82 ARCHITECTURE. BOOK I. 



concave mouldings in the parts, and frequently groined roofs 

 internally, &c. as in the ancient villas of Great Britain, &c. 



A free inquiry into these different styles will enable us to dis- 

 cern the characteristic properties of each ; to see whether they 

 are suitable to the purposes for which they are designed, and 

 perhaps to discover errors and propose improvements. To trace 

 the history of architecture in this way, would require consider- 

 able time, and would contain much uninteresting matter to the 

 reader not curious in this science. What I shall attempt in the 

 following remarks will be, to improve the taste of such as have 

 already paid some general attention to the subject ; or, if I dare 

 not arrogate so much, to induce gentlemen and young archi- 

 tects to be guarded in their veneration of antiquity, and to 

 think for themselves on a subject which has its foundation in 

 nature. 



