On GOTHIC JRCHITECTURE. 13 



to reduce even the mofl intricate forms of this elaborate flyle to 

 the fame fimple origin. 



In the prefent ftate of the queftipn, the following inquiry 

 mufl be confidered as falling under the denomination of, what 

 is called by Mr Stewart *, " Theoretical Hi/lo?y" and by fome 

 French authors, " Hijloire raijonnie ; being an attempt to trace, 

 by conjedlure, the fteps through which an art has paffed, in 

 attaining the ftate in which we obferve it. Indeed it is probable, 

 that few inveftigations have been undertaken, which more com- 

 pletely correfpond to that definition, fince, in moft fubjedts of 

 this kind, many fteps of the progrefs are known, and nothing 

 is required but to fill up, by theory, the interval between 

 them ; whereas, in the prefent cafe, as all diredl teftimony is 

 wanting, and as no fteps of the actual progrefs of the art have 

 come to our knowledge, our opinions on the fubjedl, hitherto, 

 can only amount to prefumptions, founded upon the correfpon- 

 dence of the theory with the monuments of the art now in ex- 

 iftence ; and, the more numerous and complicated the cafes are, 

 in which this coincidence takes place, the greater probability 

 there is in favoui" of the fyftem. 



But, though fuch be the adual fituation of the inquiry, wc 

 may hope to fee it, hereafter, affume a different form ; for, 

 fhould the conjefture, brought forward in the following ElTay, 

 carry with it fufiicient plaufibility to excite a fpirit of refearch 

 among perfons beft qualified to purfue the fubjeft, there is rea- 

 fon to expedl, that difcoveries may be made, of a literary or ar- 

 chitedural nature, by which its truth or falfehood will be efta- 

 blifhed beyond difpute. 



What has juft been faid will, it is hoped, ferve as my apo- 

 logy for having advanced a fyftem, which, ftridtly fpeaking, 

 is founded on conjedlure alone ; and, on the other hand, for 

 having enumerated a multitude of particulars, many of which 



might 



'* Biographical Account of Mr Smith. 



