A R C H I T 
ftudy of philofophy above all other barbarous or foreign 
nations, and often chofe kings from among their philofo- 
phers. It is not therefore to be fuppofed, that the Goths 
were ignorant of the advantages of civil fociety, or ftran- 
gers to the art of building ; and though they could, in an 
enemy’s country, raze and deftroy the fineft ftruftures in 
the world without emotion, it was becaufe they held the 
pride and luxury of Rome in contempt, and preferred the 
plain and durable ftyle of their own edifices to the claffical 
elegances of Grecian architefture. For, like the ancient 
Egyptians, the Goths feem to have been more fiudious to 
amaze fpeftators with the greatnefs of their buildings, 
than to pleafe the eye with the regularity of defign, or pro¬ 
priety of ornament; which, in their native country, Mr. 
Gibbon fays, was confpicuous even in their long ramparts, 
gigantic moles, and other fabrics of original Gothic con- 
ftruftion. 
The rigid temperance and auflere manners of the nor¬ 
thern nations, increafed their population in fo prodigious 
a degree, that immenle numbers w ere compelled to mi¬ 
grate in quell of new’ fettlements. The Goths, particu¬ 
larly, had an incredible number of children, of whom they 
kept but one at home in each family; and hence thofe 
fwarms of them which over-ran fo many countries. Their 
king Woden, who is faid to have firlt brought the Runic 
character out of Afia, after his victories there, extended 
the Gothic arms all over Europe ; but, inftead of driving 
out the people, he only required to (hare with them in the 
fruits of the earth. Hence then we fee, that after the 
overthrow of the Roman empire, the Grecian architefture 
began to decline, and, with the lifter arts, was for a time 
in a manner loft; the heavy Gothic ftyle being every where 
introduced, though rude and inelegant as the rugged man¬ 
ners of its northern inventors. And thus the Goths, hav¬ 
ing incorporated themfelves with the German nations, be¬ 
came united with the Saxons, whom they are faid to have 
inftrufted, and taught to build. By the Saxons they were 
introduced into England, about the year 449 ; and Rapin 
faith, “ that in the year 530, great numbers of Goths, 
with their families and attendants, came over and fettled 
in Britain 5” and through this channel unqueftionably their 
ftyle of architecture obtained a footing here. If we en¬ 
quire what the kinds of buildings were which at that period 
were Handing in this country, what had been erefted by 
the Roman government, and what followed in fucceeding 
ages, it will (hew us the hiftory and progrefs of architec¬ 
ture in England. 
When the Britons were invaded by the Romans, they 
had nothing among them anfwering to our ideas of a city 
or town. Their dwellings were fcattered about the coun¬ 
try, and-generally lituated on the brink of fome rivulet 
for the fake of water, and on the Ikirt of fome wood or 
fared for the conveniency of hunting. As thefe inviting, 
circumftances were more confpicuous in fome parts of the 
country than others, the princes and chiefs made choice of 
thefe places for their refidence ; and their friends and fol¬ 
lowers, for various reafons, built their houfes as near to 
them as they poflibly could. This conftituted an ancient 
Britifh town, which is defcribed by Caefar and Strabo as 
“ a tract of wood country, furrounded by a mound and 
ditch, for the fecurity of themfelves and their cattle againft 
the incnrfions of their enemies.” Again, it is laid, “The 
forefls of the Britons are their cities ; for, when they have 
inclofed a very large circuit with felled trees, they build 
within it houfes for themfelves and hovels for their cattle. 
Thefe buildings are very flight, and not deligned for long 
duration.” 1 he palaces of the Britifh princes were pro¬ 
bably built of the fame materials, and on the fame plan, 
with the houfes of their fubjefts, and differed from them 
only in folidity and magnitude. 
As foon, however, as the Romans began to form fettle¬ 
ments and plant colonies in this ifland, they not only built 
a prodigious number of folid, convenient, and magnificent, 
■ftruftures for their own accommodation, but they exhorted, 
encouraged, and inftrufted, the Britons to imitate their 
E C T U R E. 79 
example. This was one of tire arts which Agricola, the 
mod excellent of the Roman governors, employed to ci¬ 
vilize the Britons, and reconcile them to the Roman go¬ 
vernment. “ The following winter (fays Tacitus) was 
fpent by Agricola in very falutary meafures. That the 
Britons, who led a roaming and unfettled life, and were 
ealily inftigated to war, might contra6l a love for peace 
and tranquillity, by being accuftomed to a more pleafant 
way of living, he exhorted and afiifted them to build hou¬ 
fes, temples, courts, and market-places. By praifing the 
diligent, and reproaching the indolent, he excited fo great 
an emulation among the Britons, that after they hadereft- 
ed all thofe neceftary edifices in their towns, they proceeded 
to build others merely for ornament and pleafure, as por¬ 
ticoes, galleries, baths, banqueting-houfes, &c.” From 
this time, which was A. D. 80, to the middle of the 4th 
century, architefture, and the arts connected with it, flou- 
riffled in this ifland ; and a fimilar tafte for erecting folid,, 
convenient, and graceful, buildings, which had long pre¬ 
vailed in Italy, was introduced into Britain. On the de¬ 
cline of the Roman power, however, and the confequent 
invalions of foreign enemies, the fpirit of building quickly 
fubfided in Britain, and fiiortly after not a veftige remained 
of the Roman fabric. For, from the devaftations made 
at firft by the Saxons, for the (pace of 234 years, to wit, 
from the year 455 to 689, when Cadwalladar, the lall king 
of the Britons, loft the whole kingdom ; and then imme¬ 
diately afterward, for the further Ipace of 129 years, whilft. 
the Saxon kings- of the heptarchy were driving among 
themfelves for the fovereignty, which ended in the year 
818, making 363 years of deftruftive warfare in the whole; 
when Egbert, king of the Weft Saxons, reduced all the 
others to his fubjeftion, and became the firft foie Saxon 
king of England. By this time moll of the public and 
private buildings, which had been erefted by the Britons 
and Romans, were laid in one*promifeuous ruin; nothing 
being to be feen, faith Gildas, but churches burnt down 
and deftroyed to the very foundations, and the inhabitants 
extirpated by the fword, and buried under the ruins of 
their own houfes, the common refult of cruel and relent- 
lefs war! 
Malonry, and a tafte for building, is faid to have been, 
greatly encouraged in England, towards the end of the 
feventh century, by the famous Wilfrid bilhop of York, 
and afterwards of Hexham, and Benedict Bilcop, founder 
of the abbey of Weremouth. Wilfrid, who was one of 
the mod ingenious, aftive, and magnificent, prelates of the 
feventh century, was a great builder, and erefted feveral 
ftruftures at York, Rippon, and Hexham, which were the 
admiration of the age in which he flouriftred. Benedict 
Bilcop was the cotemporary and companion of Wilfrid, 
and had the fame tafte for the arts. Having obtained a 
grant of a confiderabie eftate from Egfrid king of Nor¬ 
thumberland, near the-mouth of the river Were, lie there 
founded a monaftery, A. D. 672. When the building was 
far advanced, he lent agents into France to procure if 
poffible fome glafs-makers, at that time unknown in Eng¬ 
land, and to bring them over to glaze the windows of his 
church and monaftery. Thefe agents were fuccefsful, and 
brought feveral glafs-makers with them ; who not only 
performed the work required by Benedift, but inftrufted 
the Englilh in the art of making glafs for windows, lamps, 
drinking-velfels, and other ufes. 
But though the art of building edifices of ftone, with 
windows of glafs and other ornaments, was thus encou- 
raged by thefe two prelates, it appears from many inciden¬ 
tal hints in our ancient hiftorians, that ftone buildings were 
very rare, and that, when fuch buildings were erefted, they 
were objefts of great admiration. In the other parts of 
this ifland architefture was, as might naturally be imagi¬ 
ned, in a (till lefs flourilhing ftate. It appears indeed to 
have been almoft entirely loft among the pofterity of the 
ancient Britons after they had retired to the mountains of 
Wales. The chief palace of the kings of Wales, where 
the nobility and wife men.alTembled for making laws, was 
3 called; 
