The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene V
PYTH. (behind). 'Faith, Sirrah, I'll be handsomely revengedFor all you've done and said. You shall not boastYour tricks on us without due punishment.(Aloud, coming forward.)Oh Heav'ns! oh dreadful deed! oh hapless youth!Oh wicked Parmeno, that brought him here!
PYTH. It mov'd me so. I could not bearTo see it: therefore I flew out o' doors.What an example will they make of him!
PAR. Oh Jupiter! What tumult can this be?Am I undone, or no?--I'll e'en inquire.Pythias! (going up.) What now? what is't you rave about?Who's to be made this terrible example?
PYTH. Who? most audacious monster! while you meantTo play your tricks on us, you have destroyedThe youth whom you brought hither for the Eunuch.PAR. How so? and what has happen'd? Prithee tell me!
PYTH. Tell you? D'ye know the virgin, that was sentTo-day to Thais, is a citizen?Her brother too a man of the first rank?
PAR. I did not know it.
PYTH. Aye, but so it seems.The poor young spark abus'd the girl; a thingNo sooner known, than he, the furious brother----PAR. How! bound him!
PYTH. Moreover threatens, he will serve himAfter the manner of adulterers;A thing I ne'er saw done, and ne'er desire.
PAR. How durst he offer at an act so monstrous?
PYTH. And why so monstrous?
PAR. Is it not most monstrous?Who ever saw a young man seiz'd and boundFor rapes and lewdness in a house of harlots?
PAR. Aye; but you must all know this.I tell you, and foretell you, that young sparkIs my old master's son.
PYTH. Indeed, is he?
PAR. And let not Thais suffer any oneTo do him violence!--But why don't IRush in myself?
PYTH. Ah! take care, Parmeno,What you're about; lest you do him no good,And hurt yourself: for they imagine you,Whatever has been done, the cause of all.
PAR. What shall I do then, wretch? what undertake?--Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'dTo town. Shall I tell him, or no?--I' faithI'll tell him, though I am well convinc'd it willBring me into a scrape; a heavy one: And yetIt must be done to help poor Chaerea.
PYTH. Right.I'll in again; and you, in the mean while,Tell the old gentleman the whole affair. (Exit.
HarperWho ever saw a young man seiz'd and boundFor rapes and lewdness in a house of harlots?Colman 1768Who ever saw a young man seiz'd by force,And punish'd for adultery in a brothel?
HarperTo do him violence!--But why don't IRush in myself?PYTH. Ah! take care, ParmenoColman 1768To do him any violence!--But whyDon't I rush in myself?PYTH. Ah! have a care
HarperPAR. What shall I do then, wretch? what undertake?--Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'dTo town. Shall I tell him, or no?--I' faithI'll tell him, though I am well convinc'd it willBring me into a scrape; a heavy one: And yetColman 1768PAR. What shall I do then? what resolve? Confusion!--Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'dTo town. Shall I tell him of it, or no?I'll tell him, tho' I am well convinc'd, the blame
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,]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- hapless a.
- Without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy; as, hapless youth; hapless maid.
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene V 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 Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene V, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-eunuch-act-the-fifth-scene-v.html, id L25780.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene V is 78 lines in 20 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
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.
- 17 A-A rightA · while · exitA
- 19 -AB--AB- harper · iA · myselfB · parmeno · — · whyA · myselfB · care
- 20 --A-----A-- harper · undertake · return'dA · faith · will · yet · — · confusion · return'dA · no · blame
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PYTH. (behind). 'Faith, Sirrah, I'll be handsomely revenged | 12 | ····/˘··/˘˘/ |
| For all you've done and said. You shall not boast | 10 | ·········· |
| Your tricks on us without due punishment. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| (Aloud, coming forward.) | 6 | ˘//˘/˘ |
| Oh Heav'ns! oh dreadful deed! oh hapless youth! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Oh wicked Parmeno, that brought him here! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| PYTH. It mov'd me so. I could not bear | 9 | ········· |
| To see it: therefore I flew out o' doors. | 10 | ·········· |
| What an example will they make of him! | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| PAR. Oh Jupiter! What tumult can this be? | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| Am I undone, or no?--I'll e'en inquire. | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| Pythias! (going up.) What now? what is't you rave about? | 12 | /˘/········· |
| Who's to be made this terrible example? | 11 | ·····/˘˘˘/˘ |
| PYTH. Who? most audacious monster! while you meant | 11 | ···˘/˘/˘··· |
| To play your tricks on us, you have destroyed | 10 | ········˘/ |
| The youth whom you brought hither for the Eunuch. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| PAR. How so? and what has happen'd? Prithee tell me! | 12 | ······/˘/˘·· |
| PYTH. Tell you? D'ye know the virgin, that was sent | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| To-day to Thais, is a citizen? | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| Her brother too a man of the first rank? | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| PAR. I did not know it. | 6 | ······ |
| PYTH. Aye, but so it seems. | 6 | ······ |
| The poor young spark abus'd the girl; a thing | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| No sooner known, than he, the furious brother---- | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| PAR. How! bound him! | 4 | ···· |
| PYTH. Moreover threatens, he will serve him | 10 | ·˘/˘/˘···· |
| After the manner of adulterers; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| A thing I ne'er saw done, and ne'er desire. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| PAR. How durst he offer at an act so monstrous? | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| PYTH. And why so monstrous? | 6 | ····/˘ |
| PAR. Is it not most monstrous? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Who ever saw a young man seiz'd and bound | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| For rapes and lewdness in a house of harlots? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| PAR. Aye; but you must all know this. | 8 | ········ |
| I tell you, and foretell you, that young spark | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Is my old master's son. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| PYTH. Indeed, is he? | 5 | ·˘/·· |
| PAR. And let not Thais suffer any one | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| To do him violence!--But why don't I | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Rush in myself? | 4 | ···/ |
| PYTH. Ah! take care, Parmeno, | 7 | ······· |
| What you're about; lest you do him no good, | 10 | ·········· |
| And hurt yourself: for they imagine you, | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| Whatever has been done, the cause of all. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| PAR. What shall I do then, wretch? what undertake? | 11 | ········/˘· |
| --Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To town. Shall I tell him, or no?--I' faith | 10 | ·········· |
| I'll tell him, though I am well convinc'd it will | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| Bring me into a scrape; a heavy one: And yet | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| It must be done to help poor Chaerea. | 9 | ········· |
| PYTH. Right. | 2 | ·· |
| I'll in again; and you, in the mean while, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Tell the old gentleman the whole affair. (Exit. | 11 | ···/˘··˘//˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Who ever saw a young man seiz'd and bound | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| For rapes and lewdness in a house of harlots? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Who ever saw a young man seiz'd by force, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And punish'd for adultery in a brothel? | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘··/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| To do him violence!--But why don't I | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Rush in myself? | 4 | ···/ |
| PYTH. Ah! take care, Parmeno | 7 | ······· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| To do him any violence!--But why | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| Don't I rush in myself? | 6 | ·····/ |
| PYTH. Ah! have a care | 5 | ····· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. What shall I do then, wretch? what undertake? | 11 | ········/˘· |
| --Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To town. Shall I tell him, or no?--I' faith | 10 | ·········· |
| I'll tell him, though I am well convinc'd it will | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| Bring me into a scrape; a heavy one: And yet | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. What shall I do then? what resolve? Confusion! | 12 | ·······˘/˘/˘ |
| --Oh! yonder's my old master, just return'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To town. Shall I tell him of it, or no? | 10 | ·········· |
| I'll tell him, tho' I am well convinc'd, the blame | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
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