BAT 



343 



BAT 



Bathing, dug, and lined with brick, or stone, for the purpose 



' v of carrying off the waste water. Then the walls of 



the bath are rai-ed. These must be built between 

 the two trenches ; the length of each wall being 

 about 18 English feet, and the height 10 or 11 feet. 

 A furnace is placed within the building, supplied 

 with wood, vaulted like an oven, and lined with 

 stones, that become red-hot by the fire within, and 

 thoroughly heat the air. Two or three stages are- 

 placed round the room, one above the other, three 

 or four feet distant from the furnace ; and on these 

 lie the bathers, to receive the heat of the stone. The 

 floor of the bath forms an inclined plane, at the 

 bottom of which is a small pipe, for carrying off 

 through the trenches the water that has been used. 

 Such is the construction of the public baths, from 

 which those of private families differ only in having 

 better accommodations, and a chamber for the bathers 

 to repose after bathing. 



The baths are entered when the wood, with which 

 the furnace is supplied, is nearly burnt to ashes ; and 

 the chimney is then closed, so as to render the heat 

 of the room almost intolerable to those who are not 

 accustomed to it. The bathers enter the room quite 

 naked. In the private baths, some water is generally 

 thrown upon the stones of the furnace before enter- 

 ing them ; but, in the public baths, the common 

 people expose themselves to the burning heat, lying 

 on the stages where it is the most intense. The 

 great heat at first often produces violent headache, 

 and great thirst, to relieve which great draughts of 

 cold water are sometimes taken, though (as Dr San- 

 ches remarks) to the great injury of the constitution. 

 When the room is sufficiently heated, and the warmth 

 becomes troublesome, cold water is poured upon the 

 hot flints around the furnace ; this is instantly con- 

 verted into vapour, and fills the whole room ; and the 

 water is renewed whenever the vapour begins to 

 clear away. This excites in the bathers a most co- 

 pious sweat, which they keep up by renewing the 

 steam, and by friction of the whole body with the 

 downy leaves of the lime tree rubbed with soap. 

 The Frictions being finished, the bathers cool them- 

 selves by pouring buckets of cold or tepid water 

 over their bodies, or, what is more common, by 

 plunging into a pond that is always near the bath, 

 or, in winter, rolling in the snow. They then dress, 

 and return to their respective occupations. The 

 same general process is pursued in the private baths, 

 except that there the bathers retire to the small room 

 adjoining the bath, where they recline on beds till the 

 sweating be over, and often sink into a profound sleep. 



Cold bathing in the sea is also practised by the 

 Russians ; and the bathers here seem to pay very little 

 regard to delicacy or decency. We are assured by 

 MrM'GiU, that, at the Russian ports on the Euxine, 

 it is very common for males and females of all ages 

 to bathe together in the open sea ; and, deprived 

 of all adventitious covering, to enjoy, with primitive 

 simplicity, the pleasures of their favourite pastime. 

 See M'Gill's Travels in Turkey, Sfc. vol. i. 



On the . subject of this article, see Floyer and 

 Baynard on Cold Bathing, and Hot and Cold Baths; 

 Marcard Uber die Natur und den Gebrauch der Ba- 

 dcr, published at Hanover in 1793; or Parant's 



translation De la Nature, et de IHJsage des Bains, 

 published at Paris in 1801 ; Duncan's Medical Com- 

 mentaries, vol. xx. ; Saunders' Treatise on Mineral 

 Waters, chap. vi. ; Currie's Medical Reports on the 

 Effects of Water, 3d edit. vol. i. ; and a Treatise on 

 Cold and Warm Bathing, lately published at Edin- 

 burgh. See also Clarke's Travels, vol. i.; and Wa- 

 ring's Tour to Sheeruz. (^/) 



BATHS. See Civil Architectuiie. 



BATHURST, Alle.v, Earl Bathurst, was born 

 in Westminster in the year 1684k His father was 

 Sir Benjamin Bathurst of Pauler's Perry ; and his 

 mother was Frances, daughter of Sir Allen Apsley 

 of Apsley. Having completed his grammatical edu- 

 cation, he was entered, at 15 years of age, in Trinity 

 college, Oxford, of which his uncle, the celebrated 

 Dean Bathurst, was then president. Under the di- 

 rection of this eminent scholar, he acquired that ele- 

 gance of taste by which he was so much distinguish- 

 ed ; and successfully applied his mind to those more 

 solid attainments, which are requisite to form the 

 character of a statesman. When he was only 21 

 years of age, he was called to the service of his coun- 

 try, as member for the borough of Cirencester, which 

 he continued to represent in two successive parlia- 

 ments. He distinguished himself by his spirit and 

 eloquence in the debates respecting the union between 

 England and Scotland, of which measure he was a 

 firm supporter ; and was also of great service to Hur- 

 ley and St John, in their opposition to the Duke of 

 Marlborough. Amidst the numerous changes, how- 

 ever, which were made in the public offices, after the 

 dissolution of the Whig ministry, he accepted no place 

 under government ; but, in the 10th year of Queen 

 Anne's reign, when the administration brought 12 

 new lords into the Upper House in one day, he was 

 created a peer, by the style and title of Lord Ba- 

 thurst, Baron Bathurst of Battlesden. 



Upon the accession of George I, when Lord Ba- 

 thurst's political friends were in disgrace, his attach- 

 ment remained unshaken ; and he did not hesitate to 

 lift his voice in opposition to the measures which 

 were adopted against them, and which he regarded as 

 most vindictive and severe. The first of his speeches 

 mentioned in the common accounts of public transac- 

 tions, was in Feb. 1717, on the bill for preventing 

 mutiny and desertion ; and, from that time, he took a 

 distinguished part in every important measure, which 

 came before the House of Lords. He was one of the 

 most eminent leaders, in that House, of the opposition 

 which was made to Sir Robert Walpole ; and the ge- 

 neral tenor of his political sentiments may be made 

 apparent by the fallowing short statement of the 

 principal measures which he advocated or opposed. 

 He strongly resisted the act for septennial parliaments 

 in 1716, and was one of those, who entered their rea- 

 sons of dissent from that bill. He was very favour- 

 ble to the plans, which were proposed for relieving the 

 scruples of the Quakers respecting oaths ; and was a 

 zealous advocate of Bishop Atterbury, in all the pro- 

 ceedings against that ingenious prelate. In Feb. 

 1730, he strenuously supported the bill, which pro- 

 hibited pensioners from sitting in the House of Com- 

 mons ; and in May following moved an address to the 

 king, praying for the discharge of the 12,000 Hes- 

 2 



Baths, 

 Bathurst. 



