The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IV
MICIO. I can see nothing in this matter, Hegio,Wherein I merit so much commendation.'Tis but my duty, to redress the wrongsThat we have caus'd: unless perhaps you took meFor one of those who, having injur'd you,Term fair expostulation an affront;And having first offended, are the firstTo turn accusers.--I've not acted thus:And is't for this that I am thank'd?
HEGIO. Ah, no;I never thought you other than you are.But let me beg you, Micio, go with meTo the young woman's mother, and repeatYourself to her what you have just told me:--That the suspicion, fall'n on AEschinus,Sprung from his brother and the Music-Girl.
MICIO. If you believe I ought, or think it needful,Let's go!
HEGIO. 'Tis very kind in you: for thusYou'll raise her spirit drooping with the loadOf grief and misery, and have perform'dEv'ry good office of benevolence.But if you like it not, I'll go myself,And tell her the whole story.MICIO. No, I'll go.
HEGIO. 'Tis good and tender in your nature, Micio.For they, whose fortunes are less prosperous,Are all I know not how, the more suspicious;And think themselves neglected and contemn'd,Because of their distress and poverty.Wherefore I think 'twould satisfy them moreIf you would clear up this affair yourself.
MICIO. What you have said is just, and very true.
HEGIO. Let me conduct you in!
MICIO. With all my heart. (Exeunt.
Words in this poem
- expostulation n.
- The act of expostulating or reasoning with a person in opposition to some impropriety of conduct; remonstrance; earnest and kindly protest; dissuasion. [L. expostulatio.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- needful a.
- Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing.
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- exeunt
- They go out, or retire from the scene; as, exeunt all except Hamlet. See 1st Exit. [L., 3d pers. pl. pres. of exire to go out.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IV 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 Fourth: Scene IV, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-brothers-act-the-fourth-scene-iv.html, id L25838.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IV is 35 lines in 8 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.
- 2 --A-A-- no · are · meA · repeat · meA · aeschinus · girl
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MICIO. I can see nothing in this matter, Hegio, | 13 | ·····/˘··/˘·· |
| Wherein I merit so much commendation. | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| 'Tis but my duty, to redress the wrongs | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| That we have caus'd: unless perhaps you took me | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| For one of those who, having injur'd you, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Term fair expostulation an affront; | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| And having first offended, are the first | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| To turn accusers.--I've not acted thus: | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| And is't for this that I am thank'd? | 8 | ········ |
| HEGIO. Ah, no; | 4 | ···· |
| I never thought you other than you are. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| But let me beg you, Micio, go with me | 10 | ·········· |
| To the young woman's mother, and repeat | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Yourself to her what you have just told me: | 10 | ˘/········ |
| --That the suspicion, fall'n on AEschinus, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Sprung from his brother and the Music-Girl. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| MICIO. If you believe I ought, or think it needful, | 13 | ····˘/·····/˘ |
| Let's go! | 2 | ·· |
| HEGIO. 'Tis very kind in you: for thus | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| You'll raise her spirit drooping with the load | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Of grief and misery, and have perform'd | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| Ev'ry good office of benevolence. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| But if you like it not, I'll go myself, | 10 | ·········/ |
| And tell her the whole story. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MICIO. No, I'll go. | 5 | ····· |
| HEGIO. 'Tis good and tender in your nature, Micio. | 13 | ·····/˘··/˘·· |
| For they, whose fortunes are less prosperous, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Are all I know not how, the more suspicious; | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| And think themselves neglected and contemn'd, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Because of their distress and poverty. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘˘ |
| Wherefore I think 'twould satisfy them more | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| If you would clear up this affair yourself. | 10 | ······˘/˘/ |
| MICIO. What you have said is just, and very true. | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| HEGIO. Let me conduct you in! | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| MICIO. With all my heart. (Exeunt. | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
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