Martini Cromeri ex duodecimo libro de origine & rebus gestis Polonorum nonnulli loci dubii

[Matthaeus]

Nec multo post, admittente pontifice maximo Ioannae id certo pacto restituit. Illa vero Avinionem urbem Narbonensis provinciae pontifici in loco mercedis iure sempiterno donavit, perfrictaque semel fronte totam sese libidinibus dedidit.

This is probably a set expression, but for the life of me I'm unable to figure it out nor find an explanation for it.

 

[Agrippa]

Cf. Lewis&Short s.v. perfrico II:

II

Transf.: frontem, faciem, os, to rub one's forehead or face, in order to make one's blushes disappear; hence, to lay aside all sense of shame, to cast off shame, summon one's assurance, put on a bold face (class.): cum os perfricuisti, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41: vitiosa sunt illa ... perfricare faciem et quasi improbam facere, Quint. 11, 3, 160: cum perfricuit frontem posuitque pudorem, Mart. 11, 27, 7: perfrica frontem et dic, Calv. ap. Quint. 9, 2, 25: perfricui faciem, Plin. H. N. praef. § 4.

"perfricta fronte" ~ without feeling ashamed

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Does rubbing one's face actually make blushes disappear?

 

[Matthaeus]

Dunno, you should try it..

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I don't think I blush often, and wouldn't I have to then rush to a mirror to see, which would be worse than blushing?

 

[Matthaeus]

Strange expression, I agree...cuz rubbing one's face would most likely render it even redder, lol.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Were Romans prone to blushing? Thinking about it, I've known relatively few people who were, and although I can't recall what they were blushing at, I'm pretty sure it wasn't when they were having to brazen out anything.

 

[Matthaeus]

Who knows...

 

[Bestiola]

per-frico, cui, cātum, and ctum, āre, v. a. Lit., to rub all over, to rub or scratch (class.): caput unguento, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 25, § 62: totam faciem fuligine, Petr. 22; Cels. 3, 14: totum corpus, id. 1, 3; Plin. 28, 12, 51, § 190: perfrictis oculis, App. M. 2, p. 125, 28: dentes, Ov. A. A. 3, 216: caput sinistrā manu perfricans, scratching his head, Cic. Pis. 25, 61.

— Transf.: frontem, faciem, os, to rub one's forehead or face, in order to make one's blushes disappear; hence, to lay aside all sense of shame, to cast off shame, summon one's assurance, put on a bold face (class.): cum os perfricuisti, Cic. Tusc. 3, 18, 41: vitiosa sunt illa ... perfricare faciem et quasi improbam facere, Quint. 11, 3, 160: cum perfricuit frontem posuitque pudorem, Mart. 11, 27, 7: perfrica frontem et dic, Calv. ap. Quint. 9, 2, 25: perfricui faciem, Plin. H. N. praef. § 4.

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