The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene I
GNAT. Not so much with the gift itself, as thatBy you 'twas given: but therein she triumphs.
PAR. I'm come to look about me, and observeA proper opportunity to bringMy presents. But behold the Captain!
THRA. 'TisSomething, I know not how, peculiar to me,That all I do 's agreeable.
GNAT. In truthI have observ'd it.
THRA. E'en the King alwaysHeld himself much obliged, whate'er I did:Not so to others.
GNAT. Men of wit, like you,The glory, got by others' care and toil,Often transfer unto themselves.THRA. You've hit it.
THRA. Certainly.
GNAT. Most dear.
THRA. Most near. He trusted his whole army to me,His counsels.----
GNAT. Wonderful!
THRA. And then whene'erSatiety of company, or hateOf business seiz'd him--when he would repose----As if----you understand me.
GNAT. Perfectly.When he would--in a manner--clear his stomachOf all uneasiness.
THRA. The very thing.On such occasions he chose none but me.
THRA. The courtiers allBegan to envy me, and rail'd in secret:I car'd not; whence their spleen increas'd the more.One in particular, who had the chargeOf th' Indian elephants; who grew at lastSo very troublesome, "I prithee, Strato,Are you so savage, and so fierce, (says I,)Because you're governor of the wild beasts?"
GNAT. Oh, finely said! and shrewdly! excellent!Too hard upon him!--what said he to't?THRA. Nothing.
GNAT. And how the devil should he?
PAR. Gracious Heav'n!The stupid coxcomb!--and that rascal too! (Aside.)
THRA. Aye! but the story of the Rhodian, Gnatho!How smart I was upon him at a feast----Did I ne'er tell you?
THRA. We were by chance together at a feast----This Rhodian, that I told you of and I.----I, as it happen'd, had a wench: the sparkBegan to toy with her, and laugh at me."Why how now, Impudence! (said I,) are youA hare yourself, and yet would hunt for game?"THRA. What's the matter?
GNAT. Ha! ha! ha!Witty! smart! excellent! incomparable!Is it your own? I swear I thought 'twas old.THRA. Why, did you ever hear it?
GNAT. Very often;And reckon'd admirable.
THRA. 'Tis my own.
GNAT. And yet 'twas pity to be so severeOn a young fellow, and a gentleman.PAR. Ah! devil take you! (Aside.)
GNAT. What became of him?
THRA. It did for him. The company were allReady to die with laughing:--in a word,They dreaded me.
GNAT. No wonder.
THRA. Harkye, Gnatho!Thais, you know, suspects I love this girl.Shall I acquit myself?
GNAT. On no account.Rather increase her jealousy.
GNAT. Why?--do you ask?--as if you didn't know!----Whene'er she mentions Phaedria, or whene'erShe praises him, to vex you----
THRA. I perceive.
GNAT. To hinder that, you've only this resource.When she names Phaedria, name you Pamphila.If she should say, "come! let's have PhaedriaTo dinner with us!"--"aye, and PamphilaTo sing to us!"--if she praise Phaedria's person,Praise you the girl's! so give her tit for tat,And gall her in her turn.
THRA. Suppose she lov'd me,This might avail me, Gnatho!
GNAT. While she lovesThe presents which you give, expecting more,So long she loves you; and so long you mayHave pow'r to vex her. She will always fearTo make you angry, lest some other reapThe harvest, which she now enjoys alone.
THRA. You're right: and yet I never thought of it.
GNAT. Ridiculous! because you did not turnYour thoughts that way; or with how much more easeWould you have hit on this device yourself!
HarperGNAT. Not so much with the gift itself, as thatBy you 'twas given: but therein she triumphs.Enter PARMENO behind.PAR. I'm come to look about me, and observeA proper opportunity to bringMy presents. But behold the Captain!THRA. 'TisSomething, I know not how, peculiar to me,That all I do 's agreeable.GNAT. In truthI have observ'd it.THRA. E'en the King alwaysColman 1768GNAT. Not for the present's sake so much, as thatFrom you it was presented: But thereinShe truly triumphs.Enter PARMENO behind.PAR. I'm upon the watch,To mark a proper opportunityTo bring my presents. But behold the Captain?THRA. It is, indeed, something, I know not how,Peculiar to me, do whate'er I please,It will appear agreeable.GNAT. In truthI always have observ'd it.THRA. Ev'n the King
HarperTHRA. One of a thousand.GNAT. Of a million sure!--If he could live with you.Colman 1768THRA. No general man, I promise you.GNAT. Oh no!He must have been particular indeed,If he convers'd with You.
Words in this poem
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- rhodian a.
- Of or pertaining to Rhodes, an island of the Mediterranean. [L. Rhodius: cf. F. rhodien.]
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- 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.]
- admirable a.
- Fitted to excite wonder; wonderful; marvelous. [L. admirabilis: cf. F. admirable.]
- 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,]
- resource n.
- That to which one resorts orr on which one depends for supply or support; means of overcoming a difficulty; resort; expedient. [F. ressource, fr. OF. ressourdre, resourdre, to spring forth or up again; pref. re- re- + sourdre to spring forth. See Source.]
- angry a.
- Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
- reap n.
- A bundle of grain; a handful of grain laid down by the reaper as it is cut. Wright. [Cf. AS. rip harvest. See Reap, v.]
- 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 Third: Scene I 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 Third: Scene I, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-eunuch-act-the-third-scene-i.html, id L25762.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene I is 134 lines in 37 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.
- 5 A-A alwaysA · did · othersA
- 19 -A-A--- feast · iA · spark · meA · you · game · matter
- 31 -A-AB-B resource · pamphilaA · phaedria · pamphilaA · personB · tat · turnB
- 36 -ABC-DE--FGH--A-BC--E--FGHD harper · thatA · triumphsB · behindC · observe · bringD · captainE · tis · me · agreeableF · truthG · itH · always · — · thatA · therein · triumphsB · behindC · watch · opportunity · captainE · how · please · agreeableF · truthG · itH · kingD
- 37 ---A-A--A harper · thousand · sure · youA · — · youA · no · indeed · youA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GNAT. Not so much with the gift itself, as that | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| By you 'twas given: but therein she triumphs. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| PAR. I'm come to look about me, and observe | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| A proper opportunity to bring | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| My presents. But behold the Captain! | 9 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| THRA. 'Tis | 2 | ·· |
| Something, I know not how, peculiar to me, | 11 | /˘····˘/˘·· |
| That all I do 's agreeable. | 9 | ·····˘/˘˘ |
| GNAT. In truth | 3 | ··· |
| I have observ'd it. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| THRA. E'en the King always | 6 | ····/· |
| Held himself much obliged, whate'er I did: | 11 | ·˘/·˘/˘˘/·· |
| Not so to others. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| GNAT. Men of wit, like you, | 6 | ······ |
| The glory, got by others' care and toil, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Often transfer unto themselves. | 8 | /˘˘/··˘/ |
| THRA. You've hit it. | 4 | ···· |
| THRA. Certainly. | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| GNAT. Most dear. | 3 | ··· |
| THRA. Most near. He trusted his whole army to me, | 12 | ····/˘··/˘·· |
| His counsels.---- | 3 | ·/˘ |
| GNAT. Wonderful! | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| THRA. And then whene'er | 6 | ······ |
| Satiety of company, or hate | 10 | ˘/˘˘·/˘˘·· |
| Of business seiz'd him--when he would repose---- | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| As if----you understand me. | 7 | ····˘/· |
| GNAT. Perfectly. | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| When he would--in a manner--clear his stomach | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Of all uneasiness. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| THRA. The very thing. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| On such occasions he chose none but me. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| THRA. The courtiers all | 6 | ··/˘˘· |
| Began to envy me, and rail'd in secret: | 11 | ˘/·/˘····/˘ |
| I car'd not; whence their spleen increas'd the more. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| One in particular, who had the charge | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| Of th' Indian elephants; who grew at last | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| So very troublesome, "I prithee, Strato, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·/˘·· |
| Are you so savage, and so fierce, (says I,) | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Because you're governor of the wild beasts?" | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| GNAT. Oh, finely said! and shrewdly! excellent! | 11 | ··/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| Too hard upon him!--what said he to't? | 9 | ········· |
| THRA. Nothing. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| GNAT. And how the devil should he? | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| PAR. Gracious Heav'n! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| The stupid coxcomb!--and that rascal too! (Aside.) | 12 | ·/˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| THRA. Aye! but the story of the Rhodian, Gnatho! | 13 | ····/˘··/˘˘·· |
| How smart I was upon him at a feast---- | 10 | ·········· |
| Did I ne'er tell you? | 5 | ····· |
| THRA. We were by chance together at a feast---- | 11 | ·····˘/˘··· |
| This Rhodian, that I told you of and I.---- | 11 | ·/˘˘······· |
| I, as it happen'd, had a wench: the spark | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Began to toy with her, and laugh at me. | 10 | ˘/········ |
| "Why how now, Impudence! (said I,) are you | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| A hare yourself, and yet would hunt for game?" | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| THRA. What's the matter? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| GNAT. Ha! ha! ha! | 4 | ···· |
| Witty! smart! excellent! incomparable! | 11 | /˘·/˘˘˘/˘˘˘ |
| Is it your own? I swear I thought 'twas old. | 10 | ·········· |
| THRA. Why, did you ever hear it? | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| GNAT. Very often; | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| And reckon'd admirable. | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘˘ |
| THRA. 'Tis my own. | 4 | ···· |
| GNAT. And yet 'twas pity to be so severe | 11 | ····/˘···˘/ |
| On a young fellow, and a gentleman. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| PAR. Ah! devil take you! (Aside.) | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| GNAT. What became of him? | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| THRA. It did for him. The company were all | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Ready to die with laughing:--in a word, | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| They dreaded me. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| GNAT. No wonder. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| THRA. Harkye, Gnatho! | 5 | ····· |
| Thais, you know, suspects I love this girl. | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| Shall I acquit myself? | 6 | ··˘/·/ |
| GNAT. On no account. | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Rather increase her jealousy. | 8 | /˘/··/˘˘ |
| GNAT. Why?--do you ask?--as if you didn't know!---- | 11 | ········/˘· |
| Whene'er she mentions Phaedria, or whene'er | 12 | ····/˘······ |
| She praises him, to vex you---- | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| THRA. I perceive. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| GNAT. To hinder that, you've only this resource. | 11 | ··/˘··/˘·/˘ |
| When she names Phaedria, name you Pamphila. | 10 | ·········· |
| If she should say, "come! let's have Phaedria | 9 | ········· |
| To dinner with us!"--"aye, and Pamphila | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| To sing to us!"--if she praise Phaedria's person, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Praise you the girl's! so give her tit for tat, | 10 | ·········· |
| And gall her in her turn. | 6 | ······ |
| THRA. Suppose she lov'd me, | 6 | ·˘/··· |
| This might avail me, Gnatho! | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| GNAT. While she loves | 4 | ···· |
| The presents which you give, expecting more, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| So long she loves you; and so long you may | 10 | ·········· |
| Have pow'r to vex her. She will always fear | 10 | ·······/·· |
| To make you angry, lest some other reap | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The harvest, which she now enjoys alone. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘/ |
| THRA. You're right: and yet I never thought of it. | 10 | ······/··· |
| GNAT. Ridiculous! because you did not turn | 10 | ·˘/˘······ |
| Your thoughts that way; or with how much more ease | 10 | ·········· |
| Would you have hit on this device yourself! | 10 | ······˘/˘/ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| GNAT. Not so much with the gift itself, as that | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| By you 'twas given: but therein she triumphs. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Enter PARMENO behind. | 7 | /˘····· |
| PAR. I'm come to look about me, and observe | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| A proper opportunity to bring | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| My presents. But behold the Captain! | 9 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| THRA. 'Tis | 2 | ·· |
| Something, I know not how, peculiar to me, | 11 | /˘····˘/˘·· |
| That all I do 's agreeable. | 9 | ·····˘/˘˘ |
| GNAT. In truth | 3 | ··· |
| I have observ'd it. | 5 | ··˘/· |
| THRA. E'en the King always | 6 | ····/· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| GNAT. Not for the present's sake so much, as that | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| From you it was presented: But therein | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| She truly triumphs. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Enter PARMENO behind. | 7 | /˘····· |
| PAR. I'm upon the watch, | 6 | ······ |
| To mark a proper opportunity | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| To bring my presents. But behold the Captain? | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| THRA. It is, indeed, something, I know not how, | 11 | ···˘//˘···· |
| Peculiar to me, do whate'er I please, | 11 | ˘/˘···˘˘/·· |
| It will appear agreeable. | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| GNAT. In truth | 3 | ··· |
| I always have observ'd it. | 7 | ·/··˘/· |
| THRA. Ev'n the King | 4 | ···· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| THRA. One of a thousand. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| GNAT. Of a million sure! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| --If he could live with you. | 6 | ······ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| THRA. No general man, I promise you. | 10 | ··/˘˘··/˘· |
| GNAT. Oh no! | 3 | ··· |
| He must have been particular indeed, | 10 | ····˘/˘˘˘/ |
| If he convers'd with You. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
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