* THE

RISE, PROGRESS, AND PERFECTION

O F

ARCHITECTURE AMONG THE ANCIENTS;

WITH

Some Account of its Declenfion among the GOTHS, and Revival among the Moderns.

THE

HE liberal arts, fuch as architecture, fculpture, painting, and mufic, have had their happy ages, in which they have appeared with greater fplendor, and caft a ftronger light, as well as the fciences; but this was of no long duration, except in Greece, where they continued longer than in any other part of the world. However, I fhall confine myself, at prefent, to the rise, progrefs, and perfection of architecture among the ancients; with fome account of its declenfion and revival among the moderns.

*From the Univerfal Vifiter for June 1756.

The

The care of building houses immediately fucceeded the cultivating of lands: they were erected only for convenience, to protect mankind against the inclemency of the weather; and we may find an affinity between the houses thus originally conftructed, and the rural cottages in most countries of Europe, as well as the habitations of the independent Indians in America, the Hottentot krails in Africa, and the artificers huts in Afia. In the time of Vitruvius, which was not long before the Christian æra, they fhewed, at Athens, as curious remains of antiquity, the roofs of the Areopagus, made of clay: and at Rome, in the temple of the capitol, the cottage of Romulus thatched with ftraw. But men were not long contented with conveniency alone: the workmen became more industrious and expert; whereby architecture called in other arts to its aid, which introduced pomp, grandeur, and magnificence, that became highly laudable on many, occafions; but they were foon ftrangely abused by luxury.

Architecture may be properly divided into three branches; civil, military, and naval: but I am now only fpeaking of the first, which is the art of contriving and executing commodious buildings for the utility and ornament of civil life. The ancient writers reprefent the Tyrians as the first people among whom architecture was carried to any confiderable improvement, which they afterwards communicated to the Egyptians; thofe to the Grecians; and these again to the Romans; from whence, after several viciffitudes of fortune, in the declenfion of the arts, and the ravages of the Vifigoths, it has, at laft, defcended

P 2

defcended to the politer part of the European nations, in all that beauty to which it arrived under the care of Vitruvius, in the reign of the emperor Auguftus; and all that delicacy it received from the labours of Apollodorus, who erected the remarkable Trajan column, fubfifting to this day fo that, by the improvement of the moderns, architecture is brought into the form of a mathematical art; though the taste of the ancients was much fuperior.

There is no occafion to enquire how far architecture was carried among the Antediluvians: the tower of Babel was built foon after the deluge; from whence Afia has been called the cradle of architecture, where it had its birth, where it attained a great degree of perfection, and spread into the other parts of the universe. Babylon and Nineveh were magnificent cities, built by Nimrod, the great grandfon of Noah. The pyramids, obelifks, and temples of Egypt, were admirable. The ruins of Perfepclis, as well as thofe of Palmyra and Balbec, are amazing. The Jews were very fumptuous in their buildings, particularly the tabernacle and the temple of Jerufalem. But the perfection of architecture must be afcribed to Greece, where we must ftill go as to the fchool of good tafte in all the arts and fciences, if we defire to excel in any.

Ephefus was remarkable for the temple of Diana; and Athens, under the direction of Pericles, became almost as illuftrious by the magnificence of her buildings, as fhe was for the glory of her military exploits; and the temple of Jupiter Olympius was a noble ornament to the city; fo was that of Apollo in Miletus; and that of Ceres

and

and Proferpine at Eleufis. The city and light-house of Alexandria were worthy of the founder, Alexander the Great: and the fuperb monument which Artemifa erected for her husband Maufolus, king of Cari, was one of the most extraordinary buildings of antiquity: but thefe were conftructed by Grecian artists.

The art of building was almost as foon known in Italy as Greece; if it is true that the Tuscans had no communication with the Greeks, when they invented the particular order, which retains their name to this day. Tarquinius Prifcus began, and his grandfon Tarquinius Superbus finished, the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus at Rome: but not without the affiftance of Etrurian workmen ; who alfo raised the fubterranean fewers and canals that received all the dirt and filth of the city; " to which (says Livy) the magnificence of our days, in its most fu"preme degree, has fcarce been capable of producing

any thing comparable." However, it was from the Greeks that the Romans learnt to excel in architecture; for, of all the orders, they knew only the Tufcan, till towards the latter times of the republic, and under the emperors, when luxury was grown to a great height at Rome, and architecture appeared there in all its fplendor.

Cicero held no expences to be really laudable, but fuch as had the public utility in view; as the walls of cities and citadels, arfenals, ports, aqueducts, causeways, and others of a fimilar nature. He carried his rigour fo far as to condemn theatres, piazzas, and even new temples; fupporting his opinion by the authority of Demetrius PhaLeraus, who abfolutely condemned the expences of Pericles on fuch occafions. From hence we may perceive why architecture

P 3

architecture was kept fo backward among the Romans = but, what Polybius fo well forefaw, foon came to pass. The firft Scipio laid the fure foundations of the future greatnefs of Rome: the laft by his conquefts opened the door to luxury; and private perfons followed close at the heels of public magnificence. The armies, that returned victorious out of Greece and Afia, introduced with them the riches and manners of thofe countries. In what a fhort time a multitude of fuperb buildings, and magnificent works, were erected, which still adorn the remains of ancient Rome! The pantheon, the baths, the amphitheatre called the colifæum, the aqueducts, the causeways, the pillars of Trajan and Antonine, with the famous bridge over the Danube built by the order of Trajan.

Architecture continued to flourish at Rome till the invafion of the Goths, who introduced their own particular kind of building; being that which is remote from the ancient proportions, and loaded with chimerical ornaments. But there are two species of Gothic architecture: the one ancient, the other modern. The ancient is that which the Goths brought from the north in the fifth century; being maffy, heavy, and grofs. The works of the modern Gothic ftile were more light, eafy, delicate, and of an astonishing boldness of workmanship; being long in use, especially in Italy. All the ancient cathedrals were of Gothic architecture: and there are fome very ancient churches built entirely in the Gothic taste, that want neither folidity nor beauty, and are ftill admired by the greatest architects, upon account of fome general proportions remarkable in them.

The