The Self-Tormentor: Act the First: Scene III
As yet, my Clinia, you've no cause to fear:They are not long: and she, I'm confident,Will be here shortly with the messenger.Prithee, away then with these idle cares,Which thus torment you!CHREM. (behind.) Whom does my son speak to?
CLIT. My father as I wish'd--Good Sir, well met.
CLIT. D'ye know our neighbor Menedemus?
CHREM. Aye, very well.
CLIT. D'ye know he has a son?
CHREM. I've heard he is in Asia.
CLIT. No such thing.He's at our house, Sir.
CLIT. But just arriv'd:Ev'n at his landing I fell in with him,And brought him here to supper: for, from boys,We have been friends and intimates.
CHREM. Good news:Now do I wish the more that Menedemus,Whom I invited, were my guest to-day,That I, and under my own roof, had beenThe first to have surpris'd him with this joy!And I may yet. (Going.)CLIT. Take heed! it were not good.
CLIT. Because the youth is yet in doubt:Newly arriv'd; in fear of ev'ry thing;He dreads his father's anger, and suspectsThe disposition of his mistress tow'rds him;Her, whom he dotes upon; on whose account,This diff'rence and departure came about.
CLIT. He has just dispatch'd his boyInto the city to her, and our SyrusI sent along with him.
CHREM. What says the son?
CLIT. Says? that he's miserable.
CHREM. Miserable!Who needs be less so? for what earthly goodCan man possess which he may not enjoy?Parents, a prosp'rous country, friends, birth, riches.Yet these all take their value from the mindOf the possessor: he that knows their use,To him they're blessings; he that knows it not,To him misuse converts them into curses.
CLIT. Nay, but he ever was a cross old man:And now there's nothing that I dread so much,As lest he be transported in his rageTo some gross outrages against his son.
CHREM. He!--He!--But I'll contain myself. 'Tis goodFor Menedemus that his son should fear. (Aside.)
CLIT. What say you, Sir, within yourself! (Overhearing.)
CHREM. I say,Be't as it might, the son should have remain'd.Grant that the father bore too strict a handUpon his loose desires; he should have borne it.Whom would he bear withal, if not a parent?Was't fitting that the father should conformTo the son's humor, or the son to his?And for the rigor that he murmurs at,'Tis nothing: the severities of fathers,Unless perchance a hard one here and there,Are much the same: they reprimand their sonsFor riotous excesses, wenching, drinking;And starve their pleasures by a scant allowance.Yet this all tends to good: but when the mindIs once enslav'd to vicious appetites,It needs must follow vicious measures too.Remember then this maxim, Clitipho,A wise one 'tis to draw from others' faultsA profitable lesson for yourself.
CLIT. I do believe it.
CHREM. Well, I'll in, and seeWhat is provided for our supper: you,As the day wears, see that you're not far hence. (Exit.
HarperThat I, and under my own roof, had beenColman 1768
Words in this poem
- shortly adv.
- In a short or brief time or manner; soon; quickly. [AS. sceortlice.]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- departure n.
- Division; separation; putting away. [From Depart.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Self-Tormentor: Act the First: 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 Self-Tormentor: Act the First: Scene III, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-self-tormentor-act-the-first-scene-iii.html, id L25789.
Form and metre
The Self-Tormentor: Act the First: Scene III is 76 lines in 21 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%).
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 fear · confident · messenger · cares · youA · toA
- 10 A----A doubtA · thing · suspects · him · account · aboutA
- 18 ------A-A---------- say · remain'd · hand · it · parent · conform · hisA · at · fathersA · there · sons · drinking · allowance · mind · appetites · too · clitipho · faults · yourself
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 |
|---|---|---|
| As yet, my Clinia, you've no cause to fear: | 10 | ·········· |
| They are not long: and she, I'm confident, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Will be here shortly with the messenger. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Prithee, away then with these idle cares, | 10 | /˘˘/···/˘· |
| Which thus torment you! | 5 | ··/·· |
| CHREM. (behind.) Whom does my son speak to? | 9 | ········· |
| CLIT. My father as I wish'd--Good Sir, well met. | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| CLIT. D'ye know our neighbor Menedemus? | 10 | ···//˘···· |
| CHREM. Aye, very well. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| CLIT. D'ye know he has a son? | 7 | ······· |
| CHREM. I've heard he is in Asia. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| CLIT. No such thing. | 4 | ···· |
| He's at our house, Sir. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| CLIT. But just arriv'd: | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Ev'n at his landing I fell in with him, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And brought him here to supper: for, from boys, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| We have been friends and intimates. | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| CHREM. Good news: | 3 | ··· |
| Now do I wish the more that Menedemus, | 11 | ··········· |
| Whom I invited, were my guest to-day, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| That I, and under my own roof, had been | 10 | ·········· |
| The first to have surpris'd him with this joy! | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And I may yet. (Going.) | 6 | ····/˘ |
| CLIT. Take heed! it were not good. | 7 | ······· |
| CLIT. Because the youth is yet in doubt: | 9 | ········· |
| Newly arriv'd; in fear of ev'ry thing; | 10 | /˘˘/······ |
| He dreads his father's anger, and suspects | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| The disposition of his mistress tow'rds him; | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘·· |
| Her, whom he dotes upon; on whose account, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| This diff'rence and departure came about. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| CLIT. He has just dispatch'd his boy | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Into the city to her, and our Syrus | 11 | ···/˘···/·· |
| I sent along with him. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| CHREM. What says the son? | 5 | ····· |
| CLIT. Says? that he's miserable. | 8 | ····/˘˘˘ |
| CHREM. Miserable! | 5 | ·/˘˘˘ |
| Who needs be less so? for what earthly good | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Can man possess which he may not enjoy? | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| Parents, a prosp'rous country, friends, birth, riches. | 11 | /˘···/˘··/˘ |
| Yet these all take their value from the mind | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of the possessor: he that knows their use, | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| To him they're blessings; he that knows it not, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To him misuse converts them into curses. | 11 | ··˘/˘/···/˘ |
| CLIT. Nay, but he ever was a cross old man: | 10 | ····/····· |
| And now there's nothing that I dread so much, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| As lest he be transported in his rage | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| To some gross outrages against his son. | 10 | ···/·˘···· |
| CHREM. He!--He!--But I'll contain myself. 'Tis good | 11 | ·····˘/·/·· |
| For Menedemus that his son should fear. (Aside.) | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| CLIT. What say you, Sir, within yourself! (Overhearing.) | 13 | ·······/˘·˘/˘ |
| CHREM. I say, | 3 | ··· |
| Be't as it might, the son should have remain'd. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Grant that the father bore too strict a hand | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Upon his loose desires; he should have borne it. | 11 | ····˘/····· |
| Whom would he bear withal, if not a parent? | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| Was't fitting that the father should conform | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To the son's humor, or the son to his? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And for the rigor that he murmurs at, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| 'Tis nothing: the severities of fathers, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Unless perchance a hard one here and there, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Are much the same: they reprimand their sons | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For riotous excesses, wenching, drinking; | 11 | ·/˘˘˘/˘··/˘ |
| And starve their pleasures by a scant allowance. | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| Yet this all tends to good: but when the mind | 10 | ·········· |
| Is once enslav'd to vicious appetites, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘· |
| It needs must follow vicious measures too. | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Remember then this maxim, Clitipho, | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘··· |
| A wise one 'tis to draw from others' faults | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A profitable lesson for yourself. | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/˘·˘/ |
| CLIT. I do believe it. | 6 | ···˘/· |
| CHREM. Well, I'll in, and see | 6 | ······ |
| What is provided for our supper: you, | 10 | ··˘/˘·//˘· |
| As the day wears, see that you're not far hence. (Exit. | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| That I, and under my own roof, had been | 10 | ·········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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