22 On GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. 



Upon the monument of King John 1. and Queen Philippe*, 



in the church of Batalha, are two canopies of frittered -work, 



conftru6led in a manner which I fhall endeavour to explain in 



a fubfequent part of this EfTay. The lower part of each of 



them confifts of an arch of contrary flexure, like that of the door 



of St Mary's, Beverley, (fig. 2>2>')'i ^^^ ornamented in a manner 



forhewhat different, having, in place of the crockets, a fet of 



leaves, in form and arrangement, greatly refembling thofe of 



the willow *. 



Whoever 



the Gothic ftyle, which are daily perifhing by the exertions of a miftaken zeal ia 

 their favour. 



Every year, great fums are beftowed in drefling up the old churches, in many 

 parts of England, much to the detriment of thefe noble edifices. In fome cafes, this 

 is done by befmearing the building with white or yellow paint, which chokes and 

 confounds all the delicacy and elegance of the fculpture. This evil, however, is not 

 of the deepeft kind ; fince, here, the original forms of the work remain entire, 

 and may be again reftored to their purity, when a better tafte prevails. But an in- 

 jury of a much more ferious nature is occafioned by the operation of chipping, in 

 which the mafon, with a barbarous hand, a6lually goes over the whole work, and 

 chifels off the furface to a certain depth, leaving but a poor fliadow of the original 

 form. By both operations, the building acquires the harlli and glaring appearance 

 of new work ; which, however, is removed in a few years, by the influence of the 

 weather, and the edifice recovers its former grandeur, as far as colour is concerned. 

 But the havock committed by chipping is quite irreparable 5 for the fculpture, when 

 once removed, can return no more. 



I HAVE been told, in vindication of this prai^ice, that the forms of the old work 

 were rellored exadlly as they originally flood. An idea, worthy of the fimplicity of 

 MuMMius the Roman general, who demolifhed Corinth. As if it were in the power 

 of every ftone-cutter to replace a mafter-piece of the 13 th century \ 



1 WAS happy to find, at York, that a different fpirit prevailed in the operations 

 carrying on in the Minfter. In all thefe repairs, the ancient fculpture has been moft 

 fcrupulouOy refpefted ; and, in many places, the flone has been carefully freed from 

 its load of paint, fo as to reftore it to its original purity. For thefe attentions, the 

 public is greatly indebted to the good tafte and judgment of the Rev. Mr Eyre, 

 one of the refidentiaries. 



* See Mr Murphy's admirable publication ; a work to which I Ihall have 

 very often occafion to refer, when I fpeak of the more complicated forms of Gothic 

 arcbitefture. 



