From the eastward of the Euphrates and the Caspian, the architects of the West can, therefore, only glean some information respecting silks, feathers, gilding, ja panning, and the slight, though sometimes elegant, forms of tent architecture ; yet, even from this slender stock of materials, the man of genius will derive useful aids in the practice of his art.
It was in the small and rugged country of Greece, that the arts, as well as the philosophy of Africa and Asia, were collected, refined, and exalted. Here architecture and sculpture, instead of deriving dignity, as formerly, from their magnitude, or from the mere application of an immense quantity of labour, became the subjects of original genius and keen competition : The ambition of surpassing each other in excellence, appears to have in spired not only individual artists, but whole states. Thus, from a few imperfect hints, probably imported into Greece, a totally distinct school was established, which has become the canon of the western world. The three Greek orders form a perfect gradation of charac ter, and when preserved of due magnitude, and proper ly applied, never fail to command admiration ; their friezes and pediments afford instances of the richest de coration that sculpture could supply ; this was generally historical or allegorical, and composed of human, or other animal figures, of the most exquisite design and workmanship ; it was only in the capitals of their co lumns, and the subordinate members of their entabla tures, they introduced vegetable forms, and these were distributed with a peculiar delicacy. Our specimens of Greek architecture having been all procured from pub lic buildings, seldom wholly covered on the top ; we have, therefore, little knowledge of their mode of de corating ceilings ; we know that the porches and walls of some of their temples were painted with historical subjects by their most eminent artists. Of the decora tion of their doors and windows, little is known, and it does not appear they had any hallustrades. In their finest temples they worked with rich marbles ; but the essen tial members of their orders represented the parts of a wooden edifice. In pursuing the practice of this school, the artist will find a sufficient variety in the specimens collected and published by Athenian Stuart, and in the Ionian Antiquities ; and his own genius will have suffi cient exercise in making a judicious selection, and in preset ring the true spit it of the original, when adapted to local situations and purposes; and although our limits prevent us from pursuing this part of the subject further. yet we cannot quit it without remarking, that one of its finest members, a column, will seldom have much dig nity unless of considerable magnitude, and therefore can only be introduced with success in edifices of more th:o) usual consideration.
In the Roman school, the profusion of decoration which distinguished it, can only be considered as an inju dicious extension of the Greek manner ; and it has been remarked, that in their decorations they had more re course to imitations of vegetables : But the distinguishing characteristic of Roman architecture was the circular forms, which, it seems probable, they originally derived from the Tuscans. The use of arches enabled them to
cover spaces even larger than those formerly left open by the Greeks ; this produced the beautiful temples of the Pantheon and of Vesta ; by this means they were enabled to construct domes, and all the varieties of enriched soffits which furnished models for the most superb of our modern ceilings. They generally derived dignity from the magnitude of their orders, but they diminished it by placing them upon pedestals, instead of upon simple plat forms in the manner of the Greeks. When to the before mentioned advantages, we have, in some future articles, an opportunity of adding their magnificent aqueducts and triumphal arches, it will be seen that a new and no ble field was, by this people, opened to the architect and engineer.
In Gothic architecture, the ground plans were model led indiscriminately upon the oblong platform of the Egyptians and Greeks, and the square and circular forms of the Roman school ; but the universal application of groin arching, with the employment of materials of small dimensions, and a disposition to increase in comparative elevation, created a school very different from any that preceded it. The various modes which were from time to time adopted, to produce extraordinary effects, at last reduced the masonry of the edifice to the nature of a slender framing, and not unfrequently, in some parts, to resemble films of lace or filigree work. And although the minuteness of parts and profusion of decoration in the latter Gothic have exceeded the bounds of correct taste, yet even in these, and in every stage of this school, the discerning architect will find much to admire and to imitate : amidst such variety, he will be at no loss to select features suitable to most situations and circum stances, from the perfectly simple to the most highly embellished character.
In surveying each of the schools of architecture which have prevailed in the western world, it will be evident that the progress has hitherto uniformly been from mas sive plainness to an extreme of delicacy and a profusion of decoration. \Ve hope that an attention to the gene ral principles, here pointed out, may, in future, prove the means of preserving architecture from these blameable extremes.
\Ve arc aware that the desire of rendering this article perfect, has extended it to an uncommon length, and yet we are conscious that many branches of this important art will still appear to hare been almost overlooked ; this renders it necessary for us to state, that having discussed the subject generally, it is our intention occasionally, du ring the progress of the work, to treat some of the par ticular parts at greater length, under their proper heads. Sec particularly INIAsoNnv.