1792- society of Arcadia. 229/ 



person wis denied admifsion. They obliged the Ar- 

 cadians to afsemble in a larger place which was in 

 the gardens of duke Ri'ario, at present belonging to 

 the Corsini familj, which the queen of Sweden 

 had formerly pofsefsed. In the year 1693, the duke 

 of Parma built a theatre for them on mount Palatine j 

 but the duke's minister at the court of Rome having 

 taken some umbrage at an eclogue repeated by two Ar- 

 cadians, the general afsembly, in ordertoavoid all disa- 

 greeable encounters, prudently found means to remove 

 from the Orti Palatini, without giving offence to the 

 duke. This happened in 1699, and Iliso (duke 

 Antonio Salviati,) invited the Arcadians to his gar- 

 dens at the Xw«^«ra. His death in 1704, obliged 

 them to perform in the following year the Olympic 

 games in honour of the deceased Arcadians, in the 

 gardens of Eutimene, (prince Vincenzo Giustiniani,) 

 out of the Flaminian gate. In 1707, they were re- 

 ceived by Olinto, (prince Francis Ruspoli,) in his 

 gardens on the Esquilin. Five years after, the same 

 Olinto caused a magnificent theatre to be prepared, of 

 three orders of seats, and a statue of Apollo at one 

 end, in another garden of his, on the Aventin. , At 

 length when king John v. of Portugi.1 was ac- 

 clamated an Arcadian Ihepherd, under the nam 

 of Arete Melleo, afsigning to him the Mellean lands, 

 wliich had been in pcfsefsion of the deceased Alnano^ 

 (pope Clement XI.) he made a present to the Arca- 

 dia of four thousand crowns, with which a piece of 

 ground was bought on the declivity of the Gianicu^ 

 lum^ in the year 1716 j since wliich time thia society 



