§1.20#1ὃ δ’ οἴονταί τινες σπέρμα συμβάλλεσθαι ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ τὸ θῆλυ διὰ τὸ γίνεσθαι παραπλησίαν τε χαρὰν ἐνίοτε αὐταῖς τῇ τῶν ἀρρένων καὶ ἅμα ὑγρὰν ἀπόκρισιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ὑγρασία αὕτη σπερματικὴ ἀλλὰ τοῦ τόπου ἴδιος ἑκάσταις.
As for the opinion of some that the female contributes semen in intercourse because a pleasure very similar to that of the males sometimes occurs to them, and at the same time a fluid secretion, this moisture is not seminal, but is peculiar to each in that region.
ἔστι γὰρ τῶν ὑστερῶν ἔκκρισις, καὶ ταῖς μὲν γίγνεται ταῖς δ’ οὔ.
For it is a secretion of the uterus, and it occurs to some but not to others.
γίγνεται μὲν ταῖς λευκοχρόοις καὶ θηλυκαῖς ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ εἰπεῖν, οὐ γίνεται δὲ ταῖς μελαίναις καὶ ἀρρενωποῖς.
It occurs to those of a fair complexion and feminine appearance, so to speak for the most part, but does not occur to those of a dark and masculine appearance.
τὸ δὲ πλῆθος, αἷς γίγνεται, ἐνίοτε οὐ κατὰ σπέρματος πρόεσίν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ ὑπερβάλλει.
And the quantity, in those to whom it occurs, is sometimes not in proportion to the discharge of semen, but far exceeds it.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐδέσματα ἕτερα ἑτέρων ποιεῖ πολλὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ γίγνεσθαι τὴν ἔκκρισιν ἢ ἐλάττω ἢ πλείω τὴν τοιαύτην, οἷον ἔνια τῶν δριμέων ἐπίδηλον ποιεῖ εἰς πλῆθος τὴν ἀπόκρισιν.
Moreover, different foods make a great difference in making such a secretion either less or more; for instance, some pungent foods make the discharge conspicuously abundant.
τὸ δὲ συμβαίνειν ἡδονὴν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ οὐ μόνον τοῦ σπέρματος προϊεμένου ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνεύματος, ἐξ οὗ συνισταμένου ἀποσπερματίζει.
And the occurrence of pleasure in intercourse is not only due to the emission of semen, but also of breath (pneuma), from the concentration of which emission takes place.
δῆλον δ’ ἐπὶ τῶν παίδων τῶν μήπω δυναμένων προΐεσθαι, ἐγγὺς δὲ τῆς ἡλικίας ὄντων, καὶ τῶν ἀγόνων ἀνδρῶν· γίνεται γὰρ πᾶσι τούτοις ἡδονὴ ξυομένοις.
This is clear in the case of boys who cannot yet emit semen, but are near the age, and of sterile men; for pleasure occurs to all of these when rubbed.
καὶ τοῖς γε διεφθαρμένοις τὴν γένεσιν ἔστιν ὅτε ἀναλύονται αἱ κοιλίαι διὰ τὸ ἀποκρίνεσθαι περίττωμα εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν οὐ δυνάμενον πεφθῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι σπέρμα.
And indeed, in those whose generative power has been destroyed, sometimes the bowels are relaxed because the residue, which is unable to be concocted and become semen, is secreted into the bowel.
ἔοικε δὲ καὶ τὴν μορφὴν γυνὴ καὶ παῖς, καὶ ἔστιν ἡ γυνὴ ὥσπερ ἄρρεν ἄγονον.
And a woman is like a child in form, and a woman is as it were a sterile male.
ἀδυναμίᾳ γάρ τινι τὸ θῆλύ ἐστι, τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι πέττειν ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς σπέρμα τῆς ὑστάτης.
For the female is female in virtue of a certain inability, namely, in being unable to concoct the semen from the ultimate nourishment.
τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶν ἢ αἷμα ἢ τὸ ἀνάλογον ἐν τοῖς ἀναίμοις διὰ ψυχρότητα τῆς φύσεως.
This is either blood, or its analogue in bloodless animals, because of the coldness of their nature.
ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν ταῖς κοιλίαις διὰ τὴν ἀπεψίαν γίνεται διάρροια, οὕτως ἐν ταῖς φλεψὶν αἵ τ’ ἄλλαι αἱμορροΐδες καὶ αἱ τῶν καταμηνίων· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη αἱμορροΐς ἐστιν, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖναι μὲν διὰ νόσον, αὕτη δὲ φυσική.
Just as, then, diarrhea occurs in the bowels because of indigestion, so in the veins do the other hemorrhages and that of the menstrual discharge occur; for indeed this latter is a hemorrhage, but those are due to disease, while this is natural.
ὥστε φανερὸν ὅτι εὐλόγως γίνεται ἐκ τούτου ἡ γένεσις.
So it is clear that generation reasonably takes place from this.
ἔστι γὰρ τὰ καταμήνια σπέρμα οὐ καθαρὸν ἀλλὰ δεόμενον ἐργασίας, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ περὶ τοὺς καρποὺς γενέσει, ὅταν ᾖ μήπω διῃτημένη, ἔνεστι μὲν ἡ τροφή, δεῖται δ’ ἐργασίας πρὸς τὴν κάθαρσιν.
For the menstrual discharge is semen that is not pure but in need of working up, just as in the formation of fruit, when it is not yet sorted out, the nourishment is present, but needs working up for purification.
διὸ καὶ μιγνυμένη ἐκείνη μὲν τῇ γονῇ, αὕτη δὲ καθαρᾷ τροφῇ, ἡ μὲν γεννᾷ, ἡ δὲ τρέφει.
Therefore, when that is mixed with the semen, and this with pure nourishment, the one generates and the other nourishes.
σημεῖον δὲ τοῦ τὸ θῆλυ μὴ προΐεσθαι σπέρμα καὶ τὸ γίνεσθαι ἐν τῇ ὁμιλίᾳ τὴν ἡδονὴν τῇ ἀφῇ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον τοῖς ἄρρεσιν· καίτοι οὐ προΐενται τὴν ἰκμάδα ταύτην ἐντεῦθεν.
And it is a sign that the female does not discharge semen that the pleasure in intercourse occurs by touch in the same place as for the males; yet they do not discharge this moisture from there.
ἔτι δ’ οὐ πᾶσι γίνεται τοῖς θήλεσιν αὕτη ἡ ἔκκρισις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς αἱματικοῖς, καὶ οὐδὲ τούτοις πᾶσιν, ἀλλ’ ὅσων αἱ ὑστέραι μὴ πρὸς τῷ ὑποζώματί εἰσι μηδ’ ᾠοτοκοῦσιν, ἔτι δ’ οὐδὲ τοῖς αἷμα μὴ ἔχουσιν ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀνάλογον· ὅπερ γὰρ ἐνίοις τὸ αἷμα, ἐν τούτοις ἑτέρα ὑπάρχει σύγκρισις.
Moreover, this secretion does not occur to all females, but to the blooded ones, and not even to all of these, but only to those whose uterus is not near the diaphragm and which are not oviparous, and further, not to those that do not have blood but its analogue; for what is blood to some, in these another mixture exists.
τοῦ δὲ μήτε τούτοις γίγνεσθαι κάθαρσιν μήτε τῶν αἷμα ἐχόντων τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τοῖς κάτω ἔχουσι καὶ μὴ ᾠοτακοῦσιν, αἰτία ἡ ξηρότης τῶν σωμάτων, ὀλίγον λείπουσα τὸ περίττωμα, καὶ τοσοῦτον ὅσον εἰς τὴν γένεσιν ἱκανὸν μόνον, ἔξω δὲ μὴ προΐεσθαι.
And the cause of the purification not occurring either to these or to those of the blooded ones mentioned, which have the uterus below and are not oviparous, is the dryness of their bodies, which leaves little residue, and only as much as is sufficient for generation, so that it is not discharged externally.
ὅσα δὲ ζῳοτόκα ἄνευ ᾠοτοκίας (ταῦτα δ’ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος καὶ τῶν τετραπόδων ὅσα κάμπτει τὰ ὀπίσθια σκέλη ἐντός· ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ πάντα ζῳοτοκεῖ ἄνευ ᾠοτοκίας) τούτοις δὲ γίγνεται μὲν πᾶσιν, πλὴν εἴ τι πεπήρωται ἐν τῇ γενέσει, οἷον ὀρεύς, οὐ μὴν ἐπιπολάζουσί γε αἱ καθάρσεις ὥσπερ ἀνθρώποις.
But as many as are viviparous without being oviparous (and these are man, and of the quadrupeds those that bend their hind legs inwards; for all these are viviparous without being oviparous), to all of these it occurs, unless some deformity has occurred in their generation, such as the mule, yet the purifications do not appear on the surface as they do in humans.
δι’ ἀκριβείας δέ, πῶς συμβαίνει ταῦτα περὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ζῴων, γέγραπται ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὰ ζῷα ἱστορίαις.
But with accuracy, how these things happen concerning each of the animals, has been written in the History of Animals.
πλείστη δὲ γίνεται κάθαρσις τῶν ζῴων ταῖς γυναιξί, καὶ τοῖς ἄρρεσι πλείστη τοῦ σπέρματος πρόεσις κατὰ λόγον τοῦ μεγέθους.
And the greatest purification of all animals occurs to women, and to males the greatest emission of semen in proportion to their size.