Publius Ovidius Naso was a Roman poet known as the medieval magister amoris ("master of love"). He wrote Ars amatoria ('Art of Love') in which, according to Wikipedia, he provides teaching in three areas of general preoccupation: how and where to find girls (and husbands) in Rome, how to seduce them, and how to prevent others from stealing them.
Although such books were written around year 1 AD, some of Ovidius' Roman wisdom are still valid for today's love birds. By quickly scanning parts of the text, some pieces of advice called my attention, like these ones below *for girls*
Book III Part IX: Be Seen Around
"...Lovely girls, the crowd is useful to you. Often lift your feet above the threshold. So too a lovely woman must let the people see her: and perhaps there’ll be one among them she attracts. Chance rules everywhere: always dangle your bait: the fish will lurk in the least likely pool."
Book III Part X: Beware of False Lovers
"Avoid those men who profess to looks and culture, who keep their hair carefully in place. What they tell you they’ve told a thousand girls: their love wanders and lingers in no one place."
Other parts, however, are actually quite funny to try to picture in a night out these days!
Book III Part V: Conceal Your Defects
"... If you’re short sit down, lest, standing, you seem to sit: and commit your smallness to your couch: there also, so your measure can’t be taken, let a shawl drop over your feet to hide them. (...) Those with thick fingers and bitten nails, make sparing use of gestures whenever you speak."
.. I'm glad that times are different now!
