PART III. ARCHITECTURE. 10? 



Edinburgh, and in some of the colleges of St. Andrew's. This 

 deviation from beauty, with most other errors in architecture, 

 shews the great danger of affecting conspicuous ornaments 

 which have no foundation in utility or fitness. Nevertheless, it 

 is the common mode employed by architects, and the chief re- 

 source which they have for making a house elegant, or suitable 

 to the grandeur of the proprietor. But had the nature and use 

 of style been attended to, this would have been done in the 

 most striking manner, and with much less expence ; as will ap- 

 pear evident if we apply it in the case of dress : if a lady going 

 to an assembly dress exactly in the fashion, she can only be 

 distinguished from others by the richness or elegance of her at- 

 tire; but if she vary the style or disposition of the drapery, she 

 will be distinguished among others in a much more striking 

 manner ; and though in dressing for assemblies, this might not 

 be allowable in many cases, yet in buildings it is totally diffe- 

 rent; for each fashion in them continues at least an age. 



The great advantages which are thus to be derived from the 

 irregular Gothic style make it proper to mention the charac- 

 teristics of a few of its varieties ; and first of 



The Cathedral Style. 



The general masses in this style are large, of considerable 

 length, and seldom interrupted by breaks or large projections. 



