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: