Note 66 — Chapter IV

Though Mr. Malton's description is built on fancy as much as Mr. Hogarth's design, it must be acknowledged that some of his criticism is just. With respect to the column, nothing either elevated or grand has yet been produced by violently deviating from the first models. Mr. Emlyn, in the year 1782, published a proposition for a sixth order, which in some points resembles Hogarth's. The plan of his column is to represent the particular character of our English chivalry in its most illustrious order—the order of the Garter: it is to be composed of the single trunks of trees; his capitals are to be copied from the plumage of the knights' caps, with the Ionic volutes interwoven and bound together in the front, with the star of the order between them. The fluting of the trunk is cabled, and the cables hollow and filled with the English arrow, the feathered end rising out of each of them. The ornament of the frieze over the columns is a plume of three ostrich feathers, etc. etc. etc.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his discourse delivered December 10, 1776, gives the following strong reasons against any new order succeeding:—

"Though it is from the prejudice we have in favour of the ancients, who have taught us architecture, that we had adopted likewise their ornaments; and though we are satisfied that neither nature nor reason are the foundation of those beauties which we imagine we see in that art; yet if any one, persuaded of this truth, should therefore invent new orders of equal beauty, which we will suppose to be possible, yet they would not please; nor ought he to complain, since the old has that great advantage of having custom and prejudice on its side. In this case we leave what has every prejudice in its favour, to take that which will have no advantage over what we have left, but novelty, which soon destroys itself, and at any rate is but a weak antagonist against custom."