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

THE ETHICAL

FALLACY

151

Ihough

it is nobler in restraint,

f

But thestrength

of thebaroqueis adeceit. It 'proteststoo much,'

andfor

the usualreason: thatitsboastisinsecure.

Itsmassisalltooprobablylesshuge,itsvistasless

prolonged,itsrichnessless

precious,thanitpretends.

Thechargeoffalseconstruction,asconstruction,has,

it

is true, been dealt

with; the argument

from

science fell, as wesaw,to nothing. Butthisis an

argument ofmoral taste. Can weapprove a style

thus

saturatedwithdeceit

: astyleof

false

facades,

false perspectives, false masonry and false gold?

For

allthese, it must be agreed, are found in the

baroque

as

they

arefoundinno

otherstyle

ofarchi-

tecture. Itisanart,notindeedalways,butfartoo

_often,

of

'

deceit.'

Thisisprobablythe

commonest

ofallthe

prejudices

againsttheRenaissancestyleinitsfulldevelopment.

Buthere, too, the

factsare sounder thanthe con-

clusions.

Theharmfulnessofdeceitlies,itmustbesupposed,

eitherasa

qualityinthe willofthedeceiver, orin

thedamageinflictedbythe

deceit.

If,

indischarge

ofadebt,a

manweretogivemeinsteadofasove-

reignagilded

farthing,hewouldfail,nodoubt,ofhis

promise,whichwas togiveme thevalueoftwenty

shillings. To

deceivemewasesisentialtohisplanand

thedesire todoso

impliedinhisattempt. Butif,

whenIhave

lenthimnothing,heweretogive

me

a