The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

THE ETHICAL FALLACY

143

meglio,

—

^whereby,indeed,

nowas

in

the past,

many

excellentdesignshavebeenfrustrated.

Butthemediaeval

labourer,inthis

Elysianpicture,

has his toil lightened by religious aspiration. No

doubthe tookpleasureinhiscult andgot comfort

fromhis

gods. Buthowwasitwiththe

Renaissance

workman at the lowest point of his

'

slavery and

degradation,' thedull tool whosesoulless lifeis re-

vealed

in

thebaroque?

ThisisRanke'sdescription

oftheraisingofthegreatobeliskbeforethefrontof

St.Peter's, which Domenico Fontanaundertookfor

Sixtusv.

:

—

'

Itwasaworkoftheutmostdifficulty—toraiseit

fromits

basenearthesacristy

of

theoldchurchof

St.

Peter,toremoveitentire,andtofixitonanewsite.

All engaged in it seemed inspired with the feeling

thattheywere undertakinga workwhichwouldbe

renownedthroughalltheages. Theworkmen,nine

hundred in number, began by hearing Mass, con-

fessing, and receiving the Communion. Theythen

enteredthespacewhichhadbeenmarkedoutforthe

scene of their labours by a

fence

or

railing.

The

master placed himself on an elevated seat. The

obelisk

was

coveredwithmattingandboards,bound

round it with strong iron hoops

;

thirty-five wind-

lassesweretoset

inmotionthe monstrousmachine

whichwastoraiseitwithstrongropes

;

eachwind-

lass wasworked by

two horses and

ten

men.

At