ARCHITECTURE. 
their churches in the form of the Roman 
basilica, or converted the basilica into 
churches. Architecture continued during 
their government with little alteration in 
the general forms, from that which had been 
practised at the decline of the Roman em- 
pire ; but ignorance in proportion, and a 
depraved taste in the ornamental depart- 
ment, at last deprived their edifices of 
that symmetry and beauty which were so 
conspicuous in the works of the ancients. 
However, the knowledge of architectural 
elements was still preserved among them, 
and of the various forms of vaulting used by 
the Greeks and Romans, they adopted that 
of groins or cross arching. 
From what has been said, it will be easy 
to shew, that the Goths had no share in the 
invention of that style of building which 
still bears their name. The architecture of 
Italy, at the time they ceased to be a na- 
tion, was nothing but debased Roman, 
which was the archetype for the first Saxon 
churches erected in this country. The term 
Gothic seems to have originated in Italy, 
with the restorers of the Grecian style, and 
was applied by the followers of Palladio 
and Inigo Jones, to all the structures erect- 
ed in the interval between the beginning of 
the twelfth and end of the fifteenth centu- 
ries, probably with a view to stigmatize 
those beautiful edifices, and to recover the 
ancient manner. This term is therefore of 
modern application: it was not used in 
Italy till the pointed style had gained the 
summit of perfection, nor yet in England, 
when tills species of architecture ceased to 
be in use, and the Grecian restored. This 
manner, of building, like most other arts, re- 
quired a succession of ages to bring it to 
maturity, and the principal cause which 
seems to have effected this, was that desire 
of novelty so inherent in the mind of man 
to produce something new, and a total dis- 
regard to the proportions of ancient edifices. 
Having now traced the Grecian style from 
the place of its invention to its decline in 
Italy, we shall follow the steps by which 
this corrupted ill-proportioned Italian style 
at last assumed a character so different from 
the original, as to become in a few centu- 
ries a distinct species of architecture, which 
not only exhibited beautiful proportions, 
and elegant decorations, but also majestic, 
o-randeur and sublimity in its fabrication. 
To do this, it will not be necessary to seek 
abroad for those successive changes ; as the 
different gradations can be distinctly traced 
at home.° The first Saxon churches here 
VOL. I. 
were either constructed, with however rude 
imitation, after models of Roman temples, 
which we may presume then remained in 
Britain, or by foreigners brought from 
Rome and France. The manner of building 
at this time was called Roman, the term 
Gothic not being applied till the end of se- 
veral centuries. 
It has been observed, that a quadrangu- 
lar walled inclosure, divided in the breadth 
into three parts, by two colonaded arcades, 
supporting on the imposts of the arches, two 
other opposite higher walls, through which 
the light descended into the middle part, 
and upon which the roof rested, was known 
to the Romans before the Goths appeared 
in Italy. N ow this construction is the ge- 
neral outline of the Saxon, Norman, and 
the pointed styles of building churches, and 
is also that form of structure most advan- 
tageous for lighting the interior, upon the 
same plan ; for, though the roof might have 
been equally well supported by columns, 
instead of the interior walls, and extending 
those of the exterior to the whole height, 
the intensity of light produced from the 
same number of windows on the sides, thus 
tar removed from the middle of the edifice, 
would have been greatly diminished. It 
may also be farther observed, that no other 
form of building was so favourable for 
vaulting : for a vaulted roof could neither 
have been thrown to the whole breadth, 
nor in the three compartments, without 
walls of enormous thickness, which would 
not only have added to the breadth, but 
would have been attended with prodigious 
additional expenses. 
The Saxon style is easily recognized by 
its massive columns and semicircular ar ches, 
which usually spring from capitals without 
the intervention of the entablature. In the 
first Saxon buildings the mouldings were 
extremely simple, the greater part consist- 
ing of fillets and plat-bands, at right angles 
to each other, and to the general fayade. 
The archivolts and imposts were similar to 
those found in Roman edifices. The gene- 
ral plan and disposition ot the latter Saxon 
churches were as follow ; the chief entrance 
was at the west end into the nave, at the 
upper end ot which was a cross, with the 
arms of it extending north and south ; the 
east end, containing the choir, terminated 
in a semicircular form. A tower was erect- 
ed over the centre of the cross, and to con- 
tain the bells another was frequently added, 
and sometimes two. 
The large churches contained a nave and 
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