and in the
vigor of invention by which such breadth must be sustained; and his
power of expression and depth of thought are not less remarkable
than his bold conception of color effect. Very probably some of the
Pre-Raphaelites have the gift also; I am nearly certain that Rosetti
has it, and I think also Millais; but the experiment has yet to be
tried. I wish it could be made in Mr. Hope's church in Margaret
Street.

CHAPTER II.

ROMAN RENAISSANCE.

Sec. I. Of all the buildings in Venice, later in date than the final
additions to the Ducal Palace, the noblest is, beyond all question, that
which, having been condemned by its proprietor, not many years ago, to
be pulled down and sold for the value of its materials, was rescued by
the Austrian government, and appropriated--the government officers
having no other use for it--to the business of the Post-Office; though
still known to the gondolier by its ancient name, the Casa Grimani. It
is composed of three stories of the Corinthian order, at once simple,
delicate, and sublime; but on so colossal a scale, that the
three-storied palaces on its right and left only reach to the cornice
which marks the level of its first floor. Yet it is not at first
perceived to be so vast; and it is only when some expedient is employed
to hide it from the eye, that by the sudden dwarfing of the whole reach
of the Grand Canal, which it commands, we become aware that it is to the
majesty of the Casa Grimani that the Rialto itself, and the whole group
of neighboring buildings, owe the greater part of their impressiveness.
Nor is the finish of its details less notable than the grandeur of their
scale. There is not an erring line, nor a mistaken proportion,
throughout its noble front; and the exceeding fineness of the chiselling
gives an appearance of lightness to the vast blocks of stone out of
whose perfect union that front is composed. The decoration is sparing,
but delicate: the first story only simpler than the rest, in that it has
pilasters instead of shafts, but all with Corinthian capitals, rich in
leafage, and fruited delicately; the rest of the walls flat and smooth,
and the mouldings sharp and shallow, so that the bold shafts look like
crystals of beryl running through a rock of quartz.

Sec. II. This palace is the principal type at Venice, and one of the best
in Europe, of the central architecture of the Renaissance schools; that
carefully stud