poi

Simplicity, without variety, is wholly insipid, and at
best does only not displease; but when variety is
join'd to it, then it pleases, because it enhances the
pleasure of variety, by giving the eye the power of en-
joying it with ease.
.There is no object composed of straight lines, that
has so much variety, with so few parts, as the pyramid:
and it is its constantly varying from its base gradually up-
wards in every situation of the eye, (without giving the
idea of sameness, as the eye moves round it) that has
mad it been esteem'd in all ages, in preference to the
cone, which in all views appears nearly the same, being
varied only by light and shade.
Steeples, monuments, and most compositions in paint-
ing and sculpture are kept within the form of the cone
or pyramid, as the most eligible boundary on account
of their simplicity and variety. For the same reason
equestrian statues please more than the single figures.
The authors (for there were three concern'd in the
work) of as fine a group of figures in sculpture, as ever
was made, either by ancients or moderns, (I mean Lao-
coon and his two sons) chose to be guilty of the ab-
surdity of making the sons of half the father's size, tho'

they

they have every other mark of being design'd for men,
rather than not bring their composition within the
boundary of a pyramid †. Thus if a judicious work-
man were employ'd to make a case of wood, for pre-
serving it from the injuries of the weather, or for the
convenience of carriage; he would soon find by his eye,
the whole composition would readily fit and be easily
pack'd up, in one of a pyramidal form.
Steeples &c. have generally been varied from the
cone, to take off from their too great simplicity, and in-
stead of their circular bases, polygons of different, but
even numbers of sides, have been substituted, I suppose
for the sake of uniformity. These forms however may be
said to have been chosen by the architect, with a view
to the cone, as the whole composition might be bounded
by it.
Yet, in my mind, odd numbers have the advantage
over the even ones, as variety is more pleasing than uni-
formity, where the same end is answer'd by both; as in
this case, where both polygons may be circumscrib'd by
the same circle, or in other words, both compositions
bounded by the same cone.
And I can't help observing, that nature in all her
works of fancy, if I may be allow'd the expression,
where it seems immaterial whether even or odd numbers
of divisions were prefer'd, most frequently employs the
odd; as for example, in the indenting of leaves, flowers,
blossoms, &c.

The oval also, on account of its variety with simpli-
city, is as much to be prefer'd to the circle, as the
triangle to the square, or the pyramid to the cube; and
this figure lessen'd at one end, like the egg, thereby
being more varied, is singled out by the author of all
variety, to bound the features of a beautiful face.
When the oval has a little more of the cone added
to it than the egg has, it becomes more distinctly a
compound of those two most simple varied figures.
This is the shape of the pine-apple †, which nature has
particularly distinguish'd by bestowing ornaments of
rich mosaic upon it, composed of contrasted serpentine
lines, and the pips ++, as the gardiners call them, are still
varied by two cavities and one round eminence in each.
Could a more elegant simple form than this have
been found; it is probable that judicious architect, Sir
Christopher Wren, would not have chosen the pine-
apples for the two terminations of the sides of the front
of St. Paul's: and perhaps the globe and cross, tho' a
finely varied figure, which terminates the dome, would
not have had the preference of situation, if a religious
motive had not been the occasion.
Thus we see simplicity gives beauty even to variety,
as it makes it more easily understood, and should be ever
studied in the works of art, as it serves to prevent per-
plexity in forms of elegance; as will be shewn in the
next chapter.