The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene VI
MICIO (to SOSTRATA, within). Do as I have told you, Sostrata.I'll find out AEschinus, and tell him all.--But who knock'd at the door? (Coming forward.)
AESCH. (behind). By Heav'n, my father!Confusion!AESCH. What does he here? (Aside.)
MICIO. Was't you that knock'd? What, not a word! SupposeI banter him a little. He deserves it,For never trusting this affair to me. (Aside.)--Why don't you speak?
AESCH. Not I, as I remember. (Disordered.)
MICIO. No, I dare say, not you: for I was wond'ringWhat business could have brought you here.--He blushes.All's safe, I find. (Aside.)
AESCH. (recovering.) But prithee, tell me, Sir,What brought you here?
MICIO. No business of my own.But a friend drew me hither from the Forum,To be his advocate.
MICIO. I'll tell you.This house is tenanted by some poor women,Whom, I believe, you know not;--Nay, I'm sure on't,For 'twas but lately they came over hither.MICIO. A young woman and her mother.
MICIO. The father's dead.--This friend of mine, it seems,Being her next relation, by the lawIs forc'd to marry her.AESCH. Confusion! (Aside.)
MICIO. He's now comeTo take her home, for he is of Miletus.
AESCH. How! take her home with him?
MICIO. Yes, take her home.
AESCH. Oh torture! (Aside.)-- Well?What say the women?
MICIO. Why, what should they? Nothing.Indeed the mother has devis'd a taleAbout her daughter's having had a childBy some one else, but never mentions whom:His claim, she says, is prior; and my friendOught not to have her.
AESCH. Well? and did not thisSeem a sufficient reason?
AESCH. No, Sir?And shall this next relation take her off?
MICIO. Aye, to be sure: why not?
AESCH. Oh barbarous, cruel!And to speak plainly, Sir--ungenerous!
AESCH. Why so, Sir?--What d'ye thinkWill come of him, the poor unhappy youthWho was connected with her first--who stillLoves her, perhaps, as dearly as his life;----When he shall see her torn out of his arms,And borne away forever?--Oh shame, shame!
MICIO. Where is the shame on't?--Who betroth'd, who gave her?When was she married? and to whom? Where is he,And wherefore did he wed another's right?
AESCH. Was it for her, a girl of such an age,To sit at home, expecting till a kinsmanCame, nobody knows whence, to marry her?--This, Sir, it was your business to have said,And to have dwelt on it.
MICIO. Ridiculous!Should I have pleaded against him to whomI came an advocate?--But after all,What's this affair to us? or, what have weTo do with them? let's go!--Ha! why those tears?
AESCH. Father, beseech you, hear me!
MICIO. AEschinus,I have heard all, and I know all, already:For I do love you; wherefore all your actionsTouch me the more.
AESCH. So may you ever love me,And so may I deserve your love, my father,As I am sorry to have done this fault,And am asham'd to see you!
MICIO. I believe it;For well I know you have a liberal mind:But I'm afraid you are too negligent,For in what city do you think you live?You have abus'd a virgin, whom the lawForbade your touching.--'Twas a fault, a great one;But yet a natural failing. Many others,Some not bad men, have often done the same.--But after this event, can you pretendYou took the least precaution? or consider'dWhat should be done, or how?--If shame forbadeYour telling me yourself, you should have foundSome other means to let me know of it.Lost in these doubts, ten months have slipp'd away.You have betray'd, as far as in you lay,Yourself, the poor young woman, and your child.What! did you think the Gods would bring aboutThis business in your sleep; and that your wife,Without your stir, would be convey'd to youInto your bed-chamber?--I would not have youThus negligent in other matters.--Come,Cheer up, son! you shall wed her.
MICIO. Cheer up,I say!AESCH. Nay, prithee, do not mock me, father!
MICIO. Mock you? I? wherefore?
AESCH. I don't know; unlessThat I so much desire it may be true,I therefore fear it more.
MICIO. --Away; go home;And pray the Gods, that you may call your wifeAway!
AESCH. May allThe Gods desert me, Sir, but I do love you,More than my eyes!
MICIO. That's much.
AESCH. But where is that Milesian?
MICIO. Gone:Vanish'd: on board the ship.--But why d'ye loiter?
AESCH. Ah, Sir, you rather go, and pray the Gods;For, being a much better man than I,They will the sooner hear your pray'rs.
MICIO. I'll in,To see the needful preparations made.You, if you're wise, do as I said. (Exit.
More than my eyes!Harper edition has question mark
Words in this poem
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- forum n.
- A market place or public place in Rome, where causes were judicially tried, and orations delivered to the people. [L.; akin to foris, foras, out of doors. See Foreign.]
- 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.]
- 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,]
- ungenerous a.
- Not generous; illiberal; ignoble; unkind; dishonorable.
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- kinsman n.
- A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
- nobody n.
- No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
- precaution n.
- Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent mischief or secure good; as, his life was saved by precaution. [F. précation, L. praecautio, fr. praecavere, praecautum, to guard against beforehand; prae before + cavere be on one's guard. See Pre-, and Caution.]
- milesian a.
- Of or pertaining to Miletus, a city of Asia Minor, or to its inhabitants.
- needful a.
- Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing.
- 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 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 Fourth: 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-fourth-scene-vi.html, id L25840.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Fourth: Scene VI is 122 lines in 37 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.
- 26 A--------BB-ACC---DD-- itA · mind · negligent · live · law · one · others · same · pretend · consider'dB · forbadeB · found · itA · awayC · layC · child · about · wife · youD · youD · come · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MICIO (to SOSTRATA, within). Do as I have told you, Sostrata. | 17 | ················· |
| I'll find out AEschinus, and tell him all. | 10 | ·········· |
| --But who knock'd at the door? (Coming forward.) | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| AESCH. (behind). By Heav'n, my father! | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Confusion! | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| AESCH. What does he here? (Aside.) | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| MICIO. Was't you that knock'd? What, not a word! Suppose | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| I banter him a little. He deserves it, | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/· |
| For never trusting this affair to me. (Aside.) | 11 | ·//˘·˘/··˘/ |
| --Why don't you speak? | 4 | ···· |
| AESCH. Not I, as I remember. (Disordered.) | 11 | ·····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| MICIO. No, I dare say, not you: for I was wond'ring | 13 | ············· |
| What business could have brought you here.--He blushes. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| All's safe, I find. (Aside.) | 6 | ····˘/ |
| AESCH. (recovering.) But prithee, tell me, Sir, | 10 | ·˘/˘·/˘··· |
| What brought you here? | 4 | ···· |
| MICIO. No business of my own. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But a friend drew me hither from the Forum, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| To be his advocate. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| MICIO. I'll tell you. | 5 | ····· |
| This house is tenanted by some poor women, | 11 | ···/˘˘···/˘ |
| Whom, I believe, you know not;--Nay, I'm sure on't, | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| For 'twas but lately they came over hither. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| MICIO. A young woman and her mother. | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| MICIO. The father's dead.--This friend of mine, it seems, | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| Being her next relation, by the law | 10 | /˘··˘/˘··· |
| Is forc'd to marry her. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| AESCH. Confusion! (Aside.) | 6 | ·˘/˘˘/ |
| MICIO. He's now come | 5 | ····· |
| To take her home, for he is of Miletus. | 11 | ··········· |
| AESCH. How! take her home with him? | 7 | ······· |
| MICIO. Yes, take her home. | 6 | ······ |
| AESCH. Oh torture! (Aside.)-- Well? | 7 | ··/˘˘/· |
| What say the women? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MICIO. Why, what should they? Nothing. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Indeed the mother has devis'd a tale | 10 | ˘/·/˘·˘/·· |
| About her daughter's having had a child | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| By some one else, but never mentions whom: | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| His claim, she says, is prior; and my friend | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Ought not to have her. | 5 | ····· |
| AESCH. Well? and did not this | 6 | ······ |
| Seem a sufficient reason? | 7 | ··˘/˘/˘ |
| AESCH. No, Sir? | 3 | ··· |
| And shall this next relation take her off? | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| MICIO. Aye, to be sure: why not? | 8 | ········ |
| AESCH. Oh barbarous, cruel! | 7 | ··/˘˘/˘ |
| And to speak plainly, Sir--ungenerous! | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| AESCH. Why so, Sir?--What d'ye think | 7 | ······· |
| Will come of him, the poor unhappy youth | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Who was connected with her first--who still | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Loves her, perhaps, as dearly as his life;---- | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| When he shall see her torn out of his arms, | 10 | ·········· |
| And borne away forever?--Oh shame, shame! | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| MICIO. Where is the shame on't?--Who betroth'd, who gave her? | 13 | ············· |
| When was she married? and to whom? Where is he, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| And wherefore did he wed another's right? | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| AESCH. Was it for her, a girl of such an age, | 11 | ··········· |
| To sit at home, expecting till a kinsman | 11 | ····˘/˘··/· |
| Came, nobody knows whence, to marry her? | 10 | ·/·····/˘· |
| --This, Sir, it was your business to have said, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And to have dwelt on it. | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. Ridiculous! | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| Should I have pleaded against him to whom | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I came an advocate?--But after all, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| What's this affair to us? or, what have we | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| To do with them? let's go!--Ha! why those tears? | 10 | ·········· |
| AESCH. Father, beseech you, hear me! | 8 | ·/˘˘/··· |
| MICIO. AEschinus, | 5 | ····· |
| I have heard all, and I know all, already: | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| For I do love you; wherefore all your actions | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Touch me the more. | 4 | ···· |
| AESCH. So may you ever love me, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| And so may I deserve your love, my father, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| As I am sorry to have done this fault, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And am asham'd to see you! | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| MICIO. I believe it; | 6 | ···˘/· |
| For well I know you have a liberal mind: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| But I'm afraid you are too negligent, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| For in what city do you think you live? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| You have abus'd a virgin, whom the law | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Forbade your touching.--'Twas a fault, a great one; | 11 | ˘/·/˘······ |
| But yet a natural failing. Many others, | 11 | ···/˘˘/˘//˘ |
| Some not bad men, have often done the same. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| --But after this event, can you pretend | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| You took the least precaution? or consider'd | 11 | ····˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| What should be done, or how?--If shame forbade | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Your telling me yourself, you should have found | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Some other means to let me know of it. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Lost in these doubts, ten months have slipp'd away. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| You have betray'd, as far as in you lay, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Yourself, the poor young woman, and your child. | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| What! did you think the Gods would bring about | 10 | ·········· |
| This business in your sleep; and that your wife, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Without your stir, would be convey'd to you | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Into your bed-chamber?--I would not have you | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| Thus negligent in other matters.--Come, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘/˘· |
| Cheer up, son! you shall wed her. | 7 | ······· |
| MICIO. Cheer up, | 4 | ···· |
| I say! | 2 | ·· |
| AESCH. Nay, prithee, do not mock me, father! | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| MICIO. Mock you? I? wherefore? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| AESCH. I don't know; unless | 6 | ······ |
| That I so much desire it may be true, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| I therefore fear it more. | 6 | ······ |
| MICIO. --Away; go home; | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| And pray the Gods, that you may call your wife | 10 | ·········· |
| Away! | 2 | ˘/ |
| AESCH. May all | 3 | ··· |
| The Gods desert me, Sir, but I do love you, | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| More than my eyes! | 4 | ···· |
| MICIO. That's much. | 4 | ···· |
| AESCH. But where is that Milesian? | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| MICIO. Gone: | 3 | ··· |
| Vanish'd: on board the ship.--But why d'ye loiter? | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| AESCH. Ah, Sir, you rather go, and pray the Gods; | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| For, being a much better man than I, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| They will the sooner hear your pray'rs. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| MICIO. I'll in, | 4 | ···· |
| To see the needful preparations made. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| You, if you're wise, do as I said. (Exit. | 10 | ········/˘ |
| More than my eyes! | 4 | ···· |
| Harper edition has question mark | 9 | /˘˘/˘·/˘· |
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