Miscellanies · §56 · Julius Africanus

Dog-chorion knot and male or female herbs

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A most genuine easy-birth, very much so. Polygonon is a herb plentiful everywhere, which is also called drōsa. Wrapped in a dog's membrane that has been treated with myrrh and cleaned as it must be, and hung around, it becomes a cause of conception.

So that the animal may conceive what you want, whether male or female: the herbs linozostis and peristereon are thought to be male and female — males the upright ones, the spread-out the contrary. Make it wear these with the former: if you wish it to bear a male, a male herb; if a female, a female.

Greek

3.6 Εὐτόκιον γενναιότατον πάνυ Πολύγονόν ἐστι πόα πολλὴ πανταχοῦ ὅπερ λέγεται καὶ «δρῶσα»· ἥτις ἐνδεθεῖσα χορίῳ κυνὸς ἐσμυρνισμένῳ καὶ ὡς χρὴ κεκαθαρμένῳ καὶ περιαφθεῖσα αἰτία κυήσεως γίνεται. Ἵνα δὲ ὃ θέλεις συλλάβῃ τὸ ζῷον, εἴτε ἄρρεν εἴτε θῆλυ, λινόζωστις καὶ περιστερεὼν βοτάναι ἄρρενες εἶναι δοκοῦσι καὶ θήλειαι, ἄρρενες μὲν αἱ ὄρθιαι, αἱ ἡπλωμέναι δὲ τοὐναντίον. Ταύτας σὺν τοῖς προτέροις φορεῖν ποίει, ἂν μὲν βούλῃ ἄρρεν τεκεῖν, ἄρρενα, ἂν δὲ θῆλυ, θήλειαν.

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