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Sanccni, and the remnant* of the Weurn empire, 

 mard oa the poiat of extermination even from thence, 

 ctx) being of course loit to mankind. But the inter- 

 e of 174 year*, taught the rude warriors of Chris- 

 m the benefits of more polished manners, and made 

 acquainted with the improvements and arti of thoe 

 rn countries. 



In those day i of religious zeal, it cannot be doubted, that 

 every thing which related to the improvements in the forms 

 and decoration of ecclesiastical buildings, would be care- 

 fully attended to, by the prelate* from different countries, 

 who wrre connected with the several expeditions ; and 

 that they would, on their return home, endeavour to in- 

 troduce their newly acquired information. See Felib. 

 Rtc. Hiii. p. 165. 



Daring the Crusades, another circumstance took place, 

 which alto contributed much to the perfection of their 

 ecclesiastical buildings. Some Greek refugees, Italians, 

 French, German, and Flemings, united into a fraternity 

 of builder*, and procured papal bulls and particular pri- 

 vileges. They assumed the name of free masons, and tra- 

 velled from one nation to another, where their services 

 were required. Their government was regular. Adja- 

 cent to the building which was to be erected, they con- 

 structed a camp of huts ; a surveyor governed in chief, 

 and every tenth man, called a warden, overlooked nine. 

 (Wren's Parentalia. ) This establishment, similar to the 

 Dionysiacs of Ionia, upon whose model it was probably 

 formed by the Greek refugees, was the meant of creating 

 great dexterity in the workmen, and of making the sur- 

 veyors become perfectly well acquainted with every cir- 

 cumstance which related to the plans and decorations. 

 From the different national styles which were formed and 

 closely adhered to, it is probable that the ecclesiastics 

 furnished the designs ; because if the surveyors had done 

 so, the same plans would have been repeated in the se- 

 veral countries where they were employed. Still it was 

 of the first importance, to have men who understood 

 plans, and workmen who were familiar with all the minu- 

 tiae of execution. See FREE MASONRY. 



Under all these circumstances, ecclesiastical buildings 

 of great splendour were soon erected in the several king- 

 doms and states upon the Continent. In Italy, at Flo- 

 rence, Venice, Pisa, Sienna, Orvietto ; in Germany, and 

 amongst the Flemings, at Vienna, Strasburgh, Nurem- 

 berg, Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels ; and in France, 

 at Rheims, St Denis, Amiens, Notre Dame, Verdun, 

 Laon, Lezoux, Chartres, Rouen, and Seez, were very 

 early and splendid specimens. 



In Italy, the nearest resemblance to the Roman man- 

 ner, such as circular porticos and arcades, was preserved, 

 but exuberance of decoration seldom occurs ; the west- 

 ern facade engrossed the chief attention. Upon the cen- 

 tre of the transepts, cupolas were placed, and the cam- 

 panile towers were always separate buildings. There 

 ire no spires in Italy, but the towers of Florence and Ve- 

 nice are slender, lofty, and beautiful. In the Baptista of 

 Pisa, which was erected in 1 152, the lower Greek man- 

 ner is mixed with the German Gothic j in it arc Corinthian 

 pillars, circular arches, Gothic pinnacles, sharp pediments, 

 enriched with foliage, and terminated with a trefoil. 

 Such instances of Gothic features, were not common in 

 France before 1220, at St Denis. 



In France and Germany, the architects have also ex- 

 hausted all their genius upon western facades, and in many 

 of them have produced very magnificent and striking ef- 

 fects ; but they much exceeded the Italian structures in 

 profusion of decorations. Here numerous pointed and 

 sculptured pediments, niche?, statue?, and canopies, were 



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lavishly distributed ; in many of them, ilue circular win- Hittory. 

 dow occupied the space between two towers richly orna- V "^~Y~^ P ' 

 mented with clustered pinnacles, and in several of I hem Sfl - lrn 

 were very lofty spires. At St Stephens, Vienna, and pyramidal, 

 Strasburg in Germany, and Rouen, Constance, and 

 Bayeux in France, the spires are just a continuation of 

 the tower diminishing from its base. 



To compose a perfect church, a French critic of Go- Element* 

 thic architecture proposes to adopt the portal and west <>i fine 

 front of Rheims, the nave of Amiens, the choir of church r- 

 Beauvoirs, and the spire of Chartres. See Dallaway Ob. ci " tur< - 

 oil Englith Architecture. 



Of Gothic Architecture in Britain. 



HAVING given a general view of the most distinguish- Britain, 

 ing srras and leading features of Gothic architecture 

 upon the continent, we shall proceed to consider its pro- 

 gress in England, whose claim to the most perfect style 

 of this school is generally admitted. In doing this, the 

 learned and masterly investigations of the before men- 

 tioned authors, will enable us to trace a regular and 

 connected progress; and we shall, fur the sake of per- 

 spicuity, be as minute as the nature of our work will 

 admit. 



When Agricola had subdued the northern parts of the AgricoU 

 island, he endeavoured to instruct and civilize the inha- 

 bitants. By means of the artificers attached to the army, construct, 

 many Roman edifices were constructed, and the numer- ed temple? 

 ous remains of temples and baths which have been dis- 

 covered, are evidences of both public and private struc- 

 tures, having been carried to a very considerable degree 

 of perfection. This it was natural to expect during a 

 residence of 400 years. The stone dug up at Chichester, 

 which records a temple dedicated to Minerva by one of the 

 companies of workmen, shows, that such buildings were 

 executed long previous to Agricola, upon Claudius hav- claui > u! ' 

 ing reduced the southern parts of the kingdom, and pro- 

 bably soon after the temple to Claudius at Maiden, to 

 Minerva at Bath, and to Jupiter and Diana at London, 

 were erected. See Ornaments of Churches considered. 



Hume relates, that during the dominion of the Ro- Twenty- 

 mans, 28 considerable cities had been built, besides a e 'K ht R 

 great number of villages and country scats. "ujlt'iu"'' 1 



The Romans had, it appears, made very little pro- England, 

 grcss in the instruction or civilization of the inhabitants ; 

 their subjection had been so complete, and their condi- 

 tion rendered so servile, as totally to annihilate their 

 spirit, and debase their character.: so that when the Ro- 

 mans withdrew from the island, the knowledge and prac- 

 tice of the arts were extinguished, and the inhabitants 

 relapsed into helpless barbarism. 



Bingham (B. viii. p. 10.) says, that about the year 

 448, Bishop Ninian of Glasgow built an episcopal church 

 on the confines of England, at Whit horn in Galloway, Whithorn 

 which was probably the labour of Roman workmen. in Gallo- 



As the Romans remained in Britain 88 years after the wa X> 

 death of Constantine, it is, considering his zeal, to be 448 A D * 

 expected, that some Christian churches were, during this 

 time, erected ; accordingly Bede mentions, that two were 

 built in the city of Canterbury, one of which, on the east City of 

 side of the city, was dedicated to St Martin, and given Canter- 

 by Ethelbert, after his conversion, to St Augustin. See 

 Whartoa'g Essays. 



During the period in which the Saxons subdued, or 

 extirpated, the antient Britons, and established themselves 

 in England, a dreadful scene of devastation took place ; 

 the Roman cities and structures were wholly destroyed, 

 and scarcely a vestige of their improvements was suffered 

 to remain. But in the course of 100 years from the de- 



