With the continued influx of wealth from the numer ous, rich, and extensive provinces, the rage for magnifi cence kept pace ; and public and private buildings in creased much beyond the bounds of propriety. To de bauch the people, public shows had been introduced, and theatres of vast magnitude constructed ; habits of luxury required superb edifices for exercise and bathing ; the forums were much increased in size and splendour ; the single column had been employed as a recording monument ; and the introduction of the arch had created many new structures, especially the triumphal arch and the aqueduct.
This rage for building was not confined to Italy, but extended over every province of the empire. It appear ed the most effectual way in which the different empe rors, governors, and commanders, could gratify their va nity, and establish their authority ; and their rapid suc cession led to an increase of the number in every quarter, from Palmyra and Balbec in the east, (where their ar chitectural works were splendid and vast,) to the remote province of Britain in the west ; but after the time of the Antonines, the people became vitiated, all dignity of character disappeared, and every thing proceeded from one excess to another without taste or arrangement.
Their architecture, which never was pure, had dege nerated into extravagance, and was overloaded with gor geous ornaments. The talents of Dioclesian could nei ther reform the empire nor its architecture. He resign ed the government of the former, and, in his palaces and baths, left specimens of the degenerate state of the latter. From this period architecture shared the fa‘e of the em pire, and, excepting some solitary instances in the reigns of Theodosius and Justinian, there is nothing of attention; though, in order to preserve some idea of the style of those times, and establish a connection with a new school of architecture which succeeded, or rather for a considerable time interrupted the progress of the Roman, it is necessary to mention, that the third church built by Constantine was that of St Paul, on the road to Ostia ; of which, the 40 columns enclosing the great aisle, 24 of blue and white marble were taken from the mausoleum of Adrian ; that the church of St Paul, with out the gates of Rome, was erected under Theodosius ; and that St Sophia at Constantinople, was erected under Justinian. See Plate CLXXIII.
The Romans were so much indebted to the Greeks for all that relates to architecture and sculpture, that they have little claim to any original ideas upon those subjects. Being found in so perfect a state as to re press all thoughts of rivalship, the Romans were con tented to plunder and imitate. In the theatre of :Hareel tus and in the Coliseum, the Doric and Ionic were both introduced, but, with a very few exceptions, the Corm thian order only was employed by the Romans ; and, as if not left by the Greeks sufficiently expressive of riches and magnificence, they loaded every member with orna ments unknown to the inventors. They united the Ionic and Corinthian into an order they named the Composite, ai d stripping the Doric of its finest features, they formed their Tuscan. When the particular members could re ceive no more ornaments, they had recourse to varying the outlines of their structures into every shape which could be produced by the union of circles or triangles.
See Montfaucon's Anti?. vol. iii.
To one important feature in architecture, the Romans appear to have an indubitable claim, that is the arch. The ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Hindoos, were en tirely ignorant of its construction ; and in no instance have the Greeks, previous to the Roman conquest, made use of arches, either in the external or internal faces of their buildings. It has been said, that arches over drains have been observed in the ancient temple of the sun at Athens, and that of Apollo at Didymus. If that were clearly ascertained, it would determine the merit of the mere invention to the Greeks ; but it is evident, that the people never considered the arch of any importance as an external feature, nor were aware of the advantages which might he derived, by extending it over considerable open ings, for in no instance have they in this manner employ ed it ; and, notwithstanding the splendid and expensive works of Pericles, it was left for the Romans to construct a stone arch over the small river Cephisus, upon the great road to Athens. If, therefore, we should not be fully justified in attributing to the Romans the merit of the first invention, they assuredly had that of introducing arches into general and extensive use, and, by this means, creating a species of architecture unknown to the Greeks. The arch in their hands, was employed in extensive vaultings and domes, in triumphal arches, bridges over rive' s, and in aqueducts for conveying water to cities. Thus far the arch was an important acquisition in the building art ; but not satisfied with this, they hastened to introduce it in facades of Greek architecture, the dis tinguishing features of which being straight lines, the circular outlines of the arch were discordant, and distract ed the mind between a style formed by the employmeht of timber beams, and another which could only be com posed by a number of separate stones, placed in a posi tion very different from that in which timber was used. This therefore became a glaring defect in the Roman architecture, and distinguished it widely from the sim plicity of the Grecian.
The specimens, exhibited in Plates CLXII. CLXIII. and CLXIV. will slimy in what manner the Roman style was, at various periods, employed in public and private buildings. We shall therefore conclude this outline of its history, by observing that the power, wealth, and vanity of the Romans, led them to increase the number, mag nitude, and decorations of their edifices to a degree al most incredible. The dexterity of execution in the pan theon, Trajan's column, the palace and baths of Dio clesian, and the triumphal arches, are evidence how well qualified their workmen were, at all those periods, of bringing the particular parts to any degree of perfection; but the directing mind was from the beginning deficient, and constantly became more depraved. The Greek style, which had been polluted in its introduction to Ita ly, had its forms at last so distorted and overwhelmed with injudicious ornaments, that scarcely any resem blance was left to distinguish its origin.