he involuntary passage of the urine.

The action of the clitoris in women is similar to that of the penis in
men, viz., _erection_; and its lower end is the glans of the penis, and
has the same name. And as the _glans_ of man are the seat of the
greatest pleasure in copulation, so is this in the woman.

The action and use of the neck on the womb is the same as that of the
penis, viz., erection, brought about in different ways: first, in
copulation it becomes erect and made straight for the passage of the
penis into the womb; secondly, whilst the passage is filled with the
vital blood, it becomes narrower for embracing the penis; and the uses
of this erection are twofold:--first, because if the neck of the womb
were not erected, the man's yard could find no proper passage to the
womb, and, secondly, it hinders any damage or injury that might ensue
through the violent striking of the _penis_ during the act of
copulation.

The use of the veins that pass through the neck of the womb, is to
replenish it with blood and vigour, that so, as the moisture is consumed
by the heat engendered by sexual intercourse, it may be renewed by those
vessels; but their chief business is to convey nutriment to the womb.

The womb has many properties belonging to it: first, the retention of
the impregnated egg, and this is conception, properly so called;
secondly, to cherish and nourish it, until Nature has fully formed the
child, and brought it to perfection, and then it operates strongly in
expelling the child, when the time of its remaining has expired,
becoming dilated in an extraordinary manner and so perfectly removed
from the senses that they cannot injuriously affect it, retaining within
itself a power and strength to eject the foetus, unless it be rendered
deficient by any accident; and in such a case remedies must be applied
by skilful hands to strengthen it, and enable it to perform its
functions; directions for which will be given in the second book.

The use of the preparing vessels is this; the arteries convey the blood
to the testicles; some part of it is absorbed in nourishing them, and in
the production of these little bladders (which resemble eggs in every
particular), through which the _vasa preparantia_ run, and which are
absorbed in them; and the function of the veins is to bring back
whatever blood remains from the above mentioned use. The vessels of this
kind are much shorter in women than in men, because they are ne