&86 EXTRACTS FROM 



never have come into ufe in ftone-architecture, if the firft 

 imitation of the wooden temple had not been fo entirely 

 rude, the metopes preferved and Unit up, and the 

 freeze fomewhat plaftered. But I even confefs that 

 fueh defigns were not for thofe times ; and that it was 

 quite natural to the rude workmanfhip of the times to 

 pile up buildings with the timbers lying on each other* 

 like a wood-Hack. 



Now, that fuch a building, hallowed by the devo- 

 tion of the people, mould become the model by which, 

 another, of quite different materials, was to be con- 

 fcucted, is a circumflance congenial to human nature ; 

 and what we daily fee in a hundred other cafes, which 

 are of much greater importance to us, and produce 

 far worfe effects upon us, than metopes and triglyphs. 



I pafs over feveral ages, that I may take a limilar in- 

 fiance for elucidating the greater part of what is called 

 the gothic architecture from the carved wood-work y 

 with which, in antient times, they ufed to ornament 

 Ihrines, altars, and chapels ; which afterwards, as the 

 power and wealth of the church increased, with ',heir 

 plinths, flaffs, and fringes, were heaped on the out- 

 fides of northern wails, and intended as ornaments to 

 pinnacles and mifhapen turrets. 



Alas, all the northern ornamenters of churches 

 fought for grandeur alone in multiplied littlenefs. But 

 few of them had understand i ng enough to give thefe 

 little, pimping forms a relation to one another ; and 

 hence arofe inch enormous maffes as the cathedral at 

 Milan, where a whole quarry of marble has been tranf- 

 ported at a monftrous expence, to be mangled and 

 minced into the moft miferable forms ; and where ftill 

 r; the 



,J V 



•\ 1 

 % 



