parallel to any of the fide walls, or colonnades, instead of a deception that makes the building more extended than it is, you are cut off from a confiderable part (two thirds) of its actual length; and to prevent all poffibility of progreffion, the arms of the cross taking a new direction, make a right angle with the beam, and thereby wholly turn the imagination from the repetition of the former idea. Or fuppofe the fpectator placed where he may take a direct view of fuch a building, what will be the confequence? the neceffary confequence will be, that a good part of the bafis of each angle formed by the interfection of the arms of the crofs, must be inevitably loft; the whole muft of course affume a broken unconnected figure; the lights must be unequal, here strong, and there weak; without that noble gradation, which the perfpective always effects on parts difpofed uninterruptedly in a right line. Some or all of these objections will lie against every figure of a cross, in whatever view you take it. I exemplified them in the Greek crofs, in which these faults appear the most strongly; but they appear in fome degree in all forts of croffes. Indeed there is nothing more prejudicial to the grandcur of buildings, than to abound in angles; a fault obvious in many; and owing to an inordinate thirst for variety, which, whenever it prevails, is fure to leave very little true taste.

SECT.

SECT. X.

MAGNITUDE IN BUILDING.

To the fublime in building, greatness of dimenfions feems requifite; for on a few parts, and thofe small, the imagination cannot rife to any idea of infinity. No greatnefs in the manner can effectually compenfate for the want of proper dimenfions. There is no danger of drawing men into extravagant designs by this rule; it carries its own caution along with it. Because too great a length in buildings deftroys the purpose of greatnefs, which it was intended to promote; the perfpective will leffen it in height as it gains in length; and will bring it at last to a point; turning the whole figure into a fort of triangle, the pooreft in its effect of almost any figure that can be presented to the eye. I have ever obferved, that colonnades and avenues of trees of a moderate length, were without comparison far grander, than when they were fuffered to run to immenfe diftances. A true artist should put a generous deceit on the Spectators, and effect the nobleft defigns by eafy methods. Defigns that are vaft only by their dimensions, are always the fign of a common and low imagination: No work of art can be great, but as it deceives; to be otherwife is the prerogative of nature only. A good eye will fix the me

dium betwixt an exceffive length or height (for the fame objection lies against both), and a short or broken quantity: and perhaps it might be af certained to a tolerable degree of exactness, if it was my purpose to defcend far into the particulars of any art,

SECT. XI.

INFINITY IN PLEASING OBJECTS,

INFINITY, though of another kind, causes much of our pleasure in agreeable, as well as of our delight in fublime images. The fpring is the pleasanteft of the feafons; and the young of moft animals, though far from being completely fafhioned, afford a more agreeable fenfation than the full-grown; because the imagination is entertained with the promise of something more, and does not acquiefce in the prefent object of the fenfe. In unfinished sketches of drawing, I have often feen fomething which pleased me beyond the best finishing; and this I believe proceeds from the cause I have just now affigned.

SECT.

*ANOTHER fource of greatnefs is Difficulty. When any work feems to have required immenfe. force and labour to effect it, the idea is grand. Stonehenge, neither for difpofition nor ornament, has any thing admirable; but thofe huge rude maffes of stone, fet on end, and piled each on other, turn the mind on the immense force neceffary for fuch a work. Nay, the rudeness of the work increases this caufe of grandeur, as it excludes the idea of art and contrivance; for dexterity produces another fort of effect, which is different enough from this.

MAGNIFICENCE is likewife a fource of the fublime. A great profufion of things, which are fplendid or valuable in themselves, is magnificent. The starry heaven, though it occurs fo very frequently to our view, never fails to excite an idea of grandeur. This cannot be owing to the stars themselves, feparately confidered. The number is

Part IV. fect. 4, 5, 6.

certainly

certainly the caufe. The apparent disorder augments the grandeur, for the appearance of care is highly contrary to our ideas of magnificence. Befides, the ftars lie in fuch apparent confufion, as makes it impoffible on ordinary occafions to reckon them. This gives them the advantage of a sort of infinity. In works of art, this kind of grandeur, which confifts in multitude, is to be very cautioufly admitted; becaufe a profufion of excellent things is not to be attained, or with too much difficulty; and because in many cases this fplendid confufion would deftroy all ufe, which fhould be attended to in moft of the works of art with the greatest care; befides it is to be confidered, that unlefs you can produce an appearance of infinity by your diforder, you will have diforder only without magnificence. There are, however, a fort of fire-works, and fome other things, that in this fucceed well, and are truly grand. There are alfo many defcriptions in the poets and orators, which owe their fublimity to a richnefs and profufion of images, in which the mind is fo dazzled as to make it impoffible to attend to that exact coherence and agreement of the allufions, which we fhould require on every other occafion. I do not now remember a more ftriking example of this, than the defcription which is given of the king's army in the play of Henry the Fourth:

way