the early history of this beautiful order of architecture is involved. The associated architects and artificers so denominated naturally made a secret of those rules of art which produced a lucrative monopoly. And such an intention was carried into effect with comparative ease, in unlettered ages, when war was the great employment of the chieftain, and of his adherents throughout nearly all classes of the laity. The same spirit has been evinced in more recent ages, in regard to the cultivation of other arts; and has been rendered futile, only by the enterprising and commercial temper of an advanced state of society.

The mysterious and secret practices of the free and accepted masons have descended, by tradition, to their united representatives of the present day, and are wrought into a proverb by the vulgar. That they possessed written documents, illustrative of those surprising principles of art by which they produced architectural effects so consistent and impressive, will scarcely be denied. Intent on a love of privacy, and indignant at the neglect into which their science was fallen, it is probable that many of these documents were destroyed by the masons, on the revival of Grecian architecture. We are distinctly told by Preston, that "many of the fraternity's records, of the time of Charles the Second, and preceding reigns, were lost at the revolution; and that not a few were too hastily burnt, at a later date, by some scrupulous brothers, from a fear of making discoveries prejudicial to masonry." The import of these writings is involved, perhaps for ever, in that profound obscurity so much cherished by the association. It is probable, however, that they contained little or no intelligence respecting those valuable secrets of art which were once so profitable to the brethren, and concerning which we now enquire with such earnest and rational solicitude. That no illustrative papers remained in the time of Sir Christopher Wren is evident, from his silence; and is still more apparent, from the absurdities into which he fell when he endeavoured to imitate the works of his "accepted" predecessors.

To the above cause may be attributed a portion of the deep ob

scurity,

$curity in which are buried all circumstances relating to the early history of the English style of architecture. But it is scarcely sufficient to account, on satisfactory grounds, for the whole of this mysterious gloom. The share which English ecclesiastics possessed, in the design and execution of many noble and existing buildings, cannot be forgotten. It is probable that writings, truly useful to the subject in question, were destroyed at the reformation of religion in this country. But it is surprising that similar papers, implicated in that history of the process of respective monastical buildings, which was preserved in almost every religious house, have not been brought forward in countries where no such indiscriminate havoc was performed, either from the abused spirit of religious reform, or by the destructive operation of civil contest, through the long procedure of many inquisitive ages.

Various other suggestions might be added, calculated to increase the surprise of the enquirer, when he finds that so little is known concerning the history of an architectural style, which obtained encouragement and admiration, for several active centuries, throughout the most distinguished districts of Europe. But, as no facts are to be afforded, I proceed to a statement, and brief examination, of the opinions of those who have formed ingenious theories upon a subject left in so much obscurity, by ages which worked for posterity, rather than wrote for its gratification.

In stating the various systems of such writers as are eminently entitled to consideration, it is desirable to divide them, as nearly as may be practicable, into three classes: those which derive the pointed style from an immediate observance, and imitation, of natural combinations; others, which take a narrower range, and seek no farther than to ascribe the English adoption of this mode to a copy of foreign architecture; and, finally, such as attribute it to native English growth, arising from accidental eircumstances.

Dr. Warburton, at a period when little enquiry had taken place concerning the origin and characteristics of pointed architecture, published an opinion, which he would now probably have suppressed, but which requires attention, as it seduced into error several very respectable writers nearly contemporary with its author. This opinion he expresses in the following terms:

"When the Goths had conquered Spain, and the genial warmth of the climate, and the religion of the old inhabitants, had ripened their wits and inflamed their mistaken piety, (both kept in exercise by the neighbourhood of the Saracens, through emulation of their service, and aversion to their superstition) they struck out a new species of architecture, unknown to Greece and Rome. For this northern people, having been accustomed, during the gloom of paganism, to worship the Deity in groves, (a practice common to all nations) when their new religion required covered édifices, they ingeniously projected to make them resemble groves, as nearly as the distance of architecture would permit; at once indulging their old prejudices, and providing for their present conveniences, by a cool receptacle in a sultry climate; and with what skill and success they executed their project, by the assistance of Saracen architects, whose exotic style of building very luckily suited their purpose, appears from hence, that no attentive observer ever viewed a regular avenue of well grown trees, intermixing their branches overhead, but is presently put in mind of the long visto through a Gothic cathedral."*

In regard to the historical part of this statement, it has been observed that the Goths and Vandals, who entered Spain in the year 409, did not acquire "a new religion from the old inhabitants," as they had previously adopted Christianity, though under an Arian form. The Moorish Saracens did not enter Spain till the year 712; and they preserved a regular state of hostility against the Christian Spaniards, whom they restrained

Note, by Warburton, on the fourth Moral Essay of Pope.

to the mountains of Asturias. His dates also are too early for the origin of this style in Europe, as it is sufficiently evident that a different mode was practised in all Christian countries for several centuries afterwards.

If considered without relation to any particular people, the effect produced by an avenue of tall luxuriant trees, intermingling in the upper branches, may still, with some persons, be supposed likely to have afforded an useful suggestion to the projectors of this style, who certainly had sufficient boldness of genius to resort to nature for a prototype. But the utmost extent of this system is far from affording even a conjectural origin to any other departments of the pointed style than the arch, and, perhaps, the groined roof. "After all" (observes Dr. Milner)" the intersection of tracery work is nearly the only circumstance in which the pointed style resembles the intermixing boughs of trees growing together. The ribs of a groin do not grow smaller, as they extend themselves, like vegetable shoots; nor do the latter, when they cross each other, form large knobs, like the bosses of architecture. Again, the trunk which supports the boughs is generally a simple upright, not a cluster of supporters: nor has it any thing resembling either capitals or bases."'*

The investigators of our ancient architecture and its history, have been presented with a curious and highly-wrought theory, from the pen of Sir James Hall, Bart. This ingenious antiquary, referring to those principles whence all the works of true genius take their data, observes that "the combination of art with nature, of which we see the most perfect example in the Corinthian capital, produces what are called Architectonic forms, in which the variety of nature being subjected to the regularity of art, the work acquires that peculiar character, which, in a natural object, or in its entire representation, we consider as 2 G3 offensive,

• Ecclesiastical architecture of the Middle ages, p. 67-68. See also some extensive and judicious remarks on the deficiencies of Dr. Warburton's theory, in Sir James Hall's Essay on the origin of Gothic Architecture, &c. p. 89-90.

offensive, under the name of formality; but which, in architeeture, we admire as a beauty, under the name of syminetry."

Occupied with this view of the probable origin of the pointed style, in whatever district of the globe the invention might have occurred, he was accidentally induced to attribute it to an imitation of small simple buildings, composed of willow rods. He worked experimentally on his new idea, and found, that, from an artificial combination of such rods, united with the effects produced on them "by time and the course of nature," even the most intricate forms of this elaborate style might be reduced, in the view of a theorist, to the simplicity of their original state.

A casual thought, incidentally conceived, and expressed without a view to its consequences, but which tends towards the same speculation, occurs in the following words of Grose; "a number of boughs, stuck into the ground opposite to each other, and tied together at top, in order to form a bower, exactly describe the pointed arch."*

Searching in history for supports of his theory, Sir James Hall notices several early religious buildings, which are expressly said to have been made of rods. Such were the first little church of Durham, and the celebrated old church of Glastonbury.

Thus is it ascertained that two of the most ancient churches in this country were composed of wicker-work; and it is equally certain that the buildings in question were regarded with very peculiar reverence, in ages far descending from the high date of their foundation. Sir James Hall has sufficiently profited by this historical aid, in stating it as being likely that a pious posterity would endeavour to preserve the peculiar forms of such churches, by representing them in stone; "and this attempt, when carried into execution, being found to produce a beautiful effect, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the idea should become a favourite one, and, being followed out by successive refinements, might give birth to a new style of architecture."

Antiq. of England and Wales, p. 75.

There