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ART. III. The Rudiments of Ancient Architecture; containing an historical Account of the five Orders, with their Proportions, and Examples of each, from the Antiques. Also VITRUVIUS on the Temples and Intercolumniations of the Ancients. Calculated for those who wish to attain a summary Knowlege of the Science of Architecture. With a Dictionary of Terms. Illustrated with Plates. 8vo. pp. 84. 5s. Boards. Taylor, Holborn. 1789.

A Brief, elementary treatise on this fubject, was, certainly,

wanted, information of general readers; but, more particularly, for travellers and gentlemen who wish to know fomething of the architecture of the ancients, without undergoing the labour of studying, scientifically, the works of Vitruvius, and other voluminous and erudite authors.

The writer of this useful compendium justly obferves, in his preface, that architecture, as a liberal science, and confidered as connected with the study of antiquities, is a subject on which every perfon of taste and reading has, sometimes, occafion for information; yet that precision in rules, which is neceffary to a profeffional man, is not the kind of knowlege wanted: but fomething more general, which will not fatigue the mind to understand, or burden the memory to recollect.

With this view to elementary information, the author has aimed only to give a tolerably precise idea of the five orders, and their several parts; the general effect of which is exhibited in the engravings, and these are selected from antiques which have ever been respected for their proportion and elegance. These, with the deviations of modern times, and the hiftorical account of each order, he trusts, will render the ' knowlege of the subject both easy and entertaining; yet fufficiently accurate to enable a gentleman to sketch any drawing of architecture that fancy or neceffity may prompt him to have executed, without erring much from the general rules of defign.'

With respect to the rules of the ancients, in building their palaces, temples, or other public edifices, with the diftribution of their columns, and their diminutions, the author has tranf lated what Vitruvius has recorded, in these respects: and which he hopes, will be found useful to travellers who visit the remains of ancient architectural splendour and magnificence; as in a pocket volume they will have examples of the five orders, with the laws observed by the ancients in the great outline of their public structures, by what name and character each building is diftinguished, with rules for adjusting the columns, from which an edifice, though in ruins, may, with confiderable certainty, be reftored to its original form.'

For the farther affistance of travellers, &c. the author has added a Dictionary, or explanation of terms used by artists, to express the several parts of buildings.. This part of the performance,

formance, which confifts of 20 pages, will, doubtless, be useful to all who, not being professional men themselves, are, occasionally, readers of the works of those writers who come under that description; and whose productions will, by such helps, be understood with more facility, and perused with more pleasure.

Although the author has entitled his work Ancient Architecture, he has confined, and we think, very properly, his attention to that of the Greeks and Romans; omitting those very early efforts in the science, of which magnificent traces remain in Upper Egypt, and in many parts of India: the era of whose foundations is so remote, that no certain idea can be formed of their age.

Gothic architecture is likewise omitted in this compilement, not, says the author, because I think flightly, or disapprove, that light though firm, and grave though pleasant, kind of architecture, of which this country boasts the best and most complete specimens.' He farther remarks, that, in his opinion, • the effect of awe and reverence which this kind of building always produces in the mind, is one of the strongest proofs that can be given, of its propriety, and fitness, for large facred buildings*: but these, he adds, 'I have avoided, confining myself to the Greek and Roman styles, which may be truly called claffical, and which are in most general request and use.'

On the whole, says this ingenious compiler, ' my endeavour is intended more for the gentleman than the artist. How far I have succeeded, in the several particulars, I leave others to determine,-affuring them, that I have spared no pains to be both accurate and useful.'-To this affurance, we yield the author entire credit, founded on the best judgment that we have been able to form, after an attentive perusal of his publication.

In regard to the plates, we think them well adapted to the general defign of the book. The portrait which decorates the title-page, is a very good, and a pleasing likeness of the celebrated Athinian Stuart: fuch as we well remember him, when about 40, or from 40 to 50 years of age. It is copied from a drawing of his own, which will be found in one of the plates engraved, in his life-time, for the second volume of his Antiquities of Athens; which, as we learn from the advertisements, is now ready to be delivered to the subscribers.

* Is it not, however, possible, after all that may be faid, with respect to our veneration for Gothic architecture, that much of this awe may be imputed to the early impression made on our minds, perhaps even in what may be called infancy, by the facred uses to which those vast and folemn edifices were appropriated?-We only start this hint of the moment, as a point of inquiry, in order to afcersain, if we can, the respective shares which RELIGION OF ARCHITECTURE may claim, in the production of that reverence which Arikes us, on entering our ancient cathedrals.

ART.

ART. IV. A Survey of the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire: together with an Account, historical, topographical, and descriptive, of the adjacent Country. To which is added, a Sketch of the Border Laws and Customs. By James Clarke, LandSurveyor. Folio. 21. 5s. Boards. pp. 235. Penrith, printed. London, fold by Robson, &c. 1787 *.

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ROM all that can be collected concerning the original state of nations, it appears that the human race, however dispersed, have borne a very confiderable resemblance to each other. Allowance is to be made in these reflections, for the difference of climate, foil, &c. together with adventitious circumstances which occafioned fome to arrive at a degree of cultivation and improvement fooner than others: yet all seem to have fallen into a great fimilarity of manners and customs, varied, indeed, in particular mstances, but ftill springing from the fame caufe. They poffeffed in common, a ferocious spirit, a love of plunder and rapine, fubtlety and artifice, together with a wild, and, too often, a brutal, courage and proneness to oppreffion; ali had their mufic, their bards, their fuperftitious festivals, diverfions, and rites; and at the fame time, their fierceness, cunning, and rapacity, were strangely blended with generofity and good faith, and fome regard to holpitality; like that of the Arab, of whom it is often observed, that he might, perhaps, "feaft you in the house to-day, and rob you in the defart to-morrow." The ancestors of the Greeks and Romans were men of a like stamp; and although that admired people, by the aid of the Phenicians and others, were more speedy in their advances to civilization than fome of their neighbours; yet zealous as they were in the cause of liberty, they ever retained fo much of the favage spirit, as to suppose (like many others who have regarded themselves as patriots) that while they attained or defended its enjoyment for their own party, they were fully empowered to opprefs and domineer over different people. Right reafon, if it is attended to, will give us very different ideas; and it is the excellence of Chriftianity, when truly attended to and understood, that it is most friendly to every natural and reasonable claim of mankind; the certain tendency of its spirit and rules is, to humanize the tavage, and to reftrain and reform the tyrant. This, we ought to add, as its tendency, without any coercive external force; for when human policy has interfered, it is too evident, that it has darkened its light, and weakened, if not destroyed its energy. - To this all history bears witness.

We were led into these reflections, by some of the remarks which are made by the author of the work now before us; which

*

Though the date of this book is 1787, it was not, we believe, advertised in London before the year 1789; when we first gained in

formation of the work.

will,

will, probably, afford entertainment and inftruction to those who can attain the purchase. Mr. Clarke writes like a man of capacity, observation, and learning; and though his performance cannot, in point of style, rank with those of confiderable elegance and tafte, yet it is plain and expressive.

In the course of our perufal of this volume, an idea, was fometimes excited, that it was the work of a man who had acquired fcientific knowlege, rather by dint of application, and the aids of native genius, than by the affiftance of regular education; but in this respect, we may be deceived.-However it may be, we meet with feveral certain proofs of an acquaintance with the learning and history of ancient and modern times. This is particularly difcoverable in the introduction; whence, did our limits allow us regularly to follow Mr. Clarke, we might make many pleasing and useful extracts: but, circumstanced as we are, we can attend only to generals.

Mr. Clarke delivers it as his opinion, that very little alteration had taken place in that part of the country of which he treats, from very remote ages to times immediately preceding the reign of queen Elizabeth, and though, perhaps, (he says) no people altered very far during that period, yet I think this altered the. least of any, either in manners or condition.' This account is - undoubtedly true in respect to the tract lying on the borders of England and Scotland, which obtained the name of the debateable lands; it is also, in a great measure, true, as to the state of other parts of the country. The debateable land is and will long be famous, as having been, for ages, the receptacle of villains and freebooters; although even there the inhabitants were advanced in fome respects above the condition which is merely favage. Plander and robbery were indeed too generally the spirit of ancient days; for, as this writer remarks, uniformity of circumttances produces uniformity of manners.

Robbery is not confidered as shameful among the Arabs; nor was it, as we learn from the old poets, among the Greeks in more remote times; nor, as hiftory uniformly tells us, among the Borderers. In addition to history, tradition, among other things, tells, that a woman had two fons; as long as her provifions lasted, she set them regularly on the table; but as foon as they were finished, the brought them forth two fwords, which the placed on the table, and faid, Sons, I have no meat for you, go teek your dinner." So familiar a thing was rapine!'

The mention of the Greeks, in the above passage, naturally leads us to observe what Mr. Clarke farther fays concerning a 'fimilarity of ancient customs: the most antiquated houses in the neighbourhood of the lakes caufe him always to think of the houses of other nations, and especially the Greeks, in remote times; into this description he more particularly enters, and remarks a resemblance between the household furniture which till remains

remains in those parts, and that of which we read in the claffical authors. The Sunday fairs and sports, which, it is here said, are still kept up in England, and particularly in Cumberland, remind us also of the games usual at the solenin times and religious festivals of the ancients. Again, speaking of customs and fancies almost obsolete, it is asked, if we make a reference to times and prejudices, why may not the meeting of the flames of two nuts thrown into the fire, each of which is supposed to represent a person, as fairly betoken the union of those perfons, as the parting of the flame that arose from the funeral pile of Eteocles and Polynices betokened the hatred of those brothers?'It is farther added,

• The resort of loungers and idle persons (as may be found in Hefiod) was the shop of a smith, especially in country places and in the winter season. In Rome it was a barber's shop: but in moit parts of England, a smithy has always been, in places remote from great towns, their place of rendezvous, and the centre of their news, scandal, and criticism. Such power has similarity of circumstances on the ways of men, in places sufficiently distant from one another!"

Under the head of dialects, we meet with several pertinent and sensible observations; we only select the following short paffage as exemplifying what Mr. Clarke fays concerning the tranfpofition of terms, which occafionally prevails in moft, or, we may suppose, in all, languages.

• Thus as in English the prominence in the face is called Nefe, and has a similar name in several languages, a promontory of lands has often the same name, especially in the northern parts, or, as in Scotland and the ifles, is Ness, in Norway it seems to be Naze, and beyond Kamschatka, in the narrow extreme of the Great Pacific Ocean, is Noss: neither shall one wonder if all these names should be found to have one original, after confidering in how prodigious an extent of nations, utterly disjoined, late navigators have found dialects of the Malay tongue.'

Application of names in this manner, derived from the human body or other things, seems natural to the mind of man: 'so natural indeed, says Mr. Clarke, that I hope it is not true, which 1 have heard related, that the people in a certain district in Camberland, having a tolerable quantity of hills in their neighbourhood, were obliged, from their want of invention merely, to call one of them Nameless."

Mr. Clarke opposes those who have represented the foil of these counties as unfavourable to the growth of timber; excepting the moffes and fome other places, he says, it is well known that the glebe in general, if left to itself, would foon be covered with trees, and that the country would become one large foreft. - On the topic of foil and weather, he takes notice of the prognostics in vogue among the Romans, as related by Virgil and Pliny:

It is a thing (he adds) not unworthy our curiofity to observe what a fimilarity there is between the prognostics of countries so remote from

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