The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene VI
CHAER. (looking about). Is any body here?--No, nobody.Does any follow me?--No, nobody.May I then let my ecstasy break forth!O Jupiter! 'tis now the very time,When I could suffer to be put to death,Lest not another transport like to this,Remain in life to come.--But is there notSome curious impertinent to comeAcross me now, and murder me with questions?--To ask, why I'm so flutter'd? why so joyful?Whither I'm going? whence I came? and whereI got this habit? what I'm looking after?Whether I'm in my senses? or stark mad?
ANTI. I'll go myself, and do that kindness to him.Chaerea, (advancing,) what's all this flutter? what's this dress?What is't transports you? what d'ye want? art mad?Why do ye start at me? and why not speak?
CHAER. O happy, happy day!--Save you, dear friend!There's not a man on earth I'd rather seeThis moment than yourself.ANTI. Come, tell me all!
CHAER. Tell you! I will beseech you give me hearing.D'ye know my brother's mistress here?
ANTI. Yes: Thais,Or I'm deceiv'd.
CHAER. To-day a girl was sent a present to her.Why need I speak or praise her beauty nowTo you, that know me, and my taste so well?She set me all on fire.
ANTI. Is she so handsome?
CHAER. Most exquisite: Oh, had you but once seen her,You would pronounce her, I am confident,The first of womankind.--But to be brief,I fell in love with her.--By great good luckThere was at home an Eunuch, which my brotherHad bought for Thais, but not yet sent thither.--I had a gentle hint from Parmeno,Which I seiz'd greedily.ANTI. And what was that?
CHAER. Peace, and I'll tell you.--To change dresses with him,And order Parmeno to carry meInstead of him.
ANTI. How? for an Eunuch, you?
ANTI. What good could you derive from that?
CHAER. What good!--why, see, and hear, and be with herI languish'd for, my Antipho!--was thatAn idle reason, or a trivial good?--To Thais I'm deliver'd; she receives me,And carries me with joy into her house;Commits the charming girl----ANTI. To whom?----to you?
ANTI. In special hands, I must confess.
CHAER. --Enjoins me to permit no man come near her;Nor to depart, myself, one instant from her;But in an inner chamber to remainAlone with her alone. I nod, and lookBashfully on the ground.
ANTI. Poor simple soul!
CHAER. I am bid forth, says she; and carries offAll her maid-servants with her, save some fewRaw novices, who straight prepar'd the bath.I bade them haste; and while it was preparing,In a retiring-room the Virgin sat;Viewing a picture, where the tale was drawnOf Jove's descending in a golden show'rTo Danae's bosom.----I beheld it too,And because he of old the like game play'd,I felt my mind exult the more within me,That Jove should change himself into a man,And steal in secret through a stranger-roof,With a mere woman to intrigue.--Great Jove,Who shakes the highest heav'ns with his thunder!And I, poor mortal man, not do the same!----I did it, and with all my heart I did it.--While thoughts, like these, possess'd my soul, they call'dThe girl to bathe. She goes, bathes, then returns:Which done, the servants put her into bed.I stand to wait their orders. Up comes one,"Here, harkye, Dorus! take this fan and markYou cool her gently thus, while we go bathe.When we have bath'd, you, if you please, bathe too,"I, with a sober air, receive the fan.
ANTI. Then would I fain have seen your simple face!I should have been delighted to beholdHow like an ass you look'd, and held the fan.
CHAER. Scarce had she spoke, when all rush'd out o' doors;Away they go to bathe; grow full of noise,As servants use, when masters are abroad.Meanwhile sleep seiz'd the virgin: I, by stealth,Peep'd through the fan-sticks thus; then looking round,And seeing all was safe, made fast the door.CHAER. What then, fool!
CHAER. D'ye think,Bless'd with an opportunity like this,So short, so wish'd for, yet so unexpected,I'd let it slip? No. Then I'd been, indeed,The thing I counterfeited.
ANTI. Very true.But what's become of our club-supper?
ANTI. An honest fellow! where? at your own house?
ANTI. A great way off.
CHAER. Then we must make more haste.
ANTI. But change your dress.
CHAER. Where can I change it? I'm distress'd. From homeI must play truant, lest I meet my brother.My father too, perhaps, is come to town.
ANTI. Come then to my house! that's the nearest placeWhere you may shift.
CHAER. With all my heart! let's go!And at the same time, I'll consult with youHow to enjoy this dear girl.
HarperWhither I'm going? whence I came? and whereColman 1768Whither I'm going? from whence I came? and where
HarperANTI. Yes: Thais,Or I'm deceiv'd.CHAER. The same.ANTI. I do remember.Colman 1768ANTI. I do:Thais, I think.CHAER. The same.ANTI. I recollect.
HarperThe first of womankind.--But to be briefColman 1768The first of womankind.--But in a word
To Danae's bosom.Harper edition misprints "Danae's"
HarperANTI. Come then to my house! that's the nearest placeColman 1768
Words in this poem 21
- nobody n.
- No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
- curious a.
- Difficult to please or satisfy; solicitous to be correct; careful; scrupulous; nice; exact. [OF. curios, curius, F. curieux, L. curiosus careful, inquisitive, fr. cura care. See Cure.]
- whither adv.
- To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]
- stark adv.
- Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind.
- anti
- A prefix meaning against, opposite or opposed to, contrary, or in place of; -- used in composition in many English words. It is often shortened to ant-; as, antacid, antarctic. [Gr. Ante.]
- womankind n.
- The females of the human race; women, collectively.
- derive v. t.
- To turn the course of, as water; to divert and distribute into subordinate channels; to diffuse; to communicate; to transmit; -- followed by to, into, on, upon. [F. dériver, L. derivare; de- + rivus stream, brook. See Rival.]
- trivial a.
- Found anywhere; common. [L. trivialis, properly, that is in, or belongs to, the crossroads or public streets; hence, that may be found everywhere, common, fr. trivium a place where thre]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- bashfully adv.
- In a bashful manner.
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- delighted a.
- Endowed with delight.
- 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]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
- stealth n.
- The act of stealing; theft. [OE. staple. See Steal, v. t.]
- consult n.
- The act of consulting or deliberating; consultation; also, the result of consulation; determination; decision.
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
- recollect v. t.
- To recover or recall the knowledge of; to bring back to the mind or memory; to remember. [Pref. re- + collect: cf. L. recolligere, recollectum, to collect. Cf. Recollet.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eunuch: Act the Third: 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 Third: 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-third-scene-vi.html, id L25767.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Third: Scene VI is 134 lines in 32 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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----------- nobodyA · nobodyA · forth · time · death · this · not · come · questions · joyful · where · after · mad
- 9 A-A himA · me · himA
- 14 AA--- herA · herA · remain · look · ground
- 16 -A-----A--B-----------AB off · fewA · bath · preparing · sat · drawn · show'r · tooA · play'd · me · manB · roof · jove · thunder · same · it · call'd · returns · bed · one · mark · bathe · tooA · fanB
- 19 --AAA think · this · unexpectedA · indeedA · counterfeitedA
- 28 -A-A harper · whereA · — · whereA
- 29 ---A----A- harper · thais · deceiv'd · sameA · remember · — · do · think · sameA · recollect
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHAER. (looking about). Is any body here?--No, nobody. | 15 | ·/˘···/˘/˘··/·· |
| Does any follow me?--No, nobody. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/·· |
| May I then let my ecstasy break forth! | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| O Jupiter! 'tis now the very time, | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| When I could suffer to be put to death, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Lest not another transport like to this, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Remain in life to come.--But is there not | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Some curious impertinent to come | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/˘˘·· |
| Across me now, and murder me with questions? | 11 | ˘/···/˘··/˘ |
| --To ask, why I'm so flutter'd? why so joyful? | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Whither I'm going? whence I came? and where | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| I got this habit? what I'm looking after? | 11 | ···/˘··/˘·· |
| Whether I'm in my senses? or stark mad? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ANTI. I'll go myself, and do that kindness to him. | 13 | /˘···/···/˘·· |
| Chaerea, (advancing,) what's all this flutter? what's this dress? | 13 | ··˘/˘···/˘··· |
| What is't transports you? what d'ye want? art mad? | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Why do ye start at me? and why not speak? | 10 | ·········· |
| CHAER. O happy, happy day!--Save you, dear friend! | 11 | ··/˘/˘····· |
| There's not a man on earth I'd rather see | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| This moment than yourself. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| ANTI. Come, tell me all! | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHAER. Tell you! I will beseech you give me hearing. | 12 | ·····˘/···/˘ |
| D'ye know my brother's mistress here? | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| ANTI. Yes: Thais, | 4 | /˘·· |
| Or I'm deceiv'd. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| CHAER. To-day a girl was sent a present to her. | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| Why need I speak or praise her beauty now | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| To you, that know me, and my taste so well? | 10 | ·········· |
| She set me all on fire. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| ANTI. Is she so handsome? | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| CHAER. Most exquisite: Oh, had you but once seen her, | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| You would pronounce her, I am confident, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘˘ |
| The first of womankind.--But to be brief, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| I fell in love with her.--By great good luck | 10 | ·········· |
| There was at home an Eunuch, which my brother | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Had bought for Thais, but not yet sent thither. | 10 | ········/˘ |
| --I had a gentle hint from Parmeno, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Which I seiz'd greedily. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| ANTI. And what was that? | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHAER. Peace, and I'll tell you.--To change dresses with him, | 12 | ········/˘·· |
| And order Parmeno to carry me | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Instead of him. | 4 | ˘/·· |
| ANTI. How? for an Eunuch, you? | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| ANTI. What good could you derive from that? | 10 | /˘····˘/·· |
| CHAER. What good!--why, see, and hear, and be with her | 11 | ··········· |
| I languish'd for, my Antipho!--was that | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| An idle reason, or a trivial good? | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| --To Thais I'm deliver'd; she receives me, | 10 | ···˘/˘·˘/· |
| And carries me with joy into her house; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Commits the charming girl---- | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| ANTI. To whom?----to you? | 6 | /˘···· |
| ANTI. In special hands, I must confess. | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| CHAER. --Enjoins me to permit no man come near her; | 12 | ·˘/··˘/····· |
| Nor to depart, myself, one instant from her; | 11 | ··˘/·/·/˘·· |
| But in an inner chamber to remain | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Alone with her alone. I nod, and look | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| Bashfully on the ground. | 6 | /˘˘··· |
| ANTI. Poor simple soul! | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| CHAER. I am bid forth, says she; and carries off | 11 | ········/˘· |
| All her maid-servants with her, save some few | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Raw novices, who straight prepar'd the bath. | 10 | ·/˘˘··˘/·· |
| I bade them haste; and while it was preparing, | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| In a retiring-room the Virgin sat; | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Viewing a picture, where the tale was drawn | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Of Jove's descending in a golden show'r | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| To Danae's bosom.----I beheld it too, | 9 | ··/˘·˘/·· |
| And because he of old the like game play'd, | 10 | ·········· |
| I felt my mind exult the more within me, | 11 | ····˘/····· |
| That Jove should change himself into a man, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And steal in secret through a stranger-roof, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| With a mere woman to intrigue.--Great Jove, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Who shakes the highest heav'ns with his thunder! | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| And I, poor mortal man, not do the same!---- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I did it, and with all my heart I did it. | 11 | ··········· |
| --While thoughts, like these, possess'd my soul, they call'd | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| The girl to bathe. She goes, bathes, then returns: | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Which done, the servants put her into bed. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I stand to wait their orders. Up comes one, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| "Here, harkye, Dorus! take this fan and mark | 10 | ·········· |
| You cool her gently thus, while we go bathe. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| When we have bath'd, you, if you please, bathe too," | 10 | ·········· |
| I, with a sober air, receive the fan. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| ANTI. Then would I fain have seen your simple face! | 12 | /˘·······/˘· |
| I should have been delighted to behold | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| How like an ass you look'd, and held the fan. | 10 | ·········· |
| CHAER. Scarce had she spoke, when all rush'd out o' doors; | 11 | ··········· |
| Away they go to bathe; grow full of noise, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| As servants use, when masters are abroad. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Meanwhile sleep seiz'd the virgin: I, by stealth, | 10 | /····/˘··· |
| Peep'd through the fan-sticks thus; then looking round, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And seeing all was safe, made fast the door. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| CHAER. What then, fool! | 4 | ···· |
| CHAER. D'ye think, | 3 | ··· |
| Bless'd with an opportunity like this, | 10 | ····˘/˘˘·· |
| So short, so wish'd for, yet so unexpected, | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| I'd let it slip? No. Then I'd been, indeed, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| The thing I counterfeited. | 7 | ···/˘·˘ |
| ANTI. Very true. | 5 | /˘/˘· |
| But what's become of our club-supper? | 10 | ··˘/·/˘·/˘ |
| ANTI. An honest fellow! where? at your own house? | 12 | /˘·/˘/˘····· |
| ANTI. A great way off. | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHAER. Then we must make more haste. | 7 | ······· |
| ANTI. But change your dress. | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHAER. Where can I change it? I'm distress'd. From home | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| I must play truant, lest I meet my brother. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| My father too, perhaps, is come to town. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| ANTI. Come then to my house! that's the nearest place | 12 | /˘·······/˘· |
| Where you may shift. | 4 | ···· |
| CHAER. With all my heart! let's go! | 7 | ······· |
| And at the same time, I'll consult with you | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| How to enjoy this dear girl. | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Whither I'm going? whence I came? and where | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Whither I'm going? from whence I came? and where | 10 | /˘·/······ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| ANTI. Yes: Thais, | 4 | /˘·· |
| Or I'm deceiv'd. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| CHAER. The same. | 3 | ··· |
| ANTI. I do remember. | 7 | /˘··˘/˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| ANTI. I do: | 4 | /˘·· |
| Thais, I think. | 3 | ··· |
| CHAER. The same. | 3 | ··· |
| ANTI. I recollect. | 6 | /˘··˘/ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| The first of womankind.--But to be brief | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| The first of womankind.--But in a word | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| To Danae's bosom. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Harper edition misprints "Danae's" | 8 | /˘˘/˘//· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| ANTI. Come then to my house! that's the nearest place | 12 | /˘·······/˘· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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.