A letter Poggio wrote to Niccolò de' Niccoli in 1417 about the baths at Baden  

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In a letter by Poggio to Niccolò de' Niccoli in 1417 he wrote about the baths at Baden.

Quoted from William Shepherd's The life of Poggio Bracciolini[1]

In the spring of the year 1416, he took advantage of the leisure time afforded him, by the termination of his functions as secretary to the deposed pontiff, to make an excursion to the baths of Baden.* Of these baths he gave a description in the following letter, which he addressed to Niccolo Niccoli; and which, whilst it exhibits an interesting picture of a fashionable watering place of the fifteenth century, displays a sportiveniss of fancy, and an expansion of good humour, which were characteristic and attractive features of Poggio's mind,

• ^* 1 wrote to you from Constance, on the first of

" March, if my memory be correct, a letter, which, if it ^* came to hand, I imagine made you tolerably merry.

• • It was rather long, and pregnant with wit. I gave
  • you in it a long account of my Hebrew studies, and
  • passed many jokes upon my tutor, a stupid, unsteady,
• ^ and illiterate man ; which indeed is the general cha-

^' racter of those who are converted from Judaism to

• ^ C!hristianity. But I am inclined to suspect, that this

^Metter, and another which I addressed to Leonardo

• In the letter which Poggio wrote from Beden to Kiccolo Nieooli, he uyi, that he wrote to him from Constance on the 19th of Fehruary^ 1416; and in another letter, addressed to Leonardo Aretino, he says, that the trial of Jerome of Prague took place a few days after his return to the council. As Jerome^s h»t bearing, to which Poggio evidently alludes, took place May 30th, 1416, the date of Poggio*B journey to Baden is fixed between the above mentioned periodsi, that is, in the spring of 1416.

60 CHAP. II.

'* Aretino, did not reach ' their destination. Had you' •* received my epistle, you would surely have answered

• • it, were it only with the view of congratulating me

" on my new course of study, which you have so frc-

• • quently exhorted me to undertake. I cannot find that
• ' the study of Hebrew adds to my stock of philosophical

' ** knowledge ; but it so far promotes my acquaintance

• • ^ with literature, that I am thereby enabled to investi-

^* gate the principles upon which St. Jerome founded

• • his translation of the scriptures. But I write to you
  • from these baths, (to which I am come to try whether

^^ they can remove an eruption which has taken place

• ^ between my fingers) to describe to you the situation

^^ of the place, and the manners of its inhabitants, toge-

• • ther with the customs of the company who resort
  • hither for the benefit of the waters. Much is said by
• ^ the ancients of the pleasant baths of Puteoli, which

^^ were frequented by almost all the people of Rome. ^' But in my opinion, those boasted baths must, in the " article of pleasure, yield the palm to the baths of

• ^ Baden. For the pleasantness of the baths of Puteoli

" was founded more on the beauty of the circumjacent " country, and the magnificence of the neighbouring " villas, than on the festive manners of the^ company by " which they were frequented. The scenery of Baden, " on the contrary, has but few attractions : but every ^* other circumstance relating to its medicinal springs, is

• • so pregnant with delight, that I frequently imagine
• ' that Venus, and all her attendant joys, have migrated

'* hither from Cyprus. The frequenters of these waters

CHAP. II. 61

• • SO fiutbfully observe her institutes, so accurately copy

^^her manners, that though they haye not read the dis- '* course of Heliogabalus, they seem to be amply in- ^ structed by simple nature. But I must in the first place

• < give you an account of my journey hither. On the

^' fint day I sailed down the Rhine twenty-four miles to ^* Schafiausen. Here we were obliged to pass the falls

• • by land ; and at the distance of ten miles from SchalF-
  • au8en we arrived at a fortress, situated on the Rhine,

'* and known by the name of Keisterstul, that is, G«8ar*8

• • seat. From the name of this place, and from its conv-

^* manding situation, (for it is built on a high hill over- ^ hanging the river, across which is thrown a small ^^ bridge, which effects a communication between France ^* and Germany) I conjecture it was formerly a Roman

• • station. In this day's journey we saw the Rhine pre-
• ^ cipitating itself from a considerable height, over craggy

^' rocks, with a sound which seemed to express the ^* indignation of the river at being thus impeded in its ^ coune. When I contemplated this sight, I recollected ^^ the stories which arc related concerning the cataracts

• • of the Nile, and I did not wonder that the people who
  • live in the vicinity of those waterfiills, were deprived

" of their hearing by their noise, when a river of so ^* comparatively small a magnitude, that witli respect to

• • the Nile it may be denominated a torrent, may be

'* heard to the distance of half a mile. The next town ^* is Baden, which word, in the German language, sig-

• ^ nifies a bath, Baden is a place of considerable opu-

««lence, situated in a valley surrounded by mountains.

62 CHAP. IK

• ^ upon a broad and rapid river, which forms a junction
  • with the Rhine, about six miles from the town. About
• ' half a mile from Baden, and on the bank of the river,
• ^ there is a very beautiful range of buildings, constructed

^ for the accommodation of the bathers. These build-

• ' ings form a square, composed of lodging houses, in
  • which a great multitude of guests are commodiously

^* entertained. Each lodging house has its private bath,

• • appropriated to its tenants. The baths are altogether
  • thirty in number. Of these, two only are public baths,

^* which are exposed to view on every side, and are &e-

• ^ quented by the lower orders of people, of all ages, and
  • of each sex. Here the males and females, entertaining
  • no hostile dispositions towards each other, are separated
• ^ only by a simple railing. It is a droll sight to see de-
  • crepit old women and blooming maidens, stepping into
• ^ the water, and exposing their charms to the pro&ne

^^ eyes of the men. I have often laughed at this exhibit ^^ tion, which reminded me of the Floral games of Rome. ^^ And I have at the same time admired the simplicity of

• • these people, who take no notice of these violations of
• ^ propriety, and are totally unconscious of any indecorum.
  • The baths belonging to the private houses are very

neat. They too are common to males and females,

• • who are separated by a partition. In this partition,
  • however, there are low windows, through which they

^^ can see and converse with, and touch each other, and ^^also drink together; all which circumstances are mat-

• ^ ters of common occurrence. Above the baths are a
  • kind of galleries, on which the people stand who wish

4i

CHAF. If. 08

• • io see and Gonyene with the buthen; for every one
  • has free acceaa to all the baths, to see the eompany, to
  • talk and joke with them. As the ladies go in and out
  • of the water, they, expose to view a considerable por-

^* tion of their persons ; yet there are no door-keepers,

• • or even doors, nor do they entertain the least idea of

^^any thing approaching to indelicacy. Many of the

• • baths have a common passage for the two sexes, which

^ ciicomstance very frequently occasions very curious

• • mMOunters. The men wear only a pair of drawers.
  • ^ The wwnen are clad in linen vests, which are however
  • slashed in the sides, so that they neither cover the neck,

'* the breastv nor the arms of the wearer. The ladies " frequently give public dinners in the baths, on a table '* which floats on the water ; and the men often partake

• ' of these entertainments. Our party received several in*
  • vitations. I paid my share of the reckoning ; but

^^ thou^ I was frequently requested to &vour them with ^* my company, I never accepted the summons ; not «« thioog^ modesty — ^which would, on these occasions, be «< mistaken for rudeness, and want of good breeding, but

• ^ on account of my ignorance of the language. For it

« seemed to me an act of foUy in an Italian, who could ^'not take any part in conversation, to spend all the «< day in the water, employed in nothing but eating

• ^ and drinking. But two of my companions were not so

^< sempulous. They visited the ladies in the baths, and '^assisted at their entertainments. They conversed with

• ^ them, by the medium of an interpreter; and when
• < their &ir hostesses were incommoded by the heat, they

.Q4 CHAP. M.

" had the honour of fanning thenu On their return

• ' they spoke with great pleasure of the kind reception
  • which they had experienced. When they thus vis-

<^ ited the ladies, they were clothed in linen gowns. From " the gallery which I have mentioned above, I was ^< a witness of this scene ; and I was astonished to be- " hold, with what unsuspecting simplicity they con-

• ' ducted themselves, and with what full confidence the

^* husbands suffered their wives to be handed about in " their dishabille by strangers. They were not uneasy ;

• ^ they did not even attend to the circumstance, but

<' saw every transaction in the most &vourable light.

• • They are well * prepared to embrace the doctrine of

<* Plato, who would have all things in common ; for ^^ without instruction, they are already in a great measure

• ^ converts to his principles. In some of the private

<' baths, the men mix promiscuously with their female ^' relatives and friends. They go into the water three or ^^ four times in a day ; and they spend the greater part

• ' of their time in the baths, where they amuse themselves

'^ with singing, drinking and dancing. In the shallower

• ^ part of the water they also play upon the harp. It is

^* a pleasant sight to see young lasses tuning their lyres, ^^ like nymphs, with their scanty robes floating on the ^' surface of the waters. They look indeed like so many ^ Venuses, emerging from the ocean. The women have a ^^ custom of playfully begging from the men who come to

• • see them bathe. The latter throw down small^ pieces of
• ^ money, which they direct to the (airer damsels. The
• ^ ladies below stretch out their hands, and spread thdr

CHAP. XT. Off

'* batliing gowns, to receive these gifts, which frequently ^* giTc rise to a general scramble. This scramble, you will

• • easily conceive, occasions very laughable incidents. Be-

^^ sides money, garlands and crowns of flowers are thrown ^* down, with which the ladies ornament their heads while " they remain in the water. As I only bathed twice a day, ^' I spent my leisure time in witnessing this curious specta-

• • de, visiting the other baths, and causing the girls to

^'scrunble for money and nosegays; for there was no ^'opportunity of reading or studying. The whole place ^ resounded with songs and musical instruments, so that the

• ' mere wish to be wise, were the height of folly ; in me

'^ especially, who am not like Menedemus, in the play,

• ^ a morose rejecter of pleasure, but one of those who take
• ' a lively interest in every thing which concerns their

'* fellow mortals. My pleasure was however much less than '^ it would have been, had I been able to converse with my '^ new acquaintance. Circumstanced as I was, I could

• ^ only feast my eyes, wait on the ladies, and attend them
• ' to the rendezvous of amusement. I had also an oppor-

^ tunity of paying my court to them, as against this there ^^ was no prohibitory law. Besides these various pastimes,

• ^ there is also another, which is a source of no small

gratification. There is a large meadow behind the village,

• • near the river. This meadow, which is shaded by abun-

^ dance of trees, is our usual place of resort after supper. ^' Here the people engage in various sports. Some dance^

• ' others s\ng> and others play at balL but in ^ manner

'* very different from the ftshion of our country. For the '* men and women thrown in different directions^ a ball« 

K

60 ' CHAP. II.

" filled with little bells. When the bell is thrown, they

• • all run to catch it and whoever lays hold of it is thecon-

" queror, and again throws it at somebody for whom he " wishes to testify a particnhr r^ard. When the thrower is " ready to toss the ball* all the rest stand with outstretdied " hands, and the former frequently keeps them in a state

• ' of suspense, by pretending to aim, sometimes at one,

" and sometimes at another. Many other games are here " practised, which it would be tedious to enumerate. I '* have related enough to give you an idea what a numerous " school of Epicureans is established at Beden« I think

• ^ this must be the place where the first man was created,

" which the Hebrews call the garden of pleasure. If plea- sore can make a man happy, this place is certainly pos- sessed of every requisite for the promotion of felicity.

'^ But you will perhaps wish to know what are the '* virtues of the waters. Their virtues are various and mani-

• ' fold ; but they have one quality* which is truly wonderful,

" and in a matmer divine. I believe there lae no baths in

• ' the world more efficacious in promoting the propagation
• ' of the human species. This may indeed be in some mea-

sure accounted for by the following drcumstance.—- An innumerable multitude of persons of all ranks repair to '* this place from the distance of two hundred miles ; not with a view of lecruiting their health, but of enjoying '* life. These baths are the general resort of lovers and their mistresses, of all, in short* who are fond of pleasure. Many ladies pretend to be sick, merely with a view pf " being sent for cure to this watering phkce. You conse-

CHAP. II. 07

• • qnently see he\e a gi€8t number of handsome females
• ' without their hosbandsj and not protected by any male

'^ rdations# but attended by a couple of maids and a man " servant, or some elderly cousin, who is very easily impo- sed upon. And. they come adoxned with such costly " appaieL that you would suppose they were coming to a " wedding, tather than to a watering pkoe. Here we find " Vestal, or to speak more coirectly> Floml viigins. Here we meet with abbo^» monks* friars, and priests, idio " liTe with gieater license than the rest of the company. These ecclesiastics, foigetting the gravity of their profes- sion, sometimes bathe with the ladies, and adorn their ^ hair with*" silken ribbons. For all people here concur in " banishing sonow, and courting mirth. Their ^obfect is, '* not to divide that which is^ common, but to commnnicate

• • that which is appropriated. It is an astonishing circum*
  • stance* that in so great a multitude (nearly a thousand
• ' persons) of various dispositions* and so much given to
  • riot» no discoid or dinension ever arises. The husbands

" see their wives gallanted, and even attended t&te k i&U by " strsngenb and yet they are not disturbed or rendered « uneasy. Hence it happens, that the name of jealousy*

• • that plague* which is elsewhere productive of so much
  • misery* is here unknown. How unlike are the manners

of these people to ours*, who abrays see things on the ^ dark side* and who are so much given to cenaoriousness, " that in our minds the slightest suspicion instantly grows " into full proof of guilt. I often envy the apathy of these

• ' Oeimans* and I execrate our perversity* who are always

'* wishing for what we have not, and arc continually exposed

88 CHAP. II.

" to present oakmity by our dread of the fiitore. But tliese '* people^ content with little* enjoy their dfty of life in

• • mirth and merriment ; they do not hanker after wealth ;

'< they are not anxious for the monow ; and they bear " adversity with patience. Thus are they rich by the mere " disposition of their minds. Their motto ia» *^ Uioe while

• • you Uvey But of this enough-— it is not my object to

" extol my new friends at the expense of my countrymen.

• • I wish my epistle to consist of unqualified good hunK>ur,

" that I may impart to yon a portion of the pleasure I derived from the baths of Baden.""