MARCH. 113 



is adverse to the picturesque. lu Gothic buildings, the out- 

 line of the summit presents such a variety of forms, of turrets 

 and pinnacles, that even where there is an exact correspond- 

 ence of parts, it is often disguised by an appearance of con- 

 fusion and irregularity. In the doors and windows of Gothic 

 churches, the pointed arch has as much variety as any regular 

 figure can well have, and there is an extreme intricacy in the 

 principal windows of cathedrals and ruined abbeys. In these 

 last is displayed the triumph of the picturesque, and its 

 charms to a painter's eye will often rival those of beauty 

 itself. 



The author considers water, when ruffled by the wind, 

 when agitated into dashing waves and foaming spray, as 

 picturesque ; when calm and smooth he regards it as beau- 

 tiful. Among trees, the rugged old oak, the knotty wych 

 elm, trees with rough mossy bark, and with sudden varia^ 

 tions in their forms; the limbs of huge trees, shattered by 

 Avinds or lightning, are highly picturesque, A beautifs]! 

 tree must have a certain correspondence of parts, and a cowi- 

 parative regularity and proportion ; whereas inequality and 

 irregularity alone, will give a tree a picturesque appearance. 



Among animals that are called picturesque, the sam/C quali- 

 ties are found to prevail. The ass is eminently so; and 

 among horses, it is the wild forester with his rough coat, his 

 mane and tail ragged and uneven, or the worn out cart 

 horse, not the sleek and pampered steed ; and among dogs, 

 the rough water dog, not the smooth spaniel or greyhound ; 

 the shaggy goat, rather than the sheep, which, are picturesque. 

 Among wild animals, the deer with branching horns, the 

 lion with his shaggy mane are of this character. Among our 

 own species, beggars, gypsies, and all such rough tattered 

 figures, bear a close analogy, in all the qualities that make 

 them picturesque, to old hovels and mills, to the wild forest 

 house and other objects of the same kind. 



The picturesque, according to our author, appears to hold 

 a middle station between the beautiful and the sublime;, 

 while they are perfectly distinct from each other.. The 

 beautiful and picturesque are founded on opposite qualities,, 



VOL. XXII. NO. III. 15 



