There is a view of lore that it is based on fact. Be that as it may, it is certainly true that the Arabs traditionally admired great sexual prowess, esteeming highly the most prodigious performers. In "The Fabulous Feats of the Futtering Freebooters" the value of hemp is celebrated as causing the jade-stick to "become as hard as iron and hot as fire, fit for intercourse with a hundred girls." The penis of Abu'l-Haylukh remained in erection for thirty days; Abu'l-Hayjeh deflowered eighty virgins in one night; Felah the Negro"did jerk off his yard for all of a

The first explicit recommendation of sex aids - as opposed to their age-old use- in China was made by Buddhist monks who urged the use of sex instruments during the reign of Empress Wu Tse-T'ien (A.D. 1685-1704). Historical records show that the imperial physician, Ming Chtung-yen presented the Empress with a sex aid called a "live limb" for her amusement in the royal bedchamber. The device, made of rubber, was brought to the imperial capital by a Buddhist monk from India via Tibet. A full description is found in a Chinese version of one of the

Louis XIII of France married Anne of Austria when both were only fourteen years old. On their wedding night they spent two hours together with nurses in attendance. Louis apparently pretended to satisfaction, saying that he had consummated twice. Then - despite the urgings of the entourage, the confessor and the cardinal - he refused to attempt the sex act again until three years later. After a further three years the Queen miscarried. Some time later Louis XIV was born.

The Emperor Yang Ti of the Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581-617) was foremost in inventing and indulging sexual pleasures. After various military adventures he settled down to pursue amorous intrigue. He enjoyed one queen, two deputy queens, six royal consorts and seventy-two royal madames. There were also 3,000 palace maidens, hand-picked by special envoys throughout the land; and he included two of his late father's concubines in his harem. In particular he attached importance to novel ways of making love. When he travelled, he took with him

The Orient was prolific in its sex aids. Perhaps the most famous of the Chinese love instruments was the silver clasp. Clamped about the base of the penis, its purpose was to prolong erection by preventing the blood from leaving the engorged organ. The Japanese "pleasure ring" has a similar purpose. Elastic bands can accomplish the same purpose.

The Arapesh and Mundugumor tribes, described by Margaret Mead, agree in making little differentiation on a sex role basis. Differences that occur between individuals are not "sex-linked." A third tribe studied by Mead offers an example of a clear case of sex role reversal between men and women. This occurred among the Tchambuli partly as a result of the imposition of the "Pax Britannica", which outlawed tribal wars. The warriors lost their traditional role and became largely decorative in society. The economic support of the society still

This, we all know, was Catherine of Russia, a woman of inexhaustible sexual appetite. Foot-tickling and bottom-slapping gave her particular sexual delight, and people were employed for these purposes. Even late in life this doughty Czarina was persistently seeking out new thrills.

Dissatisfaction with the penis as a sexual tool has led men to a variety of measures for its improvement. Some of these would seem to be rather hazardous.

The Malays of Borneo, for instance, are reported in F. Henriques' "Love in Action" as perforating the penis with brass wire spread out at the ends soley to aid titillation of the vagina. Sometimes bamboo, ivory, or silver rods, with metal balls at the ends, can be used in the same way (Norman Haire, "The Encyclopaedia of Sex Practice").

When we survey all the sex aid paraphernalia in the modern magazines we may be forgiven for thinking that such things are a product of modern "permissiveness."

Clearly the ancient Romans did not have the opportunity to play around with electronic vibrators - but they had a variety of gadgets that have hardly been surpassed today. And even older peoples have used sex aid devices, e.g. dildoes.

Various Roman Caesars indulged themselves in a wide range of sexual pursuits. Nero and Caligula, for instance, were known for their orgies, sexual appetites, and "perverted" pleasures. Tiberius, perhaps, has the edge over them all. Throughout his life he indulged in all manner of sexual behaviour, and even in old age he contrived a private sporting house in which all forms of sexual behaviour would be performed in front of him. Young boys, whom he called his "minnows", would move between his legs while he was swimming, to lick and tease his penis.