The Brothers: Act the Second: Scene III
SYRUS (to AESCH. within). Say no more!Let me alone to talk with him! I warrantI'll make him take the money; aye, and ownThat he's well treated too. (Coming forward.)Why how now, Sannio?What's the dispute I overheard just now'Twixt you and my young master?
SAN. Never wasAny dispute conducted more unfairly,Than that between us two to-day! Poor IWith being drubb'd, and he with drubbing me,'Till we were both quite weary.SYRUS. All your fault.
SAN. What could I do?
SYRUS. Give a young man his way.
SAN. What could I give him more, who gave my face?
SYRUS. Nay, but d'ye know my meaning, Sannio?To seem upon occasion to slight money,Proves in the end, sometimes, the greatest gain.Why prithee, blockhead, could you be afraid,Had you abated somewhat of your right,And humor'd the young gentleman, he would notHave paid you back again with interest?
SAN. I never purchase hope with ready money.
SYRUS. Away! you'll never thrive. You do not knowHow to ensnare men, Sannio.
SAN. Well, perhaps,Your way were best: yet I was ne'er so craftyBut I had rather, when 'twas in my power,Receive prompt payment.
SYRUS. Pshaw! I know your spirit:As if you valued twenty minae now,So you might do a kindness to my master!--Besides, they say you're setting out for Cyprus. (Carelessly.)SAN. Ha! (Alarmed.)
SYRUS. --And have bought up a large stock of goodsTo carry over thither.--Hir'd a vessel.That 'tis, I know, which keeps you in suspense:When you return, I hope, you'll settle this.
SAN. I shall not budge a foot.--Undone by Heav'n!Urg'd by these hopes they've undertaken this. (Aside.)
SYRUS. He fears. I've thrown a small rub in his way. (Aside.)
SAN. (to himself.) Confusion! they have nick'd me to a hair!I've bought up sev'ral slaves, and other wares,For exportation; and to miss my timeAt Cyprus-fair would be a heavy loss.Then if I leave this business broken thus,All's over with me; and at my return'Twill come to nothing, grown quite cold and stale."--What! come at last?--Why did you stay so long?Where have you been?"--that it were better lose it,Than wait for it so long, or sue for't then.
SAN. Monstrous oppression! Is this honorable,Or just in AEschinus, to take awayMy property by force?
SYRUS. So, so! he comes. (Aside.)--I have but one word more to say to you.See how you like it.--Rather, Sannio,Than run the risk to get or lose the whole,E'en halve the matter: and he shall contriveTo scrape together by some means ten minae.
SAN. Alas, alas! am I in danger thenOf losing ev'n my very principal?Shame on him! he has loosen'd all my teeth:My head is swell'd all over like a mushroom:And will he cheat me too?--I'm going nowhere.
SYRUS. Just as you please.--Have you aught else to sayBefore I go?
SAN. Yes, one word, prithee Syrus!However things have happen'd, rather thanI should be driven to commence a suit,Let him return me my bare due at least;The sum she cost me, Syrus.--I'm convinc'dYou've had no tokens of my friendship yet;But you shall find I will not be ungrateful.
SYRUS. I'll do my best. But I see Ctesipho.He is rejoic'd about his mistress.
SAN. Say,Will you remember me?SYRUS. Hold, hold a little! (SYRUS and SANNIO retire.)
HarperSYRUS. He fears. I've thrown a small rub in his way.Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- ensnare v. t.
- To catch in a snare. See Insnare.
- pshaw interj.
- Pish! pooch! -- an exclamation used as an expression of contempt, disdain, dislike, etc. [Of imitative origin.]
- cyprus n.
- A thin, transparent stuff, the same as, or corresponding to, crape. It was either white or black, the latter being most common, and used for mourning. [OE. cipres, cypirs; perh. so named as being first manufactured in Cyprus. Cf. Cipers.]
- 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,]
- budge a.
- Brisk; stirring; jocund. South. [See Budge, v.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- halve v. t.
- To divide into two equal parts; as, to halve an apple; to be or form half of. [From Half.]
- nowhere adv.
- Not anywhere; not in any place or state; as, the book is nowhere to be found. [AS. nahwær. See No, and Where.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- 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 Second: Scene III 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 III, 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-iii.html, id L25824.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Second: Scene III is 83 lines in 22 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 --AA-- was · unfairly · iA · meA · weary · fault
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SYRUS (to AESCH. within). Say no more! | 9 | ········· |
| Let me alone to talk with him! I warrant | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| I'll make him take the money; aye, and own | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| That he's well treated too. (Coming forward.) | 10 | ···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Why how now, Sannio? | 5 | ····· |
| What's the dispute I overheard just now | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/·· |
| 'Twixt you and my young master? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| SAN. Never was | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Any dispute conducted more unfairly, | 11 | /˘˘/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Than that between us two to-day! Poor I | 10 | ·········· |
| With being drubb'd, and he with drubbing me, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| 'Till we were both quite weary. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| SYRUS. All your fault. | 5 | ····· |
| SAN. What could I do? | 5 | ····· |
| SYRUS. Give a young man his way. | 8 | ········ |
| SAN. What could I give him more, who gave my face? | 11 | ··········· |
| SYRUS. Nay, but d'ye know my meaning, Sannio? | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| To seem upon occasion to slight money, | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| Proves in the end, sometimes, the greatest gain. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Why prithee, blockhead, could you be afraid, | 10 | ·/˘/····˘/ |
| Had you abated somewhat of your right, | 10 | ··˘/˘//··· |
| And humor'd the young gentleman, he would not | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Have paid you back again with interest? | 9 | ····˘/·/˘ |
| SAN. I never purchase hope with ready money. | 11 | ··//˘··/˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. Away! you'll never thrive. You do not know | 11 | ··˘/·/····· |
| How to ensnare men, Sannio. | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| SAN. Well, perhaps, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Your way were best: yet I was ne'er so crafty | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| But I had rather, when 'twas in my power, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Receive prompt payment. | 5 | ˘/·/˘ |
| SYRUS. Pshaw! I know your spirit: | 8 | ······/˘ |
| As if you valued twenty minae now, | 10 | ···/˘˘/˘·· |
| So you might do a kindness to my master! | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| --Besides, they say you're setting out for Cyprus. (Carelessly.) | 13 | ˘/···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| SAN. Ha! (Alarmed.) | 4 | ··˘/ |
| SYRUS. --And have bought up a large stock of goods | 11 | ··········· |
| To carry over thither.--Hir'd a vessel. | 11 | ·/˘·/˘/˘·/˘ |
| That 'tis, I know, which keeps you in suspense: | 10 | ········˘/ |
| When you return, I hope, you'll settle this. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| SAN. I shall not budge a foot.--Undone by Heav'n! | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| Urg'd by these hopes they've undertaken this. (Aside.) | 12 | ·····/˘·˘·˘/ |
| SYRUS. He fears. I've thrown a small rub in his way. (Aside.) | 14 | ············˘/ |
| SAN. (to himself.) Confusion! they have nick'd me to a hair! | 14 | ··˘/˘/˘······· |
| I've bought up sev'ral slaves, and other wares, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For exportation; and to miss my time | 10 | ·········· |
| At Cyprus-fair would be a heavy loss. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Then if I leave this business broken thus, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| All's over with me; and at my return | 10 | ········˘/ |
| 'Twill come to nothing, grown quite cold and stale. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| "--What! come at last?--Why did you stay so long? | 10 | ·········· |
| Where have you been?"--that it were better lose it, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Than wait for it so long, or sue for't then. | 10 | ·········· |
| SAN. Monstrous oppression! Is this honorable, | 11 | ·/˘˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Or just in AEschinus, to take away | 10 | ········˘/ |
| My property by force? | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| SYRUS. So, so! he comes. (Aside.) | 8 | ······˘/ |
| --I have but one word more to say to you. | 10 | ·········· |
| See how you like it.--Rather, Sannio, | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Than run the risk to get or lose the whole, | 10 | ·········· |
| E'en halve the matter: and he shall contrive | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| To scrape together by some means ten minae. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| SAN. Alas, alas! am I in danger then | 11 | ·˘/˘/···/˘· |
| Of losing ev'n my very principal? | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| Shame on him! he has loosen'd all my teeth: | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My head is swell'd all over like a mushroom: | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And will he cheat me too?--I'm going nowhere. | 10 | ·······//· |
| SYRUS. Just as you please.--Have you aught else to say | 12 | ············ |
| Before I go? | 4 | ···· |
| SAN. Yes, one word, prithee Syrus! | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| However things have happen'd, rather than | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| I should be driven to commence a suit, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Let him return me my bare due at least; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| The sum she cost me, Syrus.--I'm convinc'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| You've had no tokens of my friendship yet; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| But you shall find I will not be ungrateful. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. I'll do my best. But I see Ctesipho. | 12 | ············ |
| He is rejoic'd about his mistress. | 9 | ··˘/···/˘ |
| SAN. Say, | 2 | ·· |
| Will you remember me? | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| SYRUS. Hold, hold a little! (SYRUS and SANNIO retire.) | 14 | ·····/˘·····˘/ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| SYRUS. He fears. I've thrown a small rub in his way. | 12 | ············ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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