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included under n common semicircular arch, the spandrilsof which are filled up with paterae. Each story is separatedfrom the adjoining one by a frieze of dentils, the entirebuilding being crowned with a plain frieze and boldly pro-jecting cornice, in which both dentils and modilions areemployed.

The Richard! palace consists of three stories, as does theStrozzi palace , which it resembles also in many other features.The lowest story, however, is somewhat peculiar, beingformed of uncoursed masonry, with some blocks projectingforward beyond the others : as in the previous example, thedoorway is semicircular in the head. The second story isrusticated, and contains seventeen windows in close proximityto each other ; they are of two lights, with a column in thecentre, and have semicircular heads, which enclose the headsof the two lights, also semicircular. Above these windowsis a large surface of naked wall, above which is a dentil band,separating this story from that above. The third story is ofplain ashlar, and contains windows the same in number andj description as those of the second story: the whole is crownedj by a bold cornice.

j j The church of San Lorenzo, by Brunelleschi , is in planl ' a Latin cross, the length of which is considerable when com-i j pared with the width : the height of the building follows the! ! same proportions. The body of the church is divided into a| central nave with two aisles, by means of an arcade ; thearches of which rest upon Corinthian columns, carryingisolated entablatures, from which the arches spring. At theintersection of the nave and transept, the building is coveredby a spherical dome, which stops short ere it meets at thej summit, the void so formed being covered by a hemispherei of smaller diameter : this answers to the lantern more usuallyI applied in such positions.

“ The church of Santo Spirito is a beautiful example byBrunelleschi . All the fronts are complete, except the prin-| cipal one, and it is certainly the finest of Brunelleschi ’sdesigns; though subsequent to the architect’s death, as the| works were then unfinished, they were carried on with somedeparture from the original design. These alterations, though■ not affecting the general conception, have justly excited theanger of Yasari against those who fancy themselves betterqualified than artists. Oh that Vasari were alive now 1The plan is a Latin cross, with aisles carried round thetransepts of the choir. The intersection is surmounted bya dome ornamented with leaf-work, and rising from a lowtholobate, pierced with circular openings. The clere-storyand aisles have circular-headed windows. The wall beingof great thickness, there is sufficient space for large niches,which occupy each intercolumn, and the wall of the lower clere-story, or that to the aisle is above the inside of the lower wall,and has circular windows similar to those of the tholobate.Thus there were three distinct levels of roof besides thedome. The interior has Corinthian columns, each supportingan entablature, from which spring semicircular arches. Atthe extremities of the choir and transepts there are four win-dows, instead of an odd number. The high altar beneath thedome is surmounted by a magnificent canopy. There is aninternal dome with a lantern beneath those of the exterior.It is panelled, and perforated by the windows of the tholo-bate. In this church we remark the most perfect harmonyof lines. Character is given to the building by the constantj use of circular forms, whilst too great sameness is prevented

j by the occasional use of horizontals. The sacristy attached

] to this church, and the second cloister, are both fine works.”

! The edifices of Rome are of a very different character toj those of Florence ; they have lost the massive appearance of| the latter, and assumed an air of lightness and elegance.

This style forms the connecting link between the Florentineand the Venetian ; for while, on the one hand, it is much lessheavy and severe than the former, it is not so gay and light-some as the latter. Columns are of frequent introduction inthe fagades, in which, also, the entrance becomes an impor-tant feature. The interior courts are mostly surrounded byarcades, and from them a grand staircase of imposing dimen-sions leads to the principal apartments. The churches consistof nave and aisles, separated by arcades, the latter beingflanked by chapels. The transepts are not extended farbeyond the nave, and the intersection is covered mostly by adome. Apsides are common. The fagades are generally ofan inferior description, often plain ; and when decorated, itis without taste ; they are often only masks, having no rela-tion to the internal distribution of the edifice. Bramante wasthe founder of this style; and the principal examples are St.Peter’s cathedral and the Farnese palace , which we proceedto describe. Of the former, which is a subject of generalinterest, we shall take this opportunity of giving a fulldescription.

The plan of St. Peter’s is that of a Latin cross, with anarthex, or porch, at the west end, extending in width beyondthe general line of the building. Internally, the breadth ofthe church is divided into three portions, central nave, andaisles on either side, by means of an arcade, supported onmassive piers, four of which at the angles, formed by the inter-section of the nave and transept, are more massive than therest, and serve to support the central dome. There are fourarches on each side of the nave, and one in the choir, allspringing from piers, which are ornamented with pilasters.A chapel is formed at the extremity of each aisle, wherethey meet the transept, which is rectangular in plan, project-ing beyond the general line of building on the exterior, andcovered with a spheroidal dome. At the western extremityof the nave is a porch, as above noticed, extending in frontagefrom north to south beyond the main line of the building, andprojecting from the extremity of the nave as much as 50 feet:this porch is separated from the nave by a wall containingfive doorways, to agree with the number of doors in the outerwall of the porch itself, which forms the grand fagade andentrance. The elevation of this fagade is adorned with half'columns and pilasters, ten in number, leaving nine inter-columnar spaces in the whole fagade : the columns are sur-mounted by an- entablature, the height to the top of which i s125 feet, and the four central columns are included under »pediment rising above the entablature, which in consequence,is broken above these columns, as it is also above everycolumn beyond the pediment. This order contains two storiesin height, the lower one being occupied by the entrances, andthe upper by windows. In the central compartment of tb elower story is the principal doorway, with horizontal head,and in the nearest compartments on either side a smaller door-way with semicircular head, on either side of which again ,sone more similar to the first. In each of the extreme inter-columns which project beyond the main building is a magnifi-cent doorway with semicircular head, and similar ones onthe two other sides of each of those projections which are no 1contiguous to the church. In the upper story in each ofintercolumns is a window, with a segmental or triangul^pediment, the two forms alternating with each other. Aboy ethe entablature is another story or attic, and above this aga> fla balustrade.

From the four great piers at the intersection of the na veand transept, spring four large semicircular arches whif 1support a drum or cylindrical wall 70 feet high, and perl 0 'rated at intervals by windows. The windows are rectangul a | >surmounted alternately by triangular and segmental p e ^ 1 "