The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene IV
PAM. Be sure you prove this to me, Parmeno;Prithee, be sure on't. Do not bubble meWith false and short-liv'd joy.PAR. 'Tis even so.
PAR. Aye, for certain.
PAM. I'm in heaven,If this be so.
PAR. You'll find it very true.
PAM. Hold, I beseech you.--I'm afraid I thinkOne thing, while you relate another.
PAM. You said, I think, "that Myrrhina discover'dThe ring on Bacchis' finger was her own."
PAM. "The same I gave her formerly.--And Bacchis bade you run and tell me this."Is it not so?PAR. I tell you, Sir, it is.
PAM. Who is more fortunate, more bless'd than I?--What shall I give you for this news? what? what?I don't know.
PAR. But I know.
PAR. Just nothing.For I see nothing of advantage to you,Or in the message, or myself.
PAM. Shall IPermit you to go unrewarded; you,Who have restor'd me ev'n from death to life?Ah, Parmeno, d'ye think me so ungrateful?--But yonder's Bacchis standing at the door.She waits for me, I fancy. I'll go to her.
BACCH. (seeing him). Pamphilus, save you.
PAM. Bacchis! my dear Bacchis!My guardian! my protectress!
BACCH. All is well:And I'm o'erjoy'd at it.
PAM. Your actions speak it.You're still the charming girl I ever found you.Your presence, company, and conversation,Come where you will, bring joy and pleasure with them.
BACCH. And you, in faith, are still the same as ever,The sweetest, most engaging man on earth.PAM. Ha! ha! ha! that speech from you, dear Bacchis?
BACCH. You lov'd your wife with reason, Pamphilus:Never that I remember, did I see herBefore to-day; and she's a charming woman.BACCH. So Heaven help me, Pamphilus!
PAM. Say, have you told my father any partOf this tale?
BACCH. Not a word.
PAM. Nor is there need.Let all be hush! I would not have it here,As in a comedy, where every thingIs known to every body. Here those personsWhom it concerns already know it; they,Who 'twere not meet should know it, never shall.
BACCH. I promise you it may with ease be hid.Myrrhina told Phidippus that my oathConvinc'd her, and she held you clear.
PAM. Good! good!All will be well, and all, I hope, end well.
PAR. May I know, Sir, what good I've done to-day?And what's the meaning of your conversation?
PAR. I suspect, however.--"I restore himFrom death to life"--which way?----
PAM. Oh, Parmeno,You can't conceive the good you've done to-day;From what distress you have deliver'd me.
PAR. Ah, but I know, and did it with design.
PAM. Oh, I'm convinced of that. (Ironically.)
PAR. Did ParmenoEver let slip an opportunityOf doing what he ought, Sir?
PAM. Parmeno,In after me!
PAR. I follow.--By my troth,I've done more good to-day, without design,Than ever with design in all my life.----Clap your hands!
Words in this poem
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- 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,]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- protectress n.
- A woman who protects. [NL. protectrix.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- troth n.
- Belief; faith; fidelity. [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene IV 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 IV, 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-iv.html, id L25884.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Fifth: Scene IV is 77 lines in 30 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.
- 17 A--A pamphilusA · her · woman · pamphilusA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PAM. Be sure you prove this to me, Parmeno; | 11 | ··········· |
| Prithee, be sure on't. Do not bubble me | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| With false and short-liv'd joy. | 6 | ······ |
| PAR. 'Tis even so. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| PAR. Aye, for certain. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| PAM. I'm in heaven, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| If this be so. | 4 | ···· |
| PAR. You'll find it very true. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| PAM. Hold, I beseech you.--I'm afraid I think | 11 | ···˘/··˘/·· |
| One thing, while you relate another. | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| PAM. You said, I think, "that Myrrhina discover'd | 12 | ·········˘/˘ |
| The ring on Bacchis' finger was her own." | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| PAM. "The same I gave her formerly. | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| --And Bacchis bade you run and tell me this." | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Is it not so? | 4 | ···· |
| PAR. I tell you, Sir, it is. | 7 | ······· |
| PAM. Who is more fortunate, more bless'd than I? | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| --What shall I give you for this news? what? what? | 10 | ·········· |
| I don't know. | 3 | ··· |
| PAR. But I know. | 4 | ···· |
| PAR. Just nothing. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| For I see nothing of advantage to you, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/˘·· |
| Or in the message, or myself. | 8 | ···/˘··/ |
| PAM. Shall I | 3 | ··· |
| Permit you to go unrewarded; you, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Who have restor'd me ev'n from death to life? | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Ah, Parmeno, d'ye think me so ungrateful? | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| --But yonder's Bacchis standing at the door. | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| She waits for me, I fancy. I'll go to her. | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| BACCH. (seeing him). Pamphilus, save you. | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| PAM. Bacchis! my dear Bacchis! | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| My guardian! my protectress! | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| BACCH. All is well: | 4 | ···· |
| And I'm o'erjoy'd at it. | 6 | ······ |
| PAM. Your actions speak it. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| You're still the charming girl I ever found you. | 10 | ···/˘··/·· |
| Your presence, company, and conversation, | 11 | ·/˘/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| Come where you will, bring joy and pleasure with them. | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| BACCH. And you, in faith, are still the same as ever, | 11 | ··········/ |
| The sweetest, most engaging man on earth. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| PAM. Ha! ha! ha! that speech from you, dear Bacchis? | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| BACCH. You lov'd your wife with reason, Pamphilus: | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| Never that I remember, did I see her | 10 | /··˘/˘···· |
| Before to-day; and she's a charming woman. | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| BACCH. So Heaven help me, Pamphilus! | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| PAM. Say, have you told my father any part | 11 | ······/˘/˘· |
| Of this tale? | 3 | ··· |
| BACCH. Not a word. | 4 | ···· |
| PAM. Nor is there need. | 5 | ····· |
| Let all be hush! I would not have it here, | 10 | ·········· |
| As in a comedy, where every thing | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘· |
| Is known to every body. Here those persons | 11 | ···/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Whom it concerns already know it; they, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Who 'twere not meet should know it, never shall. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| BACCH. I promise you it may with ease be hid. | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| Myrrhina told Phidippus that my oath | 10 | ·········· |
| Convinc'd her, and she held you clear. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| PAM. Good! good! | 3 | ··· |
| All will be well, and all, I hope, end well. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAR. May I know, Sir, what good I've done to-day? | 11 | ··········· |
| And what's the meaning of your conversation? | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| PAR. I suspect, however.--"I restore him | 11 | ··˘/·/˘·˘/· |
| From death to life"--which way?---- | 6 | ······ |
| PAM. Oh, Parmeno, | 5 | ····· |
| You can't conceive the good you've done to-day; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| From what distress you have deliver'd me. | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| PAR. Ah, but I know, and did it with design. | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| PAM. Oh, I'm convinced of that. (Ironically.) | 11 | ···˘/··˘/˘˘ |
| PAR. Did Parmeno | 5 | ····· |
| Ever let slip an opportunity | 10 | /˘····˘/˘˘ |
| Of doing what he ought, Sir? | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| PAM. Parmeno, | 4 | ···· |
| In after me! | 4 | ···· |
| PAR. I follow.--By my troth, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| I've done more good to-day, without design, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Than ever with design in all my life.---- | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Clap your hands! | 3 | ··· |
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