The Art of Seduction (30 page)

her advances was put to death. Almost everyone in Rome knew about

these frolics, but Claudius said nothing; he seemed oblivious.

So great was Messalina's passion for her favorite lover, Gaius Silius, that she decided to marry him, although both of them were married already. While Claudius was away, they held a wedding ceremony, authorized by a marriage contract that Claudius himself had been tricked into signing. After the ceremony, Gaius moved into the palace. Now the shock and disgust of the whole city finally forced Claudius into action, and he ordered the execution of Gaius and of Messalina's other lovers—but not of Messalina herself. Nevertheless, a gang of soldiers, inflamed by the scandal, hunted her down and stabbed her to death. When this was reported to the emperor, he merely ordered more wine and continued his meal. Several nights
The Anti-Seducer
•
137

later, to the amazement of his slaves, he asked why the empress was not
But if, like the winter cat
joining him for dinner.

upon the hearth, the lover

clings when he is

dismissed, and cannot bear

Nothing is more infuriating than being paid no attention. In the process of
to go, certain means must
seduction, you may have to pull back at times, subjecting your target to
be taken to make him
moments of doubt. But prolonged inattention will not only break the se-
understand; and these
should be progressively

ductive spell, it can create hatred. Claudius was an extreme of this behavior.
ruder and ruder, until they
His insensitivity was created by necessity: in acting like an imbecile, he hid
touch him to the quick of
his ambition and protected himself among dangerous competitors. But the
his flesh.
•
She should
refuse him the bed, and

insensitivity became second nature. Claudius grew slovenly, and no longer
jeer at him, and make him
noticed what was going on around him. His inattentiveness had a profound
angry; she should stir up
effect on his wife: How, she wondered, can a man, especially a physically
her mother's enmity against
him; she should treat him

unappealing man like Claudius, not notice me, or care about my affairs
with an obvious lack of
with other men? But nothing she did seemed to matter to him.

candor, and spread herself

Claudius marks the extreme, but the spectrum of inattention is wide. A
in long considerations
about his ruin; his

lot of people pay too little attention to the details, the signals another per-
departure should be openly
son gives. Their senses are dulled by work, by hardship, by self-absorption.
anticipated, his tastes and
We often see this turning off the seductive charge between two people, no-
desires should be thwarted,
tably between couples who have been together for years. Carried further, it
his poverty outraged; she
should let him see that she

will stir angry, bitter feelings. Often, the one who has been cheated on by a
is in sympathy with
partner started the dynamic by patterns of inattention.

another man, she should

blame him with harsh

words on every occasion;

she should tell lies about

2.
In 1639, a French army besieged and took possession of the Italian city of
him to her parasites, she
Turin. Two French officers, the Chevalier (later Count) de Grammont and
should interrupt his
sentences, and send him on

his friend Matta, decided to turn their attention to the city's beautiful
frequent errands away from
women. The wives of some of Turin's most illustrious men were more than
the house. She should seek
susceptible—their husbands were busy, and kept mistresses of their own. The
occasions of quarrel, and
wives' only requirement was that the suitor play by the rules of gallantry.
make him the victim of a

thousand domestic

The chevalier and Matta were quick to find partners, the chevalier
perfidies; she should rack
choosing the beautiful Mademoiselle de Saint-Germain, who was soon to
her brains to vex him; she
be betrothed, and Matta offering his services to an older and more experi-
should play with the
glances of another in his

enced woman, Madame de Senantes. The chevalier took to wearing green,
presence, and give herself
Matta blue, these being their ladies' favorite colors. On the second day of
up to reprehensible
their courtships the couples visited a palace outside the city. The chevalier
profligacy before his face;
she should leave the house

was all charm, making Mademoiselle de Saint-Germain laugh uproariously
as often as possible, and let
at his witticisms, but Matta did not fare so well; he had no patience for this
it be seen that she has no
gallantry business, and when he and Madame de Senantes took a stroll, he
real need to do so. All
these means are good for

squeezed her hand and boldly declared his affections. The lady of course
showing a man the door.
was aghast, and when they got back to Turin she left without looking at

—
EASTERN LOVE,
VOLUME II:

him. Unaware that he had offended her, Matta imagined that she was over-
THE HARLOT'S BREVIARY OF

come with emotion, and felt rather pleased with himself. But the Chevalier
KSHEMENDRA,
TRANSLATED BY

de Grammont, wondering why the pair had parted, visited Madame de E. POWYS MATHERS

Senantes and asked her how it went. She told him the truth—Matta had dispensed with the formalities and was ready to bed her. The chevalier
138
•
The Art of Seduction

Just as ladies do love men

laughed and thought to himself how differently he would manage affairs if
which be valiant and bold

he were the one wooing the lovely Madame.

under arms, so likewise do

Over the next few days Matta continued to misread the signs. He did
they love such as be of like

sort in love; and the man

not pay a visit to Madame de Senantes's husband, as custom required. He
which is cowardly and over
did not wear her colors. When the two went riding together, he went chas
and above respectful toward
ing after hares, as if they were the more interesting prey, and when he took
them, will never win their

good favor. Not that they

snuff he failed to offer her some. Meanwhile he continued to make his
would have them so

overforward advances. Finally Madame had had enough, and complained to
overweening, bold, and

him directly. Matta apologized; he had not realized his errors. Moved by his
presumptuous, as that they

should by main force lay

apology, the lady was more than ready to resume the courtship—but a few
them on the floor; but

days later, after a few trifling stabs at wooing, Matta once again assumed
rather they desire in them a

that she was ready for bed. To his dismay, she refused him as before. "I do
certain hardy modesty, or
not think that [women] can be mightily offended," Matta told the cheva
perhaps better a certain
modest hardihood. For
lier, "if one sometimes leaves off trifling, to come to the point." But
while themselves are not

Madame de Senantes would have nothing more to do with him, and the

exactly wantons, and will

Chevalier de Grammont, seeing an opportunity he could not pass by, took
neither solicit a man nor

yet actually offer their
advantage of her displeasure by secretly courting her properly, and eventu
favors, yet do they know
ally winning the favors that Matta had tried to force.
well how to rouse the

appetites and passions, and

There is nothing more anti-seductive than feeling that someone has assumed
prettily allure to the

skirmish in such wise that

that you are theirs, that you cannot possibly resist them. The slightest ap
he which doth not take
pearance of this kind of conceit is deadly to seduction; you must prove
occasion by the forelock and

yourself, take your time, win your target's heart. Perhaps you fear that he or
join encounter, and that

without the least awe of

she will be offended by a slower pace, or will lose interest. It is more likely,
rank and greatness, without

however, that your fear reflects your own insecurity, and insecurity is always
a scruple of conscience or a

anti-seductive. In truth, the longer you take, the more you show the depth
fear or any sort of

hesitation, he verily is a

of your interest, and the deeper the spell you create.

fool and a spiritless

In a world of few formalities and ceremony, seduction is one of the few
poltroon, and one which

remnants from the past that retains the ancient patterns. It is a ritual, and its
doth merit to be forever

abandoned of kind fortune.

rites must be observed. Haste reveals not the depth of your feelings but the

•
I have heard of two
degree of your self-absorption. It may be possible sometimes to hurry
honorable gentlemen and

someone into love, but you will only be repaid by the lack of pleasure this
comrades, for the which two
kind of love affords. If you are naturally impetuous, do what you can to
very honorable ladies, and

of by no means humble
disguise it. Strangely enough, the effort you spend on holding yourself
quality, made tryst one day
back may be read by your target as deeply seductive.
at Paris to go walking in a

garden. Being come thither,

each lady did separate

apart one from the other,

3.
In Paris in the 1730s lived a young man named Meilcour, who was just
each alone with her own

of an age to have his first affair. His mother's friend Madame de Lursay, a
cavalier, each in a several

alley of the garden, that
widow of around forty, was beautiful and charming, but had a reputation
was so close covered in with
for being untouchable; as a boy, Meilcour had been infatuated with her, but
a fair trellis of boughs as
never expected his love would be returned. So it was with great surprise
that daylight could really

and excitement that he realized that now that he was old enough, Madame
scarce penetrate there at all,

and the coolness of the
de Lursay's tender looks seemed to indicate a more than motherly interest
place was very grateful.

in him.

The Anti-Seducer
•
139

For two months Meilcour trembled in de Lursay's presence. He was
Now one of the twain was
afraid of her, and did not know what to do. One evening they were dis-
a bold man, and well
knowing how the party

cussing a recent play. How well one character had declared his love to a
had been made for
woman, Madame remarked. Noting Meilcour's obvious discomfort, she
something else than merely
went on, "If I am not mistaken, a declaration can only seem such an em-
to walk and take the air,
barrassing matter because you yourself have one to make." Madame de
and judging by his lady's
face, which he saw to be all

Lursay knew full well that she was the source of the young man's awkward-
a-fire, that she had
ness, but she was a tease; you must tell me, she said, with whom you are in
longings to taste other fare
love. Finally Meilcour confessed: it was indeed Madame whom he desired.
than the muscatels that
hung on the trellis, as also

His mother's friend advised him to not think of her that way, but she also
by her hot, wanton, and
sighed, and gave him a long and languid look. Her words said one thing,
wild speech, he did
her eyes another—perhaps she was not as untouchable as he had thought.
promptly seize on so fair
an opportunity. So catching

As the evening ended, though, Madame de Lursay said she doubted his
hold of her without the
feelings would last, and she left young Meilcour troubled that she had said
least ceremony, he did lay
nothing about reciprocating his love.

her on a little couch that

was there made of turf and

Over the next few days, Meilcour repeatedly asked de Lursay to declare
clods of earth, and did very
her love for him, and she repeatedly refused. Eventually the young man de-
pleasantly work his will of
cided his cause was hopeless, and gave up; but a few nights later, at a soiree
her, without her ever
at her house, her dress seemed more enticing than usual, and her looks at
uttering a word but only:

"Heavens! Sir, what are

him stirred his blood. He returned them, and followed her around, while
you at? Surely you be the
she took care to keep a bit of distance, lest others sense what was happen-
maddest and strangest
ing. Yet she also managed to arrange that he could stay without arousing
fellow ever was! If anyone
comes, whatever will they

suspicion when the other visitors left.

say? Great heavens! get

When they were finally alone, she made him sit beside her on the sofa.
out!" But the gentleman,
He could barely speak; the silence was uncomfortable. To get him talking
without disturbing himself,
did so well continue what