Historical Perspective

[John K. Taber]

Michael Cohen wrote:
> 
> Do you guys know of another case whereby the ostensible
> "executive" or popular leader of a coutnry has been forced out of
> office over the details of a sexual relationship between consenting
> adults.  When did this happen?  What were some of the historical
> details?
> Or is this sort of thing a uniquely American pastime.?
>                           --mike

The closest I can think of is the Profumo scandal in England some
years back. I don't remember his position, but something important
to the PM. His affair with a call girl (Mandie Rice Davies? those
aging gray cells you know) was publicized and caused his resignation.

Maybe there's a parallel in ancient Rome. Tacitus imputed sexual
perversions to Tiberius in order to blacken him. Petronius, ordered
to commit suicide (the result of a palace intrigue), instead of
composing verses flattering to the Emperor as one was expected to 
do before one's suicide, detailed Nero's sex life. That work has 
disappeared, leaving the Satyricon as the only extant work of 
Petronius.

On the whole, the subject's sex life was used in Roman times for
character assassination but only in the third person:

   My sex life is fascinating, you must be dying to hear it.

   Your sex life alarms me, and I speak to you as a Dutch

      uncle.

   His (or her) sex life is disgusting. Yech.