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objects, but not as pieces of architecture ; 

 they are beautiful as to their general tint, 

 and light and shadow, but not in regard to 

 symmetry and design, for they are mutila- 

 ted and irregular ; still, however, from the 

 reasons I have mentioned, the ruins in 

 Claude's pictures, are in perfect unison 

 •with that select idea of beauty, which he 

 sought after. 



But, besides the softness and play of out- 

 line that they receive from vegetation, his 

 ruins have another claim to the character 

 which so prevails in his landscapes. I have 

 before observed, that buildings of Grecian 

 architecture, even where their prevailing 

 character is grandeur, have yet an air of 

 elegance mixed with it ; so, likewise, when 

 they become picturesque from being in ruin, 

 the character of beauty still lingers about 

 their forms and their ornaments, however 

 disfigured ; a circumstance which very es- 

 sentially distinguishes them from the ruins 

 of castles, and mere massive buildings. 

 This may account for the very few exam- 

 ples in Claude's pictures of ruins totally 



