Greek and Roman
Unsatisfactory Mating
“All other animals derive satisfaction from having mated; man gets almost none.” […]
Sex
Britons and Celts
Welsh Birth Control
“It is also said that if a couple come to have intercourse on this spot, or nearby, which they do frequently, great drops of sweat drip from the stone.” […]
Humor
Playing with a Horse’s “Dangler”
“As the slave cut off the horse’s member, and was about to throw it away, the farmer’s son ran by laughing, caught it, and took it into the parlour. There, his mother was sitting, accompanied by her daughter and the slave-woman. He shook the phallus at them, shouting mocking remarks.” […]
Human Affairs
The Cuckold’s Ultimatum
“Now do one of two things: you kill him, or I’ll take him for my own husband and we’ll drive you away. He spoke seductively to me.” […]
Human Affairs
Who’s Been Singing in My Bed?
“Her husband replied, ‘It’s about time that you reveal the sort of woman that you really are. Where is the man whose voice was booming just now? I expect you think he sounds better than I do.'” […]
Greek and Roman
The Drama of the Stork
“It happened that the female stork brought forth young, and the male flew about to procure food. Now, while he was absent, the female admitted a gallant; and before the return of the male went down to the fountain to wash herself, in order that the other might perceive no disorder in her appearance.” […]
Britons and Celts
Just What Happens on a Wedding Night?
“Let, wing’d with pleasure, the soft minutes flow,
And lasting bliss no interruption know,
While with like heat, her faithful bosom warms;
For in his time he was the flower of arms.” […]
Humor
The Mystery of the Semen Stain
“‘O Abu Yusuf, tell me what this stain may be?’ The kadi went up to the bed, placed his finger in the middle of the stain, carried it to his eye and his nose, and then said; ‘Commander of the Faithful, it is a man’s semen.'” […]
Greek and Roman
Zeus, Father of Gods
“But Zeus himself gave birth from his own head to bright-eyed (Athena) Tritogeneia, the awful, the strife-stirring, the host-leader, the unwearying, the queen, who delights in tumults and wars and battles.” […]
Human Affairs
Separating the Men and the Boys
“Sister, how can you bear the roughness of your lover’s beard when you kiss him? Surely it must scratch your breasts, and the points of his moustaches stick into your lips and cheeks?” […]