,,the ,,complete ,,works ,,of ,,john    
,,ruskin  ,,volume ,i   ,,poetry ,,of   
,,architecture  ,,seven ,,lamps ,,of    
,,architecture    ,illustration3 ,j4    
,ruskin     ,library ,edition   ,,the   
,,complete ,,works ,,of ,,john ,,ruskin 
,,poetry ,,of ,,architecture ,,seven    
,,lamps ,,modern ,,painters  ,,volume ,i
   ,,national ,,library ,,association   
,,new ,,york1 ,,chicago     ,,the       
,,poetry ,,of ,,architecture2  ,,or1    
,,the ,,architecture ,,of ,,the         
,,nations ,,of ,,europe ,,considered    
,,in ,,its ,,association ,,with         
,,natural ,,scenery ,,and ,,national    
,,character4     ,,contents4            
,,page ,,introduction                   
#a   ,,part ,i4--,,the ,,cottage4    ,i4
 ,,the ,,lowland ,,cottage--,,england   
,,and ,,france           #g   ,,ii4     
,,the ,,lowland ,,cottage--,,italy      
#ae  ,,iii4 ,,the ,,mountain            
,,cottage--,,switzerland                
#be   ,,iv4 ,,the ,,mountain            
,,cottage--,,westmoreland               

#ce    ,v4 ,a ,,chapter ,,on ,,chimneys 
#de   ,,vi4 ,,the                       
,,cottage--,,concluding ,,remarks       
#eg   ,,part ,,ii4--,,the ,,villa4      
,i4 ,,the ,,mountain ,,villa--,,lago    
,,di ,,como                 #fg   ,,ii4 
,,the ,,mountain ,,villa--,,lago ,,di   
,,como 7,,continued7     #hj  ,,iii4    
,,the ,,italian ,,villa 7,,concluded7   
#id   ,,iv4 ,,the ,,lowland             
,,villa--,,england                      
#ajd    ,v4 ,,the ,,english             
,,villa--,,principles ,,of ,,composition
    #aac   ,,vi4 ,,the ,,british        
,,villa4--,,principles ,,of             
,,composition4      7,,the ,,cultivated1
 ,,or ,,blue ,,country1 ,,and ,,the     
,,wooded1 ,,or ,,green ,,country7       
#abf  ,,vii4 ,,the ,,british            
,,villa4--,,principles ,,of             
,,composition4      7,,the ,,hill1 ,,or 
,,brown ,,country7                      
#ade     ,,list ,,of ,,plates4          
,facing ,page ,fig4 #a4 ,old ,windows2  
from an early sketch by the ,author     

#ac      #b4 ,italian ,cottage ,gallery1
 #ahdf                            #bj   
,cottage near la ,cit1 ,val d',aosta1   
#ahch                  #ba      #c4     
,swiss ,cottage1 #ahcg4 7,reproduced    
from the         ,architectural         
,magazine7                              
#bh      #d4 ,cottage near ,altorf1     
#ahce                                #bi
      #e4 ,swiss ,chlet ,balcony1 #ahdb 
#cb      #f4 ,the ,highest ,house in    
,england1 at ,malham                    
#db      #g4 ,chimneys4 7,eighteen      
sketches redrawn from the               
,architectural ,magazine7               
#dh      #h4 ,coniston ,hall1 from the  
,lake near ,brantwood1 #ahcg4           
7,reproduced from the ,architectural    
,magazine7             #ej      #i4     
,chimney at ,neuchatel2 ,dent du ,midi  
and ,mont ,blanc in         the distance
                                        
#bj     #aj4 ,petrarch's ,villa1 ,arqu1 
#ahcg4 7,redrawn from the               
,architectural ,magazine7               

#ih     #aa4 ,broken ,curves4 7,three   
diagrams1 redrawn from the              
,architectural ,magazine7               
#aja     #ab4 ,old ,english ,mansion1   
#ahcg4 7,reproduced from the            
,architectural ,magazine7               
#aaf     #ac4 ,windows4 7,three designs1
 reproduced from the                    
,architectural ,magazine7               
#abb     #ad4 ,leading ,lines of        
,villa-,composition4 7,diagram redrawn  
from the ,architectural ,magazine7      
#afd     ,,prefatory ,,notes4   ,of this
 work ,mr4 ,,ruskin says in his         
,autobiography3--,the idea had come into
 my head in the summer of '#cg1 and1 ,i 
imagine1 rose immediately out of my     
sense of the contrast between the       
cottages of ,westmoreland and those of  
,italy4 ,anyhow1 the ,november number of
 ,loudon's ,architectural ,magazine for 
#ahcg opens with ',introduction to the  
,poetry of ,architecture2 or the        
,architecture of the ,nations of ,europe
 considered in its ,association with    

,natural ,scenery and ,national         
,character1' by ,kata ,phusin4 ,i could 
not have put in fewer1 or more inclusive
 words1 the definition of what half my  
future life was to be spent in          
discoursing of2 while the nom-de-plume  
,i chose1 ',,according ,,to ,,nature1'  
was equally expressive of the temper in 
which ,i was to discourse alike on that1
 and every other subject4 ,the adoption 
of a nom-de-plume at all implied 7as    
also the concealment of name on the     
first publication of ',modern           
,painters'7 a sense of a power of       
judgment in myself1 which it would not  
have been becoming in a youth of        
eighteen to claim4444  ,as it is1 these 
youthful essays1 though deformed by     
assumption1 and shallow in contents1 are
 curiously right up to the points they  
reach2 and already distinguished above  
most of the literature of the time1 for 
the skill of language1 which the public 
at once felt for a pleasant gift in me4 
7,prterita1 vol4 ,i4 chap4 #ab47  ,in a 

paper on ,my ,first ,editor1 written in 
#ahgh1 ,mr4 ,ruskin says of these essays
 that they contain sentences nearly as  
well put together as any ,i have done   
since4  ,the ,conductor of the          
,architectural ,magazine in reviewing   
the year's work said 7,december1        
#ahch73--,one series of papers1         
commenced in the last volume and        
concluded in the present one1 we        
consider to be of particular value to   
the young architect4 ,we allude to the  
',essays on the ,poetry of              
,architecture1' by ,kata ,phusin4 ,these
 essays will afford little pleasure to  
the mere builder1 or to the architect   
who has no principle of guidance but    
precedent2 but for such readers they    
were never intended4 ,they are addressed
 to the young and unprejudiced artist2  
and their great object is to induce him 
to think and to exercise his reason4444 
,there are some1 we trust1 of the rising
 generation1 who are able to free       
themselves from the trammels and        

architectural bigotry of ,vitruvius and 
his followers2 and it is to such alone  
that we look forward for any real       
improvement in architecture as an art of
 design and taste4  ,the essays are in  
two parts3 the first describing the     
cottages of ,england1 ,france1          
,switzerland1 and ,italy1 and giving    
hints and directions for picturesque    
cottage-building4 ,the second part      
treats of the villas of ,italy and      
,england--with special reference to     
,como and ,windermere2 and concludes    
with a discussion of the laws of        
artistic composition1 and practical     
suggestions of interest to the builders 
of country-houses4  ,it was the         
,author's original intention to have    
proceeded from the cottage and the villa
 to the higher forms of ,architecture2  
but the ,magazine to which he           
contributed was brought to a close      
shortly after the completion of his     
chapters on the villa1 and his promise  
of farther studies was not redeemed     

until ten years later1 by the           
publication of ,the ,seven ,lamps of    
,architecture1 and still more completely
 in ,the ,stones of ,venice4  ,other    
papers contributed by ,mr4 ,ruskin to   
the same ,magazine1 on ,perspective1 and
 on the proposed monument to ,sir       
,walter ,scott at ,edinburgh1 are not   
included in this volume1 as they do not 
form any part of the series on the      
,poetry of ,architecture4  ,the text is 
carefully reprinted from the            
,architectural ,magazine4 ,a few        
additional notes are distinguished by   
square brackets4  ,a few of the old     
cuts1 necessary to the text1 are        
reproduced1 and some are replaced by    
engravings from sketches by the ,author4
 ,possessors of the ,architectural      
,magazine1 vol4 ,v41 will be interested 
in comparing the wood-cut of the cottage
 in ,val d',aosta 7p4 #ajd of that      
volume7 with the photogravure from the  
original pencil drawing1 which faces p4 
#ba of this work4 ,it is much to be     

regretted that the original of the      
,coniston ,hall 7fig4 #h2 p4 #ej of this
 work7 has disappeared1 and that the    
,author's youthful record of a scene so 
familiar to him in later years should be
 represented only by the harsh lines of 
,mr4 ,loudon's engraver4  ,,the         
,,editor4     ,,introduction4   #a4 ,the
 ,science of ,architecture1 followed out
 to its full extent1 is one of the      
noblest of those which have reference   
only to the creations of human minds4   
,it is not merely a science of the rule 
and compass1 it does not consist only in
 the observation of just rule1 or of    
fair proportion3 it is1 or ought to be1 
a science of feeling more than of rule1 
a ministry to the mind1 more than to the
 eye4 ,if we consider how much less the 
beauty and majesty of a building depend 
upon its pleasing certain prejudices of 
the eye1 than upon its rousing certain  
trains of meditation in the mind1 it    
will show in a moment how many intricate
 questions of feeling are involved in   

the raising of an edifice2 it will      
convince us of the truth of a           
proposition1 which might at first have  
appeared startling1 that no man can be  
an architect1 who is not a              
metaphysician4  #b4 ,to the illustration
 of the department of this noble science
 which may be designated the ,poetry of 
,architecture1 this and some future     
articles will be dedicated4 ,it is this 
peculiarity of the art which constitutes
 its nationality2 and it will be found  
as interesting as it is useful1 to trace
 in the distinctive characters of the   
architecture of nations1 not only its   
adaptation to the situation and climate 
in which it has arisen1 but its strong  
similarity to1 and connection with1 the 
prevailing turn of mind by which the    
nation who first employed it is         
distinguished4  #c4 ,i consider the task
 ,i have imposed upon myself the more   
necessary1 because this department of   
the science1 perhaps regarded by some   
who have no ideas beyond stone and      

mortar as chimerical1 and by others who 
think nothing necessary but truth and   
proportion as useless1 is at a miserably
 low ebb in ,england4 ,and what is the  
consequence8 ,we have ,corinthian       
columns placed beside pilasters of no   
order at all1 surmounted by             
monstrosified pepper-boxes1 ,gothic in  
form and ,grecian in detail1 in a       
building nominally and peculiarly       
,national2 we have ,swiss cottages1     
falsely and calumniously so entitled1   
dropped in the brick-fields round the   
metropolis2 and we have staring         
square-windowed1 flat-roofed gentlemen's
 seats1 of the lath and plaster1        
mock-magnificent1 ,regent's ,park       
description1 rising on the woody        
promontories of ,derwentwater4  #d4 ,how
 deeply is it to be regretted1 how much 
is it to be wondered at1 that1 in a     
country whose school of painting1 though
 degraded by its system of meretricious 
coloring1 and disgraced by hosts of     
would-be imitators of inimitable        

individuals1 is yet raised by the       
distinguished talent of those           
individuals to a place of well-deserved 
honor2 and the studios of whose         
sculptors are filled with designs of the
 most pure simplicity1 and most perfect 
animation2 the school of architecture   
should be so miserably debased6  #e4    
,there are1 however1 many reasons for a 
fact so lamentable4 ,in the first place1
 the patrons of architecture 7,i am     
speaking of all classes of buildings1   
from the lowest to the highest71 are a  
more numerous and less capable class    
than those of painting4 ,the general    
public1 and ,i say it with sorrow1      
because ,i know it from observation1    
have little to do with the encouragement
 of the school of painting1 beyond the  
power which they unquestionably possess1
 and unmercifully use1 of compelling our
 artists to substitute glare for beauty4
 ,observe the direction of public taste 
at any of our exhibitions4 ,we see      
visitors at that of the ,society of     

,painters in ,water ,colors1 passing    
,tayler with anathemas and ,lewis with  
indifference1 to remain in reverence and
 admiration before certain amiable white
 lambs and water-lilies1 whose artists  
shall be nameless4 ,we see them1 in the 
,royal ,academy1 passing by ,wilkie1    
,turner and ,callcott1 with shrugs of   
doubt or of scorn1 to fix in gazing and 
enthusiastic crowds upon kettles-full of
 witches1 and ,his ,majesty's ships so  
and so lying to in a gale1 etc41 etc4   
,but these pictures attain no celebrity 
because the public admire them1 for it  
is not to the public that the judgment  
is intrusted4 ,it is by the chosen few1 
by our nobility and men of taste and    
talent1 that the decision is made1 the  
fame bestowed1 and the artist           
encouraged4  #f4 ,not so in             
architecture4 ,there1 the power is      
generally diffused4 ,every citizen may  
box himself up in as barbarous a        
tenement as suits his taste or          
inclination2 the architect is his       

vassal1 and must permit him not only to 
criticise1 but to perpetrate4 ,the      
palace or the nobleman's seat may be    
raised in good taste1 and become the    
admiration of a nation2 but the         
influence of their owner is terminated  
by the boundary of his estate3 he has no
 command over the adjacent scenery1 and 
the possessor of every thirty acres     
around him has him at his mercy4 ,the   
streets of our cities are examples of   
the effects of this clashing of         
different tastes2 and they are either   
remarkable for the utter absence of all 
attempt at embellishment1 or disgraced  
by every variety of abomination4  #g4   
,again1 in a climate like ours1 those   
few who have knowledge and feeling to   
distinguish what is beautiful1 are      
frequently prevented by various         
circumstances from erecting it4 ,john   
,bull's comfort perpetually interferes  
with his good taste1 and ,i should be   
the first to lament his losing so much  
of his nationality1 as to permit the    

latter to prevail4 ,he cannot put his   
windows into a recess1 without darkening
 his rooms2 he cannot raise a narrow    
gable above his walls1 without knocking 
his head against the rafters2 and1 worst
 of all1 he cannot do either1 without   
being stigmatized by the awful1         
inevitable epithet1 of a very odd man4  
,but1 though much of the degradation of 
our present school of architecture is   
owing to the want or the unfitness of   
patrons1 surely it is yet more          
attributable to a lamentable deficiency 
of taste and talent among our architects
 themselves4 ,it is true1 that in a     
country affording so little             
encouragement1 and presenting so many   
causes for its absence1 it cannot be    
expected that we should have any        
,michael ,angelo ,buonarottis4 ,the     
energy of our architects is expended in 
raising neat poor-houses1 and pretty    
charity schools2 and1 if they ever enter
 upon a work of higher rank1 economy is 
the order of the day3 plaster and stucco

 are substituted for granite and marble2
 rods of splashed iron for columns of   
verd-antique2 and in the wild struggle  
after novelty1 the fantastic is mistaken
 for the graceful1 the complicated for  
the imposing1 superfluity of ornament   
for beauty1 and its total absence for   
simplicity4  #h4 ,but all these         
disadvantages might in some degree be   
counteracted1 all these abuses in some  
degree prevented1 were it not for the   
slight attention paid by our architects 
to that branch of the art which ,i have 
above designated as the ,poetry of      
,architecture4 ,all unity of feeling    
7which is the first principle of good   
taste7 is neglected2 we see nothing but 
incongruous combination3 we have        
pinnacles without height1 windows       
without light1 columns with nothing to  
sustain1 and buttresses with nothing to 
support4 ,we have parish paupers smoking
 their pipes and drinking their beer    
under ,gothic arches and sculptured     
niches2 and quiet old ,english gentlemen

 reclining on crocodile stools1 and     
peeping out of the windows of ,swiss    
chlets4  #i4 ,i shall attempt1          
therefore1 to endeavor to illustrate the
 principle from the neglect of which    
these abuses have arisen2 that of unity 
of feeling1 the basis of all grace1 the 
essence of all beauty4 ,we shall        
consider the architecture of nations as 
it is influenced by their feelings and  
manners1 as it is connected with the    
scenery in which it is found1 and with  
the skies under which it was erected2 we
 shall be led as much to the street and 
the cottage as to the temple and the    
tower2 and shall be more interested in  
buildings raised by feeling1 than in    
those corrected by rule4 ,we shall      
commence with the lower class of        
edifices1 proceeding from the roadside  
to the village1 and from the village to 
the city2 and1 if we succeed in         
directing the attention of a single     
individual more directly to this most   
interesting department of the science of

 architecture1 we shall not have written
 in vain4     ,,part ,i4  ,the ,cottage4
  ,,the ,,lowland ,,cottage3--,,england1
 ,,france1 ,,italy3  ,,the ,,mountain   
,,cottage3--,,switzerland ,,and         
,,westmoreland3  ,a ,,chapter ,,on      
,,chimneys3  ,,and ,,concluding         
,,remarks ,,on ,,cottage-,,building4    
,,the ,,poetry ,,of ,,architecture4     
,i4  ,,the ,,lowland                    
,,cottage--,,england ,,and ,,france4    
#aj4 ,of all embellishments by which the
 efforts of man can enhance the beauty  
of natural scenery1 those are the most  
effective which can give animation to   
the scene1 while the spirit which they  
bestow is in unison with its general    
character4 ,it is generally desirable to
 indicate the presence of animated      
existence in a scene of natural beauty2 
but only of such existence as shall be  
imbued with the spirit1 and shall       
partake of the essence1 of the beauty1  
which1 without it1 would be dead4 ,if   
our object1 therefore1 is to embellish a

 scene the character of which is        
peaceful and unpretending1 we must not  
erect a building fit for the abode of   
wealth or pride4 ,however beautiful or  
imposing in itself1 such an object      
immediately indicates the presence of a 
kind of existence unsuited to the       
scenery which it inhabits2 and of a mind
 which1 when it sought retirement1 was  
unacquainted with its own ruling        
feelings1 and which consequently excites
 no sympathy in ours3 but1 if we erect a
 dwelling which may appear adapted to   
the wants1 and sufficient for the       
comfort1 of a gentle heart and lowly    
mind1 we have instantly attained our    
object3 we have bestowed animation1 but 
we have not disturbed repose4  #aa4 ,it 
is for this reason that the cottage is  
one of the embellishments of natural    
scenery which deserve attentive         
consideration4 ,it is beautiful always1 
and everywhere4 ,whether looking out of 
the woody dingle with its eye-like      
window1 and sending up the motion of    

azure smoke between the silver trunks of
 aged trees2 or grouped among the bright
 cornfields of the fruitful plain2 or   
forming gray clusters along the slope of
 the mountain side1 the cottage always  
gives the idea of a thing to be beloved3
 a quiet life-giving voice1 that is as  
peaceful as silence itself4  #ab4 ,with 
these feelings1 we shall devote some    
time to the consideration of the        
prevailing character1 and national      
peculiarities1 of ,european cottages4   
,the principal thing worthy of          
observation in the lowland cottage of   
,england is its finished neatness4 ,the 
thatch is firmly pegged down1 and       
mathematically leveled at the edges2    
and1 though the martin is permitted to  
attach his humble domicile1 in          
undisturbed security1 to the eaves1 he  
may be considered as enhancing the      
effect of the cottage1 by increasing its
 usefulness1 and making it contribute to
 the comfort of more beings than one4   
,the whitewash is stainless1 and its    

rough surface catches a side light as   
brightly as a front one3 the luxuriant  
rose is trained gracefully over the     
window2 and the gleaming lattice1       
divided not into heavy squares1 but into
 small pointed diamonds1 is thrown half 
open1 as is just discovered by its      
glance among the green leaves of the    
sweetbrier1 to admit the breeze1 that1  
as it passes over the flowers1 becomes  
full of their fragrance4 ,the light     
wooden porch breaks the flat of the     
cottage face by its projection2 and a   
branch or two of wandering honeysuckle  
spread over the low hatch4 ,a few square
 feet of garden and a latched wicket1   
persuading the weary and dusty          
pedestrian1 with expressive eloquence1  
to lean upon it for an instant and      
request a drink of water or milk1       
complete a picture1 which1 if it be far 
enough from ,london to be unspoiled by  
town sophistications1 is a very perfect 
thing in its way4#a ,the ideas it       
awakens are agreeable1 and the          

architecture is all that we want in such
 a situation4 ,it is pretty and         
appropriate2 and if it boasted of any   
other perfection1 it would be at the    
expense of its propriety4  ,footnote #a3
 ,compare ,lectures on ,architecture and
 ,painting1 ,i4  #af4  #ac4 ,let us now 
cross the ,channel1 and endeavor to find
 a country cottage on the other side1 if
 we can2 for it is a difficult matter4  
,there are many villages2 but such a    
thing as an isolated cottage is         
extremely rare4 ,let us try one or two  
of the green valleys among the chalk    
eminences which sweep from ,abbeville to
 ,rouen4 ,here is a cottage at last1 and
 a picturesque one1 which is more than  
we could say for the ,english domicile4 
,what then is the difference8 ,there is 
a general air of nonchalance about the  
,french peasant's habitation1 which is  
aided by a perfect want of everything   
like neatness2 and rendered more        
conspicuous by some points about the    
building which have a look of neglected 

beauty1 and obliterated ornament4 ,half 
of the whitewash is worn off1 and the   
other half colored by various mosses and
 wandering lichens1 which have been     
permitted to vegetate upon it1 and      
which1 though beautiful1 constitute a   
kind of beauty from which the ideas of  
age and decay are inseparable4 ,the tall
 roof of the garret window stands       
fantastically out2 and underneath it1   
where1 in ,england1 we had a plain      
double lattice1 is a deep recess1 flatly
 arched at the top1 built of solid      
masses of gray stone1 fluted on the     
edge2 while the brightness of the glass 
within 7if there be any7 is lost in     
shade1 causing the recess to appear to  
the observer like a dark eye4 ,the door 
has the same character3 it is also of   
stone1 which is so much broken and      
disguised as to prevent it from giving  
any idea of strength or stability4 ,the 
entrance is always open2 no roses1 or   
anything else1 are wreathed about it2   
several outhouses1 built in the same    

style1 give the building extent2 and the
 group 7in all probability1 the         
dependency of some large old chteau in  
the distance7 does not peep out of      
copse1 or thicket1 or a group of tall   
and beautiful trees1 but stands         
comfortlessly between two individuals of
 the columns of long-trunked facsimile  
elms1 which keep guard along the length 
of the public road4  #ad4 ,now1 let it  
be observed how perfectly1 how          
singularly1 the distinctive characters  
of these two cottages agree with those  
of the countries in which they are      
built2 and of the people for whose use  
they are constructed4 ,england is a     
country whose every scene is in         
miniature4#b ,its green valleys are not 
wide2 its dewy hills are not high2 its  
forests are of no extent1 or1 rather1 it
 has nothing that can pretend to a more 
sounding title than that of wood4 ,its  
champaigns are minutely checkered into  
fields2 we can never see far at a time2 
and there is a sense of something       

inexpressible1 except by the truly      
,english word snug1 in every quiet nook 
and sheltered lane4 ,the ,english       
cottage1 therefore1 is equally small1   
equally sheltered1 equally invisible at 
a distance4  ,footnote #b3 ,compare with
 this chapter1 ,modern ,painters1 vol4  
iv4 chap4 #a4  #ae4 ,but ,france is a   
country on a large scale4 ,low1 but     
long1 hills sweep away for miles into   
vast uninterrupted champaigns2 immense  
forests shadow the country for hundreds 
of square miles1 without once letting   
through the light of day2 its pastures  
and arable land are divided on the same 
scale2 there are no fences2 we can      
hardly place ourselves in any spot where
 we shall not see for leagues around2   
and there is a kind of comfortless      
sublimity in the size of every scene4   
,the ,french cottage1 therefore1 is on  
the same scale1 equally large and       
desolate looking2 but we shall see1     
presently1 that it can arouse feelings  
which1 though they cannot be said to    

give it sublimity1 yet are of a higher  
order than any which can be awakened at 
the sight of the ,english cottage4  #af4
 ,again1 every bit of cultivated ground 
in ,england has a finished neatness2 the
 fields are all divided by hedges or    
fences2 the fruit trees are neatly      
pruned2 the roads beautifully made1 etc4
 ,everything is the reverse in ,france3 
the fields are distinguished by the     
nature of the crops they bear2 the fruit
 trees are overgrown with moss and      
mistletoe2 and the roads immeasurably   
wide1 and miserably made4  #ag4 ,so much
 for the character of the two cottages1 
as they assimilate with the countries in
 which they are found4 ,let us now see  
how they assimilate with the character  
of the people by whom they are built4   
,england is a country of perpetually    
increasing prosperity and active        
enterprise2 but1 for that very reason1  
nothing is allowed to remain till it    
gets old4 ,large old trees are cut down 
for timber2 old houses are pulled down  

for the materials2 and old furniture is 
laughed at and neglected4 ,everything is
 perpetually altered and renewed by the 
activity of invention and improvement4  
,the cottage1 consequently1 has no      
dilapidated look about it2 it is never  
suffered to get old2 it is used as long 
as it is comfortable1 and then taken    
down and rebuilt2 for it was originally 
raised in a style incapable of resisting
 the ravages of time4 ,but1 in ,france1 
there prevail two opposite feelings1    
both in the extreme2 that of the old    
pedigreed population1 which preserves   
unlimitedly2 and that of the modern     
revolutionists1 which destroys          
unmercifully4 ,every object has partly  
the appearance of having been preserved 
with infinite care from an indefinite   
age1 and partly exhibits the evidence of
 recent ill-treatment and disfiguration4
 ,primeval forests rear their vast      
trunks over those of many younger       
generations growing up beside them2 the 
chteau or the palace1 showing1 by its   

style of architecture1 its venerable    
age1 bears the marks of the cannon-ball1
 and1 from neglect1 is withering into   
desolation4 ,little is renewed3 there is
 little spirit of improvement2 and the  
customs which prevailed centuries ago   
are still taught by the patriarchs of   
the families to their grandchildren4    
,the ,french cottage1 therefore1 is just
 such as we should have expected from   
the disposition of its inhabitants2 its 
massive windows1 its broken ornaments1  
its whole air and appearance1 all tell  
the same tale of venerable age1         
respected and preserved1 till at last   
its dilapidation wears an appearance of 
neglect4  #ah4 ,again1 the ,englishman  
will sacrifice everything to comfort1   
and will not only take great pains to   
secure it1 but he has generally also the
 power of doing so3 for the ,english    
peasant is1 on the average1 wealthier   
than the ,french4 ,the ,french peasant  
has no idea of comfort1 and therefore   
makes no effort to secure it4 ,the      

difference in the character of their    
inhabitants is1 as we have seen1 written
 on the fronts of their respective      
cottages4 ,the ,englishman is1 also1    
fond of display2 but the ornaments1     
exterior and interior1 with which he    
adorns his dwelling1 however small it   
may be1 are either to show the extent of
 his possessions1 or to contribute to   
some personal profit or gratification3  
they never seem designed for the sake of
 ornament alone4 ,thus1 his wife's love 
of display is shown by the rows of      
useless crockery in her cupboard2 and   
his own by the rose tree at the front   
door1 from which he may obtain an early 
bud to stick in the buttonhole of his   
best blue coat on ,sundays3 the         
honeysuckle is cultivated for its smell1
 the garden for its cabbages4 ,not so in
 ,france4 ,there1 the meanest peasant1  
with an equal or greater love of        
display1 embellishes his dwelling as    
much as lies in his power1 solely for   
the gratification of his feeling of what

 is agreeable to the eye4 ,the gable of 
his roof is prettily shaped2 the niche  
at its corner is richly carved2 the     
wooden beams1 if there be any1 are      
fashioned into grotesque figures2 and   
even the air nglig and general          
dilapidation of the building tell a     
thousand times more agreeably to an eye 
accustomed to the picturesque1 than the 
spruce preservation of the ,english     
cottage4  #ai4 ,no building which we    
feel to excite a sentiment of mere      
complacency can be said to be in good   
taste4 ,on the contrary1 when the       
building is of such a class1 that it can
 neither astonish by its beauty1 nor    
impress by its sublimity1 and when it is
 likewise placed in a situation so      
uninteresting as to render something    
more than mere fitness or propriety     
necessary1 and to compel the eye to     
expect something from the building      
itself1 a gentle contrast of feeling in 
that building is exceedingly desirable2 
and if possible1 a sense that something 

has passed away1 the presence of which  
would have bestowed a deeper interest on
 the whole scene4 ,the fancy will       
immediately try to recover this1 and1 in
 the endeavor1 will obtain the desired  
effect from an indefinite cause4        
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4 ,old ,windows3
 from an early sketch by the ,author4   
#bj4 ,now1 the ,french cottage cannot   
please by its propriety1 for it can only
 be adapted to the ugliness around2 and1
 as it ought to be1 and cannot but be1  
adapted to this1 it is still less able  
to please by its beauty4 ,how1 then1 can
 it please8 ,there is no pretense to    
gayety in its appearance1 no green      
flower-pots in ornamental lattices2 but 
the substantial style of any ornaments  
it may possess1 the recessed windows1   
the stone carvings1 and the general size
 of the whole1 unite to produce an      
impression of the building having once  
been fit for the residence of prouder   
inhabitants2 of its having once         
possessed strength1 which is now        

withered1 and beauty1 which is now      
faded4 ,this sense of something lost1   
something which has been1 and is not1 is
 precisely what is wanted4 ,the         
imagination is set actively to work in  
an instant2 and we are made aware of the
 presence of a beauty1 the more pleasing
 because visionary2 and1 while the eye  
is pitying the actual humility of the   
present building1 the mind is admiring  
the imagined pride of the past4 ,every  
mark of dilapidation increases this     
feeling2 while these very marks 7the    
fractures of the stone1 the lichens of  
the moldering walls1 and the graceful   
lines of the sinking roof7 are all      
delightful in themselves4  #ba4 ,thus1  
we have shown that1 while the ,english  
cottage is pretty from its propriety1   
the ,french cottage1 having the same    
connection with its climate1 country1   
and people1 produces such a contrast of 
feeling as bestows on it a beauty       
addressing itself to the mind1 and is   
therefore in perfectly good taste4 ,if  

we are asked why1 in this instance1 good
 taste produces only what every traveler
 feels to be not in the least striking1 
we reply that1 where the surrounding    
circumstances are unfavorable1 the very 
adaptation to them which we have        
declared to be necessary renders the    
building uninteresting2 and that1 in the
 next paper1 we shall see a very        
different result from the operations of 
equally good taste in adapting a cottage
 to its situation1 in one of the noblest
 districts of ,europe4 ,our subject will
 be1 the ,lowland ,cottage of ,north    
,italy4  ,,oxford1 ,sept41 #ahcg4       
,,ii4  ,,the ,,lowland                  
,,cottage--,,italy4  ,most musical1 most
 melancholy4   #bb4 ,let it not be      
thought that we are unnecessarily       
detaining our readers from the proposed 
subject1 if we premise a few remarks on 
the character of the landscape of the   
country we have now entered4 ,it will   
always be necessary to obtain some      
definite knowledge of the distinctive   

features of a country1 before we can    
form a just estimate of the beauties or 
the errors of its architecture4 ,we wish
 our readers to imbue themselves as far 
as may be with the spirit of the clime  
which we are now entering2 to cast away 
all general ideas2 to look only for     
unison of feeling1 and to pronounce     
everything wrong which is contrary to   
the humors of nature4 ,we must make them
 feel where they are2 we must throw a   
peculiar light and color over their     
imaginations2 then we will bring their  
judgment into play1 for then it will be 
capable of just operation4  #bc4 ,we    
have passed1 it must be observed 7in    
leaving ,england and ,france for        
,italy71 from comfort to desolation2    
from excitement1 to sadness3 we have    
left one country prosperous in its      
prime1 and another frivolous in its age1
 for one glorious in its death4  ,now1  
we have prefixed the hackneyed line of  
,il ,penseroso to our paper1 because it 
is a definition of the essence of the   

beautiful4 ,what is most musical1 will  
always be found most melancholy2 and no 
real beauty can be obtained without a   
touch of sadness4 ,whenever the         
beautiful loses its melancholy1 it      
degenerates into prettiness4 ,we appeal 
to the memories of all our observing    
readers1 whether they have treasured up 
any scene1 pretending to be more than   
pretty1 which has not about it either a 
tinge of melancholy or a sense of       
danger2 the one constitutes the         
beautiful1 the other the sublime4  #bd4 
,this postulate being granted1 as we are
 sure it will by most 7and we beg to    
assure those who are refractory or      
argumentative1 that1 were this a        
treatise on the sublime and beautiful1  
we could convince and quell their       
incredulity to their entire satisfaction
 by innumerable instances71 we proceed  
to remark here1 once for all1 that the  
principal glory of the ,italian         
landscape is its extreme melancholy4 ,it
 is fitting that it should be so3 the   

dead are the nations of ,italy2 her name
 and her strength are dwelling with the 
pale nations underneath the earth2 the  
chief and chosen boast of her utmost    
pride is the hic jacet2 she is but one  
wide sepulcher1 and all her present life
 is like a shadow or a memory4 ,and     
therefore1 or1 rather1 by a most        
beautiful coincidence1 her national tree
 is the cypress2 and whoever has marked 
the peculiar character which these noble
 shadowy spires can give to her         
landscape1 lifting their majestic troops
 of waving darkness from beside the     
fallen column1 or out of the midst of   
the silence of the shadowed temple and  
worshipless shrine1 seen far and wide   
over the blue of the faint plain1       
without loving the dark trees for their 
sympathy with the sadness of ,italy's   
sweet cemetery shore1 is one who        
profanes her soil with his footsteps4   
#be4 ,every part of the landscape is in 
unison2 the same glory of mourning is   
thrown over the whole2 the deep blue of 

the heavens is mingled with that of the 
everlasting hills1 or melted away into  
the silence of the sapphire sea2 the    
pale cities1 temple and tower1 lie      
gleaming along the champaign2 but how   
calmly6 no hum of men2 no motion of     
multitude in the midst of them3 they are
 voiceless as the city of ashes4 ,the   
transparent air is gentle among the     
blossoms of the orange and the dim      
leaves of the olive2 and the small      
fountains1 which1 in any other land1    
would spring merrily along1 sparkling   
and singing among tinkling pebbles1 here
 flow calmly and silently into some pale
 font of marble1 all beautiful with     
life2 worked by some unknown hand1 long 
ago nerveless1 and fall and pass on     
among wan flowers1 and scented copse1   
through cool leaf-lighted caves or gray 
,egerian grottoes1 to join the ,tiber or
 ,eridanus1 to swell the waves of ,nemi1
 or the ,larian ,lake4 ,the most minute 
objects 7leaf1 flower1 and stone71 while
 they add to the beauty1 seem to share  

in the sadness1 of the whole4  #bf4     
,but1 if one principal character of     
,italian landscape is melancholy1       
another is elevation4 ,we have no simple
 rusticity of scene1 no cowslip and     
buttercup humility of seclusion4 ,tall  
mulberry trees1 with festoons of the    
luxuriant vine1 purple with ponderous   
clusters1 trailed and trellised between 
and over them1 shade the wide fields of 
stately ,indian corn2 luxuriance of     
lofty vegetation 7catalpa1 and aloe1 and
 olive71 ranging itself in lines of     
massy light along the wan champaign1    
guides the eye away to the unfailing    
wall of mountain1 ,alp or ,apennine2 no 
cold long range of shivery gray1 but    
dazzling light of snow1 or undulating   
breadth of blue1 fainter and darker1 in 
infinite variety2 peak1 precipice1 and  
promontory passing away into the wooded 
hills1 each with its tower or white     
village sloping into the plain2         
castellated battlements cresting their  
undulations2 some wide majestic river   

gliding along the champaign1 the bridge 
on its breast1 and the city on its      
shore2 the whole canopied with cloudless
 azure1 basking in mistless sunshine1   
breathing the silence of odoriferous    
air4  #bg4 ,now comes the question4 ,in 
a country of this pomp of natural glory1
 tempered with melancholy memory of     
departed pride1 what are we to wish for1
 what are we naturally to expect in the 
character of her most humble edifices2  
those which are most connected with     
present life--least with the past8 what 
are we to consider fitting or beautiful 
in her cottage8  ,we do not expect it to
 be comfortable1 when everything around 
it betokens decay and desolation in the 
works of man4 ,we do not wish it to be  
neat1 where nature is most beautiful1   
because neglected4 ,but we naturally    
look for an elevation of character1 a   
richness of design or form1 which1 while
 the building is kept a cottage1 may yet
 give it a peculiar air of cottage      
aristocracy2 a beauty 7no matter how    

dilapidated7 which may appear to have   
been once fitted for the surrounding    
splendor of scene and climate4 ,now1 let
 us fancy an ,italian cottage before us4
 ,the reader who has traveled in ,italy 
will find little difficulty in recalling
 one to his memory1 with its broad lines
 of light and shadow1 and its strange1  
but not unpleasing mixture of grandeur  
and desolation4 ,let us examine its     
details1 enumerate its architectural    
peculiarities1 and see how far it agrees
 with our preconceived idea of what the 
cottage ought to be8  #bh4 ,the first   
remarkable point of the building is the 
roof4 ,it generally consists of tiles of
 very deep curvature1 which rib it into 
distinct vertical lines1 giving it a far
 more agreeable surface than that of our
 flatter tiling4 ,the form of the roof1 
however1 is always excessively flat1 so 
as never to let it intrude upon the eye2
 and the consequence is1 that1 while an 
,english village1 seen at a distance1   
appears all red roof1 the ,italian is   

all white wall2 and therefore1 though   
always bright1 is never gaudy4 ,we have 
in these roofs an excellent example of  
what should always be kept in mind1 that
 everything will be found beautiful1    
which climate or situation render       
useful4 ,the strong and constant heat of
 the ,italian sun would be intolerable  
if admitted at the windows2 and1        
therefore1 the edges of the roof project
 far over the walls1 and throw long     
shadows downwards1 so as to keep the    
upper windows constantly cool4 ,these   
long oblique shadows on the white       
surface are always delightful1 and are  
alone sufficient to give the building   
character4 ,they are peculiar to the    
buildings of ,spain and ,italy2 for     
owing to the general darker color of    
those of more northerly climates1 the   
shadows of their roofs1 however far     
thrown1 do not tell distinctly1 and     
render them1 not varied1 but gloomy4    
,another ornamental use of these shadows
 is1 that they break the line of        

junction of the wall with the roof3 a   
point always desirable1 and in every    
kind of building1 whether we have to do 
with lead1 slate1 tile1 or thatch1 one  
of extreme difficulty4 ,this object is  
farther forwarded in the ,italian       
cottage1 by putting two or three windows
 up under the very eaves themselves1    
which is also done for coolness1 so that
 their tops are formed by the roof2 and 
the wall has the appearance of having   
been terminated by large battlements and
 roofed over4 ,and1 finally1 the eaves  
are seldom kept long on the same level3 
double or treble rows of tiling are     
introduced2 long sticks and irregular   
wood-work are occasionally attached to  
them1 to assist the festoons of the     
vine2 and the graceful irregularity and 
marked character of the whole must be   
dwelt on with equal delight by the eye  
of the poet1 the artist1 or the         
unprejudiced architect4 ,all1 however1  
is exceedingly humble2 we have not yet  
met with the elevation of character we  

expected4 ,we shall find it however as  
we proceed4  #bi4 ,the next point of    
interest is the window4 ,the modern     
,italian is completely owl-like in his  
habits4 ,all the daytime he lies idle   
and inert2 but during the night he is   
all activity1 but it is mere activity of
 inoccupation4 ,idleness1 partly induced
 by the temperature of the climate1 and 
partly consequent on the decaying       
prosperity of the nation1 leaves        
indications of its influence on all his 
undertakings4 ,he prefers patching up a 
ruin to building a house2 he raises     
shops and hovels1 the abodes of         
inactive1 vegetating1 brutish poverty1  
under the protection of aged and ruined1
 yet stalwart1 arches of the ,roman     
amphitheater2 and the habitations of the
 lower orders frequently present traces 
of ornament and stability of material   
evidently belonging to the remains of a 
prouder edifice4 ,this is the case      
sometimes to such a degree as1 in       
another country1 would be disagreeable  

from its impropriety2 but1 in ,italy1 it
 corresponds with the general prominence
 of the features of a past age1 and is  
always beautiful4 ,thus1 the eye rests  
with delight on the broken moldings of  
the windows1 and the sculptured capitals
 of the corner columns1 contrasted1 as  
they are1 the one with the glassless    
blackness within1 the other with the    
ragged and dirty confusion of drapery   
around4 ,the ,italian window1 in        
general1 is a mere hole in the thick    
wall1 always well proportioned2         
occasionally arched at the top1         
sometimes with the addition of a little 
rich ornament3 seldom1 if ever1 having  
any casement or glass1 but filled up    
with any bit of striped or colored      
cloth1 which may have the slightest     
chance of deceiving the distant observer
 into the belief that it is a legitimate
 blind4 ,this keeps off the sun1 and    
allows a free circulation of air1 which 
is the great object4 ,when it is absent1
 the window becomes a mere black hole1  

having much the same relation to a      
glazed window that the hollow of a skull
 has to a bright eye2 not unexpressive1 
but frowning and ghastly1 and giving a  
disagreeable impression of utter        
emptiness and desolation within4 ,yet   
there is character in them3 the black   
dots tell agreeably on the walls at a   
distance1 and have no disagreeable      
sparkle to disturb the repose of        
surrounding scenery4 ,besides1 the      
temperature renders everything agreeable
 to the eye1 which gives it an idea of  
ventilation4 ,a few roughly constructed 
balconies1 projecting from detached     
windows1 usually break the uniformity of
 the wall4 ,in some ,italian cottages   
there are wooden galleries1 resembling  
those so frequently seen in             
,switzerland2 but this is not a very    
general character1 except in the        
mountain valleys of ,north ,italy1      
although sometimes a passage is effected
 from one projecting portion of a house 
to another by means of an exterior      

gallery4 ,these are very delightful     
objects2 and when shaded by luxuriant   
vines1 which is frequently the case1    
impart a gracefulness to the building   
otherwise unattainable4  #cj4 ,the next 
striking point is the arcade at the base
 of the building4 ,this is general in   
cities2 and1 although frequently wanting
 to the cottage1 is present often enough
 to render it an important feature4 ,in 
fact1 the ,italian cottage is usually   
found in groups4 ,isolated buildings are
 rare2 and the arcade affords an        
agreeable1 if not necessary1 shade1 in  
passing from one building to another4   
,it is a still more unfailing feature of
 the ,swiss city1 where it is useful in 
deep snow4 ,but the supports of the     
arches in ,switzerland are generally    
square masses of wall1 varying in size1 
separating the arches by irregular      
intervals1 and sustained by broad and   
massy buttresses2 while in ,italy1 the  
arches generally rest on legitimate     
columns1 varying in height from one and 

a half to four diameters1 with huge     
capitals1 not unfrequently rich in      
detail4 ,these give great gracefulness  
to the buildings in groups3 they will be
 spoken of more at large when we are    
treating of arrangement and situation4  
,illustration3 ,italian ,cottage        
,gallery1 #ahdf4 ,chimney at ,neuchatel2
 ,dent du ,midi and ,mont ,blanc in the 
distance4  ,illustration3 ,cottage near 
la ,cit1 ,val d',aosta1 #ahch4  #ca4    
,the square tower1 rising over the roof 
of the farther cottage1 will not escape 
observation4 ,it has been allowed to    
remain1 not because such elevated       
buildings ever belong to mere cottages1 
but1 first1 that the truth of the scene 
might not be destroyed2#c and1 secondly1
 because it is impossible1 or nearly so1
 to obtain a group of buildings of any  
sort1 in ,italy1 without one or more    
such objects rising behind them1        
beautifully contributing to destroy the 
monotony1 and contrast with the         
horizontal lines of the flat roofs and  

square walls4 ,we think it right1       
therefore1 to give the cottage the      
relief and contrast which1 in reality1  
it possessed1 even though we are at     
present speaking of it in the abstract4 
,footnote #c3 ,the annexed illustration 
will1 perhaps1 make the remarks advanced
 more intelligible4 ,the building1 which
 is close to the city of ,aosta1 unites 
in itself all the peculiarities for     
which the ,italian cottage is           
remarkable3 the dark arcade1 the        
sculptured capital1 the vine-covered    
gallery1 the flat and confused roof2 and
 clearly exhibits the points to which we
 wish particularly to direct attention2 
namely1 brightness of effect1 simplicity
 of form1 and elevation of character4   
,let it not be supposed1 however1 that  
such a combination of attributes is     
rare2 on the contrary1 it is common to  
the greater part of the cottages of     
,italy4 ,this building has not been     
selected as a rare example1 but it is   
given as a good one4 ,these remarks     

refer to a cut in the magazine text1    
represented in the illustrated edition  
by a photogravure from the original     
sketch4  #cb4 ,having now reviewed the  
distinctive parts of the ,italian       
cottage in detail1 we shall proceed to  
direct our attention to points of       
general character4 ,i4 ,simplicity of   
form4 ,the roof1 being flat1 allows of  
no projecting garret windows1 no        
fantastic gable ends3 the walls         
themselves are equally flat2 no         
bow-windows or sculptured oriels1 such  
as we meet with perpetually in ,germany1
 ,france1 or the ,netherlands1 vary     
their white fronts4 ,now1 this          
simplicity is1 perhaps1 the principal   
attribute by which the ,italian cottage 
attains the elevation of character we   
desired and expected4 ,all that is      
fantastic in form1 or frivolous in      
detail1 annihilates the aristocratic air
 of a building3 it at once destroys its 
sublimity and size1 besides awakening1  
as is almost always the case1           

associations of a mean and low          
character4 ,the moment we see a gable   
roof1 we think of cock-lofts2 the       
instant we observe a projecting window1 
of attics and tent-bedsteads4 ,now1 the 
,italian cottage assumes1 with the      
simplicity1 l'air noble of buildings of 
a higher order2 and1 though it avoids   
all ridiculous miniature mimicry of the 
palace1 it discards the humbler         
attributes of the cottage4 ,the ornament
 it assumes is dignified2 no grinning   
faces1 or unmeaning notched planks1 but 
well-proportioned arches1 or tastefully 
sculptured columns4 ,while there is     
nothing about it unsuited to the        
humility of its inhabitant1 there is a  
general dignity in its air1 which       
harmonizes beautifully with the nobility
 of the neighboring edifices1 or the    
glory of the surrounding scenery4  #cc4 
,,ii4 ,brightness of effect4 ,there are 
no weather stains on the walls3 there is
 no dampness in air or earth1 by which  
they could be induced2 the heat of the  

sun scorches away all lichens1 and      
mosses and moldy vegetation4 ,no thatch 
or stone crop on the roof unites the    
building with surrounding vegetation2   
all is clear1 and warm1 and sharp on the
 eye2 the more distant the building1 the
 more generally bright it becomes1 till 
the distant village sparkles out of the 
orange copse1 or the cypress grove1 with
 so much distinctness as might be       
thought in some degree objectionable4   
,but it must be remembered that the     
prevailing color of the ,italian        
landscape is blue2 sky1 hills1 water1   
are equally azure3 the olive1 which     
forms a great proportion of the         
vegetation1 is not green1 but gray2 the 
cypress and its varieties1 dark and     
neutral1 and the laurel and myrtle far  
from bright4 ,now1 white1 which is      
intolerable with green1 is agreeably    
contrasted with blue2 and to this cause 
it must be ascribed that the white of   
the ,italian building is not found      
startling and disagreeable in the       

landscape4 ,that it is not1 we believe1 
will be generally allowed4  #cd4 ,,iii4 
,elegance of feeling4 ,we never can     
prevent ourselves from imagining that we
 perceive in the graceful negligence of 
the ,italian cottage1 the evidence of a 
taste among the lower orders refined by 
the glory of their land1 and the beauty 
of its remains4 ,we have always had     
strong faith in the influence of climate
 on the mind1 and feel strongly tempted 
to discuss the subject at length2 but   
our paper has already exceeded its      
proposed limits1 and we must content    
ourselves with remarking what will not1 
we think1 be disputed1 that the eye1 by 
constantly resting either on natural    
scenery of noble tone and character1 or 
on the architectural remains of         
classical beauty1 must contract a habit 
of feeling correctly and tastefully2 the
 influence of which1 we think1 is seen  
in the style of edifices the most modern
 and the most humble4  #ce4 ,lastly1    
,dilapidation4 ,we have just used the   

term graceful negligence3 whether it be 
graceful1 or not1 is a matter of taste2 
but the uncomfortable and ruinous       
disorder and dilapidation of the        
,italian cottage is one of observation4 
,the splendor of the climate requires   
nothing more than shade from the sun1   
and occasionally shelter from a violent 
storm3 the outer arcade affords them    
both2 it becomes the nightly lounge and 
daily dormitory of its inhabitant1 and  
the interior is abandoned to filth and  
decay4 ,indolence watches the tooth of  
,time with careless eye and nerveless   
hand4 ,religion1 or its abuse1 reduces  
every individual of the population to   
utter inactivity three days out of the  
seven2 and the habits formed in the     
three regulate the four4 ,abject poverty
 takes away the power1 while brutish    
sloth weakens the will2 and the filthy  
habits of the ,italian prevent him from 
suffering from the state to which he is 
reduced4 ,the shattered roofs1 the dark1
 confused1 ragged windows1 the obscure  

chambers1 the tattered and dirty        
draperies1 altogether present a picture 
which1 seen too near1 is sometimes      
revolting to the eye1 always melancholy 
to the mind4 ,yet even this many would  
not wish to be otherwise4 ,the          
prosperity of nations1 as of            
individuals1 is cold and hard-hearted1  
and forgetful4 ,the dead die1 indeed1   
trampled down by the crowd of the       
living2 the place thereof shall know    
them no more1 for that place is not in  
the hearts of the survivors for whose   
interests they have made way4 ,but      
adversity and ruin point to the         
sepulcher1 and it is not trodden on2 to 
the chronicle1 and it doth not decay4   
,who would substitute the rush of a new 
nation1 the struggle of an awakening    
power1 for the dreamy sleep of ,italy's 
desolation1 for her sweet silence of    
melancholy thought1 her twilight time of
 everlasting memories8  #cf4 ,such1 we  
think1 are the principal distinctive    
attributes of the ,italian cottage4 ,let

 it not be thought that we are wasting  
time in the contemplation of its        
beauties2 even though they are of a kind
 which the architect can never imitate1 
because he has no command over time1 and
 no choice of situation2 and which he   
ought not to imitate1 if he could1      
because they are only locally desirable 
or admirable4 ,our object1 let it always
 be remembered1 is not the attainment of
 architectural data1 but the formation  
of taste4  ,oct4 #ab1 #ahcg     ,,iii4  
,,the ,,mountain                        
,,cottage--,,switzerland4   #cg4 ,in the
 three instances of the lowland cottage 
which have been already considered1 are 
included the chief peculiarities of     
style which are interesting or          
important4 ,i have not1 it is true1     
spoken of the carved oaken gable and    
shadowy roof of the ,norman village2 of 
the black crossed rafters and fantastic 
proportions which delight the eyes of   
the ,german2 nor of the ,moorish arches 
and confused galleries which mingle so  

magnificently with the inimitable       
fretwork of the gray temples of the     
,spaniard4 ,but these are not           
peculiarities solely belonging to the   
cottage3 they are found in buildings of 
a higher order1 and seldom1 unless where
 they are combined with other features4 
,they are therefore rather to be        
considered1 in future1 as elements of   
street effect1 than1 now1 as the        
peculiarities of independent buildings4 
,my remarks on the ,italian cottage     
might1 indeed1 be applied1 were it not  
for the constant presence of ,moorish   
feeling1 to that of ,spain4 ,the        
architecture of the two nations is      
intimately connected3 modified1 in      
,italy1 by the taste of the ,roman2 and1
 in ,spain1 by the fanciful creations of
 the ,moor4 ,when ,i am considering the 
fortress and the palace1#d ,i shall be  
compelled to devote a very large share  
of my attention to ,spain2 but for      
characteristic examples of the cottage1 
,i turn rather to ,switzerland and      

,england4 ,preparatory1 therefore1 to a 
few general remarks on modern ornamental
 cottages1 it will be instructive to    
observe the peculiarities of two        
varieties of the mountain cottage1      
diametrically opposite to each other in 
most of their features2 one always      
beautiful1 and the other frequently so4 
,footnote #d3 ,that part1 however1 was  
not written1 as the ,architectural      
,magazine stopped running soon after the
 conclusion of ,part ,,ii4 ,the ,villa4 
#ch4 ,first1 for ,helvetia4 ,well do ,i 
remember the thrilling and exquisite    
moment when first1 first in my life     
7which had not been over long71 ,i      
encountered1 in a calm and shadowy      
dingle1 darkened with the thick         
spreading of tall pines1 and voiceful   
with the singing of a rock-encumbered   
stream1 and passing up towards the flank
 of a smooth green mountain1 whose      
swarded summit shone in the summer snow 
like an emerald set in silver2 when1 ,i 
say1 ,i first encountered in this calm  

defile of the ,jura1 the unobtrusive1   
yet beautiful1 front of the ,swiss      
cottage4 ,i thought it the loveliest    
piece of architecture ,i had ever had   
the felicity of contemplating2 yet it   
was nothing in itself1 nothing but a few
 mossy fir trunks1 loosely nailed       
together1 with one or two gray stones on
 the roof3 but its power was the power  
of association2 its beauty1 that of     
fitness and humility4  #ci4 ,how        
different is this from what modern      
architects erect1 when they attempt to  
produce what is1 by courtesy1 called a  
,swiss cottage4 ,the modern building    
known in ,britain by that name has very 
long chimneys1 covered with various     
exceedingly ingenious devices for the   
convenient reception and hospitable     
entertainment of soot1 supposed by the  
innocent and deluded proprietor to be   
meant for ornament4 ,its gable roof     
slopes at an acute angle1 and terminates
 in an interesting and romantic manner1 
at each extremity1 in a tooth-pick4 ,its

 walls are very precisely and prettily  
plastered2 and it is rendered quite     
complete by the addition of two neat    
little bow windows1 supported on neat   
little mahogany brackets1 full of neat  
little squares of red and yellow glass4 
,its door is approached under a neat    
little veranda1 uncommon green1 and is  
flanked on each side by a neat little   
round table1 with all its legs of       
different lengths1 and by a variety of  
neat little wooden chairs1 all very     
peculiarly uncomfortable1 and amazingly 
full of earwigs3 the whole being        
surrounded by a garden full of flints1  
burnt bricks and cinders1 with some     
water in the middle1 and a fountain in  
the middle of it1 which won't play2     
accompanied by some goldfish1 which     
won't swim2 and by two or three ducks1  
which will splash4 ,now1 ,i am          
excessively sorry to inform the members 
of any respectable ,english family1 who 
are making themselves uncomfortable in  
one of these ingenious conceptions1     

under the idea that they are living in a
 ,swiss cottage1 that they labor under a
 melancholy deception2 and shall now    
proceed to investigate the peculiarities
 of the real building4  #dj4 ,the life  
of a ,swiss peasant is divided into two 
periods2 that in which he is watching   
his cattle at their summer pasture on   
the high ,alps1#e and that in which he  
seeks shelter from the violence of the  
winter storms in the most retired parts 
of the low valleys4 ,during the first   
period1 he requires only occasional     
shelter from storms of excessive        
violence2 during the latter1 a          
sufficient protection from continued    
inclement weather4 ,the ,alpine or      
summer cottage1 therefore1 is a rude log
 hut1 formed of unsquared pine trunks1  
notched into each other at the corners4 
,the roof being excessively flat1 so as 
to offer no surface to the wind1 is     
covered with fragments of any stone that
 will split easily1 held on by crossing 
logs2 which are in their turn kept down 

by masses of stone2 the whole being     
generally sheltered behind some         
protecting rock1 or resting against the 
slope of the mountain1 so that1 from one
 side1 you may step upon the roof4 ,that
 is the chlet4 ,when well grouped1      
running along a slope of mountain side1 
these huts produce a very pleasing      
effect1 being never obtrusive 7owing to 
the prevailing grayness of their tone71 
uniting well with surrounding objects1  
and bestowing at once animation and     
character4  ,footnote #e3 ,i use the    
word ,alp here1 and in future1 in its   
proper sense1 of a high mountain        
pasture2 not in its secondary sense1 of 
a snowy peak4  #da4 ,but the winter     
residence1 the ,swiss cottage1 properly 
so-called is a much more elaborate piece
 of workmanship4 ,the principal         
requisite is1 of course1 strength3 and  
this is always observable in the large  
size of the timbers1 and the ingenious  
manner in which they are joined1 so as  
to support and relieve each other1 when 

any of them are severely tried4 ,the    
roof is always very flat1 generally     
meeting at an angle of #aee1 and        
projecting from #e ft4 to #g ft4 over   
the cottage side1 in order to prevent   
the windows from being thoroughly       
clogged up with snow4 ,that this        
projection may not be crushed down by   
the enormous weight of snow which it    
must sometimes sustain1 it is assisted  
by strong wooden supports 7seen in ,fig4
 #c71 which sometimes extend half down  
the walls for the sake of strength1     
divide the side into regular            
compartments1 and are rendered          
ornamental by grotesque carving4 ,every 
canton has its own window4 ,that of     
,uri1 with its diamond wood-work at the 
bottom1 is1 perhaps1 one of the richest4
 7,see ,fig4 #d47 ,the galleries are    
generally rendered ornamental by a great
 deal of labor bestowed upon their      
wood-work4 ,this is best executed in the
 canton of ,berne4 ,the door is always  
six or seven feet from the ground1 and  

occasionally much more1 that it may be  
accessible in snow2 and is reached by an
 oblique gallery1 leading up to a       
horizontal one1 as shown in ,figs4 #c   
and #d4 ,the base of the cottage is     
formed of stone1 generally whitewashed4 
,the chimneys must have a chapter to    
themselves2 they are splendid examples  
of utility combined with ornament4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4 ,swiss        
,cottage4 #ahcg4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#d4 ,cottage near ,altorf4 #ahce4  ,such
 are the chief characteristics of the   
,swiss cottage1 separately considered4  
,i must now take notice of its effect in
 scenery4  #db4 ,when one has been      
wandering for a whole morning through a 
valley of perfect silence1 where        
everything around1 which is motionless1 
is colossal1 and everything which has   
motion1 resistless2 where the strength  
and the glory of nature are principally 
developed in the very forces which feed 
upon her majesty2 and where1 in the     
midst of mightiness which seems         

imperishable1 all that is indeed eternal
 is the influence of desolation2 one is 
apt to be surprised1 and by no means    
agreeably1 to find1 crouched behind some
 projecting rock1 a piece of            
architecture which is neat in the       
extreme1 though in the midst of         
wildness1 weak in the midst of strength1
 contemptible in the midst of immensity4
 ,there is something offensive in its   
neatness3 for the wood is almost always 
perfectly clean1 and looks as if it had 
just been cut2 it is consequently raw in
 its color1 and destitute of all variety
 of tone4 ,this is especially           
disagreeable1 when the eye has been     
previously accustomed to1 and finds1    
everywhere around1 the exquisite        
mingling of color1 and confused1 though 
perpetually graceful1 forms1 by which   
the details of mountain scenery are     
peculiarly distinguished4 ,every        
fragment of rock is finished in its     
effect1 tinted with thousands of pale   
lichens and fresh mosses2 every pine    

tree is warm with the life of various   
vegetation2 every grassy bank glowing   
with mellowed color1 and waving with    
delicate leafage4 ,how1 then1 can the   
contrast be otherwise than painful1     
between this perfect loveliness1 and the
 dead1 raw1 lifeless surface of the deal
 boards of the cottage4 ,its weakness is
 pitiable2 for1 though there is always  
evidence of considerable strength on    
close examination1 there is no effect of
 strength3 the real thickness of the    
logs is concealed by the cutting and    
carving of their exposed surfaces2 and  
even what is seen is felt to be so      
utterly contemptible1 when opposed to   
the destructive forces which are in     
operation around1 that the feelings are 
irritated at the imagined audacity of   
the inanimate object1 with the          
self-conceit of its impotence2 and1     
finally1 the eye is offended at its want
 of size4 ,it does not1 as might be at  
first supposed1 enhance the sublimity of
 surrounding scenery by its littleness1 

for it provokes no comparison2 and there
 must be proportion between objects1 or 
they cannot be compared4 ,if the        
,parthenon1 or the ,pyramid of ,cheops1 
or ,st4 ,peter's1 were placed in the    
same situation1 the mind would first    
form a just estimate of the magnificence
 of the building1 and then be trebly    
impressed with the size of the masses   
which overwhelmed it4 ,the architecture 
would not lose1 and the crags would     
gain1 by the juxtaposition2 but the     
cottage1 which must be felt to be a     
thing which the weakest stream of the   
,alps could toss down before it like a  
foam-globe1 is offensively contemptible3
 it is like a child's toy let fall      
accidentally on the hillside2 it does   
not unite with the scene2 it is not     
content to sink into a quiet corner1 and
 personify humility and peace2 but it   
draws attention upon itself by its      
pretension to decoration1 while its     
decorations themselves cannot bear      
examination1 because they are useless1  

unmeaning and incongruous4  #dc4 ,so    
much for its faults2 and ,i have had no 
mercy upon them1 the rather1 because ,i 
am always afraid of being biased in its 
favor by my excessive love for its sweet
 nationality4 ,now for its beauties4    
,wherever it is found1 it always        
suggests ideas of a gentle1 pure1 and   
pastoral life4#f ,one feels that the    
peasants whose hands carved the planks  
so neatly1 and adorned their cottage so 
industriously1 and still preserve it so 
perfectly1 and so neatly1 can be no     
dull1 drunken1 lazy boors2 one feels1   
also1 that it requires both firm        
resolution1 and determined industry1 to 
maintain so successful a struggle       
against the crush of thunder1 and the   
warring winds4 ,sweet ideas float over  
the imagination of such passages of     
peasant life as the gentle ,walton so   
loved2 of the full milk-pail1 and the   
mantling cream-bowl2 of the evening     
dance and the matin song2 of the        
herdsmen on the ,alps1 of the maidens by

 the fountain2 of all that is peculiarly
 and indisputably ,swiss4 ,for the      
cottage is beautifully national2 there  
is nothing to be found the least like it
 in any other country4 ,the moment a    
glimpse is caught of its projecting     
galleries1 one knows that it is the land
 of ,tell and ,winkelried2 and the      
traveler feels1 that1 were he indeed    
,swiss-born and ,alp-bred1 a bit of that
 carved plank1 meeting his eye in a     
foreign land1 would be as effectual as a
 note of the ,ranz des ,vaches upon the 
ear4  ,footnote #f3 ,compare ,modern    
,painters1 vol4 iv4 chap4 xi1 and vol4  
v4 chap4 ix4  #dd4 ,again1 when a number
 of these cottages are grouped together1
 they break upon each other's formality1
 and form a mass of fantastic           
proportion1 of carved window and        
overhanging roof1 full of character and 
picturesque in the extreme4 ,an         
excellent example of this is the        
,bernese village of ,unterseen4 ,again1 
when the ornament is not very elaborate1

 yet enough to preserve the character1  
and the cottage is old1 and not very    
well kept 7suppose in a ,catholic       
canton71 and a little rotten1 the effect
 is beautiful3 the timber becomes       
weather-stained1 and of a fine warm     
brown1 harmonizing delightfully with the
 gray stones on the roof1 and the dark  
green of surrounding pines4 ,if it be   
fortunate enough to be situated in some 
quiet glen1 out of sight of the gigantic
 features of the scene1 and surrounded  
with cliffs to which it bears some      
proportion2 and if it be partially      
concealed1 not intruding on the eye1 but
 well united with everything around1 it 
becomes altogether perfect2 humble1     
beautiful1 and interesting4 ,perhaps no 
cottage can then be found to equal it2  
and none can be more finished in effect1
 graceful in detail1 and characteristic 
as a whole4  #de4 ,the ornaments        
employed in the decoration of the ,swiss
 cottage do not demand much attention2  
they are usually formed in a most simple

 manner1 by thin laths1 which are carved
 into any fanciful form1 or in which    
rows of holes are cut1 generally diamond
 shaped2 and they are then nailed one   
above another to give the carving depth4
 ,pinnacles are never raised on the     
roof1 though carved spikes are          
occasionally suspended from it at the   
angles4 ,no ornamental work is ever     
employed to disguise the beams of the   
projecting part of the roof1 nor does   
any run along its edges4 ,the galleries1
 in the canton of ,uri1 are occasionally
 supported on arched beams1 as shown in 
,fig4 #d1 which have a very pleasing    
effect4  ,illustration3 ,swiss ,chlet   
,balcony1 #ahdb4  #df4 ,of the          
adaptation of the building to climate   
and character1 little can be said4 ,when
 ,i called it national1 ,i meant only   
that it was quite sui generis1 and1     
therefore1 being only found in          
,switzerland1 might be considered as a  
national building2 though it has none of
 the mysterious connection with the mind

 of its inhabitants which is evident in 
all really fine edifices4 ,but there is 
a reason for this2 ,switzerland has no  
climate1 properly speaking1 but an      
assemblage of every climate1 from ,italy
 to the ,pole2 the vine wild in its     
valleys1 the ice eternal on its crags4  
,the ,swiss themselves are what we might
 have expected in persons dwelling in   
such a climate2 they have no character4 
,the sluggish nature of the air of the  
valleys has a malignant operation on the
 mind2 and even the mountaineers1 though
 generally shrewd and intellectual1 have
 no perceptible nationality3 they have  
no language1 except a mixture of        
,italian and bad ,german2 they have no  
peculiar turn of mind2 they might be    
taken as easily for ,germans as for     
,swiss4 ,no correspondence1             
consequently1 can exist between national
 architecture and national character1   
where the latter is not distinguishable4
 ,generally speaking1 then1 the ,swiss  
cottage cannot be said to be built in   

good taste2 but it is occasionally      
picturesque1 frequently pleasing1 and1  
under a favorable concurrence of        
circumstances1 beautiful4 ,it is not1   
however1 a thing to be imitated2 it is  
always1 when out of its own country1    
incongruous2 it never harmonizes with   
anything around it1 and can therefore be
 employed only in mimicry of what does  
not exist1 not in improvement of what   
does4 ,i mean1 that any one who has on  
his estate a dingle shaded with larches 
or pines1 with a rapid stream1 may      
manufacture a bit of ,switzerland as a  
toy2 but such imitations are always     
contemptible1 and he cannot use the     
,swiss cottage in any other way4 ,a     
modified form of it1 however1 as will be
 hereafter shown1 may be employed with  
advantage4 ,i hope1 in my next paper1 to
 derive more satisfaction from the      
contemplation of the mountain cottage of
 ,westmoreland1 than ,i have been able  
to obtain from that of the ,swiss4      
,,iv4  ,,the ,,mountain                 

,,cottage--,,westmoreland4   #dg4 ,when 
,i devoted so much time to the          
consideration of the peculiarities of   
the ,swiss cottage1 ,i did not          
previously endeavor to ascertain what   
the mind1 influenced by the feelings    
excited by the nature of its situation1 
would be induced to expect1 or disposed 
to admire4 ,i thus deviated from the    
general rule which ,i hope to be able to
 follow out2 but ,i did so only because 
the subject for consideration was       
incapable of fulfilling the expectation 
when excited1 or corresponding with the 
conception when formed4 ,but now1 in    
order to appreciate the beauty of the   
,westmoreland cottage1 it will be       
necessary to fix upon a standard of     
excellence1 with which it may be        
compared4  ,one of the principal charms 
of mountain scenery is its solitude4    
,now1 just as silence is never perfect  
or deep without motion1 solitude is     
never perfect without some vestige of   
life4 ,even desolation is not felt to be

 utter1 unless in some slight degree    
interrupted3 unless the cricket is      
chirping on the lonely hearth1 or the   
vulture soaring over the field of       
corpses1 or the one mourner lamenting   
over the red ruins of the devastated    
village1 that devastation is not felt to
 be complete4 ,the anathema of the      
prophet does not wholly leave the curse 
of loneliness upon the mighty city1     
until he tells us that the satyr shall  
dance there4 ,and1 if desolation1 which 
is the destruction of life1 cannot leave
 its impression perfect without some    
interruption1 much less can solitude1   
which is only the absence of life1 be   
felt without some contrast4             
,accordingly1 it is1 perhaps1 never so  
perfect as when a populous and highly   
cultivated plain1 immediately beneath1  
is visible through the rugged ravines1  
or over the cloudy summits of some tall1
 vast1 and voiceless mountain4  #dh4    
,when such a prospect is not attainable1
 one of the chief uses of the mountain  

cottage1 paradoxical as the idea may    
appear1 is to increase this sense of    
solitude4 ,now1 as it will only do so   
when it is seen at a considerable       
distance1 it is necessary that it should
 be visible1 or1 at least1 that its     
presence should be indicated1 over a    
considerable portion of surrounding     
space4 ,it must not1 therefore1 be too  
much shaded by trees1 or it will be     
useless2 but if1 on the contrary1 it be 
too conspicuous on the open hillside1 it
 will be liable to most of the          
objections which were advanced against  
the ,swiss cottage1 and to another1     
which was not then noticed4 ,anything   
which1 to the eye1 is split into parts1 
appears less as a whole than what is    
undivided4 ,now1 a considerable mass1 of
 whatever tone or color it may consist1 
is as easily divisible by dots as by    
lines2 that is1 a conspicuous point1 on 
any part of its surface1 will divide it 
into two portions1 each of which will be
 individually measured by the eye1 but  

which will never make the impression    
which they would have made1 had their   
unity not been interrupted4 ,a          
conspicuous cottage on a distant        
mountain side has this effect in a fatal
 degree1 and is1 therefore1 always      
intolerable4  #di4 ,it should           
accordingly1 in order to reconcile the  
attainment of the good1 with the        
avoidance of the evil1 be barely        
visible3 it should not tell as a cottage
 on the eye1 though it should on the    
mind2 for be it observed that1 if it is 
only by the closest investigation that  
we can ascertain it to be a human       
habitation1 it will answer the purpose  
of increasing the solitude quite as well
 as if it were evidently so2 because    
this impression is produced by its      
appeal to the thoughts1 not by its      
effect on the eye4 ,its color1          
therefore1 should be as nearly as       
possible that of the hill on which1 or  
the crag beneath which1 it is placed2   
its form1 one that will incorporate well

 with the ground1 and approach that of a
 large stone more than of anything else4
 ,the color will consequently1 if this  
rule be followed1 be subdued and        
grayish1 but rather warm2 and the form  
simple1 graceful1 and unpretending4 ,the
 building should retain the same general
 character on a closer examination4     
,everything about it should be natural1 
and should appear as if the influences  
and forces which were in operation      
around it had been too strong to be     
resisted1 and had rendered all efforts  
of art to check their power1 or conceal 
the evidence of their action1 entirely  
unavailing4 ,it cannot but be an alien  
child of the mountains2 but it must show
 that it has been adopted and cherished 
by them4 ,this effect is only attainable
 by great ease of outline and variety of
 color2 peculiarities which1 as will be 
presently seen1 the ,westmoreland       
cottage possesses in a supereminent     
degree4  #ej4 ,another feeling1 with    
which one is impressed during a mountain

 ramble1 is humility4 ,i found fault    
with the insignificance of the ,swiss   
cottage1 because it was not content to  
sink into a quiet corner1 and personify 
humility4 ,now1 had it not been seen to 
be pretending1 it would not have been   
felt to be insignificant2 for the       
feelings would have been gratified with 
its submission to1 and retirement from1 
the majesty of the destructive          
influences which it rather seemed to    
rise up against in mockery4 ,such       
pretension is especially to be avoided  
in the mountain cottage3 it can never   
lie too humbly in the pastures of the   
valley1 nor shrink too submissively into
 the hollows of the hills2 it should    
seem to be asking the storm for mercy1  
and the mountain for protection3 and    
should appear to owe to its weakness1   
rather than to its strength1 that it is 
neither overwhelmed by the one1 nor     
crushed by the other4  #ea4 ,such are   
the chief attributes1 without which a   
mountain cottage cannot be said to be   

beautiful4 ,it may possess others1 which
 are desirable or objectionable1        
according to their situation1 or other  
accidental circumstances4 ,the nature of
 these will be best understood by       
examining an individual building4 ,the  
material is1 of course1 what is most    
easily attainable and available without 
much labor4 ,the ,cumberland and        
,westmoreland hills are1 in general1    
composed of clay-slate and gray-wacke1  
with occasional masses of chert#g 7like 
that which forms the summit of          
,scawfell71 porphyritic greenstone1 and 
syenite4 ,the chert decomposes deeply1  
and assumes a rough brown granular      
surface1 deeply worn and furrowed4 ,the 
clay-slate or gray-wacke1 as it is      
shattered by frost1 and carried down by 
torrents1 of course forms itself into   
irregular flattish masses4 ,the         
splintery edges of these are in some    
degree worn off by the action of water2 
and1 slight decomposition taking place  
on the surface of the clay-slate1       

furnishes an aluminous soil1 which is   
immediately taken advantage of by       
innumerable lichens1 which change the   
dark gray of the original substance into
 an infinite variety of pale and warm   
colors4 ,these stones1 thus shaped to   
his hand1 are the most convenient       
building materials the peasant can      
obtain4#h ,he lays his foundation and   
strengthens his angles with large       
masses1 filling up the intervals with   
pieces of a more moderate size2 and     
using here and there a little cement to 
bind the whole together1 and to keep the
 wind from getting through the          
interstices2 but never enough to fill   
them altogether up1 or to render the    
face of the wall smooth4 ,at intervals  
of from #d ft4 to #f ft4 a horizontal   
line of flat and broad fragments is     
introduced projecting about a foot from 
the wall4 ,whether this is supposed to  
give strength1 ,i know not2 but as it is
 invariably covered by luxuriant        
stonecrop1 it is always a delightful    

object4  ,footnote #g3 ,that is to say1 
a flinty volcanic ash4  ,footnote #h3   
,compare the treatment of a similar     
theme in ,modern ,painters1 vol4 iv41   
chaps4 viii4-x4  #eb4 ,the door is      
flanked and roofed by three large oblong
 sheets of gray rock1 whose form seems  
not to be considered of the slightest   
consequence4 ,those which form the      
cheeks of the windows are generally     
selected with more care from the dbris  
of some rock1 which is naturally smooth 
and polished1 after being subjected to  
the weather1 such as granite or syenite4
 ,the window itself is narrow and deep  
set2 in the better sort of cottages1    
latticed1 but with no affectation of    
sweetbrier or eglantine about it4 ,it   
may be observed of the whole of the     
cottage1 that1 though all is beautiful1 
nothing is pretty4 ,the roof is rather  
flat1 and covered with heavy fragments  
of the stone of which the walls are     
built1 originally very loose2 but       
generally cemented by accumulated soil1 

and bound together by houseleek1 moss1  
and stonecrop3 brilliant in color1 and  
singular in abundance4 ,the form of the 
larger cottages1 being frequently that  
of a cross1 would hurt the eye by the   
sharp angles of the roof1 were it not   
for the cushion-like vegetation with    
which they are rounded and concealed4   
,varieties of the fern sometimes relieve
 the massy forms of the stonecrop1 with 
their light and delicate leafage4       
,windows in the roof are seldom met     
with4 ,of the chimney ,i shall speak    
hereafter4  #ec4 ,such are the          
prevailing peculiarities of the         
,westmoreland cottage4 ,is this all8    
some one will exclaim3 a hovel1 built of
 what first comes to hand1 and in the   
most simple and convenient form2 not one
 thought of architectural beauty ever   
coming into the builder's head6 ,even   
so2 to this illustration of an excellent
 rule1 ,i wished particularly to direct 
attention3 that the material which      
,nature furnishes1 in any given country1

 and the form which she suggests1 will  
always render the building the most     
beautiful1 because the most appropriate4
 ,observe how perfectly this cottage    
fulfills the conditions which were      
before ascertained to be necessary to   
perfection4 ,its color is that of the   
ground on which it stands1 always       
subdued and gray1 but exquisitely rich1 
the color being disposed crumblingly1 in
 groups of shadowy spots2 a deep red    
brown1 passing into black1 being finely 
contrasted with the pale yellow of the  
,lichen geographicus1 and the subdued   
white of another lichen1 whose name ,i  
do not know2 all mingling with each     
other as on a native rock1 and with the 
same beautiful effect3 the mass1        
consequently1 at a distance1 tells only 
as a large stone would1 the simplicity  
of its form contributing still farther  
to render it inconspicuous4 ,when placed
 on a mountain-side such a cottage will 
become a point of interest1 which will  
relieve its monotony1 but will never cut

 the hill in two1 or take away from its 
size4 ,in the valley1 the color of these
 cottages agrees with everything3 the   
green light1 which trembles through the 
leafage of the taller trees1 falls with 
exquisite effect on the rich gray of the
 ancient roofs3 the deep pool of clear  
water is not startled from its peace by 
their reflection2 the ivy1 or the       
creepers to which the superior wealth of
 the peasant of the valley does now and 
then pretend1 in opposition to the      
general custom1 cling gracefully and    
easily to its innumerable crevices2 and 
rock1 lake1 and meadow seem to hail it  
with a brotherly affection1 as if       
,nature had taken as much pains with it 
as she has with them4  #ed4 ,again1     
observe its ease of outline4 ,there is  
not a single straight line to be met    
with from foundation to roof2 all is    
bending or broken4 ,the form of every   
stone in its walls is a study2 for1     
owing to the infinite delicacy of       
structure in all minerals1 a piece of   

stone #c in4 in diameter1 irregularly   
fractured1 and a little worn by the     
weather1 has precisely the same         
character of outline which we should    
find and admire in a mountain of the    
same material #fjjj ft4 high2#i and1    
therefore1 the eye1 though not feeling  
the cause1 rests on every cranny1 and   
crack1 and fissure with delight4 ,it is 
true that we have no idea that every    
small projection1 if of chert1 has such 
an outline as ,scawfell's2 if of        
gray-wacke1 as ,skiddaw's2 or if of     
slate1 as ,helvellyn's2 but their       
combinations of form are1 nevertheless1 
felt to be exquisite1 and we dwell upon 
every bend of the rough roof and every  
hollow of the loose wall1 feeling it to 
be a design which no architect on earth 
could ever equal1 sculptured by a chisel
 of unimaginable delicacy1 and finished 
to a degree of perfection1 which is     
unnoticed only because it is everywhere4
  ,footnote #i3 ,compare ,modern        
,painters1 vol4 iv4 chap4 #ah1  #g4     

#ee4 ,this ease and irregularity is     
peculiarly delightful where gracefulness
 and freedom of outline and detail are1 
as they always are in mountain          
countries1 the chief characteristics of 
every scene4 ,it is well that1 where    
every plant is wild and every torrent   
free1 every field irregular in its form1
 every knoll various in its outline1 one
 is not startled by well built walls1 or
 unyielding roofs1 but is permitted to  
trace in the stones of the peasant's    
dwelling1 as in the crags of the        
mountain side1 no evidence of the line  
or the mallet1 but the operation of     
eternal influences1 the presence of an  
,almighty hand4 ,another perfection     
connected with its ease of outline is1  
its severity of character3 there is no  
foppery about it2 not the slightest     
effort at any kind of ornament1 but what
 nature chooses to bestow2 it wears all 
its decorations wildly1 covering its    
nakedness1 not with what the peasant may
 plant1 but with what the winds may     

bring4 ,there is no gay color or        
neatness about it2 no green shutters or 
other abomination3 all is calm and      
quiet1 and severe1 as the mind of a     
philosopher1 and1 withal1 a little      
somber4 ,it is evidently old1 and has   
stood many trials in its day2 and the   
snow1 and the tempest1 and the torrent  
have all spared it1 and left it in its  
peace1 with its gray head unbowed1 and  
its early strength unbroken1 even though
 the spirit of decay seems creeping1    
like the moss and the lichen1 through   
the darkness of its crannies4 ,this     
venerable and slightly melancholy       
character is the very soul of all its   
beauty4  #ef4 ,there remains only one   
point to be noticed1 its humility4 ,this
 was before stated to be desirable1 and 
it will here be found in perfection4    
,the building draws as little attention 
upon itself as possible2 since1 with all
 the praise ,i have bestowed upon it1 it
 possesses not one point of beauty in   
which it is not equaled or excelled by  

every stone at the side of the road4 ,it
 is small in size1 simple in form1      
subdued in tone1 easily concealed or    
overshadowed2 often actually so2 and one
 is always delighted and surprised to   
find that what courts attention so      
little is capable of sustaining it so   
well4 ,yet it has no appearance of      
weakness3 it is stoutly1 though rudely1 
built2 and one ceases to fear for its   
sake the violence of surrounding        
agencies1 which1 it may be seen1 will be
 partly deprecated by its humility4     
#eg4 ,such is the mountain cottage of   
,westmoreland2 and such1 with occasional
 varieties1 are many of the mountain    
cottages of ,england and ,wales4 ,it is 
true that my memory rests with peculiar 
pleasure in a certain quiet valley near 
,kirkstone1 little known to the general 
tourist1 distant from any public track1 
and1 therefore1 free from all the       
horrors of improvement3#aj in which it  
seemed to me that the architecture of   
the cottage had attained a peculiar     

degree of perfection4 ,but ,i think that
 this impression was rather produced by 
a few seemingly insignificant           
accompanying circumstances1 than by any 
distinguished beauty of design in the   
cottages themselves4 ,their inhabitants 
were evidently poor1 and apparently had 
not repaired their dwellings since their
 first erection2 and1 certainly1 had    
never torn one tuft of moss or fern from
 roofs or walls1 which were green with  
the rich vegetation of years4 ,the      
valley was narrow1 and quiet1 and deep1 
and shaded by reverend trees1 among     
whose trunks the gray cottages looked   
out1 with a perfection of effect which  
,i never remember to have seen equaled1 
though ,i believe that1 in many of the  
mountain districts of ,britain1 the     
peasant's domicile is erected with equal
 good taste4  ,footnote #aj3 ,troutbeck1
 sixty years since8  #eh4 ,i have always
 rejoiced in the thought1 that our      
native highland scenery1 though1        
perhaps1 wanting in sublimity1 is       

distinguished by a delicate finish in   
its details1 and by a unanimity and     
propriety of feeling in the works of its
 inhabitants1 which are elsewhere looked
 for in vain2 and the reason of this is 
evident4 ,the mind of the inhabitant of 
the continent1 in general1 is capable of
 deeper and finer sensations than that  
of the islander4 ,it is higher in its   
aspirations1 purer in its passions1     
wilder in its dreams1 and fiercer in its
 anger2 but it is wanting in gentleness1
 and in its simplicity2 naturally       
desirous of excitement1 and incapable of
 experiencing1 in equal degree1 the     
calmer flow of human felicity1 the      
stillness of domestic peace1 and the    
pleasures of the humble hearth1         
consisting in everyday duties performed1
 and everyday mercies received2         
consequently1 in the higher walks of    
architecture1 where the mind is to be   
impressed or elevated1 we never have    
equaled1 and we never shall equal1 them4
 ,it will be seen hereafter1 when we    

leave the lowly valley for the torn     
ravine1 and the grassy knoll for the    
ribbed precipice1 that1 if the          
continental architects cannot adorn the 
pasture with the humble roof1 they can  
crest the crag with eternal             
battlements2#aa if they cannot minister 
to a landscape's peace1 they can add to 
its terror2 and it has been already     
seen1 that1 in the lowland cottages of  
,france and ,italy1 where high and      
refined feelings were to be induced1    
where melancholy was to be excited1 or  
majesty bestowed1 the architect was     
successful1 and his labor was perfect3  
but1 now1 nothing is required but       
humility and gentleness2 and this1 which
 he does not feel1 he cannot give3 it is
 contrary to the whole force of his     
character1 nay1 even to the spirit of   
his religion4 ,it is unfelt even at the 
time when the soul is most chastened and
 subdued2 for the epitaph on the grave  
is affected in its sentiment1 and the   
tombstone gaudily gilded1 or wreathed   

with vain flowers4  ,footnote #aa3 ,this
 too refers to the unwritten sequel4    
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4 ,the ,highest 
,house in ,england4  #ei4 ,we cannot1   
then1 be surprised at the effort at     
ornament and other fancied architectural
 beauties1 which injure the effect of   
the more peaceful mountain scenery      
abroad2 but still less should we be     
surprised at the perfect propriety which
 prevails in the same kind of scenery at
 home2 for the error which is there     
induced by one mental deficiency1 is    
here prevented by another4 ,the         
uncultivated mountaineer of ,cumberland 
has no taste1 and no idea of what       
architecture means2 he never thinks of  
what is right1 or what is beautiful1 but
 he builds what is most adapted to his  
purposes1 and most easily erected3 by   
suiting the building to the uses of his 
own life1 he gives it humility2 and1 by 
raising it with the nearest material1   
adapts it to its situation4 ,this is all
 that is required1 and he has no credit 

in fulfilling the requirement1 since the
 moment he begins to think of effect1 he
 commits a barbarism by whitewashing the
 whole4 ,the cottages of ,cumberland    
would suffer much by this piece of      
improvement1 were it not for the        
salutary operation of mountain rains and
 mountain winds4  #fj4 ,so much for the 
hill dwellings of our own country4 ,i   
think the examination of the five       
examples of the cottage which ,i have   
given have furnished all the general    
principles which are important or worthy
 of consideration2 and ,i shall         
therefore devote no more time to the    
contemplation of individual buildings4  
,but1 before ,i leave the cottage       
altogether1 it will be necessary to     
notice a part of the building which ,i  
have in the separate instances purposely
 avoided mentioning1 that ,i might have 
the advantage of immediate comparison2 a
 part exceedingly important1 and which  
seems to have been essential to the     
palace as well as to the cottage1 ever  

since the time when ,perdiccas received 
his significant gift of the sun from his
 ,macedonian master1 ,greek3 perigrapsas
 ton hlion1 hos n kata tn kapnodokn es  
ton oikon esechn4#ab ,and then ,i shall 
conclude the subject by a few general   
remarks on modern ornamental cottages1  
illustrative of the principle so        
admirably developed in the beauty of the
 ,westmoreland building2 to which1 it   
must be remembered1 the palm was        
assigned1 in preference to the          
,switzer's2 not because it was more     
labored1 but because it was more        
natural4  ,,oxford1 ,jan41 #ahch4       
,footnote #ab3 ,herodotus viii1 #acg1   
freely quoted from memory4 ,the story   
was that three brothers took service    
with a kinglet in ,macedonia4 ,the      
queen1 who cooked their food herself1   
for it was in the good old times1       
noticed that the portion of ,perdiccas1 
the youngest1 always rose three times as
 large as any other4 ,the king judged   
this to be an omen of the lad's coming  

to fortune2 and dismissed them4 ,they   
demanded their wages4 ,when the king    
heard talk about wages--you must know   
the sun was shining into the house1 down
 the chimney--he said 7for ,god had     
hardened his heart7 ',there's your wage2
 all you deserve and all you'll get3'   
and pointed to the sunshine4 ,the elder 
brothers were dumfoundered when they    
heard that2 but the lad1 who happened to
 have his knife with him1 said1 ',we    
accept1 ,king1 the gift4' ,with his     
knife he made a scratch around the      
sunstreak on the floor1 took the shine  
of it three times into the fold of his  
kirtle--his pocket1 we should say       
nowadays--and went his way4 ,eventually 
he became king of ,macedonia1 and       
ancestor of ,alexander the ,great4      
,v4  ,a ,,chapter ,,on ,,chimneys4      
#fa4 ,it appears from the passage in    
,herodotus1 which we alluded to in the  
last paper1 that there has been a time1 
even in the most civilized countries1   
when the king's palace was entirely     

unfurnished with anything having the    
slightest pretension to the dignity of  
chimney tops2 and the savory vapors     
which were wont to rise from the        
hospitable hearth1 at which the queen or
 princess prepared the feast with the   
whitest of hands1 escaped with          
indecorous facility through a simple    
hole in the flat roof4 ,the dignity of  
smoke1 however1 is now better           
understood1 and it is dismissed through 
,gothic pinnacles1 and 7as at ,burleigh 
,house7 through ,tuscan columns1 with a 
most praiseworthy regard to its comfort 
and convenience4 ,let us consider if it 
is worth the trouble4  #fb4 ,we advanced
 a position in the last paper1 that     
silence is never perfect without motion4
 ,that is1 unless something which might 
possibly produce sound is evident to the
 eye1 the absence of sound is not       
surprising to the ear1 and1 therefore1  
not impressive4 ,let it be observed1 for
 instance1 how much the stillness of a  
summer's evening is enhanced by the     

perception of the gliding and majestic  
motion of some calm river1 strong but   
still2 or of the high and purple clouds2
 or of the voiceless leaves1 among the  
opening branches4 ,to produce this      
impression1 however1 the motion must be 
uniform1 though not necessarily slow4   
,one of the chief peculiarities of the  
ocean thoroughfares of ,venice1 is the  
remarkable silence which rests upon     
them1 enhanced as it is by the swift1   
but beautifully uniform motion of the   
gondola4 ,now1 there is no motion more  
uniform1 silent or beautiful than that  
of smoke2 and1 therefore1 when we wish  
the peace or stillness of a scene to be 
impressive1 it is highly useful to draw 
the attention to it4  #fc4 ,in the      
cottage1 therefore1 a building          
peculiarly adapted for scenes of peace1 
the chimney1 as conducting the eye to   
what is agreeable1 may be considered as 
important1 and1 if well managed1 a      
beautiful accompaniment4 ,but in        
buildings of a higher class1 smoke      

ceases to be interesting4 ,owing to     
their general greater elevation1 it is  
relieved against the sky1 instead of    
against a dark background1 thereby      
losing the fine silvery blue1--which    
among trees1 or rising out of a distant 
country1 is so exquisitely              
beautiful1--and assuming a dingy        
yellowish black3 its motion becomes     
useless2 for the idea of stillness is no
 longer desirable1 or1 at least1 no     
longer attainable1 being interrupted by 
the nature of the building itself3 and1 
finally1 the associations it arouses are
 not dignified2 we may think of a       
comfortable fireside1 perhaps1 but are  
quite as likely to dream of kitchens1   
and spits1 and shoulders of mutton4     
,none of these imaginations are in their
 place1 if the character of the building
 be elevated2 they are barely tolerable 
in the dwelling house and the street4   
,now1 when smoke is objectionable1 it is
 certainly improper to direct attention 
to the chimney2 and1 therefore1 for two 

weighty reasons1 decorated chimneys1 of 
any sort or size whatsoever1 are        
inexcusable barbarisms2 first1 because1 
where smoke is beautiful1 decoration is 
unsuited to the building2 and secondly1 
because1 where smoke is ugly1 decoration
 directs attention to its ugliness4     
#fd4 ,it is unfortunately a prevailing  
idea with some of our architects1 that  
what is a disagreeable object in itself 
may be relieved or concealed by lavish  
ornament2 and there never was a greater 
mistake4 ,it should be a general        
principle1 that what is intrinsically   
ugly should be utterly destitute of     
ornament1 that the eye may not be drawn 
to it4 ,the pretended skulls of the     
three ,magi at ,cologne are set in gold1
 and have a diamond in each eye2 and are
 a thousand times more ghastly than if  
their brown bones had been left in      
peace4 ,such an error as this ought     
never to be committed in architecture4  
,if any part of the building has        
disagreeable associations connected with

 it1 let it alone3 do not ornament it4  
,keep it subdued1 and simply adapted to 
its use2 and the eye will not go to it1 
nor quarrel with it4 ,it would have been
 well if this principle had been kept in
 view in the renewal of some of the     
public buildings in ,oxford4 ,in ,all   
,souls ,college1 for instance1 the      
architect has carried his chimneys half 
as high as all the rest of the building1
 and fretted them with ,gothic4 ,the eye
 is instantly caught by the plated      
candlestick-like columns1 and runs with 
some complacency up the groining and    
fret-work1 and alights finally and      
fatally on a red chimney-top4 ,he might 
as well have built a ,gothic aisle at an
 entrance to a coal wharf4 ,we have no  
scruple in saying that the man who could
 desecrate the ,gothic trefoil into an  
ornament for a chimney has not the      
slightest feeling1 and never will have  
any1 of its beauty or its use2 he was   
never born to be an architect1 and never
 will be one4  #fe4 ,now1 if chimneys   

are not to be decorated 7since their    
existence is necessary71 it becomes an  
object of some importance to know what  
is to be done with them3 and we enter   
into the inquiry before leaving the     
cottage1 as in its most proper place2   
because1 in the cottage1 and only in the
 cottage1 it is desirable to direct     
attention to smoke4  ,speculation1      
however1 on the beau idal of a chimney  
can never be unshackled2 because1 though
 we may imagine what it ought to be1 we 
can never tell1 until the house is      
built1 what it must be2 we may require  
it to be short1 and find that it will   
smoke1 unless it is long2 or1 we may    
desire it to be covered1 and find it    
will not go unless it is open4 ,we can  
fix1 therefore1 on no one model2 but by 
looking over the chimneys of a few      
nations1 we may deduce some general     
principles from their varieties1 which  
may always be brought into play1 by     
whatever circumstances our own          
imaginations may be confined4  #ff4     

,looking first to the mind of the       
people1 we cannot expect to find good   
examples of the chimney1 as we go to the
 south4 ,the ,italian or the ,spaniard  
does not know the use of a chimney1     
properly speaking2 they have such       
things1 and they light a fire1 five days
 in the year1 chiefly of wood1 which    
does not give smoke enough to teach the 
chimney its business2 but they have not 
the slightest idea of the meaning or the
 beauty of such things as hobs1 and     
hearths1 and ,christmas blazes2 and we  
should1 therefore1 expect1  priori1 that
 there would be no soul in their        
chimneys2 that they would have no       
practiced substantial air about them2   
that they would1 in short1 be as awkward
 and as much in the way1 as individuals 
of the human race are1 when they don't  
know what to do with themselves1 or what
 they were created for4 ,but in         
,england1 sweet carbonaceous ,england1  
we flatter ourselves we do know         
something about fire1 and smoke too1 or 

our eyes have strangely deceived us2    
and1 from the whole comfortable         
character and fireside disposition of   
the nation1 we should conjecture that   
the architecture of the chimney would be
 understood1 both as a matter of taste  
and as a matter of comfort1 to the ne   
plus ultra of perfection4 ,let us see   
how far our expectations are realized4  
#fg4 ,fig4 #g1 a1 b and c are ,english  
chimneys4 ,they are distinguishable1 we 
think1 at a glance1 from all the rest1  
by a downright serviceableness of       
appearance1 a substantial1 unaffected1  
decent1 and chimney-like deportment1 in 
the contemplation of which we experience
 infinite pleasure and edification1     
particularly as it seems to us to be    
strongly contrasted with an appearance1 
in all the other chimneys1 of an        
indefinable something1 only to be       
expressed by the interesting word       
humbug4 ,fig4 #g a is a chimney of      
,cumberland1 and the north of           
,lancashire4 ,it is1 as may be seen at a

 glance1 only applicable at the         
extremity of the roof1 and requires a   
bent flue4 ,it is built of unhewn       
stones1 in the same manner as the       
,westmoreland cottages2 the flue itself 
being not one-third the width of the    
chimney1 as is seen at the top1 where   
four flat stones placed on their edges  
form the termination of the flue itself1
 and give lightness of appearance to the
 whole4 ,cover this with a piece of     
paper1 and observe how heavy and square 
the rest becomes4 ,a few projecting     
stones continue the line of the roof    
across the center of the chimney1 and   
two large masses support the projection 
of the whole1 and unite it agreeably    
with the wall4 ,this is exclusively a   
cottage chimney2 it cannot1 and must    
not1 be built of civilized materials2 it
 must be rough1 and mossy1 and broken2  
but it is decidedly the best chimney of 
the whole set4 ,it is simple and        
substantial1 without being cumbrous2 it 
gives great variety to the wall from    

which it projects1 terminates the roof  
agreeably1 and dismisses its smoke with 
infinite propriety4  ,illustration3     
,,fig4 #g4 ,chimneys4  #fh4 ,fig4 b is a
 chimney common over the whole of the   
north of ,england2 being1 as ,i think1  
one that will go well in almost any     
wind1 and is applicable at any part of  
the roof4 ,it is also roughly built1    
consisting of a roof of loose stones1   
sometimes one large flat slab1 supported
 above the flue by four large supports1 
each of a single stone4 ,it is rather   
light in its appearance1 and breaks the 
ridge of a roof very agreeably4         
,separately considered1 it is badly     
proportioned2 but1 as it just equals the
 height to which a long chimney at the  
extremity of the building would rise    
above the roof 7as in a71 it is quite   
right in situ1 and would be ungainly if 
it were higher4 ,the upper part is      
always dark1 owing to the smoke1 and    
tells agreeably against any background  
seen through the hollow4  #fi4 ,fig4 c  

is the chimney of the ,westmoreland     
cottage which formed the subject of the 
last paper4 ,the good taste which       
prevailed in the rest of the building is
 not so conspicuous here1 because the   
architect has begun to consider effect  
instead of utility1 and has put a       
diamond-shaped piece of ornament on the 
front 7usually containing the date of   
the building71 which was not necessary1 
and looks out of place4 ,he has         
endeavored to build neatly too1 and has 
bestowed a good deal of plaster on the  
outside1 by all which circumstances the 
work is infinitely deteriorated4 ,we    
have always disliked cylindrical        
chimneys1 probably because they put us  
in mind of glasshouses and              
manufactories1 for we are aware of no   
more definite reason2 yet this example  
is endurable1 and has a character about 
it which it would be a pity to lose4    
,sometimes when the square part is      
carried down the whole front of the     
cottage1 it looks like the remains of   

some gray tower1 and is not felt to be a
 chimney at all4 ,such deceptions are   
always very dangerous1 though in this   
case sometimes attended with good       
effect1 as in the old building called   
,coniston ,hall1 on the shores of       
,coniston ,water1 whose distant outline 
7,fig4 #h7 is rendered light and        
picturesque1 by the size and shape of   
its chimneys1 which are the same in     
character as ,fig4 c4  ,illustration3   
,,fig4 #h4 ,coniston ,hall1 from the    
,lake near ,brantwood 7#ahcg74  #gj4 ,of
 ,english chimneys adapted for buildings
 of a more elevated character1 we can   
adduce no good examples4 ,the old red   
brick mass1 which we see in some of our 
venerable manor-houses1 has a great deal
 of ,english character about it1 and is 
always agreeable1 when the rest of the  
building is of brick4 ,fig4 p is a      
chimney of this kind3 there is nothing  
remarkable in it2 it is to be met with  
all over ,england2 but we have placed it
 beside its neighbor q to show how the  

same form and idea are modified by the  
mind of the nations who employ it4 ,the 
design is the same in both1 the         
proportions also2 but the one is a      
chimney1 the other a paltry model of a  
paltrier edifice4 ,fig4 q is ,swiss1 and
 is liable to all the objections        
advanced against the ,swiss cottages2 it
 is a despicable mimicry of a large     
building1 like the tower in the         
engraving of the ,italian cottage 7     
#ca71 carved in stone1 it is true1 but  
not the less to be reprobated4 ,fig4 p1 
on the contrary1 is adapted to its use1 
and has no affectation about it4 ,it    
would be spoiled1 however1 if built in  
stone2 because the marked bricks tell us
 the size of the whole at once1 and     
prevent the eye from suspecting any     
intention to deceive it with a mockery  
of arches and columns1 the imitation of 
which would be too perfect in stone2 and
 therefore1 even in this case1 we have  
failed in discovering a chimney adapted 
to the higher class of edifices4  #ga4  

,fig4 d is a ,netherland chimney1 e and 
f ,german4 ,fig4 d belongs to an old    
,gothic building in ,malines1 and is a  
good example of the application of the  
same lines to the chimney which occur in
 other parts of the edifice1 without    
bestowing any false elevation of        
character4 ,it is roughly carved in     
stone1 projecting at its base           
grotesquely from the roof1 and covered  
at the top4 ,the pointed arch1 by which 
its character is given1 prevents it from
 breaking in upon the lines of the rest 
of the building1 and1 therefore1 in     
reality renders it less conspicuous than
 it would otherwise have been4 ,we      
should never have noticed its existence1
 had we not been looking out for        
chimneys4  #gb4 ,fig4 e is also carved  
in stone1 and where there is much       
variety of architecture1 or where the   
buildings are grotesque1 would be a good
 chimney1 for the very simple reason1   
that it resembles nothing but a chimney1
 and its lines are graceful4 ,fig4 f1   

though ugly in the abstract1 might be   
used with effect in situations where    
perfect simplicity would be too         
conspicuous2 but both e and f are       
evidently the awkward efforts of a      
tasteless nation1 to produce something  
original3 they have lost the chastity   
which we admired in a1 without obtaining
 the grace and spirit of l and o4 ,in   
fact1 they are essentially ,german4     
#gc4 ,figs4 h to m1 inclusive1 are      
,spanish1 and have a peculiar character1
 which would render it quite impossible 
to employ them out of their own country4
 ,yet they are not decorated chimneys4  
,there is not one fragment of ornament  
on any of them4 ,all is done by variety 
of form2 and with such variety no fault 
can be found1 because it is necessary to
 give them the character of the         
buildings1 out of which they rise4 ,for 
we may observe here1 once for all1 that 
character may be given either by form or
 by decoration1 and that where the      
latter is improper1 variety of form is  

allowable1 because the humble           
associations which render ornament      
objectionable1 also render simplicity of
 form unnecessary4#ac ,we need not then 
find fault with fantastic chimneys1     
provided they are kept in unison with   
the rest of the building1 and do not    
draw too much attention4  ,footnote #ac3
 ,elevation of character1 as was seen in
 the ,italian cottage1 depends upon     
simplicity of form4  #gd4 ,fig4 h1      
according to this rule1 is a very good  
chimney4 ,it is graceful without        
pretending1 and its grotesqueness will  
suit the buildings round it--we wish we 
could give them3 they are at ,cordova4  
,figs4 k and l ought to be seen1 as they
 would be in reality1 rising brightly up
 against the deep blue heaven of the    
south1 the azure gleaming through their 
hollows2 unless perchance a slight      
breath of refined1 pure1 pale vapor     
finds its way from time to time out of  
them into the light air2 their tiled    
caps casting deep shadows on their white

 surfaces1 and their tout ensemble      
causing no interruption to the feelings 
excited by the ,moresco arches and      
grotesque dwelling houses with which    
they would be surrounded2 they are sadly
 spoiled by being cut off at their      
bases4  #ge4 ,figs4 g1 n1 o are         
,italian4 ,fig4 g has only been given1  
because it is constantly met with among 
the more modern buildings of ,italy4    
,figs4 n and o are almost the only two  
varieties of chimneys which are to be   
found on the old ,venetian palaces      
7whose style is to be traced partly to  
the ,turk1 and partly to the ,moor74    
,the curved lines of n harmonize        
admirably with those of the roof itself1
 and its diminutive size leaves the     
simplicity of form of the large building
 to which it belongs entirely           
uninterrupted and uninjured4 ,fig4 o is 
seen perpetually carrying the whiteness 
of the ,venetian marble up into the sky2
 but it is too tall1 and attracts by far
 too much attention1 being conspicuous  

on the sides of all the canals4  #gf4   
,figs4 q1 r1 s are ,swiss4 ,fig4 r is   
one specimen of an extensive class of   
decorated chimneys1 met with in the     
northeastern cantons4 ,it is never      
large1 and consequently having no false 
elevation of character1 and being always
 seen with eyes which have been prepared
 for it1 by resting on the details of   
the ,swiss cottage1 is less disagreeable
 than might be imagined1 but ought never
 to be imitated4 ,the pyramidal form is 
generally preserved1 but the design is  
the same in no two examples4  ,fig4 s is
 a chimney very common in the eastern   
cantons1 the principle of which we never
 understood4 ,the oblique part moves on 
a hinge1 so as to be capable of covering
 the chimney like a hat2 and the whole  
is covered with wooden scales1 like     
those of a fish4 ,this chimney sometimes
 comes in very well among the confused  
rafters of the mountain cottage1 though 
it is rather too remarkable to be in    
good taste4  #gg4 ,it seems then1 that  

out of the eighteen chimneys1 which we  
have noticed1 though several possess    
character1 and one or two elegance1 only
 two are to be found fit for imitation2 
and1 of these1 one is exclusively a     
cottage chimney4 ,this is somewhat      
remarkable and may serve as a proof3--  
,first1 of what we at first asserted1   
that chimneys which in any way attract  
notice 7and if these had not1 we should 
not have sketched them7 were seldom to  
be imitated2 that there are few         
buildings which require them to be      
singular1 and none which can tolerate   
them if decorated2 and that the         
architect should always remember that   
the size and height being by necessity  
fixed1 the form which draws least       
attention is the best4  #gh4 ,secondly1 
that this inconspicuousness is to be    
obtained1 not by adhering to any model  
of simplicity1 but by taking especial   
care that the lines of the chimney are  
no interruption1 and its color no       
contrast1 to those of the building to   

which it belongs4 ,thus ,figs4 h to m   
would be far more actually remarkable in
 their natural situation1 if they were  
more simple in their form2 for they     
would interrupt the character of the    
rich architecture by which they are     
surrounded4 ,fig4 d1 rising as it does  
above an old ,gothic window1 would have 
attracted instant attention1 had it not 
been for the occurrence of the same     
lines in it which prevail beneath it4   
,the form of n only assimilates it more 
closely with the roof on which it       
stands4 ,but we must not imitate        
chimneys of this kind1 for their        
excellence consists only in their       
agreement with other details1 separated 
from which they would be objectionable2 
we can only follow the principle of the 
design1 which appears1 from all that we 
have advanced1 to be this3 we require1  
in a good chimney1 the character of the 
building to which it belongs divested of
 all its elevation1 and its prevailing  
lines1 deprived of all their ornament4  

#gi4 ,this it is1 no doubt1 excessively 
difficult to give2 and1 in consequence1 
there are very few cities or edifices in
 which the chimneys are not             
objectionable4 ,we must not1 therefore1 
omit to notice the fulfillment of our   
expectations1 founded on ,english       
character4 ,the only two chimneys fit   
for imitation1 in the whole eighteen1   
are ,english2 and we would not infer    
anything from this1 tending to          
invalidate the position formerly        
advanced1 that there was no taste in    
,england2 but we would adduce it as a   
farther illustration of the rule1 that  
what is most adapted to its purpose is  
most beautiful4 ,for that we have no    
taste1 even in chimneys1 is sufficiently
 proved by the roof effects1 even of the
 most ancient1 unaffected1 and          
unplastered of our streets1 in which the
 chimneys1 instead of assisting in the  
composition of the groups of roofs1     
stand out in staring masses of scarlet  
and black1 with foxes and cocks whisking

 about1 like so many little black       
devils1 in the smoke on the top of them1
 interrupting all repose1 annihilating  
all dignity1 and awaking every possible 
conception which would be picturesque1  
and every imagination which would be    
rapturous1 to the mind of master-sweeps4
  #hj4 ,on the other hand1 though they  
have not on the ,continent the same     
knowledge of the use and beauty of      
chimneys in the abstract1 they display  
their usual good taste in grouping1 or  
concealing them2 and1 whether we find   
them mingling with the fantastic        
domiciles of the ,german1 with the rich 
imaginations of the ,spaniard1 with the 
classical remains and creations of the  
,italian1 they are never intrusive or   
disagreeable2 and either assist the     
grouping1 and relieve the horizontality 
of the lines of the roof1 or remain     
entirely unnoticed and insignificant1   
smoking their pipes in peace4  #ha4 ,it 
is utterly impossible to give rules for 
the attainment of these effects1 since  

they are the result of a feeling of the 
proportion and relation of lines1 which1
 if not natural to a person1 cannot be  
acquired1 but by long practice and close
 observation2 and it presupposes a power
 rarely bestowed on an ,english         
architect1 of setting regularity at     
defiance1 and sometimes comfort out of  
the question4 ,we could give some       
particular examples of this grouping2   
but1 as this paper has already swelled  
to an unusual length1 we shall defer    
them until we come to the consideration 
of street effects in general4 ,of the   
chimney in the abstract1 we are afraid  
we have only said enough to illustrate1 
without removing1 the difficulty of     
designing it2 but we cannot but think   
that the general principles which have  
been deduced1 if carefully followed out1
 would be found useful1 if not for the  
attainment of excellence1 at least for  
the prevention of barbarism4  ,,oxford1 
,feb4 #aj1 #ahch4     ,,vi4  ,,the      
,,cottage--,,concluding ,,remarks4      

,nunquam aliud ,natura1 aliud           
,sapientia1 dicit4  ,juvenal xiv4 #cba4 
#hb4 ,it now only remains for us to     
conclude the subject of the cottage1 by 
a few general remarks on the just       
application of modern buildings to adorn
 or vivify natural scenery4  ,there are1
 we think1 only three cases in which the
 cottage is considered as an element of 
architectural1 or any other kind of     
beauty1 since it is ordinarily raised by
 the peasant where he likes1 and how he 
likes2 and1 therefore1 as we have seen1 
frequently in good taste4  #hc4 ,i4     
,when a nobleman1 or man of fortune1    
amuses himself with superintending the  
erection of the domiciles of his        
domestics4 ,,ii4 ,when ornamental       
summer-houses1 or mimicries of wigwams1 
are to be erected as ornamental adjuncts
 to a prospect which the owner has done 
all he can to spoil1 that it may be     
worthy of the honor of having him to    
look at it4 ,,iii4 ,when the landlord   
exercises a certain degree of influence 

over the cottages of his tenants1 or the
 improvements of the neighboring        
village1 so as to induce such a tone of 
feeling in the new erections as he may  
think suitable to the situation4  #hd4  
,in the first of these cases1 there is  
little to be said2 for the habitation of
 the domestic is generally a dependent  
feature of his master's1 and1 therefore1
 to be considered as a part of it4      
,porters' lodges are also dependent     
upon1 and to be regulated by1 the style 
of the architecture to which they are   
attached2 and they are generally well   
managed in ,england1 properly united    
with the gate1 and adding to the effect 
of the entrance4  ,in the second case1  
as the act is in itself a barbarism1 it 
would be useless to consider what would 
be the best mode of perpetrating it4    
,in the third case1 we think it will be 
useful to apply a few general           
principles1 deduced from positions      
formerly advanced4  #he4 ,all buildings 
are1 of course1 to be considered in     

connection with the country in which    
they are to be raised4 ,now1 all        
landscape must possess one out of four  
distinct characters4  ,it must be either
 woody1 the green country2 cultivated1  
the blue country2 wild1 the gray        
country2 or hilly1 the brown country4   
,i4 ,the ,woody1 or green1 ,country4 ,by
 this is to be understood the mixture of
 park1 pasture1 and variegated forest1  
which is only to be seen in temperate   
climates1 and in those parts of a       
kingdom which have not often changed    
proprietors1 but have remained in       
unproductive beauty 7or at least1       
furnishing timber only71 the garden of  
the wealthier population4 ,it is to be  
seen in no other country1 perhaps1 so   
well as in ,england4 ,in other          
districts1 we find extensive masses of  
black forest1 but not the mixture of    
sunny glade1 and various foliage1 and   
dewy sward1 which we meet with in the   
richer park districts of ,england4 ,this
 kind of country is always surgy1       

oceanic1 and massy1 in its outline3 it  
never affords blue distances1 unless    
seen from a height2 and1 even then1 the 
nearer groups are large1 and draw away  
the attention from the background4 ,the 
under soil is kept cool by the shade1   
and its vegetation rich2 so that the    
prevailing color1 except for a few days 
at the fall of the leaf1 is a fresh     
green4 ,a good example of this kind of  
country is the view from ,richmond      
,hill4  #hf4 ,now1 first1 let us        
consider what sort of feeling this green
 country excites2 and1 in order to do   
so1 be it observed1 that anything which 
is apparently enduring and unchangeable 
gives us an impression rather of future1
 than of past1 duration of existence2   
but anything which being perishable1 and
 from its nature subject to change1 has 
yet existed to a great age1 gives us an 
impression of antiquity1 though1 of     
course1 none of stability4 ,a mountain1 
for instance 7not geologically speaking1
 for then the furrows on its brow give  

it age as visible as was ever wrinkled  
on human forehead1 but considering it as
 it appears to ordinary eyes71 appears  
to be beyond the influence of change3 it
 does not put us in mind of its past    
existence1 by showing us any of the     
effect of time upon itself2 we do not   
feel that it is old1 because it is not  
approaching any kind of death2 it is a  
mass of unsentient undecaying matter1   
which1 if we think about it1 we discover
 must have existed for some time1 but   
which does not tell this fact to our    
feelings1 or1 rather1 which tells us of 
no time at which it came into existence2
 and therefore1 gives us no standard by 
which to measure its age1 which1 unless 
measured1 cannot be distinctly felt4    
,but a very old forest tree is a thing  
subject to the same laws of nature as   
ourselves3 it is an energetic being1    
liable to an approaching death2 its age 
is written on every spray2 and1 because 
we see it is susceptible of life and    
annihilation1 like our own1 we imagine  

it must be capable of the same feelings1
 and possess the same faculties1 and1   
above all others1 memory3 it is always  
telling us about the past1 never        
pointing to the future2 we appeal to it1
 as to a thing which has seen and felt  
during a life similar to our own1 though
 of ten times its duration1 and         
therefore receive from it a perpetual   
impression of antiquity4 ,so again a    
ruined town gives us an impression of   
antiquity2 the stones of which it is    
built1 none2 for their age is not       
written upon them4  #hg4 ,this being the
 case1 it is evident that the chief     
feeling induced by woody country is one 
of reverence for its antiquity4 ,there  
is a quiet melancholy about the decay of
 the patriarchal trunks1 which is       
enhanced by the green and elastic vigor 
of the young saplings2 the noble form of
 the forest aisles1 and the subdued     
light which penetrates their entangled  
boughs1 combine to add to the           
impression2 and the whole character of  

the scene is calculated to excite       
conservative feeling4 ,the man who could
 remain a radical in a wood country is a
 disgrace to his species4  #hh4 ,now1   
this feeling of mixed melancholy and    
veneration is the one of all others     
which the modern cottage must not be    
allowed to violate4 ,it may be fantastic
 or rich in detail2 for the one         
character will make it look             
old-fashioned1 and the other will       
assimilate with the intertwining of leaf
 and bough around it3 but it must not be
 spruce1 or natty1 or very bright in    
color2 and the older it looks the       
better4  ,a little grotesqueness in form
 is the more allowable1 because the     
imagination is naturally active in the  
obscure and indefinite daylight of wood 
scenery2 conjures up innumerable beings1
 of every size and shape1 to people its 
alleys and smile through its thickets2  
and is by no means displeased to find   
some of its inventions half-realized in 
a decorated panel or grinning extremity 

of a rafter4  #hi4 ,these characters    
being kept in view1 as objects to be    
attained1 the remaining considerations  
are technical4  ,for the form4 ,select  
any well-grown group of the tree which  
prevails most near the proposed site of 
the cottage4 ,its summit will be a      
rounded mass4 ,take the three principal 
points of its curve3 namely1 its apex   
and the two points where it unites      
itself with neighboring masses4 ,strike 
a circle through these three points2 and
 the angle contained in the segment cut 
off by a line joining the two lower     
points is to be the angle of the cottage
 roof4 7,of course we are not thinking  
of interior convenience3 the architect  
must establish his mode of beauty first1
 and then approach it as nearly as he   
can47 ,this angle will generally be very
 obtuse2 and this is one reason why the 
,swiss cottage is always beautiful when 
it is set among walnut or chestnut      
trees4 ,its obtuse roof is just about   
the true angle4 ,with pines or larches1 

the angle should not be regulated by the
 form of the tree1 but by the slope of  
the branches4 ,the building itself      
should be low and long1 so that1 if     
possible1 it may not be seen all at     
once1 but may be partially concealed by 
trunks or leafage at various distances4 
#ij4 ,for the color1 that of wood is    
always beautiful4 ,if the wood of the   
near trees be used1 so much the better2 
but the timbers should be rough-hewn1   
and allowed to get weather-stained4     
,cold colors will not suit with green2  
and1 therefore1 slated roofs are        
disagreeable1 unless1 as in the         
,westmoreland cottage1 the gray roof is 
warmed with lichenous vegetation1 when  
it will do well with anything2 but      
thatch is better4 ,if the building be   
not of wood1 the walls may be built of  
anything which will give them a quiet   
and unobtruding warmth of tone4 ,white1 
if in shade1 is sometimes allowable2    
but1 if visible at any point more than  
#bjj yards off1 it will spoil the whole 

landscape4 ,in general1 as we saw       
before1 the building will bear some     
fantastic finishing1 that is1 if it be  
entangled in forest2 but1 if among      
massive groups of trees1 separated by   
smooth sward1 it must be kept simple4   
#ia4 ,,ii4 ,the ,cultivated1 or blue1   
,country4 ,this is the rich champaign   
land1 in which large trees are more     
sparingly scattered1 and which is       
chiefly devoted to the purposes of      
agriculture4 ,in this we are perpetually
 getting blue distances from the        
slightest elevation1 which are rendered 
more decidedly so by their contrast with
 warm corn or plowed fields in the      
foreground4 ,such is the greater part of
 ,england4 ,the view from the hills of  
,malvern is a good example4 ,in         
districts of this kind1 all is change2  
one year's crop has no memory of its    
predecessor2 all is activity1           
prosperity1 and usefulness3 nothing is  
left to the imagination2 there is no    
obscurity1 no poetry1 no nonsense3 the  

colors of the landscape are bright and  
varied2 it is thickly populated1 and    
glowing with animal life4 ,here1 then1  
the character of the cottage must be    
cheerfulness2 its colors may be vivid3  
white is always beautiful2 even red     
tiles are allowable1 and red bricks     
endurable4 ,neatness will not spoil it3 
the angle of its roof may be acute1 its 
windows sparkling1 and its roses red and
 abundant2 but it must not be ornamented
 nor fantastic1 it must be evidently    
built for the uses of common life1 and  
have a matter-of-fact business-like air 
about it4 ,its outhouses and pigsties1  
and dunghills should therefore1 be kept 
in sight3 the latter may be made very   
pretty objects1 by twisting them with   
the pitchfork1 and plaiting them into   
braids1 as the ,swiss do4  #ib4 ,,iii4  
,the ,wild1 or gray1 ,country4 ,wild is 
not exactly a correct epithet2 we mean  
wide1 uninclosed1 treeless undulations  
of land1 whether cultivated or not4 ,the
 greater part of northern ,france1      

though well brought under the plow1     
would come under the denomination of    
gray country4 ,occasional masses of     
monotonous forest do not destroy this   
character4 ,here1 size is desirable1 and
 massiness of form2 but we must have no 
brightness of color in the cottage1     
otherwise it would draw the eye to it at
 three miles off1 and the whole         
landscape would be covered with         
conspicuous dots4 ,white is agreeable1  
if sobered down2 slate allowable on the 
roof as well as thatch4 ,for the rest1  
we need only refer to the remarks made  
on the propriety of the ,french cottage4
  #ic4 ,lastly1 ,hill1 or brown1        
,country4 ,and here if we look to       
,england alone1 as peculiarly a cottage 
country1 the remarks formerly advanced1 
in the consideration of the             
,westmoreland cottage1 are sufficient2  
but if we go into mountain districts of 
more varied character1 we shall find a  
difference existing between every range 
of hills1 which will demand a           

corresponding difference in the style of
 their cottages4 ,the principles1       
however1 are the same in all situations1
 and it would be a hopeless task to     
endeavor to give more than general      
principles4 ,in hill country1 however1  
another question is introduced1 whose   
investigation is peculiarly necessary in
 cases in which the ground has          
inequality of surface1 that of position4
 ,and the difficulty here is1 not so    
much to ascertain where the building    
ought to be1 as to put it there1 without
 suggesting any inquiry as to the mode  
in which it got there2 to prevent its   
just application from appearing         
artificial4 ,but we cannot enter into   
this inquiry1 before laying down a      
number of principles of composition1    
which are applicable1 not only to       
cottages1 but generally2 and which we   
cannot deduce until we come to the      
consideration of buildings in groups4   
#id4 ,such are the great divisions under
 which country and rural buildings may  

be comprehended2 but there are          
intermediate conditions1 in which       
modified forms of the cottage are       
applicable2 and it frequently happens   
that country which1 considered in the   
abstract1 would fall under one of these 
classes1 possesses1 owing to its        
peculiar climate or associations1 a very
 different character4 ,italy1 for       
instance1 is blue country2 yet it has   
not the least resemblance to ,english   
blue country4 ,we have paid particular  
attention to wood2 first1 because we had
 not1 in any previous paper1 considered 
what was beautiful in a forest cottage2 
and secondly1 because in such districts 
there is generally much more influence  
exercised by proprietors over their     
tenantry1 than in populous and          
cultivated districts2 and our ,english  
park scenery1 though exquisitely        
beautiful1 is sometimes1 we think1 a    
little monotonous1 from the want of this
 very feature4  #ie4 ,and now1 farewell 
to the cottage1 and1 with it1 to the    

humility of natural scenery4 ,we are    
sorry to leave it2 not that we have any 
idea of living in a cottage1 as a       
comfortable thing2 not that we prefer   
mud to marble1 or deal to mahogany2 but 
that1 with it1 we leave much of what is 
most beautiful of earth1 the low and    
bee-inhabited scenery1 which is full of 
quiet and prideless emotion1 of such    
calmness as we can imagine prevailing   
over our earth when it was new in       
heaven4 ,we are going into higher walks 
of architecture1 where we shall find a  
less close connection established       
between the building and the soil on    
which it stands1 or the air with which  
it is surrounded1 but a closer          
connection with the character of its    
inhabitant4 ,we shall have less to do   
with natural feeling1 and more with     
human passion2 we are coming out of     
stillness into turbulence1 out of       
seclusion into the multitude1 out of the
 wilderness into the world4     ,,part  
,,ii4  ,the ,villa4  ,,the ,,mountain   

,,villa3 ,,lago ,,di ,,como3  ,,the     
,,lowland ,,villa3--,,england3  ,,the   
,,british ,,villa3 ,,principles ,,of    
,,composition4     ,i4  ,,the ,,mountain
 ,,villa--,,lago ,,di ,,como4   #if4 ,in
 all arts or sciences1 before we can    
determine what is just or beautiful in a
 group1 we must ascertain what is       
desirable in the parts which compose it1
 separately considered2 and therefore it
 will be most advantageous in the       
present case1 to keep out of the village
 and the city1 until we have searched   
hill and dale for examples of isolated  
buildings4 ,this mode of considering the
 subject is also agreeable to the       
feelings1 as the transition from the    
higher orders of solitary edifices1 to  
groups of associated edifices1 is not so
 sudden or startling1 as that from      
nature's most humble peace1 to man's    
most turbulent pride4  ,we have         
contemplated the rural dwelling of the  
peasant2 let us next consider the       
ruralized domicile of the gentleman3 and

 here1 as before1 we shall first        
determine what is theoretically         
beautiful1 and then observe how far our 
expectations are fulfilled in individual
 buildings4 ,but a few preliminary      
observations are necessary4  #ig4 ,man1 
the peasant1 is a being of more marked  
national character1 than man1 the       
educated and refined4 ,for nationality  
is founded1 in a great degree1 on       
prejudices and feelings inculcated and  
aroused in youth1 which grow inveterate 
in the mind as long as its views are    
confined to the place of its birth2 its 
ideas molded by the customs of its      
country1 and its conversation limited to
 a circle composed of individuals of    
habits and feelings like its own2 but   
which are gradually softened down1 and  
eradicated1 when the mind is led into   
general views of things1 when it is     
guided by reflection instead of habit1  
and has begun to lay aside opinions     
contracted under the influence of       
association and prepossession1          

substituting in their room philosophical
 deductions from the calm contemplation 
of the various tempers1 and thoughts1   
and customs1 of mankind4 ,the love of   
its country will remain with            
undiminished strength in the cultivated 
mind1 but the national modes of thinking
 will vanish from the disciplined       
intellect4  #ih4 ,now as it is only by  
these mannerisms of thought that        
architecture is affected1 we shall find 
that1 the more polished the mind of its 
designer1 the less national will be the 
building2 for its architect will be led 
away by a search after a model of ideal 
beauty1 and will not be involuntarily   
guided by deep-rooted feelings1         
governing irresistibly his heart and    
hand4 ,he will therefore be in perpetual
 danger of forgetting the necessary     
unison of scene and climate1 and1       
following up the chase of the ideal1    
will neglect the beauty of the natural2 
an error which he could not commit1 were
 he less general in his views1 for then 

the prejudices to which he would be     
subject1 would be as truly in unison    
with the objects which created them1 as 
answering notes with the chords which   
awaken them4 ,we must not1 therefore1 be
 surprised1 if buildings bearing impress
 of the exercise of fine thought and    
high talent in their design1 should yet 
offend us by perpetual discords with    
scene and climate2 and if1 therefore1 we
 sometimes derive less instruction1 and 
less pleasure from the columnar portico 
of the ,palace1 than from the latched   
door of the ,cottage4  #ii4 ,again3 man1
 in his hours of relaxation1 when he is 
engaged in the pursuit of mere pleasure1
 is less national than when he is under 
the influence of any of the more violent
 feelings which agitate everyday life4  
,the reason of this may at first appear 
somewhat obscure1 but it will become    
evident1 on a little reflection4        
,aristotle's definition of pleasure1    
perhaps the best ever given1 is an      
agitation1 and settling of the spirit   

into its own proper nature2 similar1 by 
the by1 to the giving of liberty of     
motion to the molecules of a mineral1   
followed by their crystallization1 into 
their own proper form4 ,now this proper 
nature1 ,greek3 hyparchousan physin1 is 
not the acquired national habit1 but the
 common and universal constitution of   
the human soul4 ,this constitution is   
kept under by the feelings which prompt 
to action1 for those feelings depend    
upon parts of character1 or of          
prejudice1 which are peculiar to        
individuals or to nations2 and the      
pleasure which all men seek is a kind of
 partial casting away of these more     
active feelings1 to return to the calm  
and unchanging constitution of mind     
which is the same in all4  #ajj4 ,we    
shall1 therefore1 find that man1 in the 
business of his life1 in religion1 war1 
or ambition1 is national1 but in        
relaxation he manifests a nature common 
to every individual of his race4 ,a     
,turk1 for instance1 and an ,english    

farmer1 smoking their evening pipes1    
differ only in so much as the one has a 
mouthpiece of amber1 and the other one  
of sealing wax2 the one has a turban on 
his head1 and the other a night-cap2    
they are the same in feeling1 and to all
 intents and purposes the same men4 ,but
 a ,turkish janissary and an ,english   
grenadier differ widely in all their    
modes of thinking1 feeling1 and acting2 
they are strictly national4 ,so again1 a
 ,tyrolese evening dance1 though the    
costume1 and the step1 and the music may
 be different1 is the same in feeling as
 that of the ,parisian guinguette2 but  
follow the ,tyrolese into their temples1
 and their deep devotion and beautiful  
though superstitious reverence will be  
found very different from any feeling   
exhibited during a mass in ,notre-,dame4
 ,this being the case1 it is a direct   
consequence1 that we shall find much    
nationality in the ,church or the       
,fortress1 or in any building devoted to
 the purposes of active life1 but very  

little in that which is dedicated       
exclusively to relaxation1 the ,villa4  
,we shall be compelled to seek out      
nations of very strong feeling and      
imaginative disposition1 or we shall    
find no correspondence whatever between 
their character1 and that of their      
buildings devoted to pleasure4  #aja4   
,in our own country1 for instance1 there
 is not the slightest4 ,beginning at the
 head of ,windermere1 and running down  
its border for about six miles1 there   
are six important gentlemen's seats1    
villas they may be called2 the first of 
which is a square white mass1 decorated 
with pilasters of no order1 set in a    
green avenue1 sloping down to the water2
 the second is an imitation1 we suppose1
 of something possessing theoretical    
existence in ,switzerland1 with sharp   
gable ends1 and wooden flourishes       
turning the corners1 set on a little    
dumpy mound with a slate wall running   
all round it1 glittering with iron      
pyrites2 the third is a blue            

dark-looking box1 squeezed up into a    
group of straggly larches1 with a bog in
 front of it2 the fourth is a           
cream-colored domicile1 in a large park1
 rather quiet and unaffected1 the best  
of the four1 though that is not saying  
much2 the fifth is an old-fashioned     
thing1 formal1 and narrow-windowed1 yet 
gray in its tone1 and quiet1 and not to 
be maligned2 and the sixth is a         
nondescript1 circular1 putty-colored    
habitation1 with a leaden dome on the   
top of it4  #ajb4 ,if1 however1 instead 
of taking ,windermere1 we trace the     
shore of the ,lago di ,como1 we shall   
find some expression and nationality2   
and there1 therefore1 will we go1 to    
return1 however1 to ,england1 when we   
have obtained some data by which to     
judge of her more fortunate edifices4   
,we notice the mountain villa first1 for
 two reasons2 because effect is always  
more considered in its erection1 than   
when it is to be situated in a less     
interesting country1 and because the    

effect desired is very rarely given1    
there being far greater difficulties to 
contend with4 ,but one word more1 before
 setting off for the south4 ,though1 as 
we saw before1 the gentleman has less   
national character than the boor1 his   
individual character is more marked1    
especially in its finer features1 which 
are clearly and perfectly developed by  
education2 consequently1 when the       
inhabitant of the villa has had anything
 to do with its erection1 we might      
expect to find indications of individual
 and peculiar feelings1 which it would  
be most interesting to follow out4 ,but 
this is no part of our present task2 at 
some future period we hope to give a    
series of essays on the habitations of  
the most distinguished men of ,europe1  
showing how the alterations which they  
directed1 and the expression which they 
bestowed1 corresponded with the turn of 
their emotions1 and leading intellectual
 faculties3 but at present we have to   
deal only with generalities2 we have to 

ascertain not what will be pleasing to a
 single mind1 but what will afford      
gratification to every eye possessing a 
certain degree of experience1 and every 
mind endowed with a certain degree of   
taste4  #ajc4 ,without further preface1 
therefore1 let us endeavor to ascertain 
what would be theoretically beautiful1  
on the shore1 or among the scenery of   
the ,larian ,lake1 preparatory to a     
sketch of the general features of those 
villas which exist there1 in too great a
 multitude to admit1 on our part1 of    
much individual detail4  ,for the       
general tone of the scenery1 we may     
refer to the paper on the ,italian      
cottage2 for the shores of the ,lake of 
,como have generally the character there
 described1 with a little more          
cheerfulness1 and a little less         
elevation1#ad but aided by great variety
 of form4 ,they are not quite so rich in
 vegetation as the plains3 both because 
the soil is scanty1 there being1 of     
course1 no decomposition going on among 

the rocks of black marble which form the
 greater part of the shore2 and because 
the mountains rise steeply from the     
water1 leaving only a narrow zone at    
their bases in the climate of ,italy4   
,in that zone1 however1 the olive grows 
in great luxuriance1 with the cypress1  
orange1 aloe1 myrtle1 and vine1 the     
latter always trellised4  ,footnote #ad3
 ,that ,italian mountain scenery has    
less elevation of character than the    
plains may appear singular2 but there   
are many simple reasons for a fact      
which1 we doubt not1 has been felt by   
every one 7capable of feeling anything71
 who ever left the ,alps to pass into   
,lombardy4 ,the first is1 that a        
mountain scene1 as we saw in the last   
paper1 bears no traces of decay1 since  
it never possessed any of life4 ,the    
desolation of the sterile peaks1 never  
having been interrupted1 is altogether  
free from the melancholy which is       
consequent on the passing away of       
interruption4 ,they stood up in the time

 of ,italy's glory1 into the voiceless  
air1 while all the life and light which 
she remembers now was working and moving
 at their feet1 an animated cloud1 which
 they did not feel1 and do not miss4    
,that region of life never reached up   
their flanks1 and has left them no      
memorials of its being2 they have no    
associations1 no monuments1 no memories2
 we look on them as we would on other   
hills2 things of abstract and natural   
magnificence1 which the presence of man 
could not increase1 nor his departure   
sadden4 ,they are1 in consequence1      
destitute of all that renders the name  
of ,ausonia thrilling1 or her champaigns
 beautiful1 beyond the mere splendor of 
climate2 and even that splendor is      
unshared by the mountain2 its cold      
atmosphere being undistinguished by any 
of that rich1 purple1 ethereal          
transparency which gives the air of the 
plains its depth of feeling1--we can    
find no better expression4  ,secondly4  
,in all hill scenery1 though there is   

increase of size1 there is want of      
distance4 ,we are not speaking of views 
from summits1 but of the average aspect 
of valleys4 ,suppose the mountains be   
#aj1jjj feet high1 their summit will not
 be more than six miles distant in a    
direct line3 and there is a general     
sense of confinement1 induced by their  
wall-like boundaries1 which is painful1 
contrasted with the wide expatiation of 
spirit induced by a distant view over   
plains4 ,in ordinary countries1 however1
 where the plain is an uninteresting    
mass of cultivation1 the sublimity of   
distance is not to be compared to that  
of size3 but1 where every yard of the   
cultivated country has its tale to tell2
 where it is perpetually intersected by 
rivers whose names are meaning music1   
and glancing with cities and villages   
every one of which has its own halo     
round its head2 and where the eye is    
carried by the clearness of the air over
 the blue of the farthest horizon1      
without finding one wreath of mist1 or  

one shadowy cloud1 to check the         
distinctness of the impression2 the     
mental emotions excited are richer1 and 
deeper1 and swifter than could be       
awakened by the noblest hills of the    
earth1 unconnected with the deeds of    
men4  ,lastly4 ,the plain country of    
,italy has not even to choose between   
the glory of distance and of size1 for  
it has both4 ,i do not think there is a 
spot1 from ,venice to ,messina1 where   
two ranges of mountain1 at the least1   
are not in sight at the same time4 ,in  
,lombardy1 the ,alps are on one side1   
the ,apennines on the other2 in the     
,venetian territory1 the ,alps1         
,apennines and ,euganean hills2 going   
southward1 the ,apennines always1 their 
outworks running far towards the sea1   
and the coast itself frequently         
mountainous4 ,now1 the aspect of a noble
 range of hills1 at a considerable      
distance1 is1 in our opinion1 far more  
imposing 7considered in the abstract7   
than they are1 seen near3 their height  

is better told1 their outlines softer   
and more melodious1 their majesty more  
mysterious4 ,but1 in ,italy1 they gain  
more by distance than majesty3 they gain
 life4 ,they cease to be the cold       
forgetful things they were2 they hold   
the noble plains in their lap1 and      
become venerable1 as having looked down 
upon them1 and watched over them        
forever1 unchanging2 they become part of
 the picture of associations3 we endow  
them with memory1 and then feel them to 
be possessed of all that is glorious on 
earth4  ,for these three reasons1 then1 
the plains of ,italy possess far more   
elevation of character than her hill    
scenery4 ,to the northward1 this        
contrast is felt very strikingly1 as the
 distinction is well marked1 the ,alps  
rising sharply and suddenly4 ,to the    
southward1 the plain is more mingled    
with low projecting promontories1 and   
unites almost every kind of beauty4     
,however1 even among her northern lakes1
 the richness of the low climate1 and   

the magnificence of form and color      
presented by the distant ,alps1 raise   
the character of the scene immeasurably 
above that of most hill landscapes1 even
 were those natural features entirely   
unassisted by associations which1 though
 more sparingly scattered than in the   
south1 are sufficient to give light to  
every leaf1 and voice to every wave4    
#ajd4 ,now1 as to the situation of the  
cottage1 we have already seen that great
 humility was necessary1 both in the    
building and its site1 to prevent it    
from offending us by an apparent        
struggle with forces1 compared with     
which its strength was dust3 but we     
cannot have this extreme humility in the
 villa1 the dwelling of wealth and      
power1 and yet we must not1 any more1   
suggest the idea of its resisting       
natural influences under which the      
,pyramids could not abide4 ,the only way
 of solving the difficulty is1 to select
 such sites as shall seem to have been  
set aside by nature as places of rest1  

as points of calm and enduring beauty1  
ordained to sit and smile in their glory
 of quietness1 while the avalanche      
brands the mountain top1#ae and the     
torrent desolates the valley2 yet so    
preserved1 not by shelter amidst        
violence1 but by being placed wholly out
 of the influence of violence4 ,for in  
this they must differ from the site of  
the cottage1 that the peasant may seek  
for protection under some low rock or in
 some narrow dell1 but the villa must   
have a domain to itself1 at once        
conspicuous1 beautiful1 and calm4       
,footnote #ae3 ,there are two kinds of  
winter avalanches2 the one1 sheets of   
frozen snow sliding on the surface of   
others4 ,the swiftness of these1 as the 
clavendier of the ,convent of ,st4      
,bernard told me1 he could compare to   
nothing but that of a cannon ball of    
equal size4 ,the other is a rolling mass
 of snow1 accumulating in its descent4  
,this1 grazing the bare hill-side1 tears
 up its surface like dust1 bringing away

 soil1 rock1 and vegetation1 as a       
grazing ball tears flesh2 and leaving   
its withered path distinct on the green 
hill-side1 as if the mountain had been  
branded with red-hot iron4 ,they        
generally keep to the same paths2 but   
when the snow accumulates1 and sends one
 down the wrong way1 it has been known  
to cut down a pine forest1 as a scythe  
mows grass4 ,the tale of its work is    
well told by the seared and branded     
marks on the hill summits and sides4    
#aje4 ,as regards the form of the       
cottage1 we have seen how the           
,westmoreland cottage harmonized with   
the ease of outline so conspicuous in   
hill scenery1 by the irregularity of its
 details2 but1 here1 no such            
irregularity is allowable or consistent1
 and is not even desirable4 ,for the    
cottage enhances the wildness of the    
surrounding scene1 by sympathizing with 
it2 the villa must do the same thing1 by
 contrasting with it4 ,the eye feels1 in
 a far greater degree1 the terror of the

 distant and desolate peaks1 when it    
passes down their ravined sides to      
sloping and verdant hills1 and is guided
 from these to the rich glow of         
vegetable life in the low zones1 and    
through this glow to the tall front of  
some noble edifice1 peaceful even in its
 pride4 ,but this contrast must not be  
sudden1 or it will be startling and     
harsh2 and therefore1 as we saw above1  
the villa must be placed where all the  
severe features of the scene1 though not
 concealed1 are distant1 and where there
 is a graduation1 so to speak1 of       
impressions1 from terror to loveliness1 
the one softened by distance1 the other 
elevated in its style3 and the form of  
the villa must not be fantastic or      
angular1 but must be full of variety1 so
 tempered by simplicity as to obtain    
ease of outline united with elevation of
 character2 the first being necessary   
for reasons before advanced1 and the    
second1 that the whole may harmonize    
with the feelings induced by the lofty  

features of the accompanying scenery in 
any hill country1 and yet more1 on the  
,larian ,lake1 by the deep memories and 
everlasting associations which haunt the
 stillness of its shore4 ,of the color  
required by ,italian landscape we have  
spoken before1 and we shall see that1   
particularly in this case1 white or pale
 tones are agreeable4  #ajf4 ,we shall  
now proceed to the situation and form of
 the villa4 ,as regards situation2 the  
villas of the ,lago di ,como are built1 
par prfrence1 either on jutting         
promontories of low crag covered with   
olives1 or on those parts of the shore  
where some mountain stream has carried  
out a bank of alluvium into the lake4   
,one object proposed in this choice of  
situation is1 to catch the breeze as it 
comes up the main opening of the hills1 
and to avoid the reflection of the sun's
 rays from the rocks of the actual      
shore2 and another is1 to obtain a      
prospect up or down the lake1 and of the
 hills on whose projection the villa is 

built3 but the effect of this choice    
when the building is considered the     
object1 is to carry it exactly into the 
place where it ought to be1 far from the
 steep precipice and dark mountain1 to  
the border of the winding bay and       
citron-scented cape1 where it stands at 
once conspicuous and in peace4 ,for     
instance1 in the view of ,villa         
,serbelloni#af from across the lake1    
although the eye falls suddenly from the
 crags above to the promontory below1   
yet all the sublime and severe features 
of the scene are kept in the distance1  
and the villa itself is mingled with    
graceful lines1 and embosomed in rich   
vegetation4 ,the promontory separates   
the ,lake of ,lecco from that of ,como1 
properly so-called1 and is three miles  
from the opposite shore1 which gives    
room enough for arial perspective4      
,footnote #af3 ,villa ,serbelloni1 now  
the dpendence of the ,htel ,grande      
,bretagne at ,bellaggio1 and ,villa     
,somma-,riva1 now called ,villa         

,carlotta1 at ,cadenabbia1 and visited  
by every tourist for its collection of  
modern statuary1 are both too well known
 to need illustration by the very poor  
wood-cuts which accompanied this chapter
 in the ,architectural ,magazine4 ,the  
original drawings are lost2 judging from
 that of the cottage in ,val d',aosta we
 may safely believe that they were most 
inadequately represented by the old     
cuts4  #ajg4 ,we shall now consider the 
form of the villa4 ,it is generally the 
apex of a series of artificial terraces1
 which conduct through its gardens to   
the water4 ,these are formal in their   
design1 but extensive1 wide1 and        
majestic in their slope1 the steps being
 generally about #a_/b ft4 high and     
#d-a_/b ft4 wide 7sometimes however much
 deeper74 ,they are generally supported 
by white wall1 strengthened by unfilled 
arches1 the angles being turned by      
sculptured pedestals1 surmounted by     
statues1 or urns4 ,along the terraces   
are carried rows1 sometimes of cypress1 

more frequently of orange or lemon      
trees1 with myrtles1 sweet bay1 and     
aloes1 intermingled1 but always with    
dark and spiry cypresses occurring in   
groups2 and attached to these terraces1 
or to the villa itself1 are series of   
arched grottoes built 7or sometimes cut 
in the rock7 for coolness1 frequently   
overhanging the water1 kept dark and    
fresh1 and altogether delicious to the  
feelings4 ,a good instance of these     
united peculiarities is seen in ,villa  
,somma-,riva1 ,lago di ,como4  ,the     
effect of these approaches is           
disputable4 ,it is displeasing to many1 
from its formality2 but we are persuaded
 that it is right1 because it is a      
national style1 and therefore has in all
 probability due connection with scene  
and character3 and this connection we   
shall endeavor to prove4  #ajh4 ,the    
frequent occurrence of the arch is      
always delightful in distant effect1    
partly on account of its graceful line1 
partly because the shade it casts is    

varied in depth1 becoming deeper and    
deeper as the grotto retires1 and partly
 because it gives great apparent        
elevation to the walls which it         
supports4 ,the grottoes themselves are  
agreeable objects seen near1 because    
they give an impression of coolness to  
the eye2 and they echo all sounds with  
great melody2 small streams are often   
conducted through them1 occasioning     
slight breezes by their motion4 ,then   
the statue and the urn are graceful in  
their outline1 classical in their       
meaning1 and correct in their position1 
for where could they be more appropriate
 than here2 the one ministering to      
memory1 and the other to mourning4 ,the 
terraces themselves are dignified in    
their character 7a necessary effect1 as 
we saw above71 and even the formal rows 
of trees are right in this climate1 for 
a peculiar reason4 ,effect is always to 
be considered1 in ,italy1 as if the sun 
were always to shine1 for it does nine  
days out of ten4 ,now the shadows of    

foliage regularly disposed1 fall with a 
grace which it is impossible to         
describe1 running up and down across the
 marble steps1 and casting alternate    
statues into darkness2 and checkering   
the white walls with a method in their  
madness1 altogether unattainable by     
loose grouping of trees2 and therefore1 
for the sake of this kind of shade1 to  
which the eye1 as well as the feeling1  
is attracted1 the long row of cypresses 
or orange trees is allowable4  #aji4    
,but there is a still more important    
reason for it1 of a directly contrary   
nature to that which its formality would
 seem to require4 ,in all beautiful     
designs of exterior descent1 a certain  
regularity is necessary2 the lines      
should be graceful1 but they must       
balance each other1 slope answering to  
slope1 statue to statue4 ,now this      
mathematical regularity would hurt the  
eye excessively in the midst of scenes  
of natural grace1 were it executed in   
bare stone2 but1 if we make part of the 

design itself foliage1 and put in       
touches of regular shade1 alternating   
with the stone1 whose distances and     
darkness are as mathematically limited  
as the rest of the grouping1 but whose  
nature is changeful and varied in       
individual forms1 we have obtained a    
link between nature and art1 a step of  
transition1 leading the feelings        
gradually from the beauty of regularity 
to that of freedom4 ,and this effect    
would not be obtained1 as might at first
 appear1 by intermingling trees of      
different kinds1 at irregular distances1
 or wherever they chose to grow2 for    
then the design and the foliage would be
 instantly separated by the eye1 the    
symmetry of the one would be            
interrupted1 the grace of the other     
lost2 the nobility of the design would  
not be seen1 but its formality would be 
felt2 and the wildness of the trees     
would be injurious1 because it would be 
felt to be out of place4 ,on principles 
of composition1 therefore1 the regular  

disposition of decorative foliage is    
right1 when such foliage is mixed with  
architecture2 but it requires great     
taste1 and long study1 to design this   
disposition properly4 ,trees of dark    
leaf and little color should be         
invariably used1 for they are to be     
considered1 it must be remembered1      
rather as free touches of shade than as 
trees4  #aaj4 ,take1 for instance1 the  
most simple bit of design1 such as a    
hollow balustrade1 and suppose that it  
is found to look cold or raw1 when      
executed1 and to want depth4 ,then put  
small pots1 with any dark shrub1 the    
darker the better1 at fixed places      
behind them1 at the same distance as the
 balustrades1 or between every two or   
three1 and keep them cut down to a      
certain height1 and we have immediate   
depth and increased ease1 with          
undiminished symmetry4 ,but the great   
difficulty is to keep the thing within  
proper limits1 since too much of it will
 lead to paltriness1 as is the case in a

 slight degree in ,isola ,bella1 on     
,lago ,maggiore2 and not to let it run  
into small details3 for1 be it          
remembered1 that it is only in the      
majesty of art1 in its large and general
 effects1 that this regularity is       
allowable2 nothing but variety should be
 studied in detail1 and therefore there 
can be no barbarism greater than the    
lozenge borders and beds of the ,french 
garden4 ,the scenery around must be     
naturally rich1 that its variety of line
 may relieve the slight stiffness of the
 architecture itself3 and the climate   
must always be considered2 for1 as we   
saw1 the chief beauty of these flights  
of steps depends upon the presence of   
the sun2 and1 if they are to be in shade
 half the year1 the dark trees will only
 make them gloomy1 the grass will grow  
between the stones of the steps1 black  
weeds will flicker from the pedestals1  
damp mosses discolor the statues and    
urns1 and the whole will become one     
incongruous ruin1 one ridiculous decay4 

,besides1 the very dignity of its       
character1 even could it be kept in     
proper order1 would be out of place in  
any country but ,italy4 ,busts of       
,virgil or ,ariosto would look          
astonished in an ,english snowstorm2    
statues of ,apollo and ,diana would be  
no more divine1 where the laurels of the
 one would be weak1 and the crescent of 
the other would never gleam in pure     
moonlight4 ,the whole glory of the      
design consists in its unison with the  
dignity of the landscape1 and with the  
classical tone of the country4 ,take it 
away from its concomitant circumstances1
 and1 instead of conducting the eye to  
it by a series of lofty and dreamy      
impressions1 bring it through green     
lanes1 or over copse-covered crags1 as  
would be the case in ,england1 and the  
whole system becomes utterly and        
absolutely absurd1 ugly in outline1     
worse than useless in application1      
unmeaning in design1 and incongruous in 
association4  #aaa4 ,it seems1 then1    

that in the approach to the ,italian    
villa1 we have discovered great         
nationality and great beauty1 which was 
more than we could have expected1 but a 
beauty utterly untransferable from its  
own settled habitation4 ,in our next    
paper we shall proceed to the building  
itself1 which will not detain us long1  
as it is generally simple in its design1
 and take a general view of villa       
architecture over ,italy4  #aab4 ,we    
have bestowed considerable attention on 
this style of ,garden ,architecture1    
because it has been much abused by      
persons of high authority1 and general  
good taste1 who forgot1 in their love of
 grace and ideal beauty1 the connection 
with surrounding circumstances so       
manifest even in its formality4         
,eustace1 we think1 is one of these2    
and1 although it is an error of a kind  
he is perpetually committing1 he is so  
far right1 that this mannerism is       
frequently carried into excess even in  
its own peculiar domain1 then becoming  

disagreeable1 and is always a dangerous 
style in inexperienced hands4 ,we think1
 however1 paradoxical as the opinion may
 appear1 that every one who is a true   
lover of nature1 and has been bred in   
her wild school1 will be an admirer of  
this symmetrical designing1 in its      
place2 and will feel1 as often as he    
contemplates it1 that the united effect 
of the wide and noble steps1 with the   
pure water dashing over them like heated
 crystal1 the long shadows of the       
cypress groves1 the golden leaves and   
glorious light of blossom of the        
glancing aloes1 the pale statues        
gleaming along the heights in their     
everlasting death in life1 their        
motionless brows looking down forever on
 the loveliness in which their beings   
once dwelt1 marble forms of more than   
mortal grace lightening along the green 
arcades1 amidst dark cool grottoes1 full
 of the voice of dashing waters1 and of 
the breath of myrtle blossoms1 with the 
blue of the deep lake and the distant   

precipice mingling at every opening with
 the eternal snows glowing in their     
noontide silence1 is one not unworthy of
 ,italy's most noble remembrances4      
,,ii4  ,,the ,,mountain ,,villa--,,lago 
,,di ,,como 7,continued74   #aac4       
,having considered the propriety of the 
approach1 it remains for us to          
investigate the nature of the feelings  
excited by the villas of the ,lago di   
,como in particular1 and of ,italy in   
general4  ,we mentioned that the bases  
of the mountains bordering the ,lake of 
,como were chiefly composed of black    
marble2 black1 at least1 when polished1 
and very dark gray in its general       
effect4 ,this is very finely stratified 
in beds varying in thickness from an    
inch to two or three feet2 and these    
beds1 taken of a medium thickness1 form 
flat slabs1 easily broken into          
rectangular fragments1 which1 being     
excessively compact in their grain1 are 
admirably adapted for a building        
material4 ,there is a little pale       

limestone#ag among the hills to the     
south2 but this marble1 or primitive    
limestone 7for it is not highly         
crystalline71 is not only more easy of  
access1 but a more durable stone4 ,of   
this1 consequently1 almost all the      
buildings on the lake shore are built2  
and1 therefore1 were their material     
unconcealed1 would be of a dark         
monotonous and melancholy gray tint1    
equally uninteresting to the eye1 and   
depressing to the mind4 ,to prevent this
 result1 they are covered with different
 compositions1 sometimes white1 more    
frequently cream-colored1 and of varying
 depth2 the moldings and pilasters being
 frequently of deeper tones than the    
walls4 ,the insides of the grottoes1    
however1 when not cut in the rock       
itself1 are left uncovered1 thus forming
 a strong contrast with the whiteness   
outside2 giving great depth1 and        
permitting weeds and flowers to root    
themselves on the roughnesses1 and rock 
streams to distill through the fissures 

of the dark stones2 while all parts of  
the building to which the eye is drawn1 
by their form or details 7except the    
capitals of the pilasters71 such as the 
urns1 the statues1 the steps1 or        
balustrades1 are executed in very fine  
white marble1 generally from the        
quarries of ,carrara1 which supply      
quantities of fragments of the finest   
quality1 which nevertheless1 owing to   
their want of size1 or to the presence  
of conspicuous veins1 are unavailable   
for the higher purposes of sculpture4   
,footnote #ag3 ,pale limestone1 with    
dolomite4 ,a coarse dolomite forms the  
mass of mountains on the east of ,lake  
,lecco1 ,monte ,campione1 etc41 and part
 of the other side1 as well as the      
,monte del ,novo1 above ,cadenabbia2 but
 the bases of the hills1 along the shore
 of the ,lake of ,lecco1 and all the    
mountains on both sides of the lower    
limb of ,como are black limestone4 ,the 
whole northern half of the lake is      
bordered by gneiss or mica slate1 with  

tertiary deposit where torrents enter   
it4 ,so that the dolomite is only       
obtainable by ascending the hills1 and  
incurring considerable expense of       
carriage2 while the rocks of the shore  
split into blocks of their own accord1  
and are otherwise an excellent material4
  #aad4 ,now1 the first question is1 is 
this very pale color desirable8 ,it is  
to be hoped so1 or else the whole of    
,italy must be pronounced full of       
impropriety4 ,the first circumstance in 
its favor is one which1 though connected
 only with lake scenery1 we shall notice
 at length1 as it is a point of high    
importance in our own country4 ,when a  
small piece of quiet water reposes in a 
valley1 or lies embosomed among crags1  
its chief beauty is derived from our    
perception of crystalline depth1 united 
with excessive slumber4 ,in its limited 
surface we cannot get the sublimity of  
extent1 but we may have the beauty of   
peace1 and the majesty of depth4 ,the   
object must therefore be1 to get the eye

 off its surface1 and to draw it down1  
to beguile it into that fairy land      
underneath1 which is more beautiful than
 what it repeats1 because it is all full
 of dreams unattainable1 and            
illimitable4 ,this can only be done by  
keeping its edge out of sight1 and      
guiding the eye off the land into the   
reflection1 as if it were passing into a
 mist1 until it finds itself swimming   
into the blue sky1 with a thrill of     
unfathomable falling4 7,if there be not 
a touch of sky at the bottom1 the water 
will be disagreeably black1 and the     
clearer the more fearful47 ,now1 one    
touch of white reflection of an object  
at the edge will destroy the whole      
illusion1 for it will come like the     
flash of light on armor1 and will show  
the surface1 not the depth3 it will tell
 the eye whereabouts it is2 will define 
the limit of the edge2 and will turn the
 dream of limitless depth into a small1 
uninteresting1 reposeless piece of      
water4 ,in all small lakes or pools1    

therefore1 steep borders of dark crag1  
or of thick foliage1 are to be obtained1
 if possible2 even a shingly shore will 
spoil them3 and this was one reason1 it 
will be remembered for our admiration of
 the color of the ,westmoreland cottage1
 because it never broke the repose of   
water by its reflection4  #aae4 ,but    
this principle applies only to small    
pieces of water1 on which we look down1 
as much as along the surface4 ,as soon  
as we get a sheet1 even if only a mile  
across1 we lose depth2 first1 because it
 is almost impossible to get the surface
 without a breeze on some part of it2   
and1 again1 because we look along it1   
and get a great deal of sky in the      
reflection1 which1 when occupying too   
much space1 tells as mere flat light4   
,but we may have the beauty of extent in
 a very high degree2 and it is therefore
 desirable to know how far the water    
goes1 that we may have a clear          
conception of its space4 ,now1 its      
border1 at a great distance1 is always  

lost1 unless it be defined by a very    
distinct line2 and such a line is harsh1
 flat1 and cutting on the eye4 ,to avoid
 this1 the border itself should be dark1
 as in the other case1 so that there may
 be no continuous horizontal line of    
demarcation2 but one or two bright white
 objects should be set here and there   
along or near the edge3 their           
reflections will flash on the dark      
water1 and will inform the eye in a     
moment of the whole distance and        
transparency of the surface it is       
traversing4 ,when there is a slight     
swell on the water1 they will come down 
in long1 beautiful1 perpendicular lines1
 mingling exquisitely with the streaky  
green of reflected foliage2 when there  
is none1 they become a distant image of 
the object they repeat1 endowed with    
infinite repose4  #aaf4 ,these remarks1 
true of small lakes whose edges are     
green1 apply with far greater force to  
sheets of water on which the eye passes 
over ten or twenty miles in one long    

glance1 and the prevailing color of     
whose borders is1 as we noticed when    
speaking of the ,italian cottage1 blue4 
,the white reflections are here         
excessively valuable1 giving space1     
brilliancy1 and transparency2 and       
furnish one very powerful apology1 even 
did other objections render an apology  
necessary1 for the pale tone of the     
color of the villas1 whose reflections1 
owing to their size and conspicuous     
situations1 always take a considerable  
part in the scene1 and are therefore    
things to be attentively considered in  
the erection of such buildings1         
particularly in a climate whose calmness
 renders its lakes quiet for the greater
 part of the day4 ,nothing1 in fact1 can
 be more beautiful than the             
intermingling of these bright lines with
 the darkness of the reversed cypresses 
seen against the deep azure of the      
distant hills in the crystalline waters 
of the lake1 of which some one aptly    
says1 ,deep within its azure rest1 white

 villages sleep silently2#ah or than    
their columnar perspective1 as village  
after village catches the light1 and    
strikes the image to the very quietest  
recess of the narrow water1 and the very
 farthest hollow of the folded hills4   
,footnote #ah3 ,a reminiscence of two   
lines from a poem on the ,lago di ,como 
written by the author in #ahcc4  #aag4  
,from all this1 it appears that the     
effect of the white villa in water is   
delightful4 ,on land it is quite as     
important1 but more doubtful4 ,the first
 objection1 which strikes us instantly  
when we imagine such a building1 is the 
want of repose1 the startling glare of  
effect1 induced by its unsubdued tint4  
,but this objection does not strike us  
when we see the building2 a circumstance
 which was partly accounted for before1 
in speaking of the cottage1 and which we
 shall presently see farther cause not  
to be surprised at4 ,a more important   
objection is1 that such whiteness       
destroys a great deal of venerable      

character1 and harmonizes ill with the  
melancholy tones of surrounding         
landscape3 and this requires detailed   
consideration4  #aah4 ,paleness of color
 destroys the majesty of a building2    
first1 by hinting at a disguised and    
humble material2 and1 secondly1 by      
taking away all appearance of age4 ,we  
shall speak of the effect of the        
material presently2 but the deprivation 
of apparent antiquity is dependent in a 
great degree on the color2 and in       
,italy1 where1 as we saw before1        
everything ought to point to the past1  
is serious injury1 though1 for several  
reasons1 not so fatal as might be       
imagined2 for we do not require1 in a   
building raised as a light summer-house1
 wherein to while away a few pleasure   
hours1 the evidence of ancestral        
dignity1 without which the chteau or    
palace can possess hardly any beauty4   
,we know that it is originally built    
more as a plaything than as a monument2 
as the delight of an individual1 not the

 possession of a race2 and that the very
 lightness and carelessness of feeling  
with which such a domicile is entered   
and inhabited by its first builder would
 demand1 to sympathize and keep in      
unison with them1 not the kind of       
building adapted to excite the          
veneration of ages1 but that which can  
most gayly minister to the amusement of 
hours4 ,for all men desire to have      
memorials of their actions1 but none of 
their recreations2 inasmuch as we only  
wish that to be remembered which others 
will not1 or cannot perform or          
experience2 and we know that all men can
 enjoy recreation as much as ourselves4 
,we wish succeeding generations to      
admire our energy1 but not even to be   
aware of our lassitude2 to know when we 
moved1 but not when we rested2 how we   
ruled1 not how we condescended2 and1    
therefore1 in the case of the triumphal 
arch1 or the hereditary palace1 if we   
are the builders1 we desire stability2  
if the beholders1 we are offended with  

novelty3 but in the case of the villa1  
the builder desires only a              
correspondence with his humor2 the      
beholder1 evidence of such              
correspondence2 for he feels that the   
villa is most beautiful when it         
ministers most to pleasure2 that it     
cannot minister to pleasure without     
perpetual change1 so as to suit the     
varying ideas1 and humors1 and          
imaginations of its inhabitant1 and that
 it cannot possess this light and       
variable habit with any appearance of   
antiquity4  #aai4 ,and1 for a yet more  
important reason1 such appearance is not
 desirable4 ,melancholy1 when it is     
productive of pleasure1 is accompanied  
either by loveliness in the object      
exciting it1 or by a feeling of pride in
 the mind experiencing it4 ,without one 
of these1 it becomes absolute pain1     
which all men throw off as soon as they 
can1 and suffer under as long as their  
minds are too weak for the effort4 ,now1
 when it is accompanied by loveliness in

 the object exciting it1 it forms       
beauty2 when by a feeling of pride1 it  
constitutes the pleasure we experience  
in tragedy1 when we have the pride of   
endurance1 or in contemplating the ruin1
 or the monument1 by which we are       
informed or reminded of the pride of the
 past4 ,hence1 it appears that age is   
beautiful only when it is the decay of  
glory or of power1 and memory only      
delightful when it reposes upon         
pride4#ai ,all remains therefore of what
 was merely devoted to pleasure2 all    
evidence of lost enjoyment2 all         
memorials of the recreation and rest of 
the departed2 in a word1 all desolation 
of delight is productive of mere pain1  
for there is no feeling of exultation   
connected with it4 ,thus1 in any ancient
 habitation1 we pass with reverence and 
pleasurable emotion through the ordered 
armory1 where the lances lie1 with none 
to wield2 through the lofty hall1 where 
the crested scutcheons glow with the    
honor of the dead3 but we turn sickly   

away from the arbor which has no hand to
 tend it1 and the boudoir which has no  
life to lighten it1 and the smooth sward
 which has no light feet to dance on it4
 ,so it is in the villa3 the more       
memory1 the more sorrow2 and1 therefore1
 the less adaptation to its present     
purpose4 ,but1 though cheerful1 it      
should be ethereal in its expression3   
spiritual is a good word1 giving ideas  
of the very highest order of delight    
that can be obtained in the mere        
present4  ,footnote #ai3 ,observe1 we   
are not speaking of emotions felt on    
remembering what we ourselves have      
enjoyed1 for then the imagination is    
productive of pleasure by replacing us  
in enjoyment1 but of the feelings       
excited in the indifferent spectator1 by
 the evident decay of power or          
desolation of enjoyment1 of which the   
first ennobles1 the other only harrows1 
the spirit4  #abj4 ,it seems1 then1 that
 for all these reasons an appearance of 
age is not desirable1 far less          

necessary1 in the villa2 but its        
existing character must be in unison    
with its country2 and it must appear to 
be inhabited by one brought up in that  
country1 and imbued with its national   
feelings4 ,in ,italy1 especially1 though
 we can even here dispense with one     
component part of elevation of          
character1--age1 we must have all the   
others3 we must have high feeling1      
beauty of form1 and depth of effect1 or 
the thing will be a barbarism2 the      
inhabitant must be an ,italian1 full of 
imagination and emotion3 a villa        
inhabited by an ,englishman1 no matter  
how close its imitation of others1 will 
always be preposterous4  ,we find1      
therefore1 that white is not to be      
blamed in the villa for destroying its  
antiquity2 neither is it reprehensible1 
as harmonizing ill with the surrounding 
landscape3 on the contrary1 it adds to  
its brilliancy1 without taking away from
 its depth of tone4 ,we shall consider  
it as an element of landscape1 more     

particularly1 when we come to speak of  
grouping4  #aba4 ,there remains only one
 accusation to be answered2 viz41 that  
it hints at a paltry and unsubstantial  
material3 and this leads us to the      
second question4 ,is this material      
allowable8 ,if it were distinctly felt  
by the eye to be stucco1 there could be 
no question about the matter1 it would  
be decidedly disagreeable2 but all the  
parts to which the eye is attracted are 
executed in marble1 and the stucco      
merely forms the dead flat of the       
building1 not a single wreath of        
ornament being formed of it4 ,its       
surface is smooth and bright1 and       
altogether avoids what a stone building1
 when not built of large masses1 and    
uncharged with ornament1 always forces  
upon the attention1 the rectangular     
lines of the blocks1 which1 however     
nicely fitted they may be1 are horrible6
 most horrible6 ,there is also a great  
deal of ease and softness in the angular
 lines of the stucco1 which are never   

sharp or harsh1 like those of stone2 and
 it receives shadows with great beauty1 
a point of infinite importance in this  
climate2 giving them lightness and      
transparency1 without any diminution of 
depth4 ,it is also agreeable to the eye1
 to pass from the sharp carving of the  
marble decorations to the ease and      
smoothness of the stucco2 while the     
utter want of interest in those parts   
which are executed in it prevents the   
humility of the material from being     
offensive3 for this passage of the eye  
from the marble to the composition is   
managed with the dexterity of the       
artist1 who1 that the attention may be  
drawn to the single point of the picture
 which is his subject1 leaves the rest  
so obscured and slightly painted1 that  
the mind loses it altogether in its     
attention to the principal feature4     
#abb4 ,with all1 however1 that can be   
alleged in extenuation of its faults1 it
 cannot be denied that the stucco does  
take away so much of the dignity of the 

building1 that1 unless we find enough   
bestowed by its form and details to     
counterbalance1 and a great deal more   
than counterbalance1 the deterioration  
occasioned by tone and material1 the    
whole edifice must be condemned1 as     
incongruous with the spirit of the      
climate1 and even with the character of 
its own gardens and approach4 ,it       
remains1 therefore1 to notice the       
details themselves4 ,its form is simple 
to a degree2 the roof generally quite   
flat1 so as to leave the mass in the    
form of a parallelopiped1 in general    
without wings or adjuncts of any sort4  
,villa ,somma-,riva ,carlotta is a good 
example of this general form and        
proportion1 though it has an arched     
passage on each side1 which takes away  
from its massiness4 ,this excessive     
weight of effect would be injurious1 if 
the building were set by itself2 but1 as
 it always forms the apex of a series of
 complicated terraces1 it both relieves 
them and gains great dignity by its own 

unbroken simplicity of size4 ,this      
general effect of form is not injured1  
when1 as is often the case1 an open     
passage is left in the center of the    
building1 under tall and                
well-proportioned arches1 supported by  
pilasters 7never by columns74 ,villa    
,porro1 ,lago di ,como1 is a good       
example of this method4 ,the arches     
hardly ever exceed three in number1 and 
these are all of the same size1 so that 
the crowns of the arches continue the   
horizontal lines of the rest of the     
building4 ,were the center one higher   
than the others1 these lines would be   
interrupted1 and a great deal of        
simplicity lost4 ,the covered space     
under these arches is a delightful1     
shaded1 and breezy retreat in the heat  
of the day2 and the entrance doors      
usually open into it1 so that a current 
of cool air is obtainable by throwing   
them open4  #abc4 ,the building itself  
consists of three floors3 we remember no
 instance of a greater number1 and only 

one or two of fewer4 ,it is1 in general1
 crowned with a light balustrade1       
surmounted by statues at intervals4 ,the
 windows of the uppermost floor are     
usually square1 often without any       
architrave4 ,those of the principal     
floor are surrounded with broad         
architraves1 but are frequently         
destitute of frieze or cornice4 ,they   
have usually flat bands at the bottom1  
and their aperture is a double square4  
,their recess is very deep1 so as not to
 let the sun fall far into the interior4
 ,the interval between them is very     
variable4 ,in some of the villas of     
highest pretensions1 such as those on   
the banks of the ,brenta1 that of ,isola
 ,bella1 and others1 which do not face  
the south1 it is not much more than the 
breadth of the two architraves1 so that 
the rooms within are filled with light4 
,when this is the case1 the windows have
 friezes and cornices4 ,but1 when the   
building fronts the south1 the interval 
is often very great1 as in the case of  

the ,villa ,porro4 ,the ground-floor    
windows are frequently set in tall      
arches1 supported on deeply engaged     
pilasters as in the ,villa ,somma-,riva4
 ,the door is not large1 and never      
entered by high steps1 as it generally  
opens on a terrace of considerable      
height1 or on a wide landing-place at   
the head of a flight of fifty or sixty  
steps descending through the gardens4   
#abd4 ,now1 it will be observed1 that1  
in these general forms1 though there is 
no splendor1 there is great dignity4    
,the lines throughout are simple to a   
degree1 entirely uninterrupted by       
decorations of any kind1 so that the    
beauty of their proportions is left     
visible and evident4 ,we shall see      
hereafter that ornament in ,grecian     
architecture1 while1 when well managed1 
it always adds to its grace1 invariably 
takes away from its majesty2 and that   
these two attributes never can exist    
together in their highest degrees4 ,by  
the utter absence of decoration1        

therefore1 the ,italian villa1          
possessing1 as it usually does1 great   
beauty of proportion1 attains a degree  
of elevation of character1 which        
impresses the mind in a manner which it 
finds difficult to account for by any   
consideration of its simple details or  
moderate size2 while1 at the same time1 
it lays so little claim to the          
attention1 and is so subdued in its     
character1 that it is enabled to occupy 
a conspicuous place in a landscape1     
without any appearance of intrusion4    
,the glance of the beholder rises from  
the labyrinth of terrace and arbor      
beneath1 almost weariedly2 it meets1 as 
it ascends1 with a gradual increase of  
bright marble and simple light1 and with
 a proportionate diminution of dark     
foliage and complicated shadow1 till it 
rests finally on a piece of simple      
brilliancy1 chaste and unpretending1 yet
 singularly dignified2 and does not find
 its color too harsh1 because its form  
is so simple3 for color of any kind is  

only injurious when the eye is too much 
attracted to it2 and1 when there is so  
much quietness of detail as to prevent  
this misfortune1 the building will      
possess the cheerfulness1 without losing
 the tranquillity1 and will seem to have
 been erected1 and to be inhabited1 by a
 mind of that beautiful temperament     
wherein modesty tempers majesty1 and    
gentleness mingles with rejoicing1      
which1 above all others1 is most suited 
to the essence1 and most interwoven with
 the spirit1 of the natural beauty whose
 peculiar power is invariably repose4   
#abe4 ,so much for its general          
character4 ,considered by principles of 
composition1 it will also be found      
beautiful4 ,its prevailing lines are    
horizontal2 and every artist knows that1
 where peaks of any kind are in sight1  
the lines above which they rise ought to
 be flat4 ,it has not one acute angle in
 all its details1 and very few          
intersections of verticals with         
horizontals2 while all that do intersect

 seem useful as supporting the mass4    
,the just application of the statues at 
the top is more doubtful1 and is        
considered reprehensible by several high
 authorities1 who1 nevertheless1 are    
inconsistent enough to let the          
balustrade pass uncalumniated1 though it
 is objectionable on exactly the same   
grounds2 for1 if the statues suggest the
 inquiry of ,what are they doing there8 
the balustrade compels its beholder to  
ask1 whom it keeps from tumbling over8  
#abf4 ,the truth is1 that the balustrade
 and statues derive their origin from a 
period when there was easy access to the
 roof of either temple or villa2 7that  
there was such access is proved by a    
passage in the ,iphigenia ,taurica1 line
 #aac1 where ,orestes speaks of getting 
up to the triglyphs of a ,doric temple  
as an easy matter27 and when the flat   
roofs were used1 not1 perhaps1 as an    
evening promenade1 as in ,palestine1 but
 as a place of observation1 and         
occasionally of defense4 ,they were     

composed of large flat slabs of stone   
7,greek3 keramos1#bj7 peculiarly adapted
 for walking1 one or two of which1 when 
taken up1 left an opening of easy access
 into the house1 as in ,luke v4 #ai1 and
 were perpetually used in ,greece as    
missile weapons1 in the event of a      
hostile attack or sedition in the city1 
by parties of old men1 women1 and       
children1 who used1 as a matter of      
course1 to retire to the roof as a place
 of convenient defense4 ,by such attacks
 from the roof with the ,greek3 keramos 
the ,thebans were thrown into confusion 
in ,plata 7,thucydides ii4 #d474 ,so1   
also1 we find the roof immediately      
resorted to in the case of the starving 
of ,pausanias in the ,temple of ,minerva
 of the ,brazen ,house1 and in that of  
the massacre of the aristocratic party  
at ,corcyra 7,thucydides iv4            
#dh73--;,greek3 ,anabantes de epi to    
tegos tou oikmatos1 kai dielontes tn    
orophn1 eballon t keram4  ,footnote #bj3
 ,in the large buildings1 that is3      

,greek3 keramos also signifies earthen  
tiling1 and sometimes earthenware in    
general1 as in ,herodotus iii4 #f where 
it is used of earthen jars of wine4 ,it 
appears that such tiling was frequently 
used in smaller edifices4 ,the ,greeks  
may have derived their flat roofs from  
,egypt4 ,herodotus mentions of the      
,labyrinth of the ,twelve ,kings1 that  
,greek3 horoph de pantn toutn lithin1   
but not as if the circumstance were in  
the least extraordinary ,herodotus ii4  
#adh4  #abg4 ,now1 where the roof was   
thus a place of frequent resort1 there  
could be no more useful decoration than 
a balustrade2 nor one more appropriate  
or beautiful than occasional statues in 
attitudes of watchfulness1 expectation1 
or observation3 and even now1 wherever  
the roof is flat1 we have an idea of    
convenience and facility of access1     
which still renders the balustrade      
agreeable1 and the statue beautiful1 if 
well designed4 ,it must not be a figure 
of perfect peace or repose2 far less    

should it be in violent action3 but it  
should be fixed in that quick1 startled 
stillness1 which is the result of intent
 observation or expectation1 and which  
seems ready to start into motion every  
instant4 ,its height should be slightly 
colossal1 as it is always to be seen    
against the sky2 and its draperies      
should not be too heavy1 as the eye will
 always expect them to be caught by the 
wind4 ,we shall enter into this subject1
 however1 more fully hereafter4 ,we only
 wish at present to vindicate from the  
charge of impropriety one of the chief  
features of the ,italian villa4 ,its    
white figures1 always marble1 remain    
entirely unsullied by the weather1 and  
stand out with great majesty against the
 blue air behind them1 taking away from 
the heaviness1 without destroying the   
simplicity1 of the general form4  #abh4 
,it seems then that1 by its form and    
details1 the villa of the ,lago di ,como
 attains so high a degree of elevation  
of character1 as not only brings it into

 harmony of its locus1 without any      
assistance from appearance of antiquity1
 but may1 we think1 permit it to        
dispense even with solidity of material1
 and appear in light summer stucco1     
instead of raising itself in            
imperishable marble4 ,and this          
conclusion1 which is merely theoretical1
 is verified by fact3 for we remember no
 instance1 except in cases where poverty
 had overpowered pretension1 or decay   
had turned rejoicing into silence1 in   
which the lightness of the material was 
offensive to the feelings2 in all cases1
 it is agreeable to the eye4 ,where it  
is allowed to get worn1 and discolored1 
and broken1 it induces a wretched       
mockery of the dignified form which it  
preserves2 but1 as long as it is renewed
 at proper periods1 and watched over by 
the eye of its inhabitant1 it is an     
excellent and easily managed medium of  
effect4  #abi4 ,with all the praise1    
however1 which we have bestowed upon it1
 we do not say that the villa of the    

,larian ,lake is perfection2 indeed we  
cannot say so1 until we have compared it
 with a few other instances1 chiefly to 
be found in ,italy1 on whose soil we    
delay1 as being the native country of   
the villa1 properly so-called1 and as   
ever yet being almost the only spot of  
,europe where any good specimens of it  
are to be found2 for we do not          
understand by the term villa a cubic    
erection1 with one window on each side  
of a verdant door1 and three on the     
second and uppermost story1 such as the 
word suggests to the fertile imagination
 of ruralizing cheesemongers2 neither do
 we understand the quiet and            
unpretending country house of a         
respectable gentleman2 neither do we    
understand such a magnificent mass of   
hereditary stone as generally forms the 
autumn retreat of an ,english noble2 but
 we understand the light but elaborate  
summer habitation1 raised however and   
wherever it pleases his fancy1 by some  
individual of great wealth and          

influence1 who can enrich it with every 
attribute of beauty2 furnish it with    
every appurtenance of pleasure2 and     
repose in it with the dignity of a mind 
trained to exertion or authority4 ,such 
a building could not exist in ,greece1  
where every district a mile and a       
quarter square was quarreling with all  
its neighbors4 ,it could exist1 and did 
exist1 in ,italy1 where the ,roman power
 secured tranquillity1 and the ,roman   
constitution distributed its authority  
among a great number of individuals1 on 
whom1 while it raised them to a position
 of great influence1 and1 in its later  
times1 of wealth1 it did not bestow the 
power of raising palaces or private     
fortresses4 ,the villa was their        
peculiar habitation1 their only         
resource1 and a most agreeable one2     
because the multitudes of the kingdom   
being1 for a long period1 confined to a 
narrow territory1 though ruling the     
world1 rendered the population of the   
city so dense1 as to drive out its      

higher ranks to the neighboring hamlets 
of ,tibur and ,tusculum4  #acj4 ,in     
other districts of ,europe the villa is 
not found1 because in very perfect      
monarchies1 as in ,austria1 the power is
 thrown chiefly into the hands of a few1
 who build themselves palaces1 not      
villas2 and in perfect republics1 as in 
,switzerland1 the power is so split     
among the multitude1 that nobody can    
build himself anything4 ,in general1 in 
kingdoms of great extent1 the country   
house becomes the permanent and         
hereditary habitation2 and the villas   
are all crowded together1 and form      
gingerbread rows in the environs of the 
capital2 and1 in ,france and ,germany1  
the excessively disturbed state of      
affairs in the ,middle ,ages compelled  
every baron or noble to defend himself1 
and retaliate on his neighbors as he    
best could1 till the villa was lost in  
the chteau and the fortress2 and men now
 continue to build as their forefathers 
built 7and long may they do so71        

surrounding the domicile of pleasure    
with a moat and a glacis1 and guarding  
its garret windows with turrets and     
towers3 while1 in ,england1 the nobles1 
comparatively few1 and of great power1  
inhabit palaces1 not villas2 and the    
rest of the population is chiefly       
crowded into cities1 in the activity of 
commerce1 or dispersed over estates in  
that of agriculture2 leaving only one   
grade of gentry1 who have neither the   
taste to desire1 nor the power to erect1
 the villa1 properly so-called4  #aca4  
,we must not1 therefore1 be surprised   
if1 on leaving ,italy1 where the crowd  
of poverty-stricken nobility can still  
repose their pride in the true villa1 we
 find no farther examples of it worthy  
of consideration2 though we hope to have
 far greater pleasure in contemplating  
its substitutes1 the chteau and the     
fortress4 ,we must be excused1          
therefore1 for devoting one paper more  
to the state of villa architecture in   
,italy2 after which we shall endeavor to

 apply the principles we shall have     
deduced to the correction of some abuses
 in the erection of ,english country    
houses1 in cases where scenery would    
demand beauty of design and wealth      
permit finish of decoration4     ,,iii4 
,,the ,,italian ,,villa 7,concluded74   
#acb4 ,we do not think there is any     
truth in the aphorism1 now so frequently
 advanced in ,england1 that the         
adaptation of shelter to the corporal   
comfort of the human race is the        
original and true end of the art of     
architecture1 properly so-called3 for1  
were such the case1 he would be the most
 distinguished architect who was best   
acquainted with the properties of       
cement1 with the nature of stone1 and   
the various durability of wood4 ,that   
such knowledge is necessary to the      
perfect architect we do not deny2 but it
 is no more the end and purpose of his  
application1 than a knowledge of the    
alphabet is the object of the refined   
scholar1 or of rhythm of the inspired   

poet4  #acc4 ,for1 supposing that we    
were for a moment to consider that we   
built a house merely to be lived in1 and
 that the whole bent of our invention1  
in raising the edifice1 is to be        
directed to the provision of comfort for
 the life to be spent therein2 supposing
 that we build it with the most perfect 
dryness and coolness of cellar1 the most
 luxurious appurtenances of pantry2 that
 we build our walls with the most       
compacted strength of material1 the most
 studied economy of space2 that we leave
 not a chink in the floor for a breath  
of wind to pass through1 not a hinge in 
the door1 which1 by any possible        
exertion of its irritable muscles1 could
 creak2 that we elevate our chambers    
into exquisite coolness1 furnish them   
with every attention to the maintenance 
of general health1 as well as the       
prevention of present inconvenience3 to 
do all this1 we must be possessed of    
great knowledge and various skill2 let  
this knowledge and skill be applied with

 the greatest energy1 and what have they
 done8 ,exactly as much as brute animals
 can do by mere instinct2 nothing more  
than bees and beavers1 moles and        
magpies1 ants and earwigs1 do every day 
of their lives1 without the slightest   
effort of reason2 we have made ourselves
 superior as architects to the most     
degraded animation of the universe1 only
 insomuch as we have lavished the       
highest efforts of intellect1 to do what
 they have done with the most limited   
sensations that can constitute life4    
#acd4 ,the mere preparation of          
convenience1 therefore1 is not          
architecture in which man can take      
pride1 or ought to take delight2#ba but 
the high and ennobling art of           
architecture is that of giving to       
buildings1 whose parts are determined by
 necessity1 such forms and colors as    
shall delight the mind1 by preparing it 
for the operations to which it is to be 
subjected in the building3 and thus1 as 
it is altogether to the mind that the   

work of the architect is addressed1 it  
is not as a part of his art1 but as a   
limitation of its extent1 that he must  
be acquainted with the minor principles 
of the economy of domestic erections4   
,for this reason1 though we shall notice
 every class of edifice1 it does not    
come within our proposed plan1 to enter 
into any detailed consideration of the  
inferior buildings of each class1 which 
afford no scope for the play of the     
imagination by their nature or size2 but
 we shall generally select the most     
perfect and beautiful examples1 as those
 in which alone the architect has the   
power of fulfilling the high purposes of
 his art4 ,in the villa1 however1 some  
exception must be made1 inasmuch as it  
will be useful1 and perhaps interesting1
 to arrive at some fixed conclusions    
respecting the modern buildings1        
improperly called villas1 raised by     
moderate wealth1 and of limited size1 in
 which the architect is compelled to    
produce his effect without extent or    

decoration4 ,the principles which we    
have hitherto arrived at1 deduced as    
they are from edifices of the noblest   
character1 will be but of little use to 
a country gentleman1 about to insinuate 
himself and his habitation into a quiet 
corner of our lovely country2 and1      
therefore1 we must glance at the more   
humble homes of the ,italian1           
preparatory to the consideration of what
 will best suit our own less elevated   
scenery4  ,footnote #ba3 ,compare ,the  
,seven ,lamps of ,architecture1 chap4 i4
  #a4  #ace4 ,first1 then1 we lose the  
terraced approach1 or1 at least1 its    
size and splendor1 as these require     
great wealth to erect them1 and         
perpetual expense to preserve them4 ,for
 the chain of terraces we find          
substituted a simple garden1 somewhat   
formally laid out2 but redeemed from the
 charge of meanness by the nobility and 
size attained by most of its trees2 the 
line of immense cypresses which         
generally surrounds it in part1 and the 

luxuriance of the vegetation of its     
flowering shrubs4 ,it has frequently a  
large entrance gate1 well designed1 but 
carelessly executed2 sometimes          
singularly adorned with fragments of    
ancient sculpture1 regularly introduced1
 which the spectator partly laments1 as 
preserved in a mode so incongruous with 
their ancient meaning1 and partly       
rejoices over1 as preserved at all4 ,the
 grottoes of the superior garden are    
here replaced by light ranges of arched 
summerhouses1 designed in stucco1 and   
occasionally adorned in their interior  
with fresco paintings of considerable   
brightness and beauty4  #acf4 ,all this1
 however1 has very little effect in     
introducing the eye to the villa itself1
 owing to the general want of inequality
 of level in the ground1 so that the    
main building becomes an independent    
feature1 instead of forming the apex of 
a mass of various architecture4         
,consequently1 the weight of form which 
in the former case it might1 and even   

ought to1 possess1 would here be        
cumbrous1 ugly1 and improper2 and       
accordingly we find it got rid of4 ,this
 is done1 first by the addition of the  
square tower1 a feature which is not    
allowed to break in upon the symmetry of
 buildings of high architectural        
pretensions2 but is immediately         
introduced1 whenever less richness of   
detail1 or variety of approach1 demands 
or admits of irregularity of form4 ,it  
is a constant and most important feature
 in ,italian landscape2 sometimes high  
and apparently detached1 as when it     
belongs to sacred edifices2 sometimes   
low and strong1 united with the mass of 
the fortress1 or varying the form of the
 villa4 ,it is always simple in its     
design1 flat-roofed1 its corners being  
turned by very slightly projecting      
pilasters1 which are carried up the     
whole height of the tower1 whatever it  
may be1 without any regard to           
proportion1 terminating in two arches on
 each side1 in the villa most frequently

 filled up1 though their curve is still 
distinguished by darker tint and slight 
relief4 ,two black holes on each side1  
near the top1 are very often the only   
entrances by which light or sun can     
penetrate4 ,these are seldom actually   
large1 always proportionably small1 and 
destitute of ornament or relief4  #acg4 
,the forms of the villas to which these 
towers are attached are straggling1 and 
varied by many crossing masses2 but the 
great principle of simplicity is always 
kept in view2 everything is square1 and 
terminated by parallel lines2 no tall   
chimneys1 no conical roofs1 no fantastic
 ornaments are ever admitted3 the arch  
alone is allowed to relieve the         
stiffness of the general effect4 ,this  
is introduced frequently1 but not in the
 windows1 which are either squares or   
double squares1 at great distances from 
each other1 set deeply into the walls   
and only adorned with broad flat        
borders4 ,where more light is required  
they are set moderately close1 and      

protected by an outer line of arches1   
deep enough to keep the noonday sun from
 entering the rooms4 ,these lines of    
arches cast soft shadows along the      
bright fronts1 and are otherwise of     
great value4 ,their effect is pretty    
well seen in fig4 #aj2 a piece which1   
while it has no distinguished beauty is 
yet pleasing by its entire simplicity2  
and peculiarly so1 when we know that    
simplicity to have been chosen 7some    
say1 built7 for its last and lonely     
habitation1 by a mind of softest passion
 as of purest thought2 and to have      
sheltered its silent old age among the  
blue and quiet hills1 till it passed    
away like a deep lost melody from the   
earth1 leaving a light of peace about   
the gray tomb at which the steps of     
those who pass by always falter1 and    
around this deserted1 and decaying1 and 
calm habitation of the thoughts of the  
departed2 ,petrarch's1 at ,arqu4 ,a more
 familiar instance of the application of
 these arches is the ,villa of ,mecnas  

at ,tivoli1 though it is improperly     
styled a villa1 being pretty well known 
to have been nothing but stables4  #ach4
 ,the buttress is the only remaining    
point worthy of notice4 ,it prevails to 
a considerable extent among the villas  
of the south1 being always broad and    
tall1 and occasionally so frequent as to
 give the building1 viewed laterally1 a 
pyramidal and cumbrous effect4 ,the most
 usual form is that of a simple sloped  
mass1 terminating in the wall1 without  
the slightest finishing1 and rising at  
an angle of about #hd4 ,sometimes it is 
perpendicular1 sloped at the top into   
the wall2 but it never has steps of     
increasing projection as it goes down4  
,by observing the occurrence of these   
buttresses1 an architect1 who knew      
nothing of geology1 might accurately    
determine the points of most energetic  
volcanic action in ,italy2 for their use
 is to protect the building from the    
injuries of earthquakes1 the ,italian   
having far too much good taste to use   

them1 except in cases of extreme        
necessity4 ,thus1 they are never found  
in ,north ,italy1 even in the           
fortresses4 ,they begin to occur among  
the ,apennines1 south of ,florence2 they
 become more and more frequent and massy
 towards ,rome2 in the neighborhood of  
,naples they are huge and multitudinous1
 even the walls themselves being        
sometimes sloped2 and the same state of 
things continues as we go south1 on the 
coast of ,calabria and ,sicily4  #aci4  
,now1 these buttresses present one of   
the most extraordinary and striking     
instances of the beauty of adaptation of
 style to locality and peculiarity of   
circumstance1 that can be met with in   
the whole range of architectural        
investigation4 ,taken in the abstract1  
they are utterly detestable1 formal1    
clumsy1 and apparently unnecessary4     
,their builder thinks so himself3 he    
hates them as things to be looked at1   
though he erects them as things to be   
depended upon4 ,he has no idea that     

there is any propriety in their         
presence1 though he knows perfectly well
 that there is a great deal of          
necessity2 and1 therefore he builds     
them4 ,where8 ,on rocks whose sides are 
one mass of buttresses1 of precisely the
 same form2 on rocks which are cut and  
cloven by basalt and lava dikes of every
 size1 and which1 being themselves      
secondary1 wear away gradually by       
exposure to the atmosphere1 leaving the 
intersecting dikes standing out in solid
 and vertical walls1 from the faces of  
their precipices4 ,the eye passes over  
heaps of scori and sloping banks of     
ashes1 over the huge ruins of more      
ancient masses1 till it trembles for the
 fate of the crags still standing round2
 but it finds them ribbed with basalt   
like bones1 buttressed with a thousand  
lava walls1 propped upon pedestals and  
pyramids of iron1 which the pant and the
 pulse of the earthquake itself can     
scarcely move1 for they are its own     
work2 it climbs up to their summits1 and

 there it finds the work of man2 but it 
is no puny domicile1 no eggshell        
imagination1 it is in a continuation of 
the mountain itself1 inclined at the    
same slope1 ribbed in the same manner1  
protected by the same means against the 
same danger2 not1 indeed1 filling the   
eye with delight1 but1 which is of more 
importance1 freeing it from fear1 and   
beautifully corresponding with the      
prevalent lines around it1 which a less 
massive form would have rendered1 in    
some cases1 particularly about ,etna1   
even ghastly4 ,even in the long and     
luxuriant views from ,capo di ,monte1   
and the heights to the east of ,naples1 
the spectator looks over a series of    
volcanic eminences1 generally1 indeed1  
covered with rich verdure1 but starting 
out here and there in gray and worn     
walls1 fixed at a regular slope1 and    
breaking away into masses more and more 
rugged towards ,vesuvius1 till the eye  
gets thoroughly habituated to their     
fortress-like outlines4  ,illustration3 

,fig4 #aj4 ,petrarch's ,villa2          
,arqu4--#ahcg4  #adj4 ,throughout the   
whole of this broken country1 and1 on   
the summits of these volcanic cones1    
rise innumerable villas2 but they do not
 offend us1 as we should have expected1 
by their attestation of cheerfulness of 
life amidst the wrecks left by          
destructive operation1 nor hurt the eye 
by non-assimilation with the immediate  
features of the landscape3 but they seem
 to rise prepared and adapted for       
resistance to1 and endurance of1 the    
circumstances of their position2 to be  
inhabited by beings of energy and force 
sufficient to decree and to carry on a  
steady struggle with opposing elements1 
and of taste and feeling sufficient to  
proportion the form of the walls of men 
to the clefts in the flanks of the      
volcano1 and to prevent the exultation  
and the lightness of transitory life    
from startling1 like a mockery1 the     
eternal remains of disguised desolation4
  #ada4 ,we have always considered these

 circumstances as most remarkable proofs
 of the perfect dependence of           
architecture on its situation1 and of   
the utter impossibility of judging of   
the beauty of any building in the       
abstract3 and we would also lay much    
stress upon them1 as showing with what  
boldness the designer may introduce into
 his building1 undisguised1 such parts  
as local circumstances render desirable2
 for there will invariably be something 
in the nature of that which causes their
 necessity1 which will endow them with  
beauty4  #adb4 ,these1 then1 are the    
principal features of the ,italian      
villa1 modifications of which1 of course
 more or less dignified in size1        
material or decoration1 in proportion to
 the power and possessions of their     
proprietor1 may be considered as        
composing every building of that class  
in ,italy4 ,a few remarks on their      
general effect will enable us to        
conclude the subject4  #adc4 ,we have   
been so long accustomed to see the      

horizontal lines and simple forms which1
 as we have observed1 still prevail     
among the ,ausonian villas1 used with   
the greatest dexterity1 and the noblest 
effect1 in the compositions of ,claude1 
,salvator1 and ,poussin--and so         
habituated to consider these            
compositions as perfect models of the   
beautiful1 as well as the pure in       
taste--that it is difficult to divest   
ourselves of prejudice1 in the          
contemplation of the sources from which 
those masters received their education1 
their feelings1 and their subjects4 ,we 
would hope1 however1 and we think it may
 be proved1 that in this case principle 
assists and encourages prejudice4       
,first1 referring only to the           
gratification afforded to the eye1 which
 we know to depend upon fixed           
mathematical principles1 though those   
principles are not always developed1 it 
is to be observed1 that country is      
always most beautiful when it is made up
 of curves1 and that one of the chief   

characters of ,ausonian landscape is the
 perfection of its curvatures1 induced  
by the gradual undulation of            
promontories into the plains4 ,in       
suiting architecture to such a country1 
that building which least interrupts the
 curve on which it is placed will be    
felt to be most delightful to the eye4  
,illustration3 ,fig4 #aa4 ,broken       
,curves4  #add4 ,let us take then the   
simple form a b c d1 interrupting the   
curve c e fig4 #aa1 ,a4 ,now1 the eye   
will always continue the principal lines
 of such an object for itself1 until    
they cut the main curve2 that is1 it    
will carry on a b to e1 and the total   
effect of the interruption will be that 
of the form c d e4 ,had the line b d    
been nearer to a c1 the effect would    
have been just the same4 ,now1 every    
curve may be considered as composed of  
an infinite number of lines at right    
angles to each other1 as m n is made up 
of o p1 p q1 etc41 7fig4 ,b71 whose     
ratio to each other varies with the     

direction of the curve4 ,then1 if the   
right lines which form the curve at c   
7fig4 ,a7 be increased1 we have the     
figure c d e1 that is1 the apparent     
interruption of the curve is an         
increased part of the curve itself4 ,to 
the mathematical reader we can explain  
our meaning more clearly1 by pointing   
out that1 taking c for our origin1 we   
have a c1 a e1 for the co-ordinates of  
e1 and that1 therefore1 their ratio is  
the equation to the curve4 ,whence it   
appears1 that1 when any curve is broken 
in upon by a building composed of simple
 vertical and horizontal lines1 the eye 
is furnished1 by the interruption1 with 
the equation to that part of the curve  
which is interrupted4 ,if1 instead of   
square forms1 we take obliquity1 as r s 
t 7fig4 ,c71 we have one line1 s t1 an  
absolute break1 and the other r s1 in   
false proportion4 ,if we take another   
curve1 we have an infinite number of    
lines1 only two of which are where they 
ought to be4 ,and this is the true      

reason for the constant introduction of 
features which appear to be somewhat    
formal1 into the most perfect           
imaginations of the old masters1 and the
 true cause of the extreme beauty of the
 groups formed by ,italian villages in  
general4  #ade4 ,thus much for the mere 
effect on the eye4 ,of correspondence   
with national character1 we have shown  
that we must not be disappointed1 if we 
find little in the villa4 ,the          
unfrequency of windows in the body of   
the building is partly attributed to the
 climate2 but the total exclusion of    
light from some parts1 as the base of   
the central tower1 carries our thoughts 
back to the ancient system of ,italian  
life1 when every man's home had its     
dark1 secret places1 the abodes of his  
worst passions2 whose shadows were alone
 intrusted with the motion of his       
thoughts2 whose walls became the whited 
sepulchers of crime2 whose echoes were  
never stirred except by such words as   
they dared not repeat2#bb from which the

 rod of power1 or the dagger of passion1
 came forth invisible2 before whose     
stillness princes grew pale1 as their   
fates were prophesied or fulfilled by   
the horoscope or the hemlock2 and       
nations1 as the whisper of anarchy or of
 heresy was avenged by the opening of   
the low doors1 through which those who  
entered returned not4  ,footnote #bb3   
,shelley has caught the feeling         
finely3--,the house is penetrated to its
 corners by the peeping insolence of the
 day4 ,when the time comes the crickets 
shall not see me4--,cenci ,act ,,ii4    
scene ,i1 quoted from memory4  #adf4    
,the mind of the ,italian1 sweet and    
smiling in its operations1 deep and     
silent in its emotions1 was thus1 in    
some degree1 typified by those abodes   
into which he was wont to retire from   
the tumult and wrath of life1 to cherish
 or to gratify the passions which its   
struggles had excited2 abodes which now 
gleam brightly and purely among the     
azure mountains1 and by the sapphire    

sea1 but whose stones are dropped with  
blood2 whose vaults are black with the  
memory of guilt and grief unpunished and
 unavenged1 and by whose walls the      
traveler hastens fearfully1 when the sun
 has set1 lest he should hear1 awakening
 again through the horror of their      
chambers1 the faint wail of the children
 of ,ugolino1#bc the ominous alarm of   
,bonatti1 or the long low cry of her who
 perished at ,coll' ,alto4  ,,oxford1   
,july1 #ahch4  ,footnote #bc3 ,ugolino2 
,dante1 ,inferno xxxiii4 ,guido         
,bonatti1 the astrologer of ,forli1     
,inferno xx41 #aah4 ,the lady who       
perished at ,coll' ,alto1 i4e4 the      
higher part of ,colle de ,val d',elsa1  
between ,siena and ,volterra--was       
,sapia2 ,purgatorio1 xiii4 #ajj-aed4    
,,iv4  ,,the ,,lowland                  
,,villa--,,england4   #adg4 ,although1  
as we have frequently observed1 our     
chief object in these papers is1 to     
discover the connection existing between
 national architecture and character1   

and therefore is one leading us rather  
to the investigation of what is1 than of
 what ought to be1 we yet consider that 
the subject would be imperfectly        
treated1 if we did not1 at the          
conclusion of the consideration of each 
particular rank of building1 endeavor to
 apply such principles as may have been 
demonstrated to the architecture of our 
country1 and to discover the beau idal  
of ,english character1 which should be  
preserved through all the decorations   
which the builder may desire1 and       
through every variety which fancy may   
suggest4 ,there never was1 and never can
 be1 a universal beau idal in           
architecture1 and the arrival at all    
local models of beauty would be the task
 of ages2 but we can always1 in some    
degree1 determine those of our own      
lovely country4 ,we cannot1 however1 in 
the present case1 pass from the         
contemplation of the villa of a totally 
different climate1 to the investigation 
of what is beautiful here1 without the  

slightest reference to styles now or    
formerly adopted for our own villas1 if 
such they are to be called2 and         
therefore it will be necessary to devote
 a short time to the observance of the  
peculiarities of such styles1 if we     
possess them2 or1 if not1 of the causes 
of their absence4  #adh4 ,we have       
therefore headed this paper ,the ,villa1
 ,england2 awakening1 without doubt1 a  
different idea in the mind of every one 
who reads the words4 ,some1 accustomed  
to the appearance of metropolitan       
villas1 will think of brick buildings1  
with infinite appurtenances of black    
nicked chimney-pots1 and plastered      
fronts1 agreeably varied with graceful  
cracks1 and undulatory shades of pink1  
brown1 and green1 communicated to the   
cement by smoky showers4 ,others will   
imagine large1 square1 many-windowed    
masses of white1 set with careful choice
 of situation exactly where they will   
spoil the landscape to such a           
conspicuous degree1 as to compel the    

gentlemen traveling on the outside of   
the mail to inquire of the guard1 with  
great eagerness1 whose place that is2   
and to enable the guard to reply with   
great distinctness1 that it belongs to  
,squire ----1 to the infinite           
gratification of ,squire ----1 and the  
still more infinite edification of the  
gentlemen on the outside of the mail4   
,others will remember masses of very red
 brick1 quoined with stone2 with        
columnar porticoes1 about one-third of  
the height of the building1 and two     
niches1 with remarkable looking heads   
and bag-wigs in them1 on each side2 and 
two teapots1 with a pocket-handkerchief 
hanging over each 7described to the     
astonished spectator as ,grecian urns7  
located upon the roof1 just under the   
chimneys4 ,others will go back to the   
range of ,elizabethan gables2 but none  
will have any idea of a fixed character1
 stamped on a class of national         
edifices4 ,this is very melancholy1 and 
very discouraging2 the more so1 as it is

 not without cause4  #adi4 ,in the first
 place1 ,britain unites in itself so    
many geological formations1 each giving 
a peculiar character to the country     
which it composes1 that there is hardly 
a district five miles broad1 which      
preserves the same features of landscape
 through its whole width4#bd ,if1 for   
example1 six foreigners were to land    
severally at ,glasgow1 at ,aberystwith1 
at ,falmouth1 at ,brighton1 at          
,yarmouth1 and at ,newcastle1 and to    
confine their investigations to the     
country within twenty miles of them1    
what different impressions would they   
receive of ,british landscape6 ,if1     
therefore1 there be as many forms of    
edifice as there are peculiarities of   
situation1 we can have no national      
style2 and if we abandon the idea of a  
correspondence with situation1 we lose  
the only criterion capable of forming a 
national style4#be  ,footnote #bd3      
,length is another thing3 we might      
divide ,england into strips of country1 

running southwest and northeast1 which  
would be composed of the same rock1 and 
therefore would present the same        
character throughout the whole of their 
length4 ,almost all our great roads cut 
these transversely1 and therefore seldom
 remain for ten miles together on the   
same beds4  ,footnote #be3 ,it is thus  
that we find the most perfect schools of
 architecture have arisen in districts  
whose character is unchanging4 ,looking 
to ,egypt first1 we find a climate      
inducing a perpetual state of heavy     
feverish excitement1 fostered by great  
magnificence of natural phenomena1 and  
increased by the general custom of      
exposing the head continually to the sun
 7,herodotus1 bk4 ,,iii4 chap4 #ab72 so 
that1 as in a dreaming fever we imagine 
distorted creatures and countenances    
moving and living in the quiet objects  
of the chamber1 the ,egyptian endowed   
all existence with distorted animation2 
turned dogs into deities1 and leeks into
 lightning-darters2 then gradually      

invested the blank granite with         
sculptured mystery1 designed in         
superstition1 and adored in disease2 and
 then such masses of architecture arose 
as1 in delirium1 we feel crushing down  
upon us with eternal weight1 and see    
extending far into the blackness above2 
huge and shapeless columns of colossal  
life2 immense and immeasurable avenues  
of mountain stone4 ,this was a          
perfect--that is1 a marked1 enduring1   
and decided school of architecture1     
induced by an unchanging and peculiar   
character of climate4 ,then in the purer
 air1 and among the more refined        
energies of ,greece1 architecture rose  
into a more studied beauty1 equally     
perfect in its school1 because fostered 
in a district not #ej miles square1 and 
in its dependent isles and colonies1 all
 of which were under the same air1 and  
partook of the same features of         
landscape4 ,in ,rome1 it became less    
perfect1 because more imitative than    
indigenous1 and corrupted by the        

traveling1 and conquering1 and stealing 
ambition of the ,roman2 yet still a     
school of architecture1 because the     
whole of ,italy presented the same      
peculiarities of scene4 ,so with the    
,spanish and ,moresco schools1 and many 
others2 passing over the ,gothic1 which1
 though we hope hereafter to show it to 
be no exception to the rule1 involves   
too many complicated questions to be now
 brought forward as a proof of it4  ,the
 comparison of ,egyptian architecture   
with delirious visions seems to be an   
allusion to ,de ,quincey's passage in   
,the ,pains of ,opium--the last paper in
 the ,confessions of an                 
,opium-,eater--where1 after describing  
,piranesi's ,dreams1 he tells how he    
fancied he was buried for a thousand    
years1 in stone coffins1 with mummies   
and sphinxes1 in narrow chambers at the 
heart of eternal pyramids1 etc4  #aej4  
,another cause to be noticed is the     
peculiar independence of the            
,englishman's disposition2 a feeling    

which prompts him to suit his own humor1
 rather than fall in with the prevailing
 cast of social sentiment1 or of natural
 beauty and expression2 and which1      
therefore1--there being much obstinate  
originality in his mind1--produces      
strange varieties of dwelling1          
frequently rendered still more          
preposterous by his love of display2 a  
love universally felt in ,england1 and  
often absurdly indulged4 ,wealth is     
worshiped in ,france as the means of    
purchasing pleasure2 in ,italy1 as an   
instrument of power2 in ,england1 as the
 means of showing off4 ,it would be a   
very great sacrifice indeed1 in an      
,englishman of the average stamp1 to put
 his villa out of the way1 where nobody 
would ever see it1 or think of him2 it  
is his ambition to hear every one       
exclaiming1 ,what a pretty place6 whose 
can it be8 ,and he cares very little    
about the peace which he has disturbed1 
or the repose which he has interrupted2 
though1 even while he thus pushes       

himself into the way1 he keeps an air of
 sulky retirement1 of hedgehog          
independence1 about his house1 which    
takes away any idea of sociability or   
good-humor1 which might otherwise have  
been suggested by his choice of         
situation4  #aea4 ,but1 in spite of all 
these unfortunate circumstances1 there  
are some distinctive features in our    
,english country houses1 which are well 
worth a little attention4 ,first1 in the
 approach1 we have one component part of
 effect1 which may be called peculiarly 
our own1 and which requires much study  
before it can be managed well1--the     
avenue4 ,it is true that we meet with   
noble lines of timber trees cresting    
some of the larger bastions of          
,continental fortified cities2 we see   
interminable regiments of mistletoed    
apple trees flanking the carriage road2 
and occasionally we approach a turreted 
chteau#bf by a broad way1 edged with    
poplar pale4 ,but1 allowing all this1   
the legitimate glory of the perfect     

avenue is ours still1 as will appear by 
a little consideration of the elements  
which constitute its beauty4  ,footnote 
#bf3 ,or a city4 ,any one who remembers 
entering ,carlsruhe from the north by   
the two miles of poplar avenue1         
remembers entering the most soulless of 
all cities1 by the most lifeless of all 
entrances4  #aeb4 ,the original idea was
 given by the opening of the tangled    
glades in our most ancient forests4 ,it 
is rather a curious circumstance that1  
in those woods whose decay has been most
 instrumental in forming the bog        
districts of ,ireland1 the trees have1  
in general1 been planted in symmetrical 
rows1 at distances of about twenty feet 
apart4 ,if the arrangement of our later 
woods be not quite so formal1 they at   
least present frequent openings1        
carpeted with green sward1 and edged    
with various foliage1 which the         
architect 7for so may the designer of   
the avenue be entitled7 should do little
 more than reduce to symmetry and place 

in position1 preserving1 as much as     
possible1 the manner and the proportions
 of nature4 ,the avenue1 therefore1 must
 not be too long4 ,it is quite a mistake
 to suppose that there is sublimity in a
 monotonous length of line1 unless      
indeed it be carried to an extent       
generally impossible1 as in the case of 
the long walk at ,windsor4 ,from three  
to four hundred yards is a length which 
will display the elevation well1 and    
will not become tiresome from continued 
monotony4 ,the kind of tree must1 of    
course1 be regulated by circumstances2  
but the foliage must be unequally       
disposed1 so as to let in passages of   
light across the path1 and cause the    
motion of any object across it to       
change1 like an undulating melody1 from 
darkness to light4 ,it should meet at   
the top1 so as to cause twilight1 but   
not obscurity2 and the idea of a vaulted
 roof1 without rigidity4 ,the ground    
should be green1 so that the sunlight   
may tell with force wherever it strikes4

 ,now1 this kind of rich and shadowy    
vista is found in its perfection only in
 ,england3 it is an attribute of green  
country2 it is associated with all our  
memories of forest freedom1 of our      
wood-rangers1 and yeomen with the       
doublets of the ,lincoln green2 with our
 pride of ancient archers1 whose art was
 fostered in such long and breezeless   
glades2 with our thoughts of the merry  
chases of our kingly companies1 when the
 dewy antlers sparkled down the         
intertwined paths of the windless woods1
 at the morning echo of the hunter's    
horn2 with all1 in fact1 that once      
contributed to give our land its ancient
 name of merry ,england2 a name which1  
in this age of steam and iron1 it will  
have some difficulty in keeping4  #aec4 
,this1 then1 is the first feature we    
would direct attention to1 as           
characteristic1 in the ,english villa3  
and be it remembered1 that we are not   
speaking of the immense lines of foliage
 which guide the eye to some of our     

,english palaces1 for those are rather  
the adjuncts of the park than the       
approach to the building2 but of the    
more laconic avenue1 with the two       
crested columns and the iron gate at its
 entrance1 leading the eye1 in the space
 of a hundred yards or so1 to the gables
 of its gray mansion4 ,a good instance  
of this approach may be found at        
,petersham1 by following the right side 
of the ,thames for about half a mile    
from ,richmond ,hill2 though the house1 
which1 in this case1 is approached by a 
noble avenue1 is much to be reprehended1
 as a bad mixture of imitation of the   
,italian with corrupt ,elizabethan2     
though it is somewhat instructive1 as   
showing the ridiculous effect of statues
 out of doors in a climate like ours4   
#aed4 ,and now that we have pointed out 
the kind of approach most peculiarly    
,english1 that approach will guide us to
 the only style of villa architecture   
which can be called ,english1--the      
,elizabethan1 and its varieties1--a     

style fantastic in its details1 and     
capable of being subjected to no rule1  
but1 as we think1 well adapted for the  
scenery in which it arose4 ,we allude   
not only to the pure ,elizabethan1 but  
even to the strange mixtures of         
classical ornaments with ,gothic forms1 
which we find prevailing in the         
sixteenth century4 ,in the most simple  
form1 we have a building extending round
 three sides of a court1 and1 in the    
larger halls1 round several interior    
courts1 terminating in sharply gabled   
fronts1 with broad oriels1 divided into 
very narrow lights by channeled         
mullions1 without decoration of any     
kind2 the roof relieved by projecting   
dormer windows1 whose lights are        
generally divided into three1           
terminating in very flat arches without 
cusps1 the intermediate edge of the roof
 being battlemented4 ,then we find      
wreaths of ornament introduced at the   
base of the oriels2#bg ranges of short  
columns1 the base of one upon the       

capital of another1 running up beside   
them2 the bases being very tall1        
sometimes decorated with knots of       
flower-work2 the columns usually        
fluted1--wreathed1 in richer examples1  
with ornament4 ,the entrance is         
frequently formed by double ranges of   
those short columns1 with intermediate  
arches1 with shell canopies1 and rich   
crests above4#bh ,this portico is       
carried up to some height above the     
roof1 which is charged with an infinite 
variety of decorated chimneys4          
,footnote #bg3 ,as in a beautiful       
example in ,brasenose ,college1 ,oxford4
  ,footnote #bh3 ,the portico of the old
 ,schools and the inner courts of       
,merton and ,st4 ,john's ,colleges1     
,oxford2 an old house at ,charlton1     
,kent2 and ,burleigh ,house1 will       
probably occur to the mind of the       
architect1 as good examples of the      
varieties of this mixed style4  #aee4   
,now1 all this is utterly barbarous as  
architecture2 but1 with the exception of

 the chimneys1 it is not false in taste2
 for it was originally intended for     
retired and quiet habitations in our    
forest country1 not for conspicuous     
palaces in the streets of the city2 and 
we have shown1 in speaking of green     
country1 that the eye is gratified#bi   
with fantastic details2 that it is      
prepared1 by the mingled lights of the  
natural scenery1 for rich and entangled 
ornament1 and would not only endure1 but
 demand1 irregularity of system in the  
architecture of man1 to correspond with 
the infinite variety of form in the wood
 architecture of nature4 ,few surprises 
can be imagined more delightful than the
 breaking out of one of these rich      
gables1 with its decorated entrance1    
among the dark trunks and twinkling     
leaves of forest scenery4 ,such an      
effect is rudely given in fig4 #ab4 ,we 
would direct the attention chiefly to   
the following points in the building3-- 
,footnote #bi3 i4e4 when the spectator  
is surrounded by woodland scenery4 ,vide

 ante1  #hh4  #aef4 ,first1 it is a     
humorist1 an odd1 twisted1 independent  
being1 with a great deal of mixed1      
obstinate1 and occasionally absurd      
originality4 ,it has one or two graceful
 lines about it1 and several harsh and  
cutting ones2 it is a whole1 which would
 allow of no unison with any other      
architecture2 it is gathered in itself1 
and would look very ugly indeed1 if     
pieces in a purer style of building were
 added4 ,all this corresponds with      
points of ,english character1 with its  
humors1 its independency1 and its horror
 of being put out of its own way4  #aeg4
 ,again1 it is a thoroughly domestic    
building1 homely and cottage-like in its
 prevailing forms1 awakening no elevated
 ideas1 assuming no nobility of form4   
,it has none of the pride1 or the grace 
of beauty1 none of the dignity of       
delight which we found in the villa of  
,italy2 but it is a habitation of       
everyday life1 a protection from        
momentary inconvenience1 covered with   

stiff efforts at decoration1 and exactly
 typical of the mind of its inhabitant3 
not noble in its taste1 not haughty in  
its recreation1 not pure in its         
perception of beauty2 but domestic in   
its pleasures1 fond of matter-of-fact   
rather than of imagination1 yet         
sparkling occasionally with odd wit and 
grotesque association4 ,the ,italian    
obtains his beauty1 as his recreation1  
with quietness1 with few and noble      
lines1 with great seriousness and depth 
of thought1 with very rare interruptions
 to the simple train of feeling4 ,but   
the ,englishman's villa is full of      
effort3 it is a business with him to be 
playful1 an infinite labor to be        
ornamental3 he forces his amusement with
 fits of contrasted thought1 with       
mingling of minor touches of humor1 with
 a good deal of sulkiness1 but with no  
melancholy2 and therefore1 owing to this
 last adjunct1#cj the building1 in its  
original state1 cannot be called        
beautiful1 and we ought not to consider 

the effect of its present antiquity1    
evidence of which is1 as was before     
proved1 generally objectionable in a    
building devoted to pleasure1#ca and is 
only agreeable here1 because united with
 the memory of a departed pride4        
,footnote #cj3 ,namely the fact that    
there is no melancholy in the ,english  
play-impulse2 v4 ante1  #bc4  ,footnote 
#ca3 ,see  #aah seq4  #aeh4 ,again1 it  
is a lifelike building1 sparkling in its
 casements1 brisk in its air1 letting   
much light in at the walls and roof1 low
 and comfortable-looking in its door4   
,the ,italian's dwelling is much walled 
in1 letting out no secrets from the     
inside1 dreary and drowsy in its effect4
 ,just such is the difference between   
the minds of the inhabitants2 the one   
passing away in deep and dark reverie1  
the other quick and business-like1      
enjoying its everyday occupations1 and  
active in its ordinary engagements4     
#aei4 ,again1 it is a regularly planned1
 mechanical1 well-disciplined building2 

each of its parts answering to its      
opposite1 each of its ornaments matched 
with similarity4 ,the ,italian 7where it
 has no high pretense to architectural  
beauty7 is a rambling and irregular     
edifice1 varied with uncorresponding    
masses3 and the mind of the ,italian we 
find similarly irregular1 a thing of    
various and ungovernable impulse1       
without fixed principle of action2 the  
,englishman's1 regular and uniform in   
its emotions1 steady in its habits1 and 
firm even in its most trivial           
determinations4  #afj4 ,lastly1 the size
 of the whole is diminutive1 compared   
with the villas of the south1 in which  
the effect was always large and general4
 ,here the eye is drawn into the        
investigation of particular points1 and 
miniature details2 just as1 in comparing
 the ,english and ,continental cottages1
 we found the one characterized by a    
minute finish1 and the other by a       
massive effect1 exactly correspondent   
with the scale of the features and      

scenery of their respective localities4 
#afa4 ,it appears1 then1 from a         
consideration of these several points1  
that1 in our antiquated style of villa  
architecture1 some national feeling may 
be discovered2 but in any buildings now 
raised there is no character whatever3  
all is ridiculous imitation1 and        
despicable affectation2 and it is much  
to be lamented1 that now1 when a great  
deal of public attention has been       
directed to architecture on the part of 
the public1 more efforts are not made to
 turn that attention from mimicking     
,swiss chlets1 to erecting ,english     
houses4 ,we need not devote more time to
 the investigation of purely domestic   
,english architecture1 though we hope to
 derive much instruction and pleasure   
from the contemplation of buildings     
partly adapted for defense1 and partly  
for residence4 ,the introduction of the 
means of defense is1 however1 a         
distinction which we do not wish at     
present to pass over2 and therefore1 in 

our next paper1 we hope to conclude the 
subject of the villa1 by a few remarks  
on the style now best adapted for       
,english scenery4     ,v4  ,,the        
,,english ,,villa4--,,principles ,,of   
,,composition4   #afb4 ,it has lately   
become a custom1 among the more         
enlightened and refined of metropolitan 
shopkeepers1 to advocate the cause of   
propriety in architectural decoration1  
by ensconcing their shelves1 counters1  
and clerks in classical edifices1       
agreeably ornamented with ingenious     
devices1 typical of the class of        
articles to which the tradesman         
particularly desires to direct the      
public attention4 ,we find our grocers  
enshrined in temples whose columns are  
of canisters1 and whose pinnacles are of
 sugar-loaves4 ,our shoemakers shape    
their soles under ,gothic portals1 with 
pendants of shoes1 and canopies of      
,wellingtons2 and our cheesemongers     
will1 we doubt not1 soon follow the     
excellent example1 by raising shops the 

varied diameters of whose jointed       
columns1 in their address to the eye1   
shall awaken memories of ,staffa1       
,pstum1 and ,palmyra2 and in their      
address to the tongue1 shall arouse     
exquisite associations of remembered    
flavor1 ,dutch1 ,stilton1 and           
,strachino4  #afc4 ,now1 this fit of    
taste on the part of our tradesmen is   
only a coarse form of a disposition     
inherent in the human mind4 ,those      
objects to which the eye has been most  
frequently accustomed1 and among which  
the intellect has formed its habits of  
action1 and the soul its modes of       
emotion1 become agreeable to the        
thoughts1 from their correspondence with
 their prevailing cast1 especially when 
the business of life has had any        
relation to those objects2 for it is in 
the habitual and necessary occupation   
that the most painless hours of         
existence are passed3 whatever be the   
nature of that occupation1 the memories 
belonging to it will always be          

agreeable1 and1 therefore1 the objects  
awakening such memories will invariably 
be found beautiful1 whatever their      
character or form4  #afd4 ,it is thus   
that taste is the child and the slave of
 memory2 and beauty is tested1 not by   
any fixed standard1 but by the chances  
of association2 so that in every        
domestic building evidence will be found
 of the kind of life through which its  
owner has passed1 in the operation of   
the habits of mind which that life has  
induced4 ,from the superannuated        
coxswain1 who plants his old ship's     
figure-head in his six square feet of   
front garden at ,bermondsey1 to the     
retired noble1 the proud portal of whose
 mansion is surmounted by the broad     
shield and the crested gryphon1 we are  
all guided1 in our purest conceptions1  
our most ideal pursuit1 of the          
beautiful1 by remembrances of active    
occupation2 and by principles derived   
from industry regulate the fancies of   
our repose4  #afe4 ,it would be         

excessively interesting to follow out   
the investigation of this subject more  
fully1 and to show how the most refined 
pleasures1 the most delicate            
perceptions1 of the creature who has    
been appointed to eat bread by the sweat
 of his brow1 are dependent upon1 and   
intimately connected with1 his hours of 
labor4 ,this question1 however1 has no  
relation to our immediate object1 and we
 only allude to it1 that we may be able 
to distinguish between the two component
 parts of individual character2 the one 
being the consequence of continuous     
habits of life acting upon natural      
temperament and disposition1 the other  
being the humor of character1 consequent
 upon circumstances altogether          
accidental1 taking stern effect upon    
feelings previously determined by the   
first part of the character2 laying on1 
as it were1 the finishing touches1 and  
occasioning the innumerable prejudices1 
fancies1 and eccentricities1 which1     
modified in every individual to an      

infinite extent1 form the visible veil  
of the human heart4  #aff4 ,now1 we have
 defined the province of the architect  
to be1 that of selecting such forms and 
colors as shall delight the mind1 by    
preparing it for the operations to which
 it is to be subjected in the building4 
,now1 no forms1 in domestic             
architecture1 can thus prepare it more  
distinctly than those which correspond  
closely with the first1 that is1 the    
fixed and fundamental1 part of          
character1 which is always so uniform in
 its action1 as to induce great         
simplicity in whatever it designs4      
,nothing1 on the contrary1 can be more  
injurious than the slightest influence  
of the humors upon the edifice2 for the 
influence of what is fitful in its      
energy1 and petty in its imagination1   
would destroy all the harmony of parts1 
all the majesty of the whole2 would     
substitute singularity for beauty1      
amusement for delight1 and surprise for 
veneration4 ,we could name several      

instances of buildings erected by men of
 the highest talent1 and the most       
perfect general taste1 who yet1 not     
having paid much attention to the first 
principles of architecture1 permitted   
the humor of their disposition to       
prevail over the majesty of their       
intellect1 and1 instead of building from
 a fixed design1 gratified freak after  
freak1 and fancy after fancy1 as they   
were caught by the dream or the desire2 
mixed mimicries of incongruous reality  
with incorporations of undisciplined    
ideal2 awakened every variety of        
contending feeling and unconnected      
memory2 consummated confusion of form by
 trickery of detail2 and have left      
barbarism1 where half the world will    
look for loveliness4  #afg4 ,this is a  
species of error which it is very       
difficult for persons paying superficial
 and temporary attention to architecture
 to avoid3 however just their taste may 
be in criticism1 it will fail in        
creation4 ,it is only in moments of ease

 and amusement that they will think of  
their villa3 they make it a mere        
plaything1 and regard it with a kind of 
petty exultation1 which1 from its very  
nature1 will give liberty to the light  
fancy1 rather than the deep feeling1 of 
the mind4 ,it is not thought necessary  
to bestow labor of thought1 and periods 
of deliberation1 on one of the toys of  
life2 still less to undergo the vexation
 of thwarting wishes1 and leaving       
favorite imaginations1 relating to minor
 points1 unfulfilled1 for the sake of   
general effect4  #afh4 ,this feeling1   
then1 is the first to which we would    
direct attention1 as the villa          
architect's chief enemy3 he will find it
 perpetually and provokingly in his way4
 ,he is requested1 perhaps1 by a man of 
great wealth1 nay1 of established taste 
in some points1 to make a design for a  
villa in a lovely situation4 ,the future
 proprietor carries him upstairs to his 
study1 to give him what he calls his    
ideas and materials1 and1 in all        

probability1 begins somewhat            
thus3--,this1 sir1 is a slight note3 ,i 
made it on the spot3 approach to ,villa 
,reale1 near ,pozzuoli4 ,dancing nymphs1
 you perceive2 cypresses1 shell         
fountain4 ,i think ,i should like       
something like this for the approach3   
classical1 you perceive1 sir2 elegant1  
graceful4 ,then1 sir1 this is a sketch1 
made by an ,american friend of mine3    
,whee-whaw-,kantamaraw's wigwam1 ,king  
of the--,cannibal ,islands1 ,i think he 
said1 sir4 ,log1 you observe2 scalps1   
and boa-constrictor skins3 curious4     
,something like this1 sir1 would look   
neat1 ,i think1 for the front door2     
don't you8 ,then1 the lower windows1    
,i've not quite decided upon2 but what  
would you say to ,egyptian1 sir8 ,i     
think ,i should like my windows         
,egyptian1 with hieroglyphics1 sir2     
storks and coffins1 and appropriate     
moldings above3 ,i brought some from    
,fountains ,abbey the other day4 ,look  
here1 sir2 angels' heads putting their  

tongues out1 rolled up in cabbage       
leaves1 with a dragon on each side      
riding on a broomstick1 and the devil   
looking on from the mouth of an         
alligator1 sir4#cb ,odd1 ,i think2      
interesting4 ,then the corners may be   
turned by octagonal towers1 like the    
center one in ,kenilworth ,castle2 with 
,gothic doors1 portcullis1 and all1     
quite perfect2 with cross slits for     
arrows1 battlements for musketry1       
machicolations for boiling lead1 and a  
room at the top for drying plums2 and   
the conservatory at the bottom1 sir1    
with ,virginian creepers up the towers2 
door supported by sphinxes1 holding     
scrapers in their fore paws1 and having 
their tails prolonged into warm-water   
pipes1 to keep the plants safe in       
winter1 etc4 ,the architect is1 without 
doubt1 a little astonished by these     
ideas and combinations2 yet he sits     
calmly down to draw his elevations2 as  
if he were a stone-mason1 or his        
employer an architect2 and the fabric   

rises to electrify its beholders1 and   
confer immortality on its perpetrator4  
,footnote #cb3 ,actually carved on one  
of the groins of ,roslin ,chapel4       
,illustration3 ,fig4 #ab4 ,old ,english 
,mansion4 #ahcg4  #afi4 ,this is no     
exaggeration3 we have not only listened 
to speculations on the probable degree  
of the future majesty1 but contemplated 
the actual illustrious existence1 of    
several such buildings1 with sufficient 
beauty in the management of some of     
their features to show that an architect
 had superintended them1 and sufficient 
taste in their interior economy to prove
 that a refined intellect had projected 
them2 and had projected a ,vandalism1   
only because fancy had been followed    
instead of judgment2 with as much       
nonchalance as is evinced by a perfect  
poet1 who is extemporizing doggerel for 
a baby2 full of brilliant points1 which 
he cannot help1 and jumbled into        
confusion1 for which he does not care4  
#agj4 ,such are the first difficulties  

to be encountered in villa designs4     
,they must always continue to occur in  
some degree1 though they might be met   
with ease by a determination on the part
 of professional men to give no         
assistance whatever1 beyond the mere    
superintendence of construction1 unless 
they be permitted to take the whole     
exterior design into their own hands1   
merely receiving broad instructions     
respecting the style 7and not attending 
to them unless they like74 ,they should 
not make out the smallest detail1 unless
 they were answerable for the whole4 ,in
 this case1 gentlemen architects would  
be thrown so utterly on their own       
resources1 that1 unless those resources 
were adequate1 they would be obliged to 
surrender the task into more practiced  
hands2 and1 if they were adequate1 if   
the amateur had paid so much attention  
to the art as to be capable of giving   
the design perfectly1 it is probable he 
would not erect anything strikingly     
abominable4  #aga4 ,such a system       

7supposing that it could be carried     
fully into effect1 and that there were  
no such animals as sentimental          
stone-masons to give technical          
assistance7 might1 at first1 seem rather
 an encroachment on the liberty of the  
subject1 inasmuch as it would prevent   
people from indulging their             
edificatorial fancies1 unless they knew 
something about the matter1 or1 as the  
sufferers would probably complain1 from 
doing what they liked with their own4   
,but the mistake would evidently lie in 
their supposing1 as people too          
frequently do1 that the outside of their
 house is their own1 and that they have 
a perfect right therein to make fools of
 themselves in any manner1 and to any   
extent1 they may think proper4 ,this is 
quite true in the case of interiors2    
every one has an indisputable right to  
hold himself up as a laughing-stock to  
the whole circle of his friends and     
acquaintances1 and to consult his own   
private asinine comfort by every piece  

of absurdity which can in any degree    
contribute to the same2 but no one has  
any right to exhibit his imbecilities at
 other people's expense1 or to claim the
 public pity by inflicting public pain4 
,in ,england1 especially1 where1 as we  
saw before1 the rage for attracting     
observation is universal1 the outside of
 the villa is rendered1 by the          
proprietor's own disposition1 the       
property of those who daily pass by1 and
 whom it hourly affects with pleasure or
 pain4 ,for the pain which the eye feels
 from the violation of a law to which it
 has been accustomed1 or the mind from  
the occurrence of anything jarring to   
its finest feelings1 is as distinct as  
that occasioned by the interruption of  
the physical economy1 differing only    
inasmuch as it is not permanent2 and1   
therefore1 an individual has as little  
right to fulfill his own conceptions by 
disgusting thousands1 as1 were his body 
as impenetrable to steel or poison1 as  
his brain to the effect of the beautiful

 or true1 he would have to decorate his 
carriage roads with caltrops1 or to line
 his plantations with upas trees4  #agb4
 ,the violation of general feelings     
would thus be unjust1 even were their   
consultation productive of continued    
vexation to the individual3 but it is   
not4 ,to no one is the architecture of  
the exterior of a dwelling-house of so  
little consequence as to its inhabitant4
 ,its material may affect his comfort1  
and its condition may touch his pride2  
but1 for its architecture1 his eye gets 
accustomed to it in a week1 and1 after  
that1 ,hellenic1 ,barbaric1 or ,yankee1 
are all the same to the domestic        
feelings1 are all lost in the one name  
of ,home4 ,even the conceit of living in
 a chlet1 or a wigwam1 or a pagoda1     
cannot retain its influence for six     
months over the weak minds which alone  
can feel it2 and the monotony of        
existence becomes to them exactly what  
it would have been had they never       
inflicted a pang upon the unfortunate   

spectators1 whose unaccustomed eyes     
shrink daily from the impression to     
which they have not been rendered       
callous by custom1 or lenient by false  
taste4  #agc4 ,if these considerations  
are just when they allude only to       
buildings in the abstract1 how much more
 when referring to them as materials of 
composition1 materials of infinite      
power1 to adorn or destroy the          
loveliness of the earth4 ,the nobler    
scenery of that earth is the inheritance
 of all her inhabitants3 it is not      
merely for the few to whom it           
temporarily belongs1 to feed from like  
swine1 or to stable upon like horses1   
but it has been appointed to be the     
school of the minds which are kingly    
among their fellows1 to excite the      
highest energies of humanity1 to furnish
 strength to the lordliest intellect1   
and food for the holiest emotions of the
 human soul4 ,the presence of life is1  
indeed1 necessary to its beauty1 but of 
life congenial with its character2 and  

that life is not congenial which thrusts
 presumptuously forward1 amidst the     
calmness of the universe1 the confusion 
of its own petty interests and groveling
 imaginations1 and stands up with the   
insolence of a moment1 amid the majesty 
of all time1 to build baby              
fortifications upon the bones of the    
world1 or to sweep the copse from the   
corrie1 and the shadow from the shore1  
that fools may risk1 and gamblers       
gather1 the spoil of a thousand summers4
  #agd4 ,it should therefore be         
remembered by every proprietor of land  
in hill country1 that his possessions   
are the means of a peculiar education1  
otherwise unattainable1 to the artists1 
and in some degree to the literary men1 
of his country2 that1 even in this      
limited point of view1 they are a       
national possession1 but much more so   
when it is remembered how many thousands
 are perpetually receiving from them1   
not merely a transitory pleasure1 but   
such thrilling perpetuity of pure       

emotion1 such lofty subject for         
scientific speculation1 and such deep   
lessons of natural religion1 as only the
 work of a ,deity can impress1 and only 
the spirit of an immortal can feel3 they
 should remember that the slightest     
deformity1 the most contemptible        
excrescence1 can injure the effect of   
the noblest natural scenery1 as a note  
of discord can annihilate the expression
 of the purest harmony2 that thus it is 
in the power of worms to conceal1 to    
destroy1 or to violate1 what angels     
could not restore1 create or consecrate2
 and that the right1 which every man    
unquestionably possesses1 to be an ass1 
is extended only1 in public1 to those   
who are innocent in idiotism1 not to the
 more malicious clowns1 who thrust their
 degraded motley conspicuously forth    
amidst the fair colors of earth1 and mix
 their incoherent cries with the        
melodies of eternity1 break with their  
inane laugh upon the silence which      
,creation keeps where ,omnipotence      

passes most visibly1 and scrabble over  
with the characters of idiocy the pages 
that have been written by the finger of 
,god4  #age4 ,these feelings we would   
endeavor to impress upon all persons    
likely to have anything to do with      
embellishing1 as it is called1 fine     
natural scenery2 as they might1 in some 
degree1 convince both the architect and 
his employer of the danger of giving    
free play to the imagination in cases   
involving intricate questions of feeling
 and composition1 and might persuade the
 designer of the necessity of looking1  
not to his own acre of land1 or to his  
own peculiar tastes1 but to the whole   
mass of forms and combination of        
impressions with which he is surrounded4
  #agf4 ,let us suppose1 however1 that  
the design is yielded entirely to the   
architect's discretion4 ,being a piece  
of domestic architecture1 the chief     
object in its exterior design will be to
 arouse domestic feelings1 which1 as we 
saw before1 it will do most distinctly  

by corresponding with the first part of 
character4 ,yet it is still more        
necessary that it should correspond with
 its situation2 and hence arises another
 difficulty1 the reconciliation of      
correspondence with contraries2 for     
such1 it is deeply to be regretted1 are 
too often the individual's mind1 and the
 dwelling-place it chooses4 ,the        
polished courtier brings his refinement 
and duplicity with him to ape the       
,arcadian rustic in ,devonshire2 the    
romantic rhymer takes a plastered       
habitation1 with one back window looking
 into the ,green ,park2 the soft votary 
of luxury endeavors to rise at seven1 in
 some ,ultima ,thule of frosts and      
storms2 and the rich stock-jobber       
calculates his percentages among the    
soft dingles and woody shores of        
,westmoreland4 ,when the architect finds
 this to be the case1 he must1 of       
course1 content himself with suiting his
 design to such a mind as ought to be   
where the intruder's is2 for the        

feelings which are so much at variance  
with themselves in the choice of        
situation1 will not be found too        
critical of their domicile1 however     
little suited to their temper4  #agg4   
,if possible1 however1 he should aim at 
something more2 he should draw his      
employer into general conversation2     
observe the bent of his disposition1 and
 the habits of his mind2 notice every   
manifestation of fixed opinions1 and    
then transfer to his architecture as    
much of the feeling he has observed as  
is distinct in its operation4 ,this he  
should do1 not because the general      
spectator will be aware of the aptness  
of the building1 which1 knowing nothing 
of its inmate1 he cannot be2 nor to     
please the individual himself1 which it 
is a chance if any simple design ever   
will1 and who never will find out how   
well his character has been fitted2 but 
because a portrait is always more       
spirited than a composed countenance2   
and because this study of human passions

 will bring a degree of energy1 unity1  
and originality into every one of his   
designs 7all of which will necessarily  
be different71 so simple1 so domestic1  
and so lifelike1 as to strike every     
spectator with an interest and a        
sympathy1 for which he will be utterly  
unable to account1 and to impress on him
 a perception of something more ethereal
 than stone or carving1 somewhat similar
 to that which some will remember having
 felt disagreeably in their childhood1  
on looking at any old house             
authentically haunted4 ,the architect   
will forget in his study of life the    
formalities of science1 and1 while his  
practiced eye will prevent him from     
erring in technicalities1 he will       
advance1 with the ruling feeling1 which1
 in masses of mind1 is nationality1 to  
the conception of something truly       
original1 yet perfectly pure4  #agh4 ,he
 will also find his advantage in having 
obtained a guide in the invention of    
decorations of which1 as we shall show1 

we would have many more in ,english     
villas than economy at present allows4  
,candidus#cc complains1 in his ,note    
,book1 that ,elizabethan architecture is
 frequently adopted1 because it is easy1
 with a pair of scissors1 to derive a   
zigzag ornament from a doubled piece of 
paper4 ,but we would fain hope that none
 of our professional architects have so 
far lost sight of the meaning of their  
art1 as to believe that roughening stone
 mathematically is bestowing decoration1
 though we are too sternly convinced    
that they believe mankind to be more    
shortsighted by at least thirty yards   
than they are2 for they think of nothing
 but general effect in their ornaments1 
and lay on their flower-work so         
carelessly1 that a good substantial     
captain's biscuit1 with the small holes 
left by the penetration of the baker's  
four fingers1 encircling the large one  
which testifies of the forcible passage 
of his thumb1 would form quite as       
elegant a rosette as hundreds now       

perpetuated in stone4  ,footnote #cc3 ,a
 contributor to the ,architectural      
,magazine4  #agi4 ,now1 there is nothing
 which requires study so close1 or      
experiment so frequent1 as the proper   
designing of ornament4 ,for its use and 
position some definite rules may be     
given2 but1 when the space and position 
have been determined1 the lines of      
curvature1 the breadth1 depth1 and      
sharpness of the shadows to be obtained1
 the junction of the parts of a group1  
and the general expression1 will present
 questions for the solution of which the
 study of years will sometimes scarcely 
be sufficient2#cd for they depend upon  
the feeling of the eye and hand1 and    
there is nothing like perfection in     
decoration1 nothing which1 in all       
probability1 might not1 by farther      
consideration1 be improved4 ,now1 in    
cases in which the outline and larger   
masses are determined by situation1 the 
architect will frequently find it       
necessary to fall back upon his         

decorations1 as the only means of       
obtaining character2 and that which     
before was an unmeaning lump of jagged  
freestone1 will become a part of        
expression1 an accessory of beautiful   
design1 varied in its form1 and delicate
 in its effect4 ,then1 instead of       
shrinking from his bits of ornament1 as 
from things which will give him trouble 
to invent1 and will answer no other     
purpose than that of occupying what     
would otherwise have looked blank1 the  
designer will view them as an efficient 
corps de reserve1 to be brought up when 
the eye comes to close quarters with the
 edifice1 to maintain and deepen the    
impression it has previously received4  
,much more time will be spent in the    
conception1 much more labor in the      
execution1 of such meaning ornaments1   
but both will be well spent and well    
rewarded4  ,footnote #cd3 ,for example1 
we would allow one of the modern        
builders of ,gothic chapels a month of  
invention1 and a botanic garden to work 

from1 with perfect certainty that he    
would not1 at the expiration of the     
time1 be able to present us with one    
design of leafage equal in beauty to    
hundreds we could point out in the      
capitals and niches of ,melrose and     
,roslin4  #ahj4 ,perhaps our meaning may
 be made more clear by ,fig4 #ac ,a1    
which is that of a window found in a    
domestic building of mixed and corrupt  
architecture1 at ,munich 7which we give 
now1 because we shall have occasion to  
allude to it hereafter74 ,its absurd    
breadth of molding1 so disproportionate 
to its cornice1 renders it excessively  
ugly1 but capable of great variety of   
effect4 ,it forms one of a range of     
four1 turning an angle1 whose moldings  
join each other1 their double breadth   
being the whole separation of the       
apertures1 which are something more than
 double squares4 ,now by alteration of  
the decoration1 and depth of shadow1 we 
have ,b and ,c4 ,these three windows    
differ entirely in their feeling and    

manner1 and are broad examples of such  
distinctions of style as might be       
adopted severally in the habitations of 
the man of imagination1 the man of      
intellect and the man of feeling4#ce ,if
 our alterations have been properly     
made1 there will be no difficulty in    
distinguishing between their            
expressions1 which we shall therefore   
leave to conjecture4 ,the character of  
,a depends upon the softness with which 
the light is caught upon its ornaments1 
which should not have a single hard line
 in them2 and on the gradual1 unequal1  
but intense1 depth of its shadows4 ,b   
should have all its forms undefined1 and
 passing into one another1 the touches  
of the chisel light1 a grotesque face or
 feature occurring in parts1 the shadows
 pale1 but broad#cf2 and the boldest    
part of the carving kept in shadow      
rather than light4 ,the third should be 
hard in its lines1 strong in its shades1
 and quiet in its ornament4  ,footnote  
#ce3 ,though not in this order4 ,c is   

the intellectual window2 ,b1 the        
imaginative one4  ,footnote #cf3 ,it is 
too much the custom to consider a design
 as composed of a certain number of hard
 lines1 instead of a certain number of  
shadows of various depth and dimension4 
,though these shadows change their      
position in the course of the day1 they 
are relatively always the same4 ,they   
have most variety under a strong light  
without sun1 most expression with the   
sun4 ,a little observation of the       
infinite variety of shade which the sun 
is capable of casting1 as it touches    
projections of different curve and      
character1 will enable the designer to  
be certain of his effects4 ,we shall    
have occasion to allude to this subject 
again4 ,see ,seven ,lamps of            
,architecture1 ,,iii4 #ac1 #bc4         
,illustration3 ,fig4 #ac4 ,windows4     
#aha4 ,these hints will be sufficient to
 explain our meaning1 and we have not   
space to do more1 as the object of these
 papers is rather to observe than to    

advise4 ,besides1 in questions of       
expression so intricate1 it is almost   
impossible to advance fixed principles2 
every mind will have perceptions of its 
own1 which will guide its speculations1 
every hand1 and eye1 and peculiar       
feeling1 varying even from year to year4
 ,we have only started the subject of   
correspondence with individual          
character1 because we think that        
imaginative minds might take up the idea
 with some success1 as furnishing them  
with a guide in the variation of their  
designs1 more certain than mere         
experiment on unmeaning forms1 or than  
ringing indiscriminate changes on       
component parts of established beauty4  
,to the reverie1 rather than the        
investigation1 to the dream1 rather than
 the deliberation1 of the architect1 we 
recommend it1 as a branch of art in     
which instinct will do more than        
precept1 and inspiration than           
technicality4 ,the correspondence of our
 villa architecture with our natural    

scenery may be determined with far      
greater accuracy1 and will require      
careful investigation4  ,we had hoped to
 have concluded the ,villa in this      
paper2 but the importance of domestic   
architecture at the present day1 when   
people want houses more than fortresses1
 safes more than keeps1 and sculleries  
more than dungeons1 is sufficient       
apology for delay4  ,,oxford1 ,august1  
#ahch4     ,,vi4  ,,the ,,british       
,,villa4--,,principles ,,of             
,,composition4  ,the ,cultivated1 or    
,blue ,country and the ,wooded1 or      
,green ,country4   #ahb4 ,in the papers 
hitherto devoted to the investigation of
 villa architecture1 we have            
contemplated the beauties of what may be
 considered as its model1 in its        
original and natural territory2 and we  
have noticed the difficulties to be     
encountered in the just erection of     
villas in ,england4 ,it remains only to 
lay down the general principles of      
composition1 which in such difficulties 

may1 in some degree1 serve as a guide4  
,into more than general principles it is
 not consistent with our plan to enter4 
,one obstacle1 which was more           
particularly noticed1 was1 as it may be 
remembered1 the variety of the          
geological formations of the country4   
,this will compel us to use the         
divisions of landscape formerly adopted 
in speaking of the cottage1 and to      
investigate severally the kind of       
domestic architecture required by each4 
#ahc4 ,first4 ,blue or cultivated       
country1 which is to be considered as   
including those suburban districts1 in  
the neighborhood of populous cities1    
which1 though more frequently black than
 blue1 possess the activity1 industry1  
and life1 which we before noticed as one
 of the characteristics of blue country4
 ,we shall not1 however1 allude to      
suburban villas at present2 first1      
because they are in country possessing  
nothing which can be spoiled by         
anything2 and1 secondly1 because their  

close association renders them subject  
to laws which1 being altogether         
different from those by which we are to 
judge of the beauty of solitary villas1 
we shall have to develop in the         
consideration of street effects4  #ahd4 
,passing over the suburb1 then1 we have 
to distinguish between the simple blue  
country1 which is composed only of rich 
cultivated champaign1 relieved in parts 
by low undulations1 monotonous and      
uninteresting as a whole1 though        
cheerful in its character1 and beautiful
 in details of lanes and meadow paths2  
and the picturesque blue country1 lying 
at the foot of high hill ranges1        
intersected by their outworks1 broken   
here and there into bits of crag and    
dingle scenery2 perpetually presenting  
prospects of exquisite distant beauty1  
and possessing in its valley and river  
scenery1 fine detached specimens of the 
natural green country4 ,this distinction
 we did not make in speaking of the     
cottage2 the effect of which1 owing to  

its size1 can extend only over a limited
 space2 and this space1 if in           
picturesque blue country1 must be either
 part of its monotonous cultivation1    
when it is to be considered as belonging
 to the simple blue country1 or part of 
its dingle scenery1 when it becomes     
green country2 and it would not be just1
 to suit a cottage1 actually placed in  
one color1 to the general effect of     
another color1 with which it could have 
nothing to do4 ,but the effect of the   
villa extends very often over a         
considerable space1 and becomes part of 
the large features of the district2 so  
that the whole character and expression 
of the visible landscape must be        
considered1 and thus the distinction    
between the two kinds of blue country   
becomes absolutely necessary4 ,of the   
first1 or simple1 we have already       
adduced1 as an example1 the greater part
 of the ,south of ,england4 ,of the     
second1 or picturesque1 the cultivated  
parts of the ,north and ,east ,ridings  

of ,yorkshire1 generally ,shropshire1   
and the north of ,lancashire1 and       
,cumberland1 beyond ,caldbeck ,fells1   
are good examples2 perhaps better than  
all1 the country for twelve miles north1
 and thirty south1 east1 and west1 of   
,stirling4   ,a4 ,the ,simple ,blue     
,country4  #ahe4 ,now1 the              
matter-of-fact business-like activity of
 simple blue country has been already   
alluded to4 ,this attribute renders in  
it a plain palpable brick dwelling-house
 allowable2 though a thing which1 in    
every country but the simple blue1      
compels every spectator of any feeling  
to send up aspirations1 that builders   
who1 like those of ,babel1 have brick   
for stone1 may be put1 like those of    
,babel1 to confusion4 ,here1 however1 it
 is not only allowable1 but even        
agreeable1 for the following reasons3-- 
#ahf4 ,its cleanness and freshness of   
color1 admitting of little dampness or  
staining1 firm in its consistence1 not  
moldering like stone1 and therefore     

inducing no conviction of antiquity or  
decay1 presents rather the appearance of
 such comfort as is contrived for the   
enjoyment of temporary wealth1 than of  
such solidity as is raised for the      
inheritance of unfluctuating power4 ,it 
is thus admirably suited for that       
country where all is change1 and all    
activity2 where the working and         
money-making members of the community   
are perpetually succeeding and          
overpowering each other2 enjoying1 each 
in his turn1 the reward of his industry2
 yielding up the field1 the pasture1 and
 the mine1 to his successor1 and leaving
 no more memory behind him1 no farther  
evidence of his individual existence1   
than is left by a working bee1 in the   
honey for which we thank his class1     
forgetting the individual4 ,the simple  
blue country may1 in fact1 be considered
 the dining-table of the nation2 from   
which it provides for its immediate     
necessities1 at which it feels only its 
present existence1 and in which it      

requires1 not a piece of furniture      
adapted only to remind it of past       
refection1 but a polished1 clean1 and   
convenient minister to its immediate    
wishes4 ,no habitation1 therefore1 in   
this country1 should look old3 it should
 give an impression of present          
prosperity1 of swift motion and high    
energy of life2 too rapid in its        
successive operation to attain          
greatness1 or allow of decay1 in its    
works4 ,this is the first cause which1  
in this country1 renders brick          
allowable4  #ahg4 ,again1 wherever the  
soil breaks out in simple blue country1 
whether in the river shore1 or the      
broken roadside bank1 or the plowed     
field1 in nine cases out of ten it is   
excessively warm in its color1 being    
either gravel or clay1 the black        
vegetable soil never remaining free of  
vegetation4 ,the warm tone of these beds
 of soil is an admirable relief to the  
blue of the distances1 which we have    
taken as the distinctive feature of the 

country1 tending to produce the perfect 
light without which no landscape can be 
complete4 ,therefore the red of the     
brick is prevented from glaring upon the
 eye1 by its falling in with similar    
colors in the ground1 and contrasting   
finely with the general tone of the     
distance4 ,this is another instance of  
the material which nature most readily  
furnishes being the right one4 ,in      
almost all blue country1 we have only to
 turn out a few spadefuls of loose soil1
 and we come to the bed of clay1 which  
is the best material for the building2  
whereas we should have to travel        
hundreds of miles1 or to dig thousands  
of feet1 to get the stone which nature  
does not want1 and therefore has not    
given4  #ahh4 ,another excellence in    
brick is its perfect air of ,english    
respectability4 ,it is utterly          
impossible for an edifice altogether of 
brick to look affected or absurd3 it may
 look rude1 it may look vulgar1 it may  
look disgusting1 in a wrong place2 but  

it cannot look foolish1 for it is       
incapable of pretension4 ,we may suppose
 its master a brute1 or an ignoramus1   
but we can never suppose him a coxcomb3 
a bear he may be1 a fop he cannot be2   
and1 if we find him out of his place1 we
 feel that it is owing to error1 not to 
impudence2 to self-ignorance1 not to    
self-conceit2 to the want1 not the      
assumption of feeling4 ,it is thus that 
brick is peculiarly ,english in its     
effect3 for we are brutes in many       
things1 and we are ignoramuses in many  
things1 and we are destitute of feeling 
in many things1 but we are not coxcombs4
 ,it is only by the utmost effort1 that 
some of our most highly gifted junior   
gentlemen can attain such distinction of
 title2 and even then the honor sits ill
 upon them3 they are but awkward        
coxcombs4 ,affectation#cg never was1 and
 never will be1 a part of ,english      
character2 we have too much national    
pride1 too much consciousness of our own
 dignity and power1 too much established

 self-satisfaction1 to allow us to      
become ridiculous by imitative efforts2 
and1 as it is only by endeavoring to    
appear what he is not1 that a man ever  
can become so1 properly speaking1 our   
true-witted ,continental neighbors1 who 
shrink from ,john ,bull as a brute1     
never laugh at him as a fool4 ,il est   
bte1 il n'est pas pourtant sot4         
,footnote #cg3 ,the nation1 indeed1     
possesses one or two interesting        
individuals1 whose affectation is1 as we
 have seen1 strikingly manifested in    
their lake villas3 but every rule has   
its exceptions2 and1 even on these      
gifted personages1 the affectation sits 
so very awkwardly1 so like a velvet     
bonnet on a plowman's carroty hair1 that
 it is evidently a late acquisition4    
,thus1 one proprietor of land on        
,windermere1 who has built unto himself 
a castellated mansion with round towers1
 and a ,swiss cottage for a stable1 has 
yet1 with that admiration of the neat   
but not gaudy1 which is commonly        

reported to have influenced the devil   
when he painted his tail pea-green1     
painted the rocks at the back of his    
house pink1 that they may look clean4   
,this is a little outcrop of ,english   
feeling in the midst of the assumed     
romance4  #ahi4 ,the brick house        
admirably corresponds with this part of 
,english character2 for1 unable as it is
 to be beautiful1 or graceful1 or       
dignified1 it is equally unable to be   
absurd4 ,there is a proud independence  
about it1 which seems conscious of its  
entire and perfect applicability to     
those uses for which it was built1 and  
full of a good-natured intention to     
render every one who seeks shelter      
within its walls excessively            
comfortable2 it therefore feels awkward 
in no company2 and1 wherever it intrudes
 its good-humored red face1 stares      
plaster and marble out of countenance   
with an insensible audacity1 which we   
drive out of such refined company1 as we
 would a clown from a drawing-room1 but 

which we nevertheless seek in its own   
place1 as we would seek the conversation
 of the clown in his own turnip-field1  
if he were sensible in the main4  #aij4 
,lastly4 ,brick is admirably adapted for
 the climate of ,england1 and for the   
frequent manufacturing nuisances of     
,english blue country3 for the smoke1   
which makes marble look like charcoal1  
and stucco like mud1 only renders brick 
less glaring in its color2 and the      
inclement climate1 which makes the      
composition front look as if its        
architect had been amusing himself by   
throwing buckets of green water down    
from the roof1 and before which the     
granite base of ,stirling ,castle is    
moldering into sand as impotent as ever 
was ribbed by ripple1 wreaks its rage in
 vain upon the bits of baked clay1      
leaving them strong1 and dry1 and       
stainless1 warm and comfortable in their
 effect1 even when neglect has permitted
 the moss and wall-flower to creep into 
their crannies1 and mellow into         

something like beauty that which is     
always comfort4 ,damp1 which fills many 
stones as it would a sponge1 is defied  
by the brick2 and the warmth of every   
gleam of sunshine is caught by it1 and  
stored up for future expenditure2 so    
that1 both actually and in its effect1  
it is peculiarly suited for a climate   
whose changes are in general from bad to
 worse1 and from worse to bad4  #aia4   
,these then are the principal apologies 
which the brick dwelling-house has to   
offer for its ugliness4 ,they will1     
however1 only stand it in stead in the  
simple blue country2 and1 even there1   
only when the following points are      
observed4  ,first4 ,the brick should    
neither be of the white1 nor the very   
dark red1 kind4 ,the white is worse than
 useless as a color3 its cold1 raw1     
sandy neutral has neither warmth enough 
to relieve1 nor gray enough to harmonize
 with1 any natural tones2 it does not   
please the eye by warmth1 in shade2 it  
hurts it1 by dry heat in sun2 it has    

none of the advantages of effect which  
brick may have1 to compensate for the   
vulgarity which it must have1 and is    
altogether to be abhorred4 ,the very    
bright red1 again1 is one of the ugliest
 warm colors that art ever stumbled     
upon3 it is never mellowed by damps or  
anything else1 and spoils everything    
near it by its intolerable and          
inevitable glare4 ,the moderately dark  
brick1 of a neutral red1 is to be       
chosen1 and this1 after a year or two1  
will be farther softened in its color by
 atmospheric influence1 and will possess
 all the advantages we have enumerated4 
,it is almost unnecessary to point out  
its fitness for a damp situation1 not   
only as the best material for securing  
the comfort of the inhabitant1 but      
because it will the sooner contract a   
certain degree of softness of tone1     
occasioned by microscopic vegetation1   
which will leave no more brick-red than 
is agreeable to the feelings where the  
atmosphere is chill4  #aib4 ,secondly4  

,even this kind of red is a very        
powerful color2 and as1 in combination  
with the other primitive colors1 very   
little of it will complete the light1   
so1 very little will answer every       
purpose in landscape composition1 and   
every addition1 above that little1 will 
be disagreeable4 ,brick1 therefore1     
never should be used in large groups of 
buildings1 where those groups are to    
form part of landscape scenery3 two or  
three houses1 partly shaded with trees1 
are all that can be admitted at once4   
,there is no object more villainously   
destructive of natural beauty1 than a   
large town1 of very red brick1 with very
 scarlet tiling1 very tall chimneys1 and
 very few trees2 while there are few    
objects that harmonize more agreeably   
with the feeling of ,english ordinary   
landscape1 than the large1 old1         
solitary1 brick manor house1 with its   
group of dark cedars on the lawn in     
front1 and the tall wrought-iron gates  
opening down the avenue of approach4    

#aic4 ,thirdly4 ,no stone quoining1 or  
presence of any contrasting color1      
should be admitted4 ,quoins in general  
7though1 by the by1 they are prettily   
managed in the old ,tolbooth of         
,glasgow1 and some other antique        
buildings in ,scotland71 are only       
excusable as giving an appearance of    
strength2 while their zigzag monotony1  
when rendered conspicuous by difference 
of color1 is altogether detestable4     
,white cornices1 niches1 and the other  
superfluous introductions in stone and  
plaster1 which some architects seem to  
think ornamental1 only mock what they   
cannot mend1 take away the whole        
expression of the edifice1 render the   
brick-red glaring and harsh1 and become 
themselves ridiculous in isolation4     
,besides1 as a general principle1       
contrasts of extensive color are to be  
avoided in all buildings1 and especially
 in positive and unmanageable tints4 ,it
 is difficult to imagine whence the     
custom of putting stone ornaments into  

brick buildings could have arisen2      
unless it be an imitation of the        
,italian custom of mixing marble with   
stucco1 which affords it no sanction1 as
 the marble is only distinguishable from
 the general material by the sharpness  
of the carved edges4 ,the ,dutch seem to
 have been the originators of the       
custom2 and1 by the by1 if we remember  
right1 in one of the very finest pieces 
of coloring now extant1 a landscape by  
,rubens 7in the gallery at ,munich1 we  
think71 the artist seems to have        
sanctioned the barbarism1 by introducing
 a brick edifice1 with white stone      
quoining4 ,but the truth is that he     
selected the subject1 partly under the  
influence of domestic feelings1 the     
place being1 as it is thought1 his own  
habitation1 and partly as a piece of    
practice1 presenting such excessive     
difficulties of color1 as he1 the lord  
of color1 who alone could overcome them1
 would peculiarly delight in overcoming2
 and the harmony with which he has      

combined tints of the most daring force1
 and sharpest apparent contrast1 in the 
edgy building1 and opposed them to an   
uninteresting distance of excessive     
azure 7simple blue country1 observe71 is
 one of the chief wonders of the        
painting3 so that this masterpiece can  
no more furnish an apology for the      
continuance of a practice which1 though 
it gives some liveliness of character to
 the warehouses of ,amsterdam1 is fit   
only for a place whose foundations are  
mud1 and whose inhabitants are partially
 animated cheeses1--than ,caravaggio's  
custom of painting blackguards should   
introduce an ambition among mankind in  
general of becoming fit subjects for his
 pencil4 ,we shall have occasion again  
to allude to this subject1 in speaking  
of ,dutch street effects4  #aid4        
,fourthly4 ,it will generally be found  
to agree best with the business-like air
 of the blue country1 if the house be   
excessively simple1 and apparently      
altogether the minister of utility2 but1

 where it is to be extensive1 or tall1 a
 few decorations about the upper windows
 are desirable4 ,these should be quiet  
and severe in their lines1 and cut      
boldly in the brick itself4 ,some of the
 minor streets in the ,king of          
,sardinia's capital are altogether of   
brick1 very richly charged with carving1
 with excellent effect1 and furnish a   
very good model4 ,of course no delicate 
ornament can be obtained1 and no        
classical lines can be allowed2 for we  
should be horrified by seeing that in   
brick which we have been accustomed to  
see in marble4 ,the architect must be   
left to his own taste for laying on1    
sparingly and carefully1 a few          
dispositions of well proportioned line1 
which are all that can ever be required4
  #aie4 ,these broad principles are all 
that need be attended to in simple blue 
country3 anything will look well in it  
which is not affected2 and the          
architect1 who keeps comfort and utility
 steadily in view1 and runs off into no 

expatiations of fancy1 need never be    
afraid here of falling into error4   ,b4
 ,the ,picturesque ,blue ,country4      
#aif4 ,but the case is different with   
the picturesque blue country4#ch ,here1 
owing to the causes mentioned in the    
notes at p4 #ga1 we have some of the    
most elevated bits of landscape         
character1 which the country1 whatever  
it may be1 can afford4 ,its first and   
most distinctive peculiarity is its     
grace2 it is all undulation and variety 
of line1 one curve passing into another 
with the most exquisite softness1       
rolling away into faint and far outlines
 of various depth and decision1 yet none
 hard or harsh2 and in all probability1 
rounded off in the near ground into     
massy forms of partially wooded hill1   
shaded downwards into winding dingles or
 cliffy ravines1 each form melting      
imperceptibly into the next1 without an 
edge or angle4  ,footnote #ch3 ,in      
leaving simple blue country1 we hope it 
need hardly be said that we leave bricks

 at once and forever4 ,nothing can      
excuse them out of their proper         
territory4  #aig4 ,its next character is
 mystery4 ,it is a country peculiarly   
distinguished by its possessing features
 of great sublimity in the distance1    
without giving any hint in the          
foreground of their actual nature4 ,a   
range of mountain1 seen from a mountain 
peak1 may have sublimity1 but not the   
mystery with which it is invested1 when 
seen rising over the farthest surge of  
misty blue1 where everything near is    
soft and smiling1 totally separated in  
nature from the consolidated clouds of  
the horizon4 ,the picturesque blue      
country is sure1 from the nature of the 
ground1 to present some distance of this
 kind1 so as never to be without a high 
and ethereal mystery4  #aih4 ,the third 
and last distinctive attribute is       
sensuality4 ,this is a startling word1  
and requires some explanation4 ,in the  
first place1 every line is voluptuous1  
floating1 and wavy in its form2 deep1   

rich1 and exquisitely soft in its color2
 drowsy in its effect2 like slow wild   
music2 letting the eye repose on it1 as 
on a wreath of cloud1 without one       
feature of harshness to hurt1 or of     
contrast to awaken4 ,in the second      
place1 the cultivation1 which1 in the   
simple blue country1 has the forced     
formality of growth which evidently is  
to supply the necessities of man1 here  
seems to leap into the spontaneous      
luxuriance of life1 which is fitted to  
minister to his pleasures4 ,the surface 
of the earth exults with animation1     
especially tending to the gratification 
of the senses2 and1 without the         
artificialness which reminds man of the 
necessity of his own labor1 without the 
opposing influences which call for his  
resistance1 without the vast energies   
that remind him of his impotence1       
without the sublimity that can call his 
noblest thoughts into action1 yet1 with 
every perfection that can tempt him to  
indolence of enjoyment1 and with such   

abundant bestowal of natural gifts1 as  
might seem to prevent that indolence    
from being its own punishment1 the earth
 appears to have become a garden of     
delight1 wherein the sweep of the bright
 hills1 without chasm or crag1 the flow 
of the bending rivers1 without rock or  
rapid1 and the fruitfulness of the fair 
earth1 without care or labor on the part
 of its inhabitants1 appeal to the most 
pleasant passions of eye and sense1     
calling for no effort of body1 and      
impressing no fear on the mind4 ,in hill
 country we have a struggle to maintain 
with the elements2 in simple blue1 we   
have not the luxuriance of delight3     
here1 and here only1 all nature combines
 to breathe over us a lulling slumber1  
through which life degenerates into     
sensation4  #aii4 ,these considerations 
are sufficient to explain what we mean  
by the epithet sensuality4 ,now1 taking 
these three distinctive attributes1 the 
mysterious1 the graceful1 and the       
voluptuous1 what is the whole character8

 ,very nearly--the ,greek3 for these    
attributes1 common to all picturesque   
blue country1 are modified in the degree
 of their presence by every climate4 ,in
 ,england they are all low in their     
tone2 but as we go southward1 the       
voluptuousness becomes deeper in feeling
 as the colors of the earth and the     
heaven become purer and more passionate1
 and the purple of ocean deepest of dye2
 the mystery becomes mightier1 for the  
greater and more universal energy of the
 beautiful permits its features to come 
nearer1 and to rise into the sublime1   
without causing fear4 ,it is thus that  
we get the essence of the ,greek        
feeling1 as it was embodied in their    
finest imaginations1 as it showed itself
 in the works of their sculptors and    
their poets1 in which sensation was made
 almost equal with thought1 and deified 
by its nobility of association2 at once 
voluptuous1 refined1 dreamily           
mysterious1 infinitely beautiful4       
,hence1 it appears that the spirit of   

this blue country is essentially ,greek2
 though1 in ,england and in other       
northern localities1 that spirit is     
possessed by it in a diminished and     
degraded degree4 ,it is also the natural
 dominion of the villa1 possessing all  
the attributes which attracted the      
,romans1 when1 in their hours of        
idleness1 they lifted the light arches  
along the echoing promontories of       
,tiber4 ,it is especially suited to the 
expression of the edifice of pleasure2  
and1 therefore1 is most capable of being
 adorned by it4  #bjj4 ,the attention of
 every one about to raise himself a     
villa of any kind should1 therefore1 be 
directed to this kind of country2 first1
 as that in which he will not be felt to
 be an intruder2 secondly1 as that which
 will1 in all probability1 afford him   
the greatest degree of continuous       
pleasure1 when his eye has become       
accustomed to the features of the       
locality4 ,to the human mind1 as on the 
average constituted1 the features of    

hill scenery will1 by repetition1 become
 tiresome1 and of wood scenery1         
monotonous2 while the simple blue can   
possess little interest of any kind4    
,powerful intellect will generally take 
perpetual delight in hill residence2 but
 the general mind soon feels itself     
oppressed with a peculiar melancholy and
 weariness1 which it is ashamed to own2 
and we hear our romantic gentlemen begin
 to call out about the want of society1 
while1 if the animals were fit to live  
where they have forced themselves1 they 
would never want more society than that 
of a gray stone1 or of a clear pool of  
gushing water4 ,on the other hand1 there
 are few minds so degraded as not to    
feel greater pleasure in the picturesque
 blue than in any other country4 ,its   
distance has generally grandeur enough  
to meet their moods of aspiration2 its  
near aspect is that of a more human     
interest than that of hill country1 and 
harmonizes more truly with the domestic 
feelings which are common to all        

mankind2 so that1 on the whole1 it will 
be found to maintain its freshness of   
beauty to the habituated eye1 in a      
greater degree than any other scenery4  
#bja4 ,as it thus persuades us to       
inhabit it1 it becomes a point of honor 
not to make the attractiveness of its   
beauty its destruction2 especially as1  
being the natural dominion of the villa1
 it affords great opportunity for the   
architect to exhibit variety of design4 
,its spirit has been proved to be       
,greek2 and therefore1 though that      
spirit is slightly manifested in        
,britain1 and though every good         
architect is shy of importation1 villas 
on ,greek and ,roman models are         
admissible here4 ,still1 as in all blue 
country there is much activity of life1 
the principle of utility should be kept 
in view1 and the building should have as
 much simplicity as can be united with  
perfect gracefulness of line4 ,it       
appears from the principles of          
composition alluded to in speaking of   

the ,italian villa1 that in undulating  
country the forms should be square and  
massy2 and1 where the segments of curves
 are small1 the buildings should be low 
and flat1 while they may be prevented   
from appearing cumbrous by some         
well-managed irregularity of design1    
which will be agreeable to the          
inhabitant as well as to the spectator2 
enabling him to change the aspect and   
size of his chamber1 as temperature or  
employment may render such change       
desirable1 without being foiled in his  
design1 by finding the apartments of one
 wing matched1 foot to foot1 by those of
 the other4  #bjb4 ,for the color1 it   
has been shown that white or pale tints 
are agreeable in all blue country3 but  
there must be warmth in it1 and a great 
deal too1--gray being comfortless and   
useless with a cold distance2 but it    
must not be raw or glaring4#ci ,the roof
 and chimneys should be kept out of     
sight as much as possible2 and therefore
 the one very flat1 and the other very  

plain4 ,we ought to revive the ,greek   
custom of roofing with thin slabs of    
coarse marble1 cut into the form of     
tiles4 ,however1 where the architect    
finds he has a very cool distance1 and  
few trees about the building1 and where 
it stands so high as to preclude the    
possibility of its being looked down    
upon1 he will1 if he be courageous1 use 
a very flat roof of the dark ,italian   
tile4 ,the eaves1 which are all that    
should be seen1 will be peculiarly      
graceful2 and the sharp contrast of     
color 7for this tiling can only be      
admitted with white walls7 may be       
altogether avoided1 by letting them cast
 a strong shadow1 and by running the    
walls up into a range of low garret     
windows1 to break the horizontal line of
 the roof4 ,he will thus obtain a bit of
 very strong color1 which will impart a 
general glow of cheerfulness to the     
building1 and which1 if he manages it   
rightly1 will not be glaring nor        
intrusive4 ,it is to be observed1       

however1 that he can only do this with  
villas of the most humble order1 and    
that he will seldom find his employer   
possessed of so much common sense as to 
put up with a tile roof4 ,when this is  
the case1 the flat slabs of the upper   
limestone 7ragstone7 are usually better 
than slate4  ,footnote #ci3 ,the epithet
 raw1 by the by1 is vague1 and needs    
definition4 ,every tint is raw which is 
perfectly opaque1 and has not all the   
three primitive colors in its           
composition4 ,thus1 black is always raw1
 because it has no color2 white never1  
because it has all colors4 ,no tint can 
be raw which is not opaque2 and opacity 
may be taken away1 either by actual     
depth and transparency1 as in the sky2  
by luster and texture1 as in the case of
 silk and velvet1 or by variety of shade
 as in forest verdure4 ,two instances   
will be sufficient to prove the truth of
 this4 ,brick1 when first fired1 is     
always raw2 but when it has been a      
little weathered1 it acquires a slight  

blue tint1 assisted by the gray of the  
mortar3 incipient vegetation affords it 
the yellow4 ,it thus obtains an         
admixture of the three colors1 and is   
raw no longer4 ,an old woman's red      
cloak1 though glaring1 is never raw2 for
 it must of necessity have folded       
shades3 those shades are of a rich gray2
 no gray can exist without yellow and   
blue4 ,we have then three colors1 and no
 rawness4 ,it must be observed however1 
that when any one of the colors is given
 in so slight a degree that it can be   
overpowered by certain effects of light1
 the united color1 when opaque1 will be 
raw4 ,thus many flesh-colors are raw2   
because1 though they must have a little 
blue in their composition1 it is too    
little to be efficiently visible in a   
strong light4  #bjc4 ,for the rest1 it  
is always to be kept in view1 that the  
prevailing character of the whole is to 
be that of graceful simplicity2         
distinguished from the simplicity of the
 ,italian edifice1 by being that of     

utility instead of that of pride4#dj    
,consequently the building must not be  
,gothic or ,elizabethan3 it may be as   
commonplace as the proprietor likes1    
provided its proportions be good2 but   
nothing can ever excuse one acute angle1
 or one decorated pinnacle1--both being 
direct interruption of the repose with  
which the eye is indulged by the        
undulations of the surrounding scenery4 
,tower and fortress outlines are indeed 
agreeable1 for their fine grouping and  
roundness2 but we do not allude to them1
 because nothing can be more absurd than
 the humor prevailing at the present day
 among many of our peaceable old        
gentlemen1 who never smelt powder in    
their lives1 to eat their morning muffin
 in a savage-looking round tower1 and   
admit quiet old ladies to a tea-party   
under the range of twenty-six cannon1   
which--it is lucky for the china--are   
all wooden ones1--as they are1 in all   
probability1 accurately and awfully     
pointed into the drawing-room windows4  

,footnote #dj3 ,there must always be a  
difficulty in building in picturesque   
blue country in ,england2 for the       
,english character is opposed to that of
 the country3 it is neither graceful1   
nor mysterious1 nor voluptuous2         
therefore1 what we cede to the country1 
we take from the nationality1 and vice  
vers4  ,so much then for our ,british   
blue country1 to which it was necessary 
to devote some time1 as occupying a     
considerable portion of the island1 and 
being peculiarly well adapted for villa 
residences4   ,c4 ,the ,woody or ,green 
,country4  #bjd4 ,the woody1 or green   
country1 which is next in order1 was    
spoken of before1 and was shown to be   
especially our own4 ,the ,elizabethan   
was pointed out as the style peculiarly 
belonging to it2 and farther criticism  
of that style was deferred until we came
 to the consideration of domestic       
buildings provided with the means of    
defense4 ,we have therefore at present  
only to offer a few remarks on the      

principles to be observed in the        
erection of ,elizabethan villas at the  
present day4  #bje4 ,first4 ,the        
building must be either quite chaste1 or
 excessively rich in decoration4 ,every 
inch of ornament short of a certain     
quantity will render the whole effect   
poor and ridiculous2 while the pure     
perpendicular lines of this architecture
 will always look well if left entirely 
alone4 ,the architect therefore1 when   
limited as to expense1 should content   
himself with making his oriels project  
boldly1 channeling their mullions       
richly1 and1 in general1 rendering his  
vertical lines delicate and beautiful in
 their workmanship2 but1 if his estimate
 be unlimited1 he should lay on his     
ornament richly1 taking care never to   
confuse the eye4  ,those parts to which1
 of necessity1 observation is especially
 directed1 must be finished so as to    
bear a close scrutiny1 that the eye may 
rest on them with satisfaction3 but     
their finish must not be of a character 

which would have attracted the eye by   
itself1 without being placed in a       
conspicuous situation2 for1 if it were1 
the united attraction of form and detail
 would confine the contemplation        
altogether to the parts so              
distinguished1 and render it impossible 
for the mind to receive any impression  
of general effect4  ,consequently1 the  
parts that project1 and are to bear a   
strong light1 must be chiseled with     
infinite delicacy2 so that the ornament1
 though it would have remained          
unobserved had the eye not been guided  
to it1 when observed1 may be of         
distinguished beauty and power2 but     
those parts which are to be flat and in 
shade should be marked with great       
sharpness and boldness1 that the        
impression may be equalized4  ,when1 for
 instance1 we have to do with oriels1 to
 which attention is immediately         
attracted by their projection1 we may   
run wreaths of the finest flower-work up
 the mullions1 charge the terminations  

with shields1 and quarter them richly2  
but we must join the window to the wall1
 where its shadow falls1 by means of    
more deep and decided decoration4  #bjf4
 ,secondly4 ,in the choice and design of
 his ornaments1 the architect should    
endeavor to be grotesque rather than    
graceful 7though little bits of soft    
flower-work here and there will relieve 
the eye73 but he must not imagine he can
 be grotesque by carving faces with     
holes for eyes and knobs for noses2 on  
the contrary1 whenever he mimics        
grotesque life1 there should be wit and 
humor in every feature1 fun and frolic  
in every attitude2 every distortion     
should be anatomical1 and every monster 
a studied combination4 ,this is a       
question1 however1 relating more nearly 
to ,gothic architecture and therefore we
 shall not enter into it at present4#da 
,footnote #da3 ,see ,stones of ,venice1 
vol4 ,,iii4 chap4 iii4  #bjg4 ,thirdly4 
,the gables must on no account be jagged
 into a succession of right angles1 as  

if people were to be perpetually engaged
 in trotting up one side and down the   
other4 ,this custom1 though sanctioned  
by authority1 has very little apology to
 offer for itself1 based on any         
principle of composition4 ,in street    
effect indeed it is occasionally useful2
 and where the verticals below are      
unbroken by ornament1 may be used even  
in the detached ,elizabethan1 but not   
when decoration has been permitted      
below4 ,they should then be carried up  
in curved lines1 alternating with two   
angles1 or three at the most1 without   
pinnacles or hipknobs4 ,a hollow parapet
 is far better than a battlement1 in the
 intermediate spaces2 the latter indeed 
is never allowable1 except when the     
building has some appearance of being   
intended for defense1 and therefore is  
generally barbarous in the villa2 while 
the parapet admits of great variety of  
effect4  #bjh4 ,lastly4 ,though the     
grotesque of ,elizabethan architecture  
is adapted for wood country1 the        

grotesque of the clipped garden1 which  
frequently accompanies it1 is not4 ,the 
custom of clipping trees into fantastic 
forms is always to be reprehended3      
first1 because it never can produce the 
true grotesque1 for the material is not 
passive1 and1 therefore1 a perpetual    
sense of restraint is induced1 while the
 great principle of the grotesque is    
action2 again1 because we have a        
distinct perception of two natures1 the 
one neutralizing the other2 for the     
vegetable organization is too palpable  
to let the animal form suggest its true 
idea2 again1 because the great beauty of
 all foliage is the energy of life and  
action1 of which it loses the appearance
 by formal clipping2 and again1 because 
the hands of the gardener will never    
produce anything really spirited or     
graceful4 ,much1 however1 need not be   
said on this subject2 for the taste of  
the public does not now prompt them to  
such fettering of fair freedom1 and we  
should be as sorry to see the           

characteristic vestiges of it1 which    
still remain in a few gardens1 lost     
altogether1 as to see the thing again   
becoming common4  #bji4 ,the garden of  
the ,elizabethan villa1 then1 should be 
laid out with a few simple terraces near
 the house1 so as to unite it well with 
the ground2 lines of balustrade along   
the edges1 guided away into the foliage 
of the taller trees of the garden1 with 
the shadows falling at intervals4 ,the  
balusters should be square rather than  
round1 with the angles outward2 and if  
the balustrade looks unfinished at the  
corners1 it may be surmounted by a      
grotesque bit of sculpture1 of any kind2
 but it must be very strong and deep in 
its carved lines1 and must not be large2
 and all graceful statues are to be     
avoided1 for the reasons mentioned in   
speaking of the ,italian villa3 neither 
is the terraced part of the garden to   
extend to any distance from the house1  
nor to have deep flights of steps1 for  
they are sure to get mossy and slippery1

 if not superintended with troublesome  
care2 and the rest of the garden should 
have more trees than flowers in it4 ,a  
flower-garden is an ugly thing1 even    
when best managed3 it is an assembly of 
unfortunate beings1 pampered and bloated
 above their natural size1 stewed and   
heated into diseased growth2 corrupted  
by evil communication into speckled and 
inharmonious colors2 torn from the soil 
which they loved1 and of which they were
 the spirit and the glory1 to glare away
 their term of tormented life among the 
mixed and incongruous essences of each  
other1 in earth that they know not1 and 
in air that is poison to them4  #baj4   
,the florist may delight in this3 the   
true lover of flowers never will4 ,he   
who has taken lessons from nature1 who  
has observed the real purpose and       
operation of flowers2 how they flush    
forth from the brightness of the earth's
 being1 as the melody rises up from     
among the moved strings of the          
instrument2 how the wildness of their   

pale colors passes over her1 like the   
evidence of a various emotion2 how the  
quick fire of their life and their      
delight glows along the green banks1    
where the dew falls the thickest1 and   
the mists of incense pass slowly through
 the twilight of the leaves1 and the    
intertwined roots make the earth tremble
 with strange joy at the feeling of     
their motion2 he who has watched this   
will never take away the beauty of their
 being to mix into meretricious glare1  
or feed into an existence of disease4   
,and the flower-garden is as ugly in    
effect as it is unnatural in feeling3 it
 never will harmonize with anything1 and
 if people will have it1 should be kept 
out of sight till they get into it4     
#baa4 ,but1 in laying out the garden    
which is to assist the effect of the    
building1 we must observe1 and          
exclusively use1 the natural            
combinations of flowers4#db ,now1 as far
 as we are aware1 bluish purple is the  
only flower color which ,nature ever    

uses in masses of distant effect2 this1 
however1 she does in the case of most   
heathers1 with the ,rhododendron        
ferrugineum1 and1 less extensively1 with
 the colder color of the wood hyacinth4 
,accordingly1 the large rhododendron may
 be used to almost any extent1 in       
masses2 the pale varieties of the rose  
more sparingly2 and1 on the turf1 the   
wild violet and pansy should be sown by 
chance1 so that they may grow in        
undulations of color1 and should be     
relieved by a few primroses4 ,all       
dahlias1 tulips1 ranunculi1 and1 in     
general1 what are called florist's      
flowers1 should be avoided like garlic4 
,footnote #db3 ,every one who is about  
to lay out a limited extent of garden1  
in which he wishes to introduce many    
flowers1 should read and attentively    
study1 first ,shelley1 and next         
,shakspeare4 ,the latter indeed induces 
the most beautiful connections between  
thought and flower that can be found in 
the whole range of ,european literature2

 but he very often uses the symbolical  
effect of the flower1 which it can only 
have on the educated mind1 instead of   
the natural and true effect of the      
flower1 which it must have1 more or     
less1 upon every mind4 ,thus1 when      
,ophelia1 presenting her wild flowers1  
says1 ,there's rosemary1 that's for     
remembrance2 pray you1 love1 remember3  
and there is pansies1 that's for        
thoughts3 the infinite beauty of the    
passage depends entirely upon the       
arbitrary meaning attached to the       
flowers4 ,but1 when ,shelley speaks of  
,the lily of the vale1     ,whom youth  
makes so fair1 and passion so pale1     
,that the light of her tremulous bells  
is seen     ,through their pavilion of  
tender green1  he is etherealizing an   
impression which the mind naturally     
receives from the flower4 ,consequently1
 as it is only by their natural         
influence that flowers can address the  
mind through the eye1 we must read      
,shelley1 to learn how to use flowers1  

and ,shakspeare1 to learn to love them4 
,in both writers we find the wild flower
 possessing soul as well as life1 and   
mingling its influence most intimately1 
like an untaught melody1 with the       
deepest and most secret streams of human
 emotion4  #bab4 ,perhaps we should     
apologize for introducing this in the   
,architectural ,magazine2 but it is not 
out of place3 the garden is almost a    
necessary adjunct of the ,elizabethan   
villa1 and all garden architecture is   
utterly useless unless it be assisted by
 the botanical effect4  ,these1 then1   
are a few of the more important         
principles of architecture1 which are to
 be kept in view in the blue and in the 
green country4 ,the wild1 or gray1      
country is never selected1 in ,britain1 
as the site of a villa2 and1 therefore1 
it only remains for us to offer a few   
remarks on a subject as difficult as it 
is interesting and important1 the       
architecture of the villa in ,british   
hill1 or brown1 country4     ,,vii4     

,,the ,,british ,,villa4--,,principles  
,,of ,,composition4  ,d4 ,hill1 or      
,brown ,country4  ,vivite contenti      
casulis et collibus istis4--,juvenal    
xiv4 #agi4   #bac4 ,in the ,boulevard   
des ,italiens1 just at the turning into 
the ,rue de la ,paix 7in ,paris71 there 
stand a few dusky and withered trees1   
beside a kind of dry ditch1 paved at the
 bottom1 into which a carriage can with 
some difficulty descend1 and which      
affords access 7not in an unusual       
manner7 to the ground floor of a large  
and dreary-looking house1 whose passages
 are dark and confined1 whose rooms are 
limited in size1 and whose windows      
command an interesting view of the dusky
 trees before mentioned4  ,this is the  
town residence of one of the ,italian   
noblemen1 whose country house has       
already been figured as a beautiful     
example of the villas of the ,lago di   
,como4 ,that villa1 however1 though in  
one of the loveliest situations that    
hill1 and wave1 and heaven ever combined

 to adorn1 and though itself one of the 
most delicious habitations that luxury  
ever projected or wealth procured1 is   
very rarely honored by the presence of  
its master2 while attractions of a very 
different nature retain him1 winter     
after winter1 in the dark chambers of   
the ,boulevard des ,italiens4  #bad4    
,this appears singular to the casual    
traveler1 who darts down from the dust  
and heat of the ,french capital to the  
light and glory of the ,italian lakes1  
and finds the tall marble chambers and  
orange groves1 in which he thinks1 were 
he possessed of them1 he could luxuriate
 forever1 left desolate and neglected by
 their real owner2 but1 were he to try  
such a residence for a single           
twelvemonth1 we believe his wonder would
 have greatly diminished at the end of  
the time4 ,for the mind of the nobleman 
in question does not differ from that of
 the average of men2 inasmuch as it is a
 well-known fact that a series of       
sublime impressions1 continued          

indefinitely1 gradually pall upon the   
imagination1 deaden its fineness of     
feeling1 and in the end induce a gloomy 
and morbid state of mind1 a reaction of 
a peculiarly melancholy character1      
because consequent1 not upon the absence
 of that which once caused excitement1  
but upon the failure of its power4#dc   
,this is not the case with all men2 but 
with those over whom the sublimity of an
 unchanging scene can retain its power  
forever1 we have nothing to do2 for they
 know better than any architect can1 how
 to choose their scene1 and how to add  
to its effect2 we have only to impress  
upon them the propriety of thinking     
before they build1 and of keeping their 
humors under the control of their       
judgment4  ,footnote #dc3 ,compare      
,modern ,painters4 vol4 ,,iii4 chap4 x4 
#ae4  #bae4 ,it is not of them1 but of  
the man of average intellect1 that we   
are thinking throughout all these       
papers2 and upon him it cannot be too   
strongly impressed1 that there are very 

few points in a hill country at all     
adapted for a permanent residence4      
,there is a kind of instinct1 indeed1 by
 which men become aware of this1 and    
shrink from the sterner features of hill
 scenery into the parts possessing a    
human interest2 and thus we find the    
north side of the ,lake ,leman1 from    
,vevay to ,geneva1 which is about as    
monotonous a bit of vine-country as any 
in ,europe1 studded with villas2 while  
the south side1 which is as exquisite a 
piece of scenery as is to be found in   
all ,switzerland1 possesses1 we think1  
two4 ,the instinct in this case is true2
 but we frequently find it in error4    
,thus1 the ,lake of ,como is the resort 
of half ,italy1 while the ,lago         
,maggiore possesses scarcely one villa  
of importance1 besides those on the     
,borromean ,islands4 ,yet the ,lago     
,maggiore is far better adapted for     
producing and sustaining a pleasurable  
impression1 than that of ,como4  #baf4  
,the first thing1 then1 which the       

architect has to do in hill country is  
to bring his employer down from heroics 
to common sense2 to teach him that1     
although it might be very well for a man
 like ,pliny1#dd whose whole spirit and 
life was wrapt up in that of ,nature1 to
 set himself down under the splash of a 
cascade #djj feet high1 such escapades  
are not becoming in ,english gentlemen2 
and that it is necessary1 for his own   
satisfaction1 as well as that of others1
 that he should keep in the most quiet  
and least pretending corners of the     
landscape which he has chosen4          
,footnote #dd3 ,this passage seems to   
suggest that the ,villa ,pliniana on    
,como was built by ,pliny4 ,it was1     
however1 the work of an antiquarian     
nobleman of the ,renaissance1 and merely
 named after the great naturalist1 who  
was born1 perhaps1 at ,como1 and        
mentions an ebbing spring on this site4 
#bag4 ,having got his employer well     
under control1 he has two points to     
consider4 ,first1 where he will spoil   

least2 and1 secondly1 where he will gain
 most4  ,now he may spoil a landscape in
 two ways3 either by destroying an      
association connected with it1 or a     
beauty inherent in it4 ,with the first  
barbarism we have nothing to do2 for it 
is one which would not be permitted on a
 large scale2 and even if it were1 could
 not be perpetrated by any man of the   
slightest education4 ,no one1 having any
 pretensions to be called a human being1
 would build himself a house on the     
meadow of the ,rtli1 or by the farm of  
,la ,haye ,sainte1 or on the lonely isle
 on ,loch ,katrine4 ,of the injustice of
 the second barbarism we have spoken    
already2 and it is the object of this   
paper to show how it may be avoided1 as 
well as to develop the principles by    
which we may be guided in the second    
question2 that of ascertaining how much 
permanent pleasure will be received from
 the contemplation of a given scene4    
#bah4 ,it is very fortunate that the    
result of these several investigations  

will generally be found the same4 ,the  
residence which in the end is found     
altogether delightful1 will be found to 
have been placed where it has committed 
no injury2 and therefore the best way of
 consulting our own convenience in the  
end is1 to consult the feelings of the  
spectator in the beginning4#de ,now1 the
 first grand rule for the choice of     
situation is1 never to build a villa    
where the ground is not richly          
productive4 ,it is not enough that it   
should be capable of producing a crop of
 scanty oats or turnips in a fine       
season2 it must be rich and luxuriant1  
and glowing with vegetative power of one
 kind or another4#df ,for the very      
chiefest#dg part of the character of the
 edifice of pleasure is1 and must be1   
its perfect ease1 its appearance of     
felicitous repose4 ,this it can never   
have where the nature and expression of 
the land near it reminds us of the      
necessity of labor1 and where the earth 
is niggardly of all that constitutes its

 beauty and our pleasure2 this it can   
only have where the presence of man     
seems the natural consequence of an     
ample provision for his enjoyment1 not  
the continuous struggle of suffering    
existence with a rude heaven and rugged 
soil4 ,there is nobility in such a      
struggle1 but not when it is maintained 
by the inhabitant of the villa1 in whom 
it is unnatural1 and therefore injurious
 in its effect4 ,the narrow cottage on  
the desolate moor1 or the stalwart      
hospice on the crest of the ,alps1 each 
leaves an ennobling impression of energy
 and endurance2 but the possessor of the
 villa should call1 not upon our        
admiration1 but upon our sympathy2 and  
his function is to deepen the impression
 of the beauty and the fullness of      
creation1 not to exhibit the majesty of 
man2 to show1 in the intercourse of     
earth and her children1 not how her     
severity may be mocked by their heroism1
 but how her bounty may be honored in   
their enjoyment4  ,footnote #de3 ,for   

instance1 one proprietor terrifies the  
landscape all round him1 within a range 
of three miles1 by the conspicuous      
position of his habitation2 and is      
punished by finding that1 from whatever 
quarter the wind may blow1 it sends in  
some of his plate-glass4 ,another spoils
 a pretty bit of crag by building below 
it1 and has two or three tons of stone  
dropped through his roof1 the first     
frosty night4 ,another occupies the     
turfy slope of some soft lake           
promontory1 and has his cook washed away
 by the first flood4 ,we do not remember
 ever having seen a dwelling-house      
destroying the effect of a landscape1 of
 which1 considered merely as a          
habitation1 we should wish to be the    
possessor4  ,footnote #df3 ,we are not  
thinking of the effect upon the human   
frame of the air which is favorable to  
vegetation4 ,chemically considered1 the 
bracing breeze of the more sterile soil 
is the most conducive to health1 and is 
practically so1 when the frame is not   

perpetually exposed to it2 but the      
keenness which checks the growth of the 
plant is1 in all probability1 trying1 to
 say the least1 to the constitution of a
 resident4  ,footnote #dg3 ,we hope the 
,english language may long retain this  
corrupt but energetic superlative4      
#bai4 ,this position1 being once        
granted1 will save us a great deal of   
trouble2 for it will put out of our way1
 as totally unfit for villa residence1  
nine-tenths of all mountain scenery2    
beginning with such bleak and stormy    
bits of hillside as that which was      
metamorphosed into something like a     
forest by the author of ,waverley2      
laying an equal veto on all the severe  
landscapes of such districts of minor   
mountains as the ,scotch ,highlands and 
,north ,wales2 and finishing by setting 
aside all the higher sublimity of ,alp  
and ,apennine4 ,what1 then1 has it left 
us8 ,the gentle slope of the lake shore1
 and the spreading parts of the quiet   
valley in almost all scenery2 and the   

shores of the ,cumberland lakes in our  
own1 distinguished as they are by a     
richness of soil1 which1 though         
generally manifested only in an         
exquisite softness of pasture and       
roundness of undulation1 is sufficiently
 evident to place them out of the       
sweeping range of this veto4  #bbj4     
,now1 as we have only to do with        
,britain at present1 we shall direct    
particular attention to the ,cumberland 
lakes1 as they are the only mountain    
district which1 taken generally1 is     
adapted for the villa residence1 and as 
every piece of scenery1 which in other  
districts is so adapted1 resembles them 
in character and tone4  ,we noticed1 in 
speaking of the ,westmoreland cottage1  
the feeling of humility with which we   
are impressed during a mountain ramble4 
,now1 it is nearly impossible for a     
villa of large size1 however placed1 not
 to disturb and interrupt this necessary
 and beautiful impression1 particularly 
where the scenery is on a very small    

scale4 ,this disadvantage may be        
obviated in some degree1 as we shall    
see1 by simplicity of architecture2 but 
another1 dependent on a question of     
proportion1 is inevitable4  #bba4 ,when 
an object1 in which magnitude is a      
desirable attribute1 leaves an          
impression1 on a practiced eye1 of less 
magnitude than it really possesses1 we  
should place objects beside it1 of whose
 magnitude we can satisfy ourselves1 of 
larger size than that which we are      
accustomed to2 for1 by finding these    
large objects in precisely the          
proportion to the grand object1 to which
 we are accustomed1 while we know their 
actual size to be one to which we are   
not accustomed1 we become aware of the  
true magnitude of the principal feature4
 ,but where the object leaves a true    
impression of its size on the practiced 
eye1 we shall do harm by rendering minor
 objects either larger or smaller than  
they usually are4 ,where the object     
leaves an impression of greater         

magnitude than it really possesses1 we  
must render the minor objects smaller   
than they usually are1 to prevent our   
being undeceived4  #bbb4 ,now1 a        
mountain of #ae1jjj feet high always    
looks lower than it really is2 therefore
 the larger the buildings near it are   
rendered1 the better4 ,thus1 in speaking
 of the ,swiss cottage1 it was observed 
that a building of the size of ,st4     
,peter's in its place1 would exhibit the
 size of the mountains more truly and   
strikingly4 ,a mountain #gjjj feet high 
strikes its impression with great truth2
 we are deceived on neither side2       
therefore the building near it should be
 of the average size2 and thus the      
villas of the ,lago di ,como1 being     
among hills from #fjjj to #hjjj feet    
high1 are well proportioned1 being      
neither colossal nor diminutive3 but a  
mountain #cjjj feet high always looks   
higher than it really is2#dh therefore  
the buildings near it should be smaller 
than the average4 ,and this is what is  

meant by the proportion of objects2     
namely1 rendering them of such relative 
size as shall produce the greatest      
possible impression of those attributes 
which are most desirable in both4 ,it is
 not the true1 but the desirable        
impression which is to be conveyed2 and 
it must not be in one1 but in both3 the 
building must not be overwhelmed by the 
mass of the mountain1 nor the precipice 
mocked by the elevation of the cottage4 
7,proportion of color is a question of  
quite a different nature1 dependent     
merely on admixture and combination74   
,footnote #dh3 ,this position1 as well  
as the two preceding1 is important1 and 
in need of confirmation4 ,it has often  
been observed1 that1 when the eye is    
altogether unpracticed in estimating    
elevation1 it believes every point to be
 lower than it really is2 but this does 
not militate against the proposition1   
for it is also well known1 that the     
higher the point1 the greater the       
deception4 ,but when the eye is         

thoroughly practiced in mountain        
measurement1 although the judgment1     
arguing from technical knowledge1 gives 
a true result1 the impression on the    
feelings is always at variance with it1 
except in hills of the middle height4   
,we are perpetually astonished1 in our  
own country1 by the sublime impression  
left by such hills as ,skiddaw1 or      
,cader ,idris1 or ,ben ,venue2          
perpetually vexed1 in ,switzerland1 by  
finding that1 setting aside             
circumstances of form and color1 the    
abstract impression of elevation is     
7except in some moments of peculiar     
effect1 worth a king's ransom7 inferior 
to the truth4 ,we were standing the     
other day on the slope of the ,brevent1 
above the ,prieur of ,chamouni1 with a  
companion1 well practiced in climbing   
,highland hills1 but a stranger among   
the ,alps4 ,pointing out a rock above   
the ,glacier des ,bossons1 we requested 
an opinion of its height4 ,i should     
think1 was the reply1 ,i could climb it 

in two steps2 but ,i am too well used to
 hills to be taken in in that way2 it is
 at least #dj feet4 ,the real height was
 #dgj feet4 ,this deception is          
attributable to several causes          
7independently of the clearness of the  
medium through which the object is      
seen71 which it would be out of place to
 discuss here1 but the chief of which is
 the natural tendency of the feelings   
always to believe objects subtending the
 same angle to be of the same height4   
,we say the feelings1 not the eye2 for  
the practiced eye never betrays its     
possessor1 though the due and           
corresponding mental impression is not  
received4  #bbc4 ,for these reasons1    
buildings of a very large size are      
decidedly destructive of effect among   
the ,english lakes3 first1 because      
apparent altitudes are much diminished  
by them2 and1 secondly1 because1        
whatever position they may be placed in1
 instead of combining with scenery1 they
 occupy and overwhelm it2 for all       

scenery is divided into pieces1 each of 
which has a near bit of beauty1 a       
promontory of lichened crag1 or a smooth
 swarded knoll1 or something of the     
kind1 to begin with4 ,wherever the large
 villa comes1 it takes up one of these  
beginnings of landscape altogether2 and 
the parts of crag or wood1 which ought  
to combine with it1 become subservient  
to it1 and lost in its general effect2  
that is1 ordinarily1 in a general effect
 of ugliness4 ,this should never be the 
case3 however intrinsically beautiful   
the edifice may be1 it should assist1   
but not supersede2 join1 but not        
eclipse2 appear1 but not intrude4  #bbd4
 ,the general rule by which we are to   
determine the size is1 to select the    
largest mass which will not overwhelm   
any object of fine form1 within two     
hundred yards of it2 and if it does not 
do this1 we may be quite sure it is not 
too large for the distant features3 for 
it is one of ,nature's most beautiful   
adaptations1 that she is never out of   

proportion with herself2 that is1 the   
minor details of scenery of the first   
class bear exactly the proportion to the
 same species of detail in scenery of   
the second class1 that the large        
features of the first bear to the large 
features of the second4 ,every          
mineralogist knows that the quartz of   
the ,st4 ,gothard is as much larger in  
its crystal than the quartz of ,snowdon1
 as the peak of the one mountain        
overtops the peak of the other2 and that
 the crystals of the ,andes are larger  
than either4#di ,every artist knows that
 the bowlders of an ,alpine foreground1 
and the leaps of an ,alpine stream1 are 
as much larger than the bowlders1 and as
 much bolder than the leaps1 of a       
,cumberland foreground and torrent1 as  
the ,jungfrau is higher than ,skiddaw4  
,therefore1 if we take care of the near 
effect in any country1 we need never be 
afraid of the distant4  ,footnote #di3  
,this is rather a bold assertion2 and we
 should be sorry to maintain the fact as

 universal2 but the crystals of almost  
all the rarer minerals are larger in the
 larger mountain2 and that altogether   
independently of the period of          
elevation1 which1 in the case of ,mont  
,blanc1 is later than that of our own   
,mendips4  #bbe4 ,for these reasons1 the
 cottage villa1 rather than the mansion1
 is to be preferred among our hills3 it 
has been preferred in many instances1   
and in too many1 with an unfortunate    
result2 for the cottage villa is        
precisely that which affords the        
greatest scope for practical absurdity4 
,symmetry1 proportion1 and some degree  
of simplicity1 are usually kept in view 
in the large building2 but1 in the      
smaller1 the architect considers himself
 licensed to try all sorts of           
experiments1 and jumbles together pieces
 of imitation1 taken at random from his 
note-book1 as carelessly as a bad       
chemist mixing elements1 from which he  
may by accident obtain something new1   
though the chances are ten to one that  

he obtains something useless4 ,the      
chemist1 however1 is more innocent than 
the architect2 for the one throws his   
trash out of the window1 if the compound
 fail2 while the other always thinks his
 conceit too good to be lost4 ,the great
 one cause of all the errors in this    
branch of architecture is1 the principle
 of imitation1 at once the most baneful 
and the most unintellectual1 yet perhaps
 the most natural1 that the human mind  
can encourage or act upon4#ej ,let it   
once be thoroughly rooted out1 and the  
cottage villa will become a beautiful   
and interesting element of our          
landscape4  ,footnote #ej3 ,in  #aff we 
noticed the kind of error most common in
 amateur designs1 and we traced that    
error to its great first cause1 the     
assumption of the humor1 instead of the 
true character1 for a guide2 but we did 
not sufficiently specify the mode in    
which that first cause operated1 by     
prompting to imitation4 ,by imitation we
 do not mean accurate copying1 neither  

do we mean working under the influence  
of the feelings by which we may suppose 
the originators of a given model to have
 been actuated2 but we mean the         
intermediate step of endeavoring to     
combine old materials in a novel manner4
 ,true copying may be disdained by      
architects1 but it should not be        
disdained by nations2 for when the      
feelings of the time in which certain   
styles had their origin have passed     
away1 any examples of the same style    
will invariably be failures1 unless they
 be copies4 ,it is utter absurdity to   
talk of building ,greek edifices now2 no
 man ever will1 or ever can1 who does   
not believe in the ,greek mythology2    
and1 precisely by so much as he diverges
 from the technicality of strict        
copyism1 he will err4 ,but we ought to  
have pieces of ,greek architecture1 as  
we have reprints of the most valuable   
records1 and it is better to build a new
 ,parthenon than to set up the old one4 
,let the dust and the desolation of the 

,acropolis be undisturbed forever2 let  
them be left to be the school of our    
moral feelings1 not of our mechanical   
perceptions2 the line and rule of the   
prying carpenter should not come into   
the quiet and holy places of the earth4 
,elsewhere1 we may build marble models  
for the education of the national mind  
and eye2 but it is useless to think of  
adapting the architecture of the ,greek 
to the purposes of the ,frank2 it never 
has been done1 and never will be4 ,we   
delight1 indeed1 in observing the rise  
of such a building as ,la ,madeleine3   
beautiful1 because accurately copied2   
useful1 as teaching the eye of every    
passer-by4 ,but we must not think of its
 purpose2 it is wholly unadapted for    
,christian worship2 and were it as bad  
,greek as our ,national ,gallery1 it    
would be equally unfit4  ,the mistake of
 our architects in general is1 that they
 fancy they are speaking good ,english  
by speaking bad ,greek4 ,we wish1       
therefore1 that copying were more in    

vogue than it is4 ,but imitation1 the   
endeavor to be ,gothic1 or ,tyrolese1 or
 ,venetian1 without the slightest grain 
of ,gothic or ,venetian feeling2 the    
futile effort to splash a building into 
age1 or daub it into dignity1 to zigzag 
it into sanctity1 or slit it into       
ferocity1 when its shell is neither     
ancient nor dignified1 and its spirit   
neither priestly nor baronial1--this is 
the degrading vice of the age2 fostered1
 as if man's reason were but a step     
between the brains of a kitten and a    
monkey1 in the mixed love of despicable 
excitement and miserable mimicry4  ,if  
the ,english have no imagination1 they  
should not scorn to be commonplace2 or  
rather they should remember that poverty
 cannot be disguised by beggarly        
borrowing1 that it may be ennobled by   
calm independence4 ,our national        
architecture never will improve until   
our population are generally convinced  
that in this art1 as in all others1 they
 cannot seem what they cannot be4 ,the  

scarlet coat or the turned-down collar1 
which the obsequious portrait-painter   
puts on the shoulders and off the necks 
of his savage or insane customers1 never
 can make the 'prentice look military1  
or the idiot poetical2 and the          
architectural appurtenances of ,norman  
embrasure or ,veronaic balcony must be  
equally ineffective1 until they can turn
 shopkeepers into barons1 and           
schoolgirls into ,juliets4 ,let the     
national mind be elevated in its        
character1 and it will naturally become 
pure in its conceptions2 let it be      
simple in its desires1 and it will be   
beautiful in its ideas2 let it be modest
 in feeling1 and it will not be insolent
 in stone4 ,for architect and for       
employer1 there can be but one rule2 to 
be natural in all that they do1 and to  
look for the beauty of the material     
creation as they would for that of the  
human form1 not in the chanceful and    
changing disposition of artificial      
decoration1 but in the manifestation of 

the pure and animating spirit which     
keeps it from the coldness of the grave4
 ,with this remarkable foreshadowing of 
,mr4 ,ruskin's ,art-teaching compare    
,seven ,lamps and ,lectures on          
,architecture and ,painting1 throughout4
  #bbf4 ,so much for size4 ,the question
 of position need not detain us long1 as
 the principles advanced in  #ajd are   
true generally1 with one exception4     
,beautiful and calm the situation must  
always be1 but--in ,england--not        
conspicuous4 ,in ,italy1 the dwelling of
 the descendants of those whose former  
life has bestowed on every scene the    
greater part of the majesty which it    
possesses1 ought to have a dignity      
inherent in it1 which would be shamed by
 shrinking back from the sight of men1  
and majesty enough to prevent such      
non-retirement from becoming intrusive2 
but the spirit of the ,english landscape
 is simple1 and pastoral and mild1      
devoid1 also1 of high associations 7for 
in the ,highlands and ,wales almost     

every spot which has the pride of memory
 is unfit for villa residence72 and1    
therefore1 all conspicuous appearance of
 its more wealthy inhabitants becomes   
ostentation1 not dignity2 impudence1 not
 condescension4 ,their dwellings ought  
to be just evident1 and no more1 as     
forming part of the gentle animation and
 present prosperity which is the beauty 
of cultivated ground4 ,and this partial 
concealment may be effected without any 
sacrifice of the prospect which the     
proprietor will insist upon commanding  
from his windows1 and with great        
accession to his permanent enjoyment4   
#bbg4 ,for1 first1 the only prospect    
which is really desirable or delightful1
 is that from the window of the         
breakfast-room4 ,this is rather a bold  
position1 but it will appear evident on 
a little consideration4 ,it is pleasant 
enough to have a pretty little bit      
visible from the bedrooms2 but1 after   
all1 it only makes gentlemen cut        
themselves in shaving1 and ladies never 

think of anything beneath the sun when  
they are dressing4 ,then1 in the        
dining-room1 windows are absolutely     
useless1 because dinner is always       
uncomfortable by daylight1 and the      
weight of furniture effect which adapts 
the room for the gastronomic rites1     
renders it detestable as a sitting-room4
 ,in the library1 people should have    
something else to do1 than looking out  
of the windows2 in the drawing-room1 the
 uncomfortable stillness of the quarter 
of an hour before dinner1 may1 indeed1  
be alleviated by having something to    
converse about at the windows3 but it is
 very shameful to spoil a prospect of   
any kind1 by looking at it when we are  
not ourselves in a state of corporal    
comfort and mental good-humor1 which    
nobody can be after the labor of the    
day1 and before he has been fed4 ,but   
the breakfast-room1 where we meet the   
first light of the dewy day1 the first  
breath of the morning air1 the first    
glance of gentle eyes2 to which we      

descend in the very spring and          
elasticity of mental renovation and     
bodily energy1 in the gathering up of   
our spirit for the new day1 in the flush
 of our awakening from the darkness and 
the mystery of faint and inactive       
dreaming1 in the resurrection from our  
daily grave1 in the first tremulous     
sensation of the beauty of our being1 in
 the most glorious perception of the    
lightning of our life2 there1 indeed1   
our expatiation of spirit1 when it meets
 the pulse of outward sound and joy1 the
 voice of bird and breeze and billow1   
does demand some power of liberty1 some 
space for its going forth into the      
morning1 some freedom of intercourse    
with the lovely and limitless energy of 
creature and creation4  #bbh4 ,the      
breakfast-room must have a prospect1 and
 an extensive one2 the hot roll and     
hyson are indiscussable except under    
such sweet circumstances4 ,but he must  
be an awkward architect who cannot      
afford an opening to one window without 

throwing the whole mass of the building 
open to public view2 particularly as1 in
 the second place1 the essence of a good
 window view is the breaking out of the 
distant features in little well-composed
 morceaux1 not the general glare of a   
mass of one tone4 ,have we a line of    
lake8 the silver water must glance out  
here and there among the trunks of near 
trees1 just enough to show where it     
flows2 then break into an open swell of 
water1 just where it is widest1 or where
 the shore is prettiest4 ,have we       
mountains8 their peaks must appear over 
foliage or through it1 the highest and  
boldest catching the eye conspicuously1 
yet not seen from base to summit1 as if 
we wanted to measure them4 ,such a      
prospect as this is always compatible   
with as much concealment as we choose4  
,in all these pieces of management1 the 
architect's chief enemy is the vanity of
 his employer1 who will always want to  
see more than he ought to see1 and than 
he will have pleasure in seeing1 without

 reflecting how the spectators pay for  
his peeping4  #bbi4 ,so much1 then1 for 
position4 ,we have now only to settle   
the questions of form and color1 and we 
shall then have closed the most tiresome
 investigation which we shall be called 
upon to enter into2 inasmuch as the     
principles which we may arrive at in    
considering the architecture of         
defense1#ea though we hope they may be  
useful in the abstract1 will demand no  
application to native landscape1 in     
which1 happily1 no defense is now       
required2 and those relating to sacred  
edifices will1 we also hope1 be         
susceptible of more interest than can   
possibly be excited by the most degraded
 branch of the whole art of             
architecture1 one hardly worthy of being
 included under the name--that1 namely1 
with which we have lately been occupied1
 whose ostensible object is the mere    
provision of shelter and comfort for the
 despicable shell within whose darkness 
and corruption that purity of perception

 to which all high art is addressed is1 
during its immaturity1 confined4        
,footnote #ea3 ,referring again to the  
intended sequel4  #bcj4 ,there are two  
modes in which any mental or material   
effect may be increased--by contrast1 or
 by assimilation4 ,supposing that we    
have a certain number of features or    
existences under a given influence2     
then1 by subjecting another feature to  
the same influence1 we increase the     
universality1 and therefore the effect1 
of that influence2 but by introducing   
another feature1 not under the same     
influence1 we render the subjection of  
the other features more palpable1 and   
therefore more effective4 ,for example1 
let the influence be one of shade1 to   
which a certain number of objects are   
subjected4 ,we add another feature1     
subjected to the same influence1 and we 
increase the general impression of      
shade2 we add the same feature1 not     
subjected to this influence1 and we have
 deepened the effect of shade4  ,now1   

the principles by which we are to be    
guided in the selection of one or other 
of these means are of great importance1 
and must be developed before we can     
conclude the investigation of villa     
architecture4  #bca4 ,the impression    
produced by a given effect or influence 
depends upon its degree and its         
duration4 ,degree always means the      
proportionate energy exerted4 ,duration 
is either into time1 or into space1 or  
into both4 ,the duration of color is in 
space alone1 forming what is commonly   
called extent4 ,the duration of sound is
 in space and time2 the space being in  
the size of the waves of air1 which give
 depth to the tone4 ,the duration of    
mental emotion is in time alone4 ,now in
 all influences1 as is the degree1 so is
 the impression2 as is the duration1 so 
is the effect of the impression2 that   
is1 its permanent operation upon the    
feelings1 or the violence with which it 
takes possession of our own faculties   
and senses1 as opposed to the abstract  

impression of its existence1 without    
such operation on our own essence4  ,for
 example1 the natural tendency of       
darkness or shade is to induce fear or  
melancholy4 ,now1 as the degree of the  
shade1 so is the abstract impression of 
the existence of shade2 but as the      
duration of shade1 so is the fear or    
melancholy excited by it4               
,consequently1 when we wish to increase 
the abstract impression of the power of 
any influence over objects with which we
 have no connection1 we must increase   
degree2 but1 when we wish the impression
 to produce a permanent effect upon     
ourselves1 we must increase duration4   
,now1 degree is always increased by     
contrast1 and duration by assimilation4 
,a few instances of this will be        
sufficient4  #bcb4 ,blue is called a    
cold color1 because it induces a feeling
 of coolness to the eye1 and is much    
used by nature in her cold effects4     
,supposing that we have painted a storm 
scene1 in desolate country1 with a      

single miserable cottage somewhere in   
front2 that we have made the atmosphere 
and the distance cold and blue1 and wish
 to heighten the comfortless impression4
  ,there is an old rag hanging out of   
the window3 shall it be red or blue8 ,if
 it be red1 the piece of warm color will
 contrast strongly with the atmosphere2 
will render its blueness and chilliness 
immensely more apparent2 will increase  
the degree of both1 and1 therefore1 the 
abstract impression of the existence of 
cold4 ,but1 if it be blue1 it will bring
 the iciness of the distance up into the
 foreground2 will fill the whole visible
 space with comfortless cold2 will take 
away every relief from the desolation2  
will increase the duration of the       
influence1 and1 consequently1 will      
extend its operation into the mind and  
feelings of the spectator1 who will     
shiver as he looks4  ,now1 if we are    
making a picture1 we shall not hesitate 
a moment3 in goes the red2 for the      
artist1 while he wishes to render the   

actual impression of the presence of    
cold in the landscape as strong as      
possible1 does not wish that chilliness 
to pass over into1 or affect1 the       
spectator1 but endeavors to make the    
combination of color as delightful to   
his eye and feelings as possible4#eb    
,but1 if we are painting a scene for    
theatrical representation1 where        
deception is aimed at1 we shall be as   
decided in our proceeding on the        
opposite principle3 in goes the blue2   
for we wish the idea of cold to pass    
over into the spectator1 and make him so
 uncomfortable as to permit his fancy to
 place him distinctly in the place we   
desire1 in the actual scene4  ,footnote 
#eb3 ,this difference of principle is   
one leading distinction between the     
artist1 properly so called1 and the     
scene1 diorama1 or panorama painter4    
#bcc4 ,again1 ,shakspeare has been      
blamed by some few critical asses for   
the raillery of ,mercutio1 and the humor
 of the nurse1 in ,romeo and ,juliet2   

for the fool in ,lear2 for the porter in
 ,macbeth2 the grave-diggers in ,hamlet1
 etc42 because1 it is said1 these bits  
interrupt the tragic feeling4 ,no such  
thing2 they enhance it to an            
incalculable extent2 they deepen its    
degree1 though they diminish its        
duration4 ,and what is the result8 that 
the impression of the agony of the      
individuals brought before us is far    
stronger than it could otherwise have   
been1 and our sympathies are more       
forcibly awakened2 while1 had the       
contrast been wanting1 the impression of
 pain would have come over into         
ourselves1 our selfish feeling1 instead 
of our sympathy1 would have been        
awakened2 the conception of the grief of
 others diminished2 and the tragedy     
would have made us very uncomfortable1  
but never have melted us to tears or    
excited us to indignation4 ,when he1    
whose merry and satirical laugh rung in 
our ears the moment before1 faints      
before us1 with a plague o' both your   

houses1 they have made worms' meat of   
me1 the acuteness of our feeling is     
excessive3 but1 had we not heard the    
laugh before1 there would have been a   
dull weight of melancholy impression1   
which would have been painful1 not      
affecting4  #bcd4 ,hence1 we see the    
grand importance of the choice of our   
means of enhancing effect1 and we derive
 the simple rule for that choice1       
namely1 that1 when we wish to increase  
abstract impression1 or to call upon the
 sympathy of the spectator1 we are to   
use contrast2 but1 when we wish to      
extend the operation of the impression1 
or to awaken the selfish feelings1 we   
are to use assimilation4  ,this rule1   
however1 becomes complicated1 where the 
feature of contrast is not altogether   
passive2 that is1 where we wish to give 
a conception of any qualities inherent  
in that feature1 as well as in what it  
relieves2 and1 besides1 it is not always
 easy to know whether it will be best to
 increase the abstract idea1 or its     

operation4 ,in most cases1 energy1 the  
degree of influence1 is beauty2 and1 in 
many1 the duration of influence is      
monotony4 ,in others1 duration is       
sublimity1 and energy painful3 in a few1
 energy and duration are attainable and 
delightful together4  #bce4 ,it is      
impossible to give rules for judgment in
 every case2 but the following points   
must always be observed3--,first1 when  
we use contrast1 it must be natural and 
likely to occur4 ,thus the contrast in  
tragedy is the natural consequence of   
the character of human existence2 it is 
what we see and feel every day of our   
lives4 ,when a contrast is unnatural1 it
 destroys the effect it should enhance4 
,canning called on a ,french refugee in 
#agid4 ,the conversation naturally      
turned on the execution of the ,queen1  
then a recent event4 ,overcome by his   
feelings1 the ,parisian threw himself   
upon the ground1 exclaiming1 in an agony
 of tears1 ,la bonne reine6 la pauvre   
reine6 ,presently he sprang up1         

exclaiming1 ,cependant1 ,monsieur1 il   
faut vous faire voir mon petit chien    
danser4 ,this contrast1 though natural  
in a ,parisian1 was unnatural in the    
nature of things1 and therefore         
injurious4  #bcf4 ,secondly1 when the   
general influence1 instead of being     
external1 is an attribute or energy of  
the thing itself1 so as to bestow on it 
a permanent character1 the contrast     
which is obtained by the absence of that
 character is injurious1 and becomes    
what is called an interruption of the   
unity4 ,thus1 the raw and colorless tone
 of the ,swiss cottage1 noticed in  #db1
 is an injurious contrast to the        
richness of the landscape1 which is an  
inherent and necessary energy in        
surrounding objects4 ,so1 the character 
of ,italian landscape is curvilinear2   
therefore1 the outline of the buildings 
entering into its composition must be   
arranged on curvilinear principles1 as  
investigated in  #add4  #bcg4 ,thirdly4 
,but1 if the pervading character can be 

obtained in the single object by        
different means1 the contrast will be   
delightful4 ,thus1 the elevation of     
character which the hill districts of   
,italy possess by the magnificence of   
their forms1 is transmitted to the villa
 by its dignity of detail and simplicity
 of outline2 and the rectangular        
interruption to the curve of picturesque
 blue country1 partaking of the nature  
of that which it interrupts1 is a       
contrast giving relief and interest1    
while any ,elizabethan acute angles1 on 
the contrary1 would have been a contrast
 obtained by the absence of the         
pervading energy of the universal       
curvilinear character1 and therefore    
improper4  #bch4 ,fourthly1 when the    
general energy1 instead of pervading    
simultaneously the multitude of objects1
 as with one spirit1 is independently   
possessed and manifested by every       
individual object1 the result is        
repetition1 not unity2 and contrast is  
not merely agreeable1 but necessary4    

,thus1 a number of objects1 forming the 
line of beauty1 is pervaded by one      
simple energy2 but if that energy is    
separately manifested in each1 the      
result is painful monotony4 ,parallel   
right lines1 without grouping1 are      
always liable to this objection2 and1   
therefore1 a distant view of a flat     
country is never beautiful unless its   
horizontals are lost in richness of     
vegetation1 as in ,lombardy1 or broken  
with masses of forest1 or with distant  
hills4 ,if none of these interruptions  
take place1 there is immediate monotony1
 and no introduction can be more        
delightful than such a tower in the     
distance as ,strasburg1 or1 indeed1 than
 any architectural combination of       
verticals4 ,peterborough is a beautiful 
instance of such an adaptation4 ,it is  
always1 then1 to be remembered that     
repetition is not assimilation4  #bci4  
,fifthly1 when any attribute is         
necessarily beautiful1 that is1         
beautiful in every place and            

circumstance1 we need hardly say that   
the contrast consisting in its absence  
is painful4 ,it is only when beauty is  
local or accidental that opposition may 
be employed4  ,sixthly4 ,the edge of all
 contrasts1 so to speak1 should be as   
soft as is consistent with decisive     
effect4 ,we mean1 that a gradual change 
is better than instantaneous            
transfiguration2 for1 though always less
 effective1 it is more agreeable4 ,but  
this must be left very much to the      
judgment4  ,seventhly4 ,we must be very 
careful in ascertaining whether any     
given contrast is obtained by freedom   
from external1 or absence of internal1  
energy1 for it is often a difficult     
point to decide4 ,thus1 the peace of the
 ,alpine valley might1 at first1 seem to
 be a contrast caused by the want of the
 character of strength and sublimity    
manifested in the hills2 but it is      
really caused by the freedom from the   
general and external influence of       
violence and desolation4  #bdj4 ,these1 

then1 are principles applicable to all  
arts1 without a single exception1 and of
 particular importance in painting and  
architecture4#ec ,it will sometimes be  
found that one rule comes in the way of 
another2 in which case1 the most        
important is1 of course1 to be obeyed2  
but1 in general1 they will afford us an 
easy means of arriving at certain       
results1 when1 before1 our conjectures  
must have been vague and unsatisfactory4
  ,footnote #ec3 ,for further discussion
 of which1 see ,elements of ,drawing1   
,letter ,,iii4  ,we may now proceed to  
determine the most proper form for the  
mountain villa of ,england4  #bda4 ,we  
must first observe the prevailing lines 
of the near hills3 if they are vertical1
 there will most assuredly be monotony1 
for the vertical lines of crag are never
 grouped1 and accordingly1 by our fourth
 rule1 the prevailing lines of our      
edifice must be horizontal4 ,on the     
,lake of ,thun the tendency of the hills
 is vertical2 this tendency is repeated 

by the buildings1#ed and the composition
 becomes thoroughly bad2 but on the     
,lake of ,como we have the same vertical
 tendency in the hills1 while the grand 
lines of the buildings are horizontal1  
and the composition is good4 ,but1 if   
the prevailing lines of the near hills  
be curved 7and they will be either      
curved or vertical71 we must not        
interrupt their character1 for the      
energy is then pervading1 not           
individual2 and1 therefore1 our edifice 
must be rectangular4  ,footnote #ed3 ,in
 their turrets and pinnacles1 as shown  
by a poor wood-cut in the magazine1 not 
worth reproduction4  ,in both cases1    
therefore1 the grand outline of the     
villa is the same2 but in one we have it
 set off by contrast1 in the other by   
assimilation2 and we must work out in   
the architecture of each edifice the    
principle on which we have begun4       
,commencing with that in which we are to
 work by contrast3 the vertical crags   
must be the result of violence1 and the 

influence of destruction1 of distortion1
 of torture1 to speak strongly1 must be 
evident in their every line4 ,we free   
the building from this influence1 and   
give it repose1 gracefulness1 and ease2 
and we have a contrast of feeling as    
well as of line1 by which the desirable 
attributes are rendered evident in both 
objects1 while the duration of neither  
energy being allowed1 there can be no   
disagreeable effect upon the spectator1 
who will not shrink from the terror of  
the crags1 nor feel a want of excitement
 in the gentleness of the building4     
#bdb4 ,secondly1 ,solitude is powerful  
and evident in its effect on the distant
 hills2 therefore the effect of the     
villa should be joyous and life-like    
7not flippant1 however1 but serene72    
and1 by rendering it so1 we shall       
enhance the sublimity of the distance1  
as we showed in speaking of the         
,westmoreland cottage2 and1 therefore1  
we may introduce a number of windows    
with good effect1 provided that they are

 kept in horizontal lines1 and do not   
disturb the repose which we have shown  
to be necessary4  ,these three points of
 contrast will be quite enough3 there is
 no other external influence from which 
we can free the building1 and the       
pervading energy must be communicated to
 it1 or it will not harmonize with our  
feelings2 therefore1 before proceeding1 
we had better determine how this        
contrast is to be carried out in detail4
  #bdc4 ,our lines are to be horizontal2
 then the roof must be as flat as       
possible4 ,we need not think of snow1   
because1 however much we may slope the  
roof1 it will not slip off from the     
material1 which1 here1 is the only      
proper one2 and the roof of the cottage 
is always very flat1 which it would not 
be if there were any inconvenience      
attending such a form4 ,but1 for the    
sake of the second contrast1 we are to  
have gracefulness and ease1 as well as  
horizontality4 ,then we must break the  
line of the roof into different         

elevations1 yet not making the          
difference great1 or we shall have      
visible verticals4 ,and this must not be
 done at random4  ,illustration3 ,fig4  
#ad4 ,leading lines of                  
,villa-composition4  #bdd4 ,take a flat 
line of beauty1 a d1 fig4 #ad1 for the  
length of the edifice4 ,strike a b      
horizontally from a1 c d from d2 let    
fall the verticals1 make c f equal m n1 
the maximum2 and draw h f4 ,the curve   
should be so far continued as that h f  
shall be to c d as c d to a b4 ,then we 
are sure of a beautifully proportioned  
form4 ,much variety may be introduced by
 using different curves2 joining        
parabolas with cycloids1 etc42 but the  
use of curves is always the best mode of
 obtaining good forms4#ee  ,footnote    
#ee3 ,compare ,modern ,painters1 vol4   
,,iv4 chap4 xvii4  #di1 and ,elements of
 ,drawing1 ,letter ,,iii4  ,further ease
 may be obtained by added combinations4 
,for instance1 strike another curve 7a q
 b7 through the flat line a b2 bisect   

the maximum v p1 draw the horizontal r  
s1 7observing to make the largest       
maximum of this curve towards the       
smallest maximum of the great curve1 to 
restore the balance71 join r q1 s b1 and
 we have another modification of the    
same beautiful form4 ,this may be done  
in either side of the building1 but not 
in both4  #bde4 ,then1 if the flat roof 
be still found monotonous1 it may be    
interrupted by garret windows1 which    
must not be gabled1 but turned with the 
curve a b1 whatever that may be4 ,this  
will give instant humility to the       
building1 and take away any vestiges of 
,italian character which might hang     
about it1 and which would be wholly out 
of place4  ,the windows may have        
tolerably broad architraves1 but no     
cornices2 an ornament both haughty and  
classical in its effect1 and1 on both   
accounts1 improper here4 ,they should be
 in level lines1 but grouped at unequal 
distances1 or they will have a formal   
and artificial air1 unsuited to the     

irregularity and freedom around them4   
,some few of them may be arched1        
however1 with the curve a b1 the        
mingling of the curve and the square    
being very graceful4 ,there should not  
be more than two tiers and the garrets1 
or the building will be too high4  ,so  
much for the general outline of the     
villa1 in which we are to work by       
contrast4 ,let us pass over to that in  
which we are to work by assimilation1   
before speaking of the material and     
color which should be common to both4   
#bdf4 ,the grand outline must be        
designed on exactly the same principles2
 for the curvilinear proportions1 which 
were opposition before1 will now be     
assimilation4 ,of course1 we do not mean
 to say that every villa in a hill      
country should have the form a b c d2 we
 should be tired to death if they had3  
but we bring forward that form as an    
example of the agreeable result of the  
principles on which we should always    
work1 but whose result should be the    

same in no two cases4 ,a modification of
 that form1 however1 will frequently be 
found useful2 for1 under the depression 
h f1 we may have a hall of entrance and 
of exercise1 which is a requisite of    
extreme importance in hill districts1   
where it rains three hours out of four  
all the year round2 and under c d we may
 have the kitchen1 servants' rooms1 and 
coachhouse1 leaving the large division  
quiet and comfortable4  #bdg4 ,then1 as 
in the curved country there is no such  
distortion as that before noticed1 no   
such evidence of violent agency1 we need
 not be so careful about the appearance 
of perfect peace2 we may be a little    
more dignified and a little more        
classical4 ,the windows may be          
symmetrically arranged2 and1 if there be
 a blue and undulating distance1 the    
upper tier may even have cornices2      
narrower architraves are to be used2 the
 garrets may be taken from the roof1 and
 their inmates may be accommodated in   
the other side of the house2 but we must

 take care1 in doing this1 not to become
 ,greek4 ,the material1 as we shall see 
presently1 will assist us in keeping    
unclassical2 and not a vestige of column
 or capital must appear in any part of  
the edifice4 ,all should be pure1 but   
all should be ,english2 and there should
 be here1 as elsewhere1 much of the     
utilitarian about the whole1 suited to  
the cultivated country in which it is   
placed4  #bdh4 ,it will never do to be  
speculative or imaginative in our       
details1 on the supposition that the    
tendency of fine scenery is to make     
everybody imaginative and enthusiastic4 
,enthusiasm has no business with ,turkey
 carpets or easy-chairs2 and the very   
preparation of comfort for the body1    
which the existence of the villa        
supposes1 is inconsistent with the      
supposition of any excitement of mind3  
and this is another reason for keeping  
the domestic building in richly         
productive country4 ,nature has set     
aside her sublime bits for us to feel   

and think in2 she has pointed out her   
productive bits for us to sleep and eat 
in2 and1 if we sleep and eat amongst the
 sublimity1 we are brutal2 if we poetize
 amongst the cultivation1 we are absurd4
 ,there are the time and place for each 
state of existence1 and we should not   
jumble that which ,nature has separated4
 ,she has addressed herself1 in one     
part1 wholly to the mind2 there is      
nothing for us to eat but bilberries1   
nothing to rest upon but rock1 and we   
have no business to concoct picnics1 and
 bring cheese1 and ale1 and sandwiches1 
in baskets1 to gratify our beastly      
natures1 where ,nature never intended us
 to eat 7if she had1 we needn't have    
brought the baskets74 ,in the other     
part1 she has provided for our          
necessities2 and we are very absurd1 if 
we make ourselves fantastic1 instead of 
comfortable4 ,therefore1 all that we    
ought to do in the hill villa is1 to    
adapt it for the habitation of a man of 
the highest faculties of perception and 

feeling2 but only for the habitation of 
his hours of common sense1 not of       
enthusiasm2 it must be his dwelling as a
 man1 not as a spirit2 as a thing liable
 to decay1 not as an eternal energy2 as 
a perishable1 not as an immortal4  #bdi4
 ,keeping1 then1 in view these          
distinctions of form between the two    
villas1 the remaining considerations    
relate equally to both4 ,we have several
 times alluded to the extreme richness  
and variety of hill foreground1 as an   
internal energy to which there must be  
no contrast4 ,rawness of color is to be 
especially avoided1 but so1 also1 is    
poverty of effect4 ,it will1 therefore1 
add much to the beauty of the building1 
if in any conspicuous and harsh angle1  
or shadowy molding1 we introduce a      
wreath of carved leafwork1--in stone1 of
 course4 ,this sounds startling and     
expensive2 but we are not thinking of   
expense3 what ought to be1 not what can 
be afforded1 is the question4 ,besides1 
when all expense in shamming castles1   

building pinnacles1 and all other       
fantasticisms has been shown to be      
injurious1 that which otherwise would   
have been wasted in plaster battlements1
 to do harm1 may surely be devoted to   
stone leafage1 to do good4 ,now1 if     
there be too much1 or too conspicuous1  
ornament1 it will destroy simplicity and
 humility1 and everything which we have 
been endeavoring to get2 therefore1 the 
architect must be careful1 and had      
better have immediate recourse to that  
natural beauty with which he is now     
endeavoring to assimilate4  #bej4 ,when 
,nature determines on decorating a piece
 of projecting rock1 she begins with the
 bold projecting surface1 to which the  
eye is naturally drawn by its form1 and 
7observe how closely she works by the   
principles which were before            
investigated7 she finishes this with    
lichens and mingled colors1 to a degree 
of delicacy1 which makes us feel that we
 never can look close enough2 but she   
puts in not a single mass of form to    

attract the eye1 more than the grand    
outline renders necessary4 ,but1 where  
the rock joins the ground1 where the    
shadow falls1 and the eye is not        
attracted1 she puts in bold forms of    
ornament1 large leaves and grass1       
bunches of moss and heather1 strong in  
their projection1 and deep in their     
color4 ,therefore1 the architect must   
act on precisely the same principle3 his
 outward surfaces he may leave the wind 
and weather to finish in their own way2 
but he cannot allow ,nature to put grass
 and weeds into the shadows2 ergo1 he   
must do it himself2 and1 whenever the   
eye loses itself in shade1 wherever     
there is a dark and sharp corner1 there1
 if he can1 he should introduce a wreath
 of flower-work4 ,the carving will be   
preserved from the weather by this very 
propriety of situation3 it would have   
moldered away1 had it been exposed to   
the full drift of the rain1 but will    
remain safe in the crevices where it is 
required2 and1 also1 it will not injure 

the general effect1 but will lie        
concealed until we approach1 and then   
rise up1 as it were1 out of the         
darkness1 to its duty2 bestowing on the 
dwellings that finish of effect which is
 manifested around them1 and gratifying 
the natural requirements of the mind for
 the same richness in the execution of  
the designs of men1 which it has found  
on a near approach lavished so          
abundantly1 in a distant view subdued so
 beautifully into the large effect of   
the designs of ,nature4  #bea4 ,of the  
ornament itself1 it is to be observed   
that it is not to be what is properly   
called architectural decoration 7that   
which is decorous1 becoming1 or suitable
 to71 namely1 the combination of minor  
forms1 which repeat the lines1 and      
partake of the essence of the grand     
design1 and carry out its meaning and   
life into its every member2 but it is to
 be true sculpture2 the presenting of a 
pure ideality of form to the eye1 which 
may give perfect conception1 without the

 assistance of color3 it is to be the   
stone image of vegetation1 not          
botanically accurate1 indeed1 but       
sufficiently near to permit us to be    
sure of the intended flower or leaf4    
,not a single line of any other kind of 
ornament should be admitted1 and there  
should be more leafage than flower-work1
 as it is the more easy in its flow and 
outline4 ,deep relief need not be       
attempted1 but the edges of the leafage 
should be clearly and delicately        
defined4 ,the cabbage1 the vine1 and the
 ivy are the best and most beautiful    
leaves3 oak is a little too stiff1      
otherwise good4 ,particular attention   
ought to be paid to the ease of the     
stems and tendrils2 such care will      
always be repaid4 ,and it is to be      
especially observed1 that the carving is
 not to be arranged in garlands or      
knots1 or any other formalities1 as in  
,gothic work2 but the stalks are to rise
 out of the stone1 as if they were      
rooted in it1 and to fling themselves   

down where they are wanted1 disappearing
 again in light sprays1 as if they were 
still growing4  #beb4 ,all this will    
require care in designing2 but1 as we   
have said before1 we can always do      
without decoration2 but1 if we have it1 
it must be well done4 ,it is not of the 
slightest use to economize2 every       
farthing improperly saved does a        
shilling's worth of damage2 and that is 
getting a bargain the wrong way4 ,when  
one branch or group balances another1   
they must be different in composition4  
,the same group may be introduced       
several times in different parts1 but   
not when there is correspondence1 or the
 effect will be unnatural2 and it can   
hardly be too often repeated1 that the  
ornament must be kept out of the general
 effect1 must be invisible to all but   
the near observer1 and1 even to him1    
must not become a necessary part of the 
design1 but must be sparingly and       
cautiously applied1 so as to appear to  
have been thrown in by chance here and  

there1 as ,nature would have thrown in a
 bunch of herbage1 affording adornment  
without concealment1 and relief without 
interruption4  #bec4 ,so much for form4 
,the question of color has already been 
discussed at some length1 in speaking of
 the cottage2 but it is to be noticed1  
that the villa1 from the nature of its  
situation1 gets the higher hills back   
into a distance which is three or four  
times more blue than any piece of       
scenery entering into combination with  
the cottage2 so that more warmth of     
color is allowable in the building1 as  
well as greater cheerfulness of effect4 
,it should not look like stone1 as the  
cottage should1 but should tell as a    
building on the mind as well as the eye4
 ,white1 therefore1 is frequently       
allowable in small quantities1          
particularly on the border of a large   
and softly shored lake1 like ,windermere
 and the foot of ,loch ,lomond2 but     
cream-color1 and putty-color1 and the   
other varieties of plaster-color are    

inexcusable4 ,if more warmth is required
 by the situation than the sun will give
 on white1 the building should be       
darkened at once4 ,a warm rich gray is  
always beautiful in any place and under 
any circumstance2 and1 in fact1 unless  
the proprietor likes to be kept damp    
like a traveling codfish1 by trees about
 his house and close to it 7which1 if it
 be white1 he must have1 to prevent     
glare71 such a gray is the only color   
which will be beautiful1 or even        
innocent4 ,the difficulty is to obtain  
it2 and this naturally leads to the     
question of material4  #bed4 ,if the    
color is to be white1 we can have no    
ornament1 for the shadows would make it 
far too conspicuous1 and we should get  
only tawdriness4 ,the simple forms may  
be executed in anything that will stand 
wet2 and the roof1 in all cases1 should 
be of the coarse slate of the country1  
as rudely put on as possible4 ,they must
 be kept clear of moss and conspicuous  
vegetation1 or there will be an improper

 appearance of decay2 but the more      
lichenous the better1 and the rougher   
the slate the sooner it is colored4 ,if 
the color is to be gray1 we may use the 
gray primitive limestone1 which is not  
ragged on the edges1 without preparing  
the blocks too smoothly2 or the more    
compact and pale-colored slate1 which is
 frequently done in ,westmoreland2 and  
execute the ornaments in any very coarse
 dark marble4 ,greenstone is an         
excellent rock1 and has a fine surface1 
but it is unmanageable4 ,the grayer     
granites may often be used with good    
effect1 as well as the coarse           
porphyries1 when the gray is to be      
particularly warm4 ,an outward surface  
of a loose block may be often turned to 
good account in turning an angle2 as the
 colors which it has contracted by its  
natural exposure will remain on it      
without inducing damp4 ,it is always to 
be remembered1 that he who prefers      
neatness to beauty1 and who would have  
sharp angles and clean surfaces1 in     

preference to curved outlines and       
lichenous color1 has no business to live
 among hills4  #bee4 ,such1 then1 are   
the principal points to be kept in view 
in the edifice itself4 ,of the mode of  
uniting it with the near features of    
foliage and ground1 it would be utterly 
useless to speak3 it is a question of   
infinite variety1 and involving the     
whole theory of composition1 so that it 
would take up volumes to develop        
principles sufficient to guide us to the
 result which the feeling of the        
practiced eye would arrive at in a      
moment4 ,the inequalities of the ground1
 the character and color of those       
inequalities1 the nature of the air1 the
 exposure1 and the consequent fall of   
the light1 the quantity and form of near
 and distant foliage1 all have their    
effect on the design1 and should have   
their influence on the designer1        
inducing1 as they do1 a perfect change  
of circumstance in every locality4 ,only
 one general rule can be given1 and that

 we repeat4 ,the house must not be a    
noun substantive1 it must not stand by  
itself1 it must be part and parcel of a 
proportioned whole3 it must not even be 
seen all at once2 and he who sees one   
end should feel that1 from the given    
data1 he can arrive at no conclusion    
respecting the other1 yet be impressed  
with a feeling of a universal energy1   
pervading with its beauty of unanimity  
all life and all inanimation1 all forms 
of stillness or motion1 all presence of 
silence or of sound4  #bef4 ,thus1 then1
 we have reviewed the most interesting  
examples of existing villa architecture1
 and we have applied the principles     
derived from those examples to the      
landscape of our own country4           
,throughout1 we have endeavored to      
direct attention to the spirit1 rather  
than to the letter1 of all law1 and to  
exhibit the beauty of that principle    
which is embodied in the line with which
 we have headed this concluding paper2  
of being satisfied with national and    

natural forms1 and not endeavoring to   
introduce the imaginations1 or imitate  
the customs1 of foreign nations1 or of  
former times4 ,all imitation has its    
origin in vanity1 and vanity is the bane
 of architecture4 ,and1 as we take leave
 of them1 we would1 once for all1 remind
 our ,english sons of ,sempronius qui   
villas attollunt marmore novas1 novas in
 the full sense of the word1--and who   
are setting all ,english feeling and all
 natural principles at defiance1 that it
 is only the bourgeois gentilhomme who  
will wear his dressing-gown upside down1
 parceque toutes les personnes de qualit
 portent les fleurs en en-bas4          
,,oxford1 ,october1 #ahch4