160．⑷就妻子而言，与男人联结的倾向是恒久不变的；但就男人而言，这种倾向则是变化无常的。原因在于，爱不能不去爱和联结，以便反过来被爱。它的本质和生命不是别的。女人生来是爱的形式，而男人（女人为了反过来被爱而与其联结）是接受的形式。此外，爱是不断作工的；它就像热、烈焰和火，若不作工就会熄灭。正因如此，就妻子而言，与男人联结的倾向是恒久不变的。而男人对他的妻子却没有类似的倾向，因为男人不是爱的形式，只是爱的接受者。他的接受状态照着忧虑的干扰、心智因种种原因在热与不热之间的摇摆，以及身体力量的强弱而来来去去。由于这些因素并非恒定不变，也没有规律性，故可知，对男人来说，朝向这种联结的倾向是变化无常的。
160、（4）妻子希望丈夫与其合二为一的愿望是不间断的，而丈夫与妻子相结合的愿望却不是持续而是有间歇的。原因是爱能去爱进而能够得到爱，这也正是爱的本质。女人生来是爱的一种形式，而男人却是爱的接受者。另外，爱是不断存在的，正如一种热量，火焰它们是不断运动的，否则也就不再存在。这就是为什么与丈夫相结合的渴望在妻子身上是不间断的。
另一方面，丈夫却与妻子不同。这是因为男人不是爱的形式而是接受爱的形式，接受的状态有时存在，有时不存在。这取决于男人是否忙于其它事务，取决于他的情感变化，还取决于身体的状况，因此丈夫与妻子相结合的愿望不是持续而是有间歇的。
160. (iv) The inclination to be united with a man is constant and permanent in the case of a wife, but inconstant and fluctuating in the case of a man.
The reason is the fact that love cannot help loving and uniting itself so as to be loved in return. This and nothing else is its essence and life. Women are by birth forms of love, and the men with whom they unite themselves to be loved in return are forms for reception. Moreover, love is continuously in action; it is like heat, flame and fire, which cease to exist if they are prevented from acting. That is why the wife's inclination to unite a man to herself is constant and permanent. But a man does not have a similar inclination towards his wife, because a man is not a form of love, but is only a receiver of love. His receptivity comes and goes as worries interfere, as the mind wavers between warmth and chill for various reasons, and as bodily strength increases and decreases. Since these factors are not constant and do not recur in a regular pattern, it follows that the inclination towards this linking is inconstant and fluctuating in the case of men.
160. 4. A desire to unite her husband to her is constant and continual in a wife, but inconstant and intermittent in a husband. The reason is that love cannot help but love and unite itself in order to be loved in return, this being the very essence and life of love. And women are born forms of love, while men - with whom they unite themselves in order to be loved in return - are receivers. Moreover, love is continually operative. It is like heat, flames and fire, which die if they are prevented from operating. That is why a desire to unite her husband to her is constant and continual in a wife.
On the other hand, a husband does not have the same desire with respect to his wife, and that is because a man is not a form of love but only a form receptive of love. And a state of reception comes and goes, depending on other concerns which interrupt, depending on changing feelings of warmth or lack of warmth in the mind for various reasons, and depending on increases and decreases of the powers in the body. Because these things do not return in a constant fashion or at set times, it follows that a desire for this union is, in husbands, inconstant and intermittent.
160. 4. The inclination to unite is constant and perpetual for a wife but inconstant and variable for a man. The reason is that love cannot do anything but love, and unite itself in order to be loved in return.
This is its whole essence and life. Women are born loves, while the men they unite themselves with to be loved in return are receivers.
Also, love is always at it. It is like heat, flame, and fire, which go out if their activity is shut off. This is why wives' inclination to unite themselves with men is constant and perpetual.
A man, however, does not have that same inclination toward a wife, because a man is not love but only a receiver of love. His state of receptiveness comes and goes according to worries that get in the way, according to the variations of warmth and lack of it in his mind, for different reasons, and according to the ebb and flow of his body's vigor, which does not come back regularly and at specific times. As a consequence, for men that inclination to join together is inconstant and variable.
160. IV. THAT THE INCLINATION TO UNITE THE MAN TO HERSELF IS CONSTANT AND PERPETUAL WITH THE WIFE, BUT INCONSTANT AND ALTERNATING WITH THE MAN. The reason is, because love cannot do otherwise than love and unite itself [to another] that it may be loved in return, its essence and life being nothing else; and women are born loves, but men, with whom they unite themselves that they may be loved in return, are receptions. Moreover, love is continually working. It is like heat, flame, and fire, which perish if restrained from doing their work. Hence it is, that with the wife, the inclination to unite the man to herself is constant and perpetual. That with the man, there is not the same inclination to the wife, is because man is not love but only a recipient of love, and the state of reception is absent or present according to interrupting cares, according to the changes of heat and non-heat in the mind from various causes, and according to the increase and decrease of virile powers, in the body; and since these do not return constantly and at set times, it follows, that with men the inclination to that conjunction is inconstant and alternating.
160. (iv) Inclination to unite the man to herself is constant and perpetual with the wife, but inconstant and recurrent with the man. For love cannot but love and unite itself, to be loved in return. This is its whole essence and life. Women are born loves, but men, with whom they unite to be loved in return, are receptions. Love, furthermore, is continuously acting; like heat, flame and fire, which if kept from activity, perish. Hence it is that the inclination to unite the man to herself is constant and perpetual with a wife. The man does not have a like inclination toward his wife because he is not love, but only a recipient of love, and because the state of reception is absent or present according to interposing cares, according to changes of warmth or no warmth of mind for various reasons, and according to increase and decrease of bodily power. None of these recurs uniformly or at given times. It follows that inclination to that conjunction is inconstant and recurrent with men.
160. (4) That the inclination to unite the man to herself is constant and perpetual with the wife; but with the man it is inconstant and alternating. The reason is, that love cannot do otherwise than love and unite itself, in order that it may be loved in return. Its essence and life are nothing else; and women are born loves, and men, with whom they unite themselves that they may be loved in return, are receptions. And besides, love is continually efficient, It is like heat, flame, and fire, which if restrained so that they go not forth into effect, perish. Hence it is that with the wife the inclination to unite the man to herself is constant and perpetual But that with the man there is not a similar inclination to the wife, is because the man is not love but only a recipient of love, and because the state of reception comes and goes, according to interrupting cares, according to the changes of heat and want of heat in the mind from various causes, and according to increase and decrease of the powers in the body, which, not returning constantly and at stated periods, it follows that with men the inclination to conjunction is inconstant and alternating.
160. IV. Quod inclinatio ad uniendum sibi virum sit constans et perpetua apud Uxorem, sed inconstans et alterna apud Virum; causa est, quia Amor non potest aliter quam amare, et se unire, ut redametur; essentia et vita ejus non aliud est; ac Foeminae natae sunt Amores, at Viri, cum quibus se uniant ut redamentur, sunt Receptiones. Praeterea, est amor continue efficiens; est sicut calor, flamma et ignis, quae si coercentur ne efficiant, pereunt; inde est, quod inclinatio ad uniendum sibi virum, sit constans et perpetua apud uxorem: quod autem non similis inclinatio ad uxorem sit apud virum, est quia Vir non est amor, sed modo recipiens amoris; et quia status receptionis abest et adest secundum curas quae interpolant, secundum caloris et non caloris mutationes in mente ex variis causis, et secundum incrementa et decrementa virium in corpore, quae quia non constanter et statis momentis redeunt, sequitur quod inclinatio ad conjunctionem illam sit apud viros inconstans et alterna.