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mansion, and that of the bridge which be- 

 longs, or seems to belong to it, has not al- 

 ways been attended to in modern improve- 

 ments. Vanbrugh has given to his bridge 

 at Blenheim, the same character, which pre- 

 vails in the principal fabric. Mr. Brown, 

 on the other hand, in the bridge of which 

 he was the architect, has tried the opposite 

 extreme — that of making it from its plain- 

 ness, the strongest possible contrast to the 

 whole mass of buildings. Still, however, in 

 one point of view, he did not neglect unit}^ 

 of character ; for, as he had banished all ' 

 enrichment from the banks of his river, he 

 perhaps thought it right to adapt the style 

 of his bridge to that of the water. 



But, although it appears to me, that any 

 bridge at Blenheim required something in 

 its character, more analogous to the estab- 

 lished style of architecture at that place, yet 

 I am very far from objecting to plain bridges 

 in general ; ori the contrary, I think it may 

 safely be asserted, that of all buildings, an 

 arched stone bridge is that which will bear 

 the greatest degree of plainness and simpli- 



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