The Polyhistor

AFor men beget children even in their eightieth year, just as King MASINIS-
SA original: "Masinissa" fathered his son Methymnus in his seventy-sixth year. C CATO original: "Cato", having passed his eightieth year, sired his grandson Cato of Utica by the daughter of Salonius, his client. It is also a confirmed fact that when a short interval passes between two conceptions, both may remain, as appeared in the case of Hercules and his brother Iphiclus; although they were carried together, they seemed to be born at the intervals in which they were conceived. D Regarding the servant of Proconesia original: "Proconesia", who from a double adultery gave birth to twins, both resembling their respective fathers. This Iphiclus sired Iolaus, who, having entered Sardinia, coaxed the scattered spirits of the inhabitants into harmony and built Olbia and other Greek towns. The Iolenses original: "Iolenses", named after him, added a temple to his tomb because he, imitating the virtues of his uncle, had freed Sardinia from many evils. Above all, those thinking of offspring must avoid sneezing after intercourse, lest a sudden impulse shake out the semen before the paternal fluid can insinuate itself into the maternal depths. But if the natural substance remains, the tenth day from conception will warn the GRAVIDA original: "gravidas" pregnant woman through pain. From then on, restlessness of the head and dullness of vision will begin. The desire for food will also be closed off by disgust for meals. It is agreed among all that the heart is formed first from the entirety of the flesh, and that it grows until the sixty-fifth day, then diminishes: and from the bones, the spine is formed. Therefore, it is a capital matter if either part is injured. Clearly, if the little body is shaped as a male, the pregnant woman has a better complexion and the uterus is more prone to labor. Finally, movement begins from the fortieth day. The other sex first flutters on the ninetieth day. And a conceived female infects the face of the mother with pallor. It also hinders the legs with a languid slowness. In both sexes, when the hair germinates, the discomfort is greater. And it becomes more intense at full moons.