ic)6 Grecian and gothic ARCHirrcTURt;. 0£b. 19, 



pralfcd every day, by perfons who pretend to be judges 

 of tafte, as the molt elegant, though, at the fame time, 

 jt muil be admitted to be the mofl unnatural that could 

 be conceived. 



But though the principles of beauty cannot perhaps 

 be determined with fuch precifion, or fo far be made to 

 refill; the fvvay of fafnion and of whim as to enfure a lall- 

 iiig permenancy in the public tafte in favour of any par- 

 ticular clafs of objefts, yet even in regard to worics of 

 art, -there are fome objedts v.-hich will be found to make 

 a (trong impreffion on the mind of every beholder, 

 even after jirejudice hath diverted them of the charm 

 of fafhion, and which thus extort an unwilling ap- 

 plaufe, though fuch approvers dare not venture to call 

 the things they applaud beautiful. 



It will not, for example, I believe, be denied by any 

 pcrfon that a ftately fabric, furrounded v.ath a regular 

 colonnade of m.ajcltic columns, in the pureft fimpHcity 

 of the Grecian ftyle of architefture, is an objedl: that 

 flrikes the mind with a fenfation of dignity, and has a 

 tendency to pleafe. It may indeed happen that a na- 

 tive of China, will think this ftyle of architecture not fo 

 light and elegant as that v.hich his mind has be>en long 

 habituated to contemplate as the quintefience of excel- 

 lence in archltcdlurej or to a Saracen it may appear 

 not to pcflcfs the higheft delicacy of form that he could 

 imagine, or be too little ornamented to pleafe his tafte 

 ■ as much as thofe ftruftures he has been long accuftom- 

 ed to admire ; but ftill both of them will fay, it is great, 

 though clumfy, it is magnificent, though qeltitute of 

 that elegance which conftitutes tlie perfection of beau- 

 ty of this kind. Such involuntary applaufe (hoi;!d per-^ 

 haps be deemed the higheft teft of excellence ; and we 

 may from tins circumftance conclude, that fuch build- 

 ings are well entitled to be called beautiful flruttures. 



When we try to inveftigate the circumitances that 

 produce this general efFe6t upon the mind, we eafdy 

 perceive t):iat the regularity of the columns is one caiifc 



