?Angry again, good Demea?
DEMEA. You may trust me.Do I demand him back again I gave you?--It hurts me. I am not a stranger to him.--But if I once oppose--Well, well, I've done.You wish I should take care of one. I doTake special care of him; and he, thank Heav'n,Is as I wish he should be: which your ward,I warrant, shall find out one time or other.I will not say aught worse of him at present. (Exit.
HarperDEMEA. Is it a question, when there's AEschinusTo trouble us, what makes me so uneasy?MICIO. I said it would be so.--What has he done?DEMEA. What has he done? a wretch, whom neither tiesOf shame, nor fear, nor any law can bind!For not to speak of all his former pranks,What has he been about but even now!MICIO. What has he done?DEMEA. Burst open doors, and forc'dHis way into another's house, and beatThe master and his family half dead;And carried off a wench whom he was fond of.The whole town cries out shame upon him, Micio.I have been told of it a hundred timesSince my arrival. 'Tis the common talk.----Colman 1768DEMEA. Uneasy? well I may.--The matter, say you?What can the matter be but AEschinus?MICIO. I said it would be so.--What has he done?DEMEA. What has he done! a wretch whom neither fear,Nor modesty, nor any law can bind!For not to speak of all his former pranks,What has he been about but even now!MICIO. What has he done?DEMEA. Burst open doors, and madeHis way by force into another's house;Half-kill'd the master and his family,And carried off a wench whom he was fond of.All Athens cries out shame upon him for it.I have been told of it a hundred timesSince my arrival. 'Tis the town-talk, Micio.
HarperJudge wrongly of these matters. 'Tis no crimeColman 1768Misjudge these matters. 'Tis no heinous crime
HarperOr cease, or choose some arbiter between usColman 1768Have done, or chuse some arbiter between us
HarperMICIO. Must I still hear the same thing o'er and o'er?Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- 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,]
- convenient a.
- Fit or adapted; suitable; proper; becoming; appropriate. [L. conveniens, -entis, suitable, p.pr. of convenire to be suitable, to come. See Convene, v. i.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- 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; -]
- irksome a.
- Wearisome; tedious; disagreeable or troublesome by reason of long continuance or repetition; as, irksome hours; irksome tasks.
- redemand v. t.
- To demand back; to demand again. [Pref. re- back, again + demand: cf. F. redemander.]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- angry a.
- Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
- misjudge v. t.
- To judge erroneously or unjustly; to err in judgment; to misconstrue.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Brothers: 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 Brothers: 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-brothers-act-the-first-scene-ii.html, id L25820.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the First: Scene II is 132 lines in 24 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
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.
- 4 ----A-------A forc'd · beat · dead · of · micioA · times · talk · comparisons · sober · country · when · it · micioA
- 7 --A-----A------ demea · crime · notA · this · was · now · that · fair · do'tA · you · son · pleasures · years · last · then
- 9 -----A----B--AB me · forever · adoption · offends · bear · dressA · him · not · out · good · iB · this · word · usA · iB
- 20 -A--A---- me · youA · him · done · doA · heav'n · ward · other · exit
- 22 -A-A harper · crimeA · — · crimeA
- 23 -A-A harper · usA · — · usA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| DEMEA. Oho! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Well met: the very man I came to seek. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| MICIO. But you appear uneasy: What's the matter? | 13 | ····˘/˘/˘··/˘ |
| DEMEA. Is it a question, when there's AEschinus | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| To trouble us, what makes me so uneasy? | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| DEMEA. What has he done? a wretch, whom neither ties | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Of shame, nor fear, nor any law can bind! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For not to speak of all his former pranks, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| What has he been about but even now! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| DEMEA. Burst open doors, and forc'd | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His way into another's house, and beat | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| The master and his family half dead; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| And carried off a wench whom he was fond of. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| The whole town cries out shame upon him, Micio. | 11 | ··········· |
| I have been told of it a hundred times | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Since my arrival. 'Tis the common talk.---- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| And if we needs must draw comparisons, | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| Does not he see his brother thrifty, sober, | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| Attentive to his business in the country? | 11 | ˘/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Not given to these practices; and when | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| I say all this to him, to you I say it. | 11 | ··········· |
| You are his ruin, Micio. | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| MICIO. How unjust | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Is he who wants experience! who believes | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| Nothing is right but what he does himself! | 10 | /˘······˘/ |
| DEMEA. Why d'ye say that? | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. Because you, Demea, | 7 | ······· |
| Judge wrongly of these matters. 'Tis no crime | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| For a young man to wench or drink.--'Tis not, | 10 | ·········· |
| Believe me!--nor to force doors open.--This, | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| If neither you nor I have done, it was | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| That poverty allow'd us not. And now | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/···· |
| You claim a merit to yourself, from that | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Which want constrain'd you to. It is not fair. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| For had there been but wherewithal to do't, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| We likewise should have done thus. Wherefore you, | 10 | ·/·····/˘· |
| Were you a man, would let your younger son, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Now, while it suits his age, pursue his pleasures; | 11 | ······˘/·/˘ |
| Rather than, when it less becomes his years, | 10 | /˘····˘/·· |
| When, after wishing long, he shall at last | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Be rid of you, he should run riot then. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| DEMEA. Oh Jupiter! the man will drive me mad. | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Is it no crime, d'ye say, for a young man | 10 | ·········· |
| To take these courses? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MICIO. Nay, nay; do but hear me, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor stun me with the self-same thing forever! | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Your elder son you gave me for adoption: | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| He's mine, then, Demea; and if he offends, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| 'Tis an offense to me, and I must bear | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| The burden. Does he treat? or drink? or dress? | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| 'Tis at my cost.--Or wench? I will supply him, | 11 | ········˘/· |
| While 'tis convenient to me; when 'tis not, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| His mistresses perhaps will shut him out. | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/···· |
| --Has he broke open doors? we'll make them good. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or torn a coat? it shall be mended. I, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Thank Heaven, have enough to do all this, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| And 'tis as yet not irksome.--In a word, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Or cease, or choose some arbiter between us: | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I'll prove that you are more in fault than I. | 10 | ·········· |
| DEMEA. Ah, learn to be a father; learn from those | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Who know what 'tis to be indeed a parent! | 11 | ······˘/·/˘ |
| MICIO. By nature you're his father, I by counsel. | 13 | ···/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| DEMEA. You! do you counsel any thing? | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| MICIO. Nay, nay; | 4 | ···· |
| If you persist, I'm gone. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| DEMEA. Is't thus you treat me? | 7 | ······· |
| MICIO. Must I still hear the same thing o'er and o'er? | 12 | ············ |
| DEMEA. It touches me. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| MICIO. And me it touches too. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But, Demea, let us each look to our own; | 10 | ········/· |
| Let me take care of one, and mind you t'other. | 12 | ·········˘/˘ |
| For to concern yourself with both, appears | 10 | ··˘/˘/··˘/ |
| As if you'd redemand the boy you gave. | 10 | ·········· |
| MICIO. So it seems to me. | 7 | ······· |
| DEMEA. Well, well; | 4 | ···· |
| Let him, if 'tis your pleasure, waste, destroy. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| And squander; it is no concern of mine. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| If henceforth I e'er say one word---- | 8 | ·//····· |
| MICIO. Again? | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Angry again, good Demea? | 7 | /˘˘/··· |
| DEMEA. You may trust me. | 6 | ······ |
| Do I demand him back again I gave you? | 11 | ··˘/··˘/··· |
| --It hurts me. I am not a stranger to him. | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| --But if I once oppose--Well, well, I've done. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| You wish I should take care of one. I do | 10 | ·········· |
| Take special care of him; and he, thank Heav'n, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Is as I wish he should be: which your ward, | 10 | ·········· |
| I warrant, shall find out one time or other. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| I will not say aught worse of him at present. (Exit. | 13 | ·········/˘/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| DEMEA. Is it a question, when there's AEschinus | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| To trouble us, what makes me so uneasy? | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| MICIO. I said it would be so.--What has he done? | 12 | ············ |
| DEMEA. What has he done? a wretch, whom neither ties | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Of shame, nor fear, nor any law can bind! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For not to speak of all his former pranks, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| What has he been about but even now! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MICIO. What has he done? | 6 | ······ |
| DEMEA. Burst open doors, and forc'd | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His way into another's house, and beat | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| The master and his family half dead; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| And carried off a wench whom he was fond of. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| The whole town cries out shame upon him, Micio. | 11 | ··········· |
| I have been told of it a hundred times | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Since my arrival. 'Tis the common talk.---- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| DEMEA. Uneasy? well I may.--The matter, say you? | 13 | ··˘/˘····/˘·· |
| What can the matter be but AEschinus? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| MICIO. I said it would be so.--What has he done? | 12 | ············ |
| DEMEA. What has he done! a wretch whom neither fear, | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Nor modesty, nor any law can bind! | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| For not to speak of all his former pranks, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| What has he been about but even now! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MICIO. What has he done? | 6 | ······ |
| DEMEA. Burst open doors, and made | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His way by force into another's house; | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Half-kill'd the master and his family, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| And carried off a wench whom he was fond of. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| All Athens cries out shame upon him for it. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| I have been told of it a hundred times | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Since my arrival. 'Tis the town-talk, Micio. | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Judge wrongly of these matters. 'Tis no crime | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Misjudge these matters. 'Tis no heinous crime | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Or cease, or choose some arbiter between us | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Have done, or chuse some arbiter between us | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| MICIO. Must I still hear the same thing o'er and o'er? | 12 | ············ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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