23^ ^tciety of Arcadia. Oct. iji 



merly enjoyed in Florence, at Pnnte Santa Trinita, 

 where the improvisatori would resort with their 

 luthe, or their guittar, and ch?illenge one another to 

 sing, like the ftiepherds of Theocritus or Virgil. 

 This was in the joyful days of the Medicis. Thus- 

 cany is now more like a mournful daughter, heartily 

 bewailing the lofs of a tender, careful, and indulgent 

 father ; — her times are changed ; even her language, 

 one of her chief boasts, is corrupted, — Frenchified by 

 the Lorainese, and Germanised by the Austrians 

 that have crept among her inhabitants with her new 

 masters. 



The ordinary method of being admitted a member 

 of the society of Arcadia, is to be proposed by two 

 of the Arcadians, who answer for his abilities and 

 good behaviour; and every person that has had a 

 good education may be admitted. But when the 

 fame of the Arcadians began to spread, and that 

 people of rank, and cardinals began to frequent as 

 auditors, which at first was permitted only to the 

 Arcadians, the custode Alfesibeo devised the admif- 

 sion by acclamation. The cardinals who were most 

 afsiduous in attending their rehearsals were Carpeg- 

 na, Buonvisi, PanfJio, Ottoboni^ and Alhani, who was 

 afterwards exalted to the pontificat. In the year 

 1695, one day they had been all five attending the 

 first meeting the Arcadians had in that year, a gene- 

 ral afsembly was formed, and when the cardinals 

 were gone out, they were unanimously, viva voce, ac- 

 calmatcd Arcadian fhepherds; and it wab afterwards 

 decreed, that none fhould be received an Arcadian, 

 by acclamation, but monarchs and sovereign princes, 



