ARCHITECTURE. 
90 
them. Yet if we examine our own country, we fhall find 
more pyramids, even in one province, than exift at this 
day in all Memphis and Sacara. From this circtimffance, 
one might be induced to fuppofe, that the origin of fpires 
amongft us, proceeded in fome degree from Egyptian ideas 
grafted upon Chriftian principles. Amongft the Egyp¬ 
tians, the pyramid was held to be {'acred ; by it they ex- 
prefled the origin of all things. They placed it over their 
cemeteries, as the Chriftians do, to teftify the lively and 
exalted fentiments they entertained of the immortality of 
the foul. Its form, which is like that of a flame of fire, 
(whence it is fuppofed to derive its origin.) is typical of 
the divine fpirit of the deceafed, afceneling, after its repa¬ 
ration from the body, to the divine mantions of repofe. 
Such, we are given, to underftar.d, were partly the motives 
that induced the Egyptians to adopt the pyramid in their 
fepultures; that figure, how ever, poflefles many interefting 
properties, which, independent of thefe motives, might 
have recommended it to their notice. Experience has 
evinced, that in point of durability the pyramid is fupe- 
rior to all other figures ; it is alfo a form the fnoft confo- 
nant with the principles of optics; as, on account of fome 
natural imperfeClions in the vifual organ, it is continually 
obtruding itfelf on our fenfes. For inftance, a long range 
of buildings, viewed from either extremity, will appear 
to incline to a point. A long avenue, a road, or a canal 
running between two parallel banks, have the fame effect. 
To v hicli we may add, that the pyramid has the property 
of conveying an idea of elevation beyond the actual limits 
of the objeCt. Whether thefe properties were taken into 
conlideration by the Egyptian and Gothic at cliitedts or not, 
it mull be confefled, they have chofen a form that plays 
very ftrongly upon the fenfes, and from it their works de¬ 
rive no inconfiderable part of that effeCt which fills the 
mind with ideas of grandeur. 
The moderns, as we have already obferved, ftill conti¬ 
nue to uf’e pyramids in their churches and fepultures; al¬ 
though no other reafon is afligned for this practice, but 
that it was the cuftom of our forefathers. We fliould re¬ 
collect, however, that fpires were graceful, and well adapt¬ 
ed to the general formation of their edifices; whereas in 
ours they are quite the reverfe. By attempting to imitate 
the antique Ityle of architecture in our churches, we have 
fallen into a compound one, which is neither Grecian nor 
Gothic, but rather a piece of patch-work, made up of 
the remnants of three different nations. Italy has fur- 
nifhed the ground plan, Greece the portico, and Norman¬ 
dy tlie fpire. The coalition of thefe heterogeneous parts, 
cannot with propriety he called Grecian architecture ; yet 
that is the appellation generally given to it. We mu ft al¬ 
low, however, that there are fome churches amongft us, 
executed in this mixed ftyle, that are not undeferving of 
praife. 
Of DOORS. 
The principal entrances of Gothic churches are gene¬ 
rally ornamented in a very magnificent manner; the door 
is ufually placed within a large porch, which porch dimi- 
nifties, as it recedes, in a rectilinear direction; the lides 
of it are often adorned with an aflemblage of (lender co¬ 
lumns, and mouldings of various forts. Here are alfo feen 
Ilatues of kings, popes, faints, and martyrs, with their re- 
ipeCtive emblems, canopies, pedeftals, &c. Frequently 
v, e find as many entrances in the weft front, as there are 
porticoes in the church ; but the centre door, which is ge¬ 
nerally tire largeft, is feldom opened hut on days of pro- 
cefiion, or for the reception of fome dignitary of the church. 
How different the practice of the Gothic architects, in 
this refpeCt, from that of the ancients ! The latter made 
the entrances of their temples large, and approached them 
by a flight of elevated fteps. The former, on the con¬ 
trary, made the doors of their churches comparatively 
Anal], and on a level with the furrounding plain. Some¬ 
times, indeed, we even find fteps for defeending into thefe 
churches, which fome imagine to have been appended in 
confequence of an accumulation of the adjacent earth ; 
but it is evident that in general thefe fteps made a part of 
the original defign. Some inftances indeed of elevated en¬ 
trances to Gothic churches are to be met with ; but they 
are generally fuch as neceflarily arife from the obliquity 
of their {filiation. 
Of WINDOWS, 
There is no part of Gothic architecture which admits of 
more variety, or is fufceptible of a greater difplay of tafte 
and beauty, than the windows ; the manner in which they 
are ufually formed is as follows : The breadth of the aper¬ 
ture is divided into three, five, or feven, equal parts, with 
a mullion between each. When the window is of any 
confiderable height, a tranfom or crofs mullion is placed 
in the middle of it, for the fecurity of the work. The 
{pace between the fpring of the arch and the lummit of 
the aperture is filled with tracery work, compofed chiefly 
of trefoils and quatrefoils, and thefe are fometimes fubdi- 
vided into other different figures. In all manner of tra- 
* eery work, whether fimple or complicated, we find that 
the interfticial vacuities tend to the figure of a plain or 
curvilinear triangle, and that their circumfcribing lines are 
generated by geometrical rules. The mofi beautiful fort 
of tracery appears to be that in which thC feveral perfo¬ 
rations approach to an equal magnitude. See jig. 16, in 
the annexed Plate of Arches. 
The fplay of every window is in proportion to the thick- 
nefs of the wall: a large fplay appears to have been much 
efieemed ; and, when the wali is not of dimenfions fuffici- 
ent to admit of it, then a few mouldings are appended to 
the (ides of the archivolt, refting upon a firing or belt, or 
elfe upon a fort of corbel, formed into a grotefque head. 
The apron , or fill, has nearly the fame degree of obliquity 
as the fides of the window; at the bottom it projects a 
few inches, where there is a little channel to prevent the 
rain from recoiling on the wall. See the annexed Plate of 
the SeCtion of the Church of Batalha, which ferves to il- 
lufirate this defeription of the windows, and to (hew the 
rich efteCt of the interior building. 
The piers, between the windows in churches, are very 
narrow, in confequence of the breadth of the apertures ; 
and the great {play of their architraves, together with the 
half-pillars of the ailes, occupy nearly the whole of the 
wall; fo that no plain {'pace remains for the reception of 
pictures. The ancients, on the contrary, made the piers 
of their edifices large, and the apertures comparatively 
frnall, which is (till confidered as the grand ftyle in Gre¬ 
cian architecture; as the magnitude of the piers gave 
them an opportunity of embelliffung the infide with pic¬ 
tures and ffatues. The Gothic architects, however, have 
amply compenfated for this deficiency, by making the win¬ 
dows, inffeadof the walls, the depofitory of their pictures ; 
and thus, by commuting the canvafs for the glafs, they 
obtained one important advantage, that is, a natural black 
light, a light which has the peculiar property of giving 
every production of the pencil the greateft poifible degree 
of force and brilliancy. The various colours of thefe win¬ 
dows form a happy contfaft with the fimple white or grey 
caff of the ftruCture ; and, as they obfeure the church in 
fome degree, they diffufe an appearance of folemnity, well 
adapted to the majefty of the place. 
The windows of Gothic buildings in the reign of Hen¬ 
ry II. were long, narrow, (harp-pointed, and ufually de¬ 
corated on the inlide and outfide with frnall marble (hafts : 
the order and difpoiition of the windows varied in fome 
meafure according to the llories of which the building 
confided ; in one of three (lories, the uppermoft had com¬ 
monly three windows within the compafs of every arch, 
the centre one being higher than thofe on each fide; the 
middle tier or ftory had two within the fame fpace; and 
the loweft only one window, ufually divided by a pillar or 
mullion, and often ornamented on the top with a trefoil, 
fingle role, or fome fuch fimple decoration, which proba¬ 
bly gave the hint for branching out the whole head into a 
variety 
