The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IX
DEM. I bring you more offenses: great ones;Of that sweet youth----MICIO. Nay, nay, no more!
MICIO. I do.
DEM. O fool, you think I mean the Music-Girl.This is a rape upon a citizen.
MICIO. I know it.
DEM. How? d'ye know it, and endure it?
MICIO. Why not endure it?
DEM. Tell me, don't you rave?Don't you go mad?DEM. There's a child born.
MICIO. Heav'n bless it!
DEM. And the girlHas nothing.MICIO. I have heard so.
DEM. And is heTo marry her without a fortune?
DEM. What's to be done then?
MICIO. What the case requires.The girl shall be brought over here.
DEM. Oh Jove!Can that be proper?
MICIO. What can I do else?
DEM. What can you do!--If you're not really griev'd,It were at least your duty to appear so.
MICIO. I have contracted the young woman to him:The thing is settled: 'tis their wedding-day:And all their apprehensions I've remov'd.This is still more my duty.
DEM. Are you pleas'd thenWith this adventure, Micio?
MICIO. Not at all,If I could help it: now 'tis past all cure,I bear it patiently. The life of manIs like a game at tables. If the castWhich is most necessary be not thrown,That which chance sends you must correct by art.
DEM. Oh rare Corrector!--By your art no lessThan twenty minae have been thrown awayOn yonder Music-wench; who out of hand,Must be sent packing; if no buyer, gratis.MICIO. Not in the least; nor do I mean to sell her.
DEM. What will you do, then?
MICIO. Keep her in my house.
DEM. Oh Heav'n and earth! a harlot and a wifeIn the same house!
MICIO. Why not?
DEM. Have you your wits?
MICIO. Truly I think so.
DEM. Now, so help me Heav'n,Seeing your folly, I believe you keep herTo sing with you.MICIO. Why not?
DEM. And the young brideShall be her pupil?
MICIO. To be sure.
DEM. And youDance hand in hand with them?
MICIO. And youMake one among us too upon occasion.
DEM. Ah! are you not asham'd on't?
MICIO. Patience, Demea!Lay by your wrath, and seem, as it becomes you,Cheerful and free of heart at your son's wedding.--I'll but speak with the bride and Sostrata,And then return to you immediately. (Exit.
Harper--I'll but speak with the bride and SostrataColman 1768
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- patiently adv.
- In a patient manner.
- corrector n.
- One who, or that which, corrects; as, a corrector of abuses; a corrector of the press; an alkali is a corrector of acids. [L.]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- gratis adv.
- For nothing; without fee or recompense; freely; gratuitously. [L., contr. fr. gratiis out of favor or kindness, without recompense, for nothing, fr. gratia favor. See Grace.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IX 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 IX, 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-ix.html, id L25843.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene IX is 70 lines in 33 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.
- 19 A--A- lessA · away · hand · gratisA · her
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 |
|---|---|---|
| DEM. I bring you more offenses: great ones; | 10 | ·····˘/˘·· |
| Of that sweet youth---- | 4 | ···· |
| MICIO. Nay, nay, no more! | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. I do. | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. O fool, you think I mean the Music-Girl. | 11 | ········/˘· |
| This is a rape upon a citizen. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| MICIO. I know it. | 5 | ····· |
| DEM. How? d'ye know it, and endure it? | 9 | ······˘/· |
| MICIO. Why not endure it? | 7 | ····˘/· |
| DEM. Tell me, don't you rave? | 6 | ······ |
| Don't you go mad? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. There's a child born. | 5 | ····· |
| MICIO. Heav'n bless it! | 5 | ····· |
| DEM. And the girl | 4 | ···· |
| Has nothing. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| MICIO. I have heard so. | 6 | ······ |
| DEM. And is he | 4 | ···· |
| To marry her without a fortune? | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| DEM. What's to be done then? | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. What the case requires. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| The girl shall be brought over here. | 8 | ········ |
| DEM. Oh Jove! | 3 | ··· |
| Can that be proper? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MICIO. What can I do else? | 7 | ······· |
| DEM. What can you do!--If you're not really griev'd, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| It were at least your duty to appear so. | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/· |
| MICIO. I have contracted the young woman to him: | 12 | ····/˘··/˘·· |
| The thing is settled: 'tis their wedding-day: | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And all their apprehensions I've remov'd. | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| This is still more my duty. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| DEM. Are you pleas'd then | 5 | ····· |
| With this adventure, Micio? | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| MICIO. Not at all, | 5 | ····· |
| If I could help it: now 'tis past all cure, | 10 | ·········· |
| I bear it patiently. The life of man | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Is like a game at tables. If the cast | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which is most necessary be not thrown, | 10 | ···/˘·˘··· |
| That which chance sends you must correct by art. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| DEM. Oh rare Corrector!--By your art no less | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Than twenty minae have been thrown away | 9 | ·/˘····˘/ |
| On yonder Music-wench; who out of hand, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Must be sent packing; if no buyer, gratis. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| MICIO. Not in the least; nor do I mean to sell her. | 13 | ············· |
| DEM. What will you do, then? | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. Keep her in my house. | 7 | ······· |
| DEM. Oh Heav'n and earth! a harlot and a wife | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| In the same house! | 4 | ···· |
| MICIO. Why not? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. Have you your wits? | 5 | ····· |
| MICIO. Truly I think so. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| DEM. Now, so help me Heav'n, | 6 | ······ |
| Seeing your folly, I believe you keep her | 10 | /·/˘·˘/··· |
| To sing with you. | 4 | ···· |
| MICIO. Why not? | 4 | ···· |
| DEM. And the young bride | 5 | ····· |
| Shall be her pupil? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MICIO. To be sure. | 5 | ····· |
| DEM. And you | 3 | ··· |
| Dance hand in hand with them? | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. And you | 4 | ···· |
| Make one among us too upon occasion. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| DEM. Ah! are you not asham'd on't? | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| MICIO. Patience, Demea! | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Lay by your wrath, and seem, as it becomes you, | 11 | ········˘/· |
| Cheerful and free of heart at your son's wedding. | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| --I'll but speak with the bride and Sostrata, | 10 | ·········· |
| And then return to you immediately. (Exit. | 11 | ··˘/··˘/˘/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| --I'll but speak with the bride and Sostrata | 10 | ·········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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