353 



elegant forms, and when every part of the 

 scenery accords with their character. I be- 

 lieve indeed, that we might reverse Mr. 

 Gilpin's position, and with more truth as- 

 sert, that a piece of Palladian architecture* 

 however elegant, however well proportioned 

 its parts, however well disposed and se- 

 lected its ornaments, how perfect soever 

 the symmetry of the whole, yet, in the 

 mere elevation, or placed at the top of a 

 lawn naked and unaccompanied, is a for- 

 mal object, and excites only a cold admi- 

 ration of the architect's ability ; but that it 

 becomes, when introduced in a picture* 

 a highly interesting object, and universally 

 pleases. I of course mean introduced a£ 

 the best masters have introduced and ac- 

 companied such buildings, for there can be 

 no doubt of the tendency of all regular ar- 

 chitecture to formality. 



The skill with which that formality lias 

 been avoided by the great painters, with- 

 out destroying smoothness or symmetry, is, 

 perhaps, one of the strongest arguments in 



