Miscellanies · §97 · Julius Africanus

Anonymous: the Babylonian Africanus on male and female children

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Anonymous, in Paris manuscript gr. 2286. As the Babylonian Africanus says, if someone wants to beget a child, before coming together with the woman — that is, when he is about to come to intercourse — let him smear his member with hare’s blood and he will make a male child; but if he smears goose-fat he will make a female.

Greek

9.4 ανονψμι ιν μς. παρισινο γρ. 2286 Ὡς δὲ Βαβυλώνιος ὁ Ἀφρικανὸς φησὶν ὅτι εἰ θέλει παιδοποιῆσαι τις, πρὸ τῆς συνελεύσεως τῆς γυναικὸς ἤγουν ὅταν μέλλῃ εἰς συνουσίαν ἐλθεῖν, ἐπιχρισάτω τὸ μόριον αὐτοῦ αἷμα λαγωοῦ καὶ ποιήσει παῖδα ἄρρενα εἰ δὲ χήνειον στέαρ ἐπιχρίσει καὶ ποιήσει θῆλυ.

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