A. traveller's journal. 2S3 



II. ON THE THEORY OP THE IMITATIVE ART?. 



» 



ARCHITECTURE. 



IT is very eafy to fee, that the art of building in 

 ftone, fo far as relates to the difpofition of pillars, took 

 its model from the art of building in timber. Vitru * 

 vius, on this occahon, adduces the ftory of the market 

 booths, which is lince adopted and confecrated by fo 

 many theories : but I am convinced, that the origin 

 is to be found much nearer. 



The Doric temples of the mo ft antient ordonnance, 

 as they are ftill to this day to be feen in Graecia 

 Magna and Sicilia, and which Vitruvius knew nothing 

 of, bring us to the natural reflection : that a w T ooden 

 booth did not furnifh even the remoter! occalion to 

 them. 



The moft ancient temples were of wood : they were 

 built in the fimpleft manner; nothing but what was 

 abfolutely neceffary was confidered in them. The pil- 

 lars fupported the main timbers, thefe again the heads 

 of the balks which projected from within ; and the cor- 

 nices relied upon thefe. The viiible ends of the beams, 

 the carpenter could do no lefs than carve out in fome 

 fhape or other ; and, that the fpaces between them, 

 the metopes, as they are called, might not be entirely 

 vacant, they were fHIed by the Hauls of die victims 

 that were offered in facrince, fo that Pylades^ in the 

 Iphigenia at Tauris of Euripides, might juftly propofe 

 to creep through them. This folidj fimple, and rude 



form 



