262 



the correspondence between the parts being 

 also much less obvious than in Grecian ar- 

 chitecture, the whole has often an appa^ 

 rent irregularity, and from these circum- 

 stances many Gothic structures, even in 

 their entire and perfect state, display a 

 marked picturesque character. That cha- 

 racter, however, cannot but be encreased 

 by decay : abruptness and irregularity are 

 two of its principal sources, and conse- 

 quently every building must be more pic- 

 turesque in a ruinous state, than it was when 

 entire ; for, in a perfect habitable building, 

 however abruptl}" and irregularly the lines 

 of the walls and roofs may cross each other, 

 yet each break which decay occasions in 

 them, at once encreases both their irregu- 

 larit}^ aaid their abruptness. 



Of all ruins, those of the ancient Greek 

 and Roman buildings are on many accounts 

 the most interesting : in no other buildings 

 are the rival qualities of grandeur and 

 beaut}^ so happily united; and to that union 

 is added the prejudice in favour of their 

 high antiquity, and- of" thek being th'e pfO- 



