A HISTORICAL ESSAY ON TASTE. 



first, mere oratories, where the sacred fire was kept in lamps; the second, public fanes, 

 where the fire was Ivcpt, like that of the vestal virgins at Rome, continually burning on 

 altars; the third, the grand abode of the arch priest, visited only at certain seasons by 

 indispensable law, such as bound the Jews. The chief temple stood in the city of Balck 

 till the seventh century, when, on persecution by the !Mahomedans, the followers of the 

 Magi fled to Carmania, whither, no doubt, they carried their arts and their taste — and 

 raised another temple. But you see that their worship was purer than that of Egypt; 

 and it is not unreasonable thence to argue that their ecclesiastical buildings M'ere less the 

 subject of gross ideas. Their religion flourished among the Parthians, Bactrians, Clioras- 

 mians, Sacans, Medes and other nations : from this we may guess somewhat at the tem- 

 ple architecture — in fact the architecture of these nations ; for it is evident that the grand- 

 est efforts of the art have been in all ages dedicated to the purposes of religion, from the 

 time of Osiris to that of the Divine Redeemer. The Indians, whose original doctrines 

 appear to have been borrowed from Zoroaster, raised in old time many curious and strik- 

 ing edifices, which appear to be better understood by inspection of drawings than from 

 description; but they possess, many of them, a bold and svAX'lling outline — perhaps, in 

 some, a disproportionate width, and, besides a singular elaboration of detail — not uncom- 

 mon among semi-barbarous nations. There is also a great massiveness, even heaviness, 

 about them, which we have found in the buildings of other Pagan nations; whence 

 we can only suppose that the taste of the Indians was much affected by their lifeless creed. 

 This heaviness is striking in Pagan architecture, while the Christian Gothic has the very 

 opposite characteristic. Concerning early Arabian taste — to leave, at present, the Sara- 

 cenic — there is little to be said: it is probable there was little of it, so far as architecture 

 is concerned. The religion of the Arabs was Chaldean: they cultivated poetry, i)0ssessed 

 a brilliant and versatile imagination, and supported a good moral doctrine. 



It is impossible here to investigate the taste of the Phoenicians or of the Ethiopians; 

 but there was nothing in either very dissimilar from that of contemporary nations. In 

 fact, we find the extraordinary and grotesque religion of all these ancient nations to have 

 greatly shackled tlieir arts, and to have given them, with a taste for pomp and grandeur, 

 a sort of necessary absurdity of purpose. The Jews were more ancient than all; but 

 from their religion it was necessary to reserve them to this place, on account of certain 

 remarks generally applied to the rest, in which they would not be included. Being for 

 many centuries a pastoral and nomad race, they appear to have had little opportunity 

 either for the acquisition or the display of taste. The mention of their name immediate- 

 ly suggests the Temple of Solomon. The king's j^redominant taste, whether or not sug- 

 gested originally by a far higher feeling, was, according to oriental nature, for magnifi- 

 cence; and we find that he built his own palaces with a profusion and splendor of orna- 

 ment little inferior to that displayed in the Temple. That building seems not to have 

 been striking, either with respect to its proportion or its size: it was somewhat Egyp- 

 tian, and the adornments of it were Tj'^rian. We may hence assert, while, in tlie latter 

 remark, the taste in the art of the Tyrians is suggested, that native taste was but little 

 among the Jews, and that they were, in respect of taste at all, far behind either Egypt 

 or Assyria. They had always, however, great natural genius, and their want of taste 

 arose rather from their long pastoral habits above referred to, than from any natural in- 

 capacity. Time afterwards did for them, and now does, more than he has done for any 

 other race. In our days, the leaders of taste in several arts, of which we will only in 

 stance music, are Jews. Of their ancient literature it may be remarked, that besi 

 insprired character, it affords a perfect model of sublimity and power, not to speal 



