his heart. Such is the nature of his dissatisfaction. Were the rules more stringent, he would be unable to share romantic or sexual love with high-born ladies. As it is, he can do so, but must know all the while that she can share it with others. More often than not, he seems certain that she will. "I fear that under every skirtthere lurks a man."(Propertius, 61)The works of Tibullus paint a similar picture of women of the day. Tibullus, however, laments the loss of his own freedom to a woman, as well as lamenting her freedom to be unfaithful to him."Slavery confronts me now, and a mistress-Farewell, my inheritance, Liberty!Worse! Slavery unrelieved, and chains:Love never eases his victims' bonds;'"(Tibullus, 105)This is a common theme throughout his poetry, as are the frantic suspicions of unfaithfulness quite similar to those of Propertius. However, Tibullus actually placed blame on himself and on Cupid for giving women the means to be unfaithful. "Unfortunately i was the one who taught her how to make foolsof guards - not put down alas! By my own technique!"(Tibullus, 78)In this passage he refers to Delia, who he suspects is withholding sexual pleasure from him and giving it to another. In the next he refers to Cupid."Led by him, girls quietly step over sleeping watchmenand make their way to their lovers alone in the dark...'"(Tibullus, 99)Were one to take the works of Propertius and Tibullus at face value, one might reasonably conclude that the time they speak of was marked by a number of hypothetical characteristics. First, women were not restricted to the home. Second, high-class educated ladies were permitted to choose lovers. Third, men had opportunity to convince these women to have sexual or romantic liaisons with them. Given such assumptions, one might say that women of the time were enjoying sexual liberties similar to those of men. However, it is difficult to believe that the extent of sexual activity and unfaithfulness dep...
