Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplify'd/Amores

Two opposite Lovers maintain their several Passions in Lucian with a deal of Eloquence, but too diffuse for the Sapient Reader. I here cull out the Illustration of an already cited Repartee;

He-brutes do not love their own Gender, because Brutes. Bulls, the Woman&rsquo;s Man cries, lust not after Bulls. Rams to Rams are not Object of Desire.

This is extreme ill judg&rsquo;d, replies the Pederast, and if it made an inadvertant Sally, you shou&rsquo;d have mumbl&rsquo;d it unintelligibly; for it utterly overthrows your Argument; Bulls are not Bull-lovers; neither are they Philosophers; neither are they Musicians; neither have they Capacity for the Smallest Improvement of Life; a Demonstration that Male-love, like these sublime Sciences, is the distinguishing Portion of Sovereign Man.

Lucian, the Umpire, decides in favour of this Disputant, pronouncing; that, for want of Adherence, and steady Courage, compleat Merit is not in Woman. The Females&rsquo; Votary hangs his Head: Our Arbitrator tells him; he was a notable Champion on the weak Side of the Question.

They walk to the Victor&rsquo;s and are receiv&rsquo;d with an Elegant Entertainment, tho&rsquo; no more than the Ordinary of the House. This Pederast was a spiritual Gallant; but Theomnestes being ask&rsquo;d by Lucian, what were his Sentiments of the Debate, after holding back a while in Compliment to the learned Wit, thus speaks;


 * The Man of Taste was mighty sonorous; but too much in the Clouds for me. What; are we perpetually to converse with Youths of Fairness, which only does not overflow the Eyes; and, when we can lay our Lips to it, and take a Draught shall we be such foolish Tantalus&rsquo;s to suffer Thirst?  The airy Food of seeing and hearing does not satisfy a hale Appetite: A Lover erects a Flight of Steps, by which he ascends to the supreme Felicity; first, he paints Passion in his soul-moving Eyes: then so tenderly touches, as tho&rsquo; afraid of marking the Wax-like Object; but this light Touch pours thrilling Transport thro&rsquo; him.  Thus advanced, he gives a Kiss; not yet the gluy one; no; insensibly joins and withdraws his Lips, to cause no Alarm in the Delicate Creature: However this presently inspires him with Boldness; he takes the fair one in his Arms, smuggles him and almost expires with Extasy: Now his Tongue plays in the charming M-th; his left Hand grasps the Pleasure-hills: while the Right presses the gently heaving Breasts, and moves down to the sweetly piercing Spear.  To conclude; master&rsquo;d by Desire, he enters a narrow Passage, which carries to the Ocean of absorbing Rapture.  This is my way of Loving.  Your high-flown Philosophers, to themselves unintelligible, may lift their spread Eyebrows, and make the World gaze; but Socrates, their great founder, was a most devoted sensual Pederast, so far from being such a fool to let the all-out-looking Alcibiades rise from Bed untouch&rsquo;d; it might pass so for once to talk of; which Plato pompously does in his Symposium; but that every Author introduces this amiable Sage, a little before his Death, in tender Play with the famous Catamite Ph&aelig;don&rsquo;s Hair, and entreating him not to despoil himself of that beautiful Ornament to solemnize the Loss of his beloved Philosopher.  Besides; what tolerable Account can be given of Xanthippe&rsquo;s excessive Rage, but this Part of her Husband&rsquo;s Character.  To exemplify farther: It is not with any Probability to be supposed, Achilles and Patroclus found no better Amusement, than to sit looking at one another: No, no; he who so longingly waited, &rsquo;till &AElig;acides clos&rsquo;d his Song, had a grand Object in View.  Love, substantial Love alone, did and cou&rsquo;d so fast cement them.  Destitute Love tore the unconquerable Achillean Heart, when Men&aelig;tiades was no more.  This is well display&rsquo;d by that Tragedy Poet, who makes the swift Pursuer exclaim in a Burst of Grief, and my Acquaintance with your adorable Thighs, O Patroclus, which far surpast in Delightfulness all I have mention&rsquo;d.  Pray too, what were the handsome Fellows styl&rsquo;d by our Ancestors, The Curl&rsquo;d, but Catamites, and nothing else?  Your nice People may call this filthy Stuff; but, by Heaven, &rsquo;tis all true.

The conclusive Place Lucian Assigns this Opinion, signifies his Approbation of it.


 * I have heard the foremention&rsquo;d ever-detestable and accurst Pederasts thus reason in Harangue; The Males of all Brutes are without Dispute more beautiful than the Females; the Peahen cannot equal the Peacocks starry Tail; the Lioness sneaks before the Lion&rsquo;s majestic Mane; and so on: Is Nature devious only in the human Species? No; consistent, and invariable: The gradual Fall of a Man&rsquo;s Shape as much excels, as is possible to excel, the almost breaking Nip of a Woman.  Delicacy is the same in both, till the Boy is expos&rsquo;d to all Weathers, while the Girl is hous&rsquo;d, and her Skin kept nicely clean; but Coarseness and Hairiness, are amply compensated by Strength and Elasticity: Then the Shape weighs down the Scale.  And if in Body Man surpasses, the Minds of the Sexes are throughout a Contrast of Beauty and Deformity: Here an even Temper; there Humoursomness: Here a Capacity of assisting others; there an Incapacity of Supporting Self: Here a Nobleness of Nature; there a Cruelty proportion&rsquo;d to their Fears, which are immoderate: Here a Controul of the Passions and Discernment; there Subjection to hurtful Appetites and an Imbecility which adopts any Error, rather than take the Pains of Enquiry.  It is an Advantage past Expression, to have upon Journey a vigorous Second, a clear headed Companion, an Enj-ym-nt piece, that can Enj-y, in one Person; all which is commonly predicable of Man; while your Flat, (Woman so nam&rsquo;d from undoubted Flatness) ere she sallies, plagues you to Death for Want of Judgment to Dress soon and well; talks Nonsense; falls in Fits; only takes.  Your Man does not urge Musick, when you are out of Tune; but the Flat proceeds to Insistence; and deny&rsquo;d, rages untameable.  Forgive what follows, O you who will still dissent, except your Ears are unusually rous&rsquo;d.  With regard to Underm-t-on, by Posture, and by Vigour, Man &hellip; distances Woman.  If you object the Pollutedness of the Male-sh-th, bring to Account menstruous Defluxions; forget not urinary Fur, proper to another Sh-th; and tell me in which the Nose wou&rsquo;d most delight to dwell.  It is urg&rsquo;d, you have your choice of Sh-ths in a Woman; but do you there meet with the swelling B-lt, to handle which Jove tost from his Grasp the avenging one?