Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-09-15


BATH, ENGLAND, Aug. 2S.-Nowhere |
In England have so many great men
and women come and for time |
lived and left behind them such clear |
and charming chronicles Of their larry |
ing, as in the interesting old Somerset
shire city of Bath.
Curiously enough II furnishes few of
the ordinary characteristics which rem
der most other British cities attractive
to the traveller There arc no ruins of
castles or vestiges of siege and slaughter
No kings were crowned or are entombed
within It, 1t has no cathedral, vast,
dim, shrineful where a Cromwell can
still be remembered in the headess and
limbless effigies of martyrs and saints.
Even its abbey church has scarcely had
time to turn gray from the hands of its
sixteenth and seventeenth century
builders. The city's noble crescents and
parades are scarcely an hundred years
old, and only in odd quarters Of the old
town are found the tender browns and
grays mingled with the masses Of ivy
which mutely tell of remote and hoary
long ago.
And yet Bath has known antiquity of
nearly two thousand years, one that you
can see any day in the year with your
own eyes anu Il CldlIllGu dlllNlullN bl
nearly thousand years Llvund that
1t is in the baths of Bath modern and
ancient, that chief interest ccnters.
From the standpoint of modern elegance
and convenience no city in the world
possesses more splendid provisions;
while there is certainly a wonderful fas
cination and interest in the feeling that
here in a west of England city, while
enjoying hot baths under conditions "
luxury unsurpassed in Europe, your
surroundings are those OF the Roman
emperors and generals of 1,4O0 to SOC
years ago, while the same thermal waters
possibly banished the ills of St. David
King Arthur and vast line of old British
princes and potentates for half thous
and years beyond.
Whatever may be the actual ANTIQUITY
of this ancient city and its more anCien
baths, the legend Of their discovery i
most curious and interesting. iIudibras
King of Britain, who tiourished b. c.
1872, had son named Bladud, who
being leper was expelled from tn
royal court at Winchester, and wandered
in poverty throughout the land. Afte
time he became a swineherd along tn
banks of the Somersctshire Avon, bu
soon discovered in dismay that all tn
dnlLuul5 III lis tlldIHt Idll DtGblllC II
leprous as himself.
Fearful of discovery by his master h
drove his pigs across the river at a poir
still known as Swineford, and took up
position on the hillside where sheltc
and acorns were in abundance. 1t han
pened that one Of the finest sows WI
addicted to rowing. She strayed froi
the rest, and l}ladud on searching fl
her discovered her contcntcdly wallOV
ing in pool of muddy warm waite
But Bladud found much more to h
satisfaction. The animal had bee
clcansed of her leprosy, and fnllowir
her example, he not only drove Il
whole herd to the warm pool, mornir
and night, but himself wallowed with
it among the swine.
Finally the prince returned to h
fathers court clean and whole The
was great rejoicing, and Blldud I
stunned his place rs heir apparent, b
for long time could not be prevail,
upon to make the place or circut
stances of HIS cure known. lie W
sent to and educated in Greece und
the name of Abarls, and returned
''capable governor of tile natinn.n !
now bethought himself to make /
secret known for the benefit Of othe
lhSiNNPPh llN hAAit blN IltN vi lDt
(about 1900 years agO y when lie Il
piled himself so diligently and excl
sively to ingenious studies that he 81
ceeded in inventing and making t
himself wings with which to fly; but
one of his flights he fell down upon
church steeple, which caused the Dreu
ing of his neck from which he died
However all this may be, certain il
that at about the beginning Of the Il
century Bath suddenly rose from
condition of a neglected provincial to7
to a second capital of English fa3hii
Its baths attracted all the rich and gre
Then it was that the unknown l{Chi
Nash, who, when law student at cha
bers III the Temple, London, had be
raised to royal favor by his conduct
master OF the pageant on the visit Of
king, came to Bath, and, by comm
consent as master Of all city ccrcu
malls and the most tritling questions
etiquette concerning the social reati,
of visitors, held undisputed swuyfor o
so years. New York has now il mii
of this famous king coXcomb, u sort
social male tape measure and ST
yards of ceremonial inanitics, but
Beau Nash of Bath was intelccta
and in the matter of actual pOwc
king indeed in comparison with all
buffoon imitators Who have folioI
him.
1t is lovely, leafy, roomy, rare
city, this Bath, without any ot
curious old associations. Its baths
finer than can be found elsewhere
Europe. Perhaps 100000 visitors 5
their healing qualities annually. WGa
age, refinement and wonderful hea
of surrounding, render tarryug
luxurious and charming. And {
what treat it is TO have added to
modern day luxury the constant
perience of sweltering in these
waters precisely where the sw
Bladud and all the old Romans Il
wallowed The old Roman buth is
to-day almost precisely as ID Ea- d
and the general OF the empire lei
Something like 100 feet III Length
20 in breadth are its dimension.
ancient vaultcd roof, 81 feet ldE.l, !
ported by six massive piers, Is
lacking. But here are still heclust
pilastcrs on either side, an5 Uru
columns, wonderfully carved cnta
lures, and all the curious tone wor
1.400 years ago. Il is all worth
Journey to see, for in Rome itself Is
more curious relic Of ltoM4a time
Roman luxury.
To many the literary and artistic
sociations of Bath will have the dec
interest. In no other English city,
Cept London, can there be found 81!
wealth Of memories Of this cAarat
Fffl ,f.i.f, trfNtR Vtrrt - 81 ,-, ,t -