The Brothers: Act the Second: Scene I
Enter AESCHINUS, SANNIO, PARMENO, the Music-Girl, and a crowd ofPeople.
SAN. Help, help, dear countrymen, for Heaven's sake!Assist a miserable, harmless man!Help the distress'd!
AESCH. (to the Girl). Fear nothing: stand just there!Why d'ye look back? you're in no danger. Never,While I am by, shall he lay hands upon you.SAN. Aye, but I will, in spite of all the world.
AESCH. Rogue as he is, he'll scarce do any thingTo make me cudgel him again to-day.
SAN. One word, Sir AEschinus! that you may notPretend to ignorance of my profession;I'm a procurer.
SAN. And in my wayOf as good faith as any man alive.Hereafter, to absolve yourself, you'll cry,That you repent of having wrong'd me thus.I sha'n't care that for your excuse. (Snapping his fingers.) Be sureI'll prosecute my right; nor shall fine wordsAtone for evil deeds. I know your way,--"I'm sorry that I did it: and I'll swearYou are unworthy of this injury"----Though all the while I'm us'd most scurvily.
AESCH. (to PAR.) Do you go forward, Parmeno, and throwThe door wide open.SAN. That sha'n't signify.
AESCH. (to PARMENO). Now in with her!
SAN. (stepping between). I'll not allow it.
AESCH. (to PARMENO). Here!Come hither, Parmeno!--you're too far off.----Stand close to that pimp's side--There--there--just there!And now be sure you always keep your eyesSteadfastly fix'd on mine; and when I wink,To drive your fist directly in his face.
SAN. Aye, if he dare.
AESCH. (to PARMENO). Now mind!-- (To SANNIO). Let go the girl(SANNIO still struggling with the Girl, AESCHINUS winks, andPARMENO strikes SANNIO).
AESCH. He shall double it, unlessYou mend your manners.(PARMENO strikes SANNIO again.)SAN. Help, help: murder, murder!
AESCH. (to PARMENO). I did not wink: but you had better errThat way than t'other.--Now go in with her.(PARMENO leads the Girl into MICIO'S house.)SAN. How's this?--Do you reign king here, AEschinus?
AESCH. Did I reign king, you should be recompens'dAccording to your virtues, I assure you.SAN. What business have you with me?
SAN. D'ye knowWho I am, AEschinus?
AESCH. Nor want to know.
SAN. Have I touch'd aught of yours, Sir?
AESCH. If you had,You should have suffer'd for't.
SAN. What greater rightHave you to take away my slave, for whomI paid my money? answer me!
AESCH. 'Twere bestYou'd leave off bellowing before our door:If you continue to be troublesome,I'll have you dragg'd into the house, and thereLash'd without mercy.SAN. How, a freeman lash'd!
SAN. O monstrous tyranny! Is this,Is this the liberty they boast of here,Common to all?
AESCH. If you have brawl'd enough,Please to indulge me with one word, you pimp.
SAN. Who has brawl'd most, yourself or I?
AESCH. Well, well!No more of that, but to the point!
SAN. What point?What would you have?
AESCH. Will you allow me thenTo speak of what concerns you?
SAN. Willingly:Speak, but in justice.
AESCH. Very fine! a pimp,And talks of justice!
SAN. Well, I am a pimp;The common bane of youth, a perjurer,A public nuisance, I confess it: yetI never did you wrong.AESCH. No, that's to come.
SAN. Prithee return to whence you first set out, Sir!
AESCH. You, plague upon you for it! bought the girlFor twenty minae; which sum we will give you.
SAN. What if I do not choose to sell the girl?Will you oblige me?
SAN. I fear'd you would.
AESCH. She's a free-woman, and should not be sold,And, as such, by due course of law I claim her.Now then consider which you like the best,To take the money, or maintain your action.Think on this, Pimp, till I come back again. (Exit.
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,]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- hereafter adv.
- In time to come; in some future time or state. [AS. hræfter.]
- repent a.
- Prostrate and rooting; -- said of stems. Gray. [L. repens, -entis, creeping, p. pr. of repere to creep.]
- snapping
- a. & n. from Snap, v. Snapping beetle. (Zoöl.) See Snap beetle, under Snap.
- atone v. t.
- To set at one; to reduce to concord; to reconcile, as parties at variance; to appease.
- scurvily adv.
- In a scurvy manner.
- steadfastly adv.
- In a steadfast manner; firmly.
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- willingly adv.
- In a willing manner; with free will; without reluctance; cheerfully.
- bane v. t.
- To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
- perjurer n.
- One who is guilty of perjury; one who perjures or forswears, in any sense.
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- oblige v. t.
- To attach, as by a bond. [OF. obligier, F.obliger, L. obligare; ob (see Ob-) + ligare to bind. See Ligament, and cf. Obligate.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Brothers: Act the Second: Scene I 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 Second: Scene I, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-brothers-act-the-second-scene-i.html, id L25822.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Second: Scene I is 97 lines in 35 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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.
- 6 A-----A--- wayA · alive · cry · thus · sure · words · wayA · swear · injury · scurvily
- 10 A-A--- hereA · off · thereA · eyes · wink · face
- 14 AA-- errA · herA · house · aeschinus
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Enter AESCHINUS, SANNIO, PARMENO, the Music-Girl, and a crowd of | 18 | /˘·········/˘····· |
| People. | 2 | /˘ |
| SAN. Help, help, dear countrymen, for Heaven's sake! | 10 | ····/˘·/˘· |
| Assist a miserable, harmless man! | 10 | ˘/·/˘˘˘/˘· |
| Help the distress'd! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| AESCH. (to the Girl). Fear nothing: stand just there! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Why d'ye look back? you're in no danger. Never, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| While I am by, shall he lay hands upon you. | 11 | ··········· |
| SAN. Aye, but I will, in spite of all the world. | 11 | ··········· |
| AESCH. Rogue as he is, he'll scarce do any thing | 11 | ········/˘· |
| To make me cudgel him again to-day. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| SAN. One word, Sir AEschinus! that you may not | 11 | ··········· |
| Pretend to ignorance of my profession; | 11 | ˘/·/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| I'm a procurer. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| SAN. And in my way | 5 | ····· |
| Of as good faith as any man alive. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Hereafter, to absolve yourself, you'll cry, | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/˘/·· |
| That you repent of having wrong'd me thus. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| I sha'n't care that for your excuse. (Snapping his fingers.) Be sure | 15 | ······˘//˘·/˘·· |
| I'll prosecute my right; nor shall fine words | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Atone for evil deeds. I know your way, | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| --"I'm sorry that I did it: and I'll swear | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| You are unworthy of this injury"---- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Though all the while I'm us'd most scurvily. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| AESCH. (to PAR.) Do you go forward, Parmeno, and throw | 13 | ······/˘····· |
| The door wide open. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| SAN. That sha'n't signify. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| AESCH. (to PARMENO). Now in with her! | 9 | ········· |
| SAN. (stepping between). I'll not allow it. | 10 | ·/˘····˘/· |
| AESCH. (to PARMENO). Here! | 6 | ······ |
| Come hither, Parmeno!--you're too far off.---- | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Stand close to that pimp's side--There--there--just there! | 10 | ·········· |
| And now be sure you always keep your eyes | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Steadfastly fix'd on mine; and when I wink, | 10 | /·˘······· |
| To drive your fist directly in his face. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| SAN. Aye, if he dare. | 5 | ····· |
| AESCH. (to PARMENO). Now mind!-- (To SANNIO). Let go the girl | 14 | ·············· |
| (SANNIO still struggling with the Girl, AESCHINUS winks, and | 13 | ···/˘········ |
| PARMENO strikes SANNIO). | 6 | ······ |
| AESCH. He shall double it, unless | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| You mend your manners. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| (PARMENO strikes SANNIO again.) | 8 | ······˘/ |
| SAN. Help, help: murder, murder! | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| AESCH. (to PARMENO). I did not wink: but you had better err | 15 | ············/˘· |
| That way than t'other.--Now go in with her. | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| (PARMENO leads the Girl into MICIO'S house.) | 11 | ··········· |
| SAN. How's this?--Do you reign king here, AEschinus? | 11 | ··········· |
| AESCH. Did I reign king, you should be recompens'd | 11 | ··········· |
| According to your virtues, I assure you. | 11 | ˘/˘··/˘·˘/· |
| SAN. What business have you with me? | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| SAN. D'ye know | 3 | ··· |
| Who I am, AEschinus? | 6 | ······ |
| AESCH. Nor want to know. | 5 | ····· |
| SAN. Have I touch'd aught of yours, Sir? | 8 | ········ |
| AESCH. If you had, | 4 | ···· |
| You should have suffer'd for't. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| SAN. What greater right | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Have you to take away my slave, for whom | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| I paid my money? answer me! | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| AESCH. 'Twere best | 3 | ··· |
| You'd leave off bellowing before our door: | 10 | ···/˘˘··/· |
| If you continue to be troublesome, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| I'll have you dragg'd into the house, and there | 10 | ·········· |
| Lash'd without mercy. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| SAN. How, a freeman lash'd! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| SAN. O monstrous tyranny! Is this, | 9 | ··/˘/˘˘·· |
| Is this the liberty they boast of here, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Common to all? | 4 | /˘·· |
| AESCH. If you have brawl'd enough, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Please to indulge me with one word, you pimp. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| SAN. Who has brawl'd most, yourself or I? | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| AESCH. Well, well! | 3 | ··· |
| No more of that, but to the point! | 8 | ········ |
| SAN. What point? | 3 | ··· |
| What would you have? | 4 | ···· |
| AESCH. Will you allow me then | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| To speak of what concerns you? | 7 | ····˘/· |
| SAN. Willingly: | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| Speak, but in justice. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| AESCH. Very fine! a pimp, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And talks of justice! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| SAN. Well, I am a pimp; | 6 | ······ |
| The common bane of youth, a perjurer, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| A public nuisance, I confess it: yet | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| I never did you wrong. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| AESCH. No, that's to come. | 5 | ····· |
| SAN. Prithee return to whence you first set out, Sir! | 12 | ·/˘˘/······· |
| AESCH. You, plague upon you for it! bought the girl | 11 | ··········· |
| For twenty minae; which sum we will give you. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| SAN. What if I do not choose to sell the girl? | 11 | ··········· |
| Will you oblige me? | 5 | ··˘/· |
| SAN. I fear'd you would. | 5 | ····· |
| AESCH. She's a free-woman, and should not be sold, | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And, as such, by due course of law I claim her. | 11 | ··········· |
| Now then consider which you like the best, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| To take the money, or maintain your action. | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Think on this, Pimp, till I come back again. (Exit. | 12 | ········˘//˘ |
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