The Self-Tormentor: Act the Third: Scene VI
D'ye mind?What think you, Chremes, will become of him,Unless you do your utmost to preserve,Correct, and counsel him?
CHREM. I'll take due care.
CHREM. It shall be done.
SYRUS. It must be, if you're wise:For ev'ry day he minds me less and less.
CHREM. But, Syrus, say, what progress have you madeIn that affair I just now mention'd to you?Have you struck out a scheme that pleases you?Or are you still to seek?
SYRUS. The plot, you mean,On Menedemus. I've just hit on one.CHREM. Good fellow! prithee now, what is't?
SYRUS. I'll tell you.But as one thing brings in another----
SYRUS. This Bacchis is a sad jade.
CHREM. So it seems.
SYRUS. Aye, Sir, if you knew all; nay, even nowShe's hatching mischief.--Dwelling hereabouts,There was of late an old Corinthian woman,To whom this Bacchis lent a thousand pieces.
SYRUS. The woman's dead; and left behindA daughter, very young, whom she bequeath'd,By way of pledge, to Bacchis for the money.CHREM. I understand.
SYRUS. This girl came here with Bacchis,And now is with your wife.
SYRUS. She begsOf Clinia to advance the cash; for whichShe'll give the girl as an equivalent.She wants the thousand pieces.
CHREM. Does she so?
SYRUS. No doubt on't.
CHREM. So I thought.--And what do youIntend to do?
SYRUS. Who? I, Sir? I'll awayTo Menedemus presently; and tell himThis maiden is a rich and noble captive,Stolen from Caria; and to ransom herWill greatly profit him.CHREM. 'Twill never do.
CHREM. I answer now for Menedemus.I will not purchase her. What say you now?SYRUS. Give a more favorable answer!
CHREM. No,There's no occasion.
SYRUS. No occasion?
SYRUS. I can not comprehend you.
CHREM. I'll explain.--But hold! what now? whence comes it that our doorOpens so hastily?
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- hereabouts adv.
- About this place; in this vicinity.
- intend v. t.
- To stretch' to extend; to distend. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, s]
- presently adv.
- At present; at this time; now.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Self-Tormentor: 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 Self-Tormentor: 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-self-tormentor-act-the-third-scene-vi.html, id L25799.
Form and metre
The Self-Tormentor: Act the Third: Scene VI is 53 lines in 22 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
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 -A-A mind · himA · preserve · himA
- 5 -AA- made · youA · youA · seek
- 16 AA youA · doA
- 17 -A--A- away · himA · captive · her · himA · do
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 |
|---|---|---|
| D'ye mind? | 2 | ·· |
| What think you, Chremes, will become of him, | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| Unless you do your utmost to preserve, | 10 | ·····/··˘/ |
| Correct, and counsel him? | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| CHREM. I'll take due care. | 5 | ····· |
| CHREM. It shall be done. | 5 | ····· |
| SYRUS. It must be, if you're wise: | 8 | ········ |
| For ev'ry day he minds me less and less. | 10 | ·········· |
| CHREM. But, Syrus, say, what progress have you made | 11 | ······/···· |
| In that affair I just now mention'd to you? | 11 | ··˘/···/˘·· |
| Have you struck out a scheme that pleases you? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Or are you still to seek? | 6 | ······ |
| SYRUS. The plot, you mean, | 6 | ······ |
| On Menedemus. I've just hit on one. | 10 | ·········· |
| CHREM. Good fellow! prithee now, what is't? | 9 | ··/˘/˘··· |
| SYRUS. I'll tell you. | 5 | ····· |
| But as one thing brings in another---- | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. This Bacchis is a sad jade. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| CHREM. So it seems. | 4 | ···· |
| SYRUS. Aye, Sir, if you knew all; nay, even now | 11 | ·········/· |
| She's hatching mischief.--Dwelling hereabouts, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| There was of late an old Corinthian woman, | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| To whom this Bacchis lent a thousand pieces. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. The woman's dead; and left behind | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| A daughter, very young, whom she bequeath'd, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| By way of pledge, to Bacchis for the money. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| CHREM. I understand. | 5 | ···˘/ |
| SYRUS. This girl came here with Bacchis, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And now is with your wife. | 6 | ······ |
| SYRUS. She begs | 4 | ···· |
| Of Clinia to advance the cash; for which | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| She'll give the girl as an equivalent. | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| She wants the thousand pieces. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| CHREM. Does she so? | 4 | ···· |
| SYRUS. No doubt on't. | 5 | ····· |
| CHREM. So I thought.--And what do you | 8 | ········ |
| Intend to do? | 4 | ˘/·· |
| SYRUS. Who? I, Sir? I'll away | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To Menedemus presently; and tell him | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| This maiden is a rich and noble captive, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Stolen from Caria; and to ransom her | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Will greatly profit him. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| CHREM. 'Twill never do. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| CHREM. I answer now for Menedemus. | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| I will not purchase her. What say you now? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| SYRUS. Give a more favorable answer! | 11 | ·····/˘˘˘/˘ |
| CHREM. No, | 2 | ·· |
| There's no occasion. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. No occasion? | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| SYRUS. I can not comprehend you. | 9 | ······˘/· |
| CHREM. I'll explain. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| --But hold! what now? whence comes it that our door | 10 | ········/· |
| Opens so hastily? | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
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