206 Leigh's Music of the Eye. 



Our criticism shall not be virulent ; though we are bound to say, that, 

 after having perused the work with attention, we have risen from it con- 

 vinced that the author is altogether unfit for the task which he has under- 

 taken. There is no evidence that the author understood his subject; if 

 he had, he would have adopted a clear and obvious arrangement, instead 

 of a series of unconnected essays, in each of which the style is most desul- 

 tory and obscure. His great stumbling-block is Vitruvius. If, instead of 

 seeking for the principles of architecture in this author, he had had re- 

 course to the common principles of human nature, he would have arrived 

 at far more satisfactory conclusions than those which follow; and, in order 

 that we may not misrepresent him, we shall give them, as nearly as possible, 

 in his own words, from his ninth and concluding essay : — 



" All architecture must be divided into foundations, supports, and shel- 

 ter." 



" Architecture is divided into styles or schemes, depending on different 

 modes of distributing forms, and applying them to different uses. These 

 different styles or schemes are the following : — " 



" 1st, The Arrectarial (arrectaria, upright supports in buildings), which 

 embraces the most beautiful specimens of Greece. 2dly, The Fulcimental 

 (fidcimen, a prop) or buttress style, which is divided into the heads of 

 flying, finial, and intermediate buttress. 3dly, The Archi-columnal, com- 

 posed of arches and columns, divided into two kinds, one with a trabea- 

 tion (trabs, a beam) between the arch and the column, and the other 

 without. 4thly, The Monotrabeal (moms, one, trabs, beam), which is the 

 simplest scheme, and of which there might exist numberless varieties. 

 5thly, the Pariefenestral (paries, a wall, fenestra, a window), which is as 

 multifarious almost as the combination of forms themselves, of which we 

 have ample proof in the variety of Gothic specimens alone. And, 6thly 

 and lastly, the Sectional scheme, which has the faculty of being as multi- 

 farious as the last." 



Taxis embraces the consideration of the finishing touches of the design. 

 " Ornament may be comprised under the heads formal, diffused, simple, 

 and mixed, in which it is desirable to aim at utility as much as in the 

 bolder features of the design. The brightest perfections in taxis are dis- 

 tinctness, efficiency, and relationship, which should pervade the design." 



" The 5th essay enters upon the subject of proportion. Without reca- 

 pitulating what others have said on this subject, it is only necessary to en- 

 force the importance of Vitruvius's division into eurithm and symmetry : 

 unless we have a clear idea of this, it is utterly impossible that any good 

 effect can be produced. We know that eurithm respects the proportion of 

 one whole, whether that whole be the whole building, or any whole mem- 

 ber of which that building is composed ; the symmetry is the relative pro- 

 portion of two or more such wholes." 



" The disposition of form in a style according to the principles of 

 contrast and relief, which in the Athenian period may have borne the name 

 of diathesis, forms the subject of the sixth essay. The contrast and relief 

 which is to be aimed at in diathesis will be exhibited in the position, form, 

 proportion, and projection ; and as form is divided into the heads of simple 

 and ornamental, and proportion into eurithm and symmetry, we get other 

 divisions of diathesis under those heads. The contrast of position has 

 least existence in architecture, though it occurs repeatedly in ornament. 

 What is most to be noticed in the diathesis of form and proportion is, that 

 as they are often very much blended together, it is desirable to get a dis- 

 tinct idea of their separate existence, in order to use them with more 

 force ; the diathesis of prefecture belongs to parts only displaying 

 shelter." 



The greater part of the work is written in the above style. The plates 



