The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene II
PHID. Soon as my wife perceiv'dThat I was going to my daughter's chamber,She stole directly out o'doors.--But thereShe stands.--Why, how now, Myrrhina?Holo, I say! (She affects not to see him.)MYRR. D'ye call me, husband?
PHID. Husband!Am I your husband? am I ev'n a man?For had you thought me to be either, woman,You would not dare to play upon me thus.
MYRR. Is that a questionFor you, who are her father, to demand?Alas! by whom d'ye think, unless her husband?
PHID. So I believe: nor is it for a fatherTo suppose otherwise. But yet I wonderThat you have thus conceal'd her labor from us,Especially as she has been deliver'dAt her full time, and all is as it should be.What! Is there such perverseness in your nature,As rather to desire the infant's death,Than that his birth should knit the bond of friendshipCloser betwixt us; rather than my daughter,Against your liking, should remain the wifeOf Pamphilus?--I thought all thisHad been their fault, while you're alone to blame.
MYRR. How wretched am I!
PHID. Would to Heav'n you were!--But now I recollect your conversationWhen first we made this match, you then declar'dYou'd not endure she should remain the wifeOf Pamphilus, who follow'd mistresses,And pass'd the nights abroad.
MYRR. I had much ratherHe should think any reason than the true one. (Aside.)
PHID. I knew he kept a mistress; knew it longEre you did, Myrrhina; but I could neverThink that offense so grievous in a youth,Seeing 'tis natural to them all: and soonThe time shall come when he'll stand self-reprov'd.But you, perverse and willful as at first,Could take no rest till you had brought awayYour daughter, and annull'd the match I made:There's not a circumstance but loudly speaksYour evil disposition to the marriage.
MYRR. D'ye think me then so obstinate, that I,Who am her mother, should betray this spirit,Granting the match were of advantage to us?
PHID. Is it for you then to foresee, or judgeWhat's of advantage to us? You perhapsHave heard from some officious busy-body,That they have seen him going to his mistress,Or coming from her house: and what of that,So it were done discreetly, and but seldom?Were it not better that we should dissembleOur knowledge of it, than pry into thingsWhich to appear to know would make him hate us?For could he tear her from his heart at once,To whom he'd been so many years attach'd,I should not think he were a man, or likelyTo prove a constant husband to my daughter.
MYRR. No more of Pamphilus or my offense;Since you will have it so!--Go, find him out;Confer with him alone, and fairly ask him,Will he, or no, take back Philumena?If he avows his inclination to't,Restore her; but if he refuses it,Allow, I've ta'en good counsel for my child.
PHID. Grant, he should prove repugnant to the match,Grant, you perceiv'd this in him, Myrrhina;Was not I present! had not I a rightTo be consulted in't?--It makes me mad.That you should dare to act without my order:And I forbid you to remove the childOut of this house.--But what a fool am I,Enjoining her obedience to my orders!I'll in, and charge the servants not to sufferThe infant to be carried forth. (Exit.
Words in this poem
- stole n.
- A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
- closer n.
- One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.
- betwixt prep.
- In the space which separates; between. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
- recollect v. t.
- To recover or recall the knowledge of; to bring back to the mind or memory; to remember. [Pref. re- + collect: cf. L. recolligere, recollectum, to collect. Cf. Recollet.]
- 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,]
- foresee v. i.
- To have or exercise foresight.
- dissemble v. t.
- To hide under a false semblance or seeming; to feign (something) not to be what it really is; to put an untrue appearance upon; to disguise; to mask. [OF. dissembler to be dissimilar; pref. dis- (L. dis-) + F. sembler to seem, L. simulare to simulate; cf. L. dissimulare to dissemble. See Simulate, and cf. Diss]
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene II 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 Fourth: Scene II, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-step-mother-act-the-fourth-scene-ii.html, id L25873.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene II is 77 lines in 12 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.
- 2 -AA- husband · manA · womanA · thus
- 3 -AA question · demandA · husbandA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PHID. Soon as my wife perceiv'd | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| That I was going to my daughter's chamber, | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| She stole directly out o'doors.--But there | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| She stands.--Why, how now, Myrrhina? | 8 | ········ |
| Holo, I say! (She affects not to see him.) | 11 | /˘···˘/···· |
| MYRR. D'ye call me, husband? | 6 | ····/˘ |
| PHID. Husband! | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Am I your husband? am I ev'n a man? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For had you thought me to be either, woman, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| You would not dare to play upon me thus. | 10 | ·········· |
| MYRR. Is that a question | 6 | ····/˘ |
| For you, who are her father, to demand? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Alas! by whom d'ye think, unless her husband? | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| PHID. So I believe: nor is it for a father | 12 | ···˘/·····/˘ |
| To suppose otherwise. But yet I wonder | 11 | ·˘//˘····/˘ |
| That you have thus conceal'd her labor from us, | 11 | ····˘/·/˘·· |
| Especially as she has been deliver'd | 10 | ˘/˘····˘/˘ |
| At her full time, and all is as it should be. | 11 | ··········· |
| What! Is there such perverseness in your nature, | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| As rather to desire the infant's death, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Than that his birth should knit the bond of friendship | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Closer betwixt us; rather than my daughter, | 11 | /˘˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| Against your liking, should remain the wife | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Of Pamphilus?--I thought all this | 8 | ········ |
| Had been their fault, while you're alone to blame. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| MYRR. How wretched am I! | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| PHID. Would to Heav'n you were! | 6 | ······ |
| --But now I recollect your conversation | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| When first we made this match, you then declar'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| You'd not endure she should remain the wife | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| Of Pamphilus, who follow'd mistresses, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| And pass'd the nights abroad. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| MYRR. I had much rather | 6 | ····/˘ |
| He should think any reason than the true one. (Aside.) | 13 | ···/˘/˘····˘/ |
| PHID. I knew he kept a mistress; knew it long | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| Ere you did, Myrrhina; but I could never | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Think that offense so grievous in a youth, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Seeing 'tis natural to them all: and soon | 10 | /·/˘˘····· |
| The time shall come when he'll stand self-reprov'd. | 10 | ·········· |
| But you, perverse and willful as at first, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Could take no rest till you had brought away | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Your daughter, and annull'd the match I made: | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| There's not a circumstance but loudly speaks | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Your evil disposition to the marriage. | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘··/˘ |
| MYRR. D'ye think me then so obstinate, that I, | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Who am her mother, should betray this spirit, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Granting the match were of advantage to us? | 11 | /˘····˘/˘·· |
| PHID. Is it for you then to foresee, or judge | 11 | ·······˘/·· |
| What's of advantage to us? You perhaps | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| Have heard from some officious busy-body, | 11 | ····˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| That they have seen him going to his mistress, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Or coming from her house: and what of that, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| So it were done discreetly, and but seldom? | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| Were it not better that we should dissemble | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| Our knowledge of it, than pry into things | 10 | //˘······· |
| Which to appear to know would make him hate us? | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| For could he tear her from his heart at once, | 10 | ·········· |
| To whom he'd been so many years attach'd, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| I should not think he were a man, or likely | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| To prove a constant husband to my daughter. | 11 | ···/˘/˘··/˘ |
| MYRR. No more of Pamphilus or my offense; | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| Since you will have it so!--Go, find him out; | 10 | ·········· |
| Confer with him alone, and fairly ask him, | 11 | ˘/··˘/·/˘·· |
| Will he, or no, take back Philumena? | 10 | ·········· |
| If he avows his inclination to't, | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| Restore her; but if he refuses it, | 10 | ˘/····˘/˘· |
| Allow, I've ta'en good counsel for my child. | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| PHID. Grant, he should prove repugnant to the match, | 11 | ·····˘/˘··· |
| Grant, you perceiv'd this in him, Myrrhina; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Was not I present! had not I a right | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To be consulted in't?--It makes me mad. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| That you should dare to act without my order: | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And I forbid you to remove the child | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| Out of this house.--But what a fool am I, | 10 | ·········· |
| Enjoining her obedience to my orders! | 11 | ˘/˘·˘/˘··/˘ |
| I'll in, and charge the servants not to suffer | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| The infant to be carried forth. (Exit. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·/˘ |
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