the Reign of Henry VIII. i8i 



had room for doubting ; Danes, Saxons, 

 Normans, were all ignorant enough to have 

 claims to peculiar uglinefs in their fafliions. 

 It was difficult to afcertain the period * 

 when one ungracious form joftled out ano- 

 ther : and this perplexity at laft led them 

 into fuch refinement, that the term Gothic 

 ArchiteBurey inflided as a reproach on our 

 ancient buildings in general by our ancellors 

 who revived the Grecian tafle, is now con- 

 fidered but as a fpecies of modern elegance, 

 by thofe who wiih to diflinguifli the Saxon 

 ftyle from it. This Saxon ftyle begins to 

 be defined by flat and round arches, by 

 fome undulating zigzags on certain old 

 fabrics, and by a very few other charadler- 

 iilics, all evidences of barbarous and igno- 

 rant times, I do not mean to fay fimply 

 that the round arch is a proof of ignorance ; 



• When men inquire, ^* who invented Gothic build- 

 ijigs ?'* they might as well afk, '* who invented bad 

 Latin ?" The former was a corruption of the Roman 

 architefture, as the latter was of the Roman language. 

 Both were debafed in barbarous ages ; both were re- 

 fined, as the age polifhed itfelf ; but neither were rc- 

 ftored to the original ftandard. Beautifull Gothic ar- 

 chitefture was engrafted on Saxon deformity ; and pure 

 Italian fucceeded to vitiated Latin. 



M 3 but 



