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

152

THEARCHITECTURE

OF

HUMANISM

giltfarthingbecauseI

wantedsomething

bright,and

becausehecouldnotafford

thesovereign

and

must

givemethe

brightfarthingornothing

brightatall,

then, though the coin

might be a false sovereign,

thereisevidentlyneitherevil

willnorinjury. There

isnofailureof

promisebecausenopromisehasbeen

made. Thereisafalse

coinwhich,incidentally,may

*

deceive' me

;

but there is no damage and no

implied determination to deceive, because what I

required in this case was not a

sovereign but the

visibleeffectofasovereign,

andthatheproposedto

give—andgave.^

Iamprobablynotpersuadedintobelievingthatthe

falsewindowofa

Renaissancefrontis

a

realone,and

>

Thismayseemobviousenough,andtooobvious; but,asWords-

worthwroteinafamouspreface:

'

Ifitshallappeartosomethatmy

labourisunnecessaryandthatIamlikeamanfightingabattlewithout

enemies,suchpersonsmayberemindedthatwhateverbethelanguage

outwardlyholdenbymen,apracticalfaithintheopinionwhichIam

wishingtoestablishisalmostunknown. Ifmyconclusionsbead-

mitted,andcarriedasfarastheymustbecarriedifadmittedatall,

ourjudgments...willbefardifferentfromwhattheyareatpresent,

bothwhenwepraiseandwhenwecensure.' Itis,infact,forlack

ofstatingthecaseatlengthandrenderingitobvious,thattheattack

ontheinherentfalsityofthebaroqueisrepeatedineveryhistoryof

architecturewhichappearsinthiscountryorinFrance. Theattack

variesinseverity,andin

extent. EitherthewholeRenaissancestyle

ismade

'

intolerable

'

bydeceit,or

itbecomesintolerableatits

seven-

teenthcenturyclimax;or,ifnotintolerable,itis

a

veryseriousblemish

andtobeapologisedfor. Butnocriticdesiresor,desiring,hasthe

couragetojustifytheRenaissancemethod,qua method,rootand

branch,

andtoinsistthatthebaroquestylewasthefirsttograspthe

psychological
basis,andconsequentlibertiesofarchitectural
art.

Yet

such
isthefact.