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diff --git a/old/63577-0.txt b/old/63577-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 29b0d66..0000000 --- a/old/63577-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12707 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Love Potions through the Ages, by Harry E. Wedeck - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Love Potions through the Ages - A Study of Amatory Devices and Mores - -Author: Harry E. Wedeck - -Release Date: October 30, 2020 [EBook #63577] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOVE POTIONS THROUGH THE AGES *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, Tim Lindell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - - - - - LOVE POTIONS THROUGH THE AGES - _A Study of Amatory Devices and Mores_ - - - HARRY E. WEDECK - - _Lecturer in Classics, Brooklyn College of the City University, N. Y._ - _Fellow, International Institute of Arts and Letters_ - - - THE CITADEL PRESS - NEW YORK - - - - - FIRST PAPERBOUND EDITION - - Published by The Citadel Press - 222 Park Avenue South, New York 3, N. Y. - - - © Copyright, 1963 - - by Philosophical Library, Inc. - - Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 62–18549 - - All rights reserved. - - _Printed in the United States of America_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - INTRODUCTION ix - - I ANTIQUITY 1 - - Erotic cults. Rites, Periapts. Phallic symbols. Ceremonials. - Concepts. Greece. Asia Minor. Egypt. Literary and historical - testimony. Erotic manifestations in various ethnic areas. - Search for amatory stimulants. Condemnation of pagan mores. - Biblical instances. Sacredness of genitalia. Herodotus on - Egyptian cults. Bacchic cult in European countries. - Pervasiveness of phallus. Phallic emblems. Biblical - references. Incantations. Spells. Philtres. Egyptian love - song. Near East. Hittite ritual. Babylon. Canaanites. Greece - and Rome. Biblical ethics. Hellenistic Age. Baths. Phallic - food. Drillipotae. Yellow. Figurae Veneris. Erotic poems. - Phallic divinities. Philodemus of Gadara. Dress. Athens. - Panders. Biblical—phallic. Power of woman. Woman as an evil. - Aphrodite. Love as an end. Initiation. Rites of Venus. Essence - of love. Mysticism. Priapic. Asia Minor. Variant names. - Generation. Talisman. Floral. - - II GREEK 67 - - Plato. Dioscorides. Nonnus. Theodora. Antonina. Belisarius. - Demosthenes. Concept of love. - - III ROMANS 82 - - Testimony of the poets. Obscene deities. Amatory philtres. - Amatory foods. Bacchic worship. Ovid on erotic practices. Ovid - on philtres. Roman generative deities. Rites of Bona Dea. - Generative tutelary deities. Phallic breads. Magic love - spells. Assignations. Fescennini versus. Lamps. Larentalia. - Heliogabalus. Nonaria. Nose and lips. Ovid. Imperial Rome. - - IV ORIENT 119 - - Hindu and Arab treatments and practices. Philtres. Other - provocative preparations. Islam. Sterility. Potions. Perfume. - Arab erotologist. Amatory principles. - - V INDIA 135 - - Erotic manuals. Amatory practices. Philtres. Other means of - stimulation. Temple prostitution. Search for husband. - - VI VARIETIES AND OCCASIONS OF POTIONS 155 - - Examples from Greek and Roman antiquity. Asia. Love cult. - - VII POTENCY OF PHILTRES 167 - - Literary testimony. Woman in the ascendant. Water. - Inducements. - - VIII INGREDIENTS OF POTIONS. RECIPES. ANECDOTES 174 - - Preparation of philtres. Illustrative legendary, historical, - and literary anecdotes, allusions, and citations confirming - potency of philtres. Divertive philtres. Medieval philtres. - Macrobius. Herbs and plants. The Mill. Amatory procedures. - French stimulant. Papyri. Lucian. River. Black Art potion. - Inducements. Oriental. Flowers, etc. Variety of ingredients. - - IX MIDDLE AGES AND LATER 231 - - Philtres. Dispensers of preparations. Occultists and - alchemists associated with preparations. Literary and - historical references. Manuals and other erotic texts. Priapus - as a saint. Phallic Society. Erotic mores in Europe. Clauder - on philtres. Northern deities. Belts of chastity. The - Congress: and other medieval practices. Divertive invocation. - Privileges. Orgies. Boccaccio. Turkey. Loïstes. Shakespeare. - Villon. Sects. Figurines. Demoniac unions. Astrological. - - X MODERN TIMES 316 - - Contemporary eroticism. Amatory customs. Potions. - Publications. Experimentation in erotic stimuli. Literary - mention. Popular press. Love spells and potions. Bayadère. - Advertisements. Restaurants. Erotica. Books. Hippomanes. - - SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY 335 - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - -The amatory motif is pervasive, timeless, and universal. In some of its -phases and manifestations it has presented age-old provocations and, not -infrequently, problems that are still unresolved. - -Among such problems are involved the faculty of physiological potency, -the urge to attract amorously, and, conversely, the problem of -preventing such attraction in a designated instance, or of diverting it -to another objective. - -That, in brief, is the essence of the material means of effecting such a -realization. In its various mutations, its protean diversities, it is -the love-potion, the philtre, the mystic concoction that, once quaffed, -will instil love and passion and desire and lust, that will replenish -erotic inadequacies, that will awaken the ancient _fons vitae_, the -symbol of animate being, the source, as the antique Hellenes sensed and -exemplified, of all cosmic creation, of the totality of living -generation. - -The potion, then, is at least a hypothetically efficacious instrument -for securing and preserving the amorous interests of the desired object. -It also serves as an apotropaic device for diverting misplaced love, as -the agent sees it, and redirecting it to the proper and preferred -channel. - -The actual means for the fulfilment of these erotic purposes vary with -the ages, with ethnic groups and demographic alignments, with legendary -and folk traditions and mores, with the disparate levels of culture of a -specific region. They present variations and adaptations in -correspondence with climatic and epichorial conditions. But they retain -the essentially common characteristic, the unchanging property, of -attempting to shape and mould the amatory esurgences, in whatever -degree, and whether transitory or of more enduring permanence, by -impersonal, palpable, mechanistic and visual means. - -It should be observed, as a _terminus a quo_, that the term philtre -itself stems from the Greek _philtron_, a love-potion (from _philein_, -to love, and _tron_, an instrumental suffix). It means, then, a -love-charm. - -The term potion is derived immediately from the Latin _potio_, a -draught, whether of medicine or even of poison. The ultimate source is -the Greek _potos_, a drink. In a general sense, therefore, a love -philtre or potion is a concoction, usually liquid in form, but not -necessarily so, intended to produce or promote amatory sensibilities. In -a wide and comprehensive denotation, the philtre will include any object -or charm or periapt that serves the same erotic purpose. - -This present survey touches on the use of the potion in the course of -the centuries, in varying circumstances and disparate countries: on the -fantastic factors that composed the final preparations; and on -anecdotes, both apocryphal and authenticated, and episodes and -occasional allusions that point up the treatment, its hazards, and even -its humors. - -With regard to the potions and similar concoctions and preparations of -an amatory nature, a caveat must here be entered. All such philtres are -considered in this book from an exclusively traditional, historical, and -academic viewpoint. They are not recommended in any instance for -personal use, as they may involve unpredictable or even catastrophic -effects: in no sense, therefore, should such prescriptions be utilized -for empirical experimentation. - - H.E.W. - - - - - _LOVE POTIONS THROUGH THE AGES_ - - - - - CHAPTER I - ANTIQUITY - - -In ancient Greece, the climatic conditions, the long unending summer -days, the broad spaciousness of the sea, wine-dark and loud-sounding, as -Homer describes it, the secluded pools and fountains and glades, the -remote valleys, the snowy mountain summits were all alive, to the -Hellenic perceptive and imaginative mind, with graceful nymphs and -shaggy satyrs, with a multitude of anthropomorphic divinities, and with -the alluring pipes of Pan. - -Under such conditions it was not difficult to conceive human life as -dominated by the cosmic creative force, and to do homage and obeisance -to the great god Dionysus, divinity of the fruitful wine, protector of -all procreative and generative functions. - -The generative and sexual activities of the Greeks were, in general, so -freed from contrived restrictions, so much in harmony with their -instinctive and developed sensitivity to beauty of form, of movement, of -rhythm, that artificial aids and inducements to amatory performance were -far less necessary than they are in a highly complex and competitive and -in a sense exhausted contemporary social frame. - -Hence we do not constantly hear of the _ad hoc_ use of philtres, -potions, and analogous means of stimulation. Yet their existence is -established, and in particular cases they were brought into effective -use. Xenocrates, a Greek physician of the first century A.D., as Pliny -the Elder records, advised drinking the sap of mallows as a love-potion. -Such a philtre, together with three mallow roots tied into a bunch, -would inflame the erotic passions of women. - -Again, Dioscorides of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, an army physician who -flourished in the first century A.D., produced a _Materia Medica_ that -treated drugs, remedies, ingredients in a rational, systematic manner. -His text became a standard work, used for centuries, in both the East -and the West. He recommends the roots of boy-cabbage, soaked in fresh -goat’s milk. A good draught of this drink would be productive of intense -excitation of the sexual impulse. - -Many spices, plants, herbs that were described, either by the -encyclopedists and historians or incidentally mentioned in dramatic -literature, in occasional poems, anecdotes or in epitomes of legends and -folklore, were of such obscurity and rarity that it is no longer -possible to ascertain the corresponding modern equivalent. There was, as -an instance, satyrion. It is frequently mentioned, both in Greek and -Roman contexts. Actually unidentifiable botanically, it may have been -analogous to the orchis. In Greek and also Roman antiquity it was -reputed to constitute a potent aphrodisiac, and is mentioned in an -accepted and traditional sense by writers such as Petronius, who -casually alludes to it in the course of his _Satyricon_ as a common -erotic aid. - -The name satyrion is evidently associated with the Greek satyr, a wood -spirit, partly goat-like, and partly human. Attendants to the rustic god -Pan, the satyrs were known as bestial and lustful creatures, symbolic of -the basic sexual passion of man. - -Botanically, satyrion is a plant with smooth leaves, red-tinted, and -equipped with a two-fold root. The lower part of this root was credited -anciently with promoting male conception, while the other part was -conducive to female conception. In its modern counterpart, satyrion has -been associated with the Iris florantina. - -There is another variety of satyrion, called Serapias. This has -pear-shaped leaves and a tall elongated stem. Its root consists of two -tubers that have the appearance of testes. Unquestionably, the -association of the plant as an aphrodisiac derives from the orchidaceous -configuration of the root. - -Remarkable properties were attributed to the root of satyrion. When it -was dissolved in goat’s milk, the erotic effect was so vigorous and -urgent that, as the Greek philosopher Theophrastus asserts in his -_Enquiry into Plants_, the potion produced, on a particular occasion, -some seventy consecutive coital performances. - -Still another species of satyrion was erithraicon. This plant had a -peculiar virtue. The mere holding of it, or carrying it, in the hand, -occasioned a lustful desire. This fact is attested by Pliny, in his -_Natural History_, in Book 26, 96 and 98, as well as by Dioscorides in -his _Materia Medica_ 3. 134. When the libido became too intense, lettuce -was eaten to mitigate the effect, to allay the erotic provocation. - -Greek mythology abounds in references to satyrion as an efficacious -stimulant. The prowess of Hercules, the lusty warrior, as the Roman -Petronius, Arbiter Elegantiarum, calls him, is attested in an amatory -sense by the story of his visit to a certain Thespius. Entertained -lavishly as a guest, Hercules, fortified by satyrion, repaid the host’s -entertainment by having intercourse with all fifty daughters of -Thespius. - -In Roman times the effectiveness of the root in arousing erotic -excitation was common knowledge. Petronius, the voluptuary attached to -the court of the Emperor Nero and the author of the remarkable -picaresque novel entitled the _Satyricon_, alludes to the matter. One of -his characters, describing the frenzied activities in a brothel, -remarks: - -We saw many persons of both sexes, at work in the cells, so much every -one of them seemed to have taken satyrion. - -In a more general direction, important testimonies to manipulative and -mechanistic means of arousing vigor are the references in Petronius, -particularly the episode involving Quartilla: - - Quartilla came up to me to cure me of the ague, but finding her - self disappointed, flew off in a rage, and returning in a little - while, told us, there were certain persons unknown, had a design - upon us, and therefore commanded to remove us into a noble - palace. - - Here all our courage fail’d us, and nothing but certain death - seem’d to appear before us. - - When I began, “If, madam, you design to be more severe with us, - be yet so kind as to dispatch it quickly; for whate’er our - offence be, it is not so heinous that we ought to be rack’d to - death for it”: Upon which her woman, whose name was Psyche, - spread a coverlet on the floor. Sollicitavit inguina mea mille - iam mortibus frigida. Ascyltos muffled his head in his coat, as - having had a hint given him, how dangerous it was to take notice - of what did not concern him: In the mean time Psyche took off - her garters, and with one of them bound my feet, and with the - other my hands. - - Thus fetter’d as I lay, “This, madam,” said I, “is not the way - to rid you of your ague.” - - “I grant it,” answer’d Psyche, “but I have a Dose at hand will - infallibly do it” and therefore brought me a lusty bowl of - satyricon and so merrily ran over the wonderful effects of it, - that I had well-nigh suck’d it all off; but because Ascyltos had - slighted her courtship, she finding his back toward her, threw - the bottom of it on him. - - Ascyltos perceiving the chat was at an end, “Am not I worthy,” - said he, “to get a sup?” And Psyche fearing my laughter might - discover her, clapped her hands, and told him, “Young man, I - made you an offer of it, but your friend here has drunk it all - out.” - - “Is it so,” quoth Quartilla, smiling very agreeably, “and has - Encolpius gugg’d it all down?” At last also even Gito laught for - company, at what time the young wench flung her arms about his - neck, and meeting no resistance, half smother’d him with kisses. - -A peculiar situation in which erotic provocation or inducement to -passion is conditioned by the concept of social prestige, or, in the -contemporary idiom, status, is exemplified in a later passage in -Petronius’ _Satyricon_: - - Going out full of these thoughts to divert my concern, I - resolv’d on a walk, but I had scarce got into a publick one, - e’re a pretty girl made up to me, and calling me Polyaemus, told - me her lady wou’d be proud of an opportunity to speak with me. - - “You’re mistaken, sweet-heart,” return’d I, in a little heat, - “I’m but a servant, of another country too, and not worthy of so - great a favor.” - - “No, sir,” said she, “I have commands to you; but because you - know what you can do, you’re proud; and if a lady wou’d receive - a favor from you, I see she must buy it: For to what end are all - those allurements, forsooth? the curl’d hair, the complexion - advanc’d by a wash, and the wanton roll of your eyes, the - study’d air of your gate? unless by shewing your parts, to - invite a purchaser? For my part I am neither a witch, nor a - conjurer, yet can guess at a man by his physiognomy. And when I - find a spark walking, I know his contemplation. To be short, - sir, if so be you are one of them that sell their ware, I’ll - procure you a merchant; but if you’re a courteous lender, confer - the benefit. As for your being a servant, and below, as you say, - such a favor, it increases the flames of her that’s dying for - you. ’Tis the wild extravagance of some women to be in love with - filth, nor can be rais’d to an appetite but by the charms, - forsooth of some slave or lacquy; some can be pleased with - nothing but the strutting of a prize-fighter with a hacktface, - and a red ribbon in his shirt: Or an actor betray’d to - prostitute himself on th’ stage, by the vanity of showing his - pretty shapes there; of this sort is my lady; who indeed,” added - she, “prefers the paultry lover of the upper gallery, with his - dirty face, and oaken staff, to all the fine gentlemen of the - boxes, with their patches, gunpowder-spots, and toothpickers.” - - When pleas’d with the humor of her talk, “I beseech you, child,” - said I, “are you the she that’s so in love with my person?” Upon - which the maid fell into a fit of laughing. - - “I wou’d not,” return’d she, “have you so extremely flatter - yourself. I never yet truckl’d to a waiter, nor will Venus allow - I shou’d imbrace a gibbet. You must address your self to ladies - that kiss the ensigns of slavery; be assur’d that I, though a - servant, have too fine a taste to converse with any below a - knight.” I was amaz’d at the relation of such unequal passions, - and thought it miraculous to find a servant, with the scornful - pride of a lady, and a lady with the humility of a servant. - -A still more elaborate scene concerns the techniques of recovering the -faculty of erotic consummation. Encolpius, the narrator of the -_Satyricon_, is attached homosexually to the young Gito. He is in a -state of incapacity. At this juncture he receives a note from Circe, the -mistress of the maid Chrysis, commenting on his inadequacy: - - Chrysis enter’d my chamber, and gave me a billet from her - mistress, in which I found this written: - - “Had I rais’d my expectation, I might deceiv’d complain; now I’m - obliged to your impotence, that has made me sensible how much - too long I have trifl’d with mistaken hopes of pleasure. Tell - me, sir, how you design to bestow your self, and whether you - dare rashly venture home on your own legs? for no physician ever - allow’d it cou’d be done without strength. Let me advise your - tender years to beware of a palsie: I never saw any body in such - danger before. On my conscience you are just going! and shou’d - the same rude chilliness seize your other parts, I might be - soon, alas! put upon the severe trial of weeping at your - funeral. But if you would not suspect me of not being sincere, - tho’ my resentment can’t equal the injury, yet I shall not envy - the cure of a weak unhappy wretch. If you wou’d recover your - strength, ask Gito, or rather not ask him for’t—I can assure a - return of your vigor if you cou’d sleep three nights alone: As - to myself I am not in the least apprehensive of appearing to - another less charming than I have to you. I am told neither my - glass nor report does flatter me. Farewell, if you can.” - -When Chrysis found I had read the reproach, “This is the custom, sir,” -said she, “and chiefly of this city, where the women are skill’d in -magick-charms, enough to make the moon confess their power, therefore -the recovery of any useful instrument of love becomes their care; ’tis -only writing some soft tender things to my lady, and you make her happy -in a kind return. For ’tis confest, since her disappointment, she has -not been her self.” - -I readily consented, and calling for paper, thus addrest myself: - - “’Tis confest, madam, I have often sinned, for I’m not only a - man, but a very young one, yet never left the field so - dishonorably before. You have at your feet a confessing - criminal, that deserves whatever you inflict: I have cut a - throat, betray’d my country, committed sacrilege; if a - punishment for any of these will serve, I am ready to receive - sentence. If you fancy my death, I wait you with my sword; but - if a beating will content you, I fly naked to your arms. Only - remember, that ’twas not the workman, but his instruments that - fail’d: I was ready to engage, but wanted arms. Who rob’d me of - them I know not; perhaps my eager mind outrun my body; or while - with an unhappy haste I aim’d at all; I was cheated with - abortive joys. I only know I don’t know what I’ve done: You bid - me fear a palsie, as if the disease you’d do greater that has - already rob’d me of that, by which I shou’d have purchas’d you. - All I have to say for my self, is this, that I will certainly - pay with interest the arrears of love, if you allow me time to - repair my misfortune.” - -Having sent back Chrysis with this answer, to encourage my jaded body, -after the bath and strengthening oyles had a little rais’d me, I apply’d -my self to strong meats, such as strong broths and eggs, using wine very -moderately; upon which to settle my self, I took a little walk, and -returning to my chamber, slept that night without Gito; so great was my -care to acquit my self honorably with my mistress, that I was afraid he -might have tempted my constancy, by tickling my side. - -The next day rising without prejudice, either to my body or spirits, I -went, tho’ I fear’d the place was ominous, to the same walk, and -expected Chrysis to conduct me to her mistress; I had not been long -there, e’re she came to me, and with her a little old woman. After she -had saluted me, “What, my nice Sir Courtly,” said she, “does your -stomach begin to come to you?” - -At what time, the old woman, drawing from her bosom, a wreath of many -colors, bound my neck; and having mixed spittle and dust, she dipt her -finger in’t, and markt my forehead, whether I wou’d or not. - -When this part of the charm was over, she made me spit thrice, and as -often prest to my bosom enchanted stones, that she had wrapt in purple; -Admotisque manibus temptare coepit inguinum vives. Dicto citius nervi -paruerunt imperio manusque aniculae ingenti motu repleverunt. At ilia -gaudio exsultans, “Vides,” inquit, “Chrysis mea, vides quod aliis -leporem excitavi?” - - Never despair; Priapus I invoke - To help the parts that make his altars smoke. - -After this, the old woman presented me to Chrysis; who was very glad she -had recover’d her mistress’s treasure; and therefore hastening to her, -she conducted me to a most pleasant retreat, deckt with all that nature -cou’d produce to please the sight. - - Where lofty plains o’re-spread a summer shade, - And well-trimm’d pines their shaking tops display’d, - Where Daphne ’midst the Cyprus crown’d her head. - Near these, a circling river gently flows, - And rolls the pebbles as it murmuring goes. - A place design’d for love, the nightingale - And other wing’d inhabitants can tell. - That on each bush salute the coming day, - And in their orgies sing its hours away. - -She was in an undress, reclining on a flowry bank, and diverting her -self with a myrtle branch; as soon as I appear’d, she blusht, as mindful -of her disappointment: Chrysis, very prudently withdrew, and when we -were left together, I approacht the temptation; at what time she -skreen’d my face with the myrtle, and as if there had been a wall -between us, becoming more bold; “what, my chill’d spark,” began she, -“have you brought all your self today?” - -“Do you ask, madam,” I return’d, “rather than try?” And throwing myself -to her, that with open arms was eager to receive me, we last a little -age away; when giving the signal to prepare for other joys, she drew me -to a more close imbrace; and now, our murmuring kisses their sweet fury -tell; now, our twining limbs, try’d each fold of love; now, lockt in -each others arms, our bodies and our souls are join’d; but even here, -alas! even amidst these sweet beginnings, a sudden chilliness prest upon -my joys, and made me leave ’em not compleat. - -Circe, enrag’d to be so affronted, had recourse to revenge, and calling -the grooms that belong’d to the house, made them give me a warming; nor -was she satisfi’d with this, but calling all the servant-wenches, and -meanest of the house, she made ’em spit upon me. I hid my head as well -as I cou’d, and, without begging pardon, for I knew what I had deserv’d, -am turn’d out of doors, with a large retinue of kicks and spittle: -Proselenos, the old woman was turn’d out too, and Chrysis beaten; and -the whole family wondering with themselves, enquir’d the cause of their -lady’s disorder. - -I hid my bruises as well as I cou’d, lest my rival Eumolpus might sport -with my shame, or Gito be concern’d at it; therefore as the only way to -disguise my misfortune, I began to dissemble sickness, and having got in -bed, to revenge my self of that part of me, that had been the cause of -all my misfortunes; when taking hold of it, - - With dreadful steel, the part I wou’d have lopt, - Thrice from my trembling hand the razor dropt. - Now, what I might before, I could not do, - For cold as ice the fearful thing withdrew; - And shrunk behind a wrinkled canopy, - Hiding his head from my revenge and me. - Thus, by his fear, I’m baulkt of my design, - When I in words more killing vent my spleen. - -At what time, raising myself on the bed, in this or like manner, I -reproacht the sullen impotent: With what face can you look up, thou -shame of heaven and man? that can’st not be seriously mention’d. Have I -deserv’d from you, when rais’d within sight of heavens of joys, to be -struck down to the lowest hell? To have a scandal fixt on the very prime -and vigor of my years, and to be reduc’d to the weakness of an old man? -I beseech you, sir, give me an epitaph on my departed vigor; tho’ in a -great heat I had thus said: - - He still continu’d looking on the ground, - Nor more, at this had rais’d his guilty head - Than th’ drooping poppy on its tender stalk. - -Nor when I had done, did I less repent of my ridiculous passion, and -with a conscious blush, began to think, how unaccountable it was, that -forgetting all shame, I shou’d contend with that part of me, that all -men of sense, reckon not worth their thoughts. A little after, relapsing -to my former humor: But what’s the crime, began I, if by a natural -complaint I was eas’d of my grief? or how is it, that we blame our -stomachs or bellies, when ’tis our heads, that are distemper’d? Did not -Ulysses beat his breast, as if that had disturb’d him? And don’t we see -the actors punish their eyes, as if they heard the tragic scene? Those -that have the gout in their legs, swear at them; Those that have it in -their fingers, do so by them: Those that have sore eyes, are angry with -their eyes. - - Why do the strickt-liv’d Cato’s of the age, - At my familiar lines so gravely rage? - In measures loosely plain, blunt satyr flows, - And all the people so sincerely shows. - For whose a stranger to the joys of love? - Who, can’t the thoughts of such lost pleasures move? - Such Epicurus own’d the chiefest bliss, - And such fives the gods themselves possess. - -There’s nothing more deceitful than a ridiculous opinion, nor more -ridiculous, than an affected gravity. After this, I call’d Gito to me; -and “tell me,” said I, “but sincerely, whether Ascyltos, when he took -you from me, pursu’d the injury that night, or was chastly content to -lye alone?” The boy with his finger at his eyes, took a solemn oath, -that he had no incivility offer’d him by Ascyltos. - -This drove me to my wits end, nor did I well know what to say: For why, -I consider’d, shou’d I think of the twice mischievous accident that -lately befell me? At last, I did what I cou’d to recover my vigor: and -willing to invoke the assistance of the gods, I went out to pay my -devotions to Priapus, and as wretched as I was, did not despair, but -kneeling at the entry of the chamber, thus beseecht the god: - - Bacchus and Nymphs delight, O mighty God! - Whom Cynthia gave to rule the blooming wood. - Lesbos and verdant Thasos thee adore, - And Lydians, in loose flowing dress implore, - And raise devoted temples to thy power. - Thou Dryad’s joy, and Bacchus’s guardian, hear - My conscious prayer, with an attentive ear. - My hands with guiltless blood I never stain’d, - Or sacrilegiously the gods prophan’d. - To feeble me, restoring blessings send, - I did not thee, with my whole self offend. - Who sins thro’ weakness is less guilty thought, - Be pacify’d, and spare a venial fault. - On me, when smiling fate shall smiling gifts bestow, - I’ll not ungrateful to thy godhead go. - A destined goat shall on thy altar lye, - And the horn’d parent of my flock shall dye. - A sucking pig appease thy injur’d shrine, - And hallow’d bowls o’re-flow with generous wine. - Then thrice thy frantick votaries shall round - Thy temple dance, with youth and garlands crown’d, - In holy drunkenness thy orgies sound. - -While I was thus at prayers, an old woman, with her hair about her eyes, -and disfigur’d with a mournful habit, coming in, disturb’d my devotions; -when taking hold of me, she drew all fear out of the entry; and “what -hag,” said she, “has devour’d your manhood? Or what ominous carcase have -you stumbl’d over in your nightly walks? You have not acquitted your -self above a boy; but faint, weak, and like a horse o’re-charg’d in a -steep, tyr’d have lost your toyl and sweat; nor content to sin alone, -but have unreveng’d against me, provokt the offended gods?” - -When leading me, obedient to all her commands, a second time to the cell -of a neighboring priestess of Priapus, she threw me upon the bed, and -taking up a stick that fastened the door, reveng’d her self on me, that -very patiently receiv’d her fury: and at the first stroak, if the -breaking of the stick had not lessened its force, she might have broke -my head and arm. - -I groan’d, and hiding with my arm my head, in a flood of tears lean’d on -the pillow: Nor did she then, less troubled, sit on the bed, and began -in a shrill voice, to blame her age, till the priestess came in upon us; -and “what,” said she, “do you do in my chappel, as if some funeral had -lately been, rather than a holy-day, in which, even the mournful are -merry?” - -“Alas, my Enothea!” said she, “this youth was born under an ill star; -for neither boy nor maid can raise him to a perfect appetite; you ne’re -beheld a more unhappy man: In his garden the weak willow, not the lusty -cedar grows; in short, you may guess what he is, that cou’d rise unblest -from Circe’s bed.” - -Upon this, Enothea fixt her self between us, and moving her head a -while; “I,” said she, “am the only one that can give remedy for that -disease; and not to delay it, let him sleep with me to-night; and next -morning, examine how vigorous I shall have made him: - - “All Nature’s work my magick powers obey, - The blooming earth shall wither and decay, - And when I please, agen be fresh and gay. - From rugged rocks, I make sweet waters flow, - And raging billows to me humbly bow. - With rivers, winds, when I command, obey, - And at my feet, their fans contracted lay, - Tygers and dragons too, my will obey, - But these are small, when of my magick verse, - Descending Cynthia does the power confess. - When my commands, make trembling Phoebus reign, - His fiery steeds, their journey back again. - Such power have charms, by whose prevailing aid - The fury of the raging bulls was laid. - The Heaven-born Circe, with her magic song, - Ulysses’s men, did unto monsters turn. - Proteus, with this assum’d, what shape he wou’d. - I, who this art so long have understood, - Can send proud Ida’s top into the main, - And make the billows bear it up again.” - -I shook with fear at such a romantick promise, and began more -intensively to view the old woman; Upon which, she cry’d out, “O -Enothea, be as good as your word”; when, carefully wiping her hands, she -lay down on the bed, and half smother’d me with kisses. - -Enothea, in the middle of the altar, plac’d a turf-table, which she -heapt with burning coals, and her old crack cup (for sacrifice) repair’d -with temper’d pitch; when she had fixt it to the smoaking-wall from -which she took it; putting on her habit, she plac’d a kettle by the -fire, and took down a bag that hung near her, in which, a bean was kept -for that use, and a very aged piece of a hog’s forehead, with the print -of a hundred cuts out; when opening the bag, she threw me a part of the -bean, and bid me carefully strip it. I obey her command, and try, -without daubing my fingers, to deliver the grain from its nasty -coverings; but she, blaming my dullness, snatcht it from me, and -skilfully tearing its shells with her teeth, spit the black morsels from -her, that lay like dead flies on the ground. How ingenious is poverty, -and what strange arts will hunger teach? The priestess seemed so great a -lover of this sort of life, that her humor appear’d in every thing about -her, and her hut might be truly term’d, sacred to poverty: - - Here shines no glittering ivory set with gold, - No marble covers the deluded mold, - By its own wealth deluded; but the shrine - With simple natural ornaments does shine. - Round Cere’s bower, but homely willows grow. - Earthen are all the sacred bowls they know. - Osier the dish, sacred to use divine: - Both course and stain’d, the jug that holds the wine. - Mud mixt with straw, make a defending fort, - The temple’s brazen studs, are knobs of dirt. - With rush and reed, is thatcht the hut it self, - Where, besides what is on a smoaky shelf, - Ripe service-berries into garlands bound, - And savory-bunches with dry’d grapes are found. - Such a low cottage Hecale confin’d, - Low was her cottage, but sublime her mind. - Her bounteous heart, a grateful praise shall crown, - And muses make immortal her renown. - -After which, she tasted of the flesh, and hanging the rest, old as her -self, on the hook again; the rotten stool on which she was mounted -breaking, threw her into the fire, her fall spilt the kettle, and what -it held put out the fire; she burnt her elbow, and all her face was hid -with the ashes that her fall had rais’d. - -Thus disturb’d, I arose, and laughing, took her up; immediately, lest -any thing shou’d hinder the offering, she ran for new fire to the -neighborhood, and had hardly got to the door, e’re I was set upon by -three sacred geese, that daily, I believe, about that time were fed by -the old woman; they made an hideous noise, and, surrounding me, one -tears my coat, another my shoes, while their furious captain made -nothing of doing so by my legs; till seeing my self in danger, I began -to be in earnest, and snatching up one of the feet of our little table, -made the valiant animal feel my arm’d hand; nor content with a slight -blow or two, but reveng’d my self with its death: - - Such were the birds Alcides did subdue, - That from his conquering arm t’ward Heaven flew: - Such sure the harpyes were which poyson strow’d, - On cheated Phineus’s false deluding food. - Loud lamentations shake the trembling air, - The powers above the wild confusion share, - Horrors disturb the orders of the sky, - And frighted stars beyond their courses fly. - -By this time the other two had eat up the pieces of the bean that lay -scatter’d on the floor, and having lost their leader, return’d to the -temple. When glad of the booty and my revenge, I heal’d the slight old -woman’s anger, I design’d to make off; and taking up my cloaths, began -my march; nor had I reach’d the door, e’re I saw Enothea bringing in her -hand an earthen pot fill’d with fire; upon which I retreated, and -throwing down my cloaths, fixt my self in the entry, as if I were -impatiently expecting her coming. - -Enothea, entring, plac’d the fire, that with broken sticks she had got -together, and having heapt more wood upon those, began to excuse her -stay, that her friend wou’d not let her go before she had, against the -laws of drinking, taken off three healths together. When looking about -her, “What,” said she, “have you been doing in my absence? Where’s the -bean?” - -I, who thought I had behav’d my self very honorably, told her the whole -fight; and to end her grief for the loss of her bean, presented the -goose: when I shew’d the goose, the old woman set up such an outcry, -that you wou’d have thought the geese were re-entering the place. - -In confusion and amaz’d at so strange a humor, I askt the meaning of her -passion? or why she pity’d the goose rather than me. - -But wringing her hands, “you wicked wretch,” said she, “d’ye speak too? -D’ye know what you’ve done? You’ve killed the gods delight, a goose the -pleasure of all matrons: And, lest you shou’d think your self innocent, -if a magistrate shou’d hear of it, you’d be hang’d. You have defil’d -with blood my cell, that to this day had been inviolate. You have done -that, for which, if any’s so malicious, he may expel me my office.” - - She said, and trembling, rends her aged hairs, - And both her cheeks with wilder fury tears: - Sad murmurs from her troubl’d breast arise, - A shower of tears there issu’d from her eyes. - And down her face a rapid deluge run, - Such as is seen, when a hills frosty crown, - By warm Favonius is melted down. - -Upon which, “I beseech you,” said I, “don’t grieve, I’ll recompence the -loss of your goose with an ostrich.” - -While amaz’d I spoke, she sat down on the bed, lamented her loss; at -what time Proselenos came in with the sacrifice, and viewing the -murder’d goose, and enquiring the cause, began very earnestly to cry and -pity me, as it had been a father, not a goose I had slain. But tired -with this stuff, “I beseech you,” said I, “tell me, tho’ it had been a -man I kill’d, won’t gold wipe off the guilt? See here are two pieces of -gold: with these you may purchase gods as well as geese.” - -Which, when Enothea beheld, “Pardon me, young man,” said she, “I am only -concern’d for your safety, which is an argument of love, not hatred; -therefore we’ll take what care we can to prevent a discovery: You have -nothing to do, but intreat the gods to forgive the sin.” - - Who e’re has money may securely sail, - On all things with all-mighty gold prevail. - May Danae wed, or rival amo’rous Jove, - And make her father pandar to his love. - May be a poet, preacher, lawyer, too: - And bawling win the cause he does not know: - And up to Cato’s fame for wisdom grow. - Wealth without law will gain at bar renown, - How e’re the case appears, the cause is won, - Every rich lawyer is a Littleton. - In short of all you wish you are possest, - All things prevent the wealthy mans’ request, - For Jove himself’s the treasure of his chest. - -While my thoughts were thus engag’d, she plac’d a cup of wine under my -hands, and having cleans’d my prophane extended fingers with sacred -leeks and parsley, threw into the wine, with some ejaculations, -hazel-nuts, and as they sunk or swam gave her judgment; but I well knew -the empty rotten ones wou’d swim, and those of entire kernels go to the -bottom. - -When applying herself to the goose, from its breast she drew a lusty -liver, and then told me my future fortune. But that no mark of the -murder might be left, she fixt the rent goose to a spit, which, as she -said, she had fatten’d a little before, as sensible it was to die. - -In the mean time the wine went briskly round, and now the old women -gladly devour the goose, they so lately lamented; when they had pickt -its bones, Enothea, half drunk, turn’d to me; “and now,” said she, “I’ll -finish the charm that recovers your strength”: When drawing out a -leathern ensign of Priapus, she dipt it in a medley of oyl, small -pepper, and the bruis’d seed of nettles, paulatim coepit inserere ano -meo. Hoc crudelissima anus spurgit subinde umore femina mea. Nasturcii -sucum cum abrotano miscet perfusisque inguinibus meis viridis urticae -fascem comprehendit, omniaque infra umbilicum coepit lenta manu caedere. -Upon which jumping from her, to avoid the sting, I made off. The old -woman in a great rage pursu’d me, and tho’ drunk with wine, and their -more hot desires, took the right way; and follow’d me through two or -three villages, crying stop thief; but with my hands all bloody, in the -hasty flight, I got off. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: - - National Gallery of Art - - THE KISS - - _by Rodin_ -] - -[Illustration: - - Metropolitan Museum of Art - - BESIDE THE SEA - - _by Rodin_ -] - -Love manifestations and the passion for promoting weakened or inadequate -functional activity are familiar themes in the most remote areas of the -world. In the Arctic circle as well as in the Marshall Islands. Among -the Eskimo of uttermost Greenland and among the Jibaro Indians of -Equador. The Orang Kubau of Sumatra and the Semang and Senoi of Malacca -are knowledgeable in this regard. The natives of these disparate -territories are familiar with the plant and animal life of their -regions, the nuts and fruits, the herbs and leaves, and their properties -and specific virtues. They have tested them in food and drink, and in -other functional directions: and by long, groping, deductive sequences -they have come to definite practical conclusions. They have managed to -extract or to use certain essences and elements in these roots and -plants that they found conducive to specific purposes, particularly to -the primary function of life, the erotic motif, the functional -performance. - -Oral traditions, the ways of the tribal society, derive, -pre-historically, from a matriarchal hierarchy. And to the women of the -tribe the obscure secrets of amorous practices and devices are -all-important. Because they are the conditions of procreation, the -source of fertility, the depositories of life and continuity. The love -mystique, then, is the primary and virtually exclusive sacrosanct -knowledge confined to the female of the tribe. Hence, after the ages of -oral transmission, when we enter upon the centuries of writing, verbal -transcription, and recording, then the sagas and chronicles, the legends -and folk consciousness, invariably dwell on the female, the wise old -woman, the witch, the adept, who possesses the arcana of erotic -functions. - -In the course of undetermined time, as literary mastery grows and -develops culturally to the degree attained by Greece in the fifth -century B.C., the witch, as guardian of Aphrodite’s mysteries, is -paramount. She is known to the peasant and the hoplite, to the cobbler -and the young athlete, to the stroller in the agora, to the serious -dramatist, even to the philosophers, to Socrates, to Plato. - - * * * * * - -In classical legend, Phaon, a ferryman of Lesbos, was given a potent -periapt by Aphrodite, that made him remarkably handsome. The poetess -Sappho consequently fell passionately in love with him. According to the -Roman encyclopedist Pliny the Elder, author of the _Historia Naturalis_, -Phaon had found a mandrake root that resembled the male genitalia. This -root was an assurance of feminine love. Sappho, however, is said, in the -version of Ovid’s _Heroides_, to have flung herself from the Leucadian -rock on his account. - - * * * * * - -Xenophon, the Greek historian who belongs in the fourth century B.C., -recounts, in his _Memorabilia_, a dialogue between the philosopher -Socrates and a hetaira named Theodote. The subject is the art of finding -and retaining lovers. - - Socrates: There are my lady friends, who will never let me leave them, - night or day. They would always be having me teach them - love-charms and incantations. - - Theodote: Are you really acquainted with such things, Socrates? - - Socrates: Of course I am. What else is the reason, think you, that - Apollodorus and Antisthenes never leave my side? Why have Cebes - and Simmias come all the way from Thebes to stay with me? You may - be quite sure that not without love-charms and incantations and - magic-wheels can this be brought about. - - Theodote: Lend me your wheel, then, that I may use it on you. - - Socrates: Nay, I do not want to be drawn to you. I want you to come to - me. - - Theodote: Well, I will come. But be sure to be at home. - - Socrates: I will be at home to you, unless there be some lady with me - who is dearer than yourself. - - * * * * * - -A speech attributed to the Greek orator Antiphon, who dates in the fifth -century B.C., involves a belief that love could be secured by the -administration of a potion. - - The Attic orator is addressing the court: - - The girl began to consider how she should administer the potion - to them, before or after dinner, and, on reflection, she decided - it would be better to give it after the meal. I will endeavor to - give you a brief account of how the potion was actually - administered. The two friends partook of a good dinner, as you - can imagine, the host having a sacrifice to offer to the god of - his household and the guest being on the eve of a sea voyage. - When they had finished, they made a libation and added thereto - some grains of incense. But while they were murmuring their - prayer, the concubine slipped the poison into the wine she was - pouring out for them: and furthermore, thinking that she was - doing something clever, she gave Philoneos an extra dose, - supposing that the more she gave the warmer would be his love - for her. - -The important deduction that follows as a corollary from the above -passage is that the love-potion, mentioned without elaborate comment, -was already, in the fifth century B.C., a matter of common knowledge and -common use. - - * * * * * - -The plant called anciently telephilon was used by the Greeks for amatory -purposes. Botanically, it has been identified with the poppy: and by -some, with a kind of pepper tree. Theocritus, the Greek bucolic poet, -refers to its use in the third Idyll. A goatherd goes to the cave of his -sweet-heart Amaryllis. He tries to re-awaken her former love: - - I learned my fate but lately, when upon my bethinking me whether - you loved me, not even did the poppy leaf coming in contact make - a sound, but withered away just so upon my soft arm. - -Lovers were accustomed to guess by the poppy leaf placed between -forefinger and thumb of the left hand, and then struck by the right, -whether their love was reciprocated. If a loud crack was produced, it -was a propitious amatory omen. - - * * * * * - -Among the ancient authorities the virtues of plants and herbs and spices -and their medicinal curative powers and also their amatory impacts were -frequently enumerated, described, and classified. In this group belongs -Dioscorides, a Greek army surgeon who flourished in the first century -A.D. His comprehensive treatise on the subject, _De Materia Medica Libri -Quinque_, was for centuries consulted and used as a standard text. In -the Middle Ages the famous Portuguese Marrano physician Amatus Lusitanus -produced an excellent edition of Dioscorides. It was published, with -numerous woodcut illustrations, at Leyden in Holland, in 1558. - - * * * * * - -According to the _Enquiry into Plants_ by Theophrastus, and equally to -the _Materia Medica_ of the Greek army surgeon Dioscorides, cyclamen, -which is sowbread, had erotic properties. The root of the plant was used -as an ingredient in love-potions. - -The plant itself produces colorful flowers, while the fleshy roots are -favored by swine: hence the old name of sowbread. - - * * * * * - -The Greek physician Dioscorides, who served as a surgeon in the army of -the Roman Emperor Nero, mentions, in his _Materia Medica_, mandrake as -being anciently considered efficacious in love philtres. He also alludes -to the practice in his own days, when a concoction of the root of -mandrake steeped in wine was judged to be a favorable love-potion. - - * * * * * - -In the furious and unceasing search for some product of the earth, some -fabricated distillation, some suddenly and miraculously discovered -triumphant panacea that would efficaciously induce virile activity, the -ancients grasped at any object that, by its mere outward and physical -conformation, might conceivably have some cryptic, symbolic association -with genital resemblances, and hence with amatory functions. - -Such a resemblance was readily and gratefully found in the mandrake. The -mandrake, even in Biblical times, was credited with unique properties, -not least, with amatory stimulation. - -Mandrake, or mandragore, which is botanically mandragora, mandragora -officinarum, is a tuber with purple flowers, dark-leaved. It is native -to Palestine, and hence has a Hebrew name, mentioned in Biblical -literature. It is called there dudaim, an expression associated -etymologically with _love_. - -The peculiarity of mandrake is that it often assumes a human shape, the -limbs in particular being formed like human extremities. - -From the earliest literary eras mandrake was a customary ingredient in -love-potions. Circe, the sorceress who appears in Homer’s _Odyssey_, was -traditionally an adept in concocting brews with mandrake infusions. So -intimately was her name linked with this man-shaped plant, that it -became known as _Circe’s plant_. - -As later Biblical confirmation of the significance of mandrake, the -strange and moving episode of Jacob and Rachel and the employment of the -very effective mandrake may be mentioned. - -There is a further suggestion of its use in the Song of Songs. - -The Greeks and the Romans likewise were acquainted with mandrake and its -virtues. The Greeks considered the root an amatory excitant, and, by -association, called Aphrodite, who presided over amatory functions, -Mandragoritis, She of the Mandrake. Plutarch, the Greek philosopher and -biographer, alludes to the plant and its resemblance to human genitalia. -In his monumental encyclopedia, the _Natural History_, the Roman Pliny -the Elder similarly dwells on this likeness, and adds that when a -mandrake root that has grown into male genital form is found, it will -unquestionably secure feminine love. - -Without interruption the tradition of the mandrake lingered through the -centuries. Old chroniclers allude to it. Woodcuts and illustrations in -medieval vellum-bound folios present readers with the horrifyingly -semi-human form of the plant. Sinister and abhorrent legends have grown -up around the plant, many of them associated with death, gibbets, -hangings, thieves. - -Medieval folklore trusted to the consumption of the root as a reliable -help in conception. This belief is also confirmed by a seventeenth -century traveler. Sorcerers and alchemists and other occult -practitioners concocted their elixirs with the aid of mandrake. - -The seventeenth century English herbalist, John Gerarde, refers to -mandrake in his _Herball or General Historie of Plantes_, and to its use -in conception, particularly in the case of barrenness. He merely touches -on its employment in amatory practices, but he is repulsed by the -prurient and salacious nature of these devices. - -In these days, too, mandrake evidently has not been neglected as a -possible invigorating agent. In Greece and in Italy, folk beliefs in the -plant still survive, and are put into active practice. - - * * * * * - -Sexual and procreative capacity was such a primal, essential factor in -the old religious cults that, in classical mythology, Greek and Roman, -and in Egyptian and Asian cults as well, the bull, the most potent among -animals, was the ceremonial and pictorial symbol of this cosmic power. -The bull, in fact, was equated with divinity. The processional sacrifice -among the Romans, the taurobolium, highlighted the preeminence and the -reverence due to the bull. In Egypt, he appears as Apis, the bull-god. -He is also present in the Mithraic cult, and Mithra himself is -sculpturally represented as holding a bull and cutting its throat. The -bull was an expiatory sacrifice among the Germanic tribes, and also -among the Northmen. In the Orient, too, the bull is sacred among the -Japanese. Cows, also, have been no less venerated among the Greeks, the -Hebrews, and the Hindus. - - * * * * * - -An ancient Egyptian record, the Doulaq Papyrus, reveals, in the -translation by the famous Egyptologist Sir William Flinders Petrie, how -even in antiquity sexual passion was channeled, promoted, and -controlled: and how the cult of money and the phallic cult often went -hand in hand and were intimately linked together. So that religious -prostitution, the sacred erotic rites of pagan worship, transcended the -common activities of the public prostitute and assumed a hieratic, -reverential status. - -This status is stressed and confirmed in the story of the sacred -prostitute or hierodule Thubui, who was approached by Setna-Khamois, son -of the Egyptian Pharaoh Usimares. In the papyrus the lavish richness of -the hierodule’s apartment is described, and the bloody conditions she -exacts from her passionate prospective lover. - - * * * * * - -In the barber shops and the perfumers’, in the furtive taverns and the -baths and eating places, in Greece and later on in Rome, the lower types -of prostitute plied their trade. They might ostensibly be musicians and -singers of a sort, but these qualifications were mere preliminaries to -their more intimate ministrations. The ways of these harlots, their -outlook, their training, their future, are described vividly in Lucian’s -Dialogues of the Courtesans and in Alciphron’s fictional letters. The -poets, too, have their say about this institution, and many of their -pieces, sensuous and sensual, erotic, scatological and lewd, are -preserved in the Greek Anthology and the Palatine Anthology. In the -collection known as The Girdle of Aphrodite, one of the pieces deals -with the theme of Lolita. Another describes the operations of a -masseuse. Others deal with amorous performances and reflect on love and -its price. - - * * * * * - -The ancient cult of Bacchus, the god of wine and fertility, was marked -by highly erotic rites and orgies and phallic manifestations. Bacchus -himself was equated with the Greek god Dionysus, whose characteristics -and functions were identical. Dionysus himself was associated with -certain animals that were reputedly extremely lascivious by nature or -erotically exceptionally dominant. Among these animals were: the bull, -the ass, the panther, and the goat. The right testis of the ass, for -instance, worn in a bracelet, was, according to the testimony of Pliny -the Elder, who produced an encyclopedic Natural History, and the Greek -physician Dioscorides, considered an effective sexual stimulant. - -In many regions of ancient Greece, both on the mainland but particularly -in the islands of the Aegean Sea, the Dionysiac cult was prevalent and -passionately celebrated. - -Euripides, the Greek tragic poet, presents a detailed and authoritative -picture of Bacchic ceremonies and beliefs in his drama The Bacchae. - - * * * * * - -Among the priests of ancient Chaldea, noted for its thaumaturgic -practices and esoteric cults, there was a tradition that the secretions -of the liver of young boys would be a restorative of physiological -vigor. - - * * * * * - -Among professional Greek and Roman courtesans, there were special -devices for provoking male interest. During entertainments, for -instance, drinking cups, made of earthenware, emitted a perfumed aura, -while the contents themselves, containing myrrh and pepper, were direct -stimulants. - - * * * * * - -In Asia Minor, some four millennia ago, the Sumerians flourished and -produced a high literary culture. There is still extant a love song, -chanted annually by the Sumerians, that is in the manner of the Biblical -_Song of Songs_. It is an exultant amatory paean, dedicated to Inanna, -the Sumerian goddess of love and procreation, who may be equated with -the Babylonian Astarte and the Greek Aphrodite. - - * * * * * - -Storgethron, a plant used in ancient Greece as an amatory medicine, has -been identified as the leek. - - * * * * * - -The root called surag was, in antiquity, held to have a stimulative -virtue. - - * * * * * - -The aromatic leaves of tarragon, which grows in South East Europe, is -considered, in addition to its use as a flavoring agent, as an amatory -aid. - - * * * * * - -The oil extracted from the fresh leaves of the ruta graveolens plant -produces an amatory excitation. - - * * * * * - -Both in ancient and in medieval days amatory virtues were attributed to -the plant known botanically as radix Chinae. - - * * * * * - -The juice of the plant spurge, in composition with other items such as -ginger, nettle seed, pellitory, cinnamon, and cardamom, is considered, -among Arabs, as highly provocative. - - * * * * * - -The aromatic leaves of sage had an amatory repute. So with tulip bulbs -and savory which the Romans knew as satureia. - - * * * * * - -Hierobota, or pisteriona, an herb mentioned by the medieval philosopher -Albertus Magnus, was credited with such potency that its mere possession -was said to act as a stimulant. - - * * * * * - -Pimpinella anisum, which is the botanical designation of anise, is -native to the Eastern Mediterranean region. The ancients knew anise, and -it was equally familiar to the Middle Ages, as a love attribute. - - * * * * * - -The testes of animals have always been popular in amatory preparations, -both for their symbolic implications and also for their genesiac value. -This was the case with the testes of lamb, deer, ram, and ass. - - * * * * * - -The head of the perch contains a number of small stones. These were -included in the amatory preparations devised by sorceresses. - - * * * * * - -A French physician, Mery, in a treatise entitled _Traité Universel des -Drogues Simples_, stated that the partes genitales of a rooster served -as a potent stimulus. - - * * * * * - -Partridge was, according to the old writer Platina, in his _De -Valetudine Tuenda_, believed, apart from its gastronomic relish, to -‘arouse the half-extinct desire for venereal pleasures.’ - - * * * * * - -In antiquity, snails were consumed for amatory purposes. The Roman poets -refer to this practice. Even in modern times a concoction of snails, -boiled in parsley, garlic, and onions, and fried in oil and again in red -wine, is reputed to serve as a rejuvenating factor. - - * * * * * - -An ancient Egyptian device for achieving amatory efficiency involves a -magic procedure: - - Take a band of linen, of sixteen threads. Four of them white. - Four, green. Four, blue. Four, red. Fasten all strands into one - band, and strain with hoopoe blood. Bind with scarab posed as - the sun-god wrapped in byssus. Bind to the body of the boy - attendant who holds the sacred vessel. - - * * * * * - -The worship of the phallus in antiquity was not originally the worship -of the human generative organs, but of the divine procreative faculty -symbolized by the genitalia of the sacred bull and the sacred goat: in -Egyptian religious terminology, by Apis and Priapis or Priapus -respectively. - -In Greece, the phallus, originally symbolic of the goat or bull, was -attached, disproportionately and _a posteriori_, to a human figure: so -that the phallus, in the course of time, became erroneously associated -with human capacity. - - * * * * * - -The Athenian orator Isocrates postulated a maxim: What is improper to do -is improper to say. Yet a rigid adherence to this view would mean a -cessation of investigations of all kinds, of many historical records and -archives, mores, and often matter that would give enlightenment on human -traditions and the more intimate details of communal, tribal, or -national life, of ethnic distinctions, of cultural progression. - -Hence it might be more advisable to adapt the postulate of Isocrates and -to introduce the proviso that whatever has been done or said or written -by men should normally and regularly be transmitted to later generations -or to wider circles, provided that this transmission is intended as a -contribution to a knowledge of the past, or of contiguous races, or of -disparate mores, and as a revealing exposition of what man performed in -earlier ages, and not as a prurient and lewd inducement to wallow in -scatological or libidinous depths for mere light or indifferent or -transitory entertainment. - -The anthropologist, the archaeologist, the professional scholar, the -historian are, by virtue of their interests and training and their -occupations, constantly dealing with subjects that have either been -taboo in a general sense, or that involve the most secretive -physiological and emotional human situations. - - * * * * * - -The ancient cult of the stars merged with religious ceremonials and -religious beliefs, emerging in the zodiacal bull. This bull was -anciently equated with the sun in its most auspicious phase, in spring -time. The sun bull later became the actual bull itself, as in the Minoan -and the Mithraic cults, and also among the Egyptians. For the bull was -now definitely the symbol of creative potency, of cosmic fecundity and -perpetuation. - - * * * * * - -The energized, salient phallus was the supreme symbol of being and -fertility. In antiquity it had divine significance. It was carried in -religious processions in ancient Egypt, in Greece, in the Greek islands, -in Phoenicia, Assyria, and in Chaldea and Ethiopia. In Egypt, phalli, -made of porcelain, were worn on the person as periapts. - - * * * * * - -In their fulminations against pagan mores and the sexual and erotic -licentiousness and aberrations that were so prevalent in antiquity both -socially and religiously, the ancient writers themselves were so -descriptively forthright and detailed in their denunciations, that these -very assaults and condemnatory attacks constitute in themselves, -cumulatively, a vast corpus of circumstantial knowledge of ancient -salaciousness, prurience, perversions, and total abandonment of amatory -and sexual restraints. Among such witnesses and authorities were the -Church Fathers Tertullian, Arnobius, and Clement of Alexandria. - -The religious practice of women submitting or rather offering themselves -to the priapic symbol, the phallus or lingam, dates back to millennia -before this era. Herodotus, the Greek historian, mentions it; also -Strabo the geographer, and the Church Father Clement of Alexandria. - - * * * * * - -Among the ancient Moabites, the god Baal-Peor, that was at one time -worshipped by the Israelites and then execrated, was an idol equated -with the Greek and Roman phallic Priapus. - - * * * * * - -The consciousness that in Nature, in the totality of the cosmic scheme, -and in human beings the love motif conditions all existence and the -continuance of being is manifest in the images, the religious rituals, -symbols, ceremonials, and sacrificial offerings of all peoples, in every -age, ancient and modern, in Greece and among the Romans, in -pre-conquered Mexico and in India, throughout the East and in the -Pacific Islands, and among the early tribal and racial denominations of -Europe—the Germani and the Suevi, the Galli and the Normanni. - - * * * * * - -On the banks of the Euphrates, in Syria, there was anciently a vast, -elaborate, richly decorated and endowed temple. At the entrance rose two -gigantic phalli, dedicated, as the inscription ran, by Bacchus to the -goddess Juno. Offerings were made to the phalli by the thronging -suppliants, while within the building numerous wooden phalli were -dispersed throughout the spacious interior. Similar images and rituals -were manifest in contiguous countries, in Phoenicia, Persia, and -Phrygia. - - * * * * * - -Throughout every polis and colony and settlement of ancient Greece, and -also in the regions of the Mediterranean littoral, in Egypt and the -Middle East, the phallus was a symbol of veneration always associated -with religious ritual, with hieratic traditions, and temple worship on a -wide and enthusiastic scale. - -In Greece, there were the phallic hermae, enormous phalli attached to -pedestals, tree-trunks, boundary-markers. They were protective and -apotropaic, and where the phalli appeared, there would credibly be -fecundity and erotic consummation, generation and abundance, in man and -beast and throughout the cosmic design. - -The phallus was variously named Priapus and Tutunus and Mutunus and -Fascinum and, in Hindu religious mythology, the lingam. Among the -esoteric Gnostics, Jao, the sun-god, equipped with ithyphallic force, -had properties akin to those of Priapus. Thus the generative, energizing -organs of virility, of the cosmic erotic impulse and of its purpose, -are, despite variations of name and epichorial traits and accretions, -basically comprehended under one concept, in all proto-history, in -verifiable history, and, by traditional progression, in later ages. - - * * * * * - -Antiquity, free from the modern attitude that makes demarcations between -what is obscene and what is not so, venerated the sexual act, and its -symbolic representation of the phallus, as significant of the universal -sense of generation and procreation. As a consequence, all sexual, all -amatory performances, references, allusions were accepted as an integral -element in human life, and involved no intrusive image of salaciousness, -prurience, lewdness. - -This phallic reverence, in its widest and most sweeping sense, was -especially prevalent among the ancient Greeks. But it was not confined -to this people. It was prevalent in Asia Minor, among the Hittites and -the Sumerians, the Accadians and the Parthians, the Medes and the -Babylonians and the Phoenicians. It was prevalent in Egypt and the North -African littoral, and it was equally prevalent along the Mediterranean -coastal regions. In the Far East, particularly but not exclusively in -India, the cult of the phallus was a devout religious experience, -equated with the dominant cults of the cosmic deities. - -In later ages, when the human body became as it were dichotomous in -function, the merely physiological acts began to be held in lesser -esteem, and even became condemnatory in status, open to reproach and -disdain, and even violent abuse and ill-treatment. The body, in fact, -became obscene, invested with evil forces, compounded of malefic and -defiled factors. The body was to be crushed and tortured and disfigured, -in order to release the spiritual complements of the human being. The -amatory acts were now turned into licentious and mephitic obscenities, -into bestial defilements, into unspeakable carnal and animal -manifestations of the lower nature. As a consequence, phallic worship, -the glorification of the creative principle embodied in the male and -female, went underground. And by the mere fact of going underground, it -persisted, with qualifications, acquiring through the course of time -veneers of secrecy, accretions of furtiveness, elements of ribaldry as a -kind of protective coat. - - * * * * * - -Essentially, the phallic symbol was anciently viewed as an amatory -agent, a generative stimulant, in as much as the phallus was cosmically -the source of all being. Therefore offerings were made to the phallus in -sacrificial rituals, just as to any other potent deity from whom -privileges and favors were sought. Libations of milk were a normal form -of offering to Priapus. Women, anxious to become mothers, stood -reverently and suppliantly in puris naturalibus before the all-potent -phalli, and in a further urgent procedure, performed the act of erotic -consummation with the aid of the lingam figure itself. For the phallus, -in a pose of lubricity, was the final appeal, the ultimate resort, of -the pleading, awed, reverential mortal. - - * * * * * - -Among cities where the generative force symbolized by the phallus was -held in deep veneration, were Orneae, Cyllene, and Colophon. Under the -later impact of Christianity, however, the phallic cult diminished in -its influence and extent, or was re-directed into other channels. In one -specific direction, the cult merged into the Orphic mysteries. - - * * * * * - -Erotic awareness never went further than in the case of a city in Troas -named Priapus, on account of its consecration to the cult of the -phallus. There were other cities too, according to the testimony of -Pliny the Elder, that were named Priapus for identical reasons. In the -Ceramic Gulf there was an island named Priaponese: and an island in the -Aegean Sea called Priapus. - - * * * * * - -A notorious incident in Greek history involved the nocturnal mutilation -of hermae, in 415 B.C. Hermae were bronze or marble pillars surmounted -by a head and a phallus. These marble figures appeared in the streets -and squares of Athens and other Greek cities. - -Suspicion for the defilement and desecration of the hermae fell upon the -brilliant but wayward Athenian general and statesman Alcibiades and his -companions. As a result, Alcibiades was condemned to banishment. - - * * * * * - -The cult of Priapus and his obscene association with the genitalia of -the ass, the symbol of unbridled lust, were expounded in ancient fable -and legend. Other commentaries and explanations were added later by -Hyginus, who flourished in the first century A.D. Hyginus wrote on -religious subjects and mystic cults. Pausanias, the Greek traveler and -geographer, who belongs in the second century A.D., and Lactantius, the -fourth century Church Father, also dwelt on the subject. - - * * * * * - -Of all cities of ancient Greece, Lampsacus, situated on the banks of the -Hellespont, was most dedicated to the veneration of Priapus. In a -legendary fable it was demonstrated that the origin of the priapic cult -was Lampsacus itself. - - * * * * * - -In the Greek festival called Thargelia, celebrated in May, the rites -were dedicated to Apollo, the sun god, and to Diana, the moon goddess. -At the ceremonial there was a procession of youths who carried olive -branches hung with food, fruit, and images of phalli. - - * * * * * - -The genesiac theme, in its most lustful implication, was so prevalent in -early history that there was a sect, known as the Baptae, dedicated to -Cotytto, an obscene and lewd goddess. They celebrated their nocturnal -abominations at Athens, Corinth, in Thrace, and on the island of Chios. - -One of the peculiar features of the Baptae was their custom of drinking -from glass vessels shaped like a phallus. Juvenal, the Roman satirist, -in describing the Baptae and their mystic and symbolic rites, refers to -one participant who drinks from a glass Priapus: vitreo bibit ille -Priapo. - - * * * * * - -According to the testimony of the Greek historian Herodotus, a certain -Melampus brought the cult of Bacchus, the worship of the generative -capacity, to Greece, approximately in the thirteenth century B.C. He -expounded the features of the Egyptian cult and established processional -rites and ceremonies adapted from Egyptian usage. - - * * * * * - -In ancient Greece Bacchus, the phallic divinity, was equated with -Dionysus. In the cities the Greater Dionysia, or the Urban Dionysia, -were celebrated in his honor for three days. The locale was at Limnae in -Attica, and the season was the middle of the month of March. - -In very early times, the Greek biographer and philosopher Plutarch -declares, the rites were of a simple but joyous nature. But in his own -time the celebration had reached a lavish, extravagant splendor. - -Women, devotees of the Bacchic symbol and known as Bacchantes, -introduced the ritualistic procession. Chaste maidens, impeccable in -morality and of distinguished birth, followed. These were the -Canephoroi, the Basket-bearers who bore on their heads baskets -containing the sacred utensils used at the celebration: together with -mystic objects, flowers, salt, sesame, and a flower-bedecked phallus. A -detachment came next to the Canephoroi: these were the Phallophoroi. The -Phallophoroi were the Phallus-bearers, carrying, attached to long -staffs, the phallic emblem. - -Musicians were also in the march, chanting and accompanying the choral -odes with twanging strings, and at brief intervals emitting loud -exclamations in glorification of the god. - -There were other strange participants. The Ithyphalli, men dressed in -women’s garments, who chanted salacious phallic songs. Scandalous satyrs -led goats for sacrifice, while Bacchantes performed obscene dance -movements. There was, over the entire celebration, an atmosphere of -debauchery and libidinous license consonant with the phallic context of -the cult. - - * * * * * - -In Carthage, a spot outside the city was consecrated to Astarte, the -goddess of generation, and called Sicca Veneria. Among the Phoenicians a -similar spot, intended for the same purpose, that is religious -fornication, was known as Siccoth Venoth. - - * * * * * - -In Biblical antiquity, the primary concept was for man to be fruitful -and multiply, and replenish the earth. To this end, concubinage was -consequently not frowned upon and was practiced _pari passu_ with -marriage. Maid servants were commonly taken by their masters as -concubines, as in the case of Hagar, and also in that of Reumah. Lot -even gave his maiden daughters for the satisfaction of the lustful -inhabitants of Sodom. Later, he committed incest with these daughters. - -The servant women of Jacob, Bilhah and Zilpah, became his concubines. -These are instances, among many others, that illustrate cases of -adultery and fornication that do not appear to have had a condemnatory -stigma or reproach attached to them. For the object in these -circumstances was procreation and propagation and that was the primal -function enjoined upon man. - -The corollary is that sterility is a personal reproach in Biblical -times, a social defect that is looked upon with opprobrium, particularly -in Oriental countries. - - * * * * * - -In Spain, the phallic cult was practiced under the name of Hortanes. -This cult is mentioned by the Roman epic poet, Silius Italicus, in his -_Punica_. He describes the orgiastic revels of Satyrs and Maenads in -nocturnal rites in honor of the Hispanic fascinum. - -In the South of France, also, and in Belgium, excavations unearthed -relics, monuments, amulets and other artifacts, bas-reliefs and -antiquities of various kinds, all testifying to the ancient cult of -Priapus and his functions and the deep and wide reverence for his -omnipotence. In Germany, Priapus lost the somewhat indulgent character -of a phallic and generative deity responsive to supplication and -promise, and became a violent, blood-lusting monstrosity. In parts of -Eastern Europe, again, Priapus became Pripe-Gala, sanguinary and -destructive. - - * * * * * - -Ancient Armenia had a deity analogous to Priapus or Aphrodite or -Astarte. She was known as Diana Anaïtis, and her cult involved temple -prostitution. The same practice, on the testimony of the Greek historian -Herodotus, was in vogue in Lydia. Another writer, the Roman geographer -Pomponius Mela, who belongs in the first century A.D., has similar -references in the case of an African people called the Augilae. - -Again, the practice was prevalent at Naucratis, in Egypt. - - * * * * * - -The phallic cult, that was originally consecrated to the propagation of -all things, in as much as the fascinum itself symbolized the sacred -regeneration of all Nature, in time degenerated so that only the phallus -as such became the symbol of lust and passion and debauchery. It became -the emblem of excesses in erotic encounters, the sign of the prostitute. -Priapus actually became an object of some contempt, a humble scarecrow -of the fields, chthonic guardian of the orchards, a subject of coarse -ribaldry, as is testified in the Latin corpus of poems known under the -name of Priapeia. - - * * * * * - -The lascivious mores of the Egyptians under the guise of veneration of -the priapic bull Apis, and their obscene dances, rituals, and similar -performances are described and commented on in great detail by Herodotus -in his History of the Persian Wars. - - * * * * * - -The genitalia and all references to the phallic image were in very -ancient times held in such sacred esteem and reverence that in Biblical -literature the inviolable sanctity of an oath was ratified by touching -the area of the genitalia, or the thigh, to use the Biblical euphemism. -The Hebrews especially held the generative organs in the greatest -respect, socially, ethnically, and religiously: and nudity as a -consequence was a matter of shameful stigma and opprobrium. - -Among the Moslems too the most binding oath was taken with respect to -the sanctity of the genitalia. - - * * * * * - -In Egypt, in the temple of Isis, sacred prostitution was a regular -religious practice. Reference to this circumstance is made by the Roman -satirist, Juvenal, who calls Isis a procuress and her shrine a -rendez-vous for adulterous and libidinous practices. - - * * * * * - -Among symbolic emblems that represented, in combination, the male and -female principles of generation and fecundity, were the Egyptian crux -ansata and the seal of Solomon. - - * * * * * - -The phallic symbol was so pervasive, so potent, in the lives of the -ancients, that the priapic function and the erotic variations of the -generative performance were pictorially represented in every conceivable -form of reproduction: scenes on vases representing perverted -consummations: baskets filled with phalli that were offered for sale to -yearning women: ithyphallic figures: monuments, lamps and other objects -depicting orgiastic lubricities. - - * * * * * - -In Ezekiel 16.17 there is a reference to the phallic figure: Fecisti -tibi imagines masculinas et fornicata es in eis. - - * * * * * - -In one of the bucolic Idyls of the Greek poet Theocritus (c. 310–c. 250 -B.C.) the maiden Simaetha, in love with Delphis, who has abandoned her, -attempts to regain his love by performing certain magic rites and making -invocations to Selene, Aphrodite, and the horrendous Hecate. - -She fashions a wax image of Delphis and by sympathetic magic anticipates -the melting of his heart in correspondence with the melting of the -image. - -In addition, she makes use of the magic wheel, and her refrain -throughout the performance is: - - My magic wheel, draw home to me - The man I love! - -Intertwined with these rituals is the further refrain, addressed to -Selene, the moon goddess: - - Bethink thee of my love, - And whence it came, - My Lady Moon! - - * * * * * - -In his _De Sanitate Tuenda Praecepta_, Advice on keeping Well, Plutarch, -the Greek philosopher and biographer, comments on lust and potions: - -While we loathe and detest women who contrive philtres and magic to use -upon their husbands, we entrust our food and provisions to hirelings and -slaves to be all but bewitched and drugged. If the saying of Arcesilaus, -addressed to the adulterous and licentious, appears too bitter, to the -effect that ‘it makes no difference whether a man practices lewdness in -the front parlor or in the back hall,’ yet it is not without its -application to our subject. For in very truth, what difference does it -make whether a man employ aphrodisiacs to stir and excite licentiousness -for the purpose of pleasure or whether he stimulate his taste by odors -and sauces to require, like the itch, continual scratchings and -ticklings. - - (Loeb) - - * * * * * - -In Greek mythology, Andromache, the wife of the Trojan warrior Hector, -was accused by Hermione, wife of Neoptolemus, of gaining his love by -means of love-potions. Euripides, the tragic poet (c. 485–406 B.C.), -refers to the situation in his drama _Andromache_: - - Not of my philtres thy lord hateth thee, - But that thy nature is no mate for his. - That is the love-charm: woman, ’tis not beauty - That witcheth bridegrooms, nay, but nobleness. - - * * * * * - -Philtres were in actual use beyond mythological times. Xenophon (c. -430–354 B.C.), the Greek historian, author of _Memorabilia_, alludes to -the practice: - - “They say,” replied Socrates, “that there are certain - incantations which those who know them chant to whomsoever they - please, and thus make them their friends; and that there are - also love potions which those who know them administer to whomso - they will; and are in consequence loved by them.” - - * * * * * - -Propertius, however, the Roman elegiac poet (c. 48 B.C.–16 B.C.), refers -to the futility of love potions: - - Here herbs are of no avail, - nor nocturnal Cytaeis, - nor grasses brewed by the - hand of Perimede. - -Cytaeis is the witch Medea: while Perimede is another witch, called by -Homer Agamede. - - * * * * * - -The Bacchic cult in Egypt is described by the Greek historian Herodotus -in Book 2 of his _History of the Persian Wars_: - - To Bacchus, on the eve of his feast, every Egyptian sacrifices a - hog before the door of his house, which is then given back to - the swineherd by whom it was furnished, and by him carried away. - In other respects the festival is celebrated almost exactly as - Bacchic festivals are in Greece, excepting that the Egyptians - have no choral dances. They also use instead of phalli another - invention, consisting of images a cubit high, pulled by strings, - which the women carry round to the villages. A piper goes in - front, and the women follow, singing hymns in honor of Bacchus. - They give a religious reason for the peculiarities of the image. - - * * * * * - -In Book 5 of _The History of the Persian Wars_, Herodotus describes some -of the marital customs of the Thracians: - - The Thracians who live above the Crestonaeans observe the - following customs. Each man among them has several wives; and no - sooner does a man die than a sharp contest ensues among the - wives upon the question, which of them all the husband loved - most tenderly; the friends of each eagerly plead on her behalf, - and she to whom the honor is adjudged, after receiving the - praises both of men and women, is slain over the grave by the - hand of her next of kin, and then buried with her husband. The - others are sorely grieved, for nothing is considered such a - disgrace. - -The Thracians who do not belong to these tribes have the customs which -follow. They sell their children to traders. On their maidens they keep -no watch, but leave them altogether free, while on the conduct of their -wives they keep a most strict watch. Brides are purchased of their -parents for large sums of money.... The gods which they worship are but -three, Mars, Bacchus, and Dian. - - * * * * * - -An ancient Hittite text contains invocations and rituals intended to -remedy conditions of incapacity or lack of erotic desire. - -A sacrifice is performed to Uliliyassis, continuing for three days. Food -is prepared: sacrificial loaves, grain, a pitcher of wine. The shirt of -the male suppliant is brought forth. - -The suppliant bathes. He twines cords of red and of white wool. A sheep -is sacrificed. An invocation is made, beseeching help and favor: Come to -this man, the cry arises. Come down to this man. Make his wife conceive -and let him beget sons and daughters. - - * * * * * - -An Egyptian love song, belonging in the second millennium B.C., is still -extant. The love song was usually chanted to a musical accompaniment. -The lover is addressed as sister, or brother. - -The heart is sick from love, laments the victim, and no physician, no -magician can heal this disease, except the appearance of the sister. -There is abundant reference to spices, to myrrh and incense, and the -tone of the amatory supplications and yearnings is the tone of the Song -of Songs. Listlessness on the part of the love-sick suppliant is -banished, as soon as he beholds his beloved, as soon as her arms open in -embrace. - - * * * * * - -In ancient orgiastic cults, particularly those dedicated to Dionysus and -to the Syrian Baal, religious frenzies were accompanied or stimulated by -drugs, fermented drink, by rhythmic dance movements, by tambourine, -drum, and flute music that culminated in ecstatic self-mutilation -followed by wild sexual debaucheries. - - * * * * * - -Passion, lust, incest, fornication, adultery, as well as concubinage and -polygamy, most of the sexual perversions and aberrations that are now -included under medico-psychiatric categories, occur in the Bible, in -both Testaments. - -King David married eight women. On his flight from Absalom he left ten -concubines behind him. Jacob had two wives. King Solomon had seven -hundred wives and three hundred concubines. - -There are instances of enduring affection too, as in the case of Jacob, -who labored for Rachel for fourteen years. - -There is sudden, rapturous love at first sight, at all costs: - - It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch - and was walking upon the roof of the king’s house, that he saw - from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful. - And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is - not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the - Hittite?” - - So David sent messengers and took her, and he lay with her. - -Amnon is overwhelmed by a passionate infatuation for his half sister -Tamar. He was so tormented that he made himself sick because of his -sister. He is advised by his friend Jonadab to go to bed and claim -illness. Tamar brings him food and at this point Amnon attempts -seduction. When she suggests an approach to the king, for permission to -marry Amnon, his lust overpowers him, and he consummates his passion. -After which, in a frenzy of hate, he banishes her. - -The Song of Solomon is a paean to sexual love, an erotic exultation, the -apogee of amatory sensuality. - -In the New Testament, too, there is frequent reference to harlots and -debauchees and to a variety of ‘sinners.’ - - * * * * * - -Babylonian customs, in addition to the rites of temple prostitution, -included both male and female sacred concubines. There was considerable -pre-marital sexual freedom. But there was also monogamous marriage -involving rigid fidelity. Trial marriage was acknowledged. Adultery was -punished by drowning the guilty wife. In the degenerative days of -Babylon, morality broke down. Male prostitutes rouged their cheeks and -bedecked themselves with jewelry, while the poor exposed their daughters -to prostitution. Sensuality and erotic libertinage became dominant and -pervasive. - - * * * * * - -Among the Canaanites the most potent deities—Baal and El and -Asherah—were the symbols of procreation and sexuality. Hence, all acts, -all objects, all rituals associated with copulation, with the phallus, -with fecundity were divinely inspired and inherently sacred. Ceremonials -dedicated to the deities invariably included sexual activity, sacred and -ecstatic orgies. The voluptuous and sensual character of the dedicatory -rites was evidently so appealing that they lured the Israelites into -acceptance and imitation, for the deity of the Israelites was one, -supreme, without kin, without consort, without sexuality. - - * * * * * - -The New Testament attacks pagans, particularly Roman paganism, for -unnatural sexual practices, lusts, and corrupt and degenerate mores. - - * * * * * - -In primitive Greek society, under a primal matriarchy, the male -functioned as a kind of passive sexual partner, and virtually thereafter -as a domestic drudge. - -But in the course of the centuries the male acquired dominance, in the -divine pantheon, and equally on a mortal and earthly plane, politically, -socially, and domestically. - -But the concept of the inter-relationship of the sexes grew into a -concept of one primary harmonious principle of aesthetics, of essential -perfection of beauty, irrespective of sex and hence irrespective of any -compulsive admiration and appreciation of such beauty by one sex or the -other. Beauty became an entity in itself, a sexless trait. In the -Platonic dialogue, in fact, in the _Symposium_, the theory is postulated -that man was at one time androgynous. - -The Greek hetaira or male companion was virtually a prostitute. -Sometimes she acquired a more permanent status, when she was bought by a -master and became a _pallakis_ or concubine. - -Homosexuality, on the other hand, brought no stigma to the boys or young -men involved in the practice. Because homosexuality was a corollary, -applied in practice, of the primary concept of aesthetic beauty -irrespective of sex. - -In the case of women, there was the corresponding though possibly not so -widespread cult of tribadism. - - * * * * * - -The Romans cultivated sexuality, particularly in a heterosexual -direction, with great vigor and lustfulness. It was largely through the -growing consciousness of Rome as an imperial power, and through the -increase in industry and commerce, in wealth and consequent luxury and -idleness, that perversions of all kinds increased and multiplied to such -an abnormal extent that in the first century A.D. the Romans themselves, -through their own poets, commented on the situation and contrasted it, -with some sense of nostalgia, with the severe and rigid and essentially -stabilized moral code that prevailed in the old pre-imperial days. - - * * * * * - -During the Roman Empire, with the increase of childless families, women -were able to give more scope to their femininity, their sexual appeal, -and their erotic allurements. As a consequence, there was an upsurge of -marital license, on the part of both husband and wife, but notoriously -so in the case of the women. This situation reached the most shameless -depths, as the poet Juvenal testifies: and as the Church Fathers later -on asserted, in their wholesale condemnations of pagan practices. - -Early in the first century A.D. the insidious decline of domestic -morality became so manifest that imperial decrees required marriage in -the case of men under sixty and of women under fifty: and these -ordinances also restricted the freedoms of bachelorhood. - -Marriage was thus officially encouraged, and large families were granted -special privileges and monetary awards from the imperial treasury. But -these and similar measures were abortive in their primary purpose. For -prostitution flourished and grew and became so flagrant and yet so -characteristically identified with later Roman society that there were -at least a score of designations for the public harlot, according to her -social status, her price, and her locale. Thus lust and eros were -rampantly triumphant. - -Harlotry was manifestly rife in Old Testament days, for there is -repeated allusion to the practice: in the symbolism of Oholah and -Oholibah, in the Psalms and in the prophets, particularly Isaiah and -Jeremiah, in the Book of Judges, and in Samuel. - -In addition, there is mention of the allurements of the harlot: her -chamber fragrant and enticing with spices and perfumes, aloes and myrrh -and cinnamon. - -There is reference to the personal seductive persuasiveness of the -harlot’s coaxing words, the urgency of her erotic devices. - - * * * * * - -The Old Testament mentions and illustrates the morality involved in -sexual impulses resulting in physiological consummations. Under certain -circumstances, stoning the guilty pair was enjoined. In some cases, the -man only was punished, by death. In other situations the man who spurned -the woman after carnally knowing her was whipped and fined one hundred -shekels of silver. For fornication, the death penalty was normally -enforced. Sacred prostitution in the temple, too, whether affecting male -or female, was prohibited. - - * * * * * - -Homosexuality and sacred male prostitution are both known to the Bible. -In Deuteronomy there is an injunction against the sons of Israel -becoming sacred prostitutes. The abominations of Sodom receive ample -treatment. Even transvestism is prohibited, for it suggests sexual -dubiety, physiological ambiguity, and a possible merging of the sexes, a -potential elimination of the sexual demarcations. Other amatory -abnormalities also appear in Biblical contexts, among them: rape, -voyeurism, and bestiality. - - * * * * * - -With the onset of the Hellenistic Age, concurrent with Alexander the -Great’s death in 323 B.C., the Mysteries, the exclusive secretive cults, -advanced in importance and in the extent of their influence. Many of -these cults came from the East and merged, with adaptations and various -amplifications or modifications, into the Greek and Roman religious -sphere. The cult of Cybele, Magna Mater Deorum, the Mighty Mother of the -gods, was most dominant, transcending all other cults and to some degree -absorbing them. In addition, there were the cults of Sabazios, of -Mithras, of Isis and Osiris. These cults bound the initiates to close -secrecy: and thus only occasional fragments, hints, references from -various sources can present any degree of coherence and design in the -cults. It is known that there were dramatic presentations involving -communion with the deities, dark rites and ceremonials, even vague -adumbrations of the concept of immortality, as well as castigation and -castration, fertility symbolisms and seasonal fructifying cycles. There -were, further, the Gnostics, searchers for divine knowledge. Some of -these speculative cosmologists were scrupulously ascetic in every sense, -while others orgiastically indulged, toward the attainment of the same -end, in fleshly passions. - - * * * * * - -At the Greek celebration of the Phallophoria, leather or wooden -representations of the phallus were carried processionally through the -public streets of the polis. It was the thematic manifestation of -all-embracing fertility, on land, among the beasts of the fields, and in -human relationships. It was a kind of visual paean, in fact, to the -primal sexual impulse, to the basic erotic conflict. - - * * * * * - -One of the earliest instances of multiple incest occurs in Book 10 of -Homer’s _Odyssey_, in which Odysseus describes his visit to Aeolus. -Aeolus has a family of six daughters and six sons, and he has given his -daughters in marriage to his own sons. - - * * * * * - -In Greece the Aphrodision, and in Rome the Venereum, were the private -bordellos that were not used by the general indiscriminate public. - - * * * * * - -Both in antiquity and in later ages the public baths, with both sexes in -nude contacts in the _balnea mixta_, were a direct amatory stimulant. As -further provocatives, there was, in particular cases, bathing in asses’ -milk, in essences of myrtle and lavender, in rose water, in almond paste -and in honey water, and also in champagne. - - * * * * * - -In Greece, the phallus was so pervasive as a genesiac symbol in every -phase of daily life, that there were loaves baked in phallic form. These -loaves were known, for another erotic reason, as olisbokolices. - - * * * * * - -Drillopotae were glass vessels in phallic form. They were used, in -ancient Rome, as drinking cups: and thus were an added erotic reminder -at banquets and similar gatherings. - - * * * * * - -In Roman antiquity the color yellow was associated with prostitutes, and -was a symbol of their profession. Yellow still retained this -significance in the Central European countries in later ages. In Tsarist -Russia, the yellow ticket was the official prostitute’s occupational -token. Alexander Kuprin’s _Yama the Pit_ describes the situation in a -vivid and grim narrative. - - * * * * * - -Figurae Veneris is a Latin expression meaning _positions of Venus_. This -phrase refers to the range of sexual positions. The Greeks were familiar -with some seventy such permutations and manipulations. There were the -symplegma and the catena, which involved more than two partners, and the -dodekamechanon. Hesychius the Greek lexicographer, Philaenis, and, among -the Romans, the poet Martial mention these contortions. In the Middle -Ages, the licentious poet Pietro Aretino produced a poetic commentary on -the entire extent of erotic possibilities. - -Among periapts and amulets that were credited with promoting erotic -activity were charms in the shape of an extended hand, a wild boar, the -head of a bull, astrological signs; magic formulas too, inscribed on -various objects; the crux ansata, and genitalia. - - * * * * * - -Among erotic pieces that are no longer extant are certain elegiac poems, -of an amatory type, attributed formerly to Plato the philosopher. An -ancient Roman poet named Laevius wrote an erotopaegnion. Apuleius, the -Roman philosopher and novelist, produced a number of amatory epigrams. -These references, together with others that include Vergil’s _Aeneid_ -and the _Georgics_, are made by the Roman poet Ausonius himself. - -He adds, also, that, like Martial and other poets, his life is -unblemished though his verses may be dubious: - - Igitur cui hic ludus noster non placet, ne legerit: aut cum - legerit, obliviscatur: aut non oblitus, ignoscat. - - * * * * * - -Phallic priests were called phallobatai. Not only Priapus, but other -deities as well in ancient Greece, were worshipped with erotic fervor. -Among these were Phanes, Lordon, and Orthanes. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: - - Metropolitan Museum of Art - - LOVE AND PSYCHE - - _by Rodin_ -] - -[Illustration: - - Philadelphia Museum of Art - - THE ABDUCTOR - - _by Rodin_ -] - -Philodemus of Gadara, who flourished in the first century B.C., was a -Greek poet who settled in Rome. He became an intimate of powerful -political forces, and also gathered around him a coterie of Romans -interested in philosophy and literature. Among other works, mostly of a -philosophical nature, Philodemus produced erotic pieces marked by -extreme lewdness. Some twenty-five of these epigrams are still extant, -collected in the corpus known as the _Anthologia Palatina_. These poems -became popular in Rome and were imitated by both Horace and Ovid. - - * * * * * - -As an erotic stimulus, Greek women wore diaphanous thin-spun robes made -of silk from the island of Cos. In Rome, similarly, prostitutes -sometimes wore a toga vitrea—a glassy or transparent toga. There were, -too, vestes sericae—silk dresses, in feminine use. - -All such robes, of course, were of a purposely revealing and tantalizing -nature, acting upon the viewer in a marked amatory direction. Seneca, -the Roman Stoic philosopher, makes blunt and condemnatory remarks on the -custom. - - * * * * * - -In Athens, there was an old quarter of the city dedicated to -prostitution of the lowest type. This area was known as the Ceramicus. - - * * * * * - -The agents who acted as intermediaries, as panders and procurers and -enticers in the furtive sexual commerce, in the seamy undercurrents of -ancient life, were known under various descriptive designations. In -Greece, there were the maulis and the draxon, the karbis and the -proagogos, the mastropos, the prokyklis and the nymphagogos and the -pornoboscos. Romans had their own counterparts: the professional -procurer, the leno, the mercator meretricius, the admissarius and the -institor, the lenonum minister, the perductor and the conductor: and, -among the female operatives, the agaga and the stimulatrix, the -conciliatrix and the stupri sequestra. - - * * * * * - -Phallic symbols enter into the Biblical context in I Kings, where Judah -is described as building high places and pillars on every high hill. -These pillars were actually phallic symbols, in the style of the -abominations of the Canaanite cults. - - * * * * * - -In antiquity, in Biblical and post-Biblical times, the woman, in the -widest sense, was the amatory slave of man. But with the woman’s -increase of knowledge in erotic skills and practices, in the secrets of -her potent physiological attractions, in the use of unguents and -cosmetics, potions and concoctions, in corporeal and mechanistic -allurements and seductions, the woman’s status gradually rose and -extended and became all-embracing. Slowly, by virtue of these very -artifices and techniques, by means of gyrations and gestures, -provocative dances and tantalizing dress, silent invitations and ocular -speech, she began to dominate man, to render him subservient and even -obsequious, to control his habits and inclinations and tendencies in -social and political directions: until woman, reaching the apogee of her -power, based primarily on her erotic compulsiveness, became the woman -behind the throne. She had attained her highest end, her ultimate -destiny, as the implicit director of human activities. She usurped man’s -status, and assumed the regal baton. She manipulated kings and sultans, -and her endearments were bought at the price of nations. She decided the -fate of empires by her mere brusque whims, or personal resentment, her -unpredictable likes. Man exchanged realms and justice for her amatory -acquiescence, her erotic beneficence. - - * * * * * - -In a formal religious-ceremonial sense, antiquity acknowledged -participation of women in the sacred temples. In Asia Minor, in the -cults of Baal-Peor, in the Egyptian cults of Isis and Osiris, in the -Mediterranean Hellenic islands where the cult of Aphrodite in various -forms and of analogous deities of passion and lust and procreation was -prevalent, in the case of the Vestal guardians of the Roman state -religion, priestesses took part in the hieratic rituals, in festive -ceremonials, in sacrificial and processional rites. - -Even with the advent of Christianity the Greek church in the East had -its female votaries, while deaconesses were normally attached to the -Church in the West. In the course of time, however, this acquiescence in -a female priesthood turned into resentment, into hate, and finally into -bitter and continuous official condemnation. Woman became the evil -daemon, the essence of every malefic, licentious, forbidden, obscene -practice, the sink of turpitude, the scourge of men, the destruction of -humanity. Thus many early Fathers of the Church, Tertullian and Arnobius -and Clement of Alexandria, inveigh against the serpentine machinations -of woman. Hence this view and these attitudes were transmitted into the -Middle Ages. In these middle centuries woman is depicted as the ally of -Satanic forces, powerful on account of her very femininity, her presumed -innocent frailty. She is essentially guileful and treacherous, amoral -and immoral, and bent on the spiritual subjugation and desecration of -perplexed man. Woman became the symbol of all sin, the prototype of -every sacrilegious concept. She was stripped of a soul. She was in -league with the demoniac tenebrous forces, the Satanic legions that -furtively and thaumaturgically work their evil spells on man. She -became, in short, the Anti-Christ incarnate, the Abominable Witch, -consort of horned and hoofed Satan. And her attractions, her feminine -beauty, were merely distorted and insidious forms of her fundamental -iniquities. - - * * * * * - -Woman was conceived as attaining her sanguinary or lustful purposes by -means of feminine stratagems or conspiratorial schemes, by personal -ruthlessness that swept aside all frustrations, all moralities, and -stopped neither at poisoning nor at murder. The roster of such women, in -the stream of universal history, is long and challenging. It includes, -among many others equally notorious, equally branded, Lilith and -Cleopatra, Claudia and Messalina, Antonina and Theodora, Catherine of -Russia and Elizabeth Bathory, Madame de Montespan and Lady Kyteler, the -Borgias and Isobel Gowdie, Jeannette Biscar: and, in goetic contexts, -Sagana, Canidia, and Oenothea. - - * * * * * - -Aphrodite had many forms, multiple aspects of her functions and her -patronage, numberless descriptive designations, both in Greece itself -and in the cults of Asia Minor where her attributes were equated with -the properties of analogous and indigenous divinities. But basically she -was one, the universal, the cosmic force that dominates all amatory -contacts, that drives men, intent votaries of the goddess and bent on -adherent dedication to her offices, to the realization of her -injunctions at all costs, resorting to charms and mystic recipes, to -fantastic interpretations of precious stones and flowers, to talismans -and amatory manuals, grimoires, exotic herbs and insidious preparations. - - * * * * * - -For centuries man and woman have displayed mutual hostilities and -resentments in a number of directions: personally and socially, -politically and spiritually. Yet there appears a strange dichotomy in -this human pair of male and female. They have despised each other and -have sought each other, as Plato suggests in one of his more fanciful -moments. The mutual act of racial procreation merged and was -subsequently largely lost in the erotic consummations itself. So that, -as the complexities of life grew, and as its manifestations multiplied -and offered man a variety of experiences, motifs, recreational -facilities and diversions, the woman as such came into her own, and -Aphrodite established her sacred and profane sanctuaries at the -crossroads, in sundered islands of the Aegean Sea, on the highways, in -luxurious retreats, and in rural fastnesses. And, casting aside all -spiritualities in man’s search for a teleological significance to -existence, made Eros the alpha and omega, the final purpose, of cosmic -being. - - * * * * * - -Initiation into the cult of Aphrodite was known by the Greek expression -mysterion: the mystery. The participants, the mystai, after bathing in -the sea—and the sea itself was symbolic, for it was the source of -Aphrodite’s own birth—, they assembled in the evening in the Mystery -Hall. Torches were lit, casting flitting shadows and tenebrous shapes -through the chamber. - -Then the ritual began. There were recitals by the initiates. Sacred -objects were shown to the awed gathering, as well as certain phenomena -about which too little knowledge has been transmitted. Then some kinds -of performances were presented, all associated with the portentous -relation between mortals, striving toward passionate intimacy with the -divinity, and the puissant deity herself. - -Three degrees of initiation were in force: the first initiate approach: -the preliminary stage: and the highest rites. This final ritual, it is -believed, brought into communion the adept and the deity. Erotic and -sexual symbols were dominant factors in this ceremonial. - -In this mystic cult of the goddess, the hierodule, the courtesan, is the -intermediary between the suppliant and the divinity. She is the sexual -passport, so to speak, that leads to the more secretive ritual of the -Aphroditic temple. - -There is, in the course of this rite, the necessity for a purgation, a -purification by water. There is a reference to such an initiation in the -Roman poet Juvenal’s second satire. He speaks of a mystic sect called -the Baptae. This expression derives from the Greek baptizo, dipping in -water. The Baptae drank, as an element in their ritual, powerful liquids -from phallus-shaped vessels. These Baptae were devotees of Cotytto, an -obscene and salacious goddess. - -Women were not admitted to the Aphroditic rites: but, strangely, the men -came robed as women, painted and powdered and reeking in exotic -perfumes. Subsequently, they dedicated themselves to every form of -sexual subtlety. - -In another more advanced stage of initiation, where physical love became -sublimated, Aphrodite was in this phase the Syrian goddess Derceto or -Atargatis: the half woman, half fish deity. Basically she was a -fertility goddess, sometimes called Dea Syria, the Syrian goddess, the -universal divinity. Her cult is described by the Greek writer Lucian: -and Apuleius, the Roman philosopher and novelist, speaks about her -priests, the wandering Galli: - - How the Priests of the Goddesse Siria Were Taken and Put in - Prison. - -After that we had tarried there a few dayes at the cost and charges of -the whole Village, and had gotten much mony by our divination and -prognostication of things to come: The priests of the goddesse Siria -invented a new meanes to picke mens purses, for they had certaine lofts, -whereon were written: Coniuncti terram proscindunt boves ut in futurum -laeta germinent sata: that is to say. The Oxen tied and yoked together, -doe till the ground to the intent it may bring forth his increase: and -by these kind of lottes they deceive many of the simple sort, for if one -had demanded whether he should have a good wife or no, they would say -that his lot did testifie the same, that he should be tyed and yoked to -a good woman and have increase of children. If one demanded whether he -should buy lands and possession, they said that he should have much -ground that should yeeld his increase. If one demanded whether he should -have a good and prosperous voyage, they said he should have good -successe, and it should be for the increase of his profit. If one -demanded whether hee should vanquish his enemies, and prevaile in -pursuite of theeves, they said that this enemy should be tyed and yoked -to him: and his pursuite after theeves should be prosperous. Thus by the -telling of fortunes, they gathered a great quantity of money, but when -they were weary with giving of answers, they drave me away before them -next night, through a lane which was more dangerous and stony then the -way which we went the night before, for on the one side were quagmires -and foggy marshes, on the other side were falling trenches and ditches, -whereby my legges failed me, in such sort that I could scarce come to -the plaine field pathes. And behold by and by a great company of -inhabitants of the towne armed with weapons and on horseback overtooke -us, and incontinently arresting Philebus and his Priests, tied them by -the necks and beate them cruelly, calling them theeves and robbers, and -after they had manacled their hands: Shew us (quoth they) the cup of -gold, which (under the colour of your solemne religion) ye have taken -away, and now ye thinke to escape in the night without punishment for -your fact. By and by one came towards me, and thrusting his hand into -the bosome of the goddesse Siria, brought out the cup which they had -stole. Howbeit for all they appeared evident and plaine they would not -be confounded nor abashed, but jesting and laughing out the matter, gan -say: Is it reason masters that you should thus rigorously intreat us, -and threaten for a small trifling cup, which the mother of the Goddesse -determined to give to her sister for a present? Howbeit for all their -lyes and cavellations, they were carryed back unto the towne, and put in -prison by the Inhabitants, who taking the cup of gold, and the goddesse -which I bare, did put and consecrate them amongst the treasure of the -temple. - - * * * * * - -Aphrodite exacted from her devotees certain prescribed ceremonies, -testimonies to their communion with the goddess, palpable evidences of -their total mystic and spiritual absorption in the sacraments she -demanded of her votaries. - -The ritual followed an established design. At sunset the catechumen is -conducted to the temple. Then, facing the East, the priest raises his -left hand skyward and with his right he seizes a bronze knife, plunges -it into boiling water, and then performs the ritual sexual rite with -respect to the catechumen. - -Then followed solemn and hieratic instruction in the amatory procedures, -including the methods of arousing erotic sensibilities, provocative -postures and gestures, words and formulas, osculation and its pervasive -corporeal significance. There were, furthermore, illustrative -consummations, considered without lewdness, but accepted as formal -elements in the grave cosmic scheme. There was a musical accompaniment -that softly intertwined in the sequence of the various rituals and -presentations, a kind of amatory, seductive litany, enfolding the entire -ceremonial in a sacred aura of mysticism. In the concluding phase of -these rites, there appeared the phallic procession, the symbolic -glorification of the creative urge, and the actual illustration of this -potency culminated in an abandoned sexual orgy, indiscriminate and -incestuous, exultant and fleshly, carnal and spiritual in one fervid -syncretism. A concomitant of this vast sensual exhibition, this release -of the physical carapace, was prostitution itself, which for long -retained a ritualistic character. - -The next step in this genesiac process was sacred prostitution, whereby -the woman symbolized the solemnity and the compulsiveness of the -Aphroditic cult, while the man was the visitant, a suppliant for the -favor of the divinity. And the hierodule thus was a kind of prototype, -associated with wise skills, a vestal of the goddess, initiating men -into secret amatory and sacred rituals: an adept too in concocting love -philtres to further genesiac exultation, to induce total participation -in a sort of Aphroditic gnosticism. - - * * * * * - -The Aphroditic injunction embraced, in a sense, the entire cosmos. It -involved primarily self-love, love of being, awareness of the -significant entity, the ego itself, marked by dignity, by esteem. Then -followed the love of the social milieu of which one formed part, and of -the impulse to maintain its equilibrium by contributing one’s own -efforts, one’s personal function, to the totality of the social frame. -Lastly, there was a kind of all-embracing, comprehensive cosmic love, -directed to a synthesis of corporeal love that mystically rose to a -sublimated spiritual-amatory zone. - - * * * * * - -In the mystic cults, it was postulated that the amatory embrace partakes -of both a human and a cosmic form of attraction, and becomes, in a -sublimated degree, an act of prayer, an erotic supplication. - - * * * * * - -The priapic cult was the male counterpart of the Aphroditic cult. Just -as the hierodule was the official priestess of the goddess, mentor in -the feminine erotic and reverential mysteries, so the priapic cult had -for its primary objective the exaltation of the male generative -principle. In remote antiquity, and particularly in Egyptian mysticism, -the phallus was the representative symbol of Osiris, the ultimate -creative potency. Gradually, in the course of the centuries, the phallic -symbol acquired a pejorative and degrading and exclusively and narrowly -functional nature associated with the mere physical act. And Priapus, -equated at one time with Osiris, degenerated into a secondary and minor -figure, a mere rustic threat. Yet Priapus retained some semblance of his -former repute. He still had his temple and his priestly ministrants. He -still received favors and offerings. He still made promises to his -devotees and listened to their urgent amatory pleas. He still maintained -his sexual rituals, however much they had lost their spiritual and -cosmic values. He still presided, in the actuality of performance, over -marriage initiations, over nuptial consummations. But with time he -disappeared as a member of the mystery cults. And only in vestiges of -legend, in old rites transmitted into the Middle Ages, in sculptural -presentations, in phallic symbolisms, did his former magnificence and -his primary rank retain any fragmentary reminiscence of his vanished -glories. - -In the smaller towns of Italy festive occasions in honor of Priapus were -perpetuated until far into the Middle Ages; and Priapus, in some -instances, particularly in Brittany, in Belgium, and in France, merged -with Christian saints, who appropriated, in their turn, the genesiac -properties of their prototype. - -In rural districts, shrines dedicated to Priapus defied the spread of -Christianity, while phallic forms, in marble and stone, adorned public -buildings, baths, columns, churches. Priapus, to some extent, thus went -underground. He became a furtive and then an obsolescent and forgotten -figure: but in Switzerland and in Sweden, in Provence and in Germany, -Priapus clung tenaciously, if only in an etymological sense. For Friday, -Friga’s day, is merely a Teutonic or Anglo-Saxon form of the Day of -Priapus. - -Strange how the antique charms and periapts, the old Roman fascina, were -still suspended from the necks of children and women: often without any -awareness of the actual significance of the talisman, but just as -frequently, until late into the fourteenth century at least, -ecclesiastical ordinances and prohibitions made it evident that there -was official knowledge of the priapic survival. - - * * * * * - -Among the ancient Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Babylonians, the erotic cult -was dedicated to the fertility deities Ishtar and Bel and Sin. Ishtar -was the Mesopotamian Aphrodite: a goddess of love and at the same time a -warrior deity. Bel is Baal-Peor, the phallic deity, while Sin is the -moon divinity. - - * * * * * - -Aphrodite, as a universal goddess, with universal erotic functions that -embrace all humanity, all elements of the cosmos, appears in different -regions and centuries under a variety of names. She is Aphrodite -Callipygos and she is Aphrodite Anosia: Aphrodite Peribaso and Aphrodite -Anadyomene and Aphrodite Hetaira. Sometimes she is designated with -reference to her beauty, or to her amatory functions, or to her -epichorial association with temple worship dedicated to her person, or -to the suppliants whom she intimately protects. She is thus Aphrodite -Pandemos and Aphrodite Porne. She is Aphrodite Trymalitis and Aphrodite -Stratonikis. She is Aphrodite Pontia and Aphrodite Urania. - -Then she becomes, retaining her essential character but merely -transferring her rituals, Venus Fisica and Venus Caelesiis and Venus -Erycian. She is the Cytherean and the Paphian, she is the Cyprian -divinity. - -She is known, again, as Anaïtis and as Astoreth. She is Allat and -Argimpasa and Atargatis. In later ages she is Milda in Eastern Europe -and Merta and Freya in the North. - -But under whatever designation she appears, in Arabia or Scythia, in the -Greek Islands or in Carthage, she is fertility incarnate and love. She -is the alma Venus genetrix that the Roman poet Lucretius reverently -invokes. - - * * * * * - -Through the ages the concept of generation has undergone progressively -definitive changes. In proto-historical times, when legend and myth, -mingling with supernatural fantasies, conceived imaginative unrealities -in relation to the medical and physiological facts, the ancient Hindu -epics assumed man as sprung from the forests, from aspen and ash trees, -sylvan creatures, in some sense, corresponding to the half-human form of -the ancient Hellenic satyrs. In some regions of India there was a belief -that the produce of certain trees was human beings, male and female, and -that the mortals fell upon the earth like ripe fruit. Among the Persians -and contiguous races of antiquity, pregnant women were given soma juice -to drink, to ensure handsome children. Soma is an intoxicating brew that -is often mentioned in Vedic religious rituals. According to Pliny the -Elder’s testimony, water in which mistletoe has been steeped encourages -procreation in women and animals. - -The oak tree and the chestnut also have been reputed to aid in -procreation. So with plants too, that have at all times been treated as -potential and actual amatory aids. An African legend makes a girl, after -drinking the juice of a certain plant, give birth to a mighty warrior. - -The chewing of lilies was considered conducive to fertility, in medieval -folklore. So, in still earlier times, with the pomegranate and the -almond. In many cases, the belief arose from the similarity of the plant -or flower or herb, in certain respects, to the genitalia or the pudenda. -This was so in the case of the bean. So with mandrake, and cress, and -certain species of berries. - - * * * * * - -Another legendary mode of conception, prevalent in ancient classical and -Oriental mythology, was theriomorphic theogamy: that is, generation by a -divinity who assumes animal form. - -Instances are multiple. Zeus, in the shape of a bull, pursues Europa in -cow form. In Egypt, Apis the bull has a similar function. The seductive -serpent, again, is Zeus once more, exercising his protean capacity. On -occasion, he becomes a swan, and associates with Leda. Or he becomes a -variety of creatures: an ant, or a dove, or a goat, or an ass. Once, -Neptune, for a similar purpose, turned into a ram. - -Sometimes, also, the divine serpent, sinuous and wily and knowledgeable, -is actually devoured by the woman, as in Arab regions. - -Not only animals and plants were associated with generative capacities, -but natural phenomena as well: the winds and storms, hail and the sun -and the rain. Some primitive tribes attributed their origin to snow: -some to lightning, or to thunder, to the rainbow, to clouds, to the -morning star. A warm breeze, or a cyclone might equally well have been -their source. Greek, Roman, and Chinese myths contain numberless -illustrations of astral or phenomenal association with mortal -generation. - -There is a wry anecdote on this phase in Flavius Josephus, the -historian. An ingenious suitor performs the function of the deity Anubis -with complete faithful acceptance. - -This type of mortal substitution in place of the divinity was common in -the priestly rituals of Egypt, and was not unknown in Asia Minor, in -India, and in China. - - * * * * * - -Periapts or talismans as an erotic provocation were anciently devised in -phallic form. They were carried on the person, by both men and women, or -were used to decorate temples and shrines and public buildings. - -In later ages, amatory talismans assumed a great variety of forms, in -the shape of rings, necklaces, plaques engraved with formulas or -astrological figures and signs of the Zodiac or possibly a bull, a dove, -a number or a series of mystic numbers. A piece of parchment might be -inscribed with names, or the alphabetical sign of Venus. Precious stones -were talismans, each possessing an esoteric virtue or property according -to color or substance. A periapt might be set in some strategic spot: -buried underground, placed under a pillow: or even ground into a powder. - -The all-powerful goddess herself, Venus, had her own minerals. Copper, -associated with the love goddess, was known to the Greeks as aphrodon. -Tin also was of Aphroditic significance: while sulphur springs were -also, in a legendary sense, related to Venus. - -It has even been credited that floral nomenclature contains amatory -significance, and that certain plants have their erotic symbolisms. - - * * * * * - -Flowers in antiquity as well as in modern times had their erotic -implications. To the Greeks and Romans, the essence of _areté_, of -beauty and perfection, was the rose, while the Egyptians too revered the -rose as the prototype of perfection. - -To Aphrodite were consecrated the mistletoe and myrtle, the lily, -satyrion, the iris, celandine, sengreen, mallow, and verbena. - - - - - CHAPTER II - GREEK - - -_Plato_ - -Plato (c. 429–347 B.C.), the Greek philosopher who developed his -metaphysical and cosmological theories through a series of some -twenty-five dialogues and the _Apology_, has a great deal to say on the -erotic theme. - -In the _Timaeus_, he says of sexual excess: - - He who has the seed about the spinal marrow too plentiful and - overflowing, like a tree overladen with fruit, has many throes, - and also obtains many pleasures in his desires and their - offspring, and is for the most part of his life deranged because - his pleasures and pains are so very great; his soul is rendered - foolish and disordered by his body; yet he is regarded not as - one diseased, but as one who is voluntarily bad, which is a - mistake. The truth is that sexual intemperance is a disease of - the soul due chiefly to the moisture and fluidity which is - produced in one of the elements by the loose consistency of the - bones. And in general, all that which is termed the incontinence - of pleasure and is deemed a reproach under the idea that the - wicked voluntarily do wrong is not justly a matter for reproach. - For no man is voluntarily bad, but the bad become bad by reason - of an ill disposition of the body and bad education—things which - are hateful to every man and happen to him against his will. - -Again, of sexual love, Plato says, in the _Timaeus_: - - On the subject of animals, then, the following remarks may be - offered. Of the men who came into the world, those who were - cowards or led unrighteous lives may with reason be supposed to - have changed into the nature of women in the second generation. - And this was the reason why at that time the gods created in us - the desire of sexual intercourse, contriving in man one animated - substance, and in woman another, which they formed, - respectively, in the following manner. The outlet for drink by - which liquids pass through the lung under the kidneys and into - the bladder, which receives and then by the pressure of the air - emits them, was so fashioned by them as to penetrate also into - the body of the marrow, which passes from the head along the - neck and through the back, and which in the preceding discourse - we have named the seed. And the seed, having life and becoming - endowed with respiration, produces in that part in which it - respires a lively desire of emission, and thus creates in us the - love of procreation. Wherefore also in men the organ of - generation becoming rebellious and masterful, like an animal - disobedient to reason, and maddened with the sting of lust, - seeks to gain absolute sway, and the same is the case with the - so-called womb or matrix of women. The animal within them is - desirous of procreating children, and when remaining unfruitful - long beyond its proper time, gets discontented and angry, and - wandering in every direction through the body, closes up the - passages of the breath, and, by obstructing respiration, drives - them to extremity, causing all varieties of disease, until at - length the desire and love of the man and the woman, bringing - them together and as it were plucking the fruit from the tree, - sow in the womb, as in a field, animals unseen by reason of - their smallness and without form; these again are separated and - matured within; they are then finally brought out into the - light, and thus the generation of animals is completed. - -In the _Symposium_, Plato postulates a philosophy of love: - - Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity? - He assented. - And the admission has been already made that love is of that - which a man wants and has not? - True, he said. - Then love wants and has not beauty? - Certainly, he replied. - And would you call that beautiful which wants and does not possess - beauty? - Certainly not. - Then would you still say that love is beautiful? - Agathon replied: I fear that I did not understand what I was saying. - Nay, Agathon, replied Socrates; but I should like to - ask you one more question:—is not the good also the - beautiful? - Yes. - Then in wanting the beautiful love wants also the - good? I can not refute you, Socrates, said Agathon. - And let us suppose that what you say is true. - - Say rather, dear Agathon, that you can not refute the - truth; for Socrates is easily refuted. - - * * * * * - - And now I will take my leave of you, and rehearse the tale of - love which I heard once upon a time from Diotima of Mantineia, - who was a wise woman in this and many other branches of - knowledge. She was the same who deferred the plague of Athens - ten years by a sacrifice, and was my instructress in the art of - love. In the attempt which I am about to make I shall pursue - Agathon’s method, and begin with his admissions, which are - nearly if not quite the same which I made to the wise woman when - she questioned me: this will be the easiest way, and I shall - take both parts myself as well as I can. For, like Agathon, she - spoke first of the being and nature of love, and then of his - works. And I said to her in nearly the same words which he - - “As in the former instance, he is neither mortal fair; and she - proved to me as I proved to him that, in my way of speaking - about him, love was neither fair nor good. “What do you mean, - Diotima,” I said, “is love then evil and foul?” - - “Hush,” she cried; “is that to be deemed foul which is not - fair?” - - “Certainly,” I said. - - “And is that which is not wise, ignorant? do you not see that - there is a mean between wisdom and ignorance?” - - “And what is this?” I said. - - “Right opinion,” she replied; “which, as you know, being - incapable of giving a reason, is not knowledge (for how could - knowledge be devoid of reason? nor again, ignorance, for neither - can ignorance attain the truth), but is clearly something which - is a mean between ignorance and wisdom.” - - “Quite true,” I replied. - - “Do not then insist,” she said, “that what is not fair is of - necessity foul, or what is not good evil; or infer that because - love is not fair and good he is therefore foul and evil; for he - is in a mean between them.” - - “Well,” I said, “love is surely admitted by all to be a great - god.” - - “By those who know or by those who don’t know?” - - “By all.” - - “And how, Socrates,” she said with a smile, “can love be - acknowledged to be a great god by those who say that he is not a - god at all?” - - “And who are they?” I said. - - “You and I are two of them,” she replied. - - “How can that be?” I said. - - “That is very intelligible,” she replied; “as you yourself would - acknowledge that the gods are happy and fair—of course you - would—would you dare to say that any god was not?” - - “Certainly not,” I replied. - - “And you mean by the happy, those who are the possessors of - things good and fair?” - - “Yes.” - - “And you admitted that love, because he was in want, desires - those good and fair things of which he is in want?” - - “Yes, I admitted that.” - - “But how can he be a god who has no share in the good or the - fair?” - - “That is not to be supposed.” - - “Then you see that you also deny the deity of love.” - - “What then is love?” I asked; “Is he mortal?” - - “No.” - - “What then?” - - “As in the former instance, he is neither mortal nor immortal, - but in a mean between them.” - - “What is he then, Diotima?” - - “He is a great spirit, and like all that is spiritual he is - intermediate between the divine and the mortal.” - - “And what is the nature of this spiritual power?” I said. - - “This is the power,” she said, “which interprets and conveys to - the gods the prayers and sacrifices of men, and to men the - commands and rewards of the gods; and this power spans the chasm - which divides them, and in this all is bound together, and - through this the arts of the prophet and the priest, their - sacrifices and mysteries and charms, and all prophecy and - incantation, find their way. For God mingles not with man; and - through this power all the intercourse and speech of God with - man, whether awake or asleep, is carried on. The wisdom which - understands this is spiritual; all other wisdom, such as that of - arts or handicrafts, is mean and vulgar. Now these spirits or - intermediate powers are many and divine, and one of them is - love.” - - “And who,” I said, “was his father and who his mother?” - - “The tale,” she said, “will take time; nevertheless I will tell - you. On the birthday of Aphrodite there was a feast of the gods, - at which the god Poros or Plenty, who is the son of Metis or - Discretion, was one of the guests. When the feast was over, - Penia or Poverty, as the manner was, came about the doors to - beg. Now Plenty, who was the worse for nectar (there was no wine - in those days), came into the garden of Zeus and fell into a - heavy sleep; and Poverty considering her own straitened - circumstances, plotted to have him for a husband, and - accordingly she lay down at his side and conceived love, who - partly because he is naturally a lover of the beautiful, and - because Aphrodite is herself beautiful, and also because he was - born on Aphrodite’s birthday is her follower and attendant.” - - (B. Jowett) - -In Book 8 of _The Laws_, too, Plato discusses a variety of subjects, -among them festivals and contests in which men and women meet together. -This topic introduces the question of the sexes, and Plato makes -definitive statements in this respect. Licentiousness, he declares, is -abominable. Men ought to live under controlled moderation. That is what -nature herself enjoins. Man otherwise would fall below the level of -beasts. Here the laws should be restrictive. But if that is not -possible, there must at least be some adherence to decent mores. - - * * * * * - -Lust and desire are discussed in Book 6 of _The Laws_ and in the -_Greater Hippias_. The three universal appetites are food, drink, and -lust of procreation, which is linked with the imperious sexual frenzy -and its concomitant excitements. Sexual desire, the necessities of love, -overflowing into excesses, may be harmful to the welfare of the state. -Excesses must therefore be stemmed and controlled by laws. In this -manner evil may be diminished and the good of the state as a whole will -be promoted. - -With regard to exhausted capacity and the loss of passion as a corollary -to old age, Plato says, in Book I of _The Republic_: - - I will tell you, Socrates, he said, what my own feeling is. Men - of my age flock together; we are birds of a feather, as the old - proverb says; and at our meetings the tale of my acquaintance - commonly is—I can not eat, I can not drink; the pleasures of - youth and love are fled away; there was a good time once, but - now that is gone, and life is no longer life. Some complain of - the slights which are put upon them by relations, and they will - tell you sadly of how many evils their old age is the cause. But - to me, Socrates, these complainers seem to blame that which is - not really at fault. For if old age were the cause, I too being - old, and every other old man, would have felt as they do. But - this is not my own experience, nor that of others whom I have - known. How well I remember the aged poet Sophocles, when in - answer to the question, How does love suit with age, - Sophocles,—are you still the man you were? Peace, he replied; - most gladly have I escaped from a mad and furious master. His - words have often occurred to my mind since, and they seem as - good to me now as at the time when he uttered them. For - certainly old age has a great sense of calm and freedom; when - the passions relax their hold, then, as Sophocles says, we are - freed from the grasp not of one mad master only, but of many. - The truth is, Socrates, that these regrets, and also the - complaints about relations, are to be attributed to the same - cause, which is not old age, but men’s characters and tempers; - for he who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the - pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition - youth and age are equally a burden. - -Of sexual appetite Plato declares, in Book 8 of _The Republic_: - - Are not necessary pleasures those of which we can not get rid, - and of which the satisfaction is a benefit to us? And they are - rightly called so, because we are framed by nature to desire - both what is beneficial and what is necessary, and can not help - it. - - True. - - We are not wrong therefore in calling them necessary? - - We are not. - - And the desires of which a man may get rid, if he takes pains - from his youth upwards—of which the presence, moreover, does no - good, and in some cases the reverse of good—shall we not be - right in saying that all these are unnecessary? - - Yes, certainly. - - Suppose we select an example of either kind, in order that we - may have a general notion of them? - - Very good. - - Will not the desire of eating, that is, of simple food and - condiments, in so far as they are required for health and - strength, be of the necessary class? - - That is what I should suppose. - - The pleasure of eating is necessary in two ways; it does us good - and it is essential to the continuance of life? - - Yes. - - But the condiments are only necessary in so far as they are good - for health? - - Certainly. - - And the desire which goes beyond this, of more delicate food, or - other luxuries, which might generally be got rid of, if - controlled and trained in youth, and is hurtful to the body, and - hurtful to the soul in the pursuit of wisdom and virtue, may be - rightly called unnecessary? - - Very true. - - May we not say that these desires spend, and that the others - make money because they conduce to production? - - Certainly. - - And of the pleasures of love, and all other pleasures, the same - holds good? - - True. - - And the drone of whom we spoke was he who was surfeited in - pleasures and desires of this sort, and was the slave of the - unnecessary desires, whereas he who was subject to the necessary - only was miserly and oligarchical? - - Very true. - - (B. Jowett) - - * * * * * - -Nakedness, both of boys and girls, was not an obscenity in ancient -Greece. The statesman Lycurgus, for example, established exercises in -Sparta in which boys and girls, in puris naturalibus, took part. - -To the Greek philosopher Plato, too, nudity involved no indecency. He -actually advocated, in _The Laws_, naked dances by boys and girls, for -the purpose of mutual acquaintance. - - -_Dioscorides_ - -Pedanius Dioscorides, who flourished in the first century A.D., was born -in Anazarbus. He became an army physician: but, in addition, he was -deeply interested and versed in pharmacological subjects. With the -purpose of compiling a kind of encyclopedic work in this field, -Dioscorides traveled widely throughout Greece, Asia Minor, and the -Mediterranean countries, collecting information, legends, and -prescriptions. - -Dioscorides is the author of a systematic Materia Medica, written with -clarity and precision and with an informative rather than a stylistic -purpose. His work includes plants and herbs, animals, minerals: all -arranged in exact subdivisions, and emphasizing the medicinal and -pharmacological virtues of all the items included. The text is arranged -in five books, and covers some thousand drugs. An English translation, -under the title of the Greek Herbal of Dioscorides, was produced by John -Goodyer in 1655, and was edited by Robert T. Gunther and first printed -by the Oxford University Press in 1934. - -Apart from the fascination of the work in itself, Dioscorides lists a -number of herbs and roots that are of amatory interest as philtres. -Goodyer’s text, for the relevant items, follows: - - Greek Cyclamen: It is sayd also that the root is taken amongst - love-procuring medicines being beaten, and soe made into - Trochiscks. Trochiscks are pastilles. - - Brassica Rapa: Turnip: Also called Gongule. The Romans call it Rapum. - The roote of it being sod is nourishing, yet very windie, and - breeding moist and loose flesh, and provoking to Venerie. - - (As an infusion) being dranck it is good against deadly medicines, - and doth provoke to Venerie. - - Kuprinon: Oil of Cuperos. An invigorating oil. - - Lolium Temulentum: Darnel: Being suffumigated with polenta, or Myrrh, - or Saffron, or Franckincense, it doth help conceptions. - - Cardamom Lepidium Sativum: Cress: Some call it Cynocardamom. The best - is found in Babylon. The seed is effectual in inciting to - copulation. - - Orchis Rubra: Orchis Papilionacea: And of this root it is said that if - the greater roote is eaten by men, it makes them beget males, and - the lesser, being eaten by women, to conceive females. It is - further storied that ye women in Thessalia do give to drink with - goates milk ye tenderer root to provoke Venerie, and the dry root - for ye suppressing, dissolving of Venerie. And that it being drank - ye one is dissolved by the other. - - Satyrion: Also called Trifolium, because ‘it bears leaves in three’s, - as it were,’ bending down to ye earth like to Rumex or Lilium, yet - lesser, and reddish. But a naked stalk, long, as of a cubit, a - flower like a Lilly, white; a bulbous root, as bigg as an apple, - redd, but within white, like an egg, to ye taster sweet and - pleasant to ye mouth. This one ought to drink in black hard wine - for ye Opisthotonon, and use it, if he will lie with a woman. For - they say that this also doth stirr up courage in ye conjunction. - - Saturion Eruthronion: Called by the Romans Morticulum Veneris. It hath - a seed like to flax seed. It is said that it doth stirr up - conjunctions, like ye Scincus doth. It is storied that the root - being taken into ye hand doth provoke to Venerie, but much more, - being drank with wine. - - Salvia Horminum: The Romans call it Geminales. It is an herb like to - Marrubium. In the wild it is found round swart, but in the other - somewhat long, and black, of which there is use, and this also is - thought being drank with wine to provoke conjunction. - - Galium Verum: Gallion. But ye root doth provoke to conjunction. - - Katananke: The Romans call it Herba Filicula. The roots are of two - kinds. ‘But some report that both kinds are good for Philters, and - they say that the Thessalian women do use them.’ - - Phuteuma: Also called Silene spurium. Phuteuma hath leaves like to - Radicula, but smaller, much seed, bored through, little root, - thin, close to the earth, which some relate to be good for a love - medicine. - - -_Nonnus_ - -Nonnus was a Greek epic poet of Panopolis, in Egypt. He flourished in -the fifth century A.D., and is the author of _Dionysiaca_. This is a -long epic poem describing, in abundant detail, with picturesque imagery, -the triumphal progression of Dionysus, god of wine and fertility, to -India. - -The poem is packed with quaint geographical lore, with a miscellaneous -mass of information on astrology and plants and other subjects -intertwined into the primary theme, and it also contains many erotic -incidents of a mythological nature. - -The Corybantes take a prominent place in the worship of Dionysus. They -are the frantic, orgiastic priests of Cybele, the Mighty Mother of the -Gods, and their passionate ceremonials touch the erotic field. - -The handsome, effeminate Cadmus appears—the cheeks of his love-begetting -face are red as roses, chants the poet: and the sight of Cadmus is -itself an amatory urge. - -It is effective, too, in the case of Harmonia, destined to be Cadmus’ -mate. Aphrodite addresses the prospective bride: - - I will teach those grace-breathing kisses to women unhappy in - love. - -There was, evidently, knowledge of potions and similar excitants, for -one character pleads: - - Tell me what varied store of balsams can I apply in my heart to - cure the wound of love. - -And again: - - I shrink before a woman, for she shoots bright shafts from her - lovesmit countenance and pierces me with her beauty. - - * * * * * - -In the sixth century A.D., Theodora, a public courtesan whose name was a -byword in Byzantium, became first the mistress and then the wife of the -Roman Emperor Justinian. Even as an Empress she did not abandon her -profligate ways. She had experienced and invited every possible variety -of erotic practice. She went out with bands of youths and spent the -night in their riotous company. Her erotic frenzies drove her to public -exhibitionism. Often she had appeared in the theatre in puris -naturalibus. Yet her personal beauty made the Emperor her blind slave, -while her lusts extended in every direction. - - * * * * * - -The Greek chronicler Procopius describes the court of the Roman Emperor -Justinian and his consort Theodora. The Imperial general attached to the -court was Belisarius. He had a wife, named Antonina, who was so -passionate that she consummated her erotic impulses, in relation to a -youth named Theodosius, in the full presence of her servants and -attendant maids. - - * * * * * - -The Byzantine general Belisarius, attached to the court of the Emperor -Justinian, in the sixth century A.D., was again and again the victim of -his wife’s flagrant infidelities. Again and again, however, he forgave -her. He permitted himself self-deception, in spite, at times, of the -evidence of his own eyes. He was so deeply infatuated with her that he -preferred to retain her at all costs. - - * * * * * - -The Greek orator Demosthenes, in one of his famous legal speeches, -successfully pleaded for the death penalty in the case of one of the -mistresses of the dramatist Sophocles. She was associated with a secret -club, and was initiated in the preparation of philtres and magic -potions. - - * * * * * - -Among the Greeks, the concept of love in the modern sense was rare. Nor -was the medieval attitude to amatory sensibilities, embodied in courtly -love, any more prevalent. Love, in a general sense, was treated as an -aberration from normal life, a kind of sickness, a lack of balance in -the elements of the entity. Yet there was, of course, as the Greek -Anthology and other poetic testimony indicate, lust and passion and -erotic intimacy. There was, too, a greater freedom in this relationship -between men and public women, nor did this association affect in a -negative sense the marriage relationship. - -There were these professional public hetairae, female companions who -often had marked intellectual endowments, whose association with poets -and dramatists, statesmen and philosophers brought not the slightest -stigma on such men in their artistic or public career. Aspasia of -Miletus was one of the most outstanding of this group. She was the -mistress of the statesman Pericles. Gnathaena and Lais were equally -known. It was said that Plato was in love with the hetaira Archeanassa -of Colophon. The comic poet Menander was associated with Glycera. -Phryne, the priestess of Aphrodite, as she was termed, was the most -beautiful of them all, the model for the sculptor Praxiteles’ Aphrodite. - -The seductive equipment of the hetaira was as various as in modern -times, and as effective. It included diaphanous robes, of Coan silk, -veils and scarves, mirrors and unguents and rouge, jewelry for neck and -ears and arms. And the hetaira replenished her armory and refurbished -her memory of her techniques: for there were at hand, for her constant -use, manuals that contained guidance, amatory and financial and social, -specific instructions in a multiplicity of hypothetical but more than -probable cases, and ominous warnings as well. - - - - - CHAPTER III - ROMANS - - -In the first century B.C. the licentiousness of the Roman matron was -already a subject for grim condemnation. Horace, who was virtually the -Poet Laureate of the Augustan Age, laments the degeneration of morality. -The temples are abandoned, he bewails, and lie in ruins. The sacred -marriage vows are broken. The uprightness of the old domestic life is -gone. Our own generation is plunging headlong into destruction. Against -the women in particular he inveighs as follows: - -The matron, when bidden, arises and goes forth publicly, not without the -knowledge of her husband, whether some pedlar invites her, or the -captain of a Spanish sailing vessel, who buys her shame at a high price. - - * * * * * - -A notorious, unsavory district in ancient Rome was known as the Subura. -It was a valley lying between the Esquiline and the Viminal Hills of the -city. This area was clamorous with brothels, with the dregs of Romans, -foreigners, slavers, pimps, and harlots. Loads of marble passed through -the narrow alleys. The lanes were cluttered with mules, dogs, goats, and -sheep. - -There were also shops of various kinds, practically nothing but openings -in the wall spaces, where provisions were sold and various delicacies. -Barbers and tailors plied their occupations, while minor trades, -according to epigraphical evidence, were also conducted here. Julius -Caesar himself resided in the Subura. There was also a Jewish synagogue -in this district. The Subura is mentioned frequently in Roman -literature, in a derogatory and contemptuous sense, particularly by the -poets Juvenal, Persius, and Martial. - -In the Subura all kinds of amatory contrivances, concoctions and aids -were offered to an eager clientele: amulets, incantations, spells, -philtres, drugs; and a flourishing market in these commodities -prevailed, at first furtively and warily: then with more determined and -acknowledged public awareness. - - * * * * * - -The Roman satirist Juvenal, who dates in the first century A.D., -mentions potions and philtres used by women; frequently, however, for -purposes of torture or poisoning their husbands. Again, describing the -immoralities and licentiousness of the frantic Roman matrons of his own -days, Juvenal thunders: - - From one person she secures magic incantations. From another, - she buys Thessalian love-potions to destroy her husband’s mind. - - * * * * * - -The Roman poet Lucan produced an epic poem entitled _Pharsalia_. Book 6 -contains a vivid, elaborate description of magic scenes and practices. -The capacities of the witch are enumerated with a feeling of mounting -horror. Her skills come in for horrendous comment: brewing concoctions -for malefic purposes: pronouncing incantations that inspire strange -passions by virtue of their goetic potency. These spells, the poet -awesomely declares, are more effective than even love goblets. - -The implication is that love philtres were manifestly in common use for -amatory purposes and in common knowledge. - - * * * * * - -Certain deities were anciently associated with particular sexual -practices. Volupia, an old Roman goddess mentioned by St. Augustine, -encouraged voluptuous pleasures. Strenia bestowed vigor on the male. -Stimula aroused the erotic desires of husbands. - - * * * * * - -The practice of amatory aids, among the Romans, reached as far as the -Imperial court. The Emperor Julian, known as the Apostate, for instance, -mentions, in a letter to his friend Callixenes, mandrake as a love -agent. - - * * * * * - -In antiquity, both Greek and Roman, Medea is the arch sorceress, the -supreme exemplar of witchcraft, the most powerful adept in the Black -Arts of Colchis. - -Seneca, the Stoic philosopher and dramatist, who was also the tutor of -the Roman Emperor Nero, is the author of a drama entitled _Medea_, in -which he depicts the protagonist herself in frenzied action. - -Medea’s nurse appears upon the scene, speaking of her mistress. - -She describes Medea gathering potent herbs with her magic sickle, by the -light of the moon. Medea sprinkles the herbs with venom extracted from -serpents. Into this compound she thrusts the entrails and organs of -unclean birds: the heart of the screech owl, vampire’s vitals, torn from -the living flesh. Over the entire foul brew she murmurs her magic -incantations, concocting her philtres. - - * * * * * - -In spite of the frenzied commerce in philtres and other means of -stimulation, both in ancient and in modern times, Ovid himself, the -Roman poet who produced the superlative amatory guides in poetic form, -asserts categorically that invocations and formulas, enchantments and -sorcery, secretive recipes and exotic philtres are ultimately of no -avail in their purpose. Even witches and enchantresses such as Medea and -Circe, for all their skill in the goetic arts, could not circumvent -man’s own personal perversities, or prevent Jason, for instance, or -Ulysses, from amatory unfaithfulness. - -In the contest of love, then, concludes the poet, philtres achieve -nothing but imbalanced minds, wrecked health, and, sometimes, death -itself. - - * * * * * - -Love philtres were not infrequently fatal in their effects. Such -veneficia amatoria were forbidden by imperial decree. But there were -furtive ways of circumventing these prohibitions. - -Ingredients, apart from their poisonous nature, might be nauseating and -repulsive to administer. As an instance, the milk of an ass mixed with -the blood of a bat was considered a genesiac encouragement. The -ingredients, again, might induce sickness, madness, and even death. - -Among known ingredients that went to form the final, putatively -effective brew were herbs, organs of birds, insects, blood, and -genitalia. - -With the ages, the range of ingredients and recipes was extended. In -Mediterranean regions old traditional amatory philtres remained in folk -use. In other areas, particularly in the South American continent, the -natives used concoctions that were often virtual poisons. For they -ceaselessly ransacked the forests and jungles for amatory aids. - - * * * * * - -Among the Romans, the sepia octopus had a wide reputation for its -amatory potential. It is mentioned by the Roman comedy writer Plautus. -In a scene depicting an exhausted elder, an octopus is bought by him at -the market, as a rejuvenating aid. - - * * * * * - -In his _De Re Coquinaria_, a cookery book produced by Apicius, a Roman -of the first century A.D., there are many recipes for the preparation of -gourmet dishes as well as less luxurious fare: fish and game, meats, -vegetables, fruit, dessert, cereals. - -Among the herbs that Apicius includes as ingredients in stews, roasts, -pottages, soups, and sauces, there are many that had and still have -reputedly, an amatory reaction, as: cumin and dill, aniseed, bay-berry, -celery-seed, capers and caraway, sesame, mustard, shallots, nard, thyme, -ginger and musk, wormwood, basil, parsley, origanum, pennyroyal, rocket, -safflower, rue-berry, flowers of mallow, rue-seed, lovage, hyssop and -garlic and capers. - -Many vegetables, too, that are credited with genesiac virtue are -included in Apicius’ book, as: artichokes and beans, asparagus, turnips, -truffles, parsnips and leeks, beets and bryony, cabbage, chicory, -cucumbers, fenugreek, radishes, and lettuce. - - * * * * * - -Apicius’ culinary directions and preparations include a variety of fish -that had, in Rome times and also in later ages, provocative amatory -properties. Among such piscatory agents are: Grilled red mullet, young -tunny, sea-bream, murena, horse-mackerel, gold-bream. And, among sea -food: octopus and mussels, sea-urchin, oysters, cuttlefish, squid, -sea-crayfish, electric ray. - - * * * * * - -In some of the fragments and extant verses of the Roman philosopher -Seneca, there are illustrations of the erotic theme. In one poem the -partly obliterated verses run: - - Love, my darling, and be loved in turn always, - So that at no instant may our mutual love cease ... - From sunrise to sunset, - And may the Evening Star gaze - upon our love - And the Morning Star too. - -An instance of abnormal lust also occurs: - - Fortunate is she who caresses your neck. - Fortunate is the girl who presses close to you, body - To body, - And crushes her tongue against your soft lips. - -Another fragment inveighs against a wealthy, beautiful, noble matron, -lustful and incestuous. - -In ancient Italy the cult of Liber or Bacchus was so widespread that -festivals held in his honor and called Liberalia were continued for an -entire month. During this period the phallus, carried in procession -exultantly, to the accompaniment of lewd songs, lascivious talk, and -obscene gestures, was decked with garlands, while erotic acts in their -final consummation were freely performed in public view, as reverential -testimony to the potency of the deity so symbolized. - - * * * * * - -The cult of Bacchus and of his symbol the phallus was introduced among -the Romans by the priests of Cybele, the Mighty Mother of the Gods, who -were known as Corybantes. Clement of Alexandria, the Church Father, also -calls these priests Cabiri. - - * * * * * - -In the Imperial Age of Rome, a certain distinguished poet, Verginius -Rufus, an elderly friend of Pliny the Younger, was known for his erotic -poems. These, however, are no longer extant. - - * * * * * - -In Imperial Rome, the professors of grammar and of rhetoric, two of the -basic subjects taught to young Romans, used many Greek and Roman authors -in bowdlerized versions. In the case of the lyric poets in particular, -the suggestive and erotic elements were minimized or excised. - - * * * * * - -During the Imperial Age of Rome, writers appeared at intervals who were -cumulatively known as _scriptores erotici_—writers on love themes. Their -tales, elaborately expanded and decked out with circumstantial details, -were concerned with the amatory adventures of mythological -personalities, among them, for instance, Acontius and Cydippe. - - * * * * * - -The Roman epigrammatist Martial (c. 40 A.D.–c. 104) claimed that, -despite his obscene verses, his own personal life was unstained. He -produced a large body of epigrams and occasional poems dealing, to a -very considerable extent, with erotic and sexual topics: perversions, -sodomy and incest, adultery and pederasty. His pieces mention actual -contemporary figures, and thus present a realistic and intimate picture -of Roman salacious aberrations at all levels of society, as well as the -erotic degeneration of the age. - - * * * * * - -The Emperor Nero, with all his inhuman and vicious traits and bloody -crimes, was a versatile poet. He was the author of sportive and also -erotic pieces, none of which, however, are now extant. - - * * * * * - -Among the rites practiced by the Romans with respect to the cult of -Priapus, there was the custom of the bride who, seated before the -phallic image, made at least a symbolic contact, and most commonly an -actual one, with a view to encourage later marital fecundity. It was at -the same time an apotropaic measure as well. Married women were included -in this ritual, and participated in similar practices. These rites, -described in violently condemnatory terms, are mentioned by St. -Augustine and Lactantius and Arnobius, who take occasion to point out -the Roman pagan abominations in sexual matters. - - * * * * * - -With respect to the cult of Bacchus, the god himself had in his service -women as priestesses. In the fanes dedicated to the phallic god, these -priestesses celebrated nocturnal mystic rites. This practice is -described in some detail by Petronius, the author of the remarkable -Roman picaresque novel entitled the _Satyricon_: - - We had resolv’d to keep out of the broad streets, and - accordingly took our walk thro’ that quarter of the city where - we were likely to meet least company; when in a narrow winding - lane that had not passage thro’, we saw somewhat before us, two - comely matron-like women, and followed them at a distance to a - chappel, which they entred, whence we heard an odd humming kind - of noise, as if it came from the hollow of a cave: Curiosity - also made us go in after them, where we saw a number of women, - as mad as they had been sacrificing to Bacchus, and each of them - an amulet, the ensign of Bacchus, in her hand. More than that we - could not get to see; for they no sooner perceived us, that they - set up such a shout, that the roof of the temple shook agen, and - withal endeavored to lay hands on us; but we scamper’d and made - what haste we could to the inn. - - Nor had we sooner stuff’d our selves with the supper Gito had - got for us, when a more than ordinary bounce at the door, put us - into another fright; and when we, pale as death, ask’d who was - there, ’twas answered, “Open the door and you’ll see.” While we - were yet talking, the bolt drop’d off, and the door flew open, - on which, a woman with her head muffl’d came in upon us, but the - same who a little before had stood by the country-man in the - market: “And what,” said she, “do you think to put a trick upon - me? I am Quartilla’s maid, whose sacred recess you so lately - disturb’d: she is at the inn-gate, and desires to speak with ye: - not that she either taxes your inadvertency, or has a mind to so - resent it, but rather wonders, what gods brought such civil - gentlemen into her quarters.” - - We were silent as yet, and gave her the hearing, but inclin’d to - neither part of what she had said, when in came Quartilla her - self, attended with a young girl, and sitting down by me, fell a - weeping: nor here also did we offer a word, but stood expecting - what those tears at command meant. At last when the showre had - emptied it self, she disdainfully turn’d up her hood, and - clinching her fingers together, till the joints were ready to - crack, “What impudence,” said she, “is this? or where learnt ye - those shamms, and that sleight of hand ye have so lately been - beholding to? By my faith, young-men, I am sorry for ye; for no - one beheld what was unlawful for him to see, and went off - unpunisht: and verily our part of the town has so many deities, - you’ll sooner find a god than a man in’t: And that you may not - think I came hither to be revenged on ye, I am more concern’d - for your youth, than the injury ye have done me: for unawares, - as I yet think, ye have committed an unexpiable abomination.” - - * * * * * - -Among the Romans the symbol of satisfied and contented love was the -myrtle branch, offered in sacrifice, along with milk and honey, to the -obscene deity Priapus. - - * * * * * - -As a fetish, an apotropaic periapt, protective against all kinds of -mishaps, the Romans made use of an amulet in the form of a fascinum. It -was fashioned of various materials, often in the shape of a phallic -symbol in high relief, on a plaque or medallion. The object was hung -round children’s necks, on garden walls, on doors, or chariots, and on -public buildings. - - * * * * * - -The Roman historian Julian Capitolinus, in his biography of the Emperor -Pertinax, mentions glass vessels, phallic-shaped, that were used by the -Romans for drinking. These vessels were known as phallovitroboli. - - * * * * * - -The ithyphallic concept as the source of creation was so deeply -ingrained in the Roman consciousness, that they attached the ithyphallic -device on all manner of objects: stones, seals, rings, medals, and -lamps. As an extension of this concept, the Romans engraved on their -drinking vessels phallic designs, as well as lewd scenes that would -create in the drinker violent erotic provocations. - - * * * * * - -Sextus Pompeius Festus was a Roman lexicographer of the second century -A.D., who describes a shrine in Rome dedicated to the obscene deities -Mutunus and Tutunus. In this religious cult the suppliants were women. -With head veiled, they came to offer sacrifice to the phallic powers. - - * * * * * - -The lewd rites of the phallic god Bacchus were celebrated by the Romans -in a sacred wood near the River Tiber. Originally open to women only, -the ceremonies were later on extended to men also, particularly to young -men not over twenty years of age. At the nocturnal rituals there was -clashing of cymbals, beating of drums. After an interval of excessive -wine drinking, there ensued wild scenes of sexual promiscuity and -perversions unlimited. Those initiates who seemed to have any scruples -were sacrificed, and their bodies were thrown into the depths of a -cavern. Men and women went frantic, shrieking their exultation to the -deity, performing abandoned dance sequences. Sinister plots and furtive -machinations also formed part of the aftermath of these tenebrous rites, -malefic in their intentions, often fatal in their effects. - - * * * * * - -In addition to Priapus as the supreme generative deity, the Romans were -dedicated to a number of other divinities endowed with analogous -properties. Venus herself was worshipped at Rome in four temples. - -A late Latin poem, entitled Pervigilium Veneris, _The Vigil of Venus_, -the date and authorship of which are unknown, is dedicated to Venus and -her spring festival. The poem itself is full of vernal descriptions. The -theme is a paean to erotic passion. Its amatory refrain, the sense of -which pervades the entire poem, runs: - - Cras amet qui numquam amavit, - Quique amavit cras amet. - - He who has never loved will love tomorrow. - And he who has loved will love tomorrow. - -A still older deity was Flora, associated with the blossoming of plants -and hence with cosmic generation. At her festival, held during the month -of April, lewd farces were performed, all implicitly generative and -genesiac in intent. - - * * * * * - -One of the most mysterious and libidinous cults in Rome was that of the -Bona Dea, the Good Goddess, to which women only had access. An annual -ceremonial was held in her honor, when a sow was sacrificed to her. - -Juvenal, the satiric poet, describes the excesses of the initiates. -Frenzied with intoxication, overwhelmed with deafening and clamorous -music, these women practiced the most salacious dances. In their -lubricity they were athirst for erotic conflict, and were even willing, -adds the poet, to submit to bestial caresses. - - * * * * * - -Among the Roman deities associated with marriage rites and connubial -consummations were: Stimula, who aroused the male erotic urges: Strenia, -who furnished vigor: Virginiensis, who detached the bride’s zona or -girdle: Volupia, who excited voluptuous sensations: Iugatinus, who -united the marital partners. Also Domiducus, who conducted the bride to -her new home: Munturnae, who presided over her settlement in her new -position: and, more intimately involved in the physiological -performance, Liber and Libera, Pertunda, Prema, and Subigus. - - * * * * * - -The Romans represented the male and female genitalia in the shapes of -their wheaten-flour loaves. The epigrammatist Martial, in Book 9, 2, -alludes to this priapic custom: - - Illa siligineis pinguescit adultera cunnis. - - * * * * * - -The Roman poet Ovid (32 B.C.–17 A.D.) presents the ancient witch Medea -in action. She invokes aid in concocting a potion to refurbish old age -and induce youthful vigor: - - Ye spells and arts that the wise men use; and thou, O Earth, who - dost provide the wise men with thy potent herbs; ye breezes and - winds, ye mountains and streams and pools; all ye gods of the - groves, all ye gods of the night; be with me now. With your help - I stir up the calm seas by my spell; I break the jaws of - serpents with my incantations. I bid ghosts to come forth from - their tombs. Now I have need of juices by whose aid old age may - be renewed and may turn back to the bloom of youth and regain - its earthly years. - - * * * * * - -The Roman elegiac poet Tibullus (c. 48 B.C.–19 B.C.) addresses Delia, -the girl who scorned him. He has employed magic means to regain her -love: - - Thrice I with Sulphur purified you round, - And thrice the Rite, with Songs th’Enchantress bound: - The Cake, by me thrice sprinkled, put to flight - The death-denouncing Phantoms of the Night, - And I next have, in linen Garb array’d, - In silent Night, nine Times to Trivia pray’d. - - * * * * * - -In one of the Eclogues of the Roman poet Nemesianus, who flourished in -the third century A.D., there is a dialogue between two shepherds who -discuss their amatory affairs and love spells: - - Mopsus: What does it benefit me that the mother of rustic Amyntas has - purified me thrice with fillets, thrice with a sacred bough, - thrice with the vapour of frankincense, burning the crackling - laurels with live sulphur, and pours the ashes out into the stream - with averted face, when thus wretched I am every way inflamed for - Meroë? - - Lycidas: These same things the many-colored threads have done for me, - and Mycale has carried round me a thousand unknown herbs. She has - chanted the charm, by which the moon swells, by which the snake is - burst, the rocks run and standing corn removes, and a tree is - plucked up. Lo! My handsome Iollas is nevertheless more, is more - to me. - - * * * * * - -Horace, the Roman poet (65 B.C.–8 B.C.) depicts, in his _Satires_, a -scene in which a love philtre is prepared. - - As thus the boy in wild distress - Bewail’d, of bulla stripp’d and dress, - So fair, that ruthless breasts of Thrace - Had melted to behold his face, - Canidia, with dishevell’d hair - And short crisp vipers coiling there, - Beside a fire of Colchos stands, - And her attendant hag commands - To feed the flames with fig-trees torn - From dead men’s sepulchres forlorn, - With dismal cypress, eggs rubb’d o’er - With filthy toads’ unvenom’d gore, - With screech-owl’s plumes, and herbs of bane, - From far Iolchos fetch’d and Spain, - And fleshless bones by beldam witch - Snatch’d from the jaws of famish’d bitch. - And Sagana, the while, with gown - Tucked to the knees, stalks up and down, - Sprinkling in room and hall and stair - Her magic hell-drops, with her hair - Bristling on end, like furious boar, - Or some sea-urchins wash’d on shore; - Whilst Veia, by remorse unstay’d, - Groans at her toil, as she with spade - That flags not digs a pit, wherein - The boy imbedded to his chin, - With nothing seen save head and throat, - Like those who in the water float, - Shall dainties see before him set, - A maddening appetite to whet, - Then snatch’d away before his eyes, - Till famish’d in despair he dies; - That when his glazing eyeballs should - Have closed on the untasted food, - His sapless marrow and dry spleen - May drug a philtre-draught obscene. - Nor were these all the hideous crew, - But Ariminian Folia, too, - Who with unsatiate lewdness swells, - And drags by her Thessalian spells - The moon and stars down from the sky, - Ease-loving Naples’ vows, was by; - And every hamlet round about - Declares she was, beyond a doubt. - Now forth the fierce Canidia sprang, - And still she gnawed with rotten fang - Her long sharp unpared thumb-nail. What - Then said she? Yea, what said she not? - “O Night and Dian, who with true - And friendly eyes my purpose view, - And guardian silence keep, whilst I - My secret orgies safely ply, - Assist me now, now on my foes - With all your wrath celestial close! - Whilst, stretch’d in soothing sleep, amid - Their forests grim the beasts lie hid, - May all Suburra’s mongrels bark - At yon old wretch, who through the dark - Doth to his lewd encounters crawl, - And on him draw the jeers of all! - He’s with an ointment smear’d, that is - My masterpiece. But what is this? - Why, why should poisons brew’d by me - Less potent than Medea’s be, - By which, for love betray’d, beguiled, - On mighty Creon’s haughty child - She wreaked her vengeance sure and swift, - And vanish’d, when the robe, her gift, - In deadliest venom steep’d and dyed, - Swept off in flames the new-made bride? - No herb there is, nor root in spot - However wild, that I have not; - Yet every common harlot’s bed - Seems with some rare Nepenthe spread, - For there he lives in swinish drowse, - Of me oblivious, and his vows! - He is, aha! protected well - By some more skilful witch’s spell! - But, Varus, thou (doom’d soon to know - The rack of many a pain and woe!) - By potions never used before - Shalt to my feet be brought once more. - And ’tis no Marsian charm shall be - The spell that brings thee back to me! - A draught I’ll brew more strong, more sure, - Thy wandering appetite to cure; - And sooner ’neath the sea the sky - Shall sink, and earth upon them lie, - Than thou not burn with fierce desire - For me, like pitch in sooty fire!” - - On this the boy by gentle tones - No more essay’d to move the crones, - But wildly forth with frenzied tongue - These curses Thyestean flung. - “Your sorceries, and spells, and charms - To man may compass deadly harms, - But heaven’s great law of Wrong and Right - Will never bend before their might. - My curse shall haunt you, and my hate - No victim’s blood shall expiate. - But when at your behests I die, - Like the Fury of the Night will I - From Hades come, a phantom sprite— - Such is the Manes’ awful might.” - - * * * * * - -The Roman poet Vergil (70 B.C.–19 B.C.) depicts, in one of his pastoral -Eclogues, a love episode that involves magic rites for the purpose of -winning the love of Daphnis: - - Scarce had night’s cold shade parted from the sky, just at the - time that the dew on the tender grass is sweetest to the cattle, - when leaning on his smooth olive wand Damon thus began: - - Rise, Lucifer, and usher in the sky, the genial sky, while I, - deluded by a bridegroom’s unworthy passion for my Nisa, make my - complaint, and turning myself to the gods, little as their - witness has stood me in stead, address them nevertheless, a - dying man, at this very last hour. Take up with me, my pipe, the - song of Maenalus. - - Maenalus it is whose forests are ever tuneful, and his pines - ever vocal; he is ever listening to the loves of shepherds, and - to Pan, the first who would not have the reeds left unemployed. - Take up with me, my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - Mopsus has Nisa given him; what may not we lovers expect to see? - Matches will be made by this between griffins and horses, and in - the age to come hounds will accompany timid does to their - draught. Mopsus, cut fresh brands for to-night; it is to you - they are bringing home a wife. Fling about nuts as a bridegroom - should; it is for you that Hesperus is leaving his rest on Oeta. - Take up with me, my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - O worthy mate of a worthy lord! There as you look down on all - the world, and are disgusted at my pipe and my goats, and my - shaggy brow, and this beard that I let grow, and do not believe - that any god cares aught for the things of men. Take up with me, - my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - It was in our enclosure I saw you gathering apples with the dew - on them. I myself showed you the way, in company with my - mother—my twelfth year had just bidden me enter on it. I could - just reach from the ground to the boughs that snapped so easily. - What a sight! what ruin to me! what a fatal frenzy swept me - away! Take up with me, my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - Now know I what love is; it is among savage rocks that he is - produced by Tmarus or Rhodope, or the Garamantes at earth’s end; - no child of lineage or blood like ours. Take up with me, my - pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - Love, the cruel one, taught the mother to embrue her hands in - her children’s blood; hard too was thy heart, mother. Was the - mother’s heart harder, or the boy god’s malice more wanton? - Wanton was the boy god’s malice; hard too thy heart, mother. - Take up with me, my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - Aye, now let the wolf even run away from the sheep; let golden - apples grow out of the tough heart of oak; let narcissus blossom - on the alder; let the tamarisk’s bark sweat rich drops of amber; - rivalry let there be between swans and screech-owls; let Tityrus - become Orpheus—Orpheus in the woodland, Arion among the - dolphins. Take up with me, my pipe, the song of Maenalus. - - Nay, let all be changed to the deep sea. Farewell, ye woods! - Headlong from the airy mountain’s watchtower I will plunge into - the waves; let this come to her as the last gift of the dying. - Cease, my pipe, cease at length the song of Maenalus. - - Thus far Damon; for the reply of Alphesiboeus, do ye recite it, - Pierian maids; it is not for all of us to have command of all. - - Bring out water and bind the altars here with a soft woolen - fillet, and burn twigs full of sap and male frankincense, that I - may try the effect of magic rites in turning my husband’s mind - from its soberness; there is nothing but charms wanting here. - Bring me home from the town, my charms, bring me my Daphnis. - - Charms have power even to draw the moon down from heaven; by - charms Circe transformed the companions of Ulysses; the cold - snake as he lies in the fields is burst asunder by chanting - charms. Bring me home from the town, my charms, bring me my - Daphnis. - - These three threads distinct with three colours I wind round the - first, and thrice draw the image round the altar thus; heaven - delights in an uneven number. Twine in three knots, Amaryllis, - the three colours; twine them, Amaryllis, do, and say, ‘I am - twining the bonds of Love.’ Bring me home from the town, my - charms, bring me my Daphnis. - - Just as this clay is hardened, and this wax melted, by one and - the same fire, so may my love act doubly on Daphnis. Crumble the - salt cake, and kindle the crackling bay leaves with bitumen. - Daphnis, the wretch, is setting me on fire; I am setting this - bay on fire about Daphnis. Bring me home from the town, my - charms, bring me my Daphnis. - - May such be Daphnis’ passion, like a heifer’s, when, weary of - looking for her mate through groves and tall forests, she throws - herself down by a stream of water on the green sedge, all - undone, and forgets to rise and make way for the fargone - night—may such be his enthralling passion, nor let me have a - mind to relieve it. Bring me home from the town, my charms, - bring me my Daphnis. - - These cast-off relics that faithless one left me days ago, - precious pledges for himself, them I now entrust to thee, Earth, - burying them even on the threshold; they are bound as pledges to - give me back Daphnis. Bring me home from the town, my charms, - bring me my Daphnis. - - These plants and these poisons culled from Pontus I had from - Moeris’ own hand. They grow in plenty at Pontus. By the strength - of these often I have seen Moeris turn to a wolf and plunge into - the forest, often call up spirits from the bottom of the tomb, - and remove standing crops from one field to another. Bring me - home from the town, my charms, bring me my Daphnis. - - Carry the embers out of doors, Amaryllis, and fling them into - the running stream over your head, and do not look behind you. - This shall be my device against Daphnis. As for gods or charms, - he cares for none of them. Bring me home from the town, my - charms, bring me my Daphnis. - - Look, look! the flickering flame has caught the altar of its own - accord, shot up from the embers, before I have had time to take - them up, all of themselves. Good luck, I trust! Can I trust - myself? Or is it that lovers make their own dreams? Stop, he is - coming from town; stop now, charms, my Daphnis! - - * * * * * - -A renewal of vigor by magic means is described in Ovid’s -_Metamorphoses_. The scene involves the witch Medea, her lover Jason, -and Jason’s aged father, Aeson: - - Unaccompanied, she stepped uncertainly through the still silence - of midnight. Deep slumber had relaxed men and birds and wild - beasts. Without a sound, the hedges, the motionless branches lay - still. The dewy air was still. Lonely, the stars glimmered. - Thrice extending her arms, she turned toward them. Thrice, - taking some water, she copiously bedewed her locks. Thrice she - uttered howls from her lips. Then, on bent knee, touching the - hard ground, she said: - - “O night, most propitious for mysteries, and you, golden stars, - that, along with the moon, follow the fiery day, and you, triple - Hecate, who, aware of our undertaking come forth to help in - incantation and magic art, and you, Earth, who teach magicians - the potency of herbs, and you, zephyrs and winds and hills and - streams and lakes, and all you gods of the groves, be my aid. By - your aid, when I so willed, the streams returned to their - springs to the astonishment of the river banks, and by your aid - I stay the upturned waters and upheave the stagnant straits by - spells, and I drive away the clouds and bring them back, and - banish and summon the winds and break the jaws of snakes with my - words and spells, and move natural rocks and trees uprooted from - the ground and forests and I bid the mountains tremble and the - ground rumble, and the spirits of the dead arise from the tomb. - You also, O Moon, I draw down, and Helios’ chariot too pales at - my incantation. The Dawn grows pale with my poisons. All of you - have quenched the flames of the oxen for me and pressed their - necks, reluctant for the task, under the crooked plough. You - brought wars upon the serpent-born warriors and sleep upon the - grim guardian. - - Now there is need of juices whereby old age revived may bloom - once more, and regain its former years. And you deities will - grant this request—for not in vain is the chariot at hand, drawn - by winged dragons.” - -There was the chariot, sent from high heaven. No sooner had she mounted -and soothed the frenzied necks of the dragons and shaken the reins -lightly with her hands than she was whisked off aloft, and beheld the -herbs growing on Mount Ossa and lofty Pelion and Othrys and Pindus and -Olympus greater than Pindus. She plucked out suitable herbs by the root, -and some she cut away with the curved blade of a bronze sickle. The -herbs that grew thick on the banks of the Apidanus caught her fancy too -and those on the banks of the Amphrysus. Nor were you overlooked, -Enipeus: and the Peneus and the waters of the Spercheus contributed -their quota, and the reedy banks of the Boebeis. Medea gathered too the -sturdy grasses in Euboean Anthedon. And now when the ninth day had seen -her traversing all the fields in her winged-dragon chariot, she -returned. - -As she advanced, she halted at the threshold and the gate, and stood -under the sky. And she shunned contacts with men: and set up two altars -of turf, on the right of Hecate, on the left of Youth. After she had -wreathed them with vervain and wild foliage, close by she made a -sanctuary by means of two ditches, and pierced the throat of a black ram -with the sacrificial knife, and soaked the wide ditches in the blood. - -Then she poured over it a beaker of flowing wine and a bronze beaker of -warm milk and at the same time murmured words over it, and called upon -the divinities of the earth, and begged the King of the Lower Regions -and his stolen wife not to hasten to rob the limbs of the aged soul. - -When she had propitiated them with prayer and many a chant, she bade -that the exhausted body of Aeson be carried out of doors, and on the -strewn herbs she extended the lifeless shape, relaxed by incantation in -deep slumber. She bade Aeson’s son stand clear away, and the attendants -too, and she admonished them to withdraw their profane sight from the -mysteries. So bidden, they scattered in different directions. With -disheveled hair, like a Bacchante, Medea encircled the blazing altars. -She dipped finely split torches in the dark pool of gore, and lighted -the bloody brands on the two altars. Thrice she encircled the aged body -with fire, thrice with water, thrice with sulphur. - -Meanwhile the potent drug boiled in the bronze kettle and leapt and -whitened in the swelling froth. She threw in roots cut in Thessalian -valley and seeds and blossoms and pungent spices. She added pebbles -secured from the remote East and sands washed by the refluent Ocean -stream. She added too the frost caught in the full moon and the baleful -wings of a screech-owl together with the flesh itself, and the entrails -of a werewolf wont to change its animal form into a man. Nor was there -lacking the scaly skin of a water-serpent, the liver of a living stag. -In addition, she threw in the head of a crow nine centuries old. By -these and a thousand other unspeakable means she planned to delay the -destined function of Tartarus. With a dry twig of long softened olive -she stirred all the ingredients together, turning them over from top to -bottom. - -Behold now the old twig stirring in the boiling kettle first turned -green, and presently put forth leaves, and suddenly became loaded with -heavy olives. But wherever the fire belched out foam from the hollow -kettle and the drops fell hot on the ground, the soil grew fresh, and -flowers and soft grass sprang up. - -As soon as she beheld this sight, with drawn sword Medea pierced the -aged man’s throat and, allowing the old blood to exude, filled the spot -with juices. After Aeson had drunk them, either with his lips or through -his wound, his beard and hair, shedding their greyness, quickly assumed -a dark color. The emaciation vanished, and the pallor and decay -disappeared, and the hollow wrinkles were filled up in the fresh body, -and the limbs grew rapidly. - -Aeson stood amazed, recalling that this was how he was forty years back. - - * * * * * - -Petronius, who belongs in the first century A.D., produced a remarkable -novel entitled _The Satyricon_, in which he describes an instance of -renewed virility by means of witchcraft: - - “This is the custom, Sir,” said she, “and chiefly of this City, - where the women are skill’d in Magick-charms, enough to make the - Moon confess their power, therefore the recovery of any useful - Instrument of Love becomes their care; ’tis only writing some - soft tender things to my Lady, and you make her happy in a kind - return. For ’tis confest, since her Disappointment, she has not - been her self.” - - I readily consented, and calling for Paper, thus addrest myself: - - “’Tis confest, Madam, I have often sinned, for I’m not only a - Man, but a very young one, yet never left the Field so - dishonorably before. You have at your Feet a confessing - Criminal, that deserves whatever you inflict: I have cut a - Throat, betray’d my Country, committed Sacrilege; if a - punishment for any of these will serve, I am ready to receive - sentence. If you fancy my death, I wait you with my Sword; but - if a beating will content you, I fly naked to your Arms. Only - remember, that ’twas not the Workman, but his Instruments that - fail’d: I was ready to engage, but wanted Arms. Who rob’d me of - them I know not; perhaps my eager mind outrun my body; or while - with an unhappy haste I aim’d at all; I was cheated with - Abortive joys. I only know I don’t know what I’ve done: You bid - me fear a Palsie, as if the Disease cou’d do greater that has - already rob’d me of that, by which I shou’d have purchas’d you. - All I have to say for my self, is this, that I will certainly - pay with interest the Arrears of Love, if you allow me time to - repair my misfortune.” - - Having sent back Chrysis with this Answer, to encourage my jaded - Body, after the Bath and Strengthening Oyles, had a little - rais’d me, I apply’d my self to strong meats, such as strong - Broths and Eggs, using Wine very moderately; upon which to - settle my self, I took a little Walk, and returning to my - Chamber, slept that night without Gito; so great was my care to - acquit my self honourably with my Mistress, that I was afraid he - might have tempted my constancy, by tickling my Side. - - The next day rising without prejudice, either to my body or - spirits, I went, tho’ I fear’d the place was ominous, to the - same Walk, and expected Chrysis to conduct me to her Mistress; I - had not been long there, e’re she came to me, and with her a - little Old Woman. After she had saluted me, “What, my nice Sir - Courtly,” said she, “does your Stomach begin to come to you?” - - At what time, the Old Woman, drawing from her bosome, a wreath - of many colours, bound my Neck; and having mixt spittle and - dust, she dipt her finger in’t, and markt my Fore-head, whether - I wou’d or not. - - * * * * * - -In Rome the inns—the tabernae, the popinae, and the ganea—were -virtually, in addition to their primary purpose in serving drink, houses -of prostitution and assignation. - - * * * * * - -In wedding celebrations among the Romans, ribald and licentious songs -played no mean part. These songs were known as Fescennini Versus, and -were believed to have apotropaic significance, while they also recalled -the primary purpose of the nuptial union. - -At harvest festivals similar lewd verses were exchanged between masked -performers. - - * * * * * - -As visual guides to the lupanaria in ancient Rome, there were lighted -lamps, of phallic shape, near the doors. Seneca the philosopher refers -to this custom. Also the poet Juvenal in the sixth satire: - - fumoque lucernae - Foeda lupanaris - -An old commentator adds: Prostabant autem meretrices ad lucernas. - - * * * * * - -Acca Larentia was a Roman goddess whose festival—the Larentalia or -Larentinalia—fell on December 23. The tradition was that she herself had -been a prostitute. Her festival was a fertility ritual, as in the case -of Lupa and Flora. - - * * * * * - -There was a tradition that the Emperor Heliogabalus sponsored a brothel -in Rome called Senatulus Mulierum: The Little Senate of Women. - - * * * * * - -Nonariae were public prostitutes in Rome who were not allowed to appear -before the ninth hour. The satirist Persius refers to this custom: - - Si Cynico barbam petulans Nonaria vellat. - - * * * * * - -The ancients believed that the feminine lips had some relation to the -genitalia: and likewise that a prominent nose indicated a corresponding -membrum virile. There is evidence of this view in a short epigram by the -Roman poet Martial: - - Mentula tam magna est quantus tibi, Papyle, - nasus, ut possis, quotiens arrigis, olfacere. - - * * * * * - - -_Ovid_ - -One of the richest sources of eroticism is the Roman poet Publius -Ovidius Naso, commonly called in English Ovid. Born in 43 B.C., he -reached the greatest literary and social heights of his time, but, -falling under imperial disfavor, he ended his life in bleak and desolate -banishment. - -At Rome he acquired a deep knowledge of rhetoric, both academic and -applied, and then continued his studies in Athens. As was then usual, he -subsequently made the grand tour of the East. Although he was destined, -by his family’s wishes, for a career in law, Ovid dedicated himself to -his supreme and exclusive love, the poetic Muse. - -His output was tremendous. He addressed a certain Corinna in a series of -love elegies. He wrote fictional poetic letters of enamoured women. His -_Metamorphoses_ describes strange changes undergone by mortals and -divinities in pursuit of love. His Love Letters of Heroines, Directions -for a Lady’s Cosmetic Preparations, the Art of Love, and the Remedies -for Love belong in a common category. - -The principal climactic situation in his life was his banishment, by the -imperial mandate of the Emperor Augustus, to the desolation of Tomis, on -the Black Sea. He had to abandon his wife and home—he had been married -three times—, his literary friends, and his social circle. It was a kind -of living death, a spiritual and intellectual cataclysm. At Tomis, a -wild, barbaric, inhospitable spot, Ovid spent the remaining years of his -life, in regret and supplications fruitlessly addressed to the Emperor, -and in writing, particularly his _Tristia_, Sad Themes. - -The reason for the banishment is still obscure, although Ovid himself -hints at a ‘poem and a blunder.’ The poem was his Art of Love, which was -frowned upon imperially and excluded from the public libraries in the -Roman capital. The blunder of which Ovid was apparently guilty was -associated, as he declares, with his possession of eyes—that is, he may -have been a spectator or observer of some adulterous act involving the -imperial family. Whatever the factual reason, the Emperor remained -obdurate to the poet’s pleas, and Ovid died in exile. - -In the voluminous corpus of poetic accomplishment, Ovid produced many -major contributions to erotic literature. His _Ars Amatoria_ is a -universal handbook to love and its manifestations. His _Amores_ is a -sequence of amorous vignettes. His _Remedia Amoris_, Remedies for Love, -constitutes a body of amatory expiations that in spite of their negative -tone are as voluptuously and cynically libidinous as his forthright -prescriptions. In all, here is a body of themes, views, techniques that -expound the most intimate secrets of the boudoir and the salon, of the -entire range of erotic manifestations. Among his known contemporaries -Ovid became a kind of arch-consultant in love, the ultimate arbiter of -dalliance, the poetic confessor of sensual delights. And continuously -through the ages his poetic presentations, descriptions, enumerations, -his almost legalized counsel in debauchery, translated into most -European languages, have served as a final, authoritative, cynical and -libidinous source book. - -Ovid probes into both normal and perverted forms of amatory experience, -and reveals in vivid and not infrequently lurid detail, the -sophisticated gallantries, the urbane wantonness, the suave and polished -salaciousness, and the cultivated prurience of the Roman capital during -the first century before the Christian era. - -In respect of the means of inspiring and promoting amatory activity, -both in men and women, Ovid has many pointed things to say about -potions. In Latin, the _poculum amatorium_ is the common expression used -to designate the potion, that is, the love-goblet. - -Ovid’s primary theme, in these exciting productions of his, is: Love is -a campaign, long and ruthless. It requires skill, training, equipment, -strategy, vision. So, in his pleas to Corinna his poetic offerings are -in the nature of addresses to Woman, tantalizing, shameless, an epitome -of feminine wiles and graces. - -As stimuli toward erotic diversions, Ovid generously and without -resentment recommends, in addition to his own poetic manuals, his Roman -contemporaries Propertius and Tibullus, the elegiac poets, as well as -Vergil: and, among the Greeks, the erotic lyrics and occasional pieces -of Callimachus and Philetas, Anacreon and Sappho. - -In Book 3 of the _Metamorphoses_ we have the story of Narcissus, -enamoured aphrodisiacally by his own image reflected in a pool. The -image of himself is so clearly defined, the lips move so appealingly in -response to his own pleas, that he is ready to succumb amorously. Then -he realizes the truth, that he and his reflection are one, his own self, -his very identity. And he longs to free himself from himself, to escape -the duplication. By this imaginative and symbolical mythological design, -Ovid is unquestionably stressing the erotic passion itself, the frenzied -ecstasy to detach oneself from one’s own being, the clamor of man -against his fettered self and his erotic agonies. - -A potion may appear in various guises. A vision of beauty can itself act -like an enriched, stimulating philtre. The enraptured glance sends its -erotic pronouncement to the enraptured heart, and the potion is -virtually consummated. So, it seemed to Ovid, was the strange episode -involving the sculptor Pygmalion: - - Pygmalion loathing their lascivious life, - Abhorr’d all womanhood, but most a wife: - So single chose to live, and shunn’d to wed, - Well pleas’d to want a consort of his bed. - Yet fearing idleness, the nurse of ill, - In sculpture exercis’d his happy skill; - And carv’d in iv’ry such a maid, so fair, - As nature could not with his art compare, - Were she to work; but in her own defence, - Must take her patterns here, and copy hence. - Pleas’d with his idol, he commends, admires, - Adores; and last, the thing ador’d, desires. - A very virgin in her face was seen, - And had she mov’d, a living maid had been: - One wou’d have thought she could have stirr’d; but strove - With modesty, and was asham’d to move. - Art hid with art, so well perform’d the cheat, - It caught the carver with his own deceit: - He knows ’tis madness, yet he must adore, - And still the more he knows it, loves the more: - The flesh, or what so seems, he touches oft, - Which feels so smooth, that he believes it soft. - Fir’d with this thought, at once he strain’d the breast, - And on the lips a burning kiss impress’d. - ’Tis true, the harden’d breast resists the gripe, - And the cold lips return a kiss unripe: - But when, retiring back, he look’d again, - To think it iv’ry, was a thought too mean: - So wou’d believe she kiss’d, and courting more, - Again embrac’d her naked body o’er; - And straining hard the statue, was afraid - His hands had made a dint, and hurt his maid: - Explor’d her, limb by limb, and fear’d to find - So rude a gripe had left a livid mark behind: - With flatt’ry now he seeks her mind to move, - And now with gifts, (the pow’rful bribes of love:) - He furnishes her closet first; and fills - The crowded shelves with rarities of shells; - Adds orient pearls, which from the conch he drew, - And all the sparkling stones of various hue: - And parrots, imitating human tongue, - And singing-birds in silver cages hung; - And ev’ry fragrant flow’r, and od’rous green, - Were sorted well, with lumps of amber laid between: - Rich, fashionable robes her person deck: - Pendants her ears, and pearls adorn her neck: - Her taper’d fingers too with rings are grac’d, - And an embroider’d zone surrounds her slender waist. - Thus like a queen array’d, so richly dress’d, - Beauteous she shew’d, but naked shew’d the best. - Then, from the floor, he rais’d a royal bed, - With cov’rings of Sidonian purple spread: - The solemn rites perform’d, he calls her bride, - With blandishments invites her to his side, - And as she were with vital sense possess’d, - Her head did on a plumy pillow rest. - The feast of Venus came, a solemn day, - To which the Cypriots due devotion pay; - With gilded horns the milk-white heifers led, - Slaughter’d before the sacred altars, bled: - Pygmalion off’ring, first approach’d the shrine, - And then with pray’rs implor’d the pow’rs divine: - “Almighty gods, if all we mortals want, - If all we can require, be yours to grant; - Make this fair statue mine,” he would have said, - But chang’d his words for shame; and only pray’d, - “Give me the likeness of my iv’ry maid.” - The golden goddess, present at the pray’r, - Well knew he meant th’inanimated fair, - And gave the sign of granting his desire; - For thrice in cheerful flames ascends the fire. - The youth, returning to his mistress, hies, - And, impudent in hope, with ardent eyes, - And beating breast, by the dear statue lies. - He kisses her white lips, renews the bliss, - And looks and thinks they redden at the kiss: - He thought them warm before: nor longer stays, - But next his hand on her hard bosom lays: - Hard as it was, beginning to relent, - It seem’d, the breast beneath his fingers bent; - He felt again, his fingers made a print, - ’Twas flesh, but flesh so firm, it rose against the dint: - The pleasing task he fails not to renew; - Soft, and more soft at ev’ry touch it grew; - Like pliant wax, when chafing hands reduce - The former mass to form, and frame for use - He would believe, but yet is still in pain, - And tries his argument of sense again, - Presses the pulse, and feels the leaping vein. - Convinc’d, o’erjoy’d, his studied thanks and praise, - To her who made the miracle, he pays: - Then lips to lips he join’d; now freed from fear, - He found the savor of the kiss sincere: - At this the waken’d image op’d her eyes, - And view’d at once the light and lover, with surprise. - The goddess present at the match she made, - So bless’d the bed, such fruitfulness convey’d, - That e’er ten moons had sharpen’d either horn, - To crown their bliss, a lovely boy was born; - Paphos his name, who, grown to manhood, wall’d - The city Paphos, from the founder call’d. - -The realism of the sculptured figure, together with the aroused passion -of the artist, produced a kind of symbiotic philtre, a flaming, kinetic -periapt. - -In Book 1 of the _Ars Amatoria_ Ovid introduces his basic subject: love -unrestrained, Aphrodite Pandemos, patroness of free love, of passion -unconfined: - - Far hence, ye Vestals, be, who bind your hair; - And wives, who gowns below your ankles wear. - I sing the brothels loose and unconfin’d, - Th’unpunishable pleasures of the kind; - Which all alike, for love, or money find. - -And, in a brief preface, he offers an epitome of early Roman history, -which is equated succinctly with military prowess and sexual prowess: - - Thus Romulus became so popular; - This was the way to thrive in peace and war; - To pay his army, and fresh whores to bring: - Who wou’d not fight for such a gracious king! - -Now Ovid dwells on wine as an amatory stimulant, a virtual flaming -potion: - - But thou, when flowing cups in triumph ride, - And the lov’d nymph is seated by thy side; - Invoke the God, and all the mighty pow’rs, - That wine may not defraud thy genial hours. - Then in ambiguous words thy suit prefer; - Which she may know were all addrest to her. - -Practice all the variations conceivable in winning your designated -conquest, Ovid advises recurrently. Your wit and suavity will prevail: -far more, in fact, than artificial aids, such as philtres. Philtres, -Ovid asserts from the richness of his erotic experience, are futile in -the contests of love: - - Pallid philtres given to girls were of no avail. Philtres harm - the mind and produce an impact of madness. - -He enumerates many items that were popularly reputed to possess -aphrodisiac properties. But you should shun them, he reiterates, for -their effect is minimal. Hippomanes, the excrescence on a new-born colt, -is ineffectual: similarly with the traditional magic herbs purchased -furtively from some wizened old hag. Reject, equally, formulas for -exorcism and similar enchantments. The best love philtre, in short, is -the lover’s own passion. Even the ancient enchantress Circe, whom Homer -describes so vividly, could not, by the aid of her occult devices, -prevent the unfaithfulness of Ulysses: nor could the tumultuous Medea, -practiced in the lore of the sorceress, combat the waywardness of Jason. - -It is true, the poet acknowledges, that in the popular mind many -objects, grasses, roots are associated with the virtues of the love -potion: but erroneously so, he adds. He lists the items as follows: - - Some teach that herbs will efficacious prove, - But in my judgment such things poison love. - Pepper with biting nettle-seed they bruise, - With yellow pellitory wine infuse. - Venus with such as this no love compels, - Who on the shady hill of Eryx dwells. - Eat the white shallots sent from Megara - Or garden herbs that aphrodisiac are, - Or eggs, or honey on Hymettus flowing, - Or nuts upon the sharp-leaved pine-trees growing. - - * * * * * - -Morality, especially sexual morality, descended to its most degenerative -nadir in the period of the Roman Empire. The poets and satirists, the -historians and the moralists all uniformly fulminate against the -profligacies of Roman matrons, particularly in the upper social levels -and in the court circles, and blast and condemn the utter -licentiousness, lewdness, and abandonment of all restraints. - -Seneca the philosopher asserts: - - Anything assailed by countless desires is insecure. And the - young and even more mature matrons, descendants of distinguished - figures in the tumultuous sequence of Roman history, were - exposed to every kind of inducement to laxity, every urgent - temptation, domestically, publicly, and politically. There was a - vogue of indiscriminate flirtation, highly skilled, ingeniously - practiced, that led into violent passion and into adultery, into - incest and multiple perversions. Lust became the primary - satisfaction, and its consummation was the most common, the most - clamant factor in the social frame. - -Even the earlier days of the Roman Republic were, as the poet Horace -declares—and he was the Augustan Poet Laureate—‘rich in sin.’ Propertius -too confirms this view, and goes one step further. The sea, he suggests, -will be dried up and the stars torn from heaven before women reform -their immoral ways. - -The entire nation, rich and prosperous, masters of the universe, -overwhelmed and sated with exotic luxuries, attended, for their every -whim, by hordes of slaves, had lost all human modesty, all human -virtues. Yet all was not entirely lost, for voices cried out, however -feebly and helplessly, in the midst of their successions of wantonness -and orgies. - -The poet Ovid wryly says: - - Only those women are chaste who are unsolicited, and a man who - is enraged at his wife’s amours is merely a boor. - -Seneca says again, in respect of married women: A woman who is content -to have two lovers only is a paragon. - -For adultery and divorce were the usual recreations of many Roman -matrons in Imperial times. Marriage itself was often a mere formality, -and it implied no loyalties, no honor. Some women, declares Seneca, -counted the years not by the consuls, but by the number of husbands they -had. - -And the Church Father, Tertullian, added later, in the same vein: Women -marry, only to divorce. Ovid himself, the archpoet of love, was married -three times. Caesar had four wives in succession. Mark Antony also had -four. Sulla the statesman and Pompey each had five wives. Pliny the -Younger had three wives. Martial the epigrammatist mentions a certain -Phileros who had seven wives. - -Women were no better, no less restless. Tullia, Cicero’s daughter, had -three husbands. The Emperor Nero was the third husband of Poppaea, and -the fifth of Messalina. The poet Martial refers to a woman who had eight -husbands, and to another who was suspected of murdering her seven -husbands, one after the other. - -Every passion, every illicit amour, was a provocation to the Roman -women. They had intrigues with their slaves, with actors and -pantomimists, with jockeys, charioteers, gladiators, and flute-players. - -Roman temples were rendez-vous, and prostitution and adultery were -practiced among the altars and in the cells that were heavy with -incense. In a striking passage, Tertullian personifies Idolatry, who -confesses: My sacred groves of pilgrimage, my mountains and springs, my -city temples, all know how I corrupt chastity. - -Astrological and magic techniques contributed to the already degenerate -Romans of the Empire. Old hags practiced procuring and other dubious -trades. They prepared drugs and potions and salves for beauty and -passion and poisoning. In time, these practices assumed a mysterious -aura. They absorbed the secret cults of the Nile and the Ganges and the -Euphrates. Some of the practitioners were actually reputable, dignified, -eagerly sought after by women. Lucian describes a certain Alexander of -Abonuteichos—stately, with well-trimmed beard, penetrating look, -modulated voice. He wore a wig of flowing locks. He was dressed in a -white and purple tunic, and a white cloak, and in his hand he carried a -scythe. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - ORIENT - - -Ancient Hindu literature treats in startling detail every conceivable -aspect of erotic manifestations. There are guides and manuals and -elaborate treatises and monographs devoted to particular topics: to -coital procedures, to male and female characteristics and tendencies, to -strange stimuli, and to amatory potions and philtres. Of all these -manuals possibly the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana Malanaga, who is presumed -to belong in the fourth century A.D., is the best known. It is, in fact, -the most widely disseminated treatise on all phases of erotic practices. - -The Kama Sutra furnishes specific information on the techniques of -sexual relationships, the virtues and defects of women, the degrees of -sensuality among both men and women, the criteria of beauty and -attractiveness, the most effective devices in the matter of dress and -hair arrangement, foods and cosmetics, perfumes, and the symbolic -language of love. - -It also stresses potions, their component elements, their preparation, -and the type of philtres that are most favorable to the erotic -sensibilities. - -The Hindu manuals also make special classifications of women according -to the degree and durability of their erotic sensations, their physical -appearance, and the osphresiological conditions arising from the pudenda -muliebria. Nothing is secretive, nothing is taboo. The primary and -universal activity, it is assumed, necessitates wide and deep and exact -and revelatory knowledge, so that the man or woman may function to the -fullest and most complete extent. - -The male is also subjected to analysis, in an amatory direction, -according to physiological and erotic categories. The most personal, the -most intimate, the most normally cryptic and unspoken matters are -subjected to forthright description and comment. For example, one -subject discussed with the utmost candor is the intensity of the male -erotic potential and his general reactions to sexual conjugation. - -Embraces and their varieties of erotic significance, postures and -degrees of proximity and physiological contiguity come under observation -and exposition. Especially the thirteen types of kissing, each in its -own way symptomatic of the intensity of the passion. The art of kissing -was itself so important in both ancient classical and Asiatic eroticism -that, in the Middle Ages, it reached a literary climax. Johannes -Secundus, a Dutch scholar, wrote a passionate amatory sequence of Latin -poems entitled _Basia_, Kisses, in which he exceeded the lyrical surge -and sway and the pulsating exultation of the Roman poet Catullus. - - * * * * * - -In the course of his surgical and medical experiences in various -countries, notably in the Orient, Dr. Jacobus X, the French army surgeon -who is the author of a voluminous corpus of anthropological matter -entitled _Untrodden Fields of Anthropology_ (2 volumes. Paris: Published -by Charles Carrington: 2nd. edition, 1898), the author gathered a great -deal of unique and miscellaneous and little known information on sexual -practices. In discussing potions, he dwells on cubeb pepper, a popular -item in the love philtres of the East. - -A drink in which the leaves of cubeb pepper have been steeped, according -to Dr. Jacobus, produces pronounced genital excitation. - - * * * * * - -The Arabs were astoundingly prolific in producing manuals on erotic -themes, ranging over the entire field of sexual practices, normal and -perverted, to which man is physiologically bound. - -The attitude adopted in such handbooks, however, is free from the -contrived prurient or lascivious tone that might possibly have been -expected, particularly in relation to occidental erotic literature. -There is apparent, on the contrary, a certain reverential humility, as -of one who treats a sacred subject for which supreme gratitude is to be -accorded to the ultimate and beneficent Maker. In this sense, therefore, -erotic matters have inherently a sanctity that is acknowledged by the -Arab writers again and again. As in the case of the Sheikh Nefzawi’s -_The Perfumed Garden_. Or in the amorous episodes that pervade the -corpus of tales of the _Arabian Nights_. Or in the _Book of Exposition -in the Science of Coition_, attributed to a certain theologian and -historian named Jalal al-Din al-Siyuti. Many Arab erotic treatises -actually introduce the subject with a devout invocation to Allah as the -creator and dispenser of such beatific and voluptuous pleasures as are -detailed in the text. - - * * * * * - -In one specific instance the Sheikh Nefzawi, after describing a -preparation for correcting amatory impairment, adds: This preparation -will make the weakness disappear and effect a cure, with the permission -of God the Highest. - - * * * * * - -A Chinese amatory concoction, whose base was opium, was known as affion. -Reputedly, it had decided erotic effects: which, however, were of an -intensely violent nature accompanied by flagrant brutality. The fact of -opium as a major ingredient, however, was evidently an inducement to its -use. - - * * * * * - -Often small creatures, insects, reptiles, formed the base of amatory -philtres. In Africa, for example, the amphibious animal that belonged to -the lizard species and was named lacerta scincus was anciently ground -into powder and taken as a beverage. - -This concoction was considered an aphrodisiac of remarkable potency. - - * * * * * - -A cogently recommended prescription in the famous Hindu manual, the -Ananga-Ranga, consists of the juice of the plant bhuya-Kokali, dried in -the sun, and mixed with ghee or clarified butter, honey, and candied -sugar. This potion, it is urged, is taken with great pleasurable -anticipation. - - * * * * * - -In Arabia, a highly recommended beverage, designed to strengthen and -maintain amatory energy, is camel’s milk in which honey has been poured. -The prescription requires consecutive and regular application. - -Identical in intent, and somewhat similar in ingredients, is a kind of -broth prescribed by the Sheikh Nefzawi, the erotologist. It consists of -onion juices, together with purified honey. This mixture is heated until -only the consistency of the honey remains. Then it is cooled, water is -added, and finally pounded chick-peas. To be taken in a small dose, -advises Nefzawi, during cold spells of weather, and before retiring to -bed, and for one day only. The result, he promises, will be startlingly -successful. - - * * * * * - -A Turkish recipe recommends olibanum, which is frankincense, mixed with -rose water, along with camphor, myrrh, and musk, all pounded and -fricated together. The resultant mixture is sealed hermetically in a -glass. Then it is left for a day or two in the sun. Now the preparation -is ready for use: as a spray over the hands in washing, or on the body, -or on the clothing, with consequent impacts on the person and on the -erotogenic areas. - - * * * * * - -In the Orient, honey normally and regularly takes the place occupied by -sugar in Western countries. Hence honey is a common ingredient in many -foods, pastries and drinks. Basically, it appears repeatedly in -prescriptions designed as love-potions. It is, to take an instance, -frequently mentioned by Avicenna, the eleventh century Arab philosopher, -physician, and libertine, as well as by the erotologist the Sheikh -Nefzawi. Honey, compounded with pepper, or with ginger, or with cubebs, -in various proportions and variously formed into a consistent brew, is a -standard recipe in the amatory pharmacopoeia of the East. - - * * * * * - -Indian manuals on erotology contain many directions, suggestions, and -specific prescriptions relative to the increase of masculine potency. -Some of these prescriptions advise rare or unobtainable herbs. Others -are hazardous, and may occasion dangerous reactions. Some are merely -humorously and naively fantastic and impossible or futile of -realization: while occasional recommendations may be warranted and may -have some amatory validity. - -A drink consisting of milk, with sugar added and the root of the -uchchata plant, piper chaba, which is a species of pepper, and liquorice -reputedly has strong support as an energizing agent. - -Another milk concoction contains seeds of long pepper, seeds of -sanseviera roxburghiana, and the hedysarum gangeticum plant, pounded -together. - -Still another recipe advocates milk and sugar, in which the testes of a -ram or goat have been boiled. - - * * * * * - -An Indian excitant, reputedly effective, is a kind of liquid paste -consisting of roots of the trapa bispinosa plant, tuscan jasmine, the -kasurika plant, liquorice, and kshirakapoli. All these ingredients, most -of them indigenous to India, are crushed together and the conglomerate -powder is put into a mixture of milk, sugar, and clarified butter, that -is, ghee. The entire concoction is then slowly boiled. This is -considered a potent amatory beverage, and is so recommended in the -manuals. - - * * * * * - -Ghee is commonly used in Indian culinary practice. It is also a frequent -ingredient in potions and compounds that are directed toward genital -excitations. A reputedly forceful agent of this sort is the following -recipe, in which ghee appears. Sesame seeds are soaked with sparrows’ -eggs: then boiled in milk, to which ghee and sugar, the fruit of the -trapa bispinosa plant and the kasurika plant, as well as beans and wheat -flour, have been added. - - * * * * * - -Sparrows’ eggs and rice, boiled in milk with an admixture of honey and -ghee, provide what is considered an effective amatory stimulant. - -A concoction of milk, honey, ghee, liquorice, sugar, and the juice of -the fennel plant is considered a provocative beverage. - - * * * * * - -Boiled ghee itself, taken as a morning drink in spring time, is -believed, in Hindu erotology, to form a positive excitant for amorous -practices. - - * * * * * - -Certain oriental plants that have special erotic virtues are mentioned -frequently in Hindu amatory treatises. Among such plants are: the -shvadaustra plant, asparagus racemosus, the guduchi plant, liquorice, -long pepper, and the premna spinosa. These are often used in compounds -to form a potion. - - * * * * * - -Among the diversified prescriptions, compounds, and philtres contained -in the Ananga-Ranga or in similar erotic manuals mentioned in this -survey, not a few are merely innocuous in action by virtue of their -innocuous ingredients. Others are merely ineffective, while still others -may be decidedly fraught with hazards and dangers in their reactions. -All potions and amatory concoctions, therefore, either alluded to or -described in greater detail in this present conspectus, are treated from -an academic or historical or solely informative viewpoint, not as ad hoc -specifics for any physiologically amatory condition whatever. - - * * * * * - -The Ananga-Ranga usually includes, among amatory items that form -energizing concoctions, plants, roots, blossoms, flowers that are -indigenous to India. Many of these plants have their modern botanical -designations in Latin terminology, while others still remain -unidentifiable or extremely rare. - -Kuili powder, lechi, kanta-gokhru, kakri, and laghushatavari, compounded -as a mixture in milk, will, it is asserted, create manifest -physiological vigor. - - * * * * * - -An amatory drink concocted in the East is thus compounded: Pith of the -moh tree, well pounded and mixed with cow’s milk. It constitutes a -highly strengthening potion. - - * * * * * - -Among wealthy Chinese, lavish dining includes a special broth or soup. -This soup is particularly favored for its energizing and provocative -excitation. The soup is prepared from the nests of sea-swallows, highly -spiced. These nests are built from edible sea-weeds, to which cling -fish—spawn particles rich in phosphorus. As an erotic beverage, the soup -is reputed to be extremely efficacious. - - * * * * * - -Among Chinese in low economic levels, nuoc-man is used as a love -stimulant. It is an extraction of decomposed fish, prepared like -cod-liver oil. - - * * * * * - -The leaves of cubeb pepper, in an infusion, are considered in Chinese -erotology to produce marked amatory tendencies. - - * * * * * - -A very popular pill, whose composition, however, is not revealed to the -reader, appears again and again in the long picaresque, erotic Chinese -novel entitled _Chin P’ing Mei_. One of the characters, a monk, -recommends to the adventurous hero that a certain pill, to be taken in a -drop of spirits, has remarkable potency, which is specified numerically -and in the degree of its voluptuousness. The erotic effects, in fact, -are described by the monk in verse. The pill, yellow in hue, and ovoid -in shape, is of the utmost efficacy, over a long expanse of days, the -masculine vigor, described generously and enticingly, increasing with -each successive day and each amatory encounter. - - * * * * * - -From a genital gland of the musk-deer and also of a species of goat that -thrives in Tartary, a bitter, volatile substance is extracted, that is -termed musk. In the Orient, notably in Tibet and in Iran, musk has been -in use, in culinary preparations, for its assumed erotic virtues. - -Musk, in fact, is pervasively associated with amatory sensations. To the -ideal woman, according to Hindu erotology, whose pulchritude and appeal -are beyond criticism, clings the aroma of musk, elusive, tantalizing. - -Musk has long been involved in erotic practices, and its virtue in this -direction has been repeatedly emphasized in amatory manuals, -particularly among the Arabs. Even in tales and legends, in poetry and -in chronicles, the perfume of musk and its marked allure play no small -part in the creation of romantic episodes. - -The tradition of musk as an amatory agent, arousing mental and sensual -erotic images and inclinations, lingers on into contemporary times. In a -popular mystery tale, _The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu_, by Sax Rohmer, the -plot centres around a sinister, super-intelligent Oriental operator -named Dr. Fu-Manchu. One of his hirelings is the woman called Kâramanèh. -Her nearness is sensed by the narrator, a certain Dr. Petrie. He detects -the perfume, which ‘like a breath of musk, spoke of the Orient.’ It -seemed to intoxicate the narrator, disturbing his rational faculties, -suggesting the beauty of the villainous Kâramanèh. - - * * * * * - -In the inexhaustible richness of world literature, in every country and -in every century, there are texts, memoirs, guides, novels, dramas, -poetry, sagas and legends that are devoted largely, occasionally -exclusively, to the amatory theme: from the Dialogues of Luisa Sigea to -Pietro Aretino’s lascivious sonnets, from the amatory epistles of -Alciphron to the lush and fantastic orgiastic extravagances of the -Marquis de Sade. - -Among all this heterogeneous variety of treatment, viewpoint, and -exposition, there is the almost universally accepted standard text, -originally produced in Sanskrit by Vatsyayana, of the Kama Sutra, the -Apothegms on Love, the essence of amatory science, the distillations of -erotic precepts. - - * * * * * - -A certain plant named Pellitory of Spain, and, in Latin terminology, -Anacyclus Pyrethrum, has a traditionally credited amatory quality. The -plant is so considered in Arab erotological literature. - - * * * * * - -The Orient, knowledgeable in the virtues and characteristics of -numberless extracts and distillations, unguents and lotions, considered -ambergris, as a perfume, to be endowed with restorative, life-preserving -properties. Anciently, among the Persians, there was a tonic composed of -precious stones—pearls, and rubies, and gold, and powdered ambergris, -producing a pastille that was eaten with anticipatory amatory prospects. - -In modern times, too, in the East, coffee is often drunk in which a -touch of ambergris has been intruded. - -Very anciently, ambergris had reputedly amazing qualities, that would -produce, temporarily, a state of rejuvenescence in aged suppliants. - - * * * * * - -Almonds belong to the Orient. Their fragrance is entwined in Oriental -poetry, in Oriental legend, and in Oriental modes of living. It is -therefore not surprising that the almond, variously prepared, whether -powdered, or reduced to an oil, is associated with invigorating tonics. -_The Perfumed Garden_, the erotic handbook written by the Arab -erotologist the Sheikh Nefzawi, describes a number of preparations in -which the base is almond. - -He recommends the eating of some twenty almonds, with a glassful of -honey, and one hundred pine-tree grains, just before retiring to bed. As -an alternate, there is chicken broth, with cream, yolk of eggs, and -powdered almonds. - - * * * * * - -In Eastern Asia there has always been, for untold ages, an awareness of -the stimulating effects of certain foods. So, among the Annamites, the -chief food was fish, which, according to certain anthropological studies -and investigations, gives an appreciably lascivious tendency to this -people. - -Among other foods, they are addicted to garlic, which they consume in -large quantities, ginger, and onion, all of which have aphrodisiac -properties. - - * * * * * - -There are other erotogenic means, contrivances and manipulative devices, -mentioned in Hindu manuals, that are designed for ithyphallic -inducements. - - * * * * * - -The Orient has always been a rich source for erotic material. Formal -manuals, anthologies, poetry all stress amatory concepts, erotic -situations, amorous encounters. In 1907 the Mercure de France published -an Anthologie de L’Amour Asiatique, by a certain Thalasso. It ranges -over many countries of the Asiatic continent, describing the traits and -temperaments of the women of these countries from an amatory viewpoint. -The author quotes a Georgian popular song, that contains the essence of -the anthology. It is that the purpose of every man, every husband, -should be to devise varying amatory pleasures. He should know how to -renew the enjoyments of Aphrodite. He should be skilled in avoiding -monotony and satiety. Every woman of every country has her own -peculiarities, her own coyness, her own aggressiveness. The women of -Egypt, he says, are promiscuous, though beautiful. All the coquettish -arts are known to Persian women. The Abyssinians are slim and -well-formed and appealing in looks. The women of the Hedjaz are apart; -they maintain their honor and their modesty, and there are no harlots -among them. In Constantinople all the women, in pulchritude, resemble -Venus, but they are of varying degrees of chastity. Circassian women are -like the moon. Georgian women are very tender-hearted, and persistent -pleas will win the day with them. - - * * * * * - -The Orient is always prepared to experiment with strange objects, unique -devices, complicated contraptions, protracted and difficult treatments, -all for the ultimate purpose of recovering the libido, or protracting -the amatory span, or maintaining full and effectual vigor. - -Take, for instance, a man’s molar tooth: and the bone of a lapwing’s -left wing. Place in a purse, under the woman’s pillow. Tell her of your -action. The result, presumably by means of the implied sympathetic -magic, will be very favorable. - - * * * * * - -A plant belonging in the satyrion species, called Orchis Morio, that is -native to the South East of Europe, particularly in the area near -Istanbul, is used in Turkey as an excitant. - - * * * * * - -The juice of the roots of the mandayantaka plant, the clitoria -ternateea, the anjanika plant, the shlakshnaparni plant and the yellow -amaranth, compounded into a lotion, constituted an Oriental invigorating -recipe. - - * * * * * - -Among the Japanese, a root highly esteemed for its amatory potential is -ninjin, which has properties analogous to those of the mandrake. - - * * * * * - -The Chinese are fond of a sauce called nuoc-man. Spiced with garlic and -pimento, this fish extract, similar to the Roman garum, is treated as a -stimulant, containing, as it does, genesiac elements: salt and -phosphorus. - - * * * * * - -As the West inherited and absorbed many cultural phases, views, -concepts, practices, mores from the East, it likewise acquired some of -the amatory and medicinal knowledge relating to electuaries and healing -methods, herbs and plants that might be contributory to health and -well-being, and, as an antique encyclopedic work suggests, an exciter to -venery. Thus Zacutus Lusitanus, Zacutus the Portuguese, a medieval -physician, author of a medical text entitled _Praxis Medica Admiranda_, -enumerates the ingredients of an amatory preparation. The composition is -as follows: Musk and ambergris, pterocarpus santalinus, both red and -yellow, calamus aromaticus, cinnamon, bole Tuccinum, galanga, -aloes-wood, rhubarb, absinthe, Indian myrobalon: all pounded together. - - * * * * * - -The most remarkable literary erotic production of China may reasonably -be considered to be the picaresque novel Chin P’ing Mei, the adventurous -history of Hsi Men and his six wives. It has been styled the Chinese -Decameron, but it transcends the scope, the contents, the variousness of -incident and characterization and sense of vivid reality manifested in -Boccaccio’s Decameron. The Chinese tale is full of a variety of scenes -and episodes, in the manner of the European large-scaled, spacious -novel. It is also permeated by a tone of ribaldry, a vein of salacious -eroticism, and a large number of episodes describing amatory -experiences. One particular scene deals with a species of pill, the -composition of which is not revealed, that has unique functional -effects. - - * * * * * - -In China erotic perversions were as numerous as in ancient Rome. The -cinaedus, the Gito who is prominent in Petronius’ _Satyricon_, is termed -in China _amasi_. Dr. Jacobus X, the French anthropologist, has a great -deal to say on this subject. - - * * * * * - -The Islamic concept of erotic practice is associated with devoutness. It -implies the transmission to man of the divine creative force. Thus the -erotic never becomes lewd or lascivious or prurient for the mere purpose -of lubricity. The Koran counsels physiological intimacy as a sacred -function, an ordained and enjoined rite. Omar Haleby ibn Othman, the -Arab erotologist, likewise chants the erotic act as an expression, a -manifestation derived from sacred sources. The erotic consummation has -lost its fleshly, earthy connotation. It has assumed a venerable and -venerated sanctity. - - * * * * * - -In the ancient Orient and even in much later ages, the phallus was an -object of veneration not in a prurient or lustful sense, but as the -source of procreation, the emblem of maternity. For sterility was the -major, the primary curse. Hence any means might be exercised to -counteract this catastrophic condition, this mark of divine disfavor, -this racial blight. Hence too among certain ethnic communities as well -as in Biblical literature the stranger, or the occasional traveler, or -the concubine, was offered conjugal status, for the sole purpose of -effecting generation. - -Horror of sterility drove women to ceaseless supplications, to priapic -invocations, to priapic contacts, to secret devices, and to magic aid. -In the East, there was the belief that to walk over certain stones was a -remedy for such sterility. In Madagascar a stone was held in reverence -as promoting both agricultural and human fertility. In obscure regions -of the Pyrenees Mountains, as well as in France, similar stones were -believed conducive to amatory excitation and also to fertility. And -these stones were merely worn and weather-beaten vestiges of the -original phallic shapes or other analogous forms. - -In India, too, the lingam and the yoni were pervasively revered -throughout the continent. There were temples lined with hundreds of -lingams, garlanded with flowers, anointed with ghee in continuous -adoration. - - * * * * * - -A mixture of rose water, powdered almonds, and sugar is an old Arab -drink that was commonly considered to correct incapacity. So too with a -mixture, cooked together, of cloves, ginger, nuts, wild lavender, and -nutmeg. - - * * * * * - -The Koran contains prescriptions that govern the daily life, material -and spiritual, of Moslems. For amatory purposes, which in themselves -imply a sacred function, certain perfumes are recommended as stimulants. -Musk is most frequently mentioned and used. Also camphor, essence of -rose, olibanum, and cascarilla. - - * * * * * - -The erotic theme in general is always associated, in Arab texts, with -reverence and sanctity, never with prurience. The Arab erotologist Omar -Haleby asserts that the Prophet himself advised recourse to invocations -in the case of physiological incapacity. - -The erotic consummation, repeats Omar Haleby, must be considered as an -act inspired by the divinity. It is the why and the wherefore of the -entire cosmos, the divine law of the conservation of the human species. - - * * * * * - -To promote physiological vigor, Moslem tradition recommends frequent -cold ablutions. Nourishment also holds an important position, and -specific suggestions of food are made. Fish caught in the sea are -helpful. Also: lentils and truffles, mutton boiled in fennel, cumin, and -anise: eggs, especially the yolk, and saffron. Dried dates have a value -in this respect, as well as honey and pigeon’s blood. Effective -electuaries may be compounded with these ingredients. - - * * * * * - -An old Oriental manual, putatively basing many of its assertions on the -secrets of the Kabbala, classifies various types of love: Lust and -passion and the rarer, ultimate, absolute spiritual love. Amatory -emotions are enumerated and guidance is offered in several directions. -Women are placed in various categories, according to their physical -traits, their personal attractions, their sensibilities. - -As a general counsel of perfection, particularly for celibates, -corporeal hygiene is enjoined at all times. The routine of Nature -itself, it is suggested, is an exemplary mentor, involving alternations -of rest and work in due moderation. In the matter of consumption of -food, too, restraint is advised. Food should be taken in silence, -slowly, and while facing the East. Adherence to such prescriptions, it -is stressed, will produce a corporeal and spiritual balance free from -violent entanglements. - -In the case of the woman, there are thirty-two points that, in their -totality, produce perfection and beauty for the allurement of men. These -points include whiteness of skin, dark hair, pink tongue, small ears, -and moderate height. - -Other Oriental handbooks elaborate, on the other hand, on all the -possible permutations conducive to amatory consummations. These almost -exclusively follow Hindu, Arab, and Turkish tradition. - - - - - CHAPTER V - INDIA - - -India is a spacious land of astounding contrasts and variations. It is a -land of mystery and mysticism, and at the same time it investigates -reality with infinite patience. It is a land of diversified, age-old -cultures, and its ancient university at Taxila in the Punjab ante-dated -the Hellenic Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum by long centuries. Yet it -has had and still has illiterate villages, where legends and sagas of -antique doings are still transmitted orally. It is a continent of -abundant wealth, and its maharajas and princelings and emperors have -been resplendent in golden raiment, exultant in their treasure houses -where lakhs of rupees lie heaped alongside rubies and emeralds, diamonds -and pearls, and a dozen other varieties of precious stones, almost -beyond human reckoning and evaluation. Yet, within this very century, -children have stood at lonely wayside stations, from Bombay to -Rawalpindi, in the Punjab and in Bengal, in the North West Frontier and -in Madras Presidency, clamoring for roti and pani, bread and water. It -is a land of lavish fertility, and a land of recurrent famine and -devastation. A land of hieratic formalities and a land of innovation. - -India is a country of artistic achievements of the highest order, of -profound philosophical speculation, of monumental poetic and literary -production. It is dedicated to things of the spirit, yet its Kali craves -blood. It clings adhesively to remote traditions, to ethnic and -religious mores, to indurated social ways. Yet it forges ahead, eager to -maintain itself in the forefront of industrial expansion. It maintains -old domestic and communal demarcations and rigidities, yet it welcomes -the novelties, the mutations of this restless age. It is dedicated to -intellectual, cosmological meditation, yet it probes into sexual -manners, into the characteristics of lust and passion, and all the -secretive unspoken intimacies of carnality. It has practically made a -monopoly of texts and treatises on the subject of love and all its -darker and more intricate and subtle manifestations. It is a country -that has produced, in this field, six of the major manuals, poetic -eulogies or expositions, dealing with the forms and practices of -Aphrodite Pandemos. - -The Ratirahasya, variously called the Koka Shastra, was the work of the -poet Kukkoka. It consists of some eight hundred verses on love -techniques. - -The Ananga-Ranga, also called Kamaledhiplava, was written by the poet -Kullianmull, and belongs in the fifteenth or sixteenth century A.D. The -contents describe factually and realistically the physical -characteristics of various types of women, their deportment, dress, -facial and bodily traits, their amatory responsiveness, together with -certain principles that establish objective amatory criteria. - -The Rasmanjari was the work of the poet Bhanudatta. It classifies men -and women according to personal behavior, age, physical type. - -The Smara Pradipa, consisting of some four hundred verses, expounds -amatory laws or tendencies. It was the work of the poet Gunakara. - -The Ratimanjari is a brief poetic exposition on love, whose author was -the poet Jayadeva. - -The Panchasakya is considerably longer, and is divided into five Arrows. -The author was Jyotirisha. - -Woman, in these treatises and poetic elaborations and expositions, is -the central theme, and her physical traits, ideally considered, and the -elements that, cumulatively, constitute her dominant attraction, are -minutely and imaginatively depicted: the texture of the skin, the shape -of the moon face, the coloring of the hair, the brightness of eye are -measured and defined in relation to cosmic phenomena, to flowers, to the -lotus, to the mustard blossom, to the lily and the fawn, and, above all, -her devoutness is stressed, and her impassioned worship of the Hindu -pantheon, the totality of the deities. - -The Kama Sutra is an extended exposition of love and its procedures and -manipulations, in some 1200 verses divided into sections in which -various aspects and techniques in amatory mores are treated. - -And, like The Perfumed Garden and similar Oriental excursions into -sexual activities, it diffuses an aura of religiosity, a solemn sense of -reverence, a divine acknowledgment. The tone is frank without prurience: -the elaborate classifications and injunctions are minute and lucid -without introducing an undercurrent, however unobtrusive, of deliberate -and gross scurrilities. It is not libidinous, then, in intent, for the -author himself, a profoundly contemplative religious devotee, adumbrated -his work, not as a salacious and lewd inducement to debauchery, but as -an exposition of the physiological man who, while making concessions in -conformity with certain established amatory principles, may yet -transcend his carnal desires and, instead of being enslaved by his -erotic lusts, may become master of them and use them under due control, -but never without restraint and a kind of Hellenic and Aristotelian -moderation, a physiological aurea mediocritas. - -The floruit of the author of the Kama Sutra has not been determined -definitively. It has been variously assigned between the first and the -sixth century A.D. - -The entire work is pervaded by the three Hindu concepts of Dharma, -goodness or virtue, in the Greek sense, Artha, which is wealth, and -Kama, sensual pleasure. - -The range of topics covers normal and abnormal conditions and practices: -wedded love and fellatio, public harlotry and transvestism, courtship -and the frenzies of passion, the behavior of wives during a husband’s -absence, the artifices of feminine conquest, osculation and amatory -permutations, the employment of an intermediary, the ways of the -courtesan, and, finally, personal adornment, tonic medicines, methods of -exciting desire. - -In respect of the latter, there are various recipes involving oils, -unguents, and juices. One unguent that has amatory appeal is composed of -tabernamontana coronaria, costus speciosus, and flacourtia cataphracta. - -Another aid is oil of hogweed, echites putrescens, the sarina plant, -yellow amaranth, and leaf of nymphae. This salve is applied to the body. - -Let the man eat the powder of the nelumbrium speciosum, the blue lotus, -the mesna roxburghii, together with clarified butter, which is ghee, and -honey. - -The bone of a peacock, or of a hyena, covered with gold and fastened on -the right hand, has an exciting effect. - -Similarly with a bead made from the seed of the jujube or a conch shell, -that is enchanted by magic spells and then fastened on the hand. - -A mixture of powders of white thorn apple, black pepper, long pepper, -and honey is reputedly a means of female subjugation. - -So with an ointment made of the emblica myrabolens plant. - -A drink of milk and sugar, the pipar chaba, liquorice, and the root of -the uchchata plant is an invigorating agent. - -A liquid consisting of milk mixed with juice of the kuili plant, the -hedysarum gangeticum, and the kshirika plant is likewise a stimulant. - -A drink of a paste consisting of asparagus racemosus, the guduchi plant, -the shvadaushtra plant, long pepper, liquorice: boiled in milk, ghee, -and honey, and taken in the spring time. - -A man who plays on a reed pipe smeared with juices of the bahupadika -plant the costus arabicus, the euphorbia antiquorum, the tabernamontana -coronaria, the pinus deodora, the kantaka plant, and the vajfa plant -will effect female subjugation. - -A camel bone, dipped into the juice of the eclipta prostata, then -burned, and pigment from the ashes placed in a box made of camel bone, -and applied to the eyelashes with a camel bone pencil are also a means -of subjugation. - -A drink of boiled clarified butter, in the morning, in the spring time, -is equally effective. - -A drink of asparagus racemosus and the shvadaushtra plant, with pounded -fruit of premna spinosa, in water. - -A drink composed as follows: The covering of sesame seeds, soaked in -sparrows’ eggs: boiled in milk, with ghee and sugar, with fruit of the -trapa bispinosa and the kasuriki plant: with the addition of flour of -beans and wheat. - -Vigor is increased by a brew consisting of rice, with sparrows’ eggs: -boiled in milk, together with honey and ghee. - -The Kama Sutra suggests that the means of arousing vigor may also be -learned from medicine, from the Vedas, and from adepts in Magic. Nothing -that may be injurious in its effects, however, should be employed, only -such means as are holy and recognized as good. - - * * * * * - -Other stimulants that are known to the Hindu manuals of erotology -include the following: - -The anvalli nut is stripped of its outer shell. The juice is then -extracted. It is dried in the sun and subsequently mixed with powdered -anvalli nut. The paste is eaten with ghee, honey, and candied sugar. - - * * * * * - -A compound of hog plum, eugenia jambreana, and flowers of the nauclia -cadamba. These items are all indigenous to India, as are so many of the -ingredients mentioned in the Indian treatises. In many cases, however, -the plants and fruits, herbs and extracts are not unknown and are -available in the Occident. - -To gain amatory acquiescence and supremacy over the person desired, the -following Hindu preparation is recommended: A few pieces of arris root -are mixed with mango oil. They are then placed in an aperture in the -trunk of the sisu tree. The pieces are left thus for some six months, at -which time an ointment is compounded, reputedly effective in a genital -sense. - - * * * * * - -The lotus, jasmine, and the asoka plant are in the opinion of Hindu -erotologists provocative of venery. With respect to the lotus, this -plant is associated with the ideal feminine personality, supreme -pulchritude and perfection symbolized by the Lotus Woman. - -Hemp contains elements productive of sexual stimuli. In Hindu erotology, -the leaves and seeds of the plant are chewed in this expectation. On -occasion, the seeds are mixed with other ingredients: ambergris, sugar, -and musk: all of which are credibly of aphrodisiac quality. - -An infusion of hemp leaves and seed capsules is drunk as a liquor. - -An extract of hemp, much used in India, is charas, which is both smoked -and eaten. Botanically, hemp is the plant Cannabis Indica, from which -are produced over 150 drug preparations. - - * * * * * - -An Indian plant named bhuya—kokali and, in botanical terminology, -solanum Jacquini, is credited with erotic properties. The juice is -extracted and dried in the sun. This is then mixed with ghee, candied -sugar, and honey, and taken as a potion. - - * * * * * - -Calamint, an aromatic herb, was used in India as an amatory excitant. - - * * * * * - -Chutney, a characteristically Indian relish, is compounded of fruits, -herbs, and seasonings. Apart from its culinary use, chutney is -considered a sensual stimulant. - - * * * * * - -Erotic ingenuities have devised variations in physiological relations. -The Arab erotologist the Sheikh Nefzawi, in his _The Perfumed Garden_, -alludes to this ingenuity in the case of Indian practices, where -twenty-nine possible forms of intimacy were in vogue. - - * * * * * - -An eye-salve called collyrium was known among the Romans as, apart from -its ophthalmological virtue, a sexual aid. Collyrium was so considered -in India too, where it was also credited with possessing magic qualities -that were applicable to erotic manifestations. - - * * * * * - -Macabre concoctions have been the stock in trade of the dispensers of -philtres and excitants in all ages among all races. A prescription that -is urged in Hindu erotological literature runs as follows: A compound -consisting of flowers thrown on a corpse that is being carried to a -burning ghat for disposal: along with a mixture compounded of the -powdered bones of the peacock and of the jiwanjiva bird, and the leaf of -the plant vatodbhranta. A genital application promises, in the opinion -of the Hindu manuals, marked physiological vigor. - - * * * * * - -Many Oriental treatises on erotology deal with the physiological -characteristics of men and women, temperamental differences, erotic -postures in multiple varieties, and recommendations regarding local -inguinal applications. The topic of potions as such is far less -extensively treated, largely for the reason that the love-potion, -innocuous and effectual, is actually rare. Yet each manual is hopeful -and anticipatory in this respect. - -The Ananga-Ranga, of which a French translation appeared in Paris in -1920, in the Bibliothèque des Curieux, was originally composed in -Sanskrit in the sixteenth century by the poet Kalyanamalla. It covers -cosmetic hints and amatory devices, hygienic suggestions, periapts and -incantations designed to attract and retain affection. It discusses the -four major types of women, their personal characteristics, the hours and -days most propitious for intimacy. There are tables and statistics that -go into minute detail on these points. There is a table classifying and -differentiating the seats of passion, the erotogenic areas. There are -several pages of tables that expound different types of embrace with -different types of partners. Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is -omitted. The text marches forward, with confidence and a sense of -authority, from the uprising of the libido to the ultimate consummation. - -The characteristics of men, their physiological frame, their capacities -are evaluated, with a remarkable substantiation of tables and statistics -and measurements. The temperaments of women are reviewed with equal -thoroughness, and the regions of India are considered geographically and -erotically in relation to this topic. - -Aphrodisiacs, both external and internal, are treated: drugs and charms, -magic unguents, fascinating incense, incantations and invocations. - -An external application runs thus: Shopa or anise seed, that is, anethum -sowa, reduced to a powder. An electuary is made with honey. This -application, according to the Ananga-Ranga, promises effective results. - - * * * * * - -Or, Take Asclepias gigantea. Crush and beat in a mortar with leaves of -jai, until the juice has been extracted. This too is an external -application. - - * * * * * - -Again: The fruit of the Tamarinda Indica; crush in a mortar, with honey -and Sindura. - - * * * * * - -The seeds of Urid, in milk and sugar. Expose for three consecutive days -to the sun. Then crush to a powder. Knead into cake form. Fry in ghee. -Eat this concoction every morning. - - * * * * * - -One hundred and fifty seeds of the inner bark of the Moh tree. Heap in a -mortar and beat. Drink it in cow’s milk. - - * * * * * - -On a Tuesday, extract the entrails of a blue jay—coracias indica—and put -into the body a little kama-salila. Place the bird in an earthen pot and -cover it with a second pot moistened with mud: keep it in an uncluttered -spot for seven days. At the end of that time take out the contents and -reduce them to a powder. Make pills, and dry them. One pill to be taken -by a man or a woman: that will be sufficient to promote vigor and -libido. - - * * * * * - -Magic verses will be equally effective: also the chanting of a mantra, -for the efficacy resides in the Devata, the deity therein. Or pronounce -formulas and utter invocations, such as: - - Oh Kameshwar, submit this person to my will! - -Utter the hallowed and mystic term Om! Mention the name of the woman who -is the object of the passion. Then conclude with Anaya! Anaya! - -Pulverize kasturi, which is common musk, and wood of yellow tetu. Mix -with old honey, two months old, and apply genitally. - -Sandalwood and red powder of curcuma and alum and costus and black -sandalwood, together with white Vala and the bark of the Deodaru. -Powder, and mix with honey: then allow to dry. This is now Chinta—mani -Dupha: an incense that will promote your efficiency, dominate all -thought, and, according to the promise of the manual, make you master of -the entire universe. - - * * * * * - -To prepare a powerful and alluring incense, mix equal quantities of -cardamom seeds, oliba, and the plant Garurwel, sandalwood, the flower of -jasmine, and Bengal madder. - - * * * * * - -Pulverize bombax heptaphyllum: macerate in milk. Then apply the paste to -the face. This will produce amatory reactions. - - * * * * * - -Take bibva nuts and black salt, leaves of lotus. Reduce to ashes and -soak in solanum Jacquini. Apply with buffalo excrement and the result -will be most favorable. - - * * * * * - -Mix equal parts of the juice of rosa glanduifera, expressed from the -leaves, and ghee or clarified butter. Boil with ten parts of milk, -sugar, and honey. Drink this concoction regularly. The result will be a -state of active vigor. - - * * * * * - -Take saptaparna on a Sunday by mouth, with a prospect of renewed vigor. - - * * * * * - -Soak the seeds of Urid in milk and sugar: dry in the sun for three days. -Reduce the whole to a powder. Knead into cake consistency. Fry in ghee. -Eat this every morning. However old the patient may be, he will acquire -great vigor. - - * * * * * - -The seeds of white Tal-makhana, macerated in the juice of the banyan -tree. Mix with seeds of karanj and put into the mouth. - - * * * * * - -Vajikarana. This agent restores strength and physical vigor. - - * * * * * - -The Ananga-Ranga, like other Oriental erotic manuals, concludes -devoutly: May this treatise, Ananga-Ranga, be dear to men and women, so -long as the sacred River Ganges flows from Siva’s breast with his wife -Gauri by his left side: so long as Lakhmi shall love Vishnu: so long as -Brahma shall be engaged in the study of the Vedas, and so long as the -earth shall endure, and the moon, and the sun. - - * * * * * - -Curry is especially associated with Indian culinary preparations. It is -a sauce compounded of a variety of spices in varying proportions: -coriander seeds, cumin, ginger, cardamom seeds, turmeric, garlic, -vinegar, and mustard seeds. In addition to its use as a condiment, curry -has been held to possess a stimulative quality. - - * * * * * - -As a rule when physiological vigor is defective or ineffectual in some -respect, stimulants are advised to remedy the condition. In a contrary -sense, however, when the libido is too intense and too active, a Hindu -recommendation, designed to modify the urgency, consists of a special -application. This application is compounded of the juice of the fruits -of the cassia fistula, eugenia jambolana, in a mixture of powder of -vernonia anthelmentica, the soma plant, the lohopa—jihirka, and the -eclipta prostata: all of these plants being native to India. - - * * * * * - -The plant botanically designated Emblica Myrabolens, states the Hindu -manual Kama Sutra, is conducive to the vita sexualis, when the plant is -compounded into an ointment. - - * * * * * - -The same manual, adding a goetic touch to a prescription, asserts the -stimulative value of a bead formed from jujube seed or conch shell, over -which an incantation had been uttered. The bead is attached to the hand. - - * * * * * - -For a diminution of physiological vigor, or for its total elimination in -an amatory direction, Indian manuals suggested a long, rigid treatment. -It consisted of the daily consumption of young leaves of mairkousi. -Fakirs and other holy men were subjected to this regimen until full -manhood was reached at the age of twenty-five. - - * * * * * - -Fennel, an aromatic plant, has long been in use in culinary -preparations. It has also a reputation for inspiring energy in an -aphrodisiac sense. In India, it is used for this purpose in the -following form: The juice of the fennel plant is mixed with honey, milk, -sugar, liquorice, and ghee or clarified butter. - -This concoction is viewed with a certain religious respect and is -associated with a drink fit for the gods. - - * * * * * - -Perfumes have at all times been included in the amatory pharmacopoeia. -Among Indian erotologists, perfumed fumigation is considered a powerful -excitant. - - * * * * * - -In India, ghee, which is clarified butter, is normally used in cookery. -At the same time it is credited with amatory properties. A drink of -boiled ghee, taken in the morning, in the spring time, is among the -erotic recipes of the Hindu treatises. - - * * * * * - -As a frequent base for love recipes, ginger, which is also commonly used -in the Orient for dietary purposes, is generally present as an amatory -item, and is taken by mouth with pepper, honey, and other spices. - - * * * * * - -Every natural phenomenon, every product of the fields, whatever dwells -on sea or is hidden underground: all such items have at some time or -other been tested and recommended for their potential contribution to -amatory functions. So even the breeze in spring time has had its -eulogists in Hindu erotology as an amorous inspiration: also the flowers -that are in bud, the songs and twitterings of birds, and the humming -sibilance of bees. Similarly, music was recommended as promotive of -desire. Even, on occasion, the touch of a person, an aroma, a taste, a -sound, a form may stir longings. In a more earthy and domestic sense, -leeks and garlic, beans and onions have been found useful as stimulants. -Some concoctions are merely hinted at, without being given a -nomenclature. Thus an ancient Greek historian is cited by the Greek -encyclopedist Athenaeus himself, in his _Banquet of the Philosophers_, -as authority for a certain Hindu preparation. - -When applied to the soles of the feet, it created an immediate and -powerful amatory reaction. But this specific, as so many others, has -faded into oblivion. - - * * * * * - -The Kama Sutra recommends an ointment compounded thus: Xanthochymus -pichorius, honey, ghee, tabernamontana coronaria, mesna roxburghii, -nelumbrium speciosum, and blue lotus. - -Another compound, to be taken by mouth, is blue lotus and powder of the -nelumbrium speciosum, mixed with honey and ghee. - - * * * * * - -Amatory provocation may be induced by certain powders and ointments made -from the following plants: Costus speciosus, tabernamontana coronaria, -and flacourtia cataphracta, compounded together. - - * * * * * - -For genital potency, preparations, mechanical devices, electuaries, -unguents, incantations, and brews have been urged in Hindu manuals. In -addition to the variety of ointments herbs, spices, and animal -secretions, surgical operations, hazardous both physiologically and -emotionally, have been gravely prescribed. - - * * * * * - -An unusual procedure for strengthening vigor involves a mixture that is -to be thrown at the person desired. The mixture is composed of powder of -milk, kantaka plant, and the hedge plant, with the powdered root of the -lanjalika plant and the excrement of a monkey. - - * * * * * - -A mixture of cowach and honey, along with the pulverized remains of a -dead kite and the prickly hairs of a tropical plant. This is a means of -amatory supremacy. - - * * * * * - -An application of Lechi, costus arabicus, kanher root, chikana, -gajapimpali, and askhand, pulverized and mixed with ghee. - - * * * * * - -To strengthen and recover vigor, a drink is prepared as follows: Lechi, -kuili powder, asparagus racemosus, cucumber, and kanta-gokhru: mixed -with milk. - - * * * * * - -Applications that, in the estimation of the Ananga-Ranga, are of value -as phallic stimulants, include leaves of the jai, rui seed, honey, lotus -flower pollen, Hungarian grass, and anise. - - * * * * * - -Loha-Bhasma is a preparation of ferrous oxide and is used, according to -Hindu erotologists, as a priapic stimulant. - - * * * * * - -An herb indigenous to India, known botanically as maerua arenaria, is -considered beneficial in inducing amatory inclination. - - * * * * * - -Despite Hindu proscriptions against the consumption of meat, meat is -frequently mentioned in Hindu texts as an erotic agent, particularly -red, lean meat. - - * * * * * - -Arrack is an Indian liquor prepared from the flowers of the Moh tree, -that are rich in sugar content. The Moh tree, botanically Bassia -latifolia, is used in a recipe for physiological renewal. The pith is -pounded and, with cow’s milk, taken as a drink. - - * * * * * - -In India, opium, that is, papaver somniferum, has been used as a phallic -excitation, although a sixteenth century Dutch traveler, Linschoten, who -was familiar with the East and the West Indies, asserted that it -diminishes the libido. - - * * * * * - -A phallic application is costus arabicus, powdered raktabol, which is -myrrh, borax, aniseed, and manishil, mixed with oil of sesame. - - * * * * * - -A lotion of juice of the roots of the madayanlika plant, the anjanika -plant, yellow amaranth, the shlakshnaparni plant, and the clitoria -ternateea. - - * * * * * - -A help in amatory experimentation is the following: The sprouts of the -vajnasunhi plant are cut into small strips. They are then dipped in a -mixture of sulphur and red arsenic, and dried seven times. The resultant -powder is now burned at night; when the smoke rises, if a golden moon is -observed behind the fumes, success will attend the erotic encounter. - - * * * * * - -A composition of long pepper, seeds of the plant sanseviera -roxburghiana, and seeds of the plant hedysarum gangeticum, pounded and -mixed with milk. - - * * * * * - -Various soups are advised, in Hindu erotology, as strengthing -ministrants. Particularly so, soups in which the ingredients are cheese, -or fish, or celery, or mushrooms, or lentils, or onions. - - * * * * * - -Dill, which botanically is anthum graveolens, is an Eastern ingredient -for furthering the libido. - - * * * * * - -To Hindu erotologists, all amatory acts, the cult of the phallus, and -erotic performances, are under the aegis of the triune god Trimurti. - - * * * * * - -Trapa bispinosa, which is a nut belonging in the water chestnut species, -is frequently used in amatory composition. The paste is prepared from -the seeds or roots of the trapa bispinosa, kasurika, tuscan jasmine, and -liquorice, and a bulb called kshirakapoli. The whole is mixed with milk, -ghee, and sugar: then boiled into a consistency. - - * * * * * - -Wine, in India, is considered conducive to priapic performance. But -only, as among the Greeks and the Romans and the ancient Hebrews, when -taken in moderation. Otherwise, excessive drinking of wine is an object -of condemnation. A rule in Hindu ritual establishes the criterion of -sufficiency: - - So long as the mind’s light flickers not, - For so long drink! Shun the rest! - Whoso drinks still more is a beast. - - * * * * * - -As a defensive measure against erotic aggressiveness, Hindu erotology -suggests the following procedure. The woman who is the prospective -object of an amatory approach should bathe in the buttermilk of a male -buffalo. The milk is mixed with powder of yellow amaranth, the -banu-padika plant, and the gopalika plant. - - * * * * * - -Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of an East Indian tree. In addition to -its use as a condiment, cinnamon has been credited with amatory -implications. - - * * * * * - -The _Atharva Veda_ is a Sanskrit text dealing with thaumaturgic -procedures, magic formulas, incantations, and prescriptions affecting -various emotional circumstances. A magic invocation, intended to excite -feminine passion in a particular woman, runs this: - - With the all-powerful arrow of Love do I pierce thy heart, O - woman! Love, love that causes unease, that will overcome thee, - love for me! That arrow, flying true and straight, will cause in - thee burning desire. It has the point of my love, its shaft is - my determination to possess thee! - - Yea, thy heart is pierced. The arrow has struck home. I have - overcome by these arts thy reluctance, thou art changed! Come to - me, submissive, without pride, but only longing! Thy mother will - be powerless to prevent thy coming, neither shall thy father be - able to prevent thee! Thou art completely in my power. - - O Mitra, O Varuna, strip her of will power! I, I alone, wield - power over the heart and mind of my beloved! - -A woman, on the other hand, may secure a man’s love by the following -supplication: - - I am possessed by burning love for this man: and this love comes - to me from Apsaras, who is victorious ever. Let the man yearn - for me, desire me, let his desire burn for me! Let this love - come forth from the spirit, and enter him. - - Let him desire me as nothing has been desired before! I love - him, want him: he must feel this same desire for me! - - O Maruts, let him become filled with love. O Spirit of the Air, - fill him with love. O Agni, let him burn with love for me! - -A variant supplication directed toward a similar purpose is the -following, from the same source as the two previous invocations: - - By the power and Laws of Varuna I invoke the burning force of - love, in thee, for thee. The desire, the potent love-spirit - which all the gods have created in the waters, this I invoke, - this I employ, to secure thy love for me! - - Indrani has magnetized the waters with this love-force. - - And it is that, by Varuna’s Laws, that I cause to burn! - - Thou wilt love me, with a burning desire. - - * * * * * - -In its religious traditions, India has affinities with the earliest -known forms of sacred rites, concepts, and views. In Hindu religious -mythology, the cosmic power of creation, of the generative capacity, is -symbolized by the duality of the hermaphrodite, the male and female -intertwined, sharing the properties of each other, representing the -passive and active principles that pervade all Nature. - - * * * * * - -From the testimony furnished by bas-reliefs in caves such as the Ajanta -caverns, by temple carvings, paintings, and sculptural adornments, the -cult of the lingam, throughout India, appears to date back to a very -remote and undetermined antiquity. - -Among certain sects, the supreme power is worshipped in the phallic -form. In wayside lodges, on facades and shrines, the genital figure of -masculine dominance is everywhere on view. In many instances this -omnipresence and insistence of the symbolic phallus assume monstrously -obscene forms and positions, writhing and contorted in erotic frenzy, or -entwined in serpentine coils and performing abominations of the utmost -lubricity in the name and under the aegis of the cosmic creative force. - -A remoter but still valid corollary is that the amatory urge derives -from this universal generative process and strives to merge with it and -hence seeks whatever erotic measures and manipulations may be favorable -to such a consummation. - - * * * * * - -At Benares, Jagannath, and elsewhere in India, the deities of generation -were held in great reverence, and were worshipped, notably by women, who -symbolically, and more frequently actually, consorted with, for -instance, Vishnu, at a nocturnal ceremony during the annual celebrations -held in his honor. - - * * * * * - -The _Atharva Veda_, the Sanskrit magic text, contains an invocation -whereby a woman appeals for a husband: - - I seek a husband. Sitting here, my hair flowing loose, I am like - one positioned before a giant procession, searching for a - husband for this woman without a spouse. - - O Aryaman! This woman cannot longer bear to attend the marriages - of other women. Now, having performed this rite, other women - will come to the wedding-feast of hers! - - The Creator holds up the Earth, the planets, the Heavens. - - O Creator, produce for me a suitor, a husband. - - * * * * * - -The _Atharva Veda_ also recommends a talisman made from sraktya wood, to -be used in supplication to all the divinities of the Hindu pantheon, -with these words: - - And this great and powerful talisman does strike to victory - wherever it is used. It produces children, fecundity, security, - fortunes! - - * * * * * - -Another Hindu invocation, in the text of the _Atharva Veda_, contains an -amatory appeal for a wife: - - I take upon myself strength, strength of a hundred men. I take - up this power in the name of the spirit that comes here, that is - coming, that has come. O Indra, give me that strength! - - As the Asvins took Surya, the child of Savitar, to be a bride, - so has destiny said that here shall come a wife for this man! - Indra, with that hook of gold, of power, bring here a wife for - him that desires a wife. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - VARIETIES AND OCCASIONS OF POTIONS - - -Alciphron, an Athenian writer who flourished during the second century -A.D., composed a number of light, unpretentious letters dealing with -simple daily occupations and subjects and characters of everyday life: -farmers, courtesans, barbers, fishermen, parasites. - -They deal with all sorts of intimate and personal matters, and are a -marvelous reflection of the lower strata of antiquity. In one of these -letters the girl Myrrhina writes to her friend Nikippe. Myrrhina -complains that her lover Diphilus has abandoned her. He has been on a -drinking spree for four days. To make matters worse, he has fallen for -the jade Thessala. - -Hence Myrrhina pleads with Nikippe to aid her in her perplexity. -Nikippe, it appears, has a love-potion, that she has often used -successfully on young but hesitant lovers. That is what Myrrhina now -wants. It will banish Diphilus’ interest in drink and rid him of his -infatuation with Thessala. - -Myrrhina is going to write an endearing, enticing letter to Diphilus. -When, as a result, he comes to visit her, she will use the love-potion -on him. She admits, however, that these love philtres are uncertain in -their effects. Sometimes, she adds, they cause sudden death. But what -does Myrrhina care? Diphilus must either live for Myrrhina or die for -his Thessala. - - * * * * * - -Gestures and action, lascivious and lewd in intent, may be virtual -potions in their immediate provocations. So Ovid, the arch-counsellor in -amatory diversions, suggests in Book 3 of the _Amores_. Archness -assumed, prudery, coyness, and an air of hesitation in acquiescence will -prove all the greater stimulants: - - Be more advised, walk as a puritan, - And I shall think you chaste, do what you can. - Slip still, only deny it when ’tis done, - And, before folk, immodest speeches shun. - The bed is for lascivious toyings meet, - There use all tricks, and tread shame under feet. - When you are up and dressed, be sage and grave, - And in the bed hide all the faults you have. - Be not ashamed to strip you, being there, - And mingle thighs, yours ever mine to bear. - There in your rosy lips my tongue entomb, - Practice a thousand sports when there you come. - Forbear no wanton words you there would speak, - And with your pastime let the bedstead creak; - But with your robes put on an honest face, - And blush, and seem as you were full of grace. - Deceive all; let me err; and think I’m right, - And like a wittol think thee void of slight. - Why see I lines so oft received and given? - This bed and that by tumbling made uneven? - Like one start up your hair tost and displaced, - And with a wantons tooth your neck new-rased. - Grant this, that what you do I may not see; - If you weigh not ill speeches, yet weigh me. - - * * * * * - -The erotic power, the essential property that possessed the virtue of -enflaming desire and exciting sensual emotions, was believed, anciently -and in later ages, to reside in growing things, in the produce of the -earth, in the teeming abundance of the ocean, in metals, in essences, -and in intricate and cunningly contrived combinations, mixtures, and -amalgams of such matter. - -The common onion, that normally was a part of a simple daily meal, -acquired, among the Greeks, amatory virtues. The onion, in fact, rose -from its lowly status as a gastronomic item to a mystically-endowed -root, that could inspire and direct erotic sensations. Alexis, a writer -of comedies who flourished in the third century B.C., dwells on its -highly effective nature. - -Another Greek comic writer, Diphilus, of the third century B.C., -likewise says of onions: They are hard to digest, though nourishing and -strengthening to the stomach. They are cleansing also, but they have a -weakening effect on the sight. In addition, they stimulate sexual -desire. - -The pungency of pepper is relished gastronomically. But pepper had -another use apart from its function as a condiment. It was pounded, then -mixed with nettle-seed, and in this form it was regularly taken by the -Greeks as a means of promoting intercourse. - -Wine has for ages been lauded poetically and convivially, and a vintage -meant, as a rule, a matter for gastronomic appreciation. But old wine, -with the addition of ground pyrethron—which is botanically feverfew or -pellitory, was known to the Hellenic people as a particularly powerful -erotic potion. - -Such draughts, however, had then more sinister applications as well, and -not infrequently they were considered injurious physiologically. This -was, in fact, the considered view of the Roman poet Ovid, of the first -century B.C. In contrast to such a potion, he asserts, there are quite -innocuous aphrodisiac stimulants, among them: eggs, wild cabbage, -stone-pine apples, and honey. - -To discover a plant that, unexpectedly and arousingly, ‘kindles the -flame of love,’ must have been a revelation to the ancient Greeks. Such -a plant was pyrethron, so named because it was such an inflammatory -stimulant. - -It was also known as pyrethrum parthenium, and was largely used for -medicinal purposes. - -In modern terminology, this plant is identified with pellitory. - -In Arab countries pyrethrum was pounded and mixed with lilac ointment -and ginger: and the resultant compound served to produce erotic -stimulation in the genital area. - - * * * * * - -In his determined search for amatory satisfactions, man has probed -deeply into the material world and also into conceptual zones. Thus -erotic stimulation may be produced by an inspired dream. This is the -situation in a comedy by the Greek poet Aristophanes, who flourished in -the fifth century B.C. The play has survived in fragments only, but may -be pieced together into some degree of cohesion, the theme being the -problem of an old man who has a young wife. The aged husband makes a -pilgrimage to the oracle of Amphiaraus. As a result of his visit, the -solution of the marital perplexity is revealed in a dream, and the -virility of the elder is restored. In the scattered fragments, there is -a suggestion of the means adopted by the husband. It took the form of a -dish of lentils. - - * * * * * - -A visual spectacle may virtually act as a potion. This is the view of a -physician named Theodorus Priscianus. He flourished in the fourth -century A.D., and was the author of a medical handbook, still extant, in -which he gives realistic advice for a cure of incapacity. Let the -patient, he counsels, in Book 2, be surrounded by beautiful girls or -boys. Also, give him books to read that arouse lust and in which love -stories are insinuatingly treated. - -Virtually, such treatment approximates a visual love-potion. - - * * * * * - -Physical therapy may be as affective as a potion. Hence local massage, -in the inguinal area, was often performed as an aid in inducing -virility. This was a highly popular manipulation. It is alluded to in -ancient writers, and particularly so in the Greek comic poet -Aristophanes. Petronius, too, the author of the Latin novel entitled the -_Satyricon_, describes such an operation performed by an old beldam on -one of the characters, named Encolpius. - - * * * * * - -Blood has sinister and calamitous implications: yet it is also -associated with erotic deviations. Blood, the mere visual presentation -of it, may produce strong amatory symptoms. The public brothels in -ancient Rome, for instance, were established over the Circus in which -gladiatorial contests were on view. The sight of the violent scenes -enacted in these conflicts manifestly bestirred the blood lust, and -equally the sexual urge of the masses of spectators, who subsequently -thronged the lupanaria. Similarly, in Spain, brothels were built in -close proximity to the bull-rings. There was, here too, a manifest -association between the frenzy of the tauromachia and the resultant -lustful esurgence among the spectators. - -Again, the perversion of flagellation involves blood. The resultant flow -of blood, after whippings and lashings had been inflicted upon more or -less willing victims by perverts and sadists, produced extraordinary -erotic excitations. Scenes of this type are the stock in trade of the -novelists the Marquis de Sade and Sacher-Masoch. - - * * * * * - -Describing an amorous intrigue with the maid Fotis, Lucius, the -protagonist of the _Metamorphoses_, Apuleius’ Roman novel, adds, in -respect of the effect of wine; - - We would eftsoones refresh our wearinesse and provoke our - pleasure, and renew our venery by drinking of wine. - - * * * * * - -The primary, uncomplicated fact of life is its continuity through -physiological relationships. But on this basis man has erected and -developed ponderous and multiple ramifications of such functional -associations, involving more than the primary purpose and activity of -procreation. He has, in addition, an instinctual urge toward affection, -love, desire, and lust. And these emotional manifestations have, in the -course of time, become refined or coarsened or diverted into abnormal -channels. In his efforts to achieve love or desire or lust and its -consummations, he has exposed himself to the natural progressive -degradation and impairment of his physiological capacities: and he has -no less abused, weakened, or destroyed this force or energy. - -Hence his febrile search for some undefined amelioration of his -condition or some method or contrivance, however insecure, unwarranted, -or barbaric, for recovering his instinctual erotic sensuality. - -Gullibly and trustingly man has proceeded in this quest to restore the -erosions and defects consequent on time and excess. What direction does -this quest take? It is ubiquitous. It leaves no stone unturned, no faint -possibility untested. It is prepared to make a trial of every novel -fantasy, or any inspired scheme, any exploded myth, or every remote and -fragile clue. In temples dedicated for the purpose he will repeat -cryptic supplications to unknown, foreign, forbidding gods. Or he -assumes on his person, in constant hope, periapts and amulets, inscribed -with awesome symbols, gateways to the Mysteries. There arise occasions -when he urgently consults aged and knowledgeable enchantresses, who -reputedly possess the secrets of life and love. Or he is encouraged to -drink certain fertilizing waters, drawn from mystic founts, from -underground rivers. He may make silent prayers at wishing wells. Appeals -to the deities associated with love or frantic lust, with prostitution -and sexual deviations are his constant practices, in all countries, in -Boeotia as well as in Bactria, in Egypt no less than in Mesopotamia. - -Erotic stimuli sometimes sprang from the human figure itself, without -the intrusion of contrived philtres or other adventitious aids. The -Greeks, in particular, in drama and comedy, in poetry and sculpture, -lavished endless praise on the seductiveness of various areas of the -feminine person. The callipygian Greek girl was the subject of exultant -erotic paeans. Contests were held in which callipygian rivals vied for -public recognition and acclamation. There was no sense of shamefulness, -no prudish primness, and, equally, there was no stimulated prurience, -for beauty per se had no restrictions, no taboos, no amorality attached -to it. - -The theme of callipygia, in fact, runs through Greek life. The -encyclopedist Athenaeus mentions two young country girls whose -attractions in marriage rested with their callipygian forms. The -citizens actually called these women _callipygoi_. Even Aphrodite, in -her temple at Syracuse, was called Aphrodite Kallipygos. In one of the -lively, revealing letters of Alciphron, two girls, Myrrhine and -Thryallis, dispute over their own personal charms in this respect, while -a number of poems, including one in the Greek anthology, laud the same -area. - -Sculptors and poets dwelt with an appreciative eye, free from personal -lustfulness, on the rhythmic flow and alluring harmony of hip and thigh, -of neck and ankles. The female breasts were figuratively described as -apples, or the fruit of the strawberry tree. In the pastoral poet -Theocritus, who belongs in the third century B.C. a young lover, -Daphnis, speaks of the heaving apples of his girl friend. - -There is the story of the famous Athenian courtesan Phryne, who was -condemned to death in a court of law. Her life was saved, however, when -her counsel, who was also her lover, Hyperides, exposed her beautiful -bosom before the overwhelmed judges. - -The term potion was in itself so closely associated with amatory -proficiency or, on occasion, as a medicinal remedy for some other -physiological condition, that its use was rarely questioned. The potion, -however, might be deadly and might be concocted as a rapid means for the -elimination of a rival, or a husband, or some enemy. Such a situation -occurs in Book 10 of Apuleius’ _Metamorphoses_: - - The woman having lost the name of wife together with her faith, - went to a traiterous Physitian, who had killed a great many - persons in his dayes, and promised him fifty peeces of Gold, if - he would give her a present poyson to kill her Husband out of - hand, but in presence of her husband, she feined that it was - necessary for him to receive a certaine kind of drink, which the - Maisters and Doctours of Physicke doe call a sacred potion, to - the intent he might purge Choller and scoure the interiour parts - of his body. But the Physitian in stead of that drinke prepared - a mortall and deadly poyson, and when he had tempered it - accordingly, he tooke the pot in the presence of the family, and - other neighbors and friends of the sick young man, and offered - it to his patient. - - * * * * * - -To further the efficacy of potions, and also to act as indirect yet -acknowledged reinforcements, aischrological and scatological allusions -and references were frequent accompaniments of the actual act of -imbibing the philtre. - - * * * * * - -Omar Khayyam, the wise old tentmaker, eulogized, in the Rubaiyat, food -and love and wine in the memorable lines: - - A loaf of bread, - A jug of wine - And thou, beneath the bough, - Were paradise enow. - -The medieval Latin songs of the Goliards, the wandering students of the -European universities, are full of paeans to drink and its amatory -effects. Love and wine are inextricably mixed together in riotous and -rollicking friendship. Everyone, exclaims one chant, is drinking: man -and maid, master and serf, the sick and the healthy, young and old: - - Bibit hera, bibit herus, - Bibit miles, bibit clerus, - Bibit ille, bibit illa, - Bibit servus cum ancilla, - Bibit velox, bibit piger, - Bibit albus, bibit niger, - Bibit constans, bibit vagus, - Bibit rudis, bibit magus, - Bibit pauper et aegrotus, - Bibit exsul et ignotus, - Bibit puer, bibit canus, - Bibit praesul, et decanus, - Bibit soror, bibit frater, - Bibit anus, bibit mater, - Bibit ista, bibit ille, - Bibunt centum, bibunt mille. - -The intimate association between wine and love, as if by a chain of -causality, has been established since proto-historical times. All -ancient records, chronicles, supplications, ceremonials abundantly -exemplify this thematic synthesis. Especially so in poetry, of all -nations, and at all times. - - Drink to me only with thine eyes - and I will pledge with mine - -is merely a transposed symbolic formula for the same theme. - - * * * * * - -All kinds of foods have in the course of history been subjected to -scrutiny and experiment for the purpose of extracting therefrom any -indications of amatory incitements. Thus, out of the welter of magic -undercurrents and legendary beliefs, superstitious rites and alchemical -offerings, there arose a body of miscellaneous knowledge, largely orally -transmitted but in time consolidated into a permanently durable form, -dealing with periapts and panaceas that would bring back or conserve -manly vigor and genesiac capacities. - -Among such potential means were anchovies, credited with provoking lust, -onion soup and herring roe, milk pudding. Angel water also was so -considered. It was shaken together with rose water, myrtle water, orange -flower water, distilled spirit of musk, and spirit of ambergris. To the -genitalia of the stag were attributed amatory qualities. Rockets, cakes -and pastries of phallic and genital design, chocolate and ices, pills -compounded of vegetable extracts, burgundy and richly garnished game -came under the same energizing category. - - * * * * * - -In South East Asia, particularly in what was formerly Cambodia, annual -spring festivals were held during which a gigantic lingam was carried -processionally through the streets. At the ghats in the holy cities of -India, notably at Benares, the sacred lingam was displayed publicly by -the Brahmin priests. Around these symbols clustered Hindu women on -pilgrimage, wreathing the phallic shape in flowers, smearing it with -ghee. And among the throngs strode the priests, bearing phallic forms -for the adoration and prostration of the people. Temple girls, bedecked -with tinkling anklets, and with beringed fingers, advanced, swaying and -writhing voluptuously. In similar ceremonies there was food to be -consumed, and drink flowed; followed, on the part of the initiates, by a -general indiscriminate promiscuity that was intended to represent -spiritual identification with the Hindu deities. The erotic urgencies -never rested, never rest: and the act becomes a sublimation. - - * * * * * - -The phallic cult, as the basic recognition of the creative potency, is -pervasively manifest, in every continent, throughout all distinctions of -society. In New Guinea, huts are adorned with a phallus. In the South -Sea Islands huge monolithic columns testify to the indigenous worship of -the generative force. In some areas of Arabia tombs are adorned with the -phallus and are treated with sacrosanct adoration by the women. The -Druses, in ceremonial chants at night, pay honor and homage to the yoni, -and particularly to the consummation on the sacred Friday, as enjoined -by Islam. In Tahiti, secret rites are held, in a corresponding sense, in -honor of the physiological act. - -Greece had its processional mystai, male and female votaries of Bacchus, -leading asses or goats, while young maids carried baskets of -first-fruits and genital-shaped cakes. And a sequence of men, their -heads wreathed in ivy or acanthus, bore a fig-wood triple phallus of the -god. - -From Phrygia the cult had anciently spread to Etruria, where the obscene -deity, according to Augustine and Arnobius, was the phallic Mutunus with -his consort Mutuna. - -From Etruria the cult extended riotously to Rome and its far-flung -frontiers, from Lambaesis to Dacia, from Bithynia to Pannonia. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - POTENCY OF PHILTRES - - -The potion is primarily the instrument of lust. Lust is the universal -driving force, the cosmic mainspring. The pudenda muliebria, states the -Bible, are among the insatiable things on this earth. Plato, the Greek -philosopher, in his dialogue entitled _Timaeus_, confirms this eternally -unappeased genital passion: - - In men the organ of generation, becoming rebellious and - masterful, like an animal disobedient to reason, and maddened - with the sting of lust, seeks to gain absolute sway; and the - same is the case with the so-called womb or matrix of women; the - animal within them is desirous of procreating children, and when - remaining unfruitful long beyond the proper time, gets - discontented and angry, and wandering in every direction through - the body, closes up the passages of breath, and, by obstructing - respiration, drives them to extremity, causing all varieties of - disease, until at length the desire and love of the man and the - woman bringing them together and as it were plucking the fruit - from the trees, sow in the womb, as in a field, animals unseen - by reason of their smallness and without form; these again are - separated and matured within; they are then finally brought out - into the light, and thus the generation of animals is completed. - - * * * * * - -Of all potions, satyrion is associated, in legend and mythology, with -the most numerous and consecutive effects. There was a story of an -oriental king. It is related in Book 9 of the _Enquiry into Plants_, by -Theophrastus, who flourished in the third century B.C. The king had sent -a gift of satyrion to Antiochus, ruler of Syria. The slave-messenger who -carried the plant was himself so affected by it that he performed -seventy coital operations in succession. - -In respect of this same root there was another anecdote about a certain -Proculus. After drinking a satyrion concoction, Proculus performed on -one hundred women in fifteen days. - - * * * * * - -Wines, liqueurs, and in general all kinds of spirits are, both in -fictional contexts and in the chronicles of the eighteenth century, -considered as salacious tonics, and were so used specifically. Even an -occasional drink of wine had an erotic repute. - - * * * * * - -In the salacious and scatological novels of the Marquis de Sade, -especially in Justine and in Les 120 Journées de Sodome, food is -repeatedly stressed as immediately contributory to high amatory potency. -Repletion, it appears, corresponds directly to amatory responses. De -Sade describes, in lavish and appreciative detail, with a kind of -personal gusto and even participation, dinner after dinner, in which -courses follow each other in almost numberless and uninterrupted -sequence: roasts of all varieties, game in season, and also out of -season, hors d’oeuvre, pastries of fantastic shape and ingredients, ices -and chocolates. Each course is accompanied with appropriate wines and -brandies. Rhenish and Greek and Italian vintages, burgundy and -champagne, tokay and madeira. - - * * * * * - -And, both synchronously with the meal, and as an aftermath of the -banquets, the plenitude of food and drink and the total satiety of the -diners produce an enormously exciting, urgent, and effective erotic -reaction, in which not only the guests but the maidservants as well are -involved. - -A soup compounded of celery and truffles was a favorite and popular dish -in eighteenth century France, when every possible aphrodisiac aid was -eagerly sought and tested. - -No less so was lentil soup in great demand for the same purpose. Bean -soup, also, pea soup, and other vegetable assortments were regularly -employed in culinary ways, but with a decided erotic suggestiveness. - - * * * * * - -Eighteenth century France, in fact, experimented in both amatory and -gastronomic directions, for one practice was manifestly associated with -the other. All manner of compounds, then, prepared for amatory vigor, -were produced on a large scale. These concoctions invariably included -vinegars, perfumed lotions, electuaries, and strengthening elixirs. - - * * * * * - -A Portuguese potion, that was in frequent use in the eighteenth century, -consisted of a pint of rose water, shaken together with a pint of orange -flower water and a half pint of myrtle water. To this were added two -thirds of spirit of ambergris and two thirds of distilled spirit of -musk. The result was reputedly a potent concoction. - -Asiatic races were long known for their sexual prowess. Hence the West, -through travelers and explorers and adventurers, was eager to acquire -such knowledge in its own interests. In the case of the Asiatic Tartars, -there were accounts of their strange practices. In one instance, they -used the membrum of the wild horse for its reputed high content of vital -fluid. The genitalia of the stag, itself considered an extremely -libidinous animal, were similarly regarded. - - * * * * * - -In the case of highly responsive natures, a mere inhalation of a -particular perfume, or the sight of a desired person, may produce -extreme erotic symptoms. This was so with Antiochus, son of King -Seleucus, who reigned in the third century B.C. Merely hearing the name -of his mistress uttered aloud was sufficient to induce in him the -ultimate amatory reactions. - -The amatory urge has been, in the history of man, of such forceful and -uninterrupted universality that, in special cases and in specific areas -of activity, there have been devised anti-aphrodisiac means, formal -prescriptions, herbal and other concoctions, and well-meant counsel. -Verbena in a drink was formerly recommended as a specific preventive. -Also dried mint and vinegar and the juice of hemlock. Cucumbers, too, -and water melon have at various times been considered effective in -diminishing or allaying sensual interests. In a general sense, whatever -exhausts the body physiologically or mentally has been considered as a -feasible amatory restriction. In this category are included laborious -and persistent work that occupies all the waking energies: a minimum of -sleep, or fasting, or a restricted diet, or exercise of the body: even -castigation. - -The problem was equally well known to the ancients, who advised, to -counteract the heat engendered by passionate excitation, a prescription -involving cold. Hence the cold bath was a common and recognized -procedure and was adopted, centuries later, as a regular feature in -Anglo-Saxon mores. Other Greeks, among them the philosophers Plato and -his successor Aristotle, suggested that going barefoot would diminish -the heat-producing physiological desire. Another suggestion was to wear -sheets of lead, beaten out thin, near the kidneys or on the legs. Pliny -the Elder, the Roman encyclopedist and author of the monumental -_Historia Naturalis_, and the eminent Greek physician Galen, both -coincided in this view. - -A more difficult procedure, but one commended by the seventeenth century -Sir Thomas Browne, was self-restraint in the ‘flaming days,’ as he calls -them. Otherwise, there remains one other remedy, that was adopted by -Origen, the third century A.D. Father of the Church. He cut the Gordian -knot, freeing himself from all carnal inducements: Seeds genitalibus -membris, eunuchum se facit. - -Ingenious inventions, activities, devices for escaping from or -suppressing compulsive amatory inclinations have been proposed in every -age, from the arch poet of love Ovid himself to the knowledgeable Dr. -Nicolas Venette. - -Shun idleness, for idleness tends to amatory thoughts, warns the -erotological poet. Be active, and you will not be endangered. Occupy -yourself constantly: with agricultural pursuits, or fishing, or hunting. -Or even take up the study of law. - -Avoid food that tends to stimulate: and, in general, live an ascetic -life removed from crowds, from visual provocations, from social parties -and clamorous public spectacles and dramatic performances, from -pictorial or sculptural objects that induce amatory images. - -Snuff taking is suggested, as well as concentrated mental study, in -later centuries. Or drink a concoction of the roots and seeds of the -water lily. That is soothing and cooling, as the Turks seemed to have -found it. - - * * * * * - -Aromatic herbs were, in ancient Rome, usually a preliminary to more -active amatory adventures. The osphresiological sensitivity of men and -women is such that in many cases particular aromas, strong unguents and -cosmetics, arouse venereal impulses. In perverted and aberrational -situations, in fact, even repellent but powerful effluvia and vapors, -corporeal and genital, may create or induce erotic susceptibility. The -Oriental manuals of erotology and certain anthropological studies -confirm this view. - -A strange personality who was himself European in origin but merged with -the East was the writer Lafcadio Hearn. In the course of his essays, -translations, and interpretations he produced a brief thesis on feminine -osphresiological influence. - -The Roman novelist Apuleius, who belongs in the second century A.D., was -accused of marrying a wealthy widow named Pudentilla, by magic rites. He -thus answered his accuser: - - He said that I was the only one found capable of defiling her - widowhood, as if it were virginity, by my incantations and love - philtres. - - * * * * * - -Woman became so masterful, so pervasively dominant in her relations with -her masculine counterpart, that she came to reflect man’s primary -physiological desire. She became equated with erotic passion and -fulfillment, and her urgency grew so intense that all roads were -directed toward her as the ultimate pleasure, the sensual summum bonum. -She was in the medieval dialectical sense, matter in actu. And when the -physiological and amatory capacities of the male became, through -excessive practice or through incidental incapacities or aberrations and -indiscretions, markedly weakened and deficient, there was instant and -frantic resort to any means, to all means, whereby this defect or -incapacity might be corrected or possibly completely remedied. Hence the -febrile, the universal quest, in every land and at all cultural levels, -for aids and persuasive spells and secret incantations, thaumaturgic -formulas and brews, elixirs and anticipated panaceas. - - * * * * * - -Springs, rivers, lakes, wells, and fountains have had at various times a -kind of miraculous or thaumaturgic repute as an efficacious amatory -stimulant. The Khirgiz of Central Asia, for instance, have a legend that -a princess, after bathing in a sacred lake, became enceinte. Waters may -thus be fruitful and fecundating. Aristotle himself relates that a pool -had the same effect on a bathing woman. - -In the Middle Ages, the philosopher and occultist Albertus Magnus -describes similar instances and similar potencies. - -In India, barren women bathed in a sacred well. Similarly with the -waters of Sinuessa in Greece. Springs in Germany and Morocco and in -France were likewise venerated for their traditional erotic efficacy. - -In Hindu mythology, there are instances of women bathing in the holy -River Ganges and losing their sterility. So in the aboriginal myths of -Australia. In the Fiji islands barren women bathe in the river and then -take a drink of saffron and carob bean. - -A similar tradition lingers in China, in the history of the Manchus. The -lotus often appeared in their legends as a kind of confirmatory aid. In -Egypt, in fact, the lotus was known as the wife of the Nile. - -In both the West and the Orient, the personal will to be admired or -loved is believed to be instrumental, in a perceptible degree, in -producing a corresponding impact on the object of the desire. Various -procedures are specified, each having its own effective possibilities. -An offering of a bouquet of red flowers, breathed upon three times by -the amorous giver, may prove highly favorable to his pursuit. Or a -musical serenade, equally in vogue in the Latin countries, in medieval -Europe, and in the Middle East. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - INGREDIENTS OF POTIONS. RECIPES. ANECDOTES. - - -_Ingredients_ - -What were the elements that, in combination, constituted the potion? Was -there a formal, hieratic prescription for its composition, faithfully -followed, scrupulously administered, uniformly conclusive? Or was it a -more or less haphazard matter of collecting various essences and -grasses, roots and drugs and far-sought items, and then hopefully -thrusting them upon the tremulous suppliant, the desperate lover, the -urgent princeling or vagrant poet? The ancients, both in the -Mediterranean area and in the far-flung Asian territories, used -virtually the same species of ingredients, the same or analogous roots -and extracts, enwrapped, to strengthen the efficacy, in goetic chants, -in awesome invocations, supplications, persistent pleas, and even -menaces. - -Sometimes the ingredients were abominable and repulsive in character, -for all growing and living things were grist to the occultist’s mill. -Animal and human excreta and genitalia were frequently brought under -contribution. Not rarely, exotic spices were garnered: or leaves from -trees that grew in distant regions: or objects otherwise difficult to -obtain? such as the hair, or nail parings, or even more intimate and -less mentionable items from the human body. The traditions associated -with the ingredients were manifestly read and studied and pondered over -and memorized through the ages, and subsequently transmitted to later -centuries. So that by the Middle Ages there had been accumulated an -immense reservoir of available constituents: human and animal matter, -herbs, genitalia, liquefied elements, excrement of ox and pig, of wolf, -goat, dog, and goose, of sheep, hen, mice, pigeon, and cow. To ensure -the validity of the potion, there would be a bewitchment of the entire -compound, accompanied by certain formal rituals. Formulas would be -inscribed on certain phials and objects. Frog’s bones were popular in -this regard. The mandrake, that mystic root that was associated with -sinister human origins and characteristics, the plant that was reputedly -endowed with male and female properties, was a popular ingredient in the -love potion. Bryony was long used for the purpose, and, in later days, -tobacco as well. Entrails of animals were no rarity. The more repellent -the object, the more salacious and lewd and priapic would be the effect. -For the gasping, excited recipient, nothing was too foul, nothing too -obnoxious, nothing too horrendous. What did matter was its aphrodisiac -value. Hence the powdered heart of a roasted humming bird had its -potency. Or the liver of a sparrow. The kidney of a hare was a frequent -addition to the sum total of decayed and decaying tissue. Or the womb of -a swallow, that itself required minute preparation, was a prompt aid. -Human blood came into the picture, and the human heart and the fingers, -as well as viscera, excrement, and urine, brain and skin and marrow. -Even the Roman poets give a literary shudder at the mention, and in the -medieval chroniclers and encyclopedists there is equally a sense of -repulsion yet attraction. For love and passion generated from death and -offal, and desire sprang from decay. Sappho, that ancient Greek poetess -of Lesbos, knew the supremacy of this passion. She called Aphrodite -deathless, because love and life are co-eval and co-existent. The -sweetest thing of all, she declares in one of her pieces, is to find -one’s lover. Ages later, Titus Lucretius Carus, the Roman Epicurean poet -who, in the first century B.C., produced that remarkable, profound epic, -_De Rerum Natura_, The Nature of Things, begins his poem with an -invocation to fostering Venus, the delight of men and of gods. - -The Orient, permeated by the same passions, had its own range of -contributory aphrodisiac elements. Betel-nut, chewed and blood-red, was -commonly a base for the philtre. Ambergris, touched with something -mystic and elusive, played its creative, kinetic part. Some concoctions -had more earthy associations: for instance, the brains of a hoopee, -pounded into a cake, and devoured with hopeful zest. Or the wicks of -lamps were inscribed with thaumaturgic invocations and then burned to -ensure their amatory efficacy. - - * * * * * - -Despite the motivating force of love, it was, in some instances, an -object of dread. For it was a widely disruptive agent, involving -elements and features dangerous to the succumbing man and also to man’s -supremacy in his masculine context, his virile world. Hence in -Euripides’ tragedy _Medea_ the chorus, speaking for the heroine, chants: - - When in excess and past all limits Love doth come, he brings not - glory or repute to man; but if the Cyprian queen in moderate - might approach, no goddess is so full of charm as she. Never, O - never, lady mine, discharge at me from thy golden bow a shaft - invincible, in passion’s venom dipped. - -Again, in confirmation of this view of passion, in Sophocles’ _Antigone_ -the tragic and cataclysmic impact of love is bewailed by the murmurous -chorus: - - Love unconquered in the fight, Love, who makest havoc of wealth, - who keepest thy vigil on the soft cheek of a maiden; thou - roamest over the sea, and among the homes of dwellers in the - wilds; no immortal can escape thee, nor any among men whose life - is for a day; and he to whom thou hast come is mad. - - * * * * * - -Thessaly, a region in northern Greece, was anciently known for sorcery -and magic potencies. It was associated with witches and mystic -practices, and its reputation for goety was so widespread, so deeply -embedded in the region, that it continued far down into the Roman -Imperial age. - -At night, the dead had to be guarded with great care, as these witches -were in the habit of tearing off pieces and shreds of flesh from the -corpse, and using them in concocting their potions. - -Necromancy, the multiple phases of the black arts, were normally -believed to have come from Thessaly or to have found their sources -there. Thessaly, in fact, is, throughout ancient Greek literature, the -fountain-head of magic. The Greek tragic poet Sophocles, for instance, -and, later, the comic writer Menander allude to Thessalian magicians. - -The Thessalian witch became almost a stock character, in bucolic poetry, -in the drama, in legend. She is the supreme adept, and is so -acknowledged. Among the later Romans, in particular, her stature is -established. The elegiac poets Tibullus and Propertius, as well as Ovid, -Vergil, Horace, and Lucan cite her for her ubiquity, her constant -participation in furtive manoeuvres, her intimacy with the foul and -obscene and malevolent forces of the cosmos. - -The Thessalian witch had notable skill in the selection and preparation -of love potions. One of the most effective elements in such philtres was -catancy, a plant often mentioned in this connection. It should here be -observed that many factors in the composition of the potion are no -longer completely identifiable. Organic matter of course has universal -denotations: but obscure herbs, roots, spices, drugs belonged to a -secretive traditional pharmacopoeia that is no longer available in its -original intact form. - - * * * * * - -In the obscure depths and the furtive sinuosities of folk traditions and -transmitted superstitions and rites and formulas that succeeding -generations accepted and cherished, the sex motif was always pervasive, -unalterably dominant. The quest for amatory power, for refreshment and -recovery of the physiological apparatus, was uniformly directed to the -tenebrous forces, the prescriptions and suggestions that would arouse -the erotic faculties and effect consummation of the passions of love or -affection or desire. - -In the slow progression of time this oral corpus of knowledge and these -secretive means of amorous enchantment and invigorating processes were -coordinated. They became imprinted in the written word. They were now -established, durable. These compilations, that were in essence erotic -handbooks, were primarily intended for all the love-sick, the yearning -youth, the disappointed and effete libertine, the persistent aged -debauchee, the warped, distorted, and maleficent pursuers of Eros in his -most naked identity, of Priapus exultant and self-perpetuating. Nor was -this search for the remedial elixir delimited by time or circumstances. -It has, on the contrary, been continuous, and has flowed down from -shadowy ancientness through the complexities of the Middle Ages, the -tumultuous era of the Renaissance, which made life and letters -complementary concomitants, down into these very present days, when the -search is no less unending, in the laboratories, in mystic and -pseudo-mystic cults, in fantastic devices in the Chinese hinterland, in -the steaming Congo, in Haiti and in scattered and sundered islands in -the Pacific wastes. - -In the misty ages, the formula for recovering or stimulating sexual -vigor was comparatively simple. In Accadian and Chaldean, in Hittite and -Sumerian rituals there was the spell, the enchantment involving mystic -terms, a sacred logos, a philtre of recognized potency, a particular -herb or food enwrapped in entreaty and threats and injunctions to the -impalpable controlling forces and agencies. - -Under the impact and influence of the esoteric science of the lands of -Asia Minor and of Egypt, the prescriptions were extended, and assumed a -variety of forms and ultimately were collected and embodied in corpora -of relevant matter, destined for consultation, for succeeding ages. - -Most of this matter, inscribed on papyrus, dates in the fourth century -A.D., and is preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris. - -A characteristic prescription gives directions for winning and ensuring -a girl’s love. Hecate is the motivating force: Hecate, the triple -goddess, the sorceress, equated with the moon-goddess Selene, with -Artemis, and with Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld. The goddess -Hecate then is invoked with a plea: to ensnare the girl’s love by means -of torture, so that she will ultimately succumb to the urgencies of the -panting lover. - -Once the ingredients are accumulated, the next step is for the pleading -lover to extol the effectiveness of the recipe. In the ancient Greek -magic papyri, and in papyri containing particulars of love-charms, the -offering itself is described in detail and its virtues are enumerated. -Scrupulous adherence to the method of administering or treating the -charm is enjoined. There is now the supplicative prayer to be intoned, -while incense is sprinkled upon the sacrificial flames. Warnings are -uttered, precautions are postulated, to prevent anything untoward from -affecting the suppliant himself and bringing down upon his head any -malefic consequences. Directions are given for preparations of the -potion. Prayers and chants to the goddess Actiophis follow. In her -semi-oriental designation the goddess is again invoked: Actiophis -Ereschigal Nebutosualethi Phorphorbasa Tragiammon. Emphasis is placed on -wresting the girl into a state of unconditional passion. - -In mythological contexts, certain divinities, such as Hecate, certain -seers and warlocks, sorceresses and thaumaturgic adepts, are associated -with rejuvenative powers. The ancient witch Medea belongs in this -category. She is foremost in her capacity for restoring masculine -virility and potency by means of her goetic techniques, her magical -charms, potions, and incantations. - -Medea, the cunning one, as her Greek designation indicates -etymologically, is the universal witch par excellence. She can renew the -youthful vigor of Aeson by boiling him in herbs endowed with special -virtues. Thus she is described by the Roman poet Ovid in Book 7 of the -_Metamorphoses_. She can re-create Aegeus, the aged king of Athens, and -bestow virility on him by virtue of her secret philtres. In _Medea_, the -tragic drama of the Greek poet Euripides, she makes such an assertion -and a promise: - - Medea: I am undone, and more than that, am banished from the - land. - - Aegeus: By whom? fresh woe this word of mine unfolds. - - Medea: Creon drives me forth in exile from Corinth. - - Aegeus: Doth Jason allow it? This too I blame him for. - - Medea: Not in words, but he will not stand out against it. O, I - implore thee by this beard and by thy knees, in suppliant - posture, pity, O pity my sorrows; do not see me cast forth - forlorn, but receive me in thy country, to a seat within thy - halls. So may thy wish by heaven’s grace be crowned with a full - harvest of offspring, and may thy life close in happiness! Thou - knowest not the rare good luck thou findest here, for I will - make thy childlessness to cease and cause thee to beget fair - issue; so potent are the spells I know. - - * * * * * - -Hedylus was a Greek epigrammatist of the third century B.C. In one of -his pieces a girl makes her confession that she was overcome and -succumbed to wine and words of love. The wine, in fact, was the -operative potion. - -Another Greek epigrammatist, chanting of love and women, warns that -man’s origin is lust itself. - -The lyric poet Anacreon, who was born c. 570 B.C., suggests the -attendant circumstances favorable to amatory exercise: - - Sculptor, wouldst thou glad my soul, - Grave for me an ample bowl, - Worthy to shine in hall or bower, - When springtime brings the reveler’s hour. - Grave it with themes of chaste design, - Fit for a simple board like mine. - Display not there the barbarous rites - In which religious zeal delights; - Nor any tale of tragic fate - Which History shudders to relate. - No—cull thy fancies from above, - Themes of heaven and themes of love. - Let Bacchus, Jove’s ambrosial boy, - Distill the grape in drops of joy, - And while he smiles at every tear, - Let warm-eyed Venus, dancing near, - With spirits of the genial bed, - The dewy herbage deftly tread. - Let Love be there, without his arms, - In timid nakedness of charms; - And all the Graces, linked with Love, - Stray, laughing, through the shadowy grove; - While rosy boys, disporting round, - In circlets trip the velvet ground. - But ah! if there Apollo toys, - I tremble for the rosy boys. - - * * * * * - -Among the vast productions of the ancients, that included poetry and -memoirs, biographies and chronicles, essays and dialogues, there are -anecdotes, references of various kinds, subtle hints and mere verbal -references to domestic or social life, from which we may glean items -that are relevant to our present purpose. - -This is the case with Plutarch, the Greek philosopher and biographer. He -had a long, productive span of life, extending from c. 46 A.D. to 120 -A.D. Primarily he is a biographer, and he is commonly so known. But he -also produced a series of literary, political, religious, and ethical -studies that are comprehensively included under the heading of -_Moralia_. - -One of these pieces consists of marriage precepts, Advice to Bride and -Bridegroom: Polianus and Eurydice. It is, as Plutarch himself states, a -compendium of marital conduct, and is packed with high ethical counsel, -sober injunctions, sprinkled and reinforced with pertinent comments, -apothegms, and anecdotes. Yet the matter of amorous stimuli is -confronted straightforwardly and adroitly. The bride, Plutarch enjoins, -should, according to the wise old statesman Solon, nibble a quince -before getting into bed. It was an old tradition that quince, and -particularly quince jelly, exercised erotic effects. Plutarch continues: - - Fishing with poison is a quick way to catch fish and an easy - method of taking them, but it makes the fish inedible and bad. - In the same way women who artfully employ love-potions and magic - spells upon their husbands, and gain the mastery over them - through pleasure, find themselves consorts of dull-willed, - degenerate fools. The men bewitched by Circe were of no service - to her, nor did she make the least use of them after they had - been changed into swine and asses. - -Evidently the normal procedure in Plutarch’s day was to employ the -love-potion without hesitation. It must have been highly popular, a -regular instrument of amorous stimulation. Further, in addition to -sexual excitation, the potion manifestly induced other and less -acceptable results, and it also intruded on normal physiological and -emotional conditions. It was, in short, a malefic instrument. The most -wholesome advice, then, that Plutarch could now offer was to shun such -adventitious amatory aids, to rely primarily on the inherent amorousness -of the two marrying partners. - - * * * * * - -In medieval Spain, in the thirteenth century, a certain Juan Ruiz, -Archpriest of Hita, published a book entitled _Book of Good Love_. Good -love, that is, _buen amor_, is spiritual love, divine love. _Loco amor_ -is the frenzied, carnal love of women that St. Thomas Aquinas terms -_amor naturalis_. - -Ruiz, familiar with the concept and practices of both types of love, -refers to the large body of erotic stimulants, that the Arabs introduced -into Europe. Among such potions and aphrodisiacs were: citrus fruits, -ginger, cloves, cummin seeds, and carrots. - - * * * * * - -The actual composition of love-potions and analogous amatory fortifiers -is not known in each case in specific detail. Erotologists, historians -of ethnic mores, chroniclers, authors of amatory manuals, and writers on -similar topics make frequent casual references to the fact of the potion -itself, with the implication that the individual ingredients, their -relationship to each other, the sources of supply, and the method of -compounding them into one medicament are either so well established in -public knowledge as to dispense with the enumeration of the component -elements, or are merely in the nature of traditional information, -transmitted to the reader without further comment, without the personal -or necessary intrusion of the writer. - -Despite such strictures, however, there remains a sufficiently -substantial corpus of knowledge relative both to the potion as such and -to the elements of such a compound elixir. - -An immediate, rational, and fundamental explanation of the dearth of -details about the potion is that the draught had a high economic value. -The possessor of the mysterious ingredients collected and compounded and -distilled for monetary gain. The selling of potions was a lucrative -business: in the Middle Ages it was a flourishing industry, an -indispensable production. And thus it was to the extreme advantage of -the dispenser of the amatory cup to guard and retain the secret recipes -with the most scrupulous care. - - * * * * * - -Perfumes and spices and aromatic roots were often included in the -composition of philtres, to give a particular fragrance to the unguent -or medicament. This was usually the case among the Romans, who often, in -large and luxurious families, had special laboratories where the -essences were distilled. These essences contained, among other -ingredients, myrrh, cinnamon, marjoram, or spikenard. - - * * * * * - -Some philtres consisted of testicular and related matter, as: the sperm -of deer and other animals, and even menstrual blood. The belief was that -an intimate causal relationship existed between the elements of the -philtre and the anticipated sexual implications. - - * * * * * - -One of the basic ingredients for a compound conducive to amatory vigor -is mastic, recurrently recommended in the Arab manuals. Mastic is a gum -or resin used nowadays in the manufacture of varnish. In some countries -bordering the Mediterranean, particularly in Greece and Turkey, mastic -is used to flavor a liquor. - -The mastic shrub is an evergreen, multiple-branched, and indigenous to -the Greek island of Chios. In the Orient mastic has been used as a kind -of chewing gum. The fruit itself is a red berry. This fruit, crushed and -pounded and mixed with honey, produces a drink that is reputed to be of -great amatory potency. - - * * * * * - -Garlic, too, is an amatory stimulant, and has been so used in -composition. It is repeatedly included in the enumeration of aphrodisiac -elements, in both Western and Oriental erotic manuals. Among the -aboriginal Ainu of Northern Japan, garlic has the same gastronomic -status as nectar and ambrosia, the food of the gods, among the ancient -Greeks. - -Similarly with syrup of vinegar, and nutmeg, with cardamom, which, in a -compound of onions, ginger, cinnamon and peas, is reputed to be -particularly efficacious in Arab countries. Peppers, both white and red -varieties, are credited with arousing intense sexual inclinations. - -In the Arab manuals laurel-seeds are frequently mentioned: Indian -cachou, cloves, gilly-flower. Instructions are given for pounding -various items together into some consistency, then liquefying the -compound with a broth, or honey, or goat’s milk. - - * * * * * - -In all ages, alcohol has appealed to men for its aphrodisiac -possibilities. In moderate amounts, it has been at various times and in -varied circumstances commended as a stimulant. In excessive doses, -however, it appears to act as a decided anaphrodisiac. - -The French King Louis XIV, whose reign was marked by the utmost sexual -liberties, was accustomed to encourage his amatory inclinations with a -drink of alcohol sweetened with sugar. - -Throughout the European countries, there was a folk tradition that -required a bride and a bridegroom to consume cakes steeped in alcohol -and sugar, to ensure nuptial consummation. - -According to some authorities, small doses of spirits depress the higher -centres of the brain and thus release emotional inhibitions. - -Biblical literature is full of allusions to alcoholic drinks and -spirits, and to their frequent use, but uniformly with the proviso of -due moderation. - -A relevant allusion occurs in Romans 14.21: - - Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto - those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his - poverty, and remember his misery no more. - - * * * * * - -Since fish contain phosphorus and other elements highly productive in -amatory inducements, brews and soups and chowders compounded of fish -will equally contribute to aid energizing vigor. - -Curries and sauces may act as excitants and hence be provocative, though -by indirect means, of amatory urgencies. - - * * * * * - -The consumption of garlic, in any considerable quantity, may readily and -normally repel intimate contacts. But in antiquity, and through the -middle centuries, it was widely in use as a pronounced aphrodisiac. This -was and still is especially so in the countries of the Mediterranean -littoral. In a fluid form, as distilled oil of garlic, it appears that -it has its use also, but with less invigorating effect. - - * * * * * - -Anise, which flourishes in the Eastern Mediterranean region, is used at -the present time for gastronomic purposes. But it was also reputed to -increase amatory excitation. - -In the cyclic search for erotic reinforcements, the most horrific -ingredients and means have been utilized. Even the human body. One -medieval compound, for instance, consisted of the flesh of a human -corpse, in a putrefied condition, along with ovaries and testes, both -human and animal, soaked in alcohol. - -The Marquis de Sade, author of Justine, Les 120 Journées de Sodome, and -other novels dealing with sexual orgies and perversions, presents a -character called Minski, a giant, who is himself anthropophagous and who -eulogizes the consumption of human flesh, dwelling with inhuman relish -on the texture, the taste, the continuous appeal of the human body in a -sexual sense: - -Minski’s potency is such that, at the age of forty-five, his faculty for -lubricity is able to induce in one evening ten manifestations. He admits -that this physiological energy is largely due to the quantity of human -flesh that he consumes. He advises this same regimen to those who would -like to triple their capacity, apart from the strength and health and -vigor that he will acquire through this diet. Once human flesh is -tasted, one will disdain all other foods. No animal meat, no fish can -compare with human flesh. Once the initial repugnance is overcome, one -can never have enough of it. - - * * * * * - -That is the substance of Minski’s argumentation. In this century, -William Seabrook, the American writer who adventured in West Africa, the -Caribbean Islands, and Arabia, himself describes the eating of human -flesh in one of his personal narratives. - - * * * * * - -In the opinion of the medieval Italian physician Johannes Benedict -Sinibaldus, author of the Geneanthropoeia, a compound of dried black -ants was a frequent means of creating amatory desire. The ants were -soaked in oil and stored for use in a glass jar. - -Incense, particularly in the Orient, has immemorially been considered a -priapic stimulant. In Biblical literature, in Exodus, the Lord gives -directions for the preparation of a sacred, divine incense. It is to be -composed of onycha and galbanum, stacte, pure frankincense, and spices: -the whole to be reduced to a fine powder. - -The most potent philtre or potion is the instinctive, natural, -physiological desire. This maxim has been postulated by many -erotologists and sexologists. It is forcefully so asserted by Robert -Burton, the seventeenth century encyclopedist who, while searching for a -clue to the cure of melancholy, in his Anatomy of Melancholy, -simultaneously searched through all the chronicles, histories, and -treatises of his predecessors. - -Philtres, he asserts, and charms, amulets and figurines, periapts and -unguents are basically unlawful means: they are, actually, the last -resort in the amatory quest. Panders and bawds and the attendants on -erotic provocations give some meagre aid in this respect. Beyond that, -there is nothing but magic enchantments, Satanic assistance. ‘I know,’ -confesses Burton, ‘that there be those that denye the devil can do any -such things, and that there is no other fascination than that which -comes by the eyes.’ He then quotes from Pietro Aretino, the Italian -erotic poet, in relation to Lucretia’s amatory power: - - One accent from thy lips the blood more warmes, - Than all their philtres, exorcisms, and charms. - -Lucretia’s erotic faculty was such that she could accomplish, merely by -kissing and embracing, her sole philtre, as she admitted, more than all -the philosophers, astrologers, alchemists, necromancers, and witches. - -Lucretia used neither potions nor herbs. With all my science, she said, -I could never stir the hearts of men: only by my embraces, the warmth of -my lips. I forced men to rave like wild beasts, and countless among them -I drove into bestial stupefaction, with the result that they adored me -and my love like an idol. - - * * * * * - -In the weird and confused history of human mores, there are noteworthy -episodes and anecdotes, some apocryphal and traditional, others -warranted by authenticity and verifiable historicity, relating to -amatory experiences and their effects. Many of such anecdotes, prevalent -in Oriental and classical literature, describe the amazing consequences -of the consumption of love-potions and similar concoctions. - -There is the story of the wayward and untrustworthy but brilliant -Alcibiades, the fifth century B.C. political leader in Greece. His -amorous bouts, his erotic intrigues, were so frequent, so forceful, and -so indiscriminate that, as personal insignia, he bore the design of -Eros, the god of love and son of Aphrodite. Eros was, in this instance, -depicted as hurling lightning bolts. Of this same Alcibiades the tale -ran, according to a later chronicler, that as a young man Alcibiades had -the faculty of diverting wives from their husbands. - - * * * * * - -Alcohol, like wine, in moderation, has regularly been used as an amatory -complement. King Louis XIV of France, for instance, was accustomed to -take alcohol, with the addition of sugar, to arouse his jaded -sensuality. - -Brides and bridegrooms, too, in medieval Europe, followed a folk custom -of eating a cake dipped in alcohol and sugar. - - * * * * * - -The embattled women known anciently as Amazons, on taking prisoners in -battle, broke the captives’ arms or legs. The belief was that, by the -deprivation of a limb, the erotic functions of the captive would -correspondingly be strengthened. One of the Amazon queens, Antiara by -name, was the author of a kind of apothegm, that the lame best performed -the amatory act. - - * * * * * - -Certain foods have urgent amatory reactions. Brillat-Savarin, the arch -gourmet who is the author of The Physiology of Taste, a standard -gastronomic classic, relates that as a result of a repast that included -truffles and game, erotic manifestations among the guests were immediate -and evident. - - * * * * * - -Although the mandrake root involved amatory performances, it was often -used for analgesic effects. Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, who ruled -in the fifth century A.D., used to order mandrake to be inserted in -wine, and the drink to be administered to victims doomed to crucifixion. - - * * * * * - -In order to stimulate him doubly, both visually and fluidly, Anaxarchus -devised a suitable diversion. He was a fourth century B.C. Greek -philosopher, who was a friend of Alexander the Great, accompanying him -on his Eastern expeditions. At the usual Greek symposium, which included -drinking, entertainment, and discussion on various themes, Anaxarchus -had his wine poured out for him by a young and beautiful female -attendant, in puris naturalibus. - - * * * * * - -In classical antiquity, apples were associated with amatory -connotations. Apples were regularly exchanged as gifts among lovers. -This custom is mentioned by the Roman elegiac poet Catullus, and by -Vergil in the Eclogues: Galatea is after me with an apple. Again: - - I sent ten golden apples. - -Propertius, the elegiac poet, similarly writes: - - I gave her apples stealthily in the palms of my hands. - - * * * * * - -In the story of Ala-al Din abu-al, in the corpus of The Arabian Nights, -there is an incident that relates how a druggist prepared a love-potion. -He bought from a vendor of hashish two ounces of concentrated Roumi -opium, and equal parts of cinnamon, Chinese cubebs, cardamoms, cloves, -ginger, and mountain shiek—which is a lizard with aphrodisiac -properties, and white pepper. After pounding these varied ingredients -together, he boiled them in sweet olive oil, adding three ounces of male -frankincense and a cup of coriander seed. The mixture was then -macerated, and made into an electuary with bee-honey. The directions -given by the druggist were as follows: After a dinner of house pigeon -and mutton, well spiced, take a spoonful of this electuary, wash it down -with sherbet of rose conserve, and await results. - - * * * * * - -King Henry IV of France, like other Gallic rulers, had pronounced erotic -tendencies, resulting in the possession of many mistresses. On every -occasion, before confronting one of them, he fortified his system with a -glass of armagnac, a brandy distilled from wine. - - * * * * * - -An ancient Classical warning relating to the powerful dominance of love -is contained in the tragic story of Arsinoe. Daughter of the King of -Cyprus, she rejected her lover Arceophon. In a fit of dejection, he -committed suicide. But Arsinoe was punished for her disdain. She was -turned into stone by Aphrodite herself. - - * * * * * - -Certain animals, in classical and Oriental mythology, were associated -with erotic symbolism. This was the case with the stag, the ass, the -bull, the camel, the deer, the mare. During a festival in honor of -Dionysus, god of wine and in general of fertility, Priapus, the god who -represented the active male principle, was on the point of exercising -his potency with the nymph Lotis. At the crucial moment, however, an ass -brayed, and saved Lotis. As a consequence, the ass was doomed to become -a sacrificial victim to Priapus. - - * * * * * - -Women were more rarely involved in experimenting with invigorating -agents. One woman, however, has gained historical notoriety and infamy -in this respect. She was the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a seventeenth -century Hungarian. In her passion for recovering her youthful energy, -she was said to have strangled some eighty peasant girls and to have -bathed in their blood. Retribution overtook her in the act, and she was -sentenced to imprisonment for life. - - * * * * * - -Flagellation, as an erotic symbol, was known to the ancients and was -frequently practiced in the Middle Ages. Galen of Pergamum, the Greek -gladiator-physician who flourished in the second century A.D. under the -Roman Emperors, asserts that slave merchants used this practice in order -to make their slaves more appealing to prospective buyers. - - * * * * * - -Many historical personalities have been addicted to flagellation for -their own purposes. Cornelius Gallus, administrator of the Roman -province of Egypt and a friend of the Roman epic poet Vergil, resorted -to scourging for the purpose of amatory excitation. - -One Italian, a noted libertine of the times, had the scourge soaked in -vinegar, to give the lashes greater pungency. - -There is a strong probability that Abelard also used flagellation. For -he declares, addressing Héloise: - - Verbera quandoque dabat amor non furor, gratia non ira, quae - omnium unguentorum suavitatem transcenderent. Again, he reminds - her of his own lascivious and libidinous ways: With threats and - scourges I often compelled thee who wast, by nature, a weaker - vessel, to comply, notwithstanding thy unwillingness and - remonstrances. - -Tamerlane, the Asiatic master of the universe, the subject too of one of -Christopher Marlowe’s tremendous dramas, was both a flagellant and a -monorchis. - -Finally, Jean Jacques Rousseau, in his Confessions, acknowledges his -condition: - - I had discovered in pain, even in shame, a mixture of sensuality - that left me with a greater desire, rather than a fear, of - experiencing it again. - - * * * * * - -Sexual license, although restrained among the Semites, among the Greeks -and Romans under certain conditions, and among other ancient nations, -often broke all bounds under particular circumstances, with resultant -orgies involving almost incredible erotic experiences. The Biblical -episode of the Golden Calf illustrates this situation, for it was an -absorption of pagan eroticism and then of pagan idolatry. - - * * * * * - -The wife of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, Faustina, became enamoured -of a gladiator. The Emperor consulted the court magicians, who -suggested, to diminish or eliminate her passion, that she be required to -drink the gladiator’s blood. They promised that, as a consequence, -Faustina would conceive a lasting hatred for her erstwhile lover. She -drank the blood, and the magicians were justified in their prediction. - - * * * * * - -As an erotic performance, and, notably, as a means of curing sterility -in women, certain practices associated with the phallic symbol were in -force in many countries, in all ages. The women of Brittany practiced -phallic rites for centuries, in order to end their sterility. In one -town a public phallic figure was often the scene of a peculiar act. The -women gathered some of the dust at the base of the image and swallowed -it, anticipating, through this form of sympathetic symbolism, the -favorable outcome of the priapic implications. - - * * * * * - -There was an old legend that King Philip of Macedon had been bewitched -by a Thessalian maiden who had used philtres to effect her passionate -purpose. When Olympias, the Queen, observed the girl’s beauty and -breeding and deportment, she declared that these qualities alone were -the philtres that had ensnared King Philip. - - * * * * * - -Antiquity consistently associated sexual performances with sacred and -divine rituals. So with the ancient Canaanites. The Hebraic tribes that -lived in contiguous regions adopted this practice. They cohabited with -the women of Shittim, and associated with the daughters of Moab. They -went even further, and did obeisance to the gods of their neighbors, -particularly to the god Baal-peor. The full text of this episode appears -in Numbers 25, verses 1–3. - - * * * * * - -There was so much rivalry among the mistresses of King Louis XV of -France that each one resorted to the most extreme means to hold his -affection, or to regain his love. Madame de Pompadour, for example, used -a tincture of cantharides. Cantharides is the beetle Mylabris or Lytta -Vesicatoria. The active principle of this insect is a white powder -called cantharidine: used as an amatory stimulant, but dangerous, and, -when taken internally, fatal to the victim. - -For Madame de Pompadour, however, and for many personalities notorious -in history for their ruthless determination, there was the old but still -meaningful adage about fairness in war and in love. - -It is a popular belief that castration eliminates all amatory -inclination as well as capacity. The Greek author of the encyclopedic -Banquet of the Philosophers, however, Athenaeus, states that the Medes -practiced this operation with their neighbors, for the purpose of -arousing lustful excitations. - - * * * * * - -Pearls, and other precious stones, were anciently credited with amatory -properties. In this connection, there was a legend that Cleopatra used -to dissolve pearls in vinegar. She drank this mixture to excite her -erotic sensualities. - - * * * * * - -Visual aphrodisiacs are virtually amatory philtres. The girls of ancient -Sparta wore a short knee-length garment that was slit high at the side. -The appellation given to these girls, thigh-showers, confirmed their -amorous allurement. - - * * * * * - -There was an ancient Greek named Ctesippus, who had a notorious -reputation for amorous exercises. He was so libidinous that, frantic in -his lustful urgencies, he sold the stones from his father’s grave to -purchase the wherewithal for his pleasures. - - * * * * * - -Apuleius, the Roman philosopher and novelist, author of the romantic -tale entitled The Metamorphoses, who flourished in the second century -A.D., was involved in a public trial. Accused of practicing witchcraft -to win a widow’s love, he was also credited with preparing love-potions -for this purpose. The love-potions, it was charged, contained as -ingredients highly erotic elements: spiced oysters, sea hedge-hogs, -cuttlefish, and lobsters. Apuleius, however, in a speech that is still -extant, defended the innocuous nature of his offerings. - - * * * * * - -Dancing among the Romans had erotic implications. According to the Roman -historian Sallust, a certain Sempronia danced with more zest than a -respectable matron should. - - * * * * * - -Democritus, the Greek philosopher who belongs in the fifth century B.C., -was credited with the preparation of love philtres. - - * * * * * - -The tyrant of Syracuse, in Sicily, Dionysius, who belongs in the fourth -century B.C., was reputed to be an extreme libertine. He once filled a -house with the fragrant herb thyme, which is an erotic stimulant, and -with roses in profusion. Then he invited the young women of the city to -participate in an orgiastic sequence of libidinous performances. - -Madame du Barry, eager to retain the royal favor at the court of France, -often prepared dishes that had amatory possibilities. These dishes -involved: stewed capon, terrapin soup, crawfish, ginger omelettes, -shrimp soup, and sweetbreads: all of which are reputed to be salacious -provocatives. - - * * * * * - -The goddess of the dawn, who in Greek mythology was Eos, rhododactylos, -rosy-fingered, was a divinity endowed with such amorous intensity that, -whomever she observed favorably, she carried off for her amatory -purposes. The youth Tithonus, who became her husband, was so treated. So -with Clitus, Orion, and Cephalus. - - * * * * * - -There were, in antiquity, lascivious dances that were sexually -provocative. One such dance was the Sicinnis, during which, in addition -to lewd gestures, the clothes of the dancer were stripped off. Another -dance was called the Dance of the Caleabides: also the Cordax, which -involved amatory exhibitionism, denudation, and erotic motions. - -Herodotus, the first major Greek historian, relates an episode connected -with terpsichorean performances. Cleisthenes, ruler of Sicyon, had a -daughter named Agariste. Her beauty brought her numerous suitors, all -unsuccessful, in turn. Finally a wealthy young Athenian, a certain -Hippoclides, appeared, as a guest at a banquet given by Cleisthenes. -Having imbibed too generously, Hippoclides mounted on a table, and -performed several lascivious dances. Cleisthenes was so shocked by the -obscene movements that he declared to Hippoclides: You have danced away -your bride. - - * * * * * - -Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was widely worshipped throughout -the Hellenic territories, both on the mainland of Greece, in Asia Minor, -and in the Aegean Islands. At Paphos, in Cyprus, an annual festival, -attended by both men and women, was held in her honor. The ceremonials -conducted during the festival included frenzied sexual performances. In -token of the goddess’ favor, each member left for Aphrodite a coin, in -return for which they received a phallus and some salt. - - * * * * * - -Phallic figures were a common feature in ancient religious cults. But -even as late as the eighteenth century the phallus appeared in public -demonstrations. At the annual three-day fair held in Isernia, in the -Kingdom of Naples, reproductions of a phallus were on sale. The -customers were usually barren women, who, through this phallic -symbolism, anticipated a favorable outcome for their sterility. - - * * * * * - -In classical mythology, erotic inducements were used even by the -divinities themselves. In the Greek epic poem the Iliad, Hera, wife of -the supreme deity Zeus, employs such excitants, to arouse her husband. -From Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Hera secures Aphrodite’s magic -girdle of love and longing ‘which subdues the hearts of all the gods and -of mortal dwellers upon earth.’ - -Aphrodite ‘loosed from her bosom a broidered girdle, wherein are -fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein is longing -and dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits of the wise.’ - -And, however wise he might be, Zeus’ wits were thus stolen. - - * * * * * - -Although the search for amatory potency is one of the most dominant -factors in human history, there are cases where the opposite effect was -desired. A Roman matron, to cite one instance, named Numantina, wife of -Plautius Sylvanus, was charged with having effected incapacity in her -husband by magic means. - -Magic played a part in medieval history too. Gregory of Tours, the sixth -century A.D. churchman and historian, tells of a certain woman who was -spell-bound by a number of concubines. She had become the wife of -Eulatius, and had thus inspired the concubines of this Eulatius into -jealous retaliation. - -Again, according to the chronicles, the medieval king Theodoric was -incapacitated by a magic spell. - - * * * * * - -Among the most lascivious women in all history was Catherine II of -Russia. Married to the grandson of Peter the Great, and still childless, -she was informed by her advisers that an heir was urgent in order to -preserve the Empire. - -Catherine consequently made a realistic decision. She ordered a -sturgeon, and caviar, to be prepared for a banquet. Then she invited one -of the officers of the Guard, named Sattikoff. The outcome of the -invitation, and of the piscatory repast, was an heir to the Russian -Empire. - - * * * * * - -The Emperor Saladin is concerned in a story that is pointed in -confirmation of the amatory value of a fish diet. To verify the degree -of continence of some holy dervishes, the Emperor invited two of them to -an entertainment in his palace, at which rich food was served. -Odalisques too took part in the banquet: but the dervishes succeeded in -resisting the female blandishments. Saladin, however, dissatisfied with -this reaction of the dervishes, and rather astonished, ordered another -repast to be prepared. This consisted entirely of fish dishes. The -dervishes were again invited, and the odalisques were present as -entertainers. This time, Saladin was completely satisfied with his -piscatory experiment, for the dervishes reacted to the odalisques as the -Emperor had expected. - - * * * * * - -Francis I, King of France during the sixteenth century, was, apart from -his cultural interests, noted for his erotic experiences, that he -extended by provocative foods, drinks, and concoctions of various kinds -designed to prolong his capacity. His mistresses were innumerable, and -he died exhausted by his amatory excesses. - - * * * * * - -George IV, King of England, was a gourmet who appreciated the priapic -properties of truffles. His Ministers at the Courts of Naples, Florence, -and Turin were given special and unusual directions. They were to -forward to the Royal Kitchen in London any truffles that they discovered -to be of superior quality in delicacy or flavor or size. - - * * * * * - -King Edward VI of England was the victim, according to old historical -chronicles, of bewitchment. The accused was the scholarly but tragic -Lady Jane Grey, who was charged with concocting magic potions and -employing amatory charms to the King’s detriment. - - * * * * * - -An ancient view on incapacity derives from Hippocrates. This famous -Greek physician, who died in the same year as Socrates, in 399 B.C., -attributed the prevalence of genesiac incapacity among the Scythians to -the fact of their wearing breeches. He considered this sartorial custom -as at least a predisposing cause: and modern views largely confirm his -postulate. - - * * * * * - -Glorification of the sexual motif manifested itself on the island of -Cyprus, where the birth of Aphrodite was celebrated riotously. The -divine image was bathed in the sea by the women of the island: then -decked with garlands. There was a session of bathing in the river by -both sexes: but this performance was a mere preliminary to subsequent -orgiastic licentiousness. - - * * * * * - -Brasica eruca has long been considered a provocative agent. In a -medieval monastery it was grown in the garden, and used by the monks in -a daily infusion. The intention was to be roused from sluggish -inactivity by this stimulating beverage. The concoction, however, had -such physiological effects in an amatory sense that the monks climbed -the walls of the monastery and pursued their urgencies at the expense of -their devotions. They transgressed both ‘their monastery walls and their -vows,’ comments the medieval chronicle. - - * * * * * - -Passion knows no bounds, no formalities, no conventions. An anecdote -related by the Greek philosopher and biographer Plutarch illustrates -this point. King Ptolemy II, who reigned in the third century B.C., was -so enamoured of his mistress Belestiche that he built a temple in her -honor. Then he dedicated it and named his mistress Aphrodite Belestiche, -implicitly attributing to her divine characteristics. - - * * * * * - -Mixoscopy is an erotic perversion that involves secret observation of -amatory performances. - -In Homer’s Greek epic, the Odyssey, there is an instance of this -aberration, in the form of invited voyeurism. Hephaestus, the husband of -Aphrodite, goddess of love, surprised his wife in intimacy with Ares, -the war god. In revenge, he summoned all the deities to observe the -sight of his wife in the amatory embrace of the god. - -Another case of mixoscopy is related by Herodotus, the first major Greek -historian. King Candaules, proud of his wife’s beauty, persuaded his -friend Gyges to hide in the sleeping chamber and observe the Queen while -she was preparing for bed. The Queen caught Gyges in the act of -observation and offered him this ultimatum: Either to kill the King and -become her husband and the ruler of the Kingdom of Lydia: or to die on -the spot. Gyges accepted the first alternative, slew the King, married -the Queen, and became King of Lydia. - - * * * * * - -The sacred nature of the phallus as a symbol was transmitted from -antiquity into modern times. In the Kingdom of Naples, for instance, at -Trani, a Carnival was held in which there was carried processionally a -huge figure of Priapus, ithyphallically posed, and termed by the -participants in the celebration Il Santo Membro, The Holy Member. An -ecclesiastical ordinance banished this pagan ceremony at the beginning -of the eighteenth century. - - * * * * * - -In Greek mythology Orion, represented as a hunter or a monstrous giant, -was so lascivious that when Oenopion, King of Chios, was his guest, he -ravished the King’s daughter. Orion’s passion drove him to attack the -goddess Artemis, who punished him by sending a scorpion, that stung -Orion to death. There are other versions of this myth, but basically -they represent the forcefulness and pervasiveness of the erotic motif in -ancient Greek life. - - * * * * * - -The Duc de Richelieu, apart from his statesmanship, had other, more -unique interests. One of these concerned amatory matters. He often -entertained his guests and their mistresses at repasts called petits -soupers. These little suppers provided dishes so prepared as to be -conducive to amatory intimacies. In addition, the guests all appeared at -the meals in puris naturalibus. - - * * * * * - -Osphresiological conditions often have amatory reactions. Henry III of -Navarre, for example, inspired Maria of Cleves with intense erotic -inclinations on account of a perspiration-soaked handkerchief. Such was -the case also with Henry IV of France and Gabrielle. - - * * * * * - -In the seventeenth century Katherine Craigie, a Scottish witch, prepared -love-potions for her clients. One such petitioner was a widow who had -conceived a passion for a particular person. The witch promised her an -herb that would make the man exclude all other interests, all other -forms of affection, except love for the widow. - - * * * * * - -Titus Lucretius Carus, the first century B.C. Roman epic poet, author of -the remarkable De Rerum Natura, was, according to legend and to the -statement of St. Jerome, poisoned by a love philtre administered by -Lucretius’ own wife. - - * * * * * - -The Roman Emperor Caligula, according to ancient chronicles, was given a -potion by his wife Caesonia. Her object was to induce in the Emperor -amatory stimulation, but the drink threw him into a fit. - - * * * * * - -Even animals may be affected by amatory potions. There is an incident of -a drake that belonged to a chemist. In the chemist’s house there was -some water in a copper vessel that had contained phosphorus. Phosphorus -has aphrodisiac properties. When the drake drank the water, it was -affected with amatory tendencies that manifested themselves until its -death. - - * * * * * - -When Louis XIV of France approached old age and the disintegrating -physiological effects associated therewith, he still retained his -libidinous inclinations. As an invigorating drink, he was advised to -take a mixture of distilled spirits, orange water, and sugar. - - * * * * * - -The lewd and perverted Roman Emperor Tiberius was so eager to experience -all varieties of erotic possibilities that, when he became familiar with -the plant known as Sandix ceropolium, he exacted from his Germanic -subjects a tribute that was partly paid in the form of the plant. - - * * * * * - -The Assyrian King Sardanapalus was known for his forthright, -unrestrained mode of living. He perpetuated his memory in an inscription -on a stone statue of himself: - - Sardanapalus, son of Anacyndaraxes, who conquered - Anchiale and Tarsus on a single day. Eat! Drink - Love! For all else is naught. - - * * * * * - -In Hindu erotology, there are legends concerning magic devices for -overcoming sterility. - -King Brihadratha, ruler of Magadha, was sensual and libidinous. But his -great regret was the lack of an heir. He therefore consulted a holy -ascetic, a certain Candakaucika. The latter presented the king with a -juicy mango that had just fallen from its tree. The mango was given to -the king’s two wives. Each wife gave birth to half a child. The two -parts, being brought together, thus produced a complete heir. - - * * * * * - -The Emperor Heliogabalus, according to the Historia Augusta, a Latin -collection of the biographies of thirty Roman emperors, was notorious -for his unsavory conduct: It was said that in one day he visited all the -harlots in the circus, the theatre, the amphitheatre, and every spot in -the city. He would cover his head with a muleteer’s hood, in order to -avoid recognition. After bestowing on all the prostitutes pieces of -gold, without consummating his lusts, he would add: Let nobody know that -the Emperor gave you this. - - * * * * * - -The association of an Emperor and a harlot is described in the Latin -collection of imperial biographies known as the Historia Augusta. The -story concerns the Emperor Verus, who reigned in the second century A.D. -At the instigation of a public harlot, he shaved off his beard while in -Syria, an act that created much hostile talk in Syria itself. - - * * * * * - -In the same Historia Augusta, the wild performances of the Emperor -Heliogabalus are retailed: - -He usually coaxed his friends into a state of drunkenness and suddenly -at night let loose among them lions, leopards, and bears. When they woke -up in the same chamber as the animals, and found lions, bears, and -leopards around them, in the morning, or, what was worse, at night, they -died of fright. - -The Emperor would buy up harlots from all the pimps and then set them -free. He gathered together all the prostitutes from the circus, the -theatre, the stadium, and from everywhere, and brought them into the -public buildings, and delivered military harangues, as it were, calling -them fellow-soldiers. - -At similar gatherings he addressed ex-pimps that he assembled from every -quarter, as well as the most depraved boys and youths. When he went to -the prostitutes, he dressed as a woman. At his banquets he and his -friends performed with women. - -The story went that he bought a well-known and very beautiful harlot for -one hundred thousand sesterces. - - In balneis semper cum muliebribus fuit, ita ut eas ipse - psilothro curaret: ipse quoque barbam psilothro adcurans: - quodque pudendum dictu est, eodem, quo mulieres adcurabantur, et - eadem hora, rasit et virilia subactoribus suis, novacula manu - sua, qua postea barbam fecit. - - * * * * * - -The Historia Augusta makes many revelations about the intimate personal -life of the Roman Emperors and their erotic mores. Among the later -rulers, Commodus, who belongs in the second century A.D., defiled the -temples of the gods with fornication and human blood. - - * * * * * - -Of the Emperor Severus, who flourished in the second century A.D., the -Historia Augusta says: - - Domestically, he was indifferent, and kept his wife Julia, - although she was a notorious adulteress and an accomplice in the - conspiracy against his own life. - - * * * * * - -Heliogabalus, whose biography appears in the Historia Augusta and who -ruled in the third century A.D., discovered certain kinds of lustful -pleasures, as the chronicle states, to supersede the male prostitutes. - - * * * * * - -The younger Gordianus, the Roman Emperor who ruled in the third century -A.D., was particularly fond of wine, and also of gastronomic delights. -He had a great attachment to women, and was said to have twenty-two -concubines assigned to him. He was called the Priam of his day, but the -popular name for him was the Priapus of his times. - - * * * * * - -The Roman general Lucullus, who belongs in the first century B.C., was -also a renowned gourmet, and held lavish and exotic banquets for his -friends. The Greek biographer and philosopher Plutarch, and the Roman -historian Cornelius Nepos both relate that Lucullus consumed -love-potions, that made him unconscious. - - * * * * * - -The increase of libidinous inclinations, along with the physiological -stimulus, was not invariably the sole, exclusive, and predictable effect -of the love-potion. There were circumstances in which the potion might -produce, for instance, temporary conditions of insanity. Such was the -case, according to historical records, of the notable Roman -administrator Gallus, who belongs in the first century B.C. He was -driven mad through the excessive use of aphrodisiac philtres. Again, -there is a tradition that Titus Lucretius Carus, the Roman poet who -produced the remarkable epic entitled _The Nature of Things_, was the -occasional victim of a potion administered by his wife with the -intention of producing temporary insanity. So, too, with Lucullus, the -Roman general and noted gourmet, who dates in the first century B.C. He -succumbed to a poison that was contained as an ingredient in a love -philtre. - - * * * * * - -In the Orient, the almond becomes an amatory agent: either eaten whole, -or ground into a powder, or mixed with other ingredients. Powdered -almonds with cream and egg yolks and chicken stock act presumably as a -stimulant. So with honey taken with almonds and pine tree grains. - - * * * * * - -Minerals, precious stones have been constituents in exciting -preparations. The medieval centuries in particular placed profound -credence in their virtues. The agate was thus reputed to promote -genesiac activity. So with molten gold taken in an infusion. - - * * * * * - -All sorts of brews are known and experimented with in the East. A -stimulant that, although credited with amatory effects, produced at the -same time violent reactions, was a Chinese concoction of opium and other -ingredients, called affion. - - * * * * * - -Herbs were always a contribution in love drinks. An aromatic herb that -was called by the Romans Venus’ plant was known in the Middle Ages as -Sweet Flag and was considered an erotic excitation. - - * * * * * - -Animal flesh and organs have immemorially formed part of the amatory -apparatus. In the second century A.D. a physician of Alexandria -recommended the flesh of lizard as a genesiac agent. - - * * * * * - -Cheese and cherries, dried shrimp and scallops, fried spinach and -noodles: chestnuts boiled with pistachio nuts, pine kernels, sugar, -rocket seed and cinnamon: chicken gizzard: a compound of juice of -powdered onion and ghee, heated and then cooled and mixed with -chick-peas and water: a cider drink: cinchona bark: a liqueur distilled -from cinnamon: civet-perfumed candy: cod liver, and cod roe: cockles: -all these disparate items, some centuries ago, others in our own -contemporary times, East and West, have been in use as generative -provocations: sometimes traditionally and hopefully: at other times, -merely traditionally. - - * * * * * - -In the Hindu manuals there are enumerated and described such varied -potions and unguents and drugs that masculine activity, according to -legend, can be prolonged continuously to the extent of hundreds of -individual and successive occasions. - - * * * * * - -In the South Seas a stimulating drink, consumed after wedding ceremonies -and other notable occasions, is made from the roots of the plant kava -piperaceae. The root is chewed and then the juice extruded into a bowl: -the liquid is then strained and served. - - * * * * * - -In the Orient, from the bird known as King’s Crow, the extracted bile is -compounded into an amatory philtre. - - * * * * * - -A certain perfume popular among Arabs for amatory stimulus is known as -dufz. - - * * * * * - -All sorts of drugs, both in their natural state and in synthetic -preparations, dangerous in their application and fatal in their effects, -have frantically been enlisted as erotic attendants. The venereal -passion has thus frequently transcended health, sanity, and the -continuance of life itself. Among such drugs, draughts, and preparations -are: damiana, absinthe, yohimbine, adrenaline, brucine, aphrodisin, -amanita muscaria, belladonna, borax, hashish, cocaine, bhang, mescaline, -bufotenin, rauwiloid, harmine. - - * * * * * - -Among gruesome items used for libidinous purposes was human dried liver. -The Romans were familiar with this ingredient, and Horace, the first -century B.C. poet, makes mention of it in describing the dark operations -of a witch. - - * * * * * - -Formerly used as a love charm was dragon’s blood: a red resin extracted -from the fruit of a palm tree called botanically calamus draco. Cast -into a fire, dragon’s blood was believed, when accompanied by a binding -spell in the form of a rhyming couplet, to induce an errant lover to -return to the object of his passion. - - * * * * * - -Dog-stones, tubers of the orchis species, are shaped like the testiculi -canis, and hence are so called. At one time this plant was assumed to -have an amatory virtue. - - * * * * * - -In the case of women, darnel grass was considered an amatory -provocation, when mixed with barley meal, myrrh, and frankincense. - - * * * * * - -The comparatively innocuous cucumber, used domestically in salads, has -sometimes been credited, mainly for its phallic shape, with venereal -properties. - - * * * * * - -In the Orient, the aromatic plant cumin, which is used as a condiment, -is also considered aphrodisiacally. So with the pungent berry cubeb, -native to Java, and used in cooking and medicinally. - -In the East, cubebs are chewed, sometimes powdered and mixed with honey: -sometimes made into an infusion with cubeb leaves. The provocative -virtues of cubeb peppers are widely known and esteemed, from Arabia to -China, and have been used erotically since at least the thirteenth -century. - - * * * * * - -Periapts and amulets of various types, both inanimate and organic, have -been used with amatory prospects. Thus, in the Orient, betel nuts were -so used. Or a lock of woman’s hair, over which a spell had been uttered. -Or the human liver, as in ancient Greece, was considered the source of -all desire and hence became a fetish. Or, in the East, a hyena’s udder, -tied on the left arm, would induce the longed-for passion. - - * * * * * - -The aromatic plant basil, used as a condiment, was also credited with -exciting reactions. So much so, in fact, that in Italy the herb was used -by maidens as a love charm. - -Beans, too, were thought at all times to be highly amatory in their -results. Hence the Church Father St. Jerome forbade the use of beans to -nuns. - -Carrots, turnips, wild cabbage, and beets have also been included at -various times in this category. Pliny the Elder, the Roman author of the -Historia Naturalis, states that white beets are an amatory aid. - - * * * * * - -There was a long accepted tradition in the efficacy of certain fish, -especially the barbel, which is mentioned by the Roman poet Ausonius in -a poem dealing with various species of fish. - - * * * * * - -The fat of a camel’s hump, melted down, and also camel’s milk taken with -honey are, in Oriental erotological literature, considered of marked -venereal value. - - * * * * * - -The brains of certain animals were at various periods considered, apart -from their food value, to possess erotic effects. So with the brains of -sheep, pig, and calf. In some countries, notably in the Mediterranean -area, animal brains are prepared as a gastronomic delicacy. - - * * * * * - -At one time the milk of a chameleon was treated as a generative -excitation. The thirteenth century Arab physician and philosopher -Avicenna so recommended it. - - * * * * * - -Rhubarb and cinnamon, ginger and vanilla, mixed in wine, produce a -recipe that was prevalent in Italy, So with curaçao, mixed with madeira -wine: to which were added pieces of sugar. - - * * * * * - -An old collection of unique recipes, entitled the Golden Cabinet of -Secrets, was formerly but incorrectly included among the works of the -Greek philosopher Aristotle. The collection itself was long popular for -its putative authority. An amatory powder, described in the Cabinet, is -compounded thus: Flowers of seeds of elecampane, vervain, mistletoe -berries are crushed together and dried thoroughly in an oven. The powder -is taken in a glass of wine, and the effects, it was urged, would be -most gratifying. - - * * * * * - -Usually, amatory concoctions were prepared individually, for each -suppliant. In the seventeenth century, however, an Englishman by the -name of Burton, an apothecary, established a factory in the town of -Colchester. Here he produced on a large scale aphrodisiacs compounded of -the roots of sea holly. - - * * * * * - -There were for sale, in Rome, in the market place, in booths and -emporia, and in quarters where people of all ranks and all ethnic -origins congregated, philtres and brews, and articles putatively endowed -with provocative and generative properties. Dried human marrow, and the -sucking-fish, star-fish and intimate genital secretions, both male and -female, were used in these concoctions. And over the preparations arose -supplications and invocations and incantations directed to the -divinities of the underworld, entreating efficacy in the purchased -potions. - - * * * * * - -Among plants that have both culinary uses and at least presumed amatory -implications are the artichoke and asparagus. In France, artichokes were -sold by vendors who, in their street cries, added forthrightly that -artichokes aroused the genital areas. - -Similarly, in the Orient, asparagus, fried with egg yolks, and sprinkled -with spices, constituted a decidedly amatory dish. - -The egg plant, too, split and boiled with a flour paste, vanilla beans, -pimentos, chives, and pepper-corns, and a concoction known as bois bandé -or tightening wood, containing strychnine and hence highly dangerous, -was commonly in use in the West Indies, where it was credited with -excitant qualities. - -In China, again, bamboo shoots, usually an appetizing culinary -ingredient, are believed to have an aphrodisiac value. - -A shrub that, since Roman times, was used for inciting desire was -birthwort. In this respect it was quite familiar to the Middle Ages. - -Bitter sweet, too, like many herbs, was at one time credited with erotic -virtues. - -The berry of the caper plant, that is, caperberry, belongs in the same -category. Its potency was reputedly so great that the plant is equated, -in Ecclesiastes, with erotic desire itself. - -Paprika, which is Hungarian red pepper, is prepared from the plant -capsicum annuum, and is both a spice and a traditionally credited -amatory aid. - -A plant similar to the artichoke, and equally prickly, is cardoon, -considered a stimulating agent. In France, the fleshy parts of the inner -leaves are consumed with this intent. - -Caraway seeds, in the East, are valued erotically. - -Stewed in milk sauce, carrots are endowed, in Oriental manuals, with -stimulating characteristics. In ancient Greece the carrot, used as a -venereal medicine, was called a philtron. - -Rosemary, the aromatic shrub, has leaves that are used in perfumery, -medicinally, and in cookery. Among the Romans, it has an amatory virtue. - - * * * * * - -Some amatory doses are of such a nature that excess may prove fatal. An -urgent young man, invited to a dinner prepared by a courtesan, ate too -heartily. He died on the following day, as all the dishes had been -spiced with a potent stimulus. - -Ferdinand of Castile, too, died from an administration of the same drug -that had spiced the courses at the banquet. - - * * * * * - -A medieval powder that was an energizing potential, rejuvenating and -refreshing, is described by the English dramatist Ben Jonson (c. -1573–1637) in his comedy Volpone. Volpone himself offers the beautifying -powder thus: - - Here is a powder concealed in this paper, of which, if I should - speak to the worth, nine thousand volumes were but as one page, - that page as a line, that line as a word; so short is this - pilgrimage of man (which some call life) to the expressing of - it. Would I reflect on the price? Why, the whole world is but as - an empire, that empire as a province, that province as a bank, - that bank as a private purse to the purchase of it. I will only - tell you; it is the powder that made Venus a goddess (given her - by Apollo), that kept her perpetually young, cleared her - wrinkles, firmed her gums, filled her skin, colored her hair; - from her derived to Helen, and at the sack of Troy unfortunately - lost, till now, in this our age, it was as happily recovered, by - a studious antiquary, out of some ruins of Asia, who sent a - moiety of it to the court of France (but much sophisticated), - wherewith the ladies there, now, color their hair. - - * * * * * - -The innocuous cress, that is regularly used in salads, was formerly -consumed, either raw or boiled or as a juice, for its invigorating -value. Cress was prescribed, in Roman times, in recipes intended to cure -incapacity. In the Orient, this property of cress as an aphrodisiac is -stressed in the erotic manuals. - - * * * * * - -Among many other herbs and plants that induce amatory conditions are -valerian and coriander and violet: these are mentioned in this respect -by Albertus Magnus, the medieval philosopher. - -Another plant, botanically known as melampryum pratense and commonly -called cow wheat, was given as fodder to cows. But it had also a -reputation, according to Pliny the Elder and the Greek physician -Dioscorides, as a rousing stimulus of passion. - - * * * * * - -The dried seeds of the Cola Nitida, a nut indigenous to Africa, -furnishes a drink called cola. This beverage is also known as bichy. The -cola nut itself, which is chewed, is credited, among the Africans, with -promoting vigor. - - * * * * * - -A brew compounded of the Indian root called galanga, and cardamoms, -laurel seeds, sparrow wort, nutmeg, cubebs, cloves, in a fowl or pigeon -broth, was held to be a powerful stimulant, especially among Arabs. - - * * * * * - -Women esteemed, as an amatory incitement, the brains of the mustela -piscis. - - * * * * * - -To a plant with a root shaped like a claw, called lycopodium, was -formerly attributed the quality of inducing desire. - - * * * * * - -In Eastern countries, the fruit of the mastic-tree, pounded with oil and -honey, makes a drink that is highly esteemed among Arabs as a venereal -provocation. - - * * * * * - -The Arab erotologist Umar ibn Muhammed al-Nefzawi, author of _The -Perfumed Garden_, a survey in amatory practices, discusses the entire -range of erotic experiences and procedures among men and women. He -treats of genital conditions, medical problems, potions, sexual -ceremonials, circumstances favorable to amatory consummations, -manipulations and contrivances and preparations that affect amatory -potentialities. With all this mass of detail and particularization of -venereal topics, the author emphasizes that his work is not an -exposition directed toward lewd and libidinous ends, but a virtual -glorification of the gifts bestowed upon men by divine graciousness and -indulgent beneficence. - - * * * * * - -Plutarch, the Greek historian and philosopher, in his _De Sanitate -Tuenda Praecepta_, Advice on Keeping Well, tells of an amatory incident: - - When the young men described by Menander were, as they were - drinking, insidiously beset by the pimp, who introduced some - handsome and high-priced concubines, each one of them (as he - says), - - Bent down his head and munched his own dessert, being on his - guard and afraid to look at them. - - * * * * * - -The inventive genius of man has included in the preparation of love -philtres the most heterogeneous items, such as: human fingers, hoopee -brains, tobacco, human excrement, snake bones, toads, skulls and -intestinal fluids and organs. Horace and Catullus, Pliny the Elder and -Apuleius, among the Romans, have frequent occasion to refer to philtres -and their ingredients and effects. - -So too the medieval and later physicians and demonographers have much to -say on the subject: Martin Delrio and Sprenger, Reginald Scott and -Bodin, Johannes Muller and Sinibaldus. A Roman recipe, composed by a -witch, runs as follows: - - Bring the eggs and plumage foul - Of a midnight shrieking owl, - Be they well besmear’d with blood - Of the blackest venom’d toad, - Bring the choicest drugs of Spain, - Produce of the poisonous plain, - Then into the charm be thrown, - Snatch’d from famish’d bitch, a bone, - Burn them all with magic flame, - Kindled first by Colchian dame. - -John Gay, the eighteenth century playwright, in _The Shepherd’s Week_, -has one of the characters refer to a philtre in a casual and incidental -manner, implying that the practice of this usage was in common vogue: - - And in love powder all my money spent; - Behap what will, next Sunday after prayers, - When to the ale house Lupperkin repairs, - These golden flies into his mug I’ll throw, - And soon the swain with fervent love shall glow. - -Shakespeare, too, in _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_, alludes to the love -philtre: - - Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell, - It fell upon a little western flower, - Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound, - And maidens call it Love-in-Idleness. - Fetch me that flower; the herb I show’d thee once, - The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid - Will make or man or woman madly dote - Upon the next live creature that it sees. - -Again: - - I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep, - And drop the liquor of it in her eyes, - The next thing then she waking looks upon, - Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, - On meddling monkey, or on busy ape, - She shall pursue it with the soul of love. - - * * * * * - -Perfumes of all kinds, used on the person, on the genitalia, on clothes, -in beds, in foods, were considered arousing stimulants. This procedure -was in vogue both among the ancient Greeks and Romans, in the Orient, -and during the Middle Ages: and is, of course, far from obsolescent -these days. - -The Greek playwright Aristophanes mentions perfumes in his comedy -_Lysistrata_ in connection with sexual enticements. Horace the Roman -lyric poet tells of an old lecher ‘scented with nard.’ - -Ambergris and civet were immensely popular. An ointment, extracted from -spikenard, was known as foliatum: another, as nicerotiana. Cinnamon, -sweet marjoram, myrrh, were in use. So with aromatic oils. Perfumes, in -fact, are regularly mentioned in erotic and sexual situations and -contexts. The corpus of the _Arabian Nights_ contains many episodes -involving the use and impact of scents. The Biblical _Song of Songs_ too -makes apposite reference to the subject: - - a bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me ... - ointment and perfumes rejoice the heart ... - perfumes and sweet spices ... - beds of aromatic spices ... - -Ben Jonson, the English dramatist, has Volpone, in the comedy of that -name, offer Celia perfumed baths: - - The milk of unicorns, and panthers’ breath - Gathered in bags, and mixed with Cretan wines. - Our drink shall be prepared gold and amber. - - * * * * * - -Onions in particular have for centuries possessed an aphrodisiac -reputation. Onion is recommended for such intentions by the Greek and -Roman poets. Ovid and Martial, and the later bucolic poet Columella -urgently stress the eating of plenty of onions as both a rejuvenating -and an animating agent. The Greek physician Galen also considered onions -as having stimulating virtues. - -In the East, onion seed is pounded, mixed with honey, and taken while -one is fasting, in the hope of physiological urgency. - -Among Arabs, onions boiled with spices, then fried in oil with egg -yolks, are, if taken successively on a number of days, considered of -high potency. - - * * * * * - -The seat of amorous passion was traditionally the liver. This concept is -exemplified in _The Faithful Shepherdess_, by John Fletcher: - - Amoret: Dear friend, you must not blame me, if I make - A doubt of what the silent night may do, - Coupled with this day’s heat, to move your blood. - Maids must be fearful. Sure you have not been - Wash’d white enough, for yet I see a stain - Stick in your liver: go and purge again. - - Perigot: Oh, do not wrong my honest simple truth! - Myself and my affections are as pure - As those chaste flames that burn before the shrine - Of the great Dian; only my intent - To drag you thither was to plight our troths, - With interchange of mutual chaste embraces, - And ceremonious tying of our souls. - For to that holy wood is consecrate - A virtuous well, about whose flowery banks - The nimble-footed fairies dance their rounds - By the pale moonshine, dipping oftentimes - Their stolen children, so to make them free - From dying flesh and dull mortality. - By this fair fount hath many a shepherd sworn, - And given away his freedom, many a troth - Been plight, which neither envy nor old time - Could ever break, with many a chaste kiss given - In hope of coming happiness; by this - Fresh fountain many a blushing maid - Hath crown’d the head of her long-loved shepherd - With gaudy flowers, whilst he happy sung - Lays of his love and dear captivity. - There grow all herbs fit to cool looser flames - Our sensual parts provoke, chiding our bloods, - And quenching by their power those hidden sparks - That else would break out, and provoke our sense - To open fires; so virtuous is that place. - Then, gentle shepherdess, believe and grant. - In troth, it fits not with that face to scant - Your faithful shepherd of those chaste desires - He ever aim’d at, and ... - - Amoret: Thou hast prevail’d; farewell. This coming night - Shall crown thy chaste hopes with long-wish’d delight. - - Perigot: Our great god Pan reward thee for that good - Thou hast given thy poor shepherd! - - * * * * * - -A medieval song, that appears in _The Maid’s Tragedy_, by Beaumont and -Fletcher, suggests that restraint in lust may occasionally be a -desideratum: - - I could never have the power - To love one above an hour, - But my heart would prompt mine eye - On some other man to fly. - Venus, fix mine eyes fast, - Or, if not, give me all that I shall see at last! - - * * * * * - -In _Philaster_, a play by Beaumont and Fletcher, mention is made of an -amatory provocative that was in common use in the Middle Ages and later: - - Cleremont: Sure this lady has a good turn done her against her - will; before she was common talk, now none dare say cantharides - can stir her. Her face looks like a warrant, willing and - commanding all tongues, as they will answer it, to be tied up - and bolted when this lady means to let herself loose. As I live, - she has got her a goodly protection and a gracious; and may use - her body discreetly for her health’s sake, once a week, - excepting Lent and dog-days. Oh, if they were to be got for - money, what a great sum would come out of the city for these - licenses! - - * * * * * - -Foods and herbs that have a gastronomic appeal are often empirically -credited with amatory traits as well. For instance, eel soup and -preserves and sundry pies have been brought into the field of such -beneficial stimulants. Also the herb eryngium maritimum or Sea Holly, -whose fleshy roots were candied and served hot in Elizabethan and later -days. Figs and fennel soup: tunny fish and plovers’ eggs, halibut, -plaice, mackerel and mullet. So with apples and potatoes and garlic. -Horseradish and sesame seeds, vanilla and turmeric, frangipane cream and -purslane: frogs’ legs and peaches. Ghee, ginger-fruit jam. Goose-tongues -and grapes and guinea fowl. Hare soup and haricot beans. Soup seasoned -with thyme, pimento, cloves, and laurel. Lentils and pomegranates and -dates. Mutton, lamb, and rice. Mallows boiled in goat milk. Or the sap -of mallows. Aromatic marjoram and marrow. Mint and onions, pineapple and -mushrooms. Peas, and pastries kneaded into phallic and genital forms. -All things, it appears, that are edible or potable come at some time or -other under the classification of anticipatory amatory aids. - - * * * * * - -Messalina, the wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, was infamous for her -licentiousness, her intrigues, and her obscene amours. Historical -testimony relates that she had amorous encounters with fourteen -athletes, and in consequence assumed the honorific of _Invincible_. In -commemoration of the episode she also dedicated fourteen wreaths to the -Priapic god. - - * * * * * - -Apuleius, the Roman novelist who flourished in the second century A.D., -alludes to an ancient Roman list of ingredients in the preparation of -love-potions: - - They dig out all kinds of philtres - from everywhere: - they search for the agent that - arouses mutual love: - pills and nails and threads, - roots and herbs and shoots, - the two-tailed lizard, - and charms from mares. - - * * * * * - -A certain philtre, according to the testimony of Girolamo Folengo in his -_Maccaronea_, published in 1519, was composed of black dust from a tomb, -the venom of a toad, the flesh of a brigand, the lung of an ass, the -blood of a blind infant, the bile of an ox, and corpses rifled from -graves. - - * * * * * - -It is unusual to discover a decided anti-aphrodisiac, recommended as an -antidote, for banishing lust. The following prescription appears in the -_Secrets of Albertus Magnus_, a medieval magic manual: - - Turtur, a Turtle, is a birde very well knowne. It is called - Merlon of the Chaldees, of the Greeks Pilax. If the heart of - this foule be borne in a Wolves skin, he that weareth it shall - never have an appetite to commit lechery from henceforth. - - * * * * * - -In the same magic manual attributed to Albertus Magnus the medieval -philosopher, there is a description of a philtre that has a number of -properties, both medicinal and amatory: - - The seventh is the herb of the planet Venus, and is called - Pisterion, of some Hierobotane, id est, Sterbo columbaria et - Verbena, Vervin. - - The root of this herb put upon the neck healeth the swine - pockes, apostumus behinde the eares, and botches of the neck, - and such as cannot keepe their water. It healeth cuts also, and - swelling of the evil, or fundament, proceeding of an - inflammation which groweth in the fundament. - - It is also of great strength in veneriall pastimes. If any man - put it into his house or vineyard, or in the ground, he shal - have great store of increase. - - * * * * * - -Another love charm, from Albertus Magnus’ _Book of the Marvels of the -World_, is designed to stabilize a woman’s affection: - - If thou wilt that a woman bee not visious nor desire men, take - the private members of a Woolfe, and the haires which doe grow - on the cheekes or eyebrowes of him, and the haires which bee - under his beard, and burne it all, and give it to her to drinke, - when she knoweth not, and she shal desire no other man. - - * * * * * - -Macrobius, a Roman writer who flourished c. 400 A.D., is the author of a -symposium entitled _Saturnalia_, in which he states that hot drinks, -particularly wine, are provocative of amatory exercise: deinde omnia -calida Venerem provocant et semen excitant et generationi favent. Hausto -autem mero plurimo fiunt viri ad coitum pigriores. That is, a long -draught of unmixed wine is a decided stimulant to genesiac activity. On -the other hand, like many of the ancient erotic poets, Macrobius adds -that excessive and cold wine is a deterrent: vini nimietas ut frigidi -facit semen exile vel debile. - - * * * * * - -The plant verbena officinalis was known to Hippocrates and later on to -Pliny the Elder as an effective means of inducing virile potency. - - * * * * * - -An Indian plant named Datroa, the juice of which was used in a drink, -was given as a physiological stimulant - - * * * * * - -In the eighteenth century an erotic concoction known as Diavolini was -popular in Italy. In France, these Diavolini became equally popular -under the name of diablotins—devil-pastilles. - - * * * * * - -The nettle, urtica urens, was a legendary and traditional stimulus, -credited with promoting decisive potency. - - * * * * * - -Ocimum Basilicum is a plant with labiate flowers. It was known to the -Egyptians and is mentioned by the Roman encyclopedist Pliny the Elder. -It was used as an aphrodisiac as well as for other medicinal purposes. - - * * * * * - -Lycopodium Clavatum, a plant known by a variety of other names, was -formerly used in amatory practices. - - * * * * * - -The amethyst was anciently considered a stone whose contact was a -stimulus to passion. - - * * * * * - -In the Middle Ages there was in Germany a kind of humorous folk legend -that was called the Old Wives’ Mill. This legend extended into the -eighteenth century. The theme was the rejuvenation of old women into -young maidens and young women. There is an old print depicting the Mill, -with elderly females being carried into the Mill and coming out young -and comely. - - * * * * * - -The means of arousing erotic sensations and the devices contrived for -the furtherance of weird or furtive amatory conditions have varied all -the way from forthright bestialities, sacrificial blood rituals, as -described by the poet Horace with reference to the witch Canidia’s -practices, down to more or less innocuous or ineffectual concoctions. - -As far as ritual killing is concerned, and the extraction of human -organs for amatory purposes, such methods were in vogue in Europe until -far into the seventeenth century, notably in France. - -A French preparation, that promised a renewal of physiological vigor, -was known as Essence à l’usage des monstres. - - * * * * * - -Certain ancient Greek papyri contain suggestions and recipes intended to -promote physiological vigor and by means of magic formulas to correct -amatory deficiencies. These papyri now belong in the Louvre, in Paris, -and in the British Museum. - -Diagrams and symbols appear in the papyri. There are invocations, magic -ritualistic prescriptions. There are, also, invocations and -supplications to strange deities: among them, Sabazios, a -Thracian-Phrygian god who had affinities with Dionysus, the god of wine, -of fertility, and of procreation. He was also equated with the deity -called Curios Sabaoth, mentioned in the Septuagint, and also Theos -Hypsistos. - -The Greek writer Lucian’s _Lover of Lies_ consists of a collection of -sketches on various contemporary superstitions and practices. There are -descriptions of magic statues endowed with animation, awesome -apparitions, and also charms for bringing back a lover who has strayed. - - * * * * * - -The River Scamander, in Greece, was reputed to be such a potent amatory -stimulus that maidens hopefully bathed in its waters. On one occasion, -according to the testimony of the orator Aeschines, the beautiful -Callirhoë, on her way to bathing in the sacred Scamander, was met by a -young man who represented himself as an aide to the river god. The young -man then substituted himself for the god and performed his divine -function. - - * * * * * - -The medieval demonographer Martin Delrio, in his Disquisitionum -Magicarum Libri Sex, discusses love charms, brews of all kinds, and -other amatory inducements used by practitioners in the Black Arts. He -mentions formulas and incantations, spells and alluring chants such as -the seductive croonings of the ancient sirens, as well as the hypnotic -music produced by Orpheus: also concoctions compounded of viscera and -blood and other more intimate secretions. - - * * * * * - -Amatory inducements may be merely sensuous, or bodily proximity, as in -dancing. Or excitation may be provoked by listening to an appealing -voice, or visually observing a theatrical spectacle. Or recalling a -fragment of song, a forgotten melody. - - * * * * * - -Particularly in the Orient, amatory preparations often run the gamut -from oddities or puerilities to items that are monstrous in themselves, -or so rare as to preclude the possibility of securing them: as, the -scale of a tortoise, or the secretions of a stag, or a corpse, or a -hyena’s brains or whiskers. - -Yet, in the East, these ingredients might well be furtively whispered to -the love-sick suppliant by some aged crone who is the repository of -legendary remedies, or by an obscure apothecary, whose pharmacopoeia is -medieval, or by some wandering minstrel or trader. - - * * * * * - -Certain plants are associated with erotic consequences and have been -resorted to by those in restless quest of amatory contentments. Among -these plants are: the root of narcissus, vervain, water lilies, and -bamboo. - - * * * * * - -In one Hindu erotic manual, a kind of Rake’s Progress entitled The -Harlot’s Guide, certain ingredients are enumerated as contributing to -the potency of philtres. Included in the items are fish soup, ghee, and -indigenous herbs. - - * * * * * - -In former times, in France, a dish of the testes of a kid or a bull or a -fox or a hare would be set before a man who intended to embark on -amatory ventures. - - * * * * * - -Love stimulants may be both material and psychic. They may have -physiological impacts that result in amatory capacity, or they may -heighten and arouse the emotional awareness and sensitivity, with -similar results. - -Among the medieval investigators, philosophers, and alchemists and -occultists, Albertus Magnus held a dominant position. He had a -perception of scientific method, yet he also dealt in unwarranted and -legendary fantasies. He wrote on physiology and astronomy. He -investigated plant and animal life. He equated the characteristics and -properties of certain stones, certain metals, certain creatures, with -corresponding human traits and faculties. He felt that such stones, or -the extraction of certain animal organs, would be conducive to the -realization of the virtues of these minerals or viscera in relation to -the human being. The lion’s bravery resides in the lion’s heart. Hence -the eating of the heart, by a kind of sympathetic transference, will -render the human consumer equally courageous. So the procedure extends -throughout the entire amatory field. Certain animals and birds, as the -pigeon and the ass and the goat and the bull, are known for their -lubricity. The testes, therefore, and the genitalia of such animals will -correspondingly endow the man who consumes them with equally intense -capacity. Certain formulas, particular invocations and ritualistic -procedures, diagrams and symbols and periapts will all contribute to the -efficacy of the rite. - -Thus, to stimulate desire in either sex, the genitalia of the animals of -the opposite sex are consumed. - -In the nests of eagles are found stones called echites. Worn on the left -arm, these stones promote erotic sensations. - -To ensure erotic continuance, the marrow of a wolf’s left foot is -advised. This is mixed with chypre and ambergris and the resultant -unguent is rubbed on the object of affection. - -Like a culinary direction, but usually with less promptness or ease, one -is enjoined to take the liver of a sparrow, a swallow’s womb, a hare’s -kidney, a pigeon’s heart. Dry and crush into a powder. Add equal weight -of one’s own blood. Dry and mix in soup as an infallible potion. - -For reinvigorating purposes, an ointment composed of ash of star-lizard, -civet oil, St. John’s wort oil is prepared. This is smeared on the toe -of the left foot and the loins. - -The fat of a young buck, together with civet and ambergris, is equally -efficacious. - -Goose testes and the stomach of a hare, well seasoned with spices, are -amatory aids. - -Also: a salad made of satyrion, rocket, and celery, soaked in oil and -rose vinegar. - -As, in rarer cases, an anaphrodisiac, on the other hand, the powdered -genitals of a mild bull are recommended, in a soup containing veal, -purslain, and lettuce. - -The medieval grimoires, those manuals dedicated to sorcery, also treated -of philtres and amatory brews. - -Take two new knives. On a Friday morning—the day that is consecrated to -Aphrodite—go to a spot where you can find earthworms. Take two, join the -two knives together, then cut the two heads and the two tails of the -worms. Keep the bodies. On returning home, smear them with sperm: dry, -and pulverize them. - -Again: Pull out three pubic hairs and three from the left armpit. Burn -them on a hot shovel. Pulverize, and insert in a piece of bread, that -will be dipped in soup. - -Or: With the left hand pluck a bunch of vervain and repeat: I pluck you -by the power of Lucifer, Prince of the Infernal Regions, and of -Beelzebub, mother of three demons. Let her send Attos, Effeton, and -Canabo to torment X so that, within twenty-four hours, she may do my -will. - -There is a prescription against cuckoldry, involving the organs, the -skin, and the eyes of a wolf: pounded and calcined and composed into a -drink. - -Another prescription, designed for amatory purposes, involves a loaf of -warm bread into which nine drops of blood are distilled. The bread is -then dried, pulverized, and taken with coffee. - -Another recipe requires the fat and the bile of a goat, dried, and mixed -with oil. Its use will ensure faithful and continuous attachment to the -person loved. - -Another device for maintaining enduring love requires two turtle doves, -male and female. After they are strangled, the blood is poured into a -cup never before used. One’s own blood is added, together with some hair -of the woman. On the first white page of a new Bible there is now -written with a gold pen dipped in the turtle doves’ blood: Where you go, -I shall go. Where you stay, I shall stay. Your people are my people and -your god is my god. I shall die where you die. Only death shall separate -us. The document is sprinkled with incense and placed under the nuptial -pillow. The brew is poured into another cup, never before used, and -mixed with wine. Each of the two persons concerned in the ceremony now -takes a drink. - - * * * * * - -An elaborate potion, that involves many ingredients, much time, and -careful and scrupulous preparation, is as follows: - -On the first Friday after a summer new moon, go at noon and look for a -snake. Cut its head off, and carry it away in a new silk bag. Once home, -throw the stick used for killing the snake toward the East, and hang the -bag in a dark, warm corner. The following night, go barefooted to a -meadow. Before midnight, gather two leaves of white clover, two of red -clover, and six stems of spurge. Bring them back in a new basket. Then -take a white bud from two rose bushes, a red bud and a young leaf of -each, wrap in virgin parchment on which you write: Revarin myrtol her -kulbata with a new goose quill dipped in your own blood. - -The leaves, their contents, and the basket are set at the head of the -bed, on a table on which a lamp burns for at least three hours. On -waking up, spray the flowers and leaves with cold well water and set -them in the place where the snake’s head is drying. Wait until night. -About eleven p.m. stretch out, on a table in the room, virgin parchment, -draw thereon with a fresh heated point a six-branched star, by the light -of an old church taper placed in a silver holder. - -Procure a new chopper, two new knives, a new porcelain bowl, a new, well -rinsed bottle, a black glass, a carafe of cold water, a stick of new -wax, a seal, a mortar, and a new cork. - -At midnight, make the sign of the cross three times. Then put the -snake’s head in the mortar with the leaves and flowers crushed into a -paste. Heap up into a consistent mixture. Put the mortar on the flame -until the contents are dry: then pulverize, while the mortar is heating. - -With the new knives, let six drops of your blood fall into the cup: add -water, pour the contents of the mortar into the cup, stir, and boil. -Take three of your hairs, calcine them and throw into the cup. Do -likewise with the parchment and the bag. Pour into the bottle, add water -until it overflows. Cork it and seal it, place it in the bed, put out -the light, pray and go to sleep. - -After three days, after leaving it in the dark, by the window, on the -third midnight the brew will be ready. Five drops for men, three for -women, mixed with drink or food. - -This elixir was reputed to be highly effective. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - MIDDLE AGES AND LATER - - -In the earlier Christian centuries, misogynistic attitudes were markedly -prevalent, especially among the dogmatizing Church Fathers, and despite -the traditions of the _agape_. Clemens and Ambrose, Tertullian and -Athanasius were impassioned and vociferous, both in their oral -denunciations, and in their written invectives against the essentially -evil and malefic nature of woman. - -Hence sexual love was anathema to them: and even marriage, grudgingly -conceded but rarely accepted, was an object of horrified scorn. In -consequence, it was not surprising that sexual interests and activities -should go underground, as it were, and that amatory aids and -encouragements likewise developed their secretive hiding places, their -esoteric emporia, their identifiable but undisclosed havens. - -The result was that, as the Middle Ages advanced, two basic views -appeared to come into force. Laws that governed the marriage ceremonial -and its consequent domestic involvements and possessive obligations. And -laws that related to love as such, to the _amor naturalis_, as defined -by St. Thomas Aquinas, both in its romantic sense as a kind of amatory -but undefined ideal, and in its sexual implications that reached as far -as adultery, under certain subdued, well-controlled, and unpublicized -circumstances. - -All these occasions created a hungry, frantic demand for philtres and -phials and nostrums of all varieties, of all degrees of efficacy. They -bloomed upon the markets, and gave employment and a vast impetus to -quacks and adventurers, to alchemists and beldams, in furnishing the -tantalizing apparatus of love. - - * * * * * - -One of the most dominant humanists during the Middle Ages was Albertus -Magnus (1193–1280). Of Germanic birth, he was educated in Padua and -Bologna. On account of his encyclopedic knowledge, he was generally -known as the Doctor Universalis. - -Professor of theology, scientist, teacher, he achieved, both by his -voluminous writings and his lectures, an almost legendary reputation. In -one of his treatises, _De Secretis Mulierum_, he expounds on feminine -matters and then proceeds to discuss, in his _De Virtutibus Lapidum -Quorundam Libellus_, the virtues and properties of certain precious and -semi-precious stones. In an amatory direction, Albertus Magnus gives -suggestions, as if they were prescriptive and categorically assertive, -on how to win the favor and affection of a person: - - Take the stone called Chalcedony. It may be black or red, and is - extracted from the stomach of swallows. Wrap the red stone in a - linen cloth or in calf skin and place it under the left armpit. - -Although the philtre that is intended to inspire erotic excitations is -normally a drink, a fluid, Albertus Magnus’ recipe is virtually and in -its ultimate sense a potion. He adds, on a later occasion in the same -text: - - If you want to promote love between two people, take the stone - called Echites, by some termed Aquileus—because eagles place it - in their nests. It is purple in color and is found on the sea - shore: sometimes, too, in Persia. And it always contains within - itself another stone that makes a sound when moved. The ancient - philosophers say that this stone, worn suspended on the left - arm, effects love between a man and a woman. - -In the thirteenth century, a certain Arnold of Villanova, a physician -who traveled widely throughout Europe and in Africa, was reputed to be a -powerful karcist, believed to have occult contacts and interests. He -dabbled, also, in alchemy, and, as legend rumored, was proficient in -actual transmutations. In his medical practice he relied largely on -herbal concoctions, on magic formulas, on amatory potions prepared -according to traditional prescriptions. - -Potions and love philtres pervaded all life, at all levels, throughout -the middle centuries. Peasant and pilgrim resorted to aged creatures who -were reputed to possess cryptic formulas, hidden resources transmitted -to them orally by their forbears. Even in the Eucharistic rite the -_poculum amatorium_ made its contorted intrusion. In the Eucharistic -rite, the wafer often became an ingredient in love potions and acquired -a particularly efficacious renown. - -Most dealings in love devices, secret formulas, erotic phials, were -nameless, both the client and the practitioners remaining unknown by -name to each other. Until the practitioner became so assertive, so -prosperous and so much in demand that people flocked from remote -regions, from distant cities, from foreign countries, to acquire the -ultimate elixir. Count Alessandro Cagliostro was shrewd and unscrupulous -enough to profit by such conditions. He was an Italian alchemist, -magician, and hermetic, but basically his qualifications and capacities -were at least dubious. What was not at all dubious was his facility in -outwitting all Europe, in amassing great wealth from gullible clients, -in escaping, on all but the ultimate occasion, from merited penalties. -His original name was Giuseppe Balsamo, and his restless life extended -from 1745 to 1795. - -In the heyday of his quackery he became both known and notorious -throughout Europe. He was _persona gratissima_ among the most -distinguished social circles and families. With the aid of his wife -Lorenza Feliccani he amassed enormous wealth by the sale of alchemical -compounds, magic elixirs, and love potions. Scandals followed his -movements and implicated him in fantastic incidents, salacious episodes. -Hence, for security or secrecy, he was constantly changing his abode. In -his last years, he suffered imprisonment, in the fortress of San Leo. -And with his death, the legends proliferated and multiplied. Strange -feats were recorded of him. Mystic phenomena appeared at his potent -will. According to such traditions, he was a necromancer, having -exorcised a dead woman. At a public banquet he invoked the dead spirits -of Diderot and Voltaire. And he was the founder of a secret organization -known as The Egyptian Lodge, where goetic practices and sorcery were -attempted and consummated. - -Cagliostro had a kind of counterpart in the arcane arts. Catherine La -Voisin was a notorious French fortune-teller, as well as a reputed -witch. For the most part, she was a dispenser of love philtres, and -plied her sinister trade in low and high circles. In this capacity she -was intimately associated with the obscene and erotic operations of -Madame de Montespan. Madame de Montespan, mistress of King Louis XIV of -France, reached a point where her amatory offerings no longer aroused -the King. Steps had to be taken, urgently and effectively, to recover -that affection. With the aid of Catherine La Voisin, she concocted love -philtres. She participated in magical rites, in amatory Masses, and even -in child sacrifice, to gain her passionate purpose. In this sinister -machination she enlisted the support of a notorious Abbé Guibourg. His -scatological and lascivious activities in this respect brought about his -arrest, and his summary execution. - -The love-potion, then, could be, potentially, a tremendously evil force, -a malefic and fatal weapon, an instrument of ruin and death. But usually -the potion was associated with soft and luxurious dalliance, with -amorous whisperings, with marital exchanges and sophisticated deceits. -So it was in Italy in particular. In the sixteenth century, many -Jewesses dabbled in love potions and amatory charms. They practiced -their skill in Rome itself, and acquired an established reputation as -purveyors of these physiological stimuli. Ferdinand Gregorovius, who -produced a monumental history of Rome, declares that Jewish women brewed -love philtres in the dark of the night, for their languishing customers, -the ladies of Rome. - -Lippold, a Jewish financier of the Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, -who also belongs in the sixteenth century, was accused, among other -charges based on magic practices, of dispensing recipes for the -concoction of love philtres. He was brutally tortured: then executed in -Berlin. - -The medieval era was a period of absorption of the past, with occasional -tentative gropings and some experimentation in new directions. In the -erotic sphere, the Middle Ages adopted this antique heritage, at times -moulded and modified it, and sometimes made use of it in new contexts. -Thus there was in use an aromatic herb called popularly Sweet Flag. This -was the plant known anciently as acorus calamus, that the Romans -believed to be endowed with erotic stimulus. It was appropriately known -to them by the alternate name of the plant of Venus. - - * * * * * - -In their tenebrous laboratories, equipped with weird paraphernalia, lit -by the glow of furnace fire, the experimenting alchemists busied -themselves with their apparatus. On tables and benches stood, in -confused array, retorts of fantastic shape, flasks and tubes, alembics -and phials containing strange viscous multi-colored fluids, fungus -growths, particles of obscene matter, unnameable secretions. Some -liquids, under the influence of tiny flames, hissed and spluttered with -cunning animation. All these brews were undergoing action by fire and -intermingling of chemicals, were being forced into mutations and -directions for horrendous ends: and, dominantly among these objectives, -was the illusive mutation into gold, but also the discovery of the -source of being, the elixir of life, the rejuvenating creative essence -that would promote youthfulness and vigor, passion and potency. - - * * * * * - -The medieval occultist and the alchemist did not always remain, as -tradition believed, secluded in their own ivory tower, or rather in -their laboratories. In many senses, they were decided realists, and they -made profitable use of their knowledge and experimentations in the -direction of astrological horoscopes, fortune-telling, and the -preparation of philtres. There was, particularly, a potion in great -demand among amorous but disappointed swains of every degree and rank. -It was, according to general hearsay, a beverage whose basic ingredient -was gold. The preparation was consumed daily, over a space of time, as a -kind of amatory potable gold. - -Many types of potions were resorted to in the Middle Ages. Some acted as -physiological excitants, but involved great circumspection in securing -the ingredients. These ingredients were often organic fragments: hair of -the beloved one obtained surreptitiously. Or nail parings. Or a shred -torn from an intimately worn garment. Such items were then burned, and, -when reduced to ashes, mixed with wine and used as a philtre. - -In other cases, all sorts of putatively effective concoctions, never of -course analyzed as to the contents by the passionate pursuer, were -involved. They were freely sold in the market towns of medieval Europe, -in battlemented castles, in remote hamlets. They were brought as elixirs -by returning travelers from distant countries, and were eagerly -purchased in the ports and capitals of the continent. Especially when -these travelers reinforced their importations with tales and anecdotes -that testified to the amazing virtues of their brews. - - * * * * * - -The Elizabethan Age is noted for its tremendous intellectual -productivity, for its relish in living, its adventurous ways on the high -seas, in exploration, in colonization, in discovery. In the drama, in -the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher, of Marlowe and Ford and Ben Jonson -and Thomas Dekker, the social and erotic phases of this tumultuous era -play no mean or insignificant role. In palace and hut, in court and -manor, the primary motif was love, in all its tantalizing -manifestations. Love pervaded all. And the instruments for promoting -love were all important, transcending domesticity and tranquillity, -honor and ethics. The secretive drug, the rare pill, the poculum -amatorium, the brew distilled by the wizened alchemist, the imported -philtre, the dramatic potion are all made contributory to the -furtherance of love and lust, to erotic subjugation, conquest, and -mastery. - -The corpus of Shakespearean plays, as an instance, contains a number of -allusions to concoctions relating to amorous experiences. In _A -Midsummer Night’s Dream_, Act 3, Scene 2, Oberon, King of the Fairies, -addresses Puck: - - This falls out better than I could devise. - But hast thou yet latched the Athenian’s eyes - With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do? - - Puck: I took him sleeping—that is finished too— And the Athenian - woman by his side; That, when he waked, of force she must be - eyed. - -Later, in the same play, another reference of the same kind appears: - - Oberon: What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite, - and laid the love-juice on some true-love’s sight. - Of thy misprision must perforce ensue - Some true love turned, and not a false-turned true. - -Further on, in the same act, Lysander, in love with Hermia, addresses -her thus: - - Lysander: Thy love! out, tawny Tartar, out! - Out, loathed med’cine! O, hated potion, hence! - -In _The Winters Tale_, Act 1, Scene 2, Camillo, Lord of Sicilia, -addresses Leontes, King of Sicilia: - - Camillo: Say, my lord, - I could do this, and that with no rash potion, - But with a ling’ring dram, that should not work - Maliciously like poison: but I cannot - Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress - (So sovereignly being honorable!) - T’have loved the ... - -In _The Merry Wives of Windsor_, Act 3, Scene 1, the Host says to Caius: - - Shall I lose my doctor? no; he gives me the potions and the - motions. - -In _Pericles_, Act 1, Scene 2, Pericles addresses Helicanus: - - Thou speak’st like a physician, Helicanus, - That ministers a potion unto me - That thou would’st tremble to receive thyself. - -In Part 1, Henry IV, Act 5, Scene 3, the Prince of Wales speaks: - - The insulting hand of Douglas over you, - Which would have been as speedy in your end - As all the poisonous potions in the world. - -And again, in Part 2, Act 1, Scene 1, Morton declares: - - And they did fight with queasiness, constrain’d, - As men drink potions. - -In these previously cited instances, in the Shakespearean contexts, it -is evident that the term potion had often a malefic connotation, -implying venom and destruction in its use. But it was equally a term of -amatory and sensual significance, associated largely with physiological -refreshment. - -In _Dr. Faustus_, Christopher Marlowe’s drama, the protagonist, -passionately eager to embrace all knowledge that offers power, that is, -the thaumaturgic and necromantic skills, exclaims: - - ’Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me. - -He then proceeds, after his pact with Mephistopheles, to demand the -implementation of the conditions. He is aroused erotically, and -commands: - - let me have a wife, - The fairest maid in Germany; - For I am wanton and lascivious, - And cannot live without a wife - -Mephistopheles, virtually a pander, suggesting provocative amatory -delights, promises: - - Tut, Faustus, - Marriage is but a ceremonial toy; - And if thou lovest me, think no more of it. - I’ll cull thee out the fairest courtesans, - And bring them every morning to thy bed; - She whom thine eye shall like, thy heart shall have, - Be she as chaste as was Penelope, - And as wise as Saba, or as beautiful - As was bright Lucifer before his fall. - -In a later scene, Robin the Ostler appears with one of Dr. Faustus’ -grimoires: - - Robin: Oh, this is admirable! here I ha’ stolen one of Doctor - Faustus’ conjuring books, and i’ faith I mean to search some - circles for my own use. Now will I make all the maidens in our - parish dance at my pleasure, stark-naked before me; and so by - that means I shall see more than e’er I felt or saw yet. - - Enter Rafe calling Robin. - - Rafe: Robin, prithee, come away; there’s a gentleman tarries to - have his horse, and he would have his things rubbed and made - clean: he keeps such a chafing with my mistress about it; and - she has sent me to look thee out. Prithee, come away. - - Robin: Keep out, keep out, or else you are blown up; you are - dismembered, Rafe: keep out, for I am about a roaring piece of - work. - - Rafe: Come, what dost thou with that same book? Thou cans’t not - read. - - Robin: Yes, my master and mistress shall find that I can read, - he for his forehead, she for her private study; she’s born to - bear with me, or else my art fails. - - Rafe: Why, Robin, what book is that? - - Robin: What book! Why, the most intolerable book for conjuring - that e’er was invented by any brimstone devil. - - Rafe: Can’st thou conjure with it? - - Robin: I can do all these things easily with it; first, I can - make thee drunk with ippocras at any tavern in Europe for - nothing; that’s one of my conjuring works. - - Rafe: Our Master Parson says that’s nothing. - - Robin: True, Rafe; and more, Rafe, if thou hast any mind to Nan - Spit, our kitchenmaid, then turn her and wind her to thy own use - as often as thou wilt, and at midnight. - - Rafe: O brave Robin, shall I have Nan Spit, and to mine own use? - - * * * * * - -Frequently consulted on erotic difficulties were the ubiquitous witches -who flourished in the Middle Ages throughout the European continent. In -the literature of these middle centuries their amatory brews are used in -a variety of passionate situations, to inspire love, to divert it into -strange channels, and, sometimes, to crush it. On occasion the repulsive -and abhorrent ingredients, both animal and human, are noted with a land -of macabre relish. But the urgent suppliant, bent on his lustful -self-appointed mission, rarely hesitated on that account. On the -contrary, the rare or obscene nature of the brew was like an added spurt -to his frantic libido: and the more distasteful the composition, the -more intense the lustfulness that was so inspired. - -It was not unusual for the philtres and preparations to contain animal -testes, genitalia, human excremental matter, even fragments and shreds -of human corpses, torn from graveyards and charnel-houses. - -An extreme type of potion, administered in febrile cases, was actual -blood, drunk by both man and woman. - - * * * * * - -The Middle Ages, particularly the eleventh century, was noted for its -loose morality, its amorous diversions, its disregard of the old rigid -domestic or social prohibitions and restraints. Achievement followed on -desire, and sensuous and sensual whims met with ready acquiescence. -Returning warriors, home from the Crusades in Palestine, or the -campaigns in Spain, had, during the course of their embattled -activities, come in contact with disturbing exotic women, so different, -in both physical appearance and temperament, from the wives and women -they had left in the châteaux and manors. These exotic women were -brought back by the returning victors as captives. Once returned, the -warriors looked back with something of nostalgia to their colorful days -in foreign regions and in novel circumstances. Hence the captive women -became a kind of live substitute for such meditations. The women -consoled the warriors with murmurous love songs of their own country, -sorrowful and prideful and exotic. And often the wives of these lords of -the manor were unpleasantly surprised when these strange women were -invited to domesticity as concubines. So that the medieval nobility -became, in the course of time, a complicated series of relationships, -tainted with harlotries and illegitimacies. - -In these libidinous and licentious conditions, when exhaustion or age -began to make perceptible appearance, amatory aids were sought, and -philtres and brews were hopefully measured out by the furtive creatures, -male and female, peripatetic vendors, sorceresses, quacks and -occultists, who were always equipped, always prepared, to supply the -passionate clamor. - - * * * * * - -The medieval passion for love aroused complications. Particularly, it -aroused jealousy in the husband himself, however gallant or wayward he -might be. Lovers or husbands, discovering the indiscretions and -sportiveness of a mistress, a concubine, or a wife, exacted the utmost -and not rarely the most barbaric penalties. A wife was compelled to eat -her dead lover’s heart. Another wife was forced to congregate with -lepers because her conduct enraged her lawful spouse. One husband served -up the heart of the slain adulterer in the form of a stew for his wife. - -Yet the husband appeared to be exempt from any penalties inflicted for -divergent amorous experiences in which he himself might be involved. For -the man was dominant. The husband was equated with the ineluctable law. -And the husband imposed that law upon his womankind. The male might -consequently indulge with more than a fair chance of impunity in -adultery, fornication, excessive lust. - -And when these excitements seemed ultimately to approach physiological -impairment, there was always the nostrum, and the extended hand of the -aged crone, offering her mystic potion, her amatory panacea. - - * * * * * - -The permutations of amatory complications in the social frame of the -Middle Ages, involving peasant and noble, troubadour and harlot, -occasional damsels, poets, mistresses and concubines, resulted sometimes -in a frantic movement toward chastity. Renunciation of carnal delights, -of the amor naturalis that implied physical and sensual love only, -became a pose, then a principle, then a habit, however, at times, it -might be infringed or dishonored. - -Chastity belts were devised by departing warriors to enforce continence -upon their wives. Chastity tests, ingeniously contrived, became popular -experiments in sexual restraints. It was the vogue, and the vogue became -mores. Just as Tristan and Yseult slept with a naked sword between them. - -And in excessive cases there was the weird but apparently effective -device, for propagation purposes only, of the chemise cagoule. - -And always, in the wake of these temporary waves of contrition or -repentance, there followed, as a consequence of plague, violence, -political unrest, banditry and war, a terrifying unleashing of all human -inhibitions, a bacchanalian orgy of prolonged lechery and debauchery, -reminiscent of Thucydides’ dramatic account of the Athenian plague -during the Peloponnesian War. - -In the aftermath of these lecheries there arose perplexities, -complications in erotic directions, incapacity through perversions and -excesses: and a consequent hungry, voracious quest for remedial -measures: drugs and drinks devised by itinerant traders, nostrums -compounded by wily serfs and jongleurs, alchemical elixirs distilled in -secret dens by putative adepts. - - * * * * * - -Women, in an amatory sense, were far from neglected in the Middle Ages. -Many handbooks appeared that offered hints and guidance on dress, -deportment, osculation and its limitations, social behavior, -cleanliness, bathing and washing. - -And if the object of the woman’s passion was preoccupied elsewhere, or -hesitant, or indifferent to her insistence or her personal charms, there -was always recourse to the potion, by means of which she could have her -way. - - * * * * * - -In France, in the Middle Ages, prostitution was so rampant and seeped -into the life of the people and the nobility to such an alarming extent -that the pious King Saint Louis, who flourished in the thirteenth -century, promulgated a series of stringent decrees against prostitutes. - -Yet Paris was notoriously populated with prostitutes. They practiced -their occupation day and night, except on sacred days, in the most -obscure rendez-vous, in inns and bath houses and cellars. François -Villon, the poet of the brothel, and one of the chief sources for these -days, casts a lurid but realistic light on this phase of the medieval -scene. - -Philtres were a common commodity in these circumstances, in spite of the -spread of disease. For le mal de Naples, as it was virtuously called in -France, but which the Italians as virtuously termed le mal français, was -ravaging Europe. The disease, to give it its modern name, was syphilis. - - * * * * * - -Although the Middle Ages were intimately familiar with love and lust in -all its lawful as well as its secretive phases, the amatory state itself -occasioned such temperamental and physiological and characterial changes -in the aspirant or the postulant that the question arose: Was love -itself worth while? - -This question was specifically asked by Andreas Capellanus, who belongs -in the thirteenth century. He produced a handbook on the Art of Courtly -Love, in which he listed rules, and gave directions, in connection with -the conduct of the lover who is involved in a spiritual passion for the -knight’s wife, the queen, or a mistress of a manor. - -Yet Andreas Capellanus also gives a sober, solemn warning against the -ill effects of love, for of all disastrous results, it makes men old -with untimely rapidity. Women, then, the source of this malefic -consequence, should be shunned. They are avaricious. They are ruthless. -They are faithless. They are dishonorable. This invective recalls a -remarkably similar assault on women and their ways, the thunderous, -condemnatory, bitter satire on women by the Roman satirist Juvenal. - - * * * * * - -In the Middle Ages amatory broths were in such demand that the most -obscure, the most nauseating, and sometimes actually venomous items were -indiscriminately compounded into philtres. Intimate human secretions, -blood, animal semen and other discharges, formed the fluid basis for the -incorporation of genitalia of animals, macerated sparrow brains, and -analogous animal matter. - -Such concoctions were designed to correct physiological disorders and -natural weaknesses and defects in the person so affected. - - * * * * * - -One of the most significant treatises on love, applicable in its -essential features to every age, although produced in the Middle Ages, -is _Le Roman de la Rose_. It is an erotic allegory, begun in 1240 by -Guillaume de Lorris, and completed in 1280 by Jean de Meun: a remote -partnership that was nevertheless so effective as to make the book -continuously popular for several centuries. - -There are numberless precepts and suggestions regarding the material -phases of love: personal appearance, social accomplishments, and in a -more general way the requisite mode of behavior for the amatory -suppliant. Above all, insistence is on giving free rein to passion and -on indulging in every conceivable variety of erotic voluptuousness and -sensual pleasure. And women, the treatise reminds one, are essentially -as free as men in this respect. So that, when the passions subside and -require increased fuel, the potion could be sought equally by men and -women. - - * * * * * - -The philtre appears in imaginative literature no less than in actuality. -The Wagnerian opera based on the Tristan and Yseult legend presents a -heroine who is far from the submissive and dutiful medieval female, -subservient to her amorous lord and master. She is highly selfish in her -ways, and her love for Tristan is conditioned by the administration of a -love-potion. - - * * * * * - -Medieval mortality distinguished between conjugal love and sexual love -that extended, on the part of both husband and wife, beyond the domestic -frontiers. Hence in many instances an insistent lover would resort to -some provocative potion in order to bring the amatory objective into -submission. - - * * * * * - -One of the most ravishing women in all history was Diane de Poitiers, -who for some three decades was the mistress of the French king Henri II. -Her beauty remained untarnished far beyond the usually allotted span. -She was imitated by every woman: in her manner of walking, her hair -styles, her general behavior. All society, all France was at her feet as -the unattainable ideal woman. And she remained so long after her death. - -Those who were particularly inquisitive about Diane de Poitiers’ method -of prolonged beauty, whispered, and general gossip supported the belief, -that the continuance of her appealing and attractive charms was due to -certain potent love philtres that she had regularly used. - -Before her death, Diane de Poitiers revealed what was evidently the -composition of the potion. Every morning, she declared, she had been in -the habit of drinking a liquid consisting of molten gold and certain -unrevealed drugs that had been recommended by alchemists. - - * * * * * - -It is curious to discover that sensual and sexual voluptuousness and -amorous contests, whether accepted according to traditional principles -or forbidden and experienced secretly, could find a vociferous, -articulate opponent. Yet in 1599 such an attack on loose morality and -licentious freedom was published under the title of _Antidote for Love, -with a lengthy Discourse on the Nature and Causes thereof, together with -the most singular Remedies for the Prevention and Cure of Amorous -Passions_. The author was a Frenchman, a certain Dr. Jean Aubery. - - * * * * * - -To stimulate genital vigor, the French in the Middle Ages advocated, as -a complement to physiological activity, verbal love making. Oral -caresses, endearing diminutives, the poetic battery of language that was -so familiar to the ancient poets, to Alciphron and Theocritus, to -Plautus, to Catullus, to Horace, came into popular use again. One -chronicler devotes himself to some extent to this phase of amorous -conquest. He recommends erotic murmurings, whisperings, coaxings, -endearments. And without question such recommendations were generally -reinforced with anatomical and sexual terms, obscene and scatological -references, that strengthened the lascivious gestures and contortions of -the participants. Similarly, in Spain and in Italy perfumes began to -acquire their amatory appeal and value, and added their subtle -allurements and insinuations to a potion, or to an erotic phial. - - * * * * * - -_Le Tableau de l’Amour Conjugal_ was a kind of amatory encyclopedia, -first published in 1696. The author was a Frenchman, a Dr. Nicolas -Venette. In addition to a great deal of matter on amatory subjects, the -effects of excesses, the causes of the validity of marriage, continence -and debauchery, there were also discussions on physiological conditions, -sexual relations, theories on the humors, on male and female -temperaments and peculiarities. - -In respect of stimulants, Dr. Venette recommended, among other arousing -potions, crocodile kidneys. These were to be dried, then pounded into a -powder, to which was added sweet wine. The result, according to Dr. -Venette, was amazingly effective. - - * * * * * - -In eighteenth century France, _la vie galante_ had grown to such -proportions socially that many clubs were established, devoted -exclusively and fantastically to licentious erotic practices, to the -dissemination of amatory gossip and tales of well-known personalities, -prominent in contemporary life, who were addicted, orgiastically and -with abandonment, to amorous mores. There were even publications that -published spicy titbits about such characters, without disguise of name -or circumstance. - - * * * * * - -Among such clubs were La Société Joyeuse, Les Sunamites, La Paroisse, -and Les Aphrodites. One group, called Les Restauratrices, used the -methods and manipulations and stimulating potions and drugs that are so -vividly described in Petronius’ Roman novel of the _Satyricon_. It was -evident, then, that Les Restauratrices served men who had degenerated -physiologically through age or extreme excesses. - -These clubs recognized no amatory restraints whatever. They indulged in -invented, ingenious permutations of amorous exercises, both privately -and publicly, and even held competitions to decide the superior potency -of members. The frequenters were ranked, in regard to prestige and -distinction, according to the numerical extent of their encounters. - - * * * * * - -Birds and game were commonly used in amatory tonics. The medieval -grimoires and manuals are packed with references to preparations that -involve all parts of the bird as ingredients for erotic compounds. The -philosopher and occultist Albertus Magnus, as an instance, who wrote on -a vast number of allied subjects, prescribes, in one of his treatises, -the brains of partridge, calcined into powder form, and steeped in red -wine, as a prospective aid to vigor. - - * * * * * - -The licentious courts of France often experimented and used whatever -lotion, concoction, or substance might prove effective in stimulating -waning or exhausted capacities in the members of the court, both male -and female. This quest grew to frantic and insidious proportions, for -the entire court was tainted with perversions, sexual excesses, and -exploratory monstrosities. For this purpose, then, ambergris, which is -an ash-colored substance secreted in the intestines of the sperm whale, -was used as a coating for chocolates, which were in the nature of -titbits designed to arouse the courtiers, lechers, and gallants. As a -perfume, ambergris was intended to provoke, through osphresiological -channels, sensual attraction. Madame du Barry notoriously used ambergris -as a means of ensuring Louis XV’s amatory interest. - - * * * * * - -Early chroniclers, herbalists, and compilers of miscellaneous knowledge -often refer to tonics, pastilles, and compounds as amatory specifics, -but provokingly do not name them. Thus in the Geneanthropoeia, virtually -a textbook on anatomy and sexology, produced in 1642 by an Italian -professor of medicine named Johannes Benedict Sinibaldus, there is -reference to a plant indigenous to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. -This plant was reputedly of great erotic virtue. The difficulty lies in -its identification. - -Allusion is similarly and frequently made to certain trees, shrubs, and -herbs of India that have analogous properties. - - * * * * * - -The eighteenth century in Europe became an age of debauchery and -gluttony. It was the age of licentious drama, of lewd poetry, of -unbridled lusts, of the overthrow of all moral and social restraints. -This was the situation notably in England, and in France. - -It is known now, almost axiomatically, that foods, particularly meats -and game, stimulate sensual desires. Hence, when there was an excess of -sexual diversion, indiscriminate and pervasive through all classes of -society as a result of over indulgence in food and equally in drink, -there was correspondingly a resultant physiological reaction, a -weariness and incapacity and expenditure of energy that clamored for -renewal, for stimulants, brews and philtres to remedy this parlous -situation. - -Similarly, in the Orient, from Arabia to Japan, in the South Seas no -less than in Africa, the basic sustenance is not animal flesh, but a -diet that is largely though not exclusively vegetarian. - -Such a diet does not encourage erotic tendencies. In consequence, in the -East as well as in the West but for quite divergent reasons, there grew -up, through the centuries, corpora and manuals of prescriptions, -contrivances, suggestions, and a diversity of aids conducive to amatory -functions. In essence, the development was along the lines of an entire -aphrodisiac laboratory. - - * * * * * - -Every conceivable substance, every presumed juice or blossom or spice -was worthy of a trial, of being tested for its impact on procreative -activity. So with borax. Refined and compounded into a beverage, borax -was, in the seventeenth century, reputed to pervade the entire organic -frame, and to produce highly favorable physiological reactions in the -genital areas. - -At the same time, borax was considered extremely dangerous in the view -of practicing physicians, and its use was urgently deprecated, on -account of its concomitant poisonous effects. - - * * * * * - -The seventeenth century was the century of the French King, Louis XIV, -Le Roi Soleil. And his reign and personal life, and the society that -encircled his court, were an incessant round of lavish gaiety, gross and -scatological obscenities, and the most flagrant immoralities. Among -other infamous episodes that marked this period were the machinations of -Louis’ mistress, Madame de Montespan. She was involved, according to -contemporary records, in poisoning one rival mistress and attempting the -elimination of another by the same means. But chiefly Madame de -Montespan is remembered for her febrile associations with sorceresses, -reputed witches, whom she consulted for help in retaining King Louis’ -affection. The principal aide and accomplice in these furtive and -insidious operations was Catherine La Voison, a professed witch, a -poisoner, a dealer in love-potions. It was from La Voisin that Madame de -Montespan secured amatory charms and philtres. - -In the issue, Madame de Montespan lost her intimate status with the -King, while La Voisin was burned alive in Paris. - - * * * * * - -In the seventeenth century there appears in France The Great Almanach of -Love. It contained directions for arousing sensual feelings. It -suggested music and songs, sonnets and madrigals. But it also -recommended, as more earthy enticements, meals that included a dish of -beans, turkey, and sweets. These items were virtually love philtres. - - * * * * * - -An old medieval custom, that lasted until well into this century in -Europe, was in the nature of a nuptial love-potion. - -After a wedding feast, members of the village community set water to -boil in a pot. Into the pot were thrown, in addition to pepper, garlic, -and salt—which are essentially aphrodisiac in character—,less appetizing -contributions, such as spiders’ webs and soot. The entire compound was -stirred into an unsavory mixture, but both the bride and the groom were -required to take at least a mouthful. - -In essence, this brew was designed to arouse excitations on the part of -the bridal pair, just as Plutarch refers to the bride nibbling fruit -before retiring to bed. - - * * * * * - -In place of actual potions, the Middle Ages at times used what were -essentially visual erotic stimulants. These were lewd pictures and -drawings that were in great vogue, extensively so in the reign of King -François I. Many among the French nobility made private collections of -such provocative and scatological sketches that produced, in some cases, -marked inflammatory erotic reactions. In certain country châteaux, also, -stained glass windows depicted salacious episodes, libidinous postures -and embraces, just as the caves of Ajanta in India portrayed amatory -contortions in which human and animal performers were involved. - - * * * * * - -The subject of erotic practices, including perversions, abnormalities, -flagellation, as well as philtres and amatory brews, was not limited to -professional physicians. Many demonographers, including Martin Delrio, -mentioned erotic techniques in their discussions and investigations of -witchcraft and the furtive operations of occultists. In 1520 there was -published a Latin text entitled _Fustigationes_, which involves -references to love philtres. The author was a certain Grillandus, a -Florentine and also a member of the Inquisition at Arezzo. - -Through the centuries, there were sporadic appearances of pamphlets and -miscellaneous pieces that had reference to amatory aids. For instance, -_Le Jardin d’Amour_, published in 1798 by a certain Tansillo or -Tanzillo. - -Every century, every country, every religious sect, had its own -monstrous obscenities, its peculiar orgiastic ceremonials, its gross and -bestial manifestations, and its most unhallowed erotic permutations. -Some of these phenomena were of a seclusive nature, confined to -initiates only. Others, more liberated or more daring, were associated -with royal courts, or temple worship, or even conventual life. Erotic -acts, bestial performances, tribadism and fellatio and every other -abnormality were all depicted in caves and church windows, woven in -tapestries, or represented in ornamental furniture, etched in books, -moulded in statuary. - -The Middle Ages, in particular, were the milieu, but of course not -exclusively so, of political cataclysms and internecine wars, of plagues -and intrigues and famine, of splendor and tournaments, jousts and -crusades, and also of servitude and witchcraft, gluttony and debauchery, -monastic life and religious reforms, art and poetry and lewdness. - -All through the ages, notably during these middle eras, this dichotomy -was prevalent and manifest. And pervading and transcending all civic -conditions, all national issues, was the erotic life of the teeming, -inarticulate populace and the highly literate and cultured minorities: -wanton prelates and easy princesses, libidinous serving maids and poetic -gallants, romantic crusaders, lechers, perverts. - -The history of these times is packed with religious lusts, with worship -of the genitalia, with female devotees of Priapus, with amatory -flagellations and erotic feasts, with sexuality rampant in full public -view, with chastity belts and barbarous contraptions. The Latin -chronicles and the Latin satirical writings, the Wandering Scholars’ -songs and the anecdotes and tales that amused these centuries are filled -with abhorrent nudist practices, with adultery and incest, with -prostitution and unholy commerce of holy devotees, with rape and sodomy. -We hear of the most unbridled, the most shameless doings from the -chronicles of Godefroy and of Froissart, of Benevente and Grecourt. We -read of obscene banquets under kingly sponsorship, of brothels under -royal patronage, of public gymnastic performances of harlots, of the -debaucheries of monks and canons and students, adventurers and -courtiers. We read of a monastery dedicated to prostitution, of parades -of harlots, of foul sexual privileges exercised by the lords of the -manor, of the ius primae noctis and the droit de cuisse, and, in short, -of an array, colossal in bulk and unspeakable in content, of every -conceivable erotic fact. - - * * * * * - -Through the ages, the knowledge of sexual and amatory artifices, -contraptions, inducements grew and multiplied in such variety, through -legend and experiment, through the accretions of poetic myths and -hearsay, that a voluminous corpus was achieved. It comprehended -incantations and fantasies, rare prescriptions, crude operative -techniques, formulas and incisions, superstitions and alchemical -products, astrological cryptograms and Satanic supplications that were -all assumed to be effective in guarding or in increasing amatory -potency. - - * * * * * - -Sexual procedures of all types and at varying levels were particularly -prevalent in the Middle Ages. In addition, the clergy, according to the -testimony of contemporary songs and monastic chronicles and incidental -references in drama and satire and history, were not altogether immune -to such diversions. To promote asceticism, therefore, to diminish carnal -lusts, various plants and drugs and other medicaments were employed in -monasteries to produce the desired anaphrodisiac condition. Agnus -castus, for example, which is now identified with the chaste-tree or -Abraham’s balm, was credited with having decided cooling effects and -eliminating physiological urgencies. - - * * * * * - -An ingenious device that resulted in stifling the amatory advances of a -king is related in Boccaccio’s _Decameron_: The Fifth Story of the First -Day. King Phillippe of France, learning of the beauty of the Marchioness -of Monferrato, journeys to her domain, in the absence of the Marquis. He -is invited to a banquet: - - The ordinance of the repast and of the viands she reserved to - herself alone and having forthright caused collect as many hens - as were in the country, she bade her cooks dress various dishes - of these alone for the royal table. - - The king came at the appointed time and was received by the lady - with great honor and rejoicing. When he beheld her, she seemed - to him fair and noble and well-bred beyond that which he had - conceived from the courtier’s words, whereat he marvelled - exceedingly and commended her amain, waxing so much the hotter - in his desire as he found the lady over-passing his foregone - conceit of her. After he had taken somewhat of rest in chambers - adorned to the utmost with all that pertaineth to the - entertainment of such a king, the dinner hour being come, the - king and the marchioness seated themselves at one table, whilst - the rest, according to their quality, were honorably entertained - at others. The king, being served with many dishes in - succession, as well as with wines of the best and costliest, and - to boot gazing with delight the while upon the lovely - marchioness, was mightily pleased with his entertainment; but, - after awhile, as the viands followed one upon another, he began - somewhat to marvel, perceiving that, for all the diversity of - the dishes, they were nevertheless of nought other than hens, - and this although he knew the part where he was to be such as - should abound in game of various kinds and although he had, by - advising the lady in advance of his coming, given her time to - send a-hunting. However, much as he might marvel at this, he - chose not to take occasion of engaging her in parley thereof, - otherwise than in the matter of her hens, and accordingly, - turning to her with a merry air, ‘Madam,’ quoth he, ‘are hens - only born in these parts, without ever a cock?’ The marchioness, - who understood the king’s question excellent well, herseeming - God had vouchsafed her, according to her wish, an oportune - occasion of discovering her mind, turned to him and answered - boldly, ‘Nay, my lord; but women, albeit in apparel and - dignities they may differ somewhat from others, are natheless - all of the same fashion here as elsewhere.’ - - The King, hearing this, right well apprehended the meaning of - the banquet of hens and the virtue hidden in her speech and - perceived that words would be wasted upon such a lady, and that - violence was out of the question; wherefore, even as he had - ill-advisedly taken fire for her, so now it behoved him sagely, - for his own honor’s sake, stifle his ill-conceived passion. - - * * * * * - -The medieval love poem, usually sung to an accompaniment on the lyre or -other musical instrument, was often, in spite of its superficially -innocuous tone, full of amatory innuendoes and erotic provocations. The -love song, in fact, was virtually an amatory philtre intended to set the -listener afire, or to inspire the object of the implicit passion with an -equal fervor, or to divert a passion in the direction of the songster. -The concluding story of the fifth day, in Boccaccio’s Decameron, -contains a song of this nature: - - O Love, the amorous light - That beameth from yon fair one’s lovely eyes - Hath made me thine and hers in servant-guise. - The splendor of her lovely eyes, it wrought - That first thy flames were kindled in my breast, - Passing thereto through mine; - Yea, and thy virtue first unto my thought - Her visage fair it was made manifest, - Which picturing, I twine - And lay before her shrine - All virtues, that to her I sacrifice, - Become the new occasion of my sighs. - Thus, dear my lord, thy vassal am I grown - And of thy might obediently await - Grace for my lowliness; - Yet wot I not if wholly there be known - The high desire that in my breast thou’st set - And my sheer faith, no less, - Of her who doth possess - My heart so that from none beneath the skies, - Save her alone, peace would I take or prize. - Wherefore I pray thee, sweet my lord and sire, - Discover it to her and cause her taste - Some scantling of thy heat - To-me-ward,—for thou seest that in the fire, - Loving, I languish and for torment waste - By inches at her feet,— - And eke in season meet - Commend me to her favor on such wise - As I would plead for thee, should need arise. - -A similar song, from the maiden’s viewpoint, appears at the close of the -last story on the sixth day: - - Then Pamfilo having, at his commandment, set up a dance, the - king turned to Elisa and said courteously to her, “Fair damsel, - thou hast today done me the honor of the crown and I purpose - this evening to do thee that of the song; wherefore look thou - sing such an one as most liketh thee.” Elisa answered, smiling, - that she would well and with dulcet voice began on this wise: - - Love, from thy clutches could I but win free, - Hardly, methinks, again - Shall any other hook take hold on me. - I entered in thy wars a youngling maid, - Thinking thy strife was utmost peace and sweet, - And all my weapons on the ground I laid, - As one secure, undoubting of defeat; - But thou, false tyrant, with rapacious heat, - Didst fall on me amain - With all the grapnels of thine armory. - - Then, wound about and fettered with thy chains, - To him, who for my death in evil hour - Was born, thou gav’st me, bounden, full of pains - And bitter tears; and syne within his power - He hath me and his rule’s so harsh and dour - No sighs can move the swain - Nor all my wasting plaints to set me free. - My prayers, the wild winds bear them all away; - He hearkeneth unto none and none will hear; - Wherefore each hour my torment waxeth aye; - I cannot die, albeit life irks me drear. - Ah, Lord, have pity on my heavy cheer; - Do that I seek in vain - And give him bounden in thy chains to me. - An this thou wilt not, at the least undo - The bonds erewhen of hope that knitted were; - Alack, O Lord, thereof to thee I sue, - For, an thou do it, yet to waxen fair - Again I trust, as was my use whilere, - And being quit of pain - Myself with white flowers and with red besee. - - Elisa ended her song with a very plaintive sigh, and albeit all - marvelled at the words thereof, yet was there none who might - conceive what it was that caused her sing thus. But the king, - who was in a merry mood, calling for Tindaro, bade him bring out - his bagpipes, to the sound whereof he let dance many dances. - -Another song, sung by Pamfilo, who represents Boccaccio himself, refers -to the author’s amours with the Princess Maria of Naples—Fiammetta. - -The song occurs at the end of the eighth day: - - At last, the queen, to ensue the fashion of her predecessors, - commanded Pamfilo to sing a song, notwithstanding those which - sundry of the company had already sung of their free will; and - he readily began thus: - - Such is thy pleasure, Love - And such the allegresse I feel thereby - That happy, burning in thy fire, am I. - The abounding gladness in my heart that glows, - For the high joy and dear - Whereto thou hast me led, - Unable to contain there, overflows - And in my face’s cheer - Displays my happihead: for being enamoured - In such a worship-worthy place and high - Makes eath to me the burning I aby. - I cannot with my finger what I feel - Limn, Love, nor do I know - By bliss in song to vent; - Nay, though I knew it, needs must I conceal, - For, once divulged, I trow - ’Twould turn to dreariment. - Yet am I so content, - All speech were halt and feeble, did I try - The least thereof with words to signify. - Who might conceive it that these arms of mine - Should anywise attain - Whereas I’ve held them aye, - Or that my face should reach so fair a shrine - As that, of favor fain - And grace, I’ve won to? Nay, - Such fortune ne’er a day - Believed me were; whence all afire am I, - Hiding the source of my liesse thereby. - -This was the end of Pamfilo’s song, whereto albeit it had been -completely responded of all, there was none but noted the words thereof -with more attent solicitude than pertained unto him, studying to divine -that which, as he sang, it behoved him to keep hidden from them; and -although sundry went imagining various things, nevertheless none -happened upon the truth of the case. - - * * * * * - -At the end of the ninth day, Neifile sings: - -Supper at an end, they arose to the wonted dances, and after they had -sung a thousand canzonets, more diverting of words than masterly of -music, the king bade Neifile sing one in her own name; whereupon, with -clear and blithesome voice, she cheerfully and without delay began thus: - - A youngling maid am I and full of glee, - Am fain to carol in the new-blown May, - Love and sweet thoughts-a-mercy, blithe and free. - I go about the meads, considering - The vermeil flowers and golden and the white, - Roses thorn-set and lilies snowy-bright, - And one and all I fare a-likening - Unto his face who hath with love-liking - Ta’en and will hold me ever, having aye - None other wish than as his pleasures be; - Whereof when one I find me that doth show, - Unto my seeming, likest him, full fain - I cull and kiss and talk with it amain - And all my heart to it, as best I know, - Discover, with its store of wish and woe; - Then it with others in a wreath I lay, - Bound with my hair so golden-bright of blee. - Ay, and that pleasure which the eye doth prove, - By nature, of the flower’s view, like delight - Doth give me as I saw the very wight - Who hath inflamed me of his dulcet love, - And what its scent thereover and above - Worketh in me, no words indeed can say; - But sighs thereof bear witness true for me, - The which from out my bosom day nor night - Ne’er, as with other ladies, fierce and wild, - Storm up; nay, thence they issue warm and mild - And straight betake them to my loved one’s sight, - Who, hearing, moveth of himself, delight - To give me; ay, and when I’m like to say - “Ah come, lest I despair,” still cometh he. - Again, on the tenth day, Fiammetta sings: - If love came but withouten jealousy, - I know no lady born - So blithe as I were, whosoe’er she be. - If gladsome youthfulness - In a fair lover might content a maid, - Virtue and worth discreet, - Valiance or gentilesse, - wit and sweet speech and fashions all arrayed - In pleasantness complete, - Certes. I’m she for whose behoof these meet - In one; for, love-o’erborne, - All these in him who is my hope I see. - But for that I perceive - That other women are as wise as I, - I tremble for affright - And tending to believe - The worst, in others the desire espy - Of him who steals my spright; - - Thus this that is my good and chief delight - Enforceth me, forlorn, - Sigh sore and live in dole and misery. - If I knew fealty such - In him my lord as I know merit there, - I were not jealous, I; - But here is seen so much - Lovers to tempt, how true they be soe’er, - I hold all false; whereby - I’m all disconsolate and fain would die, - Of each with doubting torn - Who eyes him, lest she bear him off from me. - Be, then, each lady prayed - By God that she in this be not intent - ’Gainst me to do amiss; - For sure, if any maid - Should or with words or becks or blandishment - My detriment in this - Seek or procure and if I know’t, ywis, - Be all my charms forsworn - But I will make her rue it bitterly. - -Scattered throughout the Decameron, there are other erotic songs too. At -the end of the first day: - - Emilia amorously warbled the following song: - - I burn for mine own charms with such a fire, - Methinketh that I ne’er - Of other love shall reck or have desire - - Whene’er I mirror me, I see therein - That good which still contenteth heart and spright; - Nor fortune new nor thought of old can win - To dispossess me of such dear delight. - What other object, then, could fill my sight, - Enough of pleasance e’er - To kindle in my breast a new desire? - - This good flees not, what time soe’er I’m fain - Afresh to view it for my solacement; - Nay, at my pleasure, ever and again - With such a grace it doth itself present - Speech cannot tell it nor its full intent - Be known of mortal e’er, - Except indeed he burn with like desire. - - And I, grown more enamoured every hour, - The straitlier fixed mine eyes upon it be, - Give all myself and yield me to its power, - E’en tasting now of that it promised me, - And greater joyance yet I hope to see, - Of such a strain as ne’er - Was proven here below of love-desire. - -At the end of the second day, the ditty following was sung by Pampinea: - - What lady aye should sing, and if not I, - Who’m blest with all for which a maid can sigh. - Come then, O love, thou source of all my weal, - All hope and every issue glad and bright - Sing ye awhile yfere - Of sighs nor bitter pains I erst did feel, - That now but sweeten to me thy delight, - Nay, but of that fire clear, - Wherein I, burning, live in joy and cheer, - And as my God, thy name do magnify. - - Thou settest, Love, before these eyes of mine - Whenas thy fire I entered the first day, - A youngling so beseen - with valor, worth and loveliness divine, - That never might one find a goodlier, nay, - Nor yet his match, I ween. - So sore I burnt for him I still must e’en - Sing, blithe, of him with thee, my lord most high. - - And that in him which crowneth my liesse - Is that I please him, as he pleaseth me, - Thanks to Love debonair; - Thus in this world my wish I do possess - And in the next I trust at peace to be, - Through that fast faith I bear - To him; sure God, who seeth this, will ne’er - The kingdom of His bliss to us deny. - -At the end of the third day, Lauretta began thus: - - No maid disconsolate hath cause as I, alack! - Who sigh for love in vain, to mourn her fate. - - He who moves heaven and all the stars in air - made me for His delight - Lovesome and sprightly, kind and debonair, - E’en here below to give each lofty spright - Some inkling of that fair - That still in heaven abideth in His sight; - But erring men’s unright, - Ill knowing me, my worth - Accepted not, nay, with dispraise did bate. - Erst was there one who held me dear and fain - Took me, a youngling maid, - Into his arms and thought and heart and brain, - Caught fire at my sweet eyes; yea, time, unstayed - Of aught, that flits amain - And lightly, all to wooing me he laid. - I, courteous, nought gainsaid - And held him worthy me; - But now, woe’s me, of him - I’m desolate. - Then unto me there did himself present - A youngling proud and haught, - Renowning him for valorous and gent; - He took and holds me and with erring thought - To jealousy is bent; - Whence I, alack! nigh to despair am wrought, - As knowing myself,—brought - Into this world for good - Of many an one,—engrossed of one sole mate. - - The luckless hour I curse, in very deed, - When I, alas! said yea, - Vesture to change,—so fair in that dusk wede - I was and glad, whereas in this more gay - A weary life I lead, - Far less than erst held honest, welaway! - Ah, dolorous bridal day, - Would God I had been dead - Or e’er I proved thee in such ill estate! - O lover dear, with whom well pleased was I - Whilere past all that be,— - Who now before Him sittest in the sky - Who fashioned us,—have pity upon me - Who cannot, though I die, - Forget thee for another; cause me see - The flame that kindled thee - For me lives yet unquenched - And my recall up thither impetrate. - -At the end of the fourth day Filostrato sang: - - Weeping, I demonstrate - How sore with reason doth my heart complain - Of love betrayed and plighted faith in vain. - Love, whenas first there was of thee imprest - Thereon her image for whose sake I sigh, - Sans hope of succour aye, - So full of virtue didst thou her pourtray, - That every torment light accounted I - That through thee to my breast, - Grown full of drear unrest - And dole, might come; but now, alack! I’m fain - To own my error, not withouten pain. - Yea, of the cheat first was I made aware, - Seeing myself of her forsaken sheer, - In whom I hoped alone; - For, when I deemed myself most fairly grown - Into her favor and her servant dear, - Without her thought or care - Of my to-come despair, - I found she had another’s merit ta’en - To heart and put me from her with disdain. - - Whenas I knew me banished from my stead, - Straight in my heart a dolorous plaint there grew, - That yet therein hath power, - And oft I curse the day and eke the hour - When first her lovesome visage met my view, - Graced with high goodlihead; - And more enamoured - Than eye, my soul keeps up its dying strain, - Faith, ardor, hope, blaspheming still amain. - How void my misery is of all relief - Thou may’st e’en feel, so sore I call thee, sire, - With voice all full of woe; - Ay, and I tell thee that it irks me so - That death for lesser torment I desire. - Come, death, then; sheer the sheaf - Of this my life of grief - And with thy stroke my madness eke assain; - Go where I may, less dire will be my bane. - - No other way than death is left my spright, - Ay, and none other solace for my dole; - Then give it me straightway, - Love; put an end withal to my dismay; - Ah, do it; since fate’s spite - Hath robbed me of delight; - Gladden thou her, lord, with my death, love-slain, - As thou hast cheered her with another swain. - - My song, though none to learn thee lend an ear, - I reck the less thereof, indeed, that none - Could sing thee even as I; - One only charge I give thee, ere I die, - That thou find love and unto him alone - Show fully how undear - This bitter life and drear - Is to me, craving of his might he deign - Some better harborage I may attain. - Weeping I demonstrate - How sore with reason doth my heart complain - Of love betrayed and plighted faith in vain. - -At the conclusion of the last story on the seventh day Filomena sings: - - Alack, my life forlorn! - Will’t ever chance I may once more regain - Th’estate whence sorry fortune hath me torn? - Certes, I know not, such a wish of fire - I carry in my thought - To find me where, alas! I was whilere. - O dear my treasure, thou my sole desire, - That holdst my heart distraught, - Tell it me, thou; for whom I know nor dare - To ask it otherwhere. - Ah, dear my lord, oh, cause me hope again, - So I may comfort me my spright wayworn. - What was the charm I cannot rightly tell - That kindled in me such - A flame of love that rest nor day nor night - I find; for, by some strong unwonted spell, - Hearing and touch - And seeing each new fires in me did light, - Wherein I burn outright; - Nor other than thyself can soothe my pain - Nor call my senses back, by love o’erborne. - - O tell me if and when, then, it shall be - That I shall find thee e’er - Whereas I kissed those eyes that did me slay. - O dear my good, my soul, ah, tell it me, - When thou wilt come back there, - And saying “Quickly,” comfort my dismay - Somedele. Short be the stay - until thou come, and long mayst thou remain! - I’m so love-struck, I reck not of men’s scorn. - If once again I chance to hold thee aye, - I will not be so fond - As erst I was to suffer thee to fly; - Nay, fast I’ll hold thee, hap of it what may, - And having thee in bond, - Of thy sweet mouth by lust I’ll satisfy. - Now of nought else will I - Discourse. Quick, to thy bosom come me strain; - The sheer thought bids me sing like lark at morn. - - * * * * * - -Rabelais (1490–1553), in his _Gargantua and Pantagruel_, incorporates -into his fantastic and satirical novel contemporary views and personal -attitudes on a large variety of subjects—religious and cosmological, -literary, metaphysical, and theological. Among the topics and -discussions propounded by some of his odd characters is the problem of -amatory stimuli: - - When I say, quoth Rondibilis, that wine abateth lust, my meaning - is, wine immoderately taken; for by intemperance proceeding from - the excessive drinking of strong liquor, there is brought upon - the body of such a swill-down bouser, a chilliness in the blood, - a slackening in the sinews, a dissipation of the generative - seed, a numbness and hebetation of the senses, with a perversive - wryness and convulsion of the muscles; all of which are great - lets and impediments to the act of generation. Hence it is, that - Bacchus, the god of bibbers, tipplers, and drunkards, is most - commonly painted beardless, and clad in a woman’s habit, as a - person altogether effeminate, or like a libbed eunuch. Wine, - nevertheless, taken moderately, worketh quite contrary effects, - as is implied by the old proverb, which saith,—That Venus takes - cold, when not accompanied with Ceres and Bacchus. - -On another point in erotic investigations, Rabelais continues: - - The fervency of Lust is abated by certain drugs, plants, herbs, - and roots, which make the taker cold, maleficiated, unfit for, - and unable to perform the act of generation; as hath been often - experimented in the water-lily, Heraclea, Agnus Castus, - willow-twigs, hemp-stalks, wood-bine, honey-suckle, tamarisk, - chaste-tree, mandrake, bennet, keck-bugloss, the skin of a - hippopotamus, and many other such, which, by convenient doses - proportioned to the peccant humor and constitution of the - patient, being duly and seasonably received within the body, - what by their elementary virtues on the one side, and peculiar - properties on the other,—do either benumb, mortify, and - beclumpse with cold the prolific semence, or scatter and - disperse the spirits, which ought to have gone along with, and - conducted sperm to the places destinated and appointed for its - reception,—or lastly, shut up, stop, and obstruct the ways, - passages, and conduits through which the seed should have been - expelled, evacuated, and ejected. We have nevertheless of those - ingredients, which, being of a contrary operation, heat the - blood, bend the nerves, unite the spirits, quicken the senses, - strengthen the muscles, and thereby rouse up, provoke, excite, - and enable a man to the vigorous accomplishment of the feat of - amorous dalliance. - -Obstructions to such dalliance are now discussed: - - The ardor of lechery is very much subdued and check’d by - frequent labor and continual toiling. For by painful exercises - and laborious working, so great a dissolution is brought upon - the whole body, that the blood, which runneth alongst the - channels of the veins thereof, for the nourishment and - alimentation of each of its members, hath neither time, leisure, - nor power to afford the seminal resudation, or superfluity of - the third concoction, which nature most carefully reserves for - the conservation of the individual, whose preservation she more - heedfully regardeth than the propagation of the species, and the - multiplication of human land. - -[Illustration: - - Metropolitan Museum of Art - - EVE - - _by Rodin_ -] - -[Illustration: - - Metropolitan Museum of Art - - ETERNAL SPRINGTIME - - _by Rodin_ -] - - On the other part, in opposition and repugnancy hereto, the - philosophers say, That idleness is the mother of luxury. When it - was asked Ovid, why Aegisthus became an adulterer? he made no - other answer but this, Because he was idle. Who were able to rid - the world of loitering and laziness might easily frustrate and - disappoint Cupid of all his designs, aims, engines, and devices, - and so disable and appal him that his bow, quiver, and darts - should from thenceforth be a mere needless load and burthen to - him, for that it could not lie in his power to strike, or wound - any of either sex, with all the arms he had. - -Again: - - The tickling pricks of incontinency are blunted by an eager - study; for from thence proceedeth an incredible resolution of - the spirits, that oftentimes there do not remain so many behind - as may suffice to push and thrust forwards the generative - resudation to the places thereto appropriated, and there withal - inflate the cavernous nerve, whose office is to ejaculate the - moisture for the propagation of human progeny. - - * * * * * - -The English herbalist John Gerarde, who wrote a Herbal that was -published in 1633, suggests a stimulating drink composed of juniper -berries steeped in water. The juniper shrub itself was used medicinally, -in cordials, and as an element in philtres. - - * * * * * - -The medieval writer Andreas Cisalpinus states that the tree called -gossypion produced a juice that aided amatory efforts. - - * * * * * - -Emblica honey was, in the opinion of the thirteenth century Arab -philosopher Avicenna, endowed with venereal virtues. - - * * * * * - -A plant that is native to both North and South Africa produces as an -exudation a gum resin called euphorbium, which was considered in the -thirteenth century an invigorating agent. - - * * * * * - -The medieval philosopher Albertus Magnus mentions a stone called -aquileus or echites, that is found near the Mediterranean littoral and -in Persia, in eagles’ nests. This stone contains a smaller one that has -an amatory character. - - * * * * * - -_Babio_, a twelfth century Latin comedy, presents the priest Babio -himself apostrophizing women: Oh! What a guilty thing is a woman! The -worst thing on earth. A seducer. There is no guile in the world that is -missing in her. There is no evil so wicked as a long sequence of evils. -Nobody considers the perils of a snake that has long been kept crushed. -My wife is a thief. My slave is my guard. It’s a case of trouble and -trickery. She is a she-wolf. He’s a lion. She holds me, while he fetters -me. She casts me to the ground, he crushes me. She presses on me, he -strikes me. She kills me, he crunches me. - - * * * * * - -In the medieval centuries the gum resin known as scammony, native to the -Middle East, was suggested as a stimulus when mixed with honey. - - * * * * * - -A medieval potion that had Oriental ingredients was the following -compound: Amber, aloes, musk, powdered together and soaked in spirits of -wine. Heated in sand, then filtered, distilled, and hermetically sealed. -The prescription required from three to five drops, taken in a broth. - - * * * * * - -In a number of twelfth century Latin comedies, particularly _De Nuntio -Sagaci_, The Wily Messenger, nubile age is presented as in itself a -strong amatory provocation. The messenger says. - - Nubere tempus erat: iuveni tua forma placebat. - -This was the theme of the medieval students, so vociferously and -consistently proclaimed in the Carmina Burana: - - Iam aetas invaluit, - Iam umor incubuit, - Iam virgo maturuit, - Iam tumescunt ubera, - Iam frustra complacuit - Nisi fiant cetera. - -Again, the same view is determinedly expressed: - - Si puer cum puellula, - Moraretur in cellula, - Felix coniunctio. - Amore sucrescente, - Pariter et medio - Avulso procul taedio, - Fit ludus ineffabilis - Membris, lacertis, labiis. - - * * * * * - -_Baucis et Traso_, a Latin comedy belonging in the twelfth century, -presents the methods used in the Middle Ages for the amatory enticements -of the male. These methods, however, have never differed in essence: -whether in the fifth century in Athens, in the second B.C. in Rome, or -in contemporary days. - -Baucis, who knows where her interests lie, urged by the hope of gain, -acts as a counsellor to the maiden Glycerium. She summons Glycerium, -adorns her, pays her little attentions. She shapes the girl’s lips, -draws her cheeks down, skilfully refreshes her beauty, gives her a wide -brow, spreads out her hair in flowing tresses, makes her neck glow, -makes shoulders narrow, lengthens her nails, makes her hands look -shorter. With a needle, she shapes her arms, puts a girdle on her to -produce an effect of slenderness. Baucis teaches her what she must do, -how, and with whom. - -And so Glycerium strolls up and down the streets, glances around, looks -for lovers. In some cases, she encourages hope by her words, just as she -herself has confidence in her guile. She gives warnings, invitations, -asks them to observe her beautiful eyes. She promises them affection, -delights, wine, food. They will have with this maiden conversation and -intimacies, kisses and the final consummation itself. - -Baucis gives the girl imaginary names. Sometimes she is called -Glycerium, and again Philomena, as the whim takes her. By means of such -changes of name she multiplies her gains. - -Lovers come flocking in rivalry, some searching for Glycerium, others -for Philomena. - -While she regales the young men with her words, while she gives them a -vain hope and meanwhile acquires monies, Thraso comes upon her. - -Thraso’s glory is drink. His stomach is his god. Venus is his ever-ready -companion. Baucis catches sight of him and, overjoyed, she approaches: - - Baucis: O soldier, nurseling of Cupid, love’s honor, what is it - you desire? Where are you off to? What fires inflame you? If you - need a maiden, I have one at home. A flower, the true fruit of - love. She has a maidenly glow, she shines with every adornment - of beauty. - - Thraso: Baucis, let me see her. - - Baucis: She is asleep and I can’t waken her. She is delicate and - a delicate girl needs much sleep. If she stays awake too long, - she is sick. If she sleeps badly, she suffers. - -Thraso burns up with restrained passion. He groans and pleads. He gives -his gold ring to Baucis. Baucis relents. He buys provisions at the -market and follows her home. - -Suddenly, Baucis vanishes. All her talk, all her manoeuvers have been -designed merely to tantalize his libidinous urgencies, to bring him -suppliantly into her clutches. Thraso is left lamenting: - - Thraso: O woman, noxious flame, gnawing wound, enemy to - friendship. Woman, the sum of evil. Woman, deserving of death. - Woman, who produces the seeds of putrefaction, who produces - death. Foul procuress, monstrous in appearance, the image of the - Chimera. - -Later on, Thraso approaches Glycerium herself, but she refuses his -advances. She is too young and inexperienced, she pleads: - - Sum rudis in Venerem nec adhuc mea nubilis aetas: - Intemerata manet dos mea virginea. - Non novi quid amor, quid amoris sentiat ictus. - Officium Veneris horreo, siste preces. - - * * * * * - -In Jay Fletchers play _The Wild-Goose Chase_, there is mention of amber, -a reputed amatory provocative. Mirabel, one of the leading characters, -is offering a portrait of women: - - Mirabel: Only the wenches are not for my diet; - They are too lean and thin, their embraces brawn-fallen. - Give me the plump Venetian, fat and lusty, - That meets me soft and supple; smiles upon me, - As if a cup of full wine leap’d to kiss me, - These slight things I affect not. - - Pinac: They are ill-built; - Pin-buttocked, like your dainty Barbaries, - And weak i’ the pasterns; they’ll endure no hardness. - - Mirabel: There’s nothing good or handsome bred amongst us; - Till we are travell’d, and live abroad, we are coxcombs. - Ye talk of France—a slight unseason’d country, - Abundance of gross food, which makes us blockheads. - We are fair set out indeed, and so are fore-horses:— - Men say, we are great courtiers,—men abuse us; - We are wise, and valiant too,—non credo, signor; - Our women the best linguists,—they are parrots; - O’ this side the Alps they are nothing but mere drolleries. - Ha! Roma la Santa, Italy for my money! - Their policies, their customs, their frugalities, - Their courtesies so open, yet so reserv’d too, - As, when you think y’are known best, ye are a stranger. - Their very pick-teeth speak more than we do. - And season of more salt. - - Pinac: ’Tis a brave country; - Not pester’d with your stubborn precise puppies, - That turn all useful and allow’d contentments - To scabs and scruples—hang ’em, capon-worshippers. - - Belleur: I like that freedom well, and like their women too, - And would fain do as others do; but I am so bashful, - So naturally an ass! Look ye, I can look upon ’em, - And very willingly I go to see ’em, - (There’s no man willinger), and I can kiss ’em, - And make a shift— - - Mirabel: But, if they chance to flout ye, - Or say, “Ye are too bold! Fie, sir, remember! - I pray, sit farther off—” - - Belleur:’Tis true—I am humbled, - I am gone; I confess ingenuously, I am silenced; - The spirit of amber cannot force me answer. - - * * * * * - -In Ben Jonson’s _The Alchemist_, there is reference to a means of -securing amatory and rejuvenating capacity. Sir Epicure Mammon tries to -impose his alchemical beliefs on Surly: - - Mammon: I assure you, - He that has once the flower of the sun, - The perfect ruby, which we call elixir, - Not only can do that, but by its virtue, - Can confer honor, love, respect, long life; - Give safety, valor, yea, and victory, - To whom he will. In eight and twenty days, - I’ll make an old man of fourscore, a child. - - Surly: No doubt; he’s that already. - - Mammon: Nay, I mean, - Restore his years, renew him, like an eagle, - To the fifth age; make him get sons and daughters, - Young giants; as our philosophers have done, - The ancient patriarchs, afore the flood, - But taking, once a week, on a knife’s point, - The quantity of a grain of mustard of it; - Become stout Marses, and beget young Cupids. - - Surly: The decay’d vestals of Pickt-hatch would thank you, - That keep the fire alive there. - - Mammon: ’Tis the secret - Of nature naturiz’d ’gainst all infections, - Cures all diseases coming of all causes; - A month’s grief in a day, a year’s in twelve; - And, of what age soever, in a month. - Past all the doses of your drugging doctors. - I’ll undertake, withal, to fright the plague - Out o’ the kingdom in three months. - - Surly: And I’ll - Be bound, the players shall sing your praises then, - Without their poets. - - Mammon: Sir, I’ll do it. Meantime, - I’ll give away so much unto my man, - Shall serve th’ whole city with preservative - weekly; each house his dose, and at the rate— - - Surly: As he that built the Water-work does with water? - - Mammon: You are incredulous. - - Surly: Faith, I have a humor, - I would not willingly be gull’d. Your stone - Cannot transmute me. - - Mammon: Pertinax Surly, - Will you believe antiquity? Records? - I’ll show you a book where Moses, and his sister, - And Solomon have written of the art; - Ay, and a treatise penn’d by Adam— - - Surly: How! - - Mammon: Of the philosopher’s stone, and in High Dutch. - - Surly: Did Adam write, sir, in High Dutch? - - Mammon: He did; - Which proves it was the primitive tongue. - - Surly: What paper? - - Mammon: On cedar board. - - Surly: O that, indeed, they say, - Will last ’gainst worms. - - Mammon: ’Tis like your English wood - ’Gainst cobwebs. I have a piece of Jason’s fleece too, - which was no other than a book of alchemy, - Writ in large sheepskin, a good fat ram-vellum. - Such was Pythagoras’ thigh, Pandora’s tub, - And all that fable of Medea’s charms, - The manner of our work; the bulls, our furnace, - Still breathing fire; our argent-vive, the dragon: - The dragon’s teeth, mercury sublimate, - That keeps the whiteness, hardness, and the biting; - And they are gather’d into Jason’s helm, - Th’alembic, and then sow’d in Mars his field. - And thence sublim’d so often, that they’re fix’d. - Both this, th’ Hesperian garden, Cadmus’ story, - Jove’s shower, the boom of Midas, Argus’ eyes, - Boccace his Demogorgon, thousands more, - All abstract riddles of our stone.—How now! - -In another scene, amatory potency is expressed in lavish rhetorical -imagery: - - Mammon: Do we succeed? Is our day come? And holds it? - - Face: The evening will set red upon you, sir; - You have color for it, crimson: the red ferment - Has done his office; three hours hence prepare you - To see projection. - - Mammon: Pertinax, my Surly, - Again I say to thee, aloud, BE RICH. - This day thou shalt have ingots; and tomorrow - Give lords th’affront.—Is it, my Zephyrus, right? - Blushes the bolt’s-head? - - Face: Like a wench with child, sir, - That were but now discover’d to her master. - - Mammon: Excellent witty Lungs!—My only care is - Where to get stuff enough now, to project on; - This town will not half serve me. - - Face: No, sir? Buy the covering off o’ churches. - - Mammon: That’s true. - - Face: Yes. - Let ’em stand bare, as do their auditory; - Or cap ’em new with shingles. - - Mammon: No, good thatch: - Thatch will lie upo’ the rafters, Lungs. - Lungs, I will manumit thee from the furnace; - I will restore thee thy complexion, Puff, - Lost in the embers; and repair this brain, - Hurt wi’ the fumes o’ the metals. - - Face: I have blown, sir, - Hard, for your worship; thrown by many a coal, - When ’twas not beech; weigh’d those I put in, just - To keep your heat still even. These blear’d eyes - Have wak’d to read your several colors, sir, - Of the pale citron, the green lion, the crow, - The peacock’s tail, the plumed swan. - - Mammon: And lastly, - Thou hast descried the flower, the sanguis agni? - - Face: Yes, sir. - - Mammon: Where’s master? - - Face: At’s prayers, sir, he; - Good man, he’s doing his devotions - For the success. - - Mammon: Lungs, I will set a period - To all thy labors; thou shalt be the master - Of my seraglio. - - Face: Good, sir. - - Mammon: But do you hear? - I’ll geld you, Lungs. - - Face: Yes, sir. - - Mammon: For I do mean - To have a list of wives and concubines - Equal with Solomon, who had the stone - Alike with me; and I will make me a back - with the elixir, that shall be as tough - As Hercules, to encounter fifty a night.— - Thou’rt sure thou saw’st it blood? - - Face: Both blood and spirit, sir. - - Mammon: I will have all my beds blown up, not stuft; - Down is too hard: and then, mine oval room - Fill’d with such pictures as Tiberius took - From Elephantis, and dull Aretine - But coldly imitated. Then, my glasses - Cut in more subtle angles, to disperse - And multiply the figures, as I walk - Named between my succubae. My mists - I’ll have of perfume, vapor’d ’bout the room, - To lose ourselves in; and my baths, like pits - To fall into; from whence we will come forth, - And roll us dry in gossamer and roses.— - Is it arrived at ruby?—Where I spy - A wealthy citizen, or a rich lawyer, - Have a sublim’d pure wife, unto that fellow - I’ll send a thousand pound to be my cuckold. - - Face: And I shall carry it? - - Mammon: No, I’ll ha’ no bawds - But fathers and mothers: they will do it best, - Best of all others. And my flatterers - Shall be the pure and gravest of divines, - That I can get for money. My mere fools, - Eloquent burgesses, and then my poets, - Whom I shall entertain still for that subject. - The few that would give out themselves to be - Court and town-stallions, and, each-where, bely - Ladies who are known most innocent, for them,— - Those will I beg, to make me eunuchs of: - And they shall fan me with ten ostrich tails - A-piece, made in a plume to gather wind. - We will be brave, Puff, now we ha’ the med’cine, - My meat shall all come in, in Indian shells, - Dishes of agate set in gold, and studded - with emeralds, sapphires, hyacinths, and rubies. - The tongues of carps, dormies, and camels’ heels, - Boil’d i’ the spirit of sol, and dissolv’d pearl - (Apicius’ diet, ’gainst the epilepsy): - And I will eat these broths with spoons of amber, - Headed with diamond and carbuncle. - My foot-boy shall eat pheasants, calver’d salmons, - Knots, godwits, lampreys: I myself will have - The beards of barbel serv’d, instead of salads; - Oil’d mushrooms; and the swelling unctuous paps - Of a fat pregnant sow, newly cut off, - Drest with an exquisite and poignant sauce; - For which, I’ll say unto my cook, There’s gold; - Go forth, and be a knight. - - Face: Sir, I’ll go look - A little, how it heightens. (Exit) - - Mammon: Do.—My shirts - I’ll have of taffeta-sarsnet, soft and light - As cobwebs; and for all my other raiment, - It shall be such as might provoke the Persian, - Were he to teach the world riot anew. - My gloves of fishes and birds’ skins, perfum’d - With gums of paradise, and Eastern air— - - Surly: And do you think to have the stone with this? - - Mammon: No, I do think t’have all this with the stone. - - Surly: Why, I have heard he must be homo frugi, - A pious, holy, and religious man, - One free from mortal sin, a very virgin. - - Mammon: That makes it, sir; he is so. But I buy it; - My venture brings it me. He, honest wretch, - A notable, superstitious, good soul, - Has worn his knees bare, and his slippers bald, - With prayer and fasting for it: and, sir, let him - Do it alone, for me, still. Here he comes, - Not a profane word afore him; ’tis poison. - -Again, in the same play, there is an enumeration of alchemical items, -many of which were, both in ancient and in medieval times, used in -amatory brews: - - Subtle: Sir? - - Surly: What else are all your terms, - Whereon no one o’ your writers ’grees with other? - Of your elixir, your lac virginis, - Your stone, your med’cine, and your chrysosperm, - Your sal, your sulphur, and your mercury, - Your oil of height, your tree of life, your blood, - Your marchesite, your tutie, your magnesia, - Your toad, your crow, your dragon, and your panther; - Your sun, your moon, your firmament, your adrop, - Your lato, azoch, zernich, chilbrit, beautarit, - And then your red man, and your white woman, - With all your broths, your menstrues, and materials - Of piss and egg-shells, women’s terms, man’s blood, - Hair o’ the head, burnt clouts, chalk, merds, and clay, - Powder of bones, scalings of iron, glass, - And worlds of other strange ingredients, - Would burst a man to name? - - * * * * * - -A number of herbs, some of which were reputed to produce amatory -benefits, are mentioned in Ben Jonson’s _Volpone_: - - Lady Politic Would-Be: Alas, good soul! the passion of the heart. - Seed-Pearl were good now, boil’d with syrup of apples, - Tincture of gold, and coral, citron-pills, - Your elecampane root, myrobalances— - - Volpone: Ay me, I have ta’en a grasshopper by the wing! - - Lady Politic Would-Be: Burnt silk and amber. You have muscadel - Good i’ the house— - - Volpone: You will not drink, and part? - - Lady Politic Would-Be: No, fear not that. I doubt we shall not get - Some English saffron, half a dram would serve; - Your sixteen cloves, a little musk, dried mints; - Bugloss and barley-meal— - - * * * * * - -In Ben Jonson’s _Volpone_ Nano the Dwarf sings some verses, in Act 2, -scene 2, extolling an elixir that has remarkable medicinal and amatory -properties: - - You that would last long, list to my song, - Make no more coil, but buy of this oil. - Would you be ever fair and young? - Stout of teeth, and strong of tongue? - Tart of palate? quick of ear? - Sharp of sight? of nostril clear? - Moist of hand? and light of foot? - Or, I will come nearer to ’t, - Would you live free from all diseases? - Do the act your mistress pleases, - Yet fright all aches from your bones? - Here’s a med’cine for the nones. - - * * * * * - -An amatory appeal is made in a scene from _Bussy D’Ambois_, a drama by -the English playwright George Chapman (c. 1559–c. 1634). Monsieur, -brother of King Henry III of France, addresses the Countess Tamyra: - - Monsieur: And wherefore do you this? To please your husband? - ’Tis gross and fulsome: if your husband’s pleasure - Be all your object, and you aim at honor - In living close to him, get you from Court; - You may have him at home; these common put-offs - For common women serve: “My honor! Husband!” - Dames maritorious ne’er were meritorious. - Speak plain, and say, “I do not like you, sir, - Y’are an ill-favor’d fellow in my eye;” - And I am answer’d. - - Tamyra: Then, I pray, be answer’d: - For in good faith, my lord, I do not like you - In that sort you like. - - * * * * * - -The love charm in the form of a spell was a belief current in the -Elizabethan age. In the drama _Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay_, by Robert -Greene, Bacon, conceived as a thaumaturgist, declares: - - Thou com’st in post from merry Fressingfield, - Fast-fancied to the Keeper’s bonny lass. - -Fast-fancied is an Elizabethan expression meaning bound by love. - - * * * * * - -The Elizabethan Fair, and all such traditional occasions for barter, -commercial interchange, and public gossip were also and always an -opportunity for amorous interludes. This is the view expressed in _Friar -Bacon and Friar Bungay_, by Robert Greene (c. 1560–1592). Margaret, the -fair maid of Fressingfield, enters: - - Margaret: Thomas, maids when they come to see the fair - Count not to make a cope for dearth of hay; - When we have turn’d our butter to the salt, - And set our cheese safely upon the racks, - Then let our fathers price it as they please. - We country sluts of merry Fressingfield - Come to buy needless naughts to make us fine, - And look that young men should be frank this day, - And court us with such fairings as they can. - Phoebus is blithe, and frolic looks from heaven. - - * * * * * - -In a scene from the Elizabethan dramatist George Peele’s _The Old Wives -Tale_, Zantippa is in search of a husband. She and her ugly sister -Celanta go to a well for water. A Head, speaking from the well, promises -her a love charm, ‘some cockell-bread’: - - Zantippa: Now for a husband, house, and home: God send a good - one or none, I pray God! My father hath sent me to the well for - the water of life, and tells me, if I give fair words, I shall - have a husband. But here comes Celanta, my sweet sister. I’ll - stand by and hear what she says. - - Enter Celanta, the foul wench, to the well for water with a pot - in her hand. - -Celanta: My father hath sent me to the well for water, and he tells me, -if I speak fair, I shall have a husband and none of the worst. Well, -though I am black, I am sure all the world will not forsake me; and, as -the old proverb is, though I am black, I am not the devil. - -Zantippa: Marry-gup with a murrain. I know wherefore thou speakest that: -but go thy ways home as wise as thou camest, or I’ll set thee home with -a wanion. - - Here she strikes her pitcher against her sister’s, and breaks - them both, and then exit. - -Celanta: I think this be the curstest quean in the world. You see what -she is, a little fair, but as proud as the devil, and the veriest vixen -that lives upon God’s earth. Well, I’ll let her alone, and go home and -get another pitcher, and, for all this, get me to the well for water. -Exit. - - Enter two Furies out of the Conjurer’s cell and lay Huanebango - by the Well of Life and then exeunt. - - Re-enter Zantippa with a pitcher to the well. - -Zantippa: Once again for a husband; and, in faith, Celanta, I have got -the start of you; belike husbands grow by the well-side. Now my father -says I must rule my tongue. Why, alas, what am I, then? A woman without -a tongue is as a soldier without his weapon. But I’ll have my water, and -be gone. - - Here she offers to dip her pitcher in, and a Head speaks in the - well. - - Head: Gently dip, but not too deep, - For fear you make the golden beard to weep. - Fair maiden, white and red, - Stroke me smooth, and comb my head, - And thou shalt have some cockell-bread. - - * * * * * - -In an old Elizabethan play there is reference to lunary or moonwort as a -contributory factor in amatory thoughts: - - I have heard of an herb called Lunary that being bound to the - pulse of the sick causes nothing but dreams of weddings and - dances. - - * * * * * - -In _Endymion_, a drama by the Elizabethan playwright John Lyly (c. -1554–c. 1606), Endymion soliloquizes: - - As ebony, which no fire can scorch, is yet consumed with sweet - savors, so my heart which cannot be bent by the hardness of - fortune, may be bruised by amorous desires. - - * * * * * - -In the drama _The Old Wives Tale_, by George Peele, the Elizabethan -playwright, Frolic and Fantastic sing an erotic chant: - - Whenas the rye reach to the chin, - And chopcherry, chopcherry ripe within, - Strawberries swimming in the cream, - And school-boys playing in the stream; - Then, O then, O then, O my true-love said, - Till that time come again - She could not live a maid. - - * * * * * - -In _Endymion_, the Elizabethan drama by John Lyly, Sir Tophas describes -a desirable woman: - - Sir Tophas: I love no grissels; they are so brittle they will - crack like glass, or so dainty that if they be touched they are - straight of the fashion of wax: animus maioribus instat. I - desire old matrons. What a sight would it be to embrace one - whose hair were as orient as the pearl, whose teeth shall be so - pure a watchet that they shall stain the truest turquoise, whose - nose shall throw more beams from it than the fiery carbuncle, - whose eyes shall be environ’d about with redness exceeding the - deepest coral, and whose lips might compare with silver for the - paleness! Such a one if you can help me to, I will by piecemeal - curtail my affections towards Dipsas, and walk my swelling - thoughts till they be cold. - - * * * * * - -In _Philaster_, a drama by Francis Beaumont (1584–1616) and John -Fletcher (1579–1625), Megra, a Lascivious Lady, is thus described: - - Dion: Faith, I think she is one whom the state keeps for the - agents of our confederate princes; she’ll cog and lie with a - whole army, before the league shall break. Her name is common - through the kingdom, and the trophies of her dishonor advanced - beyond Hercules’ Pillars. She loves to try the several - constitutions of men’s bodies; and, indeed, has destroyed the - worth of her own body by making experiment upon it for the good - of the commonwealth. - - * * * * * - -In _Endymion_, John Lyly’s drama, Epiton and Sir Tophas have a verbal -bout on love: - - Epiton: Sir, will you give over wars and play with that bauble - called love? - - Tophas: Give over wars? No, Epi, Militat omnis amans, et habet - sua castra Cupido. - - Epiton: Love hate made you very eloquent, but your face is - nothing fair. - - Tophas: Non formosus erat, sed erat facundus Ulysses. - - Epiton: Nay, I must seek a new master if you can speak nothing - but verses. - - Tophas: Quicquid conabar dicere, versus erat. Epi, I feel all - Ovid De Arte Amandi lie as heavy at my heart as a load of logs. - - * * * * * - -In _The Lady of Pleasure_, a play by the English dramatist James -Shirley, Lady Bornwell is rebuked for her amorous diversions by her -husband Sir Thomas: - - Another game you have, which consumes more - Your fame than purse; your revels in the night, - Your meetings called the “Ball,” to which repair - As to the Court of Pleasure, all your gallants - And ladies, whither bound by a subpoena - Of Venus, and small Cupid’s high displeasure; - ’Tis but the Family of Love translated - Into more costly sin! - - * * * * * - -Amatory enticement is illustrated in a scene in _The Lady of Pleasure_, -by James Shirley: - - Lord: Have you business, madam, with me? - - Madam Decoy: And such, I hope, as will not be - Offensive to your lordship. - - Lord: I pray speak it. - - Madam Decoy: I would desire your lordship’s ear more private. - - Lord: Wait i’ th’ next chamber till I call.— - Now, madam. - - Exit Haircut. - - Madam Decoy: Although I am a stranger to your lordship, - I would not lose a fair occasion offer’d - To show how much I honor, and would serve you. - - Lord: Please you to give me the particular, - That I may know the extent of my engagement. - I am ignorant by what desert you should - Be encourag’d to have care of me. - - Madam Decoy: My lord, - I will take boldness to be plain; beside - Your other excellent parts, you have much fame - For your sweet inclination to our sex. - - Lord: How d’ye mean, madam? - - Madam Decoy: I’ that way your lordship - Hath honorably practis’d upon some - Not to be nam’d. Your noble constancy - To a mistress hath deserv’d our general vote; - And I, a part of womankind, have thought - How to express my duty. - - Lord: In what, madam? - - Madam Decoy: Be not so strange, my lord. I know the beauty - And pleasures of your eyes; that handsome creature - With whose fair life all your delight took leave, - And to whose memory you have paid too much sad - Tribute. - - Lord: What’s all this? - - Madam Decoy: This: if your lordship - Accept my service, in pure zeal to cure - Your melancholy, I could point where you might - Repair your loss. - - Lord: Your ladyship, I conceive, - Doth traffic in flesh merchandize. - - Madam Decoy: To men - Of honor, like yourself. I am well known - To some in court, and come not with ambition - Now to supplant your officer. - - Lord: What is - The lady of pleasure you prefer? - - Madam Decoy: A lady - Of birth and fortune, one upon whose virtue - I may presume, the lady Aretina. - - Lord: Wife to Sir Thomas Bornwell? - - Madam Decoy: The same, sir. - - Lord: Have you prepar’d her? - - Madam Decoy: Not for your lordship, till I have found your pulse. - I am acquainted with her disposition, - She has a very appliable nature. - - Lord: And, madam, when expect you to be whipt - For doing these fine favors? - - Madam Decoy: How, my lord? - Your lordship does but jest, I hope; you make - A difference between a lady that - Does honorable offices, and one - They call a bawd. Your lordship was not wont - To have such coarse opinion of our practice. - - Lord: The Lady Aretina is my kinswoman. - - Madam Decoy: What if she be, my lord? The nearer blood - The nearer sympathy. - - * * * * * - -In _A New Way to Pay Old Debts_, by the English dramatist Philip -Massinger (1583–1640), there appears a description of a love philtre: - - Furnace: Here, drink it off; the ingredients are cordial, - And this the true elixir; it hath boil’d - Since midnight for you. ’Tis the quintessence - Of five cocks of the game, ten dozen of sparrows, - Knuckles of veal, potato-roots and marrow, - Coral and ambergris. Were you two years older - And I had a wife, or gamesome mistress, - I durst trust you with neither. You need not bait - After this, I warrant you, though your journey’s long; - You may ride on the strength of this till tomorrow morning. - - Allworth: Your courtesies overwhelm me: I much grieve - To part from such good friends. - -Later, in Act 3 of the same play, Allworth, the young page, describes -the amatory lure of Margaret: - - Allworth: My much-lov’d lord, were Margaret only fair, - The cannon of her more than earthly form, - Though mounted high, commanding all beneath it, - And ramm’d with bullets of her sparkling eyes, - Of all the bulwarks that defend your senses - Could batter none, but that which guards your sight. - But when the well-tun’d accents of her tongue - Make music to you, and with numerous sounds - Assault your hearing, (such as if Ulysses - Now liv’d again, howe’er he stood the Syrens, - Could not resist,) the combat must grow doubtful - Between your reason and rebellious passions. - And this too; when you feel her touch, and breath - Like a swift western wind when it glides o’er - Arabia, creating gums and spices; - And, in the van, the nectar of her lips, - Which you must taste, bring the battalia on, - Well arm’d, and strongly lin’d with her discourse, - And knowing manners, to give entertainment;— - Hippolytus himself would leave Diana, - To follow such a Venus. - - Lord Lovell: Love hath made you poetical, Allworth. - -In another scene, between Sir Giles Overreach, an extortioner, and his -daughter Margaret, the father gives his daughter amatory but sinister -advice that is tantamount to the prescriptions of the _Kama Sutra_ and -similar manuals: - - Margaret: There’s too much disparity - between his quality and mine, to hope it. - - Overreach: I more than hope’t, and doubt not to effect it. - Be thou no enemy to thyself, my wealth - Shall weigh his titles down, and make you equals. - Now for the means to assure him thine, observe me: - Remember he’s a courtier and a soldier, - And not to be trifled with; and therefore, when - He comes to woo you, see you do not coy it: - This mincing modesty has spoil’d many a match - By a first refusal, in vain after hop’d for. - - Margaret: You’ll have me, sir, preserve the distance that - Confines a virgin? - - Overreach: Virgin me no virgins! - I must have you lose that name, or you lose me. - I will have you private—start not—I say, private; - If thou art my true daughter, not a bastard, - Thou wilt venture alone with one man, though he came - Like Jupiter to Semele, and come off, too; - And therefore, when he kisses you, kiss close. - - Margaret: I have heard this is the strumpet’s fashion, sir, - Which I must never learn. - - Overreach: Learn any thing, - And from any creature that may make thee great; - From the devil himself. - - Margaret (aside): This is but devilish doctrine! - - Overreach: Or, if his blood grows hot, suppose he offer - Beyond this, do not you stay till it cool, - But meet his ardor; if a couch be near, - Sit down on’t, and invite him. - - Margaret: In your house, - Your own house, sir! For Heaven’s sake, what are you then? - Or what shall I be, sir? - - Overreach: Stand not on form; - Words are no substances. - - Margaret: Though you could dispense - With your own honor, cast aside religion, - The hopes of Heaven, or fear of hell, excuse me, - In worldly policy this is not the way - To make me his wife; his whore, I grant it may do. - My maiden honor so soon yielded up, - Nay, prostituted, cannot but assure him - I, that am light to him, will not hold weight - Whene’er tempted by others; so, in judgment, - When to his lust I have given up my honor, - He must and will forsake me. - - Overreach: How! I forsake thee! - Do I wear a sword for fashion? or is this arm - Shrunk up or wither’d? Does there live a man - Of that large list I have encounter’d with - Can truly say I e’er gave inch of ground - Not purchas’d with his blood that did oppose me? - Forsake thee when the thing is done! He dares not. - Give me but proof he has enjoy’d thy person, - Though all his captains, echoes to his will, - Stood arm’d by his side to justify the wrong, - And he himself in the head of his bold troop, - Spite of his lordship, and his colonelship, - Or the judge’s favor, I will make him render - A bloody and a strict account, and force him, - By marrying thee, to cure thy wounded honor! - I have said it. - - * * * * * - -As late as the eighteenth century, in Italy, phallic amulets, in the -form of the fascinum itself and the obscene digital gesture called in -French _la figue_, were in common use. They were worn by children as -protective periapts. Chapels too were decorated with wax images of -phalli, dedicated by devout women worshippers. - - * * * * * - -An esoteric club existed in England in the eighteenth century that was -associated with the British Navy. It was called _The Very Ancient and -Very Powerful Order of Beggars Benison and Merryland_. On the seal of -this Society, among other and naval designs, was a phallic symbol. The -intent of the Society is still obscure, especially the relation between -naval matters and the phallus. - - * * * * * - -Amulets in the form of the male mandrake came into vogue in the Middle -Ages, especially in Central Europe, for apotropaic and amatory purposes. -These charms were associated with incantations and magic formulas and -recitatives. - -The phallus or fascinum, too, especially in France, was used, as a -meaningful protective agent, on buildings and even on churches. - -Phallic and other genital forms were also used for cakes and breads: and -are still so used, especially in Germany and France. - - * * * * * - -In the Middle Ages Priapus assumed Christian characteristics and in time -was even endowed with sanctity, although he still retained his -functional properties. In many cities of Southern France, for instance, -Saint Foutin was virtually a transferred Priapus. He aided sterile women -and renewed the amatory vigor of men. Images of genitalia were included -among the sacrificial objects dedicated to this saint. - - * * * * * - -In medieval France a certain Saint Greluchon was a cryptic Priapus, -venerated among the members of the saintly canon. When women made -supplication to this saint, they scraped off minute particles from the -stone genitalia and compounded these scrapings into an amatory potion, -and also as an aid to counteract sterility. - -Other saints to whom were attributed the virtues and functions of -Priapus were: Saint Guignolet, Saint Regnaud, Saint Gilles. - -In Belgium, Priapus became Ters, equally venerated by women. Ters, in -Antwerp, was actually a synonym for fascinum. - - * * * * * - -Among the gods of Northern Europe was Frikko, who may be equated with -Priapus, the phallic deity. The Saxons had a similar god, called Frisco, -endowed with the same functions. An analogous deity was Frigga, goddess -of voluptuousness. Before the worship of this symbolic or actual phallus -was the worship of the sun, represented by the phallus as the creator of -cosmic and human fecundity. - - * * * * * - -_Clauder_ - -A German medieval scholar presented for his doctoral thesis a brief -monograph on Philtres, their essential characteristics, the dangers -involved in their use, the contents, the purpose of their employment. -The thesis, in Latin, is entitled De Philtris, and was published in -Leipzig in 1661. The author is Johannes Clauder. - -Although philtres were frequently used for erotic purposes, the author -asserts, the result rarely corresponded to the intention. The reason for -this was that the philtre was concocted under evil auspices, without -appeal to divine aid and protection. Another reason for the inefficacy -of the potions was improper and defective preparation. The result, he -declares categorically, was very often madness for the victim, or even -death itself. - -Some philtres are associated with Satanic and magic practices, and are -essentially poisons. Whores and panders resort to such philtres, -although some use what might be termed natural remedies. - -The best philtre, however, according to Clauder, is love itself. In this -regard, he quotes confirmatory statements from the Romans. Seneca the -philosopher, in one of his 124 Epistles, advises: I shall show you a -love philtre, without medicaments, without herbs, without a witch’s -incantations. It is this: If you want to be loved, love. Martial, the -Roman epigrammatist, has something similar to say: Marcus, in order to -be loved, love. - -And Ovid had already advised: Banish every evil, be lovable, in order to -be loved. - -Paracelsus, the medieval scholar and alchemist, is quoted in relation to -the philtre and its content. Or, as Clauder suggests, the amatory -inducement may take the form of a magic inscription on a key, or a ring, -or a necklace, or an armlet. As for herbs, the Romans preferred the -laurel and the olive, in infusions. Vegetable and mineral and organic -matter is also in use; perspiration, urine, spittle. But there is a -sinister and hazardous element in such practices. Prostitutes in -particular, Clauder threatens, use philtres that rob the victim of mind -and soul and leave him a shallow husk. So corroborates Paracelsus. There -is one potion, however, called Charisia, that may be innocuous. It has -not been identified. But possibly the name may have been invented -etymologically on the basis of the Greek _charis_, which means grace or -gratitude: and hence the nomenclature is wishfully proleptic in -significance. - -With respect to a variety of lustful and amatory circumstances, the -Middle Ages were marked by strange social mores, by monstrous -obscenities and erotic barbarities. There were practices designed -primarily to preserve chastity and marital and domestic purity, but they -actually resulted in greater indecencies than the circumstances that -induced these inventive prophylaxes. There was, first of all, the girdle -of chastity, a mechanical device to prevent indiscriminate and unlawful -lustful consummations in the absence of the husband. The putative -inventor of the device was Francesco da Carrara, Provost of Padua, who -belongs in the latter part of the fourteenth century. He himself, it was -said, met with a miserable death, being strangled on the scaffold for -his many cruelties, in 1405, by order of the Senate of Venice. - -There was, too, the Congress, a kind of judicial body that determined -marital questions, quarrels, incompatibility, by viewing the two -participants _in actu sexuali_. - -Men and women taken in adultery were compelled to march through the -public streets naked, sometimes mounted on an ass, for centuries the -bestial symbol of lust. - -There was the libidinous _ius primae noctis_, the _droit de cuisse_, -exercised by the lord of the manor, and on occasion by monks and -prelates, in the case of a newly wedded couple. - -In France, in the city of Toulouse, there was a notorious brothel called -The Great Abbey. There were, dispersed through France, many such -pseudo-abbeys, the madame of which, in each case, was called Abbess. -Such terms and such practices, of course, heightened the lewd obscenity. -There was a similar type of dissolute haven that had an infamous -reputation in England. - -This perversion, in which devout elements are linked with the extremes -of lust, to heighten the amatory impulse, is described in abundant and -salacious detail in the novels of the Marquis de Sade and in other -instances of erotic literature. - -Prostitution reached such a social importance, and the practitioners -acquired such influence in various directions, that, in Paris, a kind of -trade union was formed, to which the practicing prostitutes prescribed. -They established their own procedures, their working hours, and similar -regulations. - -At many royal banquets, public entertainments, and processional -ceremonials, in Italy and in France, prostitutes were prominent -participants, some half-naked, often entirely so. - -There were, of course, fulminations against such and similar -indecencies, but without much immediate or effective results. Preachers -thundered, to no avail, against the erotic provocations to adultery and -fornication engendered by the sight of women who, by the subtlety of -their dress, exposed various parts of their person. There was public -debauchery. There were genesiac performances in the presence of the -children in a household. There were poems and tales, called fabliaux, -that, reflecting the mores of the age, dealt with nothing but cuckoldry -and fornication, adultery, sodomy, bestiality, and all the multiple -varieties of physiological perversions. - -Furthermore, houses, manors, large estates were decorated with -tapestries, paintings, sculpture, all depicting the greatest -obscenities. Even churches and chapels and abbeys contained scenes, -figures, statues of the utmost lewdness in posture, presentation, and -implication. - - * * * * * - -Among the barbarities of the medieval centuries, many performances, -processions, and rites contained an amazing mingling of ecclesiastical -elements and dissolute blasphemies and libertinage: just as the Greek -satyr plays and the comedies of fifth century Athens were composites of -functional representations by human actors of the libidinous and -irreverent actions of the deities themselves. - -The medieval scene contained secular and monastic lubricity, and -processions and rites in which the performers, under the guise of nuns -and prelates, presented shameless and unspeakable obscenities. In -addition, flagellation was inflicted on penitents. In Germany, France, -England, and Italy, all ranks, of all ages, underwent phallic -castigation as an act of devotion. - - * * * * * - -In Girolamo Folengo’s _Maccaronea_, published in 1519, there is mention -of manuals that provide magic instruction and prescriptions favorable in -inducing or diverting erotic urges: - - He opens the manuals, or reads all that are open: - - How to write arcane spells: - How to compel love; - How a husband can find out his wife’s adultery; - How virginal maidens can be forced to love; - How to make a hated husband impotent. - - * * * * * - -During the Italian Renaissance the women of Italy played a dominant and -sometimes sinister part in both social and political life. Courtesans, -particularly in Rome, had a position somewhat analogous to that of the -Greek hetairae. One such courtesan, Imperia, had skill in composing -sonnets. Most of them were literate and interested in intellectual -pursuits as well as in erotic interludes. Caterina di San Celso played -and sang. Many women of this type are described by Giraldi in the novels -of the _Hecatommithi_ and by Pietro Aretino in his _Ragionamenti_. - -The Italian Renaissance was marked by both literary and social -indecencies and lewd lubricities and all kinds of scatological -productions and performances. In the lavish public entertainments, in -the Carnivals and Masques, apart from contests, reviews, pantomimic -presentations, the emphasis was consistently on scandalous songs, with -lascivious undertones, innuendoes, suggestions. - -In literature, the moral atmosphere of this period is reflected in the -depiction of the most common Renaissance features—adultery and -cuckoldry, all kinds of illicit amours, lusts resulting in secrecies, -gallantries, murder. To satisfy her lusts, a woman poisons her husband. -An adulteress has her lover kill her husband, without hesitation, -without compunction. Love and lust, poison and death, infidelities and -vengeance followed each other in an abandoned, frenzied, amoral -sequence. - -The Italian strega or witch was a powerful intermediary in amatory -affairs of all sorts. With her preparations, her thaumaturgic skills, -her secret concoctions, she aided men and women in consummating erotic -urges, arousing lustful sensualities, securing the love of hesitant -objects of passion, promoting vigor and virility, arranging furtive -amatory assignations: acting, in short, as an amatory midwife, an -empirical guide in debauchery. - -By her magical skill the strega was able to aid men and women bent on -amatory consummations. Some of these skills were transferred to the -prostitutes. Acquiring these techniques, and discovering the secrets of -preparing potions, they were able to retain a lover, to lure a new -admirer. For their concoctions and brews they used human teeth and the -eyes of dead men, skulls and ribs, scraps of the flesh of corpses, hair -and nails boiled in oil. They made a fire of burning ashes, in the form -of a heart. Piercing the heart, they chanted their goetic invocation, -anticipating the surrender of the hesitant lover by this means of -sympathetic magic. In this sphere, in fact, the Italian Renaissance had -taken over, as it were, the entire corpus of ancient magic rites, love -brews, and concomitant procedures in the art of erotic control. - - * * * * * - -A solemn love conjuration appears in a medieval manual called the _True -Grimoire_. The invocation itself is preceded by special preparations -during the waxing or the waning of the moon. An inscription is written -on virgin parchment, by the light of a taper. The supplication runs: - - I salute thee and conjure thee, O beautiful Moon, O most - beautiful Star, O brilliant light which I have in my hand. By - the air that I breathe, by the breath within me, by the earth - which I am touching: I conjure thee. By all the names of the - spirit princes living in you. By the ineffable Name On, which - created everything! By you, O resplendent Angel Gabriel, with - the Planet Mercury, Prince, Michiael, and Melchidael. - - I conjure you again, by all the Holy Names of God, so that you - may send down power to oppress, torture, and harass the body and - soul and the five senses of her whose name is written here, so - that she shall come unto me, and agree to my desires, liking - nobody in the world, for so long as she shall remain unmoved by - me. Let her then be tortured, made to suffer. Go, then, at once! - Go, Melchidael, Baresches, Zazel, Firiel, Malcha, and all those - who are with thee! I conjure you by the Great Living God to obey - my will, and I promise to satisfy you. - - * * * * * - -A technique involving the separation of husband and wife, the converse -of a love-potion intended to attract or cement passion, appears in the -following invocation from a magic grimoire called the _Sword of Moses_: - - I conjure you, luminaries of heaven and earth, as the heavens - are separated from the earth, so separate and divide N from his - wife N, and separate them from one another, as life is separated - from death, and sea from dry land, and water from fire, and - mountain from vale, and night from day, and light from darkness, - and the sun from the moon; thus separate N from N’s wife, and - separate them from one another in the name of the twelve hours - of the day and the three watches of the night, and the seven - days of the week, and the thirty days of the month, and the - seven years of Shemittah, and the fifty years of Jubilee, on - every day, in the name of the evil angel Imsmael, and in the - name of the angel Iabiel, and in the name of the angel Drmiel, - and in the name of the angel Zahbuk, and in the name of the - angel Ataf, and in the name of the angel Zhsmael, and in the - name of the angel Zsniel, who preside over pains, sharp pains, - inflammation, and dropsy, and separate N from his wife N, make - them depart from one another, and that they should not comfort - one another, swift and quickly. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: - - National Gallery of Art - - DIANA - - _by Renoir_ -] - -[Illustration: - - Metropolitan Museum of Art - - PYGMALION AND GALATEA - - _by Rodin_ -] - -In the middle centuries prostitution as a civic institution had its -distinction and its privileges. In Venice, all kinds of secondary favors -were granted to these practitioners. They were favored with an indulgent -and even eulogistic Latin testimonial: nostrae bene merentes meretrices. - - * * * * * - -In France, there were orgiastic ceremonies in which the participants -performed in the nude. These rituals were associated in a contorted -sense with primal creation and were known as Fêtes d’Adam. - -In one of Boccaccio’s tales there is an instance of a script intended as -an erotic provocation: - - Quoth Bruno, ‘Will thy heart serve thee to touch her with a - script I shall give thee?’ - - ‘Ay, sure,’ replied Calandrino; and the other, ‘Then do thou - make shift to bring me a piece of virgin parchment and a live - bat, together with three grains of frankincense and a candle - that hath been blessed by the priest, and leave me do.’ - - Accordingly, Calandrino lay in wait all the next night with his - engines to catch a bat and having at last taken one, carried it - to Bruno, with the other things required; whereupon the latter, - withdrawing to a chamber, scribbled divers toys of his fashion - upon the parchment, in characters of his own devising, and - brought it to him, saying, ‘Know, Calandrino, that, if thou - touch her with this script, she will incontinent follow thee and - do what thou wilt.’ - - * * * * * - -In Turkey, under the Sultanate, and notably in the sixteenth century, -erotic relations in the seraglio were stimulated by a preparation known -as pastilles de sérail. - - * * * * * - -In the sixteenth century there was a religious-erotic cult in Europe -whose members were called Loïstes. Their rituals were marked by sexual -orgies and erotic aberrations. - - * * * * * - -The corpus of Shakespearean plays contains numberless allusions and -comments on sexual and amatory topics. The language, however, in which -these references are couched is sometimes figurative, euphemistic, and -seemingly innocuous and ingenuous. Sometimes, again, they are so -expressed in the contemporary Elizabethan idiom as to have an immediate -and illuminating impact on the contemporary audience: but, on a cursory -perusal, the context may not spontaneously reveal the underlying -currency. - -There is, throughout the plays, mention of the functional processes and -their media, of the organs of the human body, including what are usually -termed pudenda. Shakespeare touches on the normal sexual functions and -also on deviations, on tribadism and coprophilia, on lust and cuckoldry, -on adultery and eunuchs, on all manner of erotic encounters, embraces, -and circumstances. - -In _Troilus and Cressida_, to take an example, lust, libido, and potency -are illustrated: - - Cressida: They say all lovers swear more performance than they - are able, and yet reserve an ability that they never perform: - vowing more than the performance of ten, and discharging less - than the tenth part of one. They that have the voice of lions - and the act of hares, are they not monsters? - - Act 3.2 - -Again: - - Troilus: This is the monstrosity of love, lady—that the will is - infinite and the execution confined; that the desire is - boundless and the act a slave to limit. - - Act 3.2 - - Troilus: What will it be - When that the watery palate tastes indeed - Love’s thrice repured nectar?—death, I fear me, - Swooning distraction, or some joy too fine, - Too-subtle potent, tuned too sharp in sweetness, - For the capacity of my ruder powers: - - Act 3.2 - -There are similar references in _The Merry Wives of Windsor_, _Twelfth -Night_, and _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. - -In _Pericles_ Priapus is mentioned as a symbol of virility: - - Pericles: Fie, fie upon her! - She’s able to freeze the god Priapus. - - * * * * * - -François Villon, the fifteenth century French lyric poet, was not too -happy in his loves. In his _Double Ballade_ he makes his personal -confession on amatory exercises, and gives due admonitions as to the -possible effects of erotic practices: - - Then love until you have your fill, - Follow the ball and midnight feast, - The end will bring you naught until - You break your head, to say the least; - For foolish loves make man a beast: - Idolatrous was Solomon, - And thereby Samson’s vision ceased. - Happier those who all this shun! - - And Orpheus, sweet troubadour, - Who piped his flute among the dead, - Risked mortal peril on its spoor - From Cerberus of the triple head; - And beautiful Narcissus fled, - Because of love too lightly won, - To seek his peace in a watery bed. - Happier those who all this shun! - - Sardana, once a valiant knight, - Who conquered all the realm of Crete, - Aped woman’s form and took delight - In girlish chores and things effete; - And David, quitting wisdom’s seat, - Forgot his fear of God for one - Whose perfumed thighs aroused his heat. - Happier those who all this shun! - - And Amnon, drunk with carnal power, - Feigning to gorge himself the while, - Plucked lovely Tamar’s virgin flower, - A deed incestuous and vile; - Herod—and here I use no guile— - Had John the Baptist’s head undone - For a dance, a song, a dancer’s smile. - Happier those who all this shun! - - Of my poor self I wish to speak: - Beaten like washing in a stream, - Entirely nude—no tongue in cheek— - Who made me chew such sour cream - But Kate Vausselles? Noël I deem - Made up the three to share the fun. - Such wedding mittens costly seem. - Happier those who all this shun! - - But is this hot, young blood to spurn - Their tender love and flee their sight? - May God forbid! Such ought to burn - As witches do who ride the night. - Sweeter than civets their delight, - But not to put your trust upon: - For be they brown or be they white, - Happier those who all this shun! - - * * * * * - -As late as the eighteenth century, in Central Europe, there were secret -cults that drew their basic tenets from ancient priapic rites. Some of -these orders practiced nudism but rejected marriage. Some encouraged -promiscuities in their ritualistic assemblies. The Ebionites, for -instance, were of this type. Also the Basilidians, a Gnostic sect that -followed the principles of the founder Basilides, a Gnostic who -flourished in Alexandria in the second century A.D.; also the -Nicolaitans, an early Christian sect. - -In Italy, in the eleventh century and the twelfth, there was a similar -sect known as the Patarini. They made obscene obeisance to a black cat, -evidently a variant Satanic form, then abandoned themselves to scenes of -frantic lubricity. - -So too in many regions of France that still recalled ancient pagan Gaul -similar orgiastic performances occurred under cover of darkness. - -Even the Knights Templars, the military-religious members of the Order -that was founded early in the twelfth century and was suppressed at the -beginning of the fourteenth century, were reputed to have aligned -themselves with foul obscenities that involved anal osculation, as in -the case of the witch members of the Satanic Sabbat, and desecration of -Christian ritual accompanied by erotic perversions. - - * * * * * - -Sympathetic magic and the use of wax images were common means of -securing amatory ardor compulsively. The ancients were intimately -familiar with the procedures. And the grimoires current in medieval -times were similarly repositories of dark and occult amatory techniques, -and likewise recommended a variety of rituals. Involved in the -ceremonials were of course darkness, the burning of incense, the -construction of special pentagrams and magic circles, the shaping of the -figurine, and the Latin invocation which gave final assurance to the -erotic effects. - - * * * * * - -Amatory intimacies, especially but not exclusively in the Middle Ages, -were believed possible between human beings and disembodied creatures, -incubi and succubi, sylphs and undines or water spirits, salamanders, -various types of Satanic emissaries and subordinates in the infernal -hierarchy, such as Isheth Zemunin, who presided over prostitution. - -Some of these mystic, occult unions, on the other hand, were associated -with beneficent spirits, with angelic embodiments, saints, and similar -personalities. - -In the malefic traditions of the Black Arts and demoniac relationships, -there was widespread credence in intercourse between witches and the -members of the Satanic legions, between sorceresses and Satan himself, -and between the practitioners of magic and all kinds of bestial and -obscene creatures. The medieval demonographers are soberly voluble in -recounting many such instances. They chronicle, with precise supporting -confirmatory testimony, tales that brought the participants, the old and -the young women so accused of diabolic intimacies, to trial, to torture, -and finally to the gallows. - -Ready and voluminous evidence comes from Guazzo and Johannes Anania and -Jean Bodin, from Henri Boguet and Delrio, from Tartarotti, Stridtbeckh, -Sinistrari and Ricardus, Molitor, de L’Ancre, Elich, and Daugis. - -At the Sabbats, the assemblies of witches and Satanic forces, there -were, according to the medieval chroniclers and the old European folk -traditions, frantic performances of the most obscene nature, monstrous -rituals, weird banquets, culminating in lewd orgies characterized, -according to the grave testimonies of the demonographers, by copulation -of witches and materialized demoniac spirits. - -The Aphroditic force and influence are all-pervasive. Hence, in the -field of astrological lore, Venus represents love, in its most extended -sense, normal, illicit, and aberrational. Certain symbols, creatures, -forms are regularly associated with her functions. The lubricities of -the goat and the bull are under her sway, while, botanically, many -plants, among them vervain and myrtle, are endowed with aphrodisiac -qualities. - - - - - CHAPTER X - MODERN TIMES - - -Eros is triumphant in the twentieth century, in every social frame, in -every milieu, and in every country. Henri Bergson, the French -philosopher who is associated with the concept of _l’élan vital_—the -vital urge, or, as George Bernard Shaw termed it, the life force, -declared that this twentieth century has become aphrodisiac. - - * * * * * - -The love-potion is not a matter of academic history only: it is still -flourishing. It still has its devotees. It is still encountered in -obscure places, where furtive secrecy is of the essence of the amatory -preparations. In the folk mind in particular the love-potion can still -be efficacious, sometimes grim in its attendant effects, but -unquestionably an accepted and often employed means of directing erotic -feelings, imposing amatory impulses, on a beloved victim, on the -indifferent libertine, on the wayward and flighty girl. - -Ottokar Nemecek in his _Die Wertschätzung der Jungfräulichkeit_ (Verlag -A. Sexl. Vienna, 1953) gives interesting instances of erotic practices, -rituals, religious ceremonials, culled from many ethnic groups. In -Fernando Po, for example, a prayer is offered: May the woman and the man -become as erotically entwined as the creepers in the forest entwine -around the tree trunks. - -In Ethiopia a phallic provocation was the wearing on the head of a band -to which a horn was attached. Similarly among many African tribes, where -the chief wore a phallus-crown with the same intention. As in Hellenic -antiquity, in ancient India and in modern India also, the phallus is the -symbol of might, of masculine sovereignty, of cosmic creativeness. - -Such customs and rites, such implicit amatory instigations, have not -died out. They appear in many forms and guises, sometimes decorative, on -other occasions in fanciful culinary shapes. Amulets and figures in -phallic and genital form were sold, as late as 1894, in the shops of -Tiflis, in Caucasia, and in the United States migrants from the Central -European countries still reproduce, in their bake shops, festive genital -formations. - - * * * * * - -Traditional potions, aphrodisiacs, and similar means of arousing genital -impulses are in use even at the present time. Carrots, for instance, -were long listed by the Arabs as a stimulant. In medieval Spain they -were commonly consumed for such a purpose. And in the United States -carrots are still reputed to have a marked erotic potency. - - * * * * * - -Current magazines of the more popular sort, contemporary drug stores -have their amatory allurements. Some periodicals advertise exotic -perfumes, sultry essences, seductive cosmetics and similar feminine -accessories, or insidious unguents and lotions, whose avowed purpose is -to attract men in an amorous direction. In the drug stores, hormones and -gland extracts, transplantations and rejuvenative manipulations and -operations are publicized for similar purposes. - - * * * * * - -Among some primitive tribal communities in New Guinea, powerful love -charms take the form of genital secretions. Such secretions are then -used in magic ceremonials affecting both man and beast: the underlying -intent being procreational encouragement. - - * * * * * - -Virility and its concomitants have no frontiers, no temporal -restrictions. In Central India, in areas that have not yet been -significantly affected by the encroachments of modern ways and -procedures, virility has not become a tribal or personal problem. It is -so normal, in fact, and sexual indulgence is so released from emotional -or social inhibitions and taboos that erotic encouragement in the shape -of unguents, liquids, potions is rare: although there is, as a prelude -to erotic excitations, a preliminary mamillary exercise. - - * * * * * - -In the Orient, especially in the islands off South Eastern Asia, erotic -frustrations may be solved by resorting to the tribal magician, who -holds the communal secrets, the traditional ways of the society, within -his memory and his jurisdiction. A maiden may be recalcitrant to the -advances of her lover. He will then approach the magician, who will -present him with an amulet, a disc or token. The girl who has amatory -intentions in the direction of a particular male will likewise be given -a disc to wear, on which there is a design of a crescent moon, a -moon-coin, as it is termed, fashioned, according to indigenous -traditions, by the ancient gods themselves, indulgent to help mortals in -their erotic perplexities. - -In extremely stubborn cases, love charms associated with magic -incantations and formulas are brought into operation: certain fruits, -such as bananas or cocoanuts, or even a child’s tears. - - * * * * * - -The love-potion, in respect of its ingredients, is often conditioned by -geographical situation. The flora and fauna of a particular region -become the elements for the amatory goblet. Mediterranean reeds, roots, -nuts, and plants naturally become useful for the philtre. It is only in -extreme cases that exotic items, rare drugs, inaccessible roots are the -object of any particular composition. So, in Sikkim, a state situated in -the Eastern Himalayan region, water in which a bird called indigenously -Ken fo, or a chameleon, has defecated, forms a potent love philtre. So -powerful, in fact, that it produces a condition of priapism in the male -and nymphomania in the female. - - * * * * * - -Absinthe is a popular drink in European countries, predominantly in -France. It is a liqueur distilled from a bushy plant, that has a -silk-like stem and small yellow flowers. The plant is found among the -valleys and foothills of Europe and on the North African littoral, and -prefers to flourish among hedges and ditches. - -The botanical name of the plant is Artemisia absinthium: that is, -wormwood. Wormwood itself was sacred to the Greek divinity Diana, who -was also Artemis: hence the designation Artemisia. - -Absinthe itself, distilled from the plant, is a green liqueur to which -are added aniseed oil, marjoram, and similar aromatic elements. - -Used regularly, absinthe is not only dangerous, but when taken in large -quantities produces insanity. Yet it has been reputed to stimulate -amatory excitation. - -Many noted French writers, poets, and painters have been addicted to the -drink, notably the artist Amedeo Modigliani. - -The drink was first concocted by a Frenchman, a certain Dr. Ordinaire, -who resided in Switzerland. In 1797 the recipe was sold to a M. Pernod. -The name Pernod has since then been continuously associated with the -drink. - - * * * * * - -In the hinterland of folklore, in antique traditional sagas transmitted -through the ages to recent times, in areas that have been for centuries -more or less unaffected by developments, changes, and innovations, that -is, largely, in rural and secluded regions, old beliefs still cling. Old -ways are still followed. Old remedies, beverages, potions are still used -with anticipations of effective results. This view is illustrated in the -French film entitled L’Éternel Retour. As its pervasive theme it -stressed the rooted belief, among the French peasantry, in the efficacy -of the love-potion. - - * * * * * - -Currently, a great deal of writing appears constantly in the press, in -learned journals, in periodicals of a professional nature, and in -complete encyclopedias, all devoted to erotic studies, analyses of -society in terms of sexual life, and investigations into sexual morality -and sexual abnormalities. - -In France, the Polish sponsored Biblioteki Kultury has been established. -This Press has recently produced a study of Pornography and its -involvements, by Witold Gombrowicz. In France, too, many surveys on -erotic practices in the field of films, the stage, art have likewise -made their appearance, in addition to a History of Eroticism. Lavishly -produced folios are also on the market, in which maisons closes are the -subject of detailed treatment and description. Their policies and mores -are freely expounded, and the texts are reinforced with photographs and -illustrations of persons and places and towns, along with paintings by -recognized artists. - -A major project in this field is the Illustrated Encyclopedia Erotica, -to which a number of noted European sexologists and erotologists have -contributed. Published in ten volumes, under the sponsorship of the -Institute for Sexual Research of Vienna, this comprehensive compendium -is now reprinted in a new edition by the Verlag für Kulturforschung of -Hamburg. - -There are some 22,000 articles and 12,000 illustrations. The contents -range over all aspects of human sexual activity, in their relation to -psychology and biology, medicine and jurisprudence, sociology and -psychotherapy. Folklore and ethnography, marriage, prostitution, -fertility rites, rites of initiation, the deviations of society, secret -amatory sects, flagellation and biographical memoirs comprise the -introductory matter. - -Other subjects discussed and examined include: erotic sculpture, sex -mythology, criminology and forensic medicine as they affect perversions, -and contemporary developments along the lines of research. - - * * * * * - -Liquid and also solid nourishment, when essentially compounded of -wholesome ingredients, will unquestionably, in the contemporary -consensus of medical opinion, promote amatory capacity. - -To go one step further, any nourishing food or beverage will, to the -extent of its wholesomeness as an acceptable and normally consumed -commodity, contribute to the general organic euphoria of the subject, -and consequently to his physiological vigor. - -In a general sense, therefore, the fantastic or repellent compounds, -brews and stews, lotions, electuaries, ointments, and philtres that, for -long centuries, were transmitted either in folk legend or imprinted in -grave treatises, are, according to medical authority, brusquely -deprecated, and in many cases entirely discounted. - -Yet, as is well known, legend and saga, folklore and tradition, often -retain within themselves accumulated knowledge based on tested -validities. - - * * * * * - -With the increase in experimentation along medical, pharmaceutical, and -culinary lines, there is a corresponding emphasis on food and -preparations that promote physiological well-being and act as tonics and -stimulants. - -For these purposes, extracts of the gonads or sex-glands, and pituitary -extracts, are medically recommended in certain cases of physiological -weakness. - -In a more gastronomic direction, there are wholesome broths and soups, -such as: mushroom soup, lentil soup, celery soup, as well as salads, -lobster dishes, and curries: all of which contain elements that are -traditionally reputed to aid in increasing vigor. - - * * * * * - -In a novel by John Brophy entitled _Windfall_, and published in London -in 1951, the hero arrives in New York, where he is confronted with the -fact that the drive for erotic aids is as urgent as ever: - -It was true: where Broadway converged on, before it crossed, the -undeviating straightness of Sixth Avenue, the wide double roadway was -surrounded by theatres, cinemas, hotels and restaurants and newspaper -offices, indiscernible behind huge, colored, epileptically moving signs -advocating, pictorially or by blunt lettered exhortation, whiskies and -pea-nuts, cigarettes, motor-cars, night-clubs, patent medicines and -proprietary brands of sexual stimulants. - - * * * * * - -In the same novel there is a description of a New York Night Club, the -Freudian Frolics. Here are presented amatory stimulants and visual and -palpable inducements in a contemporary setting, basically identical with -the Aristophanic performances, the satires of Lucian, the sketches of -Alciphron and the more boisterous narratives of the Middle Ages, the -Renaissance, and, dominantly, eighteenth century France. The scene is -introduced with a generalization that marks the activities of the place: - - Beyond the swing-doors almost every erotic taste not utterly - perverted could be if not gratified at least stimulated ... the - majority made straight for the primary erotogenic zones. - - * * * * * - -Again, there is a wildly farcical description of amatory reinforcements. -The character concerned is a degenerate multi-millionaire, an American -named Mirabel Jones XVIII. His problem is to achieve an heir to his vast -interests. For this purpose, he is undergoing a multiple variety of -treatments at the hands of his physician and his psychiatrist. He is -subjected to daily injections. He consumes all sorts of tablets. He is -regulated by calisthenic exercises, by vitamin pills, by radio-therapy, -by baths. All these various means are regimented methodically into -prospective erotic channels. As a climax, he travels constantly, from -one country to another, to secure a climate favorable to his condition, -from South America to California to England. - - * * * * * - -The possibilities of the love-potion still intrude into modern times. In -a series of light sketches of Scottish life, entitled _Christina_, the -author, J. J. Bell, presents young Christina herself, who is living with -an aunt who runs a small village store. To further a possible courtship -between the aunt and the commercial traveler Mr. Baldwin, Christina -conceives a plan to help the shy and hesitant Miss Purvis. The book -itself was published about forty years ago: - - Christina greatly enjoyed looking at the shops without - supervision or restriction. She had made up her mind to purchase - a gift for her aunt, whose birthday fell about a month later. - - Christina enters a barber’s shop, because she has seen the ideal - gift: - - She moistened her lips, and, in a tremulous whisper, said— - - “I want a—a potion.” - - “A lotion, miss?” - - “A potion.” - - “A lotion—for the hair?” He smiled dreadfully—so it seemed to - Christina. Once more she all but fled. - -Christina had been reading about potions, in a periodical devoted to -love stories. She tells her aunt, Miss Purvis, about it. “It was a magic -potion. A lass got it frae a—a sosserer to gi’e to a young man that -wasna heedin’ aboot her. She gi’ed it to him, an’ it charmed him, an’ -afore she could say ‘Jack Robinson’ he was coortin’ her like fun, an’ -their nuptails was celebrated in—” - -Now Christina is ready to employ the same means in behalf of her aunt. - -To the barber, then, Christina whispers: “A potion. What—what’s the -price o’ yer—yer Spirit o’ Love?” - -The barber, momentarily nonplussed, finally smiled with understanding: - -A moment later he was brushing a cobweb from a small bottle containing a -yellowish fluid. A soiled and faded label of floral design was affixed -to the bottle, and on it appeared, as in letters of fire, the words -“Spirit of Love.” - -“One shilling, miss.” - -“Would it—charm a lady?” - -“Certainly! I have sold hundreds of bottles of ‘Spirit of Love’ to -gentlemen for that very object. Charms them like magic!” - -“Like magic?” - -“Like nothing else, miss. Do you wish the bottle for a sick friend? Just -so! In that case a few drops on the pillow will prove a real charm.” - -Christina nearly dropped. It was too wonderful! - -He must be a sosserer! - -Christina administers the potion in her own way. While her aunt is -asleep, she pours a few drops on the pillow, but, disturbed by the -sudden squalling of a cat, lets the phial fall. It empties itself on the -pillow. - -The aunt, a sceptic, throws the empty bottle into the fire, with the -remark “Spirit of Fiddlesticks!” - - * * * * * - -Experimentation and research in the direction of rejuvenating processes -and invigorating vigor continue all the time, without cessation. Some -procedures involve surgical operations: others are associated with the -administration of various hormones and extracts and glandular -compositions. Proprietary medicines are on the market, particularly in -France and in England. An advertisement in a weekly magazine advocates -The Royal Jelly Rejuvenating Food Supplement. - - * * * * * - -In the early nineteenth century, in Edinburgh, there were on sale -Luckenbooth Brooches. They were in the nature of amatory periapts. These -brooches were sometimes engraved with a lover’s initials. Or a plea or -an amorous inducement might appear thereon, such as: - - Let me and thee - most happy be. - -Or: - - My heart ye have and thir I creve. - I fancie non but the alon. - Wrong not the heart whose joy thou art. - - * * * * * - -Analogous to philtres and similar amatory concoctions is the indirect -stimulus derived from reading teacups. A popular Scottish weekly paper -says: It’s fun, and there’s a good deal in it, too, if the signs are -read aright. - -In relation to Love and Friendship, the column declares that a ‘human’ -figure seen in the form of the tea leaves, whether man or woman, or the -outline of a letter of the alphabet, indicates that the love and feeling -of affection will concern the person whose name begins with the tea leaf -letter. - -This is, in essence, an innocuous variation of an amatory inducement. - - * * * * * - -Among contemporary proprietary preparations reputed to have amatory -value is aphrodisin. This is a compound of yohimbine, a substance -indigenous to Central Africa and derived from the bark of the yohimbe -tree, along with extract of miura pauma, aronacein, and other -ingredients. - - * * * * * - -There are many instances of women, concubines, mistresses, and harlots, -who have become historically famous or notorious through their own -personal practices, or for the influence they have exerted socially and -politically. A French courtesan who rose from minor and humble -circumstances was Céleste Mogador, who was born in 1824 and who died in -1909. She was a dancer, an actress, and an equestrienne: and ultimately -became the Comtesse Lionel de Moreton de Chabrillan. She gained some -additional réclame by the publication of her Memoirs. - - * * * * * - -Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), the French poet, in his _Les Fleurs du -Mal_, has a sequence of poems on passion, macabre, violent, distorted, -filled with fantastic imagery, touched with the symbol of death, and -putrefaction, and unsated human longings. There are hymns to beauty that -border on disaster and cruelty, on ugliness and inhumanity. There is a -paean to exotic perfumes, a laudation of a woman’s dark tresses. But -these poetic effusions are stamped with bitterness and a sense of -reality aghast, unholy revelations. There appears an entire distant, -remote world, far-flung and almost extinct, where the poet sees an -aromatic forest, where he dwells in the woman’s depths. She pleads with -her lover, for she is unsated and insatiable. He peers through those two -dark eyes, the windows of your soul. O ruthless demon, he clamors, pour -less flame upon me. I am not the dread and furtive Styx, capable of -embracing you nine times. - -A putresent carcass, seen on a summer morning, is a poetic memento mori, -like an Egyptian skeleton at the feast, a warning that lust and beauty -and passion have their brief day and are grimly evanescent, and an -indirect injunction, on the poet’s part, to adhere to the Roman poet -Horace’s hedonistic _carpe diem_. - -In _The Vampire_ Baudelaire exclaims at being enslaved by a hateful but -alluring woman, while in another piece he stresses the potency of -perfumes. - -These poems, then, symbolize, in a comprehensive sense, the intrusions -of lust and passion in human relationships, and the intimate contacts -and associations of these lusts with malefic forces and ominous impacts. - - * * * * * - -Ballads, street songs, and broadsides, belonging to a wide and usually -comparatively uncultured level, in all ethnic communities, deal largely -with physiological and scatological functions, sexual and erotic -intrusions and experiences and experiments, without restraint, without -reflection and without moralizing corollaries thereon, but with a -forthright, direct verbal impact. Hence there are, dispersed through -such unsophisticated uncontrived versified episodes, many matters -relating to amatory enticements and means of erotic provocations and -challenges affecting both male and female, in all types of occupation, -in many gradations of society, at every age level, from young and urgent -milkmaids and their swains to debauched lechers and libertines. - -Pastoral pieces, soldiers’ rollicking ditties, sailors’ chanties, all -the rhythmic, chthonic, usually crude but outspoken exuberance of folk -ways and currents, of peasantry and burgher, tinker and servant, -tipplers, ploughmen, and innkeepers—that is the colorful and various -component of the popular muse. - -Sometimes the erotic impact is suggested by indirection: sometimes by an -innocuous expression used in a double entendre context. Sometimes the -idiom has the immediacy of the Greek functional and genital significance -exemplified in the Aristophanic comedies. - -Rakes and panders rub shoulders with guileless innocence and feminine -wiles, with lordly arrogance, authority, and wealth, with humility and -beggarliness, with want and starvation. And pervasive through all the -insinuating permutations of street life and market place, of court and -manor, of fields and ocean, battle and stress, there runs the urgency of -amatory attraction: lust and passion and allurement, and the means of -satisfying and sating and continuing and maintaining such erotic -capacities, such animal lustfulness and unbridled salaciousness and lewd -ardor, prurience and perverted depravities. - -Yet there are instances, sudden outbursts, occasional spurts of deeper -feelings, brusque awareness: some latent though possibly dishonored -principle, a touch of wry humor, in which blatant reality and some -remote consciousness of betterment peer through the vernacular -crudities. - -In one collection of such ballads, entitled _Drolleries_, the amatory -theme returns again and again, always lusty, always sensual. The burgess -who is off to the fair while her good man is absent from home: the coy -mistress: the country maid on a visit to the City: the old lecherous -beau unrepentantly persistent: the lustful squire, the libidinous -courtier, the wayward maid: widows and lords, fiddlers and coopers, -cobblers and miners, merchants all conniving in adultery and incest, in -concocting potions for reluctant lovers, in beseeching hesitant favors, -in besmirching marriage and domesticity and exultantly and indifferently -glorifying all the varieties of amatory diversions and perversions. - - * * * * * - -In _Today_, a popular British weekly magazine, an article appeared early -in 1962, by a woman, accusing the contemporary man of having lost his -virility. She spoke of ‘sexually moribund men,’ of man’s failure, in -consequence, as a marriage partner, and of his amatory deficiencies. - -A response to these challenges appeared in a later issue. It was written -by a factory worker who, from his own experience and that of his -acquaintances and fellow-workers, refuted the first attack. He denied -physical exhaustion. He asserted that the typical worker, by virtue of -his constant application to his job, is kept continuously physically fit -and capable. His knowledge, too, of the range of amatory procedures and -practices has been widened by war contacts, by interchange of views and -attitudes with many groups, foreigners, visitors, refugees. He added -that the freedom of expression on such matters was an additional -encouragement toward enlightenment. If anything, this typical worker -concluded, it was the woman who was hesitant, indifferent, and -un-cooperative. - - * * * * * - -In Gilbert and Sullivan’s _The Sorcerer_, a farcical treatment of the -Black Arts, there is a scene involving love philtres and their effects: - - Mr. Wells: Love-philtre—we’ve quantities of it ... - - Alexis: I have sent for you to consult you on a very important - matter. I believe you advertise a Patent Oxy-Hydrogen - Love-at-first-sight Philtre? - - Mr. Wells: Sir, it is our leading article. (_Producing a - phial_). - - Alexis: Now I want to know if you can confidently guarantee it - as possessing all the qualities you claim for it in your - advertisement? - - Mr. Wells: Sir, we are not in the habit of puffing our goods. - Ours is an old-established house with a large family connection, - and every assurance held out in the advertisement is fully - realized. (_Hurt_). - - Aline (_aside_): Oh, Alexis, don’t offend him! He’ll change us - into something dreadful—I know he will! - - Alexis: I am anxious from purely philanthropical motives to - distribute this philtre, secretly, among the inhabitants of this - village. I shall of course require a quantity. How do you sell - it? - - Mr. Wells: In buying a quantity, sir, we should strongly advise - you taking it in the wood, and drawing it off as you happen to - want it. We have it in four-and-a-half and nine gallon - casks—also in pipes and hogsheads for laying down, and we deduct - 10 per cent for prompt cash. - - Alexis: I should mention that I am a Member of the Army and Navy - Stores. - - Mr. Wells: In that case we deduct 25 per cent. - - Alexis: Aline, the villagers will assemble to carouse in a few - minutes. Go and fetch the tea-pot. - - Aline: But, Alexis— - - Alexis: My dear, you must obey me, if you please. Go and fetch - the tea-pot. - - Aline (_going_): I’m sure Dr. Daly would disapprove of it. - - (_Exit Aline_). - - Alexis: And how soon does it take effect? - - Mr. Wells: In twelve hours. Whoever drinks of it loses - consciousness for that period, and on waking falls in love, as a - matter of course, with the first lady he meets who has also - tasted it, and his affection is at once returned. One trial will - prove the fact. - - _Enter Aline with large tea-pot._ - - Alexis: Good: then, Mr. Wells, I shall feel obliged if you will - at once pour as much philtre into this tea-pot as will suffice - to affect the whole village. - - Aline: But bless me, Alexis, many of the villagers are married - people! - - Mr. Wells: Madam, this philtre is compounded on the strictest - principles. On married people it has no effect whatever. But are - you quite sure that you have nerve enough to carry you through - the fearful ordeal? - - Alexis: In the good cause I fear nothing. - - Mr. Wells: Very good, then, we will proceed at once to the - Incantation. - - * * * * * - -In the South Sea Islands amatory aids and spells are still in vogue. The -following love incantation involves the love-sick girl Taratake: - - Mr. Hair-of-his-head, Mr. Hair-of-his-head, - Go you to him, to Taratake! - Whisper my name when he dreams, - when he wakes. - When he walks among the women. - Draw him by the hand, - Draw him by the foot, - Draw him by the heart and entrails to me. - He thinks only of me; - He dies for love of me; - There is no woman for him but me, - no love but mine, - no love-making but mine. - He comes to me, he comes, he is here with me, - With me, Laughter-of-Waves-o-o-o! - - * * * * * - -As recently as 1956, in the _Flute of Sand_, Lawrence Morgan describes -an experience among the Ouled-Naïl dancers of North Africa: - - Interwoven into their lives were sorcery, black magic, and, most - common of all, the use of love-philtres with which they believed - they could enslave any man. In the pot of mint tea in Yacourte’s - room had been a philtre intended to help the erring lover to - make up his mind. - - * * * * * - -The term bayadère is derived from the Portuguese baladeira, associated -with bailar, to dance. Originally, the expression was applied to a Hindu -dancing girl, noted for erotic performances. The bayadère, in fact, like -the nautsch dancers, could be equated with prostitution. - - * * * * * - -The European newspapers and magazines, notably in Germany, Austria, and -France, until quite recent times, advertised, in the interests of -readers, all kinds of elixirs, remedies, philtres, concoctions, and -unguents, to correct sexual deficiencies or to promote physiological -capacity. There was a cream called Vigor. Dragées des Fakirs were -‘scientific and immediate.’ A Parisian aphrodisiac powder announced -itself as ‘durable.’ It could be forwarded by mail, from the Scientific -Laboratories. Clients could be interviewed at specified hours. Renox was -a concoction that was urged very persuasively: so too with the -contrivance Heureka. There was another contrivance called Samson, -implicitly suggesting a Biblical valor. Sexine and Stimulol and Dragées -de Vénus were both harmless and effective, according to the laudatory -testimony of the manufacturers themselves. - - * * * * * - -There was a highly advertised preparation, called Testogan, that implied -stimulating amatory reactions. - - * * * * * - -A contrivance under the name of Amor Star was formerly advertised in -Europe as very effective, making the agent another Casanova. In Paris, a -preparation called Mono promised rejuvenation for the male. - - * * * * * - -Many European restaurants practiced a dual role. In addition to their -culinary purpose, they were in a basic sense amatory rendez-vous. During -the First World War German eating-places, variety halls, dance palaces, -and cabarets advertised, with appropriately alluring illustrations: - - Wein, Weib Gesang - -In other instances, Teutonic gaiety was eulogized as being highly -imitative of Gallic ways. Leben à la Paris—ran the posters: - - Damenklub - Maskenbälle - Lustiger Abend - Café Dorian Gray. - -These spots were instigations to perversions, amatory practices, and -promiscuities. - - * * * * * - -Numerous collections of erotica exist in varying degrees of seclusion, -in libraries, state archives, and museums. To a large extent, such -compilations were made during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The -bibliophile, on his death, usually bequeathed his books and manuscripts -and erotic objects and artifacts to a state or national library. Among -English specialists in this genre were James Campbell, the pseudonym of -J. C. Reddie, William S. Potter, Henry Spencer Ashbee, better known -under his pseudonym of Pisanus Fraxi. In France, the Bibliothèque -Nationale, in its section known as L’Enfer, houses a large collection of -erotic matter. - - * * * * * - -In cosmopolitan cities like London and New York, the sex theme is -predominant in certain types of rather furtive bookstores. They deal -largely with paperbacks, stressing sexual relationships, erotic -magazines, and treatises, both authoritatively written and, in some -cases, barely literate, on erotic mores and variations of perversions. -The paperbacks, flaunting jackets that play a significant role in the -attraction of the text, range from lust to rape, from masochism to -tribadism, with all possible intermediate permutations. Such fictional -productions not infrequently transcend the ingenuities of the Marquis de -Sade. - - * * * * * - -Contemporary witches, sorceresses, and spell-binders of varying degrees -of reliability still use, as love potions, old, traditional ingredients. -One of these is hippomanes. Hippomanes was well known among the -ancients. It is a fleshy excrescence that appears on a foal’s head at -birth. When dried, and swallowed by the person in search of the amatory -excitation, it produces, according to these dark practitioners, a result -that cannot be questioned. - -The erotic merit of this equine aposteme is confirmed by a number of -authorities, from Vergil himself, the Roman epic poet, to Pausanias, the -second century A.D. Greek geographer, and to the sixteenth century -Neapolitan alchemist and occultist Gambattista della Porta. - - - - - SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - Benoit, H. The Many Faces of Love. New York: Pantheon, c. 1955. - - Bibliotheca Erotica Moniacensis. A German collection of erotica. - - Bibliotheca Roloffiana. A collection of erotica published in Germany - in the eighteenth century. - - Blondeau, Nicolas. Dictionnaire Erotique. Paris: Isidore Liseux, 1885. - - Clauder, Johannes. De Philtris. Leipzig, 1661. - - Decle, L. Three Years in Savage Africa. London: Methuen, 1898. - - Dufour, H. Histoire de la Prostitution chez tous les Peuples du Monde. - Bruxelles: 1857. - - Dulaure, Jacques-Antoine. The Gods of Generation. English translation - by A.F.N. Privately printed. New York: Panurge Press, 1934. - - Ellis, Havelock. Studies in the Psychology of Sex. 2 volumes. New - York: Random House, c. 1938–1942. - - Epton, N. C. Love and the French. London: Cassell, 1959. - - Epton, N. C. Love and the English. London: Cassell, 1960. - - Epton, N. C. Love and the Spanish. London: Cassell, 1961. - - Flacelière, Robert. Love in Ancient Greece. Trans. by J. Cleugh. - London: Muller, 1962. - - Gilbert, O. P. Men in Women’s Guise. London: John Lane, 1926. - - Gilbert, O. P. Women in Men’s Guise. London: John Lane, 1932. - - Goncourt, E and J De. La Femme au dix-huitième Siècle. Paris, 1902. - - Gregorovius, F. A. Der Ghetto und die Juden in Rom. Berlin: Schocken - Verlag, 1935. - - Hervé-Piraus, F.R. Les Temples d’Amour au XVIIIe Siècle. Paris, 1910. - - King, L. W. Babylonian Magic and Sorcery. London: 1896. - - Laurent, E. Magica Sexualis. New York: Anthropological Press, 1934. - - Mantegazza, Paolo. English translation under the title Sexual - Relations of Mankind. Privately printed. New York: Anthropological - Press, 1932. - - Rodocanachi, E. P. La Femme italienne: avant, pendant et après la - Renaissance: sa vie privée et mondaine, son influence sociale. - Paris: Hachette, 1922. - - Wolff, J. F. Dissertatio de Philtris. Wittenberg, 1726. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Love Potions through the Ages, by Harry E. 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