Garden Baths

Among the decorative buildings employed for the decoration of gardens, the bath should not be neglected, for its important usefulness demands a place wherever pure water can be obtained; and the agreeableness alone of bathing, without its salubrity, should suffice to procure to the bath a higher degree of patronage than it has yet received in this and its neighbouring country: but during many years the difficulties of dress, consequent on the fashion of wearing powder in the hair, were inimical to its use: this impediment being removed, it is probable that baths will be employed by us as ordinary and frequent sources of innocent pleasure as well as for medical relief.

Bathing among the Romans was held in very high estimation, so much indeed, Rome alone is said at one time to have contained eight hundred and 56 public baths; and the emperors endeavoured to conciliate the people by the erection of such buildings. Those of Paulus £milius, Titus, and Dioclesian, ranked among the noblest edifices of the empire. The use of the tepid bath is now so much prescribed, and the method of imparting hot weather to water is so simple and perfect in its application, that the warm bath ought to accompany the cold one.