35 
Of these tribadism is rather artificial, and hardly 
to be distinguished from ordinary masturba-
tion :  so that the balance is strongly in favour of 
man.  This explains why very few women are ex-
clusively Sapphists, but many bimetallists ;  and 
enables one to comprehend the hatred of woman 
for sodomy, and the toleration with which men re-
gard Sapphism. 
8.  I cannot too strongly urge my readers to se-
lect their lovers from their equals in rank and for-
tune.  It is the only safeguard against betrayal ;  
further, it fulfills the Greek ideal, and silences the 
voice of adverse criticism.  A. L. 
Solon properly forbade the practice of sodomy to 
slaves ;  and perhaps after all the English, slaves at 
heart as they are, do well to observe his law.  Ed. 
9.  Besides all this, there is the question of “ na-
ture ” and “ against nature.” 
 
“ Praise Lacedaemon, and despise Corinth ! 
God gave me Daphne ;  I won Hyacinth.” 
 
All our modern devices, though applications of na-
ture, are against and above nature ;  therefore of 
God.  Nature’s man is the cave-man.  We take no 
paternal pride in the pariah dog, the product of 
Nature ;  in the highly bred setter, the product of 
man’s genius applied to nature’s very raw material, 
through centuries and chiliads of struggle, we 
do.  There is no poetry in the panting Puritan 
prone on his puffing and perspiring Priscilla :  the 
love of Adrian and Antinous is a monument for all 
ages.  Is there better poetry in the world than 
Wilde’s “...on Adrian’s gilded barge The laughter of 
Antinous ” or F....’s “ the splendid Syrian youth 
with scarlet mouth Standing upon the summit of 
the world ? ”  Why, to kiss my boy is a canzonet, to 
suck him off a sonnet ;  his mouth is a madrigal, 
his lips are lyrics, and his eyes idylls ;  to be be-