The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene III
In truth the more and more I think, the moreI am convinc'd that Thais means me ill:So plain I see her arts to draw me in.Ev'n when she first invited me, (and whenHad any ask'd, What business have you there?The question would have stagger'd me,) she fram'dSev'ral excuses to detain me there.Said she had made a sacrifice, and hadAffairs of consequence to settle with me.--Oho! thought I immediately, I smellA trick upon me!--down she sat, behav'dFamiliarly, and tried to beat aboutFor conversation. Being at a loss,She ask'd, how long my parents had been dead?--I told her, long time since:--on which she ask'd,Whether I had a country-house at Sunium?--And how far from the sea?--I half believeShe likes my villa, and would wheedle meTo give it her.--Her final questions were,If I ne'er lost a little sister thence?--Who was miss'd with her?--what she had when lost?If any one could know her? Why should ThaisDemand all this, unless,--a saucy baggage!----She means to play the counterfeit, and feignHerself that sister?--but if she's alive,She is about sixteen, not more; ThaisIs elder than myself.--She sent besideTo beg I'd come again.--Or, let her sayWhat she would have; or, not be troublesome!I'll not return a third time.--Ho! who's there?Here am I! Chremes!
HarperIf any one could know her? Why should ThaisDemand all this, unless,--a saucy baggage!----She means to play the counterfeit, and feignHerself that sister?--but if she's alive,She is about sixteen, not more; ThaisIs elder than myself.--She sent besideTo beg I'd come again.--Or, let her sayWhat she would have; or, not be troublesome!Colman 1768--If there was any body capableOf recollecting her?--Why all these questions?Unless perhaps she means,--a saucy baggage!--To play the counterfeit, and feign herselfThat sister, who was lost so long ago?But she, if living, is about sixteen;Not more: and Thais older than myself.She sent beside to press me earnestlyTo visit her again.--Or, let her say
Words in this poem
- 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.]
- 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 III 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 III, 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-iii.html, id L25764.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene III is 50 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
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--------------------------- more · ill · inA · whenA · there · fram'd · there · had · me · smell · behav'd · about · loss · dead · ask'd · sunium · believe · me · were · thence · lost · thais · baggage · feign · alive · thais · beside · say · troublesome · there · chremes
- 2 -AB--A-C----BD--D-C harper · thaisA · baggageB · feign · alive · thaisA · beside · sayC · troublesome · — · capable · questions · baggageB · herselfD · ago · sixteen · myselfD · earnestly · sayC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| In truth the more and more I think, the more | 10 | ·········· |
| I am convinc'd that Thais means me ill: | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| So plain I see her arts to draw me in. | 10 | ·········· |
| Ev'n when she first invited me, (and when | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Had any ask'd, What business have you there? | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The question would have stagger'd me,) she fram'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Sev'ral excuses to detain me there. | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/·· |
| Said she had made a sacrifice, and had | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Affairs of consequence to settle with me. | 10 | ˘/·/˘·/˘·· |
| --Oho! thought I immediately, I smell | 10 | ˘/··˘/˘˘·· |
| A trick upon me!--down she sat, behav'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Familiarly, and tried to beat about | 10 | /˘˘˘······ |
| For conversation. Being at a loss, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| She ask'd, how long my parents had been dead? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| --I told her, long time since:--on which she ask'd, | 10 | ·········· |
| Whether I had a country-house at Sunium? | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| --And how far from the sea?--I half believe | 10 | ········˘/ |
| She likes my villa, and would wheedle me | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| To give it her.--Her final questions were, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| If I ne'er lost a little sister thence? | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| --Who was miss'd with her?--what she had when lost? | 10 | ·········· |
| If any one could know her? Why should Thais | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Demand all this, unless,--a saucy baggage!---- | 11 | ˘/·····/˘/˘ |
| She means to play the counterfeit, and feign | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Herself that sister?--but if she's alive, | 10 | ˘/·/˘···˘/ |
| She is about sixteen, not more; Thais | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| Is elder than myself.--She sent beside | 10 | ·/˘··/··˘/ |
| To beg I'd come again.--Or, let her say | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| What she would have; or, not be troublesome! | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| I'll not return a third time.--Ho! who's there? | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Here am I! Chremes! | 4 | ···· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| If any one could know her? Why should Thais | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Demand all this, unless,--a saucy baggage!---- | 11 | ˘/·····/˘/˘ |
| She means to play the counterfeit, and feign | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Herself that sister?--but if she's alive, | 10 | ˘/·/˘···˘/ |
| She is about sixteen, not more; Thais | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| Is elder than myself.--She sent beside | 10 | ·/˘··/··˘/ |
| To beg I'd come again.--Or, let her say | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| What she would have; or, not be troublesome! | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| --If there was any body capable | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Of recollecting her?--Why all these questions? | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| Unless perhaps she means,--a saucy baggage!-- | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| To play the counterfeit, and feign herself | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| That sister, who was lost so long ago? | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| But she, if living, is about sixteen; | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Not more: and Thais older than myself. | 9 | ····/˘··/ |
| She sent beside to press me earnestly | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| To visit her again.--Or, let her say | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.