gSTHONIAN BATHS. 379 



finger nails. For continually keeping up a frefh 

 vapour, the throwing of water on the hot flints is not 

 neglected. Thefe and the like manipulations are fo 

 long continued, till the man lies, as it were, without 

 fpirit, or rather in the moft voluptuous languor. In 

 this condition, in a gentle relaxation of all his powers, 

 he is now left for fome time to reek ; and then is 

 brought drown from the ftielf, and put upright in the 

 tub of water, where he is ibftly warned with foap, and 

 buckets of water are fucceffively poured on his head, 

 which produces the fineft fenfations over all the body, 

 — That he may be thoroughly cleanfed, it is ufual to 

 finifh the procefs by licking out the impurities of his 

 eyes. This is an experiment for which fome of the 

 bath-wives are peculiarly famous. She makes her 

 tongue quite pointed, then bores it under the eye-lid 

 into the focket of the eye, and turns it round and 

 round about the eye -ball. 



If I had been witnefs only once to this mode of 

 cleanling the eyes, I mould have been tempted to 

 doubt whether the tongue was actually turned about 

 within the eye. Though I at various times made ufe 

 of the bath according to the univerfal practice of the 

 country, yet I never could bring myfelf to fubmit to 

 this experiment. But an unpjeafant accident obliged 

 me once to undergo it ; and therefore I am in every 

 fenfe an ocular witnefs of the fact. I was travelling 

 one very hot fummer's day in an open carriage, and 

 got, I know not by what mifchance, fome particles of 

 dufl; in my eye. Every means, fuch as wetting the 

 corner of my handkerchief, taking fnuff to promote 

 fneezingj &£, were tried in vain. The eye grew red 



and 



