The Self-Tormentor: Act the Fourth: Scene IX
MENE. (to himself). Oh son, how happy hast thou made thy father,Convinc'd of thy repentance!CHREM. (overhearing). How mistaken!
MENE. Chremes! I wish'd for you.--'Tis in your power,And I beseech you do it, to preserveMy son, myself, and family.
CHREM. I'll do't.Wherein can I oblige you?
MENE. You to-dayHave found a daughter.CHREM. True. What then?
MENE. My CliniaBegs your consent to marry her.
CHREM. Good Heaven!What kind of man are you?MENE. What mean you, Chremes?
CHREM. Has it then slipp'd your memory so soon,The conversation that we had together,Touching the rogueries they should devise,To trick you of your money?
MENE. I remember.
CHREM. This is the trick.
MENE. How, Chremes? I'm deceiv'd.'Tis as you say. From what a pleasing hopeHave I then fall'n!
CHREM. And she, I warrant you,Now at your house, is my son's mistress? Eh!MENE. So they say.
CHREM. What! and you believ'd it?
CHREM. --And they say too he wants to marry her;That soon as I've consented, you may give himMoney to furnish her with jewels, clothes,And other necessaries.
MENE. Aye, 'tis so:The money's for his mistress.
CHREM. To be sure.
MENE. Alas, my transports are all groundless then.--Yet I would rather bear with any thing,Than lose my son again.--What answer, Chremes,Shall I return with, that he mayn't perceiveI've found him out, and take offense?
CHREM. Offense!You're too indulgent to him, Menedemus!
MENE. Allow me. I've begun, and must go through.Do but continue to assist me.
CHREM. Say,That we have met, and treated of the match.
CHREM. That I give full consent;That I approve my son-in-law;--In short,You may assure him also, if you please,That I've betroth'd my daughter to him.
MENE. Good!The thing I wanted.
CHREM. So shall he the soonerDemand the money; you, as you desire,The sooner give.
CHREM. 'Troth, friend, as far as I can judge of this,You'll soon be weary of your son again.But as the case now stands, give cautiously,A little at a time, if you are wise.
CHREM. Go in, and see what he demands.If you should want me, I'm at home.
MENE. 'Tis well.For I shall let you know, do what I will. (Exeunt severally.
HarperDo but continue to assist me.CHREM. Say,That we have met, and treated of the match.Colman 1768Do but continue to assist me, Chremes.CHREM. Say we have met, and treated of the match.
HarperMENE. Good!The thing I wanted.CHREM. So shall he the soonerDemand the money; you, as you desire,The sooner give.MENE. 'Tis my desire indeed.CHREM. 'Troth, friend, as far as I can judge of this,You'll soon be weary of your son again.But as the case now stands, give cautiously,A little at a time, if you are wise.Colman 1768MENE. Good!The very thing I wanted.CHREM. So your sonThe sooner shall demand the money of you;And so shall you, according to your wishThe sooner give.MENE. It is my wish indeed.CHREM. 'Fore heaven, friend, as far as I can judge,You'll soon be weary of your son again.But be it as it may, give cautiously,
Words in this poem
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- oblige v. t.
- To attach, as by a bond. [OF. obligier, F.obliger, L. obligare; ob (see Ob-) + ligare to bind. See Ligament, and cf. Obligate.]
- groundless a.
- Without ground or foundation; wanting cause or reason for support; not authorized; false; as, groundless fear; a groundless report or assertion. [AS. grundleás bottomless.]
- 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,]
- exeunt
- They go out, or retire from the scene; as, exeunt all except Hamlet. See 1st Exit. [L., 3d pers. pl. pres. of exire to go out.]
- 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 Fourth: Scene IX 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 Fourth: Scene IX, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-self-tormentor-act-the-fourth-scene-ix.html, id L25809.
Form and metre
The Self-Tormentor: Act the Fourth: Scene IX is 93 lines in 27 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
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.
- 21 AA goodA · wantedA
- 26 ---A--A harper · me · say · matchA · — · chremes · matchA
- 27 -AB--CD-EF--AB---CD-EF harper · goodA · wantedB · sooner · desire · giveC · indeedD · this · againE · cautiouslyF · wise · — · goodA · wantedB · son · you · wish · giveC · indeedD · judge · againE · cautiouslyF
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MENE. (to himself). Oh son, how happy hast thou made thy father, | 15 | ··˘/···/˘····/˘ |
| Convinc'd of thy repentance! | 7 | ˘/··˘/˘ |
| CHREM. (overhearing). How mistaken! | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| MENE. Chremes! I wish'd for you.--'Tis in your power, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And I beseech you do it, to preserve | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| My son, myself, and family. | 8 | ···/·/˘˘ |
| CHREM. I'll do't. | 3 | ··· |
| Wherein can I oblige you? | 7 | ····˘/· |
| MENE. You to-day | 4 | ···· |
| Have found a daughter. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREM. True. What then? | 4 | ···· |
| MENE. My Clinia | 4 | ···· |
| Begs your consent to marry her. | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| CHREM. Good Heaven! | 4 | ··/˘ |
| What kind of man are you? | 6 | ······ |
| MENE. What mean you, Chremes? | 5 | ····· |
| CHREM. Has it then slipp'd your memory so soon, | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| The conversation that we had together, | 11 | ··˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| Touching the rogueries they should devise, | 9 | /˘·····˘/ |
| To trick you of your money? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MENE. I remember. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| CHREM. This is the trick. | 5 | ····· |
| MENE. How, Chremes? I'm deceiv'd. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| 'Tis as you say. From what a pleasing hope | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Have I then fall'n! | 4 | ···· |
| CHREM. And she, I warrant you, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Now at your house, is my son's mistress? Eh! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MENE. So they say. | 4 | ···· |
| CHREM. What! and you believ'd it? | 7 | ····˘/· |
| CHREM. --And they say too he wants to marry her; | 11 | ········/˘· |
| That soon as I've consented, you may give him | 11 | ····˘/˘···· |
| Money to furnish her with jewels, clothes, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| And other necessaries. | 7 | ·/˘/˘·˘ |
| MENE. Aye, 'tis so: | 4 | ···· |
| The money's for his mistress. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| CHREM. To be sure. | 4 | ···· |
| MENE. Alas, my transports are all groundless then. | 11 | ·˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| --Yet I would rather bear with any thing, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Than lose my son again.--What answer, Chremes, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Shall I return with, that he mayn't perceive | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| I've found him out, and take offense? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| CHREM. Offense! | 3 | ·˘/ |
| You're too indulgent to him, Menedemus! | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| MENE. Allow me. I've begun, and must go through. | 11 | ·˘/··˘/···· |
| Do but continue to assist me. | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/· |
| CHREM. Say, | 2 | ·· |
| That we have met, and treated of the match. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| CHREM. That I give full consent; | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| That I approve my son-in-law;--In short, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| You may assure him also, if you please, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| That I've betroth'd my daughter to him. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| MENE. Good! | 2 | ·· |
| The thing I wanted. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREM. So shall he the sooner | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Demand the money; you, as you desire, | 11 | ˘/·/˘···˘/˘ |
| The sooner give. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| CHREM. 'Troth, friend, as far as I can judge of this, | 11 | ··········· |
| You'll soon be weary of your son again. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| But as the case now stands, give cautiously, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| A little at a time, if you are wise. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| CHREM. Go in, and see what he demands. | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| If you should want me, I'm at home. | 8 | ········ |
| MENE. 'Tis well. | 3 | ··· |
| For I shall let you know, do what I will. (Exeunt severally. | 15 | ··········/˘˘/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Do but continue to assist me. | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/· |
| CHREM. Say, | 2 | ·· |
| That we have met, and treated of the match. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Do but continue to assist me, Chremes. | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/·· |
| CHREM. Say we have met, and treated of the match. | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| MENE. Good! | 2 | ·· |
| The thing I wanted. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREM. So shall he the sooner | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Demand the money; you, as you desire, | 11 | ˘/·/˘···˘/˘ |
| The sooner give. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| MENE. 'Tis my desire indeed. | 8 | ···˘/˘˘/ |
| CHREM. 'Troth, friend, as far as I can judge of this, | 11 | ··········· |
| You'll soon be weary of your son again. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| But as the case now stands, give cautiously, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| A little at a time, if you are wise. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| MENE. Good! | 2 | ·· |
| The very thing I wanted. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| CHREM. So your son | 4 | ···· |
| The sooner shall demand the money of you; | 11 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘·· |
| And so shall you, according to your wish | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| The sooner give. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| MENE. It is my wish indeed. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| CHREM. 'Fore heaven, friend, as far as I can judge, | 10 | ··/······· |
| You'll soon be weary of your son again. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| But be it as it may, give cautiously, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
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