ARBUTHNOT ARCADIANS. 



229 



the memory of Thomas a Becket. The monks were of 

 the Tyronensian order, and enjoyed great privileges. 

 Its last abbot was Cardinal Beaton, after whose death 

 it fell a prey to the religious zeal of the reformers. 

 The town declined with the abbey until 1736, when 

 commerce began to revive, and the manufacture was 

 undertaken of Osnaburgs, brown linens, and sail 

 cloth, which has eminently succeeded, and forms the 

 principal employment of the inhabitants. The har- 

 bour of Arbroath is artificial, but well sheltered by a 

 long pier, and defended by a small battery. About 

 50 vessels of from 60 to 160 tons burthen belong to 

 the port, which are chiefly employed in the Baltic 

 and coasting trades. Population of Arbroath, 8972. 



ARBUTHXOT, Alexander, a Scottish divine, in the reign 

 of James VI., and zealous promoter of the reformation, 

 was born in the year 1538. He was much employed 

 by the church of Scotland in its tedious disputes with 

 the regency during the minority of James VI. ; and 

 displeased the king so much by the part he took in 

 these aSairs, as well as by editing the publication of 

 Buchanan's History, that he was ordered to confine 

 himself within his college of Aberdeen, of which he 

 was principal. This is supposed to have liastened his 

 death, which took place in 1583. His only existing 

 work is an elegant treatise, entitled " Orationes de 

 origine et dignitate Juris," Edin. 1572, 4to. 



ARBUTHNOT, John, an eminent physician and dis- 

 tinguished wit, was born at Arbuthnot, near Mon- 

 trose, in Scotland, soon after the restoration, but in 

 what year is uncertain. He received the degree of 

 doctor of physic at the university of Aberdeen, and 

 engaged in the business of teaching mathematics in 

 London, where he soon distinguished himself by his 

 writings and by his skill in the practice of his profes- 

 sion. In 1704, he was chosen fellow of the royal 

 society, in consequence of his communicating to that 

 body a curious and instructive treatise " on the regu- 

 larity of the births of the sexes ;" and soon after 

 he was appointed physician extraordinary, and then 

 physician in ordinary, to queen Anne. About this 

 time he became intimate with Swift and Pope, and 

 this brilliant triumvirate formed the plan of a sa- 

 tire on the abuses of human learning. But the 

 completion of this design was interrupted oy the death 

 of the queen, and we have only an imperfect essay, 

 under the title of Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus. 

 The death of queen Anne made such an impression 

 on doctor Arbuthnot, that, to divert his melancholy, 

 he visited Paris, and, on his return, was deprived of 

 his place at St James's. He continued, however, 

 the practice of his profession, and, in 1723, was 

 chosen second censor of the royal college of physi- 

 cians, and afterwards an elect of the same college. 

 Being afflicted with an asthma, which, having in- 

 creased with his years, was at last become incurable, 

 fie retired to Hampstead for relief ; but, being sensi- 

 ble that his disease was mortal, he returned to Lon- 

 don, where he died in 1735. The principal works 

 of doctor Arbuthnot are, an Examination of Doctor 

 Woodward's Account of the Deluge, 1697, and an 

 Essay on the Usefulness of Mathematical Learning, 

 svliich were the foundation of his literary reputation ; 

 the Table of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures, 

 explained and exemplified, in several Dissertations, 

 which appeared in 1727 ; the treatise of the Nature 

 and Choice of Aliments, 1732 ; and that of the Effects 

 of Air on Human Bodies, 1733. In these he displays 

 his solid and extensive learning. His treatise on the 

 Altercation or Scolding of the Ancients, his History 

 of John Bull, his contributions to Martinus Scriblerus, 

 his Art of Political Lying, and other pieces usually 

 published in Swift's works, are equally distinguished 

 for ingenuity, wit, and exquisite satire, His epitaph 

 or Charteris is a fhasterly composition in its kind. 



His miscellaneous works have been published in 2 

 vols. 12mo., with a memoir of his life prefixed, but 

 some of the pieces there given, are now known not 

 to be his. Arbuthnot was greatly beloved by his lite- 

 rary friends. Pope has addressed to him the " Prologue 

 to the Satires," and Swift affectionately adverts to him 

 in more than one of his poems. " Arbuthnot," he 

 says in one place, " has more "wit than we all have, 

 and more humanity than wit." The following sketch 

 of his character, from Dr Johnson's life of Pope, is 

 justified by the testimony of his contemporaries and of 

 his works : " Arbuthnot was a man of great compre- 

 hension ; skilful in his practice, versed in the sciences, 

 acquainted witii ancient literature, and able to ani- 

 mate his mass of knowledge by a bright and active 

 imagination ; a scholar, with great brilliance of wit ; 

 a wit, who, in the crowd of life, retained and dis- 

 covered a noble ardour of religious zeal ; a man esti- 

 mable for his learning, amiable for his life, and vene- 

 rable for his piety." 

 ARC, Jeanne d'. See Joan of Arc. 

 ARCADE, any opening in a building formed by an 

 arch. Of late, there have been erected in some of 

 our principal cities, elegant ranges of shops and 

 warehouses, so constructed as to form a covered lane, 

 to which the term arcade is applied. 



ARCADIA ; the middle and highest part of the Pelo- 

 ponnesus ; the Greek Switzerland ; bounded on the 

 north by Achaia and Sicyon, on the east by Argolis, 

 on the south by Messenia, and on the west by Elis. 

 It is rich in rivers, springs, and pastures, and is wa- 

 tered by the Eurotas and Alpheus. The principal 

 mountains were called Cyllene, Erymanthus, Stym- 

 phalus, and Menalus. From its first inhabitants, the 

 Pelasgi, the land derived the name Pelasgia. In 

 later times, it was divided among the fifty sons of 

 Lycaon, and received from his grandson, Areas, the 

 name Arcadia. In the course of time, the small 

 kingdoms made themselves free, and formed a con- 

 federacy. The principal were, Mantinea, where 

 Epaminondas obtained a victory and a tomb (now the 

 village of Mondi), Tegea (now Tripolizza), Orchome- 

 nus, Pheneus, Psophis, and Megalopolis. The shep- 

 herds and hunters of the rugged mountain country 

 remained for a long time in a savage state. By de- 

 grees, they acquired the rudiments of civilization, 

 began to cultivate their fields, and to amuse them- 

 selves with dancing and music. Their chief deity 

 was Pan, and the occupation of the people almost 

 entirely pastoral. This, together with the romantic 

 character of the country, occasioned the pastoral poets 

 to select Arcadia for the theatre of their fables. 



ARCADIANS, Academy of the ; a society of Italian 

 poets in Rome, established in the latter half of the 

 17th century, for the improvement of taste and the 

 cultivation of Italian poetry. The whole constitution 

 of the society had as its object the imitation of the 

 pastoral life of the Arcadians. Hence their meetings 

 are held in gardens, and every member adopts the 

 name of a Greek shepherd, by which he is called in 

 the society. Under these names the poems of the 

 members are usually published. The laws of the 

 society are drawn up after the model of the twel ve 

 Roman tables : the most important are, that the so- 

 ciety shall have no patron, and that no poems are to 

 be read which are contrary to religion and good 

 morals. The device of the society is the syrinx (the 

 ancient shepherd's pipe), entwined with pines and 

 laurels. Only poets (without distinction of sex, how- 

 ever) can be members of it. Formerly, the society 

 enjoyed much respect, and it was an object of ambi- 

 tion to obtain admission to it ; but this is no longer 

 the case. In imitation of the chief society in Rome, 

 societies for the same purpose were instituted in 

 several Italian cities. Crrseimbeni (q. v.) has pub- 



