room, all by a progreffion from small to great. If the house be very large, there may be fpace for the following fuit of rooms; first, a portico; fecond, a paffage within the house bounded by rows of columns on each fide connected by arcades; third, an octagon room, or of any other figure, about the centre of the building, and, laftly, the great room.

Of all the emotions that can be raised by architecture, grandeur is that which has the greatest influence on the mind. It ought therefore to be the chief study of the artift, to raise this emotion in great buildings. But it seems unhappy for architecture, that it is neceffarily governed by certain principles oppofite to grandeur: the direct effect of regularity and proportion, is to make a building appear lefs than it is in reality. Any invention to reconcile these with grandeur, would be a capital improvement in architecture.

Next of ornaments, which contribute greatly to give buildings a peculiar expreffion. It has been a doubt with me, whether a building can regularly admit any or

nament

nament but what is useful, or at least appears to be useful. But confidering the double aim of architecture, a fine as well as an ufeful art, there is no good reafon 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 dwellinghoufe, it is true, and other edifices where ufe is the chief aim, admit not regularly any ornament but what has the appearance, at leaft, of use but temples, triumphal arches, and other buildings intended chiefly or folely for fhow, may be highly ornamented.

This fuggefts a divifion of ornaments into three kinds, viz. ornaments that are beautiful without relation to use, fuch as ftatues in niches, vafes, baffo or alto relievo : next, things in themselves not beautiful, but poffeffing the beauty of utility by impofing on the fpectator, and appearing to be of ufe, blind windows for example: the third kind is, where the thing is in itself beautiful, and also takes on the appearance

of

of ufe; the cafe of a pilafter.

2

With re fpect to the second, it is an egregious blunder, to contrive, the ornament fo as to make it appear useless. If a blind window therefore be neceffary for regularity, it ought to be fo difguifed, as not to be diftinguithed from the real windows. If it appear to be a blind window, it is difguftful, as a vain attempt to fupply the want of invention. It shows the irregularity in a ftronger light; by fignifying that a window ought to be there in point of regularity, but that the architect had not skill fufficient to connect external regularity with internal conve nience.

From ornaments in general, we defcend to a pillar, the chief ornament in great. buildings. The deftination of a pillar is to: fupport, really or in appearance, another: part termed the architrave. 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.

#

pilafter. For that reason, it ought to be preferred, all other circumstances being equal. Another reafon concurs, that a column annexed to a wall, which is a plain furface, makes a greater variety than a pi lafter. There is an additional reason for rejecting pilafters in the external front of a building, arifing from a principle unfolded above*, viz. a remarkable tendency in the mind of man, to advance every thing to its perfection as well as to its final iffue. If I fee a thing obfcurely in a dim light, and by disjointed parts, my curiofity is roufed, and prompts me, out of the disjointed parts. to compose an entire whole. I fuppofe it to be, for example, a horfe. My eye-fight, being obedient to this conjecture, I immediately perceive a horfe, almoft as diftinctly as in day-light. This principle is applica ble to the case in hand. The most superb front, at a great distance, appears a plain furface approaching gradually, we begin to perceive inequalities: these inequalities, advancing a few fteps more, take

Chap. 8...

VOL. III.

X X

on

1

on the appearance of pillars; but whether round or fquare, we are uncertain: our curiofity anticipating our progress, cannot reft in fufpenfe: we naturally fuppose the moft complete pillar, or that which is the most agreeable to the eye; and we immediately perceive, or feem to perceive, da number of columns: if upon a near approach we find pilafters only, the difappointment makes these pilafters appear disagreeable; when abftracted from that circumstance, they would only have appeared fomewhat lefs agreeable. But as this deception cannot happen in the inner front inclosing a court, I fee no reason for excluding pilafters there, when there is any reafon for preferring them before columns.

With refpect now to the parts of a column, a bare uniform cylinder without base or capital, appears naked and scarce agreeable: it ought therefore to have some finifhing at the top and at the bottom. Hence the three chief parts of a column, the fhaft, the bafe, and the capital. Nature undoubtedly requires a certain proportion among these parts, but not limited within precife