How to Sweet Talk Your Man, 1713

Lewis Walpole Library

"Complemental Expressions towards Men Leading to the Art of Courtship": 

Sir, I am daily in disquiet, and shall be, till some occasion be offered me suddenly wherein I may appear to You to be more than Verbal.
Sir, Your good Goodness wants a resident.
Sir, I shall study to Chronicle Your Vertues.
Sir, You are so highly Noble, that Your Purse is my Exchequer.
Sir, Be confident of my Affection, while I have room to lodge You in my Bosom.
Sir, Sleep is not more welcome to the wearied Traveller, than thou art to my House.
Sir, Without you, the State's necessities increase.
Sir, my appetite is sick, for want of a Capacity to digest your Favors. 

Charles Sackville, The New Academy of Complements, excerpts

Looking to get more than verbal with a special guy? A few of these lines in quick succession will have him lodging in your bosom in no time.

(Need to impress a lady? No problem. How to Sweet Talk Your Lady, 1656 and How to Compliment a Lady, 1653.)

How to Charm a Man, 1896

"When you desire to make any one "love" you with whom you meet, although not personally acquainted with him, you can very readily reach him and make his acquaintance... Wherever or whenever you meet again, at the first opportunity grasp his hand in an earnest, sincere, and affectionate manner, observing at the same time the following important directions, viz.: As you take his bare hand in yours, press your thumb gently, though firmly, between the bones of the thumb and the forefinger of his hand, and at the very instant when you press thus on the blood vessels (which you can before ascertain to pulsate) look him earnestly and lovingly in the eyes, and send all your heart's, mind's, and soul's strength into his organization, and he will be your friend..."

The Ladies' Book of Useful Information (1896)

This handy technique allows you not only to bewitch that alluring stranger, but also to check his resting heart rate.

How to Flirt With a Handkerchief, 1877

"I hate you"?
George P. A. Healy, Euphemia White Van Rensselaer (1842)
Metropolitan Museum of Art

"The handkerchief, among lovers, is used in a different manner than its legitimate purpose. The most delicate hints can be given without danger of misunderstanding, and in "flirtations" it becomes a most useful instrument... The following rules are the law on the subject:  

Drawing it across the lips                       Desiring an acquaintance
Drawing it across the cheek                  I love you
Drawing it across the forehead            Look, we are watched
Drawing it through the hands               I hate you
Dropping it                                                   We will be friends
Folding it                                                       I wish to speak with you
Letting it rest on the right cheek         Yes
Letting it rest on the left cheek            No
Letting it remain on the eyes                You are so cruel
Opposite corners in both hands          Do wait for me
Over the shoulder                                     Follow me
Placing it over the right ear                   How you have changed
Putting it in the pocket                            No more love at present" 

Daniel R. Shafer, Secrets of Life Unveiled (1877) 

It would be pretty easy to confuse "I hate you" with "Do wait for me," and your lover will be heartbroken if you ever have to blow your nose, but still: the time has come to apply this system to bar napkins.