ARCHITECTURE. 



g-ular appearance in sunshine. By this 

 means, also, the ancients diminished and 

 fluted their columns, which could not be 

 done with the same accuracy any other 

 way. 



After the fall of the Roman empire, the 

 Goths, having now the dominion of those 

 places formerly the seat of the arts, and 

 having soon become converts to Christi- 

 anity, but having no established rules of 

 their own in the principles of architec- 

 ture, either built their churches in the 

 form of the Roman Basilica, or converted 

 the basilica into churches. Architecture 

 continued during their government, with 

 little alteration, in the general forms, from 

 that which had been practised at the de- 

 cline of the Roman empire ; but igno- 

 rance in proportion, and a depraved taste 

 in the ornamental department, at last de- 

 prived their edifices of that symmetry 

 and beauty, which were so conspicuous 

 in the works of the ancients. However, 

 the knowledge of architectural elements 

 was still preserved among them, and of 

 the various forms of vaulting used by the 

 Greeks and Romans, they adopted that 

 of groins or cross-arching. 



From what has been said, it will be 

 easy to shew, that the Goths had no share 

 in the invention of that style of building 

 which still bears their name. The archi- 

 tecture of Italy, at the time they ceased 

 to be a nation, was nothing but debased 

 Roman, which was the archetype for the 

 first Saxon churches erected in this coun- 

 try. The term Gothic seems to have ori- 

 ginated, in Italy, with the restorers of the 

 Grecian style, and was applied, by the 

 followers of Palladio and Inigo Jones, to 

 all the structures erected in the interval 

 between the beginning of the twelfth and 

 end of the fifteenth centuries, probably 

 with a view to stigmatize those beautiful 

 edifices, and to recover the ancient man- 

 ner. This term is therefore of modern ap- 

 plication : it was not used in Italy till the 

 pointed style had gained the summit of 

 perfection, nor yet in England, when this 

 species of architecture ceased to be in 

 use, and the Grecian restored. This man- 

 ner of building, like most other arts, re- 

 quired a succession of ages to bring it to 

 maturity, and the principal cause which 

 seems to have effected this was, that de- 

 sire of novelty so inherent in the mind of 

 man to produce something new, and a to- 

 tal disregard to the proportions of ancient 

 edifices. Having now traced the Grecian 

 style from the place of its invention to its 

 decline in italy, we shall follow the steps 

 ]>y which this corrupted ill-proportioned 





Italian style at last assumed a character 

 so different from the original, as to he- 

 come in a few centuries a distinct species 

 of architecture, which not only exhibited 

 beautiful proportions, and elegant deco- 

 rations, but also majestic grandeur, and 

 sublimity in its fabrication. To do this, 

 it will not be necessary to seek abroad 

 for those successive changes, aslhe dif- 

 ferent gradations can be distinctly traced 

 at home. The first Saxon churches here 

 were either constructed, with however 

 rude imitation, after models of Roman 

 temples, which we may presume then re- 

 mained in Britain, or by foreigners brought 

 from Rome and France. The manner of 

 building at this time was called Roman, 

 the term Gothic not being applied till the 

 end of several centuries. 



It has been observed, that a quadran- 

 gular walled enclosure, divided in the 

 breadth into three parts, by two colona- 

 ded arcades, supporting, on the imposts 

 of the arches, two other opposite higher 

 walls, through which the light descended 

 into the middle part, and upon which the 

 roof rested, was known to the Romans 

 before the Goths appeared in Italy. Now 

 this construction is the general outline 

 of the Saxon, Norman, and the pointed 

 styles of building churches, and is also 

 that form of structure, most advantageous 

 for lighting the interior upon the same 

 plan; for, though the roof might have 

 been equally well supported by columns, 

 instead of the interior walls, and extend- 

 ing those of the exterior to the whole 

 height, the intensity of light produced 

 from the same number of windows on the 

 sides, thus far removed from the middle 

 of the edifice, would have been great.ly r 

 diminished. It may also be farther ob- 

 served, that no other form of building 

 was so favourable for vaulting : for a 

 vaulted roof could neither have been 

 thrown to the whole breadth, nor in the 

 three compartments, without walls of 

 enormous thickness, which would not on- 

 ly have added to the breadth, but would 

 have been attended with prodigious addi- 

 tional expenses. 



The Saxon style is easily recognized by 

 its massive columns and semicircular 

 arches, which usually spring from capi- 

 tals without the intervention of the enta- 

 blature. In the first Saxon buildings the 

 mouldings were extremely simple, the 

 greater part consisting of fillets and plat- 

 bands, at right angles to each other, and 

 to the general fayade. The archivolts 

 and imposts were similar to those found 

 in Roman edifices. The general plan and 



