1859.] on Modern Gothic Architecture. 61 



To be sure, the classical notion of symmetry, in its strict sense of 

 making everything on one side match something on the other, either as 

 a reality or a sham, is pretty well exploded out of Gothic, except in 

 the minds of mere builders ; and there is almost more necessity for 

 putting in a caution against the opposite extravagance of fanciful and 

 ostentatious departure from symmetry and uniformity. All the argu- 

 ments on both sides from the analogy of nature must end in this : — 

 that nature is never at all symmetrical in stationary objects ; and even 

 in those in which the symmetry of nature is constantly appealed to, 

 viz. animals, it is very seldom quite symmetrical, and if you take in 

 colour, never.* But for all that, it is of no use disputing the notorious 

 and universal fact that the eye is pleased with a considerable amount 

 of symmetry in building, as well as with a certain amount of variety. 

 Some styles require or admit more variety than others ; and the differ- 

 ence between an architect of genius and one of none is that the latter 

 does not know, and the former does, probably better than he or any 

 one else can explain, how far to carry the symmetry, and what degree 

 of variety will be most pleasing and beautiful. But it requires no 

 genius to find out so much as this, that even where the general arrange- 

 ment is symmetrical, the subordinate parts may well be varied, as in 

 the opposite or adjacent windows of aisles ; and on the other hand, that 

 the great leading features of a building ought not to be duplicated. 

 Therefore, the double western towers of our cathedrals are always 

 rather narrow, and never very high for the size of the building ; but 

 the great single one at Ely is ; and several of the double ones have 

 some variety of detail besides. The duplication of the huge steeples at 

 Cologne is only another of those " blunders worthy of a German," 

 which, as Mr. Fergusson observes of some others, reduce that vast 

 cathedral from " a work of art in the highest sense of the word " to 

 nothing more than " the noble conception of a mason : " even a single 

 one at the west, like Hamburgh, would have been better ; and if one 

 of the size of the intended two had risen out of the middle, instead of 

 the trumpery lantern shown there in the pictures, it would have been 

 infinitely finer, and would have made the transepts right also, which 

 are as much too long without a central tower, as those of Doncaster 

 are too short with one.| 



* It seems to be supposed that the ogee curve, or bend of contrary flexure, must 

 be right and beautiful, because it is so common in nature. So far as I can see, a 

 real ogee curve, uninterrupted by angles or nodosities, is very uncommon in nature, 

 in stationary objects, I do not say that proves it to be unfit for architecture, for 

 circular arcs are equally unnatural. But the circle is a form of strength, wherever 

 it is used in architectural construction ; while the ogee is essentially a curve of 

 weakness, except on a very small scale, or composed of very few stones. Even 

 turrets with ogee tops, which are really strong because of the domical principle 

 involved in them, are almost universally condemned to the nickname of pepper- 

 boxes ; and architecture certainly began to fall soon after the ogee curve began to 

 appear on any large scale. 



t From St. James's park, near Marlborough House, the Victoria tower in a dim 

 light looks like a great central tOM er of the Abbey ; and the improvement to the 

 effect of them both is striking. 



j:2 



