80 



ARCHITECTURE. 



BOOK I, 



round or oblong, and its windows either round or square, or 

 broad or narrow, and still retain the beauty of uniformity and 

 the character of simplicity. In the same way, a colonnade, 

 perhaps confessedly sublime, may be composed either of square, 

 circular, angular, or clustered columns, and nevertheless retain 

 its regular uniformity in each of the figures of the columns. 

 The same remarks will apply to every character and to every 

 part of a building : thus one cathedral may be sublime, with 

 clustered columns, painted windows, buttresses, and coni- 

 cal towers or spires; and another equally so, with round co- 

 lumns, circular topped windows, colonnades, and circular 

 domes or cupolas. This different way or manner of producing 

 the same effect, is what is called style in architecture. There 

 may, therefore, be many different styles; and it is natural to 

 think, that every country would originally produce one of its 

 own, according to the materials with which it most abounded. 

 Be that as it may, there are now two styles which in Europe 

 prevail over all others, and which are well known under the 

 names of Grecian and Gothic : the former characterized by cir- 

 cular columns, and openings square or circular at top; the 

 other, by clustered columns, and openings square pointed at 

 top. 



It may be remarked farther, respecting styles in general, that 

 as in all ages architecture would first be employed in the con- 



