The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene VIII
BACCH. (to herself). 'Tis not for nothing Laches wants to see me;And, or I'm much deceiv'd, I guess the cause.
LACH. (to himself). I must take care my anger don't transport meBeyond the bounds of prudence, which may hinderMy gaining my design on her, and urge meTo do what I may afterward repent.I'll to her.-- (Going up.) Save you, Bacchis!
BACCH. Save you, Laches!
LACH. Bacchis, I do not doubt but you're surpris'dThat I should send the boy to call you forth.
BACCH. Aye, and I'm fearful too, when I reflectBoth who and what I am: lest my vocationShould prejudice me in your good opinion.My conduct I can fully justify.
LACH. If you speak truth, you're in no danger, woman.For I'm arriv'd at that age when a trespassWould not be easily forgiven in me.Wherefore I study to proceed with caution,And to do nothing rashly. If you act,And will continue to act honestly,It were ungenerous to do you wrong,And seeing you deserve it not, unjust.
BACCH. Truly, this conduct asks my highest thanks;For he who does the wrong, and then asks pardon,Makes but a sorry reparation for it.But what's your pleasure?
LACH. You receive the visitsOf my son Pamphilus----
LACH. Let me speak.Before he married I endur'd your love.--Stay! I've not finish'd all I have to say.----He is now married. You then, while 'tis time,Seek out another and more constant friend.For he will not be fond of you forever,Nor you, good faith, forever in your bloom.
BACCH. Who tells you that I still receive the visitsOf Pamphilus?LACH. His step-mother.
LACH. You.And therefore has withdrawn her daughter: thereforeMeant secretly to kill the new-born child.
BACCH. Did I know any thing, to gain your credit,More sacred than an oath, I'd use it, Laches,In solemn protestation to assure youThat I have had no commerce with your sonSince he was married.
LACH. Good girl! but dy'e knowWhat I would farther have you do?
LACH. Go to the women here, and offer themThe same oath. Satisfy their minds, and clearYourself from all reproach in this.
BACCH. I'll do't;Although I'm sure no other of my callingWould show herself before a married womanUpon the same occasion.--But it hurts meTo see your son suspected on false grounds;And that, to those who owe him better thoughts,His conduct should seem light. For he deservesAll my best offices.
LACH. Your conversation has much wrought upon me,Gain'd my good-will, and alter'd my opinion.For not the women only thought thus of you,But I believ'd it too. Now therefore, sinceI've found you better than my expectation,Prove still the same, and make my friendship sure.If otherwise--But I'll contain myself. I'll notSay any thing severe.--But I advise you,Rather experience what a friend I am,Than what an enemy.
BACCH. I'll do my best.
HarperLACH. If you speak truth, you're in no danger, woman.Colman 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.]
- repent a.
- Prostrate and rooting; -- said of stems. Gray. [L. repens, -entis, creeping, p. pr. of repere to creep.]
- vocation n.
- A call; a summons; a citation; especially, a designation or appointment to a particular state, business, or profession. [L. vocatio a bidding, invitation, fr. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice: cf. F. vocation. See Vocal.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- honestly adv.
- Honorably; becomingly; decently.
- ungenerous a.
- Not generous; illiberal; ignoble; unkind; dishonorable.
- protestation n.
- The act of making a protest; a public avowal; a solemn declaration, especially of dissent. [L. protestatio: cf. F. protestation. See Protest.]
- 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 Fourth: Scene VIII 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 VIII, 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-viii.html, id L25879.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene VIII is 73 lines in 18 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
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 A-A-- meA · hinder · meA · repent · bacchis
- 16 --A----A-- me · opinion · youA · since · expectation · sure · not · youA · am · enemy
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BACCH. (to herself). 'Tis not for nothing Laches wants to see me; | 15 | ··˘/···/˘/˘···· |
| And, or I'm much deceiv'd, I guess the cause. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| LACH. (to himself). I must take care my anger don't transport me | 15 | ··˘/·····/˘·˘/· |
| Beyond the bounds of prudence, which may hinder | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| My gaining my design on her, and urge me | 11 | ·/˘·˘/····· |
| To do what I may afterward repent. | 10 | ·····/˘˘˘/ |
| I'll to her.-- (Going up.) Save you, Bacchis! | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| BACCH. Save you, Laches! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| LACH. Bacchis, I do not doubt but you're surpris'd | 11 | ·/˘······˘/ |
| That I should send the boy to call you forth. | 10 | ·········· |
| BACCH. Aye, and I'm fearful too, when I reflect | 11 | ····/˘···˘/ |
| Both who and what I am: lest my vocation | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Should prejudice me in your good opinion. | 11 | ·/˘˘····˘/˘ |
| My conduct I can fully justify. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| LACH. If you speak truth, you're in no danger, woman. | 12 | ········/˘/˘ |
| For I'm arriv'd at that age when a trespass | 11 | ··˘/·····/· |
| Would not be easily forgiven in me. | 10 | ···/˘˘/˘·· |
| Wherefore I study to proceed with caution, | 11 | /˘·/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| And to do nothing rashly. If you act, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| And will continue to act honestly, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| It were ungenerous to do you wrong, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| And seeing you deserve it not, unjust. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| BACCH. Truly, this conduct asks my highest thanks; | 11 | ·/˘·˘/··/˘· |
| For he who does the wrong, and then asks pardon, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Makes but a sorry reparation for it. | 11 | ···/˘·˘/˘·· |
| But what's your pleasure? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| LACH. You receive the visits | 7 | ··˘/·/˘ |
| Of my son Pamphilus---- | 6 | ······ |
| LACH. Let me speak. | 4 | ···· |
| Before he married I endur'd your love. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| --Stay! I've not finish'd all I have to say.---- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| He is now married. You then, while 'tis time, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Seek out another and more constant friend. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| For he will not be fond of you forever, | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Nor you, good faith, forever in your bloom. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| BACCH. Who tells you that I still receive the visits | 12 | ·······˘/·/˘ |
| Of Pamphilus? | 4 | ···· |
| LACH. His step-mother. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| LACH. You. | 2 | ·· |
| And therefore has withdrawn her daughter: therefore | 11 | ····˘/·/˘·· |
| Meant secretly to kill the new-born child. | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| BACCH. Did I know any thing, to gain your credit, | 12 | ····/˘····/˘ |
| More sacred than an oath, I'd use it, Laches, | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| In solemn protestation to assure you | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/· |
| That I have had no commerce with your son | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Since he was married. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| LACH. Good girl! but dy'e know | 6 | ······ |
| What I would farther have you do? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| LACH. Go to the women here, and offer them | 11 | ····/˘··/˘· |
| The same oath. Satisfy their minds, and clear | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Yourself from all reproach in this. | 8 | ˘/··˘/·· |
| BACCH. I'll do't; | 3 | ··· |
| Although I'm sure no other of my calling | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Would show herself before a married woman | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| Upon the same occasion.--But it hurts me | 11 | ····˘/˘···· |
| To see your son suspected on false grounds; | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| And that, to those who owe him better thoughts, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| His conduct should seem light. For he deserves | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| All my best offices. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| LACH. Your conversation has much wrought upon me, | 12 | ···˘/˘······ |
| Gain'd my good-will, and alter'd my opinion. | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| For not the women only thought thus of you, | 11 | ···/˘/˘···· |
| But I believ'd it too. Now therefore, since | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| I've found you better than my expectation, | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| Prove still the same, and make my friendship sure. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| If otherwise--But I'll contain myself. I'll not | 12 | ·/˘···˘/·/·· |
| Say any thing severe.--But I advise you, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/··˘/· |
| Rather experience what a friend I am, | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| Than what an enemy. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| BACCH. I'll do my best. | 5 | ····· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| LACH. If you speak truth, you're in no danger, woman. | 12 | ········/˘/˘ |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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