33 
INTERIOR. 
In ancient Gothic Mansions, whether Castles or Abbeys, converted to 
domestic purposes, or of the mixed style of Queen Elisabeth : the Rooms, 
though long and large, consisted of such irregular shapes, or were so 
broken by the deep recesses of windows, or enriched by the projection 
of timber groins in the ceilings, that the eye was amused and entangled 
by a degree of intricacy unknown in modern rooms. The rage for what 
is called simplicity, and the common error of substituting greatness of 
dimensions for greatness of character, have introduced plain walls with- 
out the smallest break or projection, and plain ceilings without the 
smallest enrichments of painting or sculpture ; while large windows, and 
large piers, and doors too large for common use, have been made the 
criterion of grandeur. On the contrary, these only tend to lessen the 
apparent dimensions of space, because (as in the case of a large naked 
plain) the eye is immediately led to the boundary, which is the only 
object that arrests attention. To remedy this defect in modern rooms, 
it has of late become the fashion to cover the ceilings with lustres, and 
to crowd the floor with tables and sophas, and musical instruments, 
which in some degree create separate compartments and recesses, although 
the comfort and enjoyment of them can never be compared with the 
deep bays, and retired cavities, observed in the galleries of some ancient 
Palaces. The plainness, or simplicity (as it is called) in modern Houses, 
has been extended to every room alike, and often causes in Dining Rooms 
an excess of echo and noise which is intolerable. 
In Italian Houses of the last century, an Enfilade was deemed 
essential to the state of a suite of rooms; but it was always made through 
K 
