The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene III
What joy have I procur'd to PamphilusBy coming here to-day! what blessings brought him!And from how many sorrows rescued him!His son, by his and their means nearly lost,I've sav'd; a wife he meant to put away,I have restor'd; and from the strong suspicionsOf Laches and Phidippus set him free.--Of all these things the ring has been the cause.For I remember, near ten months ago,That he came running home to me one evening,Breathless, alone, and much inflam'd with wine,Bringing this ring. I was alarm'd at it."Prithee, my dearest Pamphilus, said I,Whence comes all this confusion? whence this ring?Tell me, my love."--He put me off at first:Perceiving this, it made me apprehendSomething of serious import, and I urg'd himMore earnestly to tell me.--He confess'dThat, as he came along, he had committedA rape upon a virgin--whom he knew not----And as she struggled, forc'd from her that ring:Which Myrrhina now seeing on my finger,Immediately acknowledg'd, and inquir'dHow I came by it. I told all this story:Whence 'twas discover'd that PhilumenaWas she who had been ravish'd, and the childConceiv'd from that encounter.--That I've beenThe instrument of all these joys I'm glad,Though other courtesans would not be so;Nor is it for our profit and advantageThat lovers should be happy in their marriage.But never will I, for my calling's sake,Suffer ingratitude to taint my mind.I found him, while occasion gave him leave,Kind, pleasant, and good-humor'd: and this marriageHappen'd unluckily, I must confess.Yet I did nothing to estrange his love;And since I have receiv'd much kindness from him,'Tis fit I should endure this one affliction.
HarperI've sav'd; a wife he meant to put awayColman 1768
Words in this poem
- laches n.
- Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; delay to assert a claim. [OF. lachesse, fr. lache lax, indolent, F. lâche, ultimately fr. L. laxus loose, lax. See Lax.]
- breathless a.
- Spent with labor or violent action; out of breath.
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- ingratitude n.
- Want of gratitude; insensibility to, forgetfulness of, or ill return for, kindness or favors received; unthankfulness; ungratefulness. [F. ingratitude, L. ingratitudo. See Ingrate.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: 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 Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene III, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-step-mother-act-the-fifth-scene-iii.html, id L25883.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene III is 42 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
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------------------------- pamphilus · him · him · lost · away · suspicions · free · cause · ago · eveningA · wine · it · i · ringA · first · apprehend · him · confess'd · committed · not · ring · finger · inquir'd · story · philumena · child · been · glad · so · advantage · marriage · sake · mind · leave · marriage · confess · love · him · affliction
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 |
|---|---|---|
| What joy have I procur'd to Pamphilus | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| By coming here to-day! what blessings brought him! | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| And from how many sorrows rescued him! | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| His son, by his and their means nearly lost, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I've sav'd; a wife he meant to put away, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| I have restor'd; and from the strong suspicions | 11 | ··˘/····˘/˘ |
| Of Laches and Phidippus set him free. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| --Of all these things the ring has been the cause. | 10 | ·········· |
| For I remember, near ten months ago, | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| That he came running home to me one evening, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Breathless, alone, and much inflam'd with wine, | 10 | /˘˘/··˘/·· |
| Bringing this ring. I was alarm'd at it. | 10 | /˘····˘/·· |
| "Prithee, my dearest Pamphilus, said I, | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Whence comes all this confusion? whence this ring? | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Tell me, my love."--He put me off at first: | 10 | ·········· |
| Perceiving this, it made me apprehend | 10 | ˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Something of serious import, and I urg'd him | 11 | /˘·/˘˘/···· |
| More earnestly to tell me.--He confess'd | 10 | ·/˘˘····˘/ |
| That, as he came along, he had committed | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| A rape upon a virgin--whom he knew not---- | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| And as she struggled, forc'd from her that ring: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Which Myrrhina now seeing on my finger, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Immediately acknowledg'd, and inquir'd | 10 | ˘/˘˘˘/˘·˘/ |
| How I came by it. I told all this story: | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Whence 'twas discover'd that Philumena | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Was she who had been ravish'd, and the child | 10 | ·········· |
| Conceiv'd from that encounter.--That I've been | 10 | ˘/··˘/˘··· |
| The instrument of all these joys I'm glad, | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Though other courtesans would not be so; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Nor is it for our profit and advantage | 11 | ····//˘·˘/˘ |
| That lovers should be happy in their marriage. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| But never will I, for my calling's sake, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Suffer ingratitude to taint my mind. | 10 | /˘˘/˘˘···· |
| I found him, while occasion gave him leave, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Kind, pleasant, and good-humor'd: and this marriage | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Happen'd unluckily, I must confess. | 10 | /˘˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| Yet I did nothing to estrange his love; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| And since I have receiv'd much kindness from him, | 11 | ····˘/·/˘·· |
| 'Tis fit I should endure this one affliction. | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| I've sav'd; a wife he meant to put away | 10 | ········˘/ |
| 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.