THE SCENE: Even a respectable naturalist like Pliny the Elder was not above engaging in some of the salacious and slanderous gossip that often followed around the powerful Roman Empress Messalina.
THE TEXT: Messalina, the wife of Claudius Ceasar, thinking it would be a royal triumph, chose to compete against a certain notorious prostitute, and, over a twenty-four-hour period, beat her record by having sex with twenty-five men.
– Natural History, Pliny the Elder, 1st Century AD
“Where are you making for, you coward? Where are you running to, you slackers? Turn back! Turn back, I say, and do battle with Corineus! Shame on you! You are so many thousands and yet you run away from me who am one!” […]
” You have a loyal wife and now with this other woman you offend God and his law, righteousness and the faith. Let us cast her into the sea and we shall soon arrive safely.” […]
” So he asked her to show her leg and foot, and she promptly did so. And without doubt she had a beautiful leg and a beautiful foot, so that you could not ask for greater beauty. And when the master of the shop, who was as virtuous a man as I have described him, saw this woman’s leg and foot, her was forthwith tempted, because his eyes looked on them with pleasure.” […]
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