199 



the level below, — all impress grand and aw- 

 ful ideas. 



As I have in a former part made intri- 

 cacy a characteristic mark of the pictur- 

 esque, I may possibly be accused of incon- 

 sistency in making it also a cause of gran- 

 deur. It might be sufficient to say, that 

 there are other qualities common to the su- 

 blime and to the picturesque, such as rough- 

 ness and abruptness ; and that therefore in- 

 tricacy might be in the same class. I shall 

 not, however, be satisfied with that general 

 defence, but shall endeavour to account in 

 a more satisfactory manner for this seem- 

 ing inconsistency. There appear to be vari- 

 ous degrees and styles of intricacy. Ho- 

 garth, as I have mentioned on a former 

 occasion, in speaking of the effect of those 

 waving lines which steal from the eye, and 

 lead it a kind of wanton chace, has termed 

 it the beauty of intricacy, which I have en- 

 deavoured to distinguish from the more sud- 

 den and abrupt kind which belongs to the 

 picturesque : I will now point out what 



