Manual of Classical Erotology (De figuris Veneris)
General
Manual of Classical Erotology (De figuris Veneris)
Erotic literature; Sex customs -- Greece; Sex customs -- Rome
When women are in rut they pass their water, nature wills it so,
Juvenal, VI., 63-65: “Let lewd Bathyllus dance the pantomime of Leda”
(representing Leda receiving Jupiter in a dance with wanton gestures:
“Tuscia cannot command her bladder, Appula is sighing as if in
amorous trance....”)
The same XI., 166-168:
“The other sex however feels more pleasure, is much sooner fired,
and lets the water off, excited through eyes and ears.”
(What Juvenal says here as to this greater enjoyment on the part of
the opposite sex is connected with his general opinion that women
experience more pleasure in Love than men do. So his words in VI.,
254: “For how insignificant is our pleasure!” Tiresias, called upon to
arbitrate on this point in Lucian (_Amores_, p. 85), declared women’s
enjoyment to be double that of men: “Unless indeed we are to agree
with Tiresias’ arbitrement, that the woman’s pleasure is twice that of
the man”).
Martial, XI., 17:
“How often will your rigid nerve lift up your tunic, though you be
as stern as Curius or Fabricius! You too have to read our pages,
be they ever so lascivious, young maiden, though you come from
Padua.”
Footnote 127:
There is some ambiguity about the “long syphons.” They are rivulets of
urine passed near the statue, or perhaps Juvenal means, to use the
expression of Grangé, “Urine spirted right up into the Goddess’ face,
which may be done by impudent women compressing with the hands their
parts, and thus retaining for some time the water; thus collected it
will spurt out with greater force.”
Footnote 128:
Verse 335-339.
“But all the Moors and Indians well know the flute-girl who showed
a bigger penis than great Caesar’s two anti-Catos, in that place
from which a rat will fly, conscious of possessing testicles....”
Footnote 129:
The “nimble hips” are those of the tribad, who is riding another in
the posture of Apuleius’ Fotis, _Metamorph._ II., p. 122, when she
gratified Lucius with the joys of a superincumbent Venus.
Footnote 130:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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