272 NOTICES OF THE MEETINGS [March 4, 
and inconsistent result. Numerous instances of the ways in which 
this union was attempted have been commented on in Mr. Hope's 
work, while, on the other hand, Mr. Petit has well traced out the 
way in which, in less enriched structures, the Grecian system of 
decoration was gradually cast away, becoming altogether secondary 
in the amphitheatres, and vanishing entirely from the aqueducts, 
The latter, such as the Pont du Gard in Languedoc, exhibit the 
system of piers and round arches in its perfect purity. On the 
other hand, in the palace of Diocletian at Spalato, and in the 
early Basilicas, the architects boldly allowed the arch to spring 
directly from the capital of the column, without the intervention 
of the entablature in any shape. Buildings like these, so far from 
being examples of a corrupt style, are, in the eye of a philosophical 
inquirer, the first steps towards restoring Roman architecture to 
a real purity and consistency which in its palmy days it had never 
possessed. The true round arched system was now worked out, 
and the arch provided with an appropriate support of two kinds, 
the square and the columnar pier. 
The various forms of Romanesque architecture, the Byzantine, 
the Lombard of Italy, the Provencal, the German of the Rhine, 
the Norman of England and Northern France, all adhere to this 
same construction, and gradually work out for it an appropriate 
system of decoration. The Byzantine architecture, as far as 
the present view is concerned, must be considered as merely 
one among several varieties of Romanesque ; in other respects, 
the peculiar outlines of its ecclesiastical buildings, and _ its 
especial use of the cupola, the noblest offspring of the round 
arch, might fairly cause it to be looked upon as a distinct 
class. The German and Norman architecture has gone very 
far to realize the ideal of the round-arched style, the architecture 
of mere rest and solidity, without any predominant extension, 
horizontal and vertical. ‘The Lecturer argued warmly in favour 
of the claim of this style to be considered a pure and perfect one, 
worthy of being classed alongside of Grecian and Gothic. Ro- 
manesque architecture, he contended, had been depreciated, 
because both classical and Gothic exclusiveness had looked on 
it with an unfavourable eye ; but it was quite possible that a 
style might be neither Grecian or Gothic, and yet be worthy 
of being put on an equality with them. If, like them, Ro- 
manesque exhibited the full carrying out of the leading esthetical 
idea suggested by its own constructive principle, such equality 
it might fairly claim. At the same time an absolute equality 
he’ would not assert ; the Gothic ideal was the highest, while 
the Grecian buildings had attained a higher perfection in their 
own kind ; for the Romanesque ideal itself he would be content 
with claiming the rank of ultima inter pares, while he was inclined 
to believe that no Romanesque building had approached so 
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