1792" Italian liter aturt. ige 



tis juheatls, Arcades, &c. (which you may see at the 

 end of the laws,) then Palemone Licurio (Silvio 

 Stampiglia) one of the founders, with a clear voice 

 read aloud the laws and the sanction. These had 

 been carved on two large tables of fine marble, at the 

 expence and by the orders of Carisio Alantino, (An- 

 thony Farnese duke of Parma^ at that time in>Rome 

 and an acclamated * fhepherd of Arcadia. The 

 marble tables were fixed on the walls of a little amphi- 

 theatre, which was purposely made out for the con- 

 veniency of the Arcadians, all of which exist at this 

 day, although the Parrhasian grove has been trans- 

 ferred to another place. 



After the reading of the laws, the marble tables 

 were uncovered and thus exposed to the public ; Opico, 

 in an eloquent harangue, which is printed in his 

 works, required the afiembly publicly to approve 

 and confirm those laws, if agreeable to their wiihes. 

 The tablets being distributed to the Ihepherds, 

 who, by secret votes or ballot, gave their approba- 

 tion to the laws and ssnction ; the custode A!fe~ 

 jz'^ro repeated the formula ^W/^zj y«^iY/?/i, &c. The 

 three who had been appointed to examine the 

 votes answered coetus iniiversus scivit. 



After the publication of the laws, the custode read 

 some regulations conducive to the practical obser- 

 vance of them, after which Euganio Libade, (Meft~ 

 iszW,'^ and Erilo Cleoneo, (Guidi,) rivalled one ano- 

 ther in the rehearsal of two excellent Italian poems, 



• I iTiall hjve occas'on to speik l.ereifxr of the rsception in Arcadia 

 by accbmatioD. 



