The Brothers: Act the Third: Scene II
GETA. We are nowSo absolutely lost, that all the worldJoining in consultation to applyRelief to the misfortune that has fallenOn me, my mistress, and her daughter, allWould not avail.--Ah me! so many troublesEnviron us at once, we sink beneath them.Rape, poverty, oppression, solitude,And infamy! oh, what an age is this!O wicked, oh vile race!--oh impious man!
SOS. (to CANTHARA). Ah, why should Geta seem thus terrifiedAnd agitated?
GETA (to himself.) Wretch! whom neither honor,Nor oaths, nor pity could control or move!Nor her approaching labor; her, on whomHe shamefully committed violation!SOS. I don't well understand him.
CAN. Prithee thenLet us draw nearer, Sostrata!
GETA (to himself.) Alas,I'm scarcely in my perfect mind, I burnWith such fierce anger.--Oh, that I had allThat villain-family before me now,That I might vent my indignation on them,While yet it boils within me.--There is nothingI'd not endure to be reveng'd on them.First I'd tread out the stinking snuff his father,Who gave the monster being.--And then, Syrus,Who urg'd him to it,--how I'd tear him!--FirstI'd seize him round the waist, and lift him high,Then dash his head against the ground, and strewThe pavement with his brains.--For AEschinus,I'd tear his eyes out, and then tumble him,Head foremost down some precipice.--The restI'd rush on, drag, crush, trample under foot.But why do I delay to tell my mistressThis heavy news as soon as possible! (Going.)SOS. Let's call him back.--Ho, Geta!
GETA. Whosoe'erYou are, excuse me.
SOS. I am Sostrata.
GETA. Where, where is Sostrata? (Turns about.) I sought you, Madam;Impatiently I sought you: and am gladTo have encounter'd you thus readily.SOS. What is the matter? why d'ye tremble thus?
SOS. Take breath!--But why thus mov'd, good Geta?
SOS. Explain, for Heaven's sake!
GETA. Has quiteEstrang'd himself from all our family.
SOS. How's that? confusion! why?
GETA. He loves another.
SOS. Wretch that I am!
GETA. Nor that clandestinely;But snatch'd her in the face of all the worldFrom a procurer.
SOS. Are you sure of this?
GETA. Sure? With these very eyes I saw it, Madam.
SOS. Alas, alas! What then can we believe?To whom give credit?--What? our AEschinus!Our very life, our sole support and hope!Who swore he could not live one day without her,And promis'd he would place the new-born babeUpon his father's lap, and in that wayWring from him his consent to marry her!
GETA. Nay, weep not, mistress; but consider ratherWhat course were best to follow: to concealThis wrong, or to disclose it to some friend?
CAN. Disclose it! Are you mad? Is this a thingTo be disclos'd, d'ye think?
GETA. I'd not advise it.For first, that he has quite abandon'd us,The thing itself declares. If we then makeThe story known, no doubt but he'll deny it.Your reputation, and your daughter's lifeWill be endanger'd: or if he confess,Since he affects another, 'twere not goodThat he should wed your daughter.--For which reasons,Silence is requisite.SOS. Ah, no: not I.
GETA. What mean you?
SOS. To disclose the whole.
GETA. How, Madam!Think what you are about.
SOS. Whatever happens,The thing can't be in a worse state than now.In the first place my daughter has no portion,And that which should have been her second dowryIs also lost; and she can ne'er be giv'nIn marriage as a virgin. For the rest,If he denies his former commerce with her,I have the ring he lost to vouch the fact.In short, since I am conscious to myself.That I am not to blame in this proceeding,And that no sordid love of gain, nor aughtUnworthy of my daughter or myself,Has mix'd in this affair, I'll try it, Geta.GETA. Well, I agree, 'twere better to disclose it.
SOS. You then away, as fast as possible,And run to Hegio our good friend and kinsman,To let him know the whole affair: for heWas the chief friend of my dear Simulus,And ever show'd a great regard for us.
GETA. And well he does, for no one else cares for us.
SOS. And you, good Canthara, away with haste,And call a midwife; that we may be sureOf her assistance in the time of need. (Exeunt severally.
Words in this poem
- environ v. t.
- To surround; to encompass; to encircle; to hem in; to be round about; to involve or envelop. [F. environner, fr. environ about, thereabout; pref. en- (L. in) + OF. viron circle, circuit, fr. OF. & F. virer to turn, LL. virare to turn up and down, topsy-t]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- precipice n.
- A sudden or headlong fall. Fuller. [F. précipice, L. praecipitium, fr. praeceps, - cipitis, headlong; prae before + caput, capitis, the head. See Pre-, and Chief.]
- impatiently adv.
- In an impatient manner.
- babe n.
- An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby. [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]
- dowry n.
- A gift; endowment. [Contr. from dowery; cf. LL. dotarium. See Dower.]
- vouch v. t.
- To call; to summon. [OE. vouchen, OF. vochier to call, fr. L. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice. See Voice, and cf. Avouch.]
- sordid a.
- Filthy; foul; dirty. [L. sordidus, fr. sordere to be filthy or dirty; probably akin to E. swart: cf. F. sordide. See Swart, a.]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- kinsman n.
- A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
- 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 Third: Scene II 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 Third: Scene II, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-brothers-act-the-third-scene-ii.html, id L25828.
Form and metre
The Brothers: Act the Third: Scene II is 106 lines in 28 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.
- 2 AA terrifiedA · agitatedA
- 5 ----A-A-B---B------ alas · burn · all · now · themA · nothing · themA · father · syrusB · first · high · strew · aeschinusB · him · rest · foot · mistress · going · geta
- 18 ---A--A believe · aeschinus · hope · herA · babe · way · herA
- 21 AB-A-B---- itA · usB · make · itA · life · confessB · good · reasons · requisite · i
- 25 --------A--A-- happens · now · portion · dowry · giv'n · rest · her · fact · myselfA · proceeding · aught · myselfA · geta · it
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GETA. We are now | 5 | ····· |
| So absolutely lost, that all the world | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Joining in consultation to apply | 10 | /˘··˘/˘·˘/ |
| Relief to the misfortune that has fallen | 11 | ˘/··˘/˘··/˘ |
| On me, my mistress, and her daughter, all | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Would not avail.--Ah me! so many troubles | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| Environ us at once, we sink beneath them. | 11 | ˘/˘········ |
| Rape, poverty, oppression, solitude, | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/˘/˘· |
| And infamy! oh, what an age is this! | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| O wicked, oh vile race!--oh impious man! | 11 | ·/˘····˘/˘· |
| SOS. (to CANTHARA). Ah, why should Geta seem thus terrified | 15 | ············/˘· |
| And agitated? | 5 | ·/˘·˘ |
| GETA (to himself.) Wretch! whom neither honor, | 11 | ···˘/··/˘/˘ |
| Nor oaths, nor pity could control or move! | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Nor her approaching labor; her, on whom | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| He shamefully committed violation! | 11 | ·····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| SOS. I don't well understand him. | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| CAN. Prithee then | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Let us draw nearer, Sostrata! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| GETA (to himself.) Alas, | 7 | ···˘/˘/ |
| I'm scarcely in my perfect mind, I burn | 10 | ·/˘··/···· |
| With such fierce anger.--Oh, that I had all | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| That villain-family before me now, | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| That I might vent my indignation on them, | 11 | ······˘/˘·· |
| While yet it boils within me.--There is nothing | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| I'd not endure to be reveng'd on them. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| First I'd tread out the stinking snuff his father, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Who gave the monster being.--And then, Syrus, | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| Who urg'd him to it,--how I'd tear him!--First | 10 | ·········· |
| I'd seize him round the waist, and lift him high, | 10 | ·········· |
| Then dash his head against the ground, and strew | 10 | ·········· |
| The pavement with his brains.--For AEschinus, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I'd tear his eyes out, and then tumble him, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Head foremost down some precipice.--The rest | 10 | ·/···/˘˘·· |
| I'd rush on, drag, crush, trample under foot. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But why do I delay to tell my mistress | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| This heavy news as soon as possible! (Going.) | 10 | ·/˘····/˘/ |
| SOS. Let's call him back.--Ho, Geta! | 8 | ········ |
| GETA. Whosoe'er | 4 | ···· |
| You are, excuse me. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| SOS. I am Sostrata. | 6 | ······ |
| GETA. Where, where is Sostrata? (Turns about.) I sought you, Madam; | 16 | ··············/˘ |
| Impatiently I sought you: and am glad | 10 | ˘/˘˘······ |
| To have encounter'd you thus readily. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| SOS. What is the matter? why d'ye tremble thus? | 11 | ····/˘··/˘· |
| SOS. Take breath!--But why thus mov'd, good Geta? | 10 | ·········· |
| SOS. Explain, for Heaven's sake! | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| GETA. Has quite | 4 | ···· |
| Estrang'd himself from all our family. | 11 | ˘/˘/··/˘/˘˘ |
| SOS. How's that? confusion! why? | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| GETA. He loves another. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| SOS. Wretch that I am! | 5 | ····· |
| GETA. Nor that clandestinely; | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| But snatch'd her in the face of all the world | 10 | ·········· |
| From a procurer. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| SOS. Are you sure of this? | 6 | ······ |
| GETA. Sure? With these very eyes I saw it, Madam. | 13 | ·····/˘····/˘ |
| SOS. Alas, alas! What then can we believe? | 11 | ·˘/˘/····˘/ |
| To whom give credit?--What? our AEschinus! | 10 | ···/˘·/··· |
| Our very life, our sole support and hope! | 10 | //˘·/·˘/·· |
| Who swore he could not live one day without her, | 11 | ··········· |
| And promis'd he would place the new-born babe | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Upon his father's lap, and in that way | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Wring from him his consent to marry her! | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| GETA. Nay, weep not, mistress; but consider rather | 13 | ·····/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| What course were best to follow: to conceal | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| This wrong, or to disclose it to some friend? | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| CAN. Disclose it! Are you mad? Is this a thing | 11 | ·˘/········ |
| To be disclos'd, d'ye think? | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| GETA. I'd not advise it. | 7 | ····˘/· |
| For first, that he has quite abandon'd us, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| The thing itself declares. If we then make | 10 | ··˘/˘/···· |
| The story known, no doubt but he'll deny it. | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/· |
| Your reputation, and your daughter's life | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Will be endanger'd: or if he confess, | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| Since he affects another, 'twere not good | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| That he should wed your daughter.--For which reasons, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Silence is requisite. | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| SOS. Ah, no: not I. | 5 | ····· |
| GETA. What mean you? | 5 | ····· |
| SOS. To disclose the whole. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| GETA. How, Madam! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Think what you are about. | 6 | ······ |
| SOS. Whatever happens, | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
| The thing can't be in a worse state than now. | 10 | ·········· |
| In the first place my daughter has no portion, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| And that which should have been her second dowry | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Is also lost; and she can ne'er be giv'n | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In marriage as a virgin. For the rest, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| If he denies his former commerce with her, | 11 | ··˘/·/˘/˘·· |
| I have the ring he lost to vouch the fact. | 10 | ·········· |
| In short, since I am conscious to myself. | 10 | ·····/˘··/ |
| That I am not to blame in this proceeding, | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| And that no sordid love of gain, nor aught | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Unworthy of my daughter or myself, | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘··/ |
| Has mix'd in this affair, I'll try it, Geta. | 11 | ····˘/····· |
| GETA. Well, I agree, 'twere better to disclose it. | 13 | ····˘/·/˘·˘/· |
| SOS. You then away, as fast as possible, | 11 | ···˘/···/˘˘ |
| And run to Hegio our good friend and kinsman, | 11 | ·····/···/· |
| To let him know the whole affair: for he | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Was the chief friend of my dear Simulus, | 10 | ·········· |
| And ever show'd a great regard for us. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| GETA. And well he does, for no one else cares for us. | 13 | ············· |
| SOS. And you, good Canthara, away with haste, | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| And call a midwife; that we may be sure | 10 | ···/······ |
| Of her assistance in the time of need. (Exeunt severally. | 15 | ··˘/˘·····/˘˘/˘ |
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