General History of Bath. 79 



1 704, and during Webster's reign, that Richard Nash came 

 to Bath as a visitor. A lucky evening at cards induced him 

 to prolong his stay, and he was well known to so many of 

 the better class of those frequenting the place, that he began 

 to discharge many of the social duties naturally falling upon 

 ,the master of ceremonies. Webster was soon afterwards 

 killed in a duel, and Nash was elected by acclamation as his 

 successor. Choice could not have fallen upon a man more 

 suitable. He had been an undergraduate, a soldier, a Tem- 

 plar. He knew everyone worth knowing, had good address, 

 an excellent temper, refined tact, and had in getting up a 

 display before Royalty in the Temple displayed talents for 

 social administration of no mean order. 



The crisis was a serious one, for Bath was under the 

 dominion of a gang of well-dressed roughs, gamesters, and 

 adventurers. Swords and bludgeons were flourished upon 

 the promenades. Ladies in the streets, and even in the 

 liaths, were persecuted with oifensive gibe or more offensive 

 compliment. The evening entertainments were nightly in- 

 vaded by drunken ruffians, swaggering about with swords 

 or riding whips, lolling on settees with mud-bespattered 

 boots, and tearing draperies and dresses with their spurs. 



We do not claim for Nash that he improved the morals 

 of the city. We doubt if the idea of attempting such a 

 reform ever occurred to him. What he did do was success- 

 fully to insist upon decorum. 



His first care was to provide an Assembly Room as a 

 centre of fashionable life, and, in 1708, Harrison's Rooms 

 in the Orange-grove were opened. In these rooms and the 

 larger ones which took their place, were held the balls, which 

 were the subject of most severe regulations. At six a series 

 of minuets commenced, each gentleman dancing in turn 



