come il Montesquieu, ragionano i Signori rigoristi
like Montesquieu, the penalty taker's reason
259. Ibid., p, 10: "le spirali, le storte, le inginocchiate."
260. Ibid., p. 11. This view is expressed in an ironical tirade by the Master.
261. Ibid., p. 10: "L'architettura comincerebbe a risorgere."
262. Ibid., p. 12: "Gli ornamenti debbono nascere da ciò che costituisce l’Architettura." This view shows in the Master's words.
263. Ibid., p. 12: "Voi. sareste tacciati d’una monotonia d'edifizj ugualmente odiata dalle genti. . . diventereste ordinarj, ordinarissimi."
264. Cf. the quotation, p. 110, below.
265. Piranesi, Parere, p. 15.
266. Ibid., p. 15: "Distingua ciò che dee far la figura principale, da ciò che dee far quella dell'accompagnamento . . . costituisca fra gli ornamenti, come si veggono nella natura, i gradi, le preminenze, il più e 'l meno dignitoso. ." In this passage "nature" is called in to support the hierarchical order.
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The modernistic Novice assails every kind of embellishment, particularly spirals, twists, and all broken lines.259 He asks for smooth, unfluted columns without capitals and bases.260 Only when architecture is freed from all fripperies may it rise again.261 If there must be decoration, it should spring from the very nature of the structure.262 The Master is afraid that by such purism the buildings would become "all equal, monotonous, and vulgar."263 The viewpoint of the rigorists seems to him to be identical with that of Montesquieu who also was against lavish decoration:264 come il Montesquieu, ragionano i Signori rigoristi.265 To the last the Master extols the hierarchical Baroque order.266
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