The Eunuch: Act the Fourth: Scene IV
PHAED. Out, rascal, out!--What are you resty, Sirrah?Out, thou vile bargain!DOR. Dear Sir! (Crying.)
PHAED. See the wretch!What a wry mouth he makes!--Come, what's the meaningOf your returning? and your change of dress?What answer, Sirrah!--If I had delay'dA minute longer, Pythias, I had miss'd him,He was equipp'd so bravely for his flight.PYTH. What, have you got the rogue?
PHAED. I warrant you.
PYTH. Well done! well done!
DORI. Aye, marry, very well.
PYTH. Where is he?
PHAED. Don't you see him?
PYTH. See him? whom?
PHAED. This fellow, to be sure.
PYTH. This man! who is he?
PYTH. None of our people ever laid their eyesUpon this fellow, Phaedria!PHAED. Never saw him?
PYTH. Why, did you think this fellow had been broughtTo us?
PHAED. Yes, surely; for I had no other.
PYTH. Oh dear! this fellow's not to be compar'dTo t'other.--He was elegant, and handsome.
PHAED. Aye, so he might appear a while ago,Because he had gay clothes on: now he seemsUgly, because he's stripped.
PYTH. Nay, prithee, peace!As if the diff'rence was so very small!----The youth conducted to our house to-day,'Twould do you good to cast your eyes on, Phaedria:This is a drowsy, wither'd, weasel-fac'd,Old fellow.
PHAED. How?----you drive me to that pass,That I scarce know what I have done myself.--Did not I buy you, rascal? (To DORUS.)
PYTH. Order himTo answer me.PHAED. Well, question him.
PYTH. (to DORUS). Was youBrought here to-day? (Shakes his head.) See there! Not he. It wasAnother, a young lad, about sixteen,Whom Parmeno brought with him.
PHAED. (to DORUS). Speak to me!First tell me, whence had you that coat? What, dumb?I'll make you speak, you villain? (Beating him.)DOR. Chaerea came---- (Crying.)
PHAED. My brother?
PHAED. How long since?
DOR. Just now.
PHAED. With whom?
DOR. With Parmeno.
PHAED. Did youKnow him before?DOR. No, Sir; nor e'er heard of him.
PHAED. How did you know then that he was my brother?
DOR. Parmeno told me so; and ChaereaGave me these clothes----
PHAED. Confusion! (Aside.)
DOR. Put on mine;And then they both went out o' doors together.
PYTH. Now, Sir, do you believe that I am sober?Now do you think, I've told no lie? And nowAre you convinc'd the girl has been abus'd!PYTH. What signifies belief?--It speaks itself.
PHAED. (apart to DORUS). Come this way--hark ye! ----further still.----Enough.Tell me once more. ----Did Chaerea strip you?
PHAED. And put your clothes on?
PHAED. And was broughtIn your stead hither?
PHAED. Great Jupiter! (Pretending to be in a passion with him.)What a most wicked scoundrel's this?
PYTH. Alas!Don't you believe, then, we've been vilely us'd?
PHAED. No wonder if you credit what he says.I don't know what to do. (Aside.)--Here, harkye, Sirrah!Deny it all again. (Apart to DORUS.)--What! can't I beatThe truth out of you, rascal?--have you seenMy brother Chaerea? (Aloud, and beating him.)DOR. No, Sir! (Crying.)
PHAED. So! I seeHe won't confess without a beating.--This way! (Apart.) NowHe owns it; now denies it.--Ask my pardon! (Apart.)
DOR. Beseech you, Sir, forgive me!
PHAED. Get you gone. (Kicking him.)Oh me! oh dear! (Exit, howling.
PHAED. (aside). I had no other wayTo come off handsomely.--We're all undone.--D'ye think to play your tricks on me, you rascal?(Aloud, and Exit after DORUS.
HarperPHAED. How did you know then that he was my brother?Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- resty a.
- Disposed to rest; indisposed toexercton; sluggish; also, restive. Burton.
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- 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]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- 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 Fourth: Scene IV 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 Fourth: Scene IV, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-eunuch-act-the-fourth-scene-iv.html, id L25771.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Fourth: Scene IV is 96 lines in 42 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
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.
- 18 A-A himA · me · himA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PHAED. Out, rascal, out!--What are you resty, Sirrah? | 12 | ··/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Out, thou vile bargain! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| DOR. Dear Sir! (Crying.) | 5 | ···/˘ |
| PHAED. See the wretch! | 4 | ···· |
| What a wry mouth he makes!--Come, what's the meaning | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Of your returning? and your change of dress? | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| What answer, Sirrah!--If I had delay'd | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| A minute longer, Pythias, I had miss'd him, | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘···· |
| He was equipp'd so bravely for his flight. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| PYTH. What, have you got the rogue? | 7 | ······· |
| PHAED. I warrant you. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| PYTH. Well done! well done! | 5 | ····· |
| DORI. Aye, marry, very well. | 8 | /˘·/˘/˘· |
| PYTH. Where is he? | 4 | ···· |
| PHAED. Don't you see him? | 5 | ····· |
| PYTH. See him? whom? | 4 | ···· |
| PHAED. This fellow, to be sure. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| PYTH. This man! who is he? | 6 | ······ |
| PYTH. None of our people ever laid their eyes | 10 | ···//˘/··· |
| Upon this fellow, Phaedria! | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| PHAED. Never saw him? | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| PYTH. Why, did you think this fellow had been brought | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| To us? | 2 | ·· |
| PHAED. Yes, surely; for I had no other. | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| PYTH. Oh dear! this fellow's not to be compar'd | 11 | ····/˘···˘/ |
| To t'other.--He was elegant, and handsome. | 11 | ·˘/˘··/˘·/˘ |
| PHAED. Aye, so he might appear a while ago, | 11 | ·····˘/··˘/ |
| Because he had gay clothes on: now he seems | 10 | ·········· |
| Ugly, because he's stripped. | 6 | /˘···· |
| PYTH. Nay, prithee, peace! | 5 | ··/˘· |
| As if the diff'rence was so very small!---- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The youth conducted to our house to-day, | 10 | ··˘/˘·/··· |
| 'Twould do you good to cast your eyes on, Phaedria: | 11 | ··········· |
| This is a drowsy, wither'd, weasel-fac'd, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Old fellow. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| PHAED. How?----you drive me to that pass, | 9 | ·˘······· |
| That I scarce know what I have done myself. | 10 | ·········/ |
| --Did not I buy you, rascal? (To DORUS.) | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| PYTH. Order him | 4 | ·/˘· |
| To answer me. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| PHAED. Well, question him. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| PYTH. (to DORUS). Was you | 6 | ······ |
| Brought here to-day? (Shakes his head.) See there! Not he. It was | 13 | ············· |
| Another, a young lad, about sixteen, | 10 | ˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Whom Parmeno brought with him. | 7 | ······· |
| PHAED. (to DORUS). Speak to me! | 7 | ······· |
| First tell me, whence had you that coat? What, dumb? | 10 | ·········· |
| I'll make you speak, you villain? (Beating him.) | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| DOR. Chaerea came---- (Crying.) | 6 | ····/˘ |
| PHAED. My brother? | 4 | ··/˘ |
| PHAED. How long since? | 4 | ···· |
| DOR. Just now. | 3 | ··· |
| PHAED. With whom? | 3 | ··· |
| DOR. With Parmeno. | 5 | ····· |
| PHAED. Did you | 3 | ··· |
| Know him before? | 4 | ···· |
| DOR. No, Sir; nor e'er heard of him. | 8 | ········ |
| PHAED. How did you know then that he was my brother? | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| DOR. Parmeno told me so; and Chaerea | 10 | ·········· |
| Gave me these clothes---- | 4 | ···· |
| PHAED. Confusion! (Aside.) | 6 | ·˘/˘˘/ |
| DOR. Put on mine; | 4 | ···· |
| And then they both went out o' doors together. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| PYTH. Now, Sir, do you believe that I am sober? | 12 | ·····˘/···/˘ |
| Now do you think, I've told no lie? And now | 10 | ·········· |
| Are you convinc'd the girl has been abus'd! | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| PYTH. What signifies belief?--It speaks itself. | 11 | ··/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| PHAED. (apart to DORUS). Come this way--hark ye! ----further still. | 14 | ·˘/········/˘· |
| ----Enough. | 2 | ˘/ |
| Tell me once more. ----Did Chaerea strip you? | 9 | ········· |
| PHAED. And put your clothes on? | 6 | ······ |
| PHAED. And was brought | 4 | ···· |
| In your stead hither? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| PHAED. Great Jupiter! (Pretending to be in a passion with him.) | 15 | ··/˘˘/˘····/˘·· |
| What a most wicked scoundrel's this? | 9 | ···/˘˘/˘· |
| PYTH. Alas! | 3 | ·˘/ |
| Don't you believe, then, we've been vilely us'd? | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| PHAED. No wonder if you credit what he says. | 11 | ··/˘··/˘··· |
| I don't know what to do. (Aside.)--Here, harkye, Sirrah! | 13 | ······˘/···/˘ |
| Deny it all again. (Apart to DORUS.)--What! can't I beat | 15 | ˘/··˘/˘/······· |
| The truth out of you, rascal?--have you seen | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My brother Chaerea? (Aloud, and beating him.) | 11 | ·/˘··˘/·/˘· |
| DOR. No, Sir! (Crying.) | 5 | ···/˘ |
| PHAED. So! I see | 4 | ···· |
| He won't confess without a beating.--This way! (Apart.) Now | 14 | ··˘/···/˘··˘/· |
| He owns it; now denies it.--Ask my pardon! (Apart.) | 13 | ····˘/···/˘˘/ |
| DOR. Beseech you, Sir, forgive me! | 8 | ·˘/··˘/· |
| PHAED. Get you gone. (Kicking him.) | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Oh me! oh dear! (Exit, howling. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| PHAED. (aside). I had no other way | 10 | ·˘˘/···/˘· |
| To come off handsomely.--We're all undone. | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| --D'ye think to play your tricks on me, you rascal? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| (Aloud, and Exit after DORUS. | 9 | ˘/·/˘···· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| PHAED. How did you know then that he was my brother? | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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