B A I 
•BATA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, 
and country of Lavora, eleven miles welt of Naples. 
BAI-ABAD', a towm of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro¬ 
vince of Caramania, 28 miles foiith-ealt of Kaftamoni. 
BATHS, an ancient village of Campania in Italy, on 
the Sinus Baianus; famous lor its hot baths, which ferv. 
ed the wealthier Romans for the purpofes both of medi¬ 
cine and pleafure. The variety of thefe baths, the foft- 
nefs of the climate, and the beauty of*the landfcape, cap¬ 
tivated the minds of opulent nobles, whole pallion for 
bathing knew no bounds. Abundance of linen, and dif- 
ufe of ointments, render the practice lefs neceffary in mo¬ 
dern life; but the ancients performed no exercife, engaged 
in no ftudy, without previous ablutions, which at Rome 
occalioned an enormous expence in aqueducts, Itoves, and 
attendants: a place therefore, where waters naturally 
heated bubbled fpontaneoully out of the ground, in the 
pleafantelt of all fituations, was fuch a treafure as could 
not be overlooked. Baite was this place in the highelt 
perfection; its eafy communication with Rome was alfo a 
point of great weight. Hither, at firft retired for a tem¬ 
porary relaxation the mighty rulers of the world, to firing 
anew their nerves and revive their fpirits, fatigued with 
bloody campaigns and civil contelts. Their habitations 
were at firft fmall and rnodeft: but loon increafing luxury 
added palace to palace with fuch expedition and fumptu- 
ofity, that ground was wanting for the vaft demand : en- 
terpriling architects, fupported by infinite wealth, carried 
their foundations into the lea, and drove that element back 
from its ancient limits. From being a place of refort for 
a feafon, Baiae foon grew up to a permanent city : whoe¬ 
ver found himfelf difqualified by age, or infirmity, for fuf- 
taining any longer an active part on the political theatre ; 
whoever, front an indolent difpofition, fought a place where 
the pleafnres of a town were combined with the fweets of 
a rural life; whoever wilhed to withdraw from the dan¬ 
gerous neighbourhood of a court, and the baneful eye of 
informers; Hocked hither to enjoy life untainted with fear 
and trouble. Such a flow of wealthy inhabitants render¬ 
ed Baiae as much a miracle of art as it was before of na¬ 
ture; its fpiendour may be inferred from its innumerable 
ru-ins, heaps of marbles, mofaics, ftucco, and other pre¬ 
cious fragments of tafte. It flourilhed in full glory to the 
days of Theodoric the Goth; but the deftruClion of thefe 
enchanted palaces followed quickly upon the irruption of 
the northern conquerors, who overturned the Roman fyf- 
tem, lacked and burnt all before them, and deftroyed or 
difperfed the whole race of nobility. Lofs of fortune left 
the Romans neither the means, nor indeed the thought, of 
fupporting fuch expenfive eftablifliments, which can only 
be enjoyed during peace and profperify. No fooner had 
opulence withdrawn her hand, than the unbridled fea ralli¬ 
ed back upon its old domain; moles and buttrefles were 
tprn afunder and walked away ; whole promontories, with 
the proud towers that once crowned their brows, were un¬ 
dermined and tumbled headlong into the deep, where, 
many feet below the furface, pavements of (beets, foun¬ 
dations of houfes, and mafles of walls, may ftill be dif- 
cerned. Internal commotions of the earth contributed al¬ 
fo to this general devaftation; mephitic vapours and ftag- 
nated waters have converted this favourite feat of health 
into a fource ofpeftilence, at lead during the eftival heats : 
yet Baiae in its ruined date, and dripped of all its orna¬ 
ments, dill prefents many beautiful and driking fubjetls 
for the pencil. 
BAJA DOR', a cape on the weft coaft of Africa, fouth 
of the Canary iflands. 
BAJADOUR',yi in old records, a carrier or bearer of 
burdens. 
BAIA'NUS SI'NUS, a bay fo called from Baia r, or Por- 
tus Baiarum. Pliny. It was enlarged by Auguftus, by gi¬ 
ving entrance to the fea into the Lacus Lucrinus, and 
Averni, ordering it to be called Portus Julius apud Baias. 
Suetonius. We alfo read Baianus Lacus in Tacitus, which 
B A J 623 
forne interpret Lucrinus. The modern name is Golfo di 
Pozzuolo. Front the higheft point that forms the bay, a 
large cadle commands the road, where (hips of war ufu- 
ally ride at anchor, the harbour of Naples not being fpa- 
cious enough for the reception of a fleet : here they enjov 
good dielter, watering, and victualling; but in fu miner 
rilk the health of their crews, on account of the unwhole- 
fomenefs of the air. 
BA'JAZET I. fit!tan of the Turks, a renowned war¬ 
rior, but a tyrant, was conquered by Tamerlane, and ex- 
pofed by him in an iron cage; the fate he had dedined. (it 
is (aid) for his adverfary if he had been the viCtor. The 
iron cage, how ever, fo long and fo often repeated as a mo¬ 
ral lelfon, has been rejected as a fable by modern writers, 
who fmile at the vulgar credulity. They appeal to the 
Perlian hiftory of Sherefeddin Ali, of which a French 
verlion has been given, and from which the late Mr. Gib¬ 
bon has collected the following more fpecious narrative of 
this memorable tranfaCtion. “ No fooner was Timour in¬ 
formed that the captive Ottoman was at the door of his 
tent, than he gracioufly ftepped forwards to receive him, 
feated him by his fide, and mingled with jud reproaches 
a foothing pity for his rank and misfortune. ‘Alas!’ faid 
the emperor, ‘the decree of fate is now accompiidied by 
your own fault: it is the web which you have woven, the 
thorns of the tree which yourfelf have planted. I wifhed 
to fpare, and even to aflift, the champion of the Modems : 
you braved our threats, you defpifed our friendfhip ; you 
forced us to enter your kingdom with our invincible ar¬ 
mies. Behold the event. Had you vanquilhed, 1 am not 
ignorant of the fate which you referved for myfelf and my 
troops. But I difdain to retaliate : your life arid honour 
are fecure ; and I (kallexprels my gratitude to God by my 
clemency to man.’ The royal captive Ihewed iome ligns 
of repentance, accepted the humiliation of a robe of Ho¬ 
nour, and embraced with tears his (bn Moufa, who, at his 
requeft, was fought and found among the captives of the 
field. The Ottoman princes were lodged in a fplendid 
pavilion; and the refpefit of the guards could be furpaffed 
only by their vigilance. On the arrival of the haram from 
Bourla, Timour reftored the queen Defpina and her daugh¬ 
ter to their father and luilband; but he pioufly required, 
that the Servian princels, who had hitherto been indulged 
in the profieflion of Chriftianity, fhould embrace w ithout 
delay the religion of the prophet. In the fealt of viflorv, 
to w hich Bajazet was invited, the Mogul emperor placed 
a crown on his head and a feeptre in his hand, with a fo- 
lentn a flu ranee of reftoring him with an increafe of glory 
to the throne of his anceftors. But the effect of this pro- 
mife w as difappointed by the fultan’s untimely death: a- 
midd the care of the mod fkilful phyficians, he expired of 
an apoplexy at Akfhehr, the Antioch of Pifidia, about 
nine months after his defeat. The victor dropped a tear 
over his grave; his body, with royal pomp, was conveyed 
to the maufoleum which he had erected at Bourfa; and 
his fon Moufa, after receiving a rich prefent of gold and 
jewels, of horfes and arms, was invefted by a patent in red 
ink with the kingdom of Anatolia. 
Such is the portrait of a generous conqueror,- which has 
been extracted from his own memorials, and dedicated to 
His fon and grandfon, nineteen years after hisdeceafe; and, 
at a time when the truth was remembered by thoufands, 
a manifeft falfehood would have implied a fatire on his 
real conduft. On tire other hand, of the harfh and igno¬ 
minious treatment of Bajazet there is alfo a variety of 
evidence. The Turkifh annals in particular, which have 
been confulted or tranferibed by Leunclavius, Pocock, 
and Cantemir, unanimoufly deplore the captivity of the 
iron cage; and fome credit may be allowed to national 
hiftorians, who cannot digmatife the Tartar without un¬ 
covering the diame of their king and country.” From 
thefe oppofite premifes, Mr. Gibbon thinks a fair and mo¬ 
derate conclufion may be deduced. He is latisfied that 
Sherefeddin Ali has faithfully delcribed the firft oftenta- 
tious 
