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nected by arcades; third, an octagon room, or of any other figure, about the centre of the building; and laftly, the great room.

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A double row of windows must be disagreeable by diftributing the light unequally the space in particular between the rows is always gloomy. that reason, a room of greater height than can be conveniently ferved by a fingle row, ought regularly to be lighted from the roof. Artifts have generally an inclination to form the great room into a double cube, even with the inconvenience of a double row of windows: they are pleased with the regularity, overlooking that it is mental only, and not visible to the eye, which feldom can distinguish between the height of 24 feet and that of 30.*

Of all the emotions that can be raised by architecture, grandeur is that which has the greatest influence on the mind; and it ought therefore to be the chief study of the artist, to raise this emotion in great buildings deftined to pleafe the eye. But as grandeur depends partly on fize, it feems fo far unlucky for architecture, that it is governed by regularity and proportion, which never deceive the eye by making objects appear larger than they are in reality fuch. deception, as above obferved, is never found but with fome remarkable difproportion of parts. But though regularity and proportion contribute nothing to grandeur as far as that emotion depends on fize, they in a different respect contribute greatly to it, as has been explained above.†

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One who has not given peculiar attention will fearce imagine how imperfect our judgment is about diflances, without experience. Our looks being generally directed to objects upon the ground around us we judge tolerably of horizontal distances: but feldom having occafion to look upward in a perpendicular line, we fcarce can form any judgment of diftances in that direction.

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Next of ornaments, which contribute to give buildings a peculiar expreffion. It has been doubted whether a building can regularly admit any ornament but what is ufeful, or at leaft has that appearance. But confidering the different purposes of architecture, a fine as well as an useful art, there is no good reason why ornaments may not be added to please the eye without any relation to use. This liberty is allowed in poetry, painting, and gardening, and why not in architecture confidered as a fine art? A private dwelling-houfe, it is true, and other edifices where ufe is the chief aim, admit not regularly any ornament but what has the appearance, at least, of ufe; but temples, triumphal arches, and other buildings intended chiefly or folely for fhow, admit every fort of ornament.

A thing intended merely as an ornament may be of any figure and of any kind that fancy can fuggeft; if it pleafe the fpectator, the artist gains his end. Statues, vafes, fculpture upon ftone, whether baffo or alto relievo, are beautiful ornaments, relished in all civilized countries. The placing fuch ornaments fo as to produce the best effect, is the only nicety. A ftatue in perfection is an enchanting work; and we naturally require that it fhould be feen in every direction and at different diftances; for which reafon, ftatues employed as ornaments are proper to adorn the great ftair-cafe that leads to the principal door of a palace, or to occupy the void between pillars. But a niche in the external front is not a proper place for a ftatue; and ftatues upon the roof, or upon the top of a wall, would give pain by feeming to be in danger of tumbling. To adorn the top of a wall with a row of vafes is an unhappy conceit, by placing things apparently of ufe where they cannot be of any ufe. As to baffo and alto relievo, I obferve,

I obferve, that in architecture as well as in gardening, contradictory expreffions ought to be avoided : for which reafon, the lightnefs and delicacy of carved work fuits ill with the firmness and folidity of a pedestal upon the pedeftal, whether of a ftatue or a column, the ancients never ventured any bolder ornament than the baffo relievo.

One at firft view will naturally take it for granted, that in the ornaments under confideration, beauty is indifpenfable. It goes a great way undoubtedly; but, upon trial, we find many things efteemed as highly ornamental that have little or no beauty. There are various circumstances, befide beauty, that tend to make an agreeable impreffion. For inftance, the reverence we have for the ancients is a fruitful fource of ornaments. Amalthea's horn has always been a favourite ornament, becaufe of its connection with a lady who was honoured with the care of Jupiter in his infancy. A fat old fellow and a goat are furely not graceful forms; and yet Selinus and his companions are every where fashionable ornaments. What else but our fondnefs for antiquity can make the horrid form of a Sphinx fo much as endurable? Original deftination is another circumftance that has influence to add dignity to things in themselves abundantly trivial. In the fculpture of a marble chimney-piece, inftruments of a Grecian or Roman facrifice are beheld with pleasure; original deftination rendering them vencrable as well as their antiquity. Let fome modern cutlery ware be fubftituted, though not lefs beautiful; the artist will be thought whimfical, if not abfurd. Triumphal arches, pyramids, obelisks, are beautiful forms; but the noblenefs of their original destination has greatly enhanced the pleasure we take in them. A ftatue, fuppofed to be an Apollo, will

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with an antiquary lofe much of its grace when difcovered to have been done for a barber's apprentice. Long robes appear noble, not fingly for their flowing lines, but for their being the habit of magiftrates; and a scarf acquires an air of dignity by being the badge of a fuperior order of churchmen. These examples may be thought fufficient for a fpecimen : a diligent inquiry into human nature will discover other influencing principles; and hence it is, that of all fubjects, ornaments admit the greatest variety in point of taste.

Things merely ornamental appear more gay and fhowy than things that take on the appearance of use. A knot of diamonds in the hair is fplendid; but diamonds have a more modeft appearance when used as clafps or buttons. The former are more proper for a young beauty, the latter after marriage.

And this leads to ornaments having relation to ufe. Ornaments of that kind are governed by a different principle, which is, That they ought to be of a form fuited to their real or apparent deftination. This rule is applicable as well to ornaments that make a component part of the fubject, as to ornaments that are only acceffory. With relation to the former, it never can proceed from a good tafte to make a tea-fpoon refemble the leaf of a tree; for fuch a form is inconfiftent with the deftination of a tea-spoon. An eagle's claw is an ornament no less improper for the foot of a chair or table: because it gives it the appearance of weakness, inconfiftent with its deftination of bearing weight. Blind windows are fometimes introduced to preferve the appearance of regularity in which cafe the deceit ought carefully to be concealed: if vifible, it marks the irregularity in the clearest manner, fignifying, that real windows ought to have been there, could they have

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been made confiftent with the internal ftructure. A pilafter is another example of the fame fort of ornament; and the greatest error againft its feeming deftination of a fupport, is to fink it fo far into the wall as to make it lose that feeming. A compofition reprefenting leaves and branches, with birds perching upon them, has been long in fashion for a candleftick; but none of these particulars is in any degree fuited to that deftination.

A large marble bafon fupported by fishes, is a conceit much relifhed in fountains. This is an example of acceffory ornaments in a bad tafte; for fishes here are unfuitable to their apparent destination. No lefs fo are the fupports of a coach, carved in the figure of Dolphins or Tritons: for what have thefe marine beings to do on dry land? and what support can they be to a coach?

In a column we have an example of both kinds of ornament. Where columns are employed in the front of a building to fupport an entablature, they belong to the first kind: where employed to connect with detached offices, they are rather of the other kind. As a column is a capital ornament in Grecian architecture, it well deferves to be handled at large.

With refpect to the form of this ornament, I obferve, that a circle is a more agreeable figure than a fquare, a globe than a cube, and a cylinder than a parallelopipedon. This laft, in the language of architecture, is faying that a column is a more agreeable figure than a pilafter; and for that reafon it ought to be preferred, all other circumstances being equal. Another reafon concurs, that a column connected with a wall, which is a plain furface, makes a greater variety than a pilafter. There is an additional reason for rejecting pilafters in the external front of a building, arifing from a principle unfold

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