Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 3 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"Plutarch
Philosophy
Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 3 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"
Plutarch
Classical literature; Essays; Ethics; Philosophy
lies and works in the bodies of old men. But besides, it is easy to
observe, that age of itself hath all the symptoms of drunkenness. These
symptoms every body knows; shaking of the joints, faltering of the
tongue, babbling, passion, forgetfulness, and distraction of the mind;
many of which being incident to old men, even whilst they are well
and in perfect health, are heightened by any little irregularity and
accidental debauch. So that drunkenness doth not beget in old men any
new and proper symptoms, but only intend and increase the common ones.
And an evident sign of this is, that nothing is so like an old man as a
young man drunk.
_QUESTION IV._
WHETHER THE TEMPER OF WOMEN IS COLDER OR HOTTER THAN THAT OF
MEN.
APOLLONIDES, ATHRYILATUS.
1. Thus Sylla said, and Apollonides the marshal subjoined: Sir, what
you discoursed of old men I willingly admit; but in my opinion you have
omitted a considerable reason in relation to the women, the coldness of
their temper, which quencheth the heat of the strongest wine, and makes
it lose all its destructive force and fire. This reflection seeming
reasonable, Athryilatus the Thasian, a physician, kept us from a hasty
conclusion in this matter, by saying that some supposed the female sex
was not cold, but hotter than the male; and others thought wine rather
cold than hot.
2. When Florus seemed surprised at this discourse, Athryliatus
continued: Sir, what I mention about wine I shall leave to this man
to make out (pointing to me, for a few days before we had handled the
same matter). But that women are of a hot constitution, some suppose,
may be proved, first, from their smoothness, for their heat wastes all
the superfluous nourishment which breeds hair; secondly from their
abundance of blood, which seems to be the fountain and source of all
the heat that is in the body;—now this abounds so much in females,
that they would be all on fire, unless relieved by frequent and sudden
evacuations. Thirdly, from a usual practice of the sextons in burning
the bodies of the dead, it is evident that females are hotter than
males; for the beds-men are wont to put one female body with ten males
upon the same pile, for that contains some inflammable and oily parts,
and serves for fuel to the rest. Besides, if that that is soonest fit
for generation is hottest, and a maid begins to be furious sooner than
a boy, this is a strong proof of the hotness of the female sex. But a
more convincing proof follows: women endure cold better than men, they
are not so sensible of the sharpness of the weather, and are contented
with a few clothes.
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