ordered him to be beheaded, telling him, "If, "Sir, you have not preferved your faith towards "God, how can I expect that you will keep it "with me, who am but a man?” Caffiodorus, the celebrated writer, was his fecretary, and Symmachus his architect. Theodoric was extremely fond of building, and paid Symmachus this elegant compliment one day, upon feeing a plan of an edifice defigned by him, and which met the wishes of the Sovereign: "I fee "plainly, that those persons alone who have well "cultivated their tafte and their understanding, are "capable of the attention and care that are requifite "for becoming good architects." The particular merit of the buildings of those times was perhaps never better defcribed than in the following extract from the third edition of that elegant and useful work, "A Treatise on the "Decorative Part of Civil Architecture," by Sir William Chambers, K. P. S. "In the conftructive part of Architecture," fays this great mafter and teacher of his art, "the "Antients do not feem to have been great pro"ficients." "To thofe ufually called Gothic Architects, we are indebted for the first confiderable improve "ments "ments in conftruction. There is a lightnefs in their works, an art and a boldnefs of execution, ་་ to which the Antients never arrived; and which "the Moderns comprehend and imitate with "difficulty. England contains many magnificent "examples of this fpecies of Architecture, equally "admirable for the art with which they are built, "and for the tafte and ingenuity with which they "are compofed." "One cannot refrain from wifhing," adds Sir William," that the Gothic ftructures were "more confidered, better understood, and in "higher eftimation, than they hitherto feem to "have been. Would our Dilettanti, instead of "importing the gleanings of Greece; or our "Antiquaries, inftead of publishing loose, inco "herent prints; encourage perfons duly qualified to undertake a correct publication of our own "Cathedrals, and of other buildings called Gothic, "before they totally fall into ruin, it would be of "real fervice to the arts of defign, preferve the "remembrance of an extraordinary style of build"ing, now finking faft into oblivion, and at the "fame time publish to the world the riches of "Britain in the fplendor of her antient ftruc "tures." In confirmation of what Sir William has here advanced, it may be urged, that when M. Soufflot was building the exquifite fabric of St. Genevieve at Paris, he had plans taken of all the different Gothic Cathedrals of France, in order to insure the conftruction of the beautiful Dome of that Church by the methods made ufe of by the greatest mafters of that very difficult and dangerous part of the art of Architecture. ABELARD. THE following simple and elegant Inscription was fome years ago placed on the stone that covers the remains of the too celebrated Abelard and Eloifa: Hic Sub eodem marmore jacent Olim ftudiis, ingenio, amore, Conjuncti. ABAILLARDUS obiit xxi. April. Anno 1141. HELOISA HELOISA obiit xvii. Maii, Curâ CAROLE DE RINCY, Abelard and Eloisa were the most learned persons of their time. He was a celebrated teacher of Grammar, of Philosophy, and of Theology. She was exquifitely beautiful, and well skilled in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages. Eloifa became Abbefs of the Convent of the Paraclete. She inspired her Nuns with such a passion for learning, that, according to a contemporary writer, without being Syrians, Greeks, or Romans, they spoke the different languages of those countries as well as their native tongue, and on certain days in the year fang the Offices of the Catholic Church in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. The manner of Eloifa's taking the veil is thus defcribed by a writer of her time: "On the day appointed for the ceremony, the "Bishop of Paris officiated. He gave his bene"diction to the veil that, according to the custom "of the times, was placed upon the Altar, and "which the Novice was to advance from her feat "in the choir to take and put upon her head. Eloifa was now advancing with a firm ftep ❝ towards B 3 "towards the Altar, to receive this emblem of "feclufion from the world, and of oblivion to its "pleasures, when a great number of persons of "all ranks, who were prefent at this mournful "ceremony, ftruck with admiration at her beauty, which was increafed by her extreme youth, and "by the general opinion that was gone forth in the world of her mental accomplishments and acquifitions, felt the deepest commiferation for "the facrifice fhe was about to perform. Some "perfons of the greatest confequence amongst them approached her and intreated her, with "tears in their eyes, to give up her intention; " and made use of arguments fo preffing, that the appeared for a few minutes not infenfible to "what they faid to her. She was heard to figh bitterly, but her fighs arofe from a motive dif"ferent from what the furrounding multitude "fuppofed. Abelard, who was always present to "her imagination, was the only caufe. She was "heard to say to herself, Alas! unhappy "Husband, is it then poffible that the rigour of "fortune has fo violently oppreffed fo diftinguished a man! How came I to become his wife, "merely to render him miferable! No, no, "added the willing victim, I was unworthy of being united with him, and fince I am the cause " of all his miferies, it is but juft that I fhould " fuffer |