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ARCHITECTURE. 



sidered merely as forms, without any relation to end, as 

 any of the columns in Greek architecture. If, on the 

 contrary, these forms were beautiful in themselves, and 

 as individual objects, no other similar forms could be 

 equally beautiful, but such as had the tame proportions. 

 The same observations will apply equally to the form of 

 the entablature. It would appear, therefore, that it is 



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of proportions by terms expressive 



a* by terms exprettive of fitness or propriety. 



3. " The natural sentiments of mankind on this subject, 

 to hive a different progress from what they could 

 have, if there were any absolute beauty in such 

 discoverable by the eye. It cannot surely 



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him under the cannderation of fitness t and by show- 

 tot him, from example, that these forms are the most 

 proper which can be devised for the end to which they 

 are destined. If <" perception of the betuty of pro- 

 portion. Hi tueh cases, were altogether independent of 

 uy tnch considerations, I think that thetc circumstances 



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of sound or colour, individually, that our opinion of their beauty in compo- 

 sition arise*. If it it said, v.n th- other hand, that the 

 beauty of proportion in such cases, arin:s in relation of 

 thetc parts, and that there is something in the relationt 

 of these forms and magnitude, in itself beautiful, inde 



pendent of any consideration of fitness, there seem to be 

 equal difficulties. Besides the relation of fitness for the 



when come to mature age, express any sense of the 



absolute beauty of such objects. It is true indeed, that, 

 very early in life, we are sensible of disproportion in 

 building ; because the ideas of bulk and support are so 

 early and so necessarily acquired ; and the eye is so soon 

 habituated to judge of weight from visible figure, that 

 what is fit for the support of weight it very soon gene- 

 rally acertain.-d. What a common person, therefore, 

 expreuet upon the view of such proportions, is rather 

 tatisfiction than delight. It is not the proportions which 

 mott affect him ; it is the magnificence, the grandeur, 

 and costliness, which such buildings usually display; 

 and though he is much pleased with such expressions, he 

 is generally silent wiih regard to the beauty of those 

 proportions with which the connoisseurs are so much 

 enraptured. If proportion, on the contrary, were some- 

 thing absolutely beautiful, in such objects the progress 

 of taste would be reversed ; the admiration of the infant 

 would be given to those proportions, long before he was 

 able to judge of thrir fitness ; and the satisfaction which 

 arises Irom the expression of fitness would be the last in- 

 gredient in his pleasure, instead of being, as it now is, 

 the first. 



4. " The nature of thete proportions themselves, seems 

 cry strongly to indicate their dependence upon the ex- 

 pres*ion of iitnrss. The beauty of such forms (on the 

 supposition of their absolute antf independent beauty,) 

 must consist either in their beauty, considered as indivi 

 dual objects, or in their relation to each other. If the 

 effect antes from the nature of the individual torms, then 

 it must obviously follow, that such forms or proportions 

 must be beautiful in all cases. I think, however, there 

 it no reason to believe this to be the case ; the base of a 

 column, for instance, ( taken by itself, and independent 

 of in ornaments, which in this enquiry arc entirely ex- 

 cluded from consideration,) it not a more beautiful form 

 than many others that mav be given to the same quality 

 ef matter. The peculiar form which it proportions give 

 to it, is very far from being beautiful in every other case, 

 at would necessarily happen, if it were beautiful in itself, 

 and independent of every expression. A plain stone, of 

 the same magnitude, may turely be carved into very dif- 

 ferent forms, from those which constitute the basct of 

 many of the orders, and may still be beautiful. In the 

 tame manner, the column (considered as in the former 

 rate, merely in relation to its peculiar form, and inde- 

 pendent of itt ornaments,) is not more beautiful, as a 

 form, and perhaps not so beautiful, as many other forms 

 ef a similar kind. The trunk of many trees, the matt of 

 a ship, the long slender Gothic column, and many other 

 objecti, are to the full u beautiful) when con* 



irises Irom the relation 01 itiig . 

 shew, that such a proportion of these parts, in point of 

 length, is solely and permanently beautiful. If from the 

 relation of breadth, there is the same necessity of show- 

 ing, that such a proportion of these in yoint of breadth 

 is permanently beautiful. If from both together, then 

 the same proportion only ought to be felt as beautiful, 

 in all casea to which the relations of length and breadth 

 can apply. If again, this beauty arise from the relation 

 of magnitude, it is necessary, in the same manner, to ohew 

 that their magnitudes or quantities of matter, have in 

 fact no other beautiful proportions, but those which 

 takes place in such order ; but as it is very obvious, that 

 there is no foundation for supposing there is any such. 

 law in our nature, and that, on the contrary, in innumer- 

 able cases of all such relations, different and contrary pro- 

 portions are beautiful ; it cannot be supposed that men. 

 proportions are absolutely beautiful from any of these re- 

 lations. The only relation, therefore, that remains, is 

 the relation of fitness, and if the same inquiry is earned 

 on, I believe it will soon be found, that a certain propor- 

 tion of parts is necessarily demanded by this relation, 

 and very probably also, that this certain proportion, is m 

 fact, in each of these orders, according to the particular 

 weight or bulk given. 



" If an order is considered as an assemblage of weight, Experience 

 and parts to support that weight, our experience imme- di.coven 

 diatdy leads us to conceive a proper relation of those '" 

 parts to their end. If the entablature be considered as 

 the weight, then of course a certain form and size in the 

 column is demanded for the support of it, and in the 

 base for the support of both. A plain stone, for instance, 

 set on its end, has no proportion, further than for the 

 purpose of stability. If it appears firm, it has all the 

 proportions we desire or demand ; and its form may be 

 varied in a thousand ways, without interfering with our 

 sense of its proportions. Place a column, or any other 

 weight, upon this stone, immediately another proportion 

 is demanded, viz. its proportion to the support of this 

 weight. The form supported has, however, no propor- 

 tion further than is necessary for its stability. It may 

 be more or less beautiful in point of form from otb 

 considerations, but not on account of its proportions. 

 Above this again place an additional body, 4 immediate- 

 ly the intermediate form demands a new proportion, viz. 

 to the weight it supports ;' and the first, or base, d 

 mands also another proportion, in consideration ot the 

 additional weight which is thus imposed upon it. In 

 this supposition, it is obvious, that the consideration oi 

 fitness alone leads ut to expect a certain proportion 

 among each of these partJ. The parts are beautiful or 





