the central one was a large and deep bath, filled with warm water,
its bottom being level with the lower floor of the building, and the
ascent to it being by three or four steep steps.

"As few pleasures are entirely perfect, so here, with all its general
apparent superiority to the baths of Turkey, this was inferior to them
in the most essential points. The attendants seemed quite ignorant
of the art of twisting the limbs, moulding the muscles, cracking the
joints, opening the chest, and all that delicious train of operations
in which the Turks are so skilful. The visitors were merely well
though roughly scrubbed, and their impurities then rinsed off in the
large cistern above, from which there was neither a running stream
to carry off the foul water, nor cocks of hot and cold to renew and
temper it at pleasure, as in Turkey.

"In place of the luxurious moulding of the muscles, the use of the
hair-bag, or glove, for removing the dirt, and the profusion of
perfumed soap, with which the Turks end a course of treatment full
of delight, the Persians are occupied in staining the beard and hair
black, the nails of the toes and fingers of a deep red, and the whole
of the feet and hands of a yellow colour, by different preparations of
henna. This operation is the most unpleasant that can be imagined. The
Persians do not shave the whole of the head, as is usual with most of
the Turks and Arabs, but, taking of all the hair from the forehead,
over the crown, and down the neck, for about a hand's breadth,
they leave on each side two large bushy masses depending over their
shoulders. This, then, with a very long and full beard, in which all
the people here take pride, is plastered with a thick paste, of the
consistence of hog's lard, and not less than two pounds weight
of which is sometimes used on one person. It possesses a strongly