28 NATURAL HISTORY. 



ure to colour the hair of their heads and beards black. 

 And divers with us that are grown grey, and yet 

 would appear young, find means to make their hair 

 black, by combing it (as they say) with a leaden 

 comb, or the like. As for the Chineses, who are of 

 an ill complexion (being olivaster), they paint their 

 cheeks scarlet, especially their king and grandes. 1 

 Generally, barbarous people, that go naked, do not 

 only paint themselves, but -they pounce and raze their 

 skin, that the painting may not be taken forth ; and 

 make it into works. So do the West Indians ; and 

 so did the ancient Picts and Britons ; so that it seem- 

 eth men would have the colours of birds feathers, if 

 they could tell how ; or at least they will have gay 

 skins instead of gay clothes. 



Experiment solitary touching the use of bathing and 

 anointing. 



740. It is strange that the use of bathing, as a part 

 of diet, is left. With the Romans and Grecians it was 

 as usual as eating or sleeping ; and so is it amongst the 

 Turks at this day : whereas with us it remaineth but 

 as a part of physic. I am of opinion, that the use of 

 it, as it was with the Romans, was hurtful to health ; 



1 1 do not know where Bacon found this. It is not mentioned, I think, 

 by modern travellers. The Chinese call us red men. It appears from Pliny, 

 xxxiii. 36., that in early times it was usual in Rome to colour the image of 

 Jupiter red, or at least its face, and to smear in a similar way the bodies of 

 those who triumphed. O. K. Miiller connects the two things, regarding 

 the triumph as a kind of Apotheosis. 



[I have retained the original spelling of yrandes ; the double e, which 

 was no doubt introduced merely to mark the word as a dissyllable, has led 

 to the misplacing of the accent. The Spanish grande would not. have 

 changed into the English yrande e, as we now pronounce it, except through 

 ignorance. J. S.] 



