The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene VI
LACHES. I've this convenience from my neighb'ring villa;I'm never tir'd of country or of town.For as disgust comes on, I change my place.--But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis heFor certain.--Whom d'ye wait for, Parmeno,Before that door?
PAR. Who's that? Oh, Sir! you're welcome:I'm glad to see you safe return'd to town.LACHES. Whom do you wait for?
PAR. I'm undone: my tongueCleaves to my mouth through fear.
LACHES. Ha! what's the matter?Why do you tremble so? Is all right? Speak!
PAR. First, Sir, I'd have you think, for so it is,Whatever has befall'n has not befall'nThrough any fault of mine.LACHES. What is't?
PAR. That's true.Your pardon, Sir, I should have told that first.--Phaedria, Sir, bought a certain Eunuch, asA present to send her.
PAR. And then Chaerea's fall'n in loveWith a young music-girl.
LACHES. How! what! in love!Knows he already what a harlot is?Has he stol'n into town? More plagues on plagues.
PAR. Nay, Sir! don't look on me! it was not doneBy my advice.
LACHES. Leave prating of yourself.As for you, rascal, if I live--But firstWhatever has befallen, tell me, quick!PAR. Chaerea was carried thither for the Eunuch.
PAR. Yes: since when, withinThey've seiz'd and bound him for a ravisher.LACHES. Confusion!
PAR. See the impudence of harlots!
LACHES. Is there aught else of evil or misfortuneYou have not told me yet?
PAR. You know the whole.
LACHES. Then why do I delay to rush in on them?(Exit.
PAR. There is no doubt but I shall smart for this.But since I was oblig'd to 't, I rejoiceThat I shall make these strumpets suffer too:For our old gentleman has long desir'dSome cause to punish them; and now he has it.
Harper--But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis heFor certain.--Whom d'ye wait for, ParmenoColman 1768--But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis he.Parmeno, who is it you're waiting for
HarperPAR. First, Sir, I'd have you think, for so it isColman 1768PAR. First be persuaded, Sir,--for that's the case
Harper--Phaedria, Sir, bought a certain Eunuch, asA present to send her.LACHES. Her!--Her! whom?PAR. Thais.Colman 1768--Phaedria lately bought a certain EunuchBy way of present to this gentlewoman.LACHES. What gentlewoman, sirrah?PAR. Madam Thais.
HarperHas he stol'n into town? More plagues on plagues.Colman 1768Is he in town? misfortune on misfortune!
Words in this poem
- laches n.
- Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; delay to assert a claim. [OF. lachesse, fr. lache lax, indolent, F. lâche, ultimately fr. L. laxus loose, lax. See Lax.]
- villa n.
- A country seat; a country or suburban residence of some pretensions to elegance. Dryden. [L. villa, LL. also village, dim. of L. vicus a village: cf. It. & F. villa. See Vicinity, and cf. Vill, Village, Villain.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- ravisher n.
- One who ravishes (in any sense).
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- 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,]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
- gentlewoman n.
- A woman of good family or of good breeding; a woman above the vulgar.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: 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 Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene VI, 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-vi.html, id L25781.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene VI is 70 lines in 20 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
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.
- 10 --AA yourself · first · quickA · eunuchA
- 11 A-A withinA · ravisher · confusionA
- 17 -A--A- harper · heA · parmeno · — · heA · for
- 19 ----A----A harper · as · her · whom · thaisA · — · eunuch · gentlewoman · sirrah · thaisA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| LACHES. I've this convenience from my neighb'ring villa; | 13 | /˘··˘/˘····/˘ |
| I'm never tir'd of country or of town. | 10 | ·//˘·/˘··· |
| For as disgust comes on, I change my place. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| --But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis he | 10 | ····/····· |
| For certain.--Whom d'ye wait for, Parmeno, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Before that door? | 4 | ···· |
| PAR. Who's that? Oh, Sir! you're welcome: | 8 | ······/˘ |
| I'm glad to see you safe return'd to town. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| LACHES. Whom do you wait for? | 7 | /˘····· |
| PAR. I'm undone: my tongue | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Cleaves to my mouth through fear. | 6 | ······ |
| LACHES. Ha! what's the matter? | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| Why do you tremble so? Is all right? Speak! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| PAR. First, Sir, I'd have you think, for so it is, | 11 | ··········· |
| Whatever has befall'n has not befall'n | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Through any fault of mine. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| LACHES. What is't? | 4 | /˘·· |
| PAR. That's true. | 3 | ··· |
| Your pardon, Sir, I should have told that first. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| --Phaedria, Sir, bought a certain Eunuch, as | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| A present to send her. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| PAR. And then Chaerea's fall'n in love | 8 | ········ |
| With a young music-girl. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| LACHES. How! what! in love! | 6 | /˘···· |
| Knows he already what a harlot is? | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Has he stol'n into town? More plagues on plagues. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAR. Nay, Sir! don't look on me! it was not done | 11 | ··········· |
| By my advice. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| LACHES. Leave prating of yourself. | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| As for you, rascal, if I live--But first | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Whatever has befallen, tell me, quick! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| PAR. Chaerea was carried thither for the Eunuch. | 12 | ····/˘/˘··/˘ |
| PAR. Yes: since when, within | 6 | ······ |
| They've seiz'd and bound him for a ravisher. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| LACHES. Confusion! | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| PAR. See the impudence of harlots! | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| LACHES. Is there aught else of evil or misfortune | 12 | /˘·····/·˘/˘ |
| You have not told me yet? | 6 | ······ |
| PAR. You know the whole. | 5 | ····· |
| LACHES. Then why do I delay to rush in on them? | 13 | /˘····˘/····· |
| (Exit. | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. There is no doubt but I shall smart for this. | 11 | ··········· |
| But since I was oblig'd to 't, I rejoice | 11 | ····˘/···˘/ |
| That I shall make these strumpets suffer too: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| For our old gentleman has long desir'd | 11 | ·/·/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| Some cause to punish them; and now he has it. | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| --But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis he | 10 | ····/····· |
| For certain.--Whom d'ye wait for, Parmeno | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| --But is not that our Parmeno? 'Tis he. | 10 | ····/····· |
| Parmeno, who is it you're waiting for | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. First, Sir, I'd have you think, for so it is | 11 | ··········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. First be persuaded, Sir,--for that's the case | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| --Phaedria, Sir, bought a certain Eunuch, as | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| A present to send her. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| LACHES. Her!--Her! whom? | 5 | /˘··· |
| PAR. Thais. | 2 | ·· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| --Phaedria lately bought a certain Eunuch | 10 | ··/˘··/˘/˘ |
| By way of present to this gentlewoman. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘·˘ |
| LACHES. What gentlewoman, sirrah? | 9 | /˘·/˘·˘/˘ |
| PAR. Madam Thais. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Has he stol'n into town? More plagues on plagues. | 10 | ·········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Is he in town? misfortune on misfortune! | 11 | ····˘/˘·˘/˘ |
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