232 Observations on Gothic Architecture. 



eatbcdrak and collea;iate cliurclics," and just estimatiou, says, 



says lliat prelate, "does honour to the 

 genius of these barbarians, I shall en- 

 deavour to explain il. When the 

 (rolhs had conquered Spain, and the 

 genial warmth of the climate and the 

 religion of the old inhabitants had 

 ripened their wits, and intlanied their 

 piety, they struck oat anew spreies of 

 architecture, unknown to Greece and 

 Rome, upon original principles and 

 ideas, much nobler than what had 

 given birth even to classical magnili- 

 ceuce. For this Northern people, 

 having been accustomed, during the 

 gloom of Paganism, to worship the 

 Deity in groves, wiieii their new reli- 

 gion required covered edifices, they 

 ingeniously projected to make them re- 

 semble groves as nearly as the distance 

 of aichiteclure wotdd permit; at once 

 indulging their old prejudices, and 

 jirovidiug for their present conveni- 

 ences, by a cool receptacle in a sultry 

 climate ; and, with what skill and 

 success they executed the project, by 

 the assistance of Saracen architects, 

 appears from hence, that no attentive 

 observer ever viewed a regular avenue 

 of well-grown trees, intermixing tlieir 

 branches over head, but it presently 

 puts him in mind of the long visto 

 through the Gothic cathedral. Could 

 the arches be otherwise than pointed 

 when the workmen were to imitate 

 that curve? or the columns be other- 

 wise than split into distinct shafts, 

 when they were to represent the stems 

 of a clump of trees growing close 

 together ? On the same principles, 

 they formed the spreading ramilicalion 

 of the stone-work in the windows, and 

 the stained glass in the interstices; the 

 one to represent the branches, and the 

 other the leaves, of an opening grove." 

 Though it would be idle to argue 

 seriously against an hypothesis which 

 could scarcely be advanced seriousl}', 

 we may pause for a moment to ask 

 liow the Giiths, those barbarians who 

 conquered Spain in the fiftli century, 

 and who were themselves conquered 

 by the Moors in the eighth century, 

 could employ Saracen architects to 

 build churches iu a st\le of architec- 

 ture not known in Europe for 500 

 years afterwards f The opinion of Sir 

 Christopher Wren, revived by Mr. 

 Whittington, merits indeed, from the 

 respect due to so great an authority, an 

 attentive consideration. 



Mr. Bentluim, w hose history of the 

 cathedral of Ely is held in such high 



[April 1, 



The word 

 Gothic, no doubt, implies a relation, 

 some way or other, to the Goths; not 

 tliat I imagine the Goths invented or 

 brought il with them, but that it had its 

 rise in the Gothic aj;e." In this case, 

 as he acknow ledges, " it cannot refer 

 to tile style of building with pointed 

 arches, which," says he, " is modern, 

 and seems not to have been known in 

 the world till the Goths ceased to 

 make a (igure in it. Sir Christopher 

 Wren thought this should ratlier be 

 called the Saracen way of building: 

 the first appearance of it here was, 

 indeeil, in the time of t!ie Crusades ; 

 and (hat might induce him to think 

 the arc-ietype was brought hither by 

 some wiio had been engaged in those 

 expeditions, when tliey relumed from 

 the Holy Land. But tiie observations 

 of several learned travellers, Pococke, 

 Nordcu, Shaw, w!io have accurately 

 surveyed the ancient mode of building 

 in tliose parts of the world, <lo by no 

 means favour that opinion, or discover 

 the least traces of it." 



"To what country or people," says 

 Capt. Grose, "the style of architec- 

 ture called Gothic owes its origin, is 

 by no means satisfactorily deter- 

 mined. It is, indeed, generally con- 

 jectured, to be of Arabian extraction ; 

 and to ha\e been introduced into 

 Europe by some persons returning 

 from the Crusailes iu tiie Holy Land. 

 Sir Christopher Wren was of that 

 opinion, and it has been subscribed to 

 by most writers who have treated on 

 this subject. If the supposition is 

 well grounded, it seems likely that 

 many ancient buildings of this kind, or 

 at least their remains, would be found 

 in those countries from whence it is 

 said to have been brought: parts of 

 which have at ditlcreut times been 

 visited by several curious travellers. 

 Cornelius I^e Brun, an indefatigable 

 and inquisitive traveller, has published 

 many views of Eastern buildings, par- 

 ticularly about the Holy Land; in all 

 these, oidy one Gothic ruin, the church 

 near Acre, and a few pointed arches, 

 occur ; and those built by the Chris- 

 tians when in possession of the 

 country." 



" The architecture of the Holy 

 Land," as Bishop Warburton tells us, 

 " was Grecian, though greatly fallen 

 from its ancient elegance. The Saxon 

 artists copied iiom the churches in the 

 Holy Land; and some, professedly, were 

 built upon the model of the churcli 



of 



