The Eunuch: Act the Fourth: Scene VIII
THRASO. Shall I put up with an affront so gross,So monstrous, Gnatho?--No, I'd rather die.Simalio, Donax, Syrus, follow me!First, I will storm their castle.THRA. Next carry off the Virgin.
GNAT. Admirable!
THRA. Then punish Thais herself.
GNAT. Incomparable!
THRA. Here, in the centre, Donax, with your club!Do you, Simalio, charge on the left wing!You, Syrus, on the right!--Bring up the rest!Where's the Centurion Sanga, and his bandOf rascal runaways?
THRA. How now?Think'st thou to combat with a dish-clout, slave!That thus thou bring'st it here?
SAN. Ah, Sir! I knewThe valor of the gen'ral and his troops;And seeing this affair must end in blood,I brought a clout, to wipe the wounds withal.THRA. Where are the rest?
SAN. Rest! Plague, whom d'ye mean?There's nobody, but Sannio, left at home.
THRA. Lead you the van (to GNATHO); and I'll bring up the rear:Thence give the word to all.
GNAT. What wisdom is!Now he has drawn up these in rank and file,His post behind secures him a retreat.THRA. Just so his line of battle Pyrrhus form'd.
CHREM. D'ye see, my Thais, what he is about?To bar and bolt the doors was good advice.
THAIS. Tut, man! you fool, that seems so mighty brave,Is a mere coward. Do not be afraid!
THRA. What were best? (To GNATHO.)
GNAT. Troth, I wish you had a sling:That you from far in ambush might attack them!They'd soon fly then, I warrant you.
THRA. But see!Thais appears.
GNAT. Let's charge them then! Come on!
THRA. Halt!--'Tis the part of a wise generalTo try all methods, ere he come to arms.How do you know, but Thais may obeyMy orders without force?
GNAT. Oh, gracious Heavens!Of what advantage is it to be wise!I ne'er approach but I go wiser from you.
THRA. Thais, first answer this! Did you, or no,When I presented you the Virgin, promise,To give yourself some days to me alone?
THRA. Is that a question, when you durstTo bring a rival to my face?
THAIS. And whatBusiness have you with him?
THRA. ----And then stole offIn company with him?
THRA. Therefore, restore my Pamphila; unlessYou choose to see her carried off by force.
CHREM. She restore Pamphila to you? Or youAttempt to touch her, rascal?
GNAT. Ah, beware!Peace, peace, young gentleman!
THRA. (to CHREM.) What is't you mean?Shall I not touch my own?CHREM. Your own, you scoundrel?
GNAT. Take heed! you know not whom you rail at thus.
CHREM. Won't you be gone?--here, hark ye, Sir! d'ye knowHow matters stand with you?--if you attemptTo raise a riot in this place to-day,I'll answer for it, that you shall rememberThis place, to-day, and me, your whole life-long.
GNAT. I pity you: to make so great a manYour enemy!CHREM. Hence! or I'll break your head.
GNAT. How's that, you hang-dog? Are you for that sport?
THRA. Who are you, fellow?--what d'ye mean?--and whatHave you to do with Pamphila?
CHREM. I'll tell you,First, I declare, that she's a free-born woman!CHREM. And a citizen of Athens.
CHREM. My sister.
CHREM. So, Captain, nowI give you warning, offer her no force!--Thais, I'll now to Sophrona, the Nurse,And bring her here with me to see the proofs.THRA. And you prohibit me to touch my own?
CHREM. Yes, I prohibit you.
GNAT. D'ye hear? he ownsThe robbery himself. Isn't that sufficient?
THRA. And, Thais, you maintain the same?
THAIS. Ask thoseWho care to answer. (Shuts down the window.)THRA. What shall we do now?
GNAT. Why--e'en go back again!--This harlot hereWill soon be with you to request forgiveness.
THRA. D'ye think so?
GNAT. Aye, most certainly. I knowThe ways of women.--When you will, they won't;And when you won't, they're dying for you.GNAT. Shall I disband the army?
THRA. When you will.
GNAT. Sanga, as well becomes a brave militia,Take to your houses and firesides again.
SAN. My mind was like a sop i' th' pan, long since.
GNAT. Good fellow!
SAN. To the right about there! march!(Exit, with GNATHO and THRASO at the head of the troops.
HarperTHRA. Is that a question, when you durstTo bring a rival to my face?THAIS. And whatBusiness have you with him?THRA. ----And then stole offIn company with him?THAIS. It was my pleasure.THRA. Therefore, restore my Pamphila ...Colman 1768THRA. Is that a question, when you broughtYour lover to affront me to my face?--THAIS. What business have you with him?THRA. ----And stole offIn company with him?THAIS. It was my pleasure.
Words in this poem 15
- 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,]
- donax n.
- A canelike grass of southern Europe (Arundo Donax), used for fishing rods, etc.
- admirable a.
- Fitted to excite wonder; wonderful; marvelous. [L. admirabilis: cf. F. admirable.]
- incomparable a.
- Not comparable; admitting of no comparison with others; unapproachably eminent; without a peer or equal; matchless; peerless; transcendent. [L. incomparabilis: cf. F. incomparable. See In- not, and Comparable.]
- centre v. i.
- To be placed in a center; to be central.
- centurion n.
- A military officer who commanded a minor division of the Roman army; a captain of a century. [L. centurio, fr. centuria; cf. F. centurion. See Century.]
- sanga n.
- The Abyssinian ox (Bos or Bibos, Africanus), noted for the great length of its horns. It has a hump on its back.
- clout n.
- A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag. [AS. clut a little cloth, piece of metal; cf. Sw. klut, Icel. klutr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- nobody n.
- No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
- troth n.
- Belief; faith; fidelity. [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
- stole n.
- A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
- disband v. t.
- To loose the bands of; to set free; to disunite; to scatter; to disperse; to break up the organization of; especially, to dismiss from military service; as, to disband an army. [Pref. dis- + band: cf. OF. desbander, F. débander, to unbind, unbend. See Band, and cf. Disbend, Disbind.]
- 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 VIII 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 VIII, 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-viii.html, id L25775.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Fourth: Scene VIII is 123 lines in 47 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.
- 1 -AA-- gross · dieA · meA · castle · virgin
- 47 --A-BCBD---ABCBD harper · durst · faceA · what · himB · offC · himB · pleasureD · pamphila · — · brought · faceA · himB · offC · himB · pleasureD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| THRASO. Shall I put up with an affront so gross, | 12 | ········˘/·· |
| So monstrous, Gnatho?--No, I'd rather die. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Simalio, Donax, Syrus, follow me! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| First, I will storm their castle. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| THRA. Next carry off the Virgin. | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| GNAT. Admirable! | 5 | ·/˘˘˘ |
| THRA. Then punish Thais herself. | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| GNAT. Incomparable! | 6 | ·˘/˘˘˘ |
| THRA. Here, in the centre, Donax, with your club! | 11 | ····/˘/˘··· |
| Do you, Simalio, charge on the left wing! | 10 | ·········· |
| You, Syrus, on the right!--Bring up the rest! | 10 | ·········· |
| Where's the Centurion Sanga, and his band | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Of rascal runaways? | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| THRA. How now? | 3 | ··· |
| Think'st thou to combat with a dish-clout, slave! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| That thus thou bring'st it here? | 6 | ······ |
| SAN. Ah, Sir! I knew | 5 | ····· |
| The valor of the gen'ral and his troops; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And seeing this affair must end in blood, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| I brought a clout, to wipe the wounds withal. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| THRA. Where are the rest? | 5 | ····· |
| SAN. Rest! Plague, whom d'ye mean? | 6 | ······ |
| There's nobody, but Sannio, left at home. | 10 | ·/········ |
| THRA. Lead you the van (to GNATHO); and I'll bring up the rear: | 14 | ·············· |
| Thence give the word to all. | 6 | ······ |
| GNAT. What wisdom is! | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Now he has drawn up these in rank and file, | 10 | ·········· |
| His post behind secures him a retreat. | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| THRA. Just so his line of battle Pyrrhus form'd. | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| CHREM. D'ye see, my Thais, what he is about? | 10 | ·········· |
| To bar and bolt the doors was good advice. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| THAIS. Tut, man! you fool, that seems so mighty brave, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| Is a mere coward. Do not be afraid! | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| THRA. What were best? (To GNATHO.) | 7 | ······· |
| GNAT. Troth, I wish you had a sling: | 8 | ········ |
| That you from far in ambush might attack them! | 11 | ·····/··˘/· |
| They'd soon fly then, I warrant you. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| THRA. But see! | 3 | ··· |
| Thais appears. | 3 | ·˘/ |
| GNAT. Let's charge them then! Come on! | 7 | ······· |
| THRA. Halt!--'Tis the part of a wise general | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| To try all methods, ere he come to arms. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| How do you know, but Thais may obey | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| My orders without force? | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| GNAT. Oh, gracious Heavens! | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
| Of what advantage is it to be wise! | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| I ne'er approach but I go wiser from you. | 10 | ··˘/···/·· |
| THRA. Thais, first answer this! Did you, or no, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| When I presented you the Virgin, promise, | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To give yourself some days to me alone? | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| THRA. Is that a question, when you durst | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| To bring a rival to my face? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| THAIS. And what | 3 | ··· |
| Business have you with him? | 6 | /˘···· |
| THRA. ----And then stole off | 5 | ····· |
| In company with him? | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| THRA. Therefore, restore my Pamphila; unless | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| You choose to see her carried off by force. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| CHREM. She restore Pamphila to you? Or you | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| Attempt to touch her, rascal? | 7 | ˘/···/˘ |
| GNAT. Ah, beware! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Peace, peace, young gentleman! | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| THRA. (to CHREM.) What is't you mean? | 7 | ······· |
| Shall I not touch my own? | 6 | ······ |
| CHREM. Your own, you scoundrel? | 6 | ····/˘ |
| GNAT. Take heed! you know not whom you rail at thus. | 11 | ··········· |
| CHREM. Won't you be gone?--here, hark ye, Sir! d'ye know | 11 | ··········· |
| How matters stand with you?--if you attempt | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| To raise a riot in this place to-day, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I'll answer for it, that you shall remember | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| This place, to-day, and me, your whole life-long. | 10 | ·········· |
| GNAT. I pity you: to make so great a man | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| Your enemy! | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| CHREM. Hence! or I'll break your head. | 7 | ······· |
| GNAT. How's that, you hang-dog? Are you for that sport? | 11 | ··········· |
| THRA. Who are you, fellow?--what d'ye mean?--and what | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| Have you to do with Pamphila? | 8 | ········ |
| CHREM. I'll tell you, | 4 | ···· |
| First, I declare, that she's a free-born woman! | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| CHREM. And a citizen of Athens. | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| CHREM. My sister. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| CHREM. So, Captain, now | 5 | ··/˘· |
| I give you warning, offer her no force! | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| --Thais, I'll now to Sophrona, the Nurse, | 9 | ········· |
| And bring her here with me to see the proofs. | 10 | ·········· |
| THRA. And you prohibit me to touch my own? | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| CHREM. Yes, I prohibit you. | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| GNAT. D'ye hear? he owns | 5 | ····· |
| The robbery himself. Isn't that sufficient? | 11 | ·/˘˘//˘·˘/˘ |
| THRA. And, Thais, you maintain the same? | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| THAIS. Ask those | 3 | ··· |
| Who care to answer. (Shuts down the window.) | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| THRA. What shall we do now? | 6 | ······ |
| GNAT. Why--e'en go back again!--This harlot here | 11 | ·····˘/·/˘· |
| Will soon be with you to request forgiveness. | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| THRA. D'ye think so? | 4 | ···· |
| GNAT. Aye, most certainly. I know | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| The ways of women.--When you will, they won't; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And when you won't, they're dying for you. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| GNAT. Shall I disband the army? | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| THRA. When you will. | 4 | ···· |
| GNAT. Sanga, as well becomes a brave militia, | 12 | ·····˘/··˘/˘ |
| Take to your houses and firesides again. | 11 | ···/˘·/˘·˘/ |
| SAN. My mind was like a sop i' th' pan, long since. | 11 | ··········· |
| GNAT. Good fellow! | 4 | ··/˘ |
| SAN. To the right about there! march! | 8 | ········ |
| (Exit, with GNATHO and THRASO at the head of the troops. | 14 | /˘············ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| THRA. Is that a question, when you durst | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| To bring a rival to my face? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| THAIS. And what | 3 | ··· |
| Business have you with him? | 6 | /˘···· |
| THRA. ----And then stole off | 5 | ····· |
| In company with him? | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| THAIS. It was my pleasure. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| THRA. Therefore, restore my Pamphila ... | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| THRA. Is that a question, when you brought | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Your lover to affront me to my face?-- | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| THAIS. What business have you with him? | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| THRA. ----And stole off | 4 | ···· |
| In company with him? | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| THAIS. It was my pleasure. | 6 | ····/˘ |
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