Bates, William, D.D., a learned Nonconformist, was born in 162.% place unknown. He was educated at Cambridge, where he was admitted D.D. in 1660. Soon after the Restoration he was appointed chaplain to Charles II, and was also, for some time, minister of St. Dunst. m's, from whence he was ejected by the Act of Uniformity. He was one of the commissioners at the Savoy Conference in 1660 for reviewing the Litur- gy, and assisted in drawing up the exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer. He was likewise chosen on the part of the Nonconformist ministers, together with Dr. Jacomb and Mr. Baxter, to manage the dis- pute with Dr. Pearson, afterward bishop of Chester, Dr. Gunning, afterward bishop of Ely, and Dr. Sparrow, afterward bishop of Norwich. The object of this con- ference was to persuade the dissidents to fall in with ih" requirements of the Church of England in regard to its rituals and ceremonies. But to the reasonings of Gunning, who seemed disposed to forward a recon- ciliation between the Church ofEnglandandRome,Dr. B i is urged that, on the very same grounds on which they imposed the erueilix and surplice, they might bring in holy water, and all the trumpery of popery. I»r. Bates was on intimate terms with Lord-keeper Bridgman, Lord-chancellor Finch, the Earl of Notting- ham, and Archbishop Tillotson. He was offered the deanery of Lichfield and Coventry at the Restoration, but he declined the offer; and, according to Dr.Cala- my, he might have been afterward raised to any bish- opric in the kingdom, could he have conformed. He resided for the latter part of bis life at Hacknej', where '"■ died L9th July, 1699. According to Calamy, "he was generally reputed 01 f the best orators' of the
: was well versed in the politer arts of learn- ing, which bo seasoned hie conversation as to render it highly entertaining to the more sensible part of man- kind*. Hi* apprehension was quick and clear, and Ids
reasoning faculty acute, prompt, 1 expert. His
judgment was penetrating and solid, .stable and firm. Hit memory was singularly tenacious, und scarcely
impaired at the period of his death. His language was always neat and fine, but unaffected. His method in all his discourses would bear the test of the severest scrutiny." Dr. Bates was one of the best thei logical writers of his time ; his Harmony of the Divine A ttributes in the Work of Man's Redemption is still deservedly popular, and, in fact, all his writings are in demand. They are collected in his Whole Works, u-ith a Memoir. by F'armer (Lond. 1815, 4 vols. 8vo).— Jones, Chiist. Biog. p. 30 ; Allibone, Diet, of Authors, i, 141.
Bath. See Bathe.
Bath (Heb. and Chald. id., »*2, Sept. %o~ivi^, icorvX)]; occurs 1 Kings vii, 26, 38; 2 Chron. ii, 10; iv, 5; Isa. v, 10; Ezek. xlv, 10, 14; Ezra vii, 22), a Hebrew measure for liquids, as wine and oil, equal to the ephah for things dry (Ezek. as above), each being the tenth part of a homer (Ezek. as above). In Luke xvi, 6, the Greek form jSutoq occurs, where it is render- ed "measure." According to Josephus fjSdooc)', it contained 72 sextarii (Ant. viii, 2, 9). Its ordinary capacity appears to have been 8 galls. 3 qts. See Measures.
Bath (Bathonia) and "Wells CWellia, Fontma, an- ciently Tnd ngtmi), a diocese of the Church of England, combining the two ancient sees of Bath and Wells, which were united in the beginning of the twelfth cen- tury. The episcopal residence and chapter are now at Wells; the chapter consists of the dean, four canons residentiary, a precentor, treasurer, three archdeacons, a sub-dean, forty-four canons non-resident, and two minor canons. The united dioceses, which contain the whole county of Somerset except Bedminster and Abbots-Leigh, contain four hundred and forty-seven benefices. The present bishop is Lord Auckland, ap- pointed in 1854.
Bathe (in Heb. yrn, racliats', Gr. Xouw). The bath is in the East, on account of the hot climate and abundant dust, constantly necessary for the preserva- tion of health, especially the prevention of cutaneous disorders; hence it was among the Hebrews one of the first purificative duties (Neh. iv, 23), and in certain cases of (Levitical) uneleanness it was positively pre- scribed by the Mosaic law (Lev. xiv, 8 sq. ; xv, 5, 13, 18 ; xvii, 16 ; xxii, 6 ; Num. xix, 19 ; Deut. xxiii, 11), being treated as a part of religion, as with the ancient Egyptians (Herod, ii, 37) and modern Mohammedans (Niebuhr, Eeisen, ii, 47; Beschr. p. 39). The Jews bathed not only in streams (Lev. xv, 13; 2 Kings v, 10 ; on Exod. ii, 5, comp. St. Irwin's Trav. p. 272 sq.), but also in the houses, the court-yard of which always contained a bath (2 Sam. xi, 2 ; Susan, ver. 15) ; and in later times, as among the Greeks and Romans (Pot- ter, Gr. Archceol. ii, 654 sq. ; Adam's Rom. Antiq. ii, 214 sq. ; comp. Fabric. Bibliogr. Antiq. p. 1006), there were likewise public baths (Talmud fi1KSn*133) in the cities of Judasa (Josephus, Ant. xix, 7, 5; Mishna, Nedar. v, 5; comp. Mikvaoth, vi, 15; Shebiith, 8, 5; Baba Bathra, iv, 6), as in the East at present there universally are (see the descriptions in Mariti, i, 125 ; Arvieux, ii, 42 ; Troilo, p. 672 ; Russell, i, 172 sq. ;