AC A 



Mm wii!i attirmpts to vindcrmine the whole foundation of 

 miT-sls. CariRMdcs, a-.slling hiinfi-lf of prohability, afforded 

 fufficicnt fcupc for praitioal principles of coiijiift. Arcefi- 

 laus was ca;tfly employed in oppofing the tenets of other 

 philol'ophers in lojjic and phylics, and paid little atlentlon 

 to ethics. Carncadcs, whillt he inculcated the necelHty of 

 fiifpence in fpceulativc refearches, prefcribed rules for the 

 direction of lift: and manners. The immediate fucci?flbr of 

 Carneades in the iV^w jiaiiUmy, was Clitom achus. He 

 was fuccetded by Philo of LarifTa, who is confidcrcd by 

 fome writers as the founder of -ji. fourth Academy ; und a Jifth 

 is fsid to have lKi.'n eftablilhed by Antiochus of Afealon, 

 who w.is '.he lall preceptor of the Platonic fchool, and who 

 atten^ntcd to reconcile the tenets of the diiTcrent fedls, and 

 maintained tint the dodrines of the Stoics were to be 

 found in the writings of Plato. After his time the pro- 

 ftflbrs of the Academic philofophy were difperfed by the 

 tumu'ts of war, .-uid the fchool itfelf was transferred to 

 Rome. Here the philofopliy of the OU Academy, revived 

 and corrcfted by Antiochus, found many advocates. 

 Amongll the moll eminent of thefe we may reckon Lu- 

 CULLUS, ALircu! Brutus, M. Tcvrnthts Varro, and ^I/. 

 Piso. The AliJJie Academy had likewife its patrons in 

 this city ; as it was founded upon a conviftion of the imbeci- 

 lity of human reafon, without running, vvitli the Pynho- 

 nills, into the cxtniv;<gancc of an entire fufpenf;on of opi- 

 nion, it became a fav)urite fe£t among the Romans. Ci- 

 CFKO, to wiiofe profeflion, as a public pleader, whofe bu- 

 fuiefs it was to collect arguments from all quarters on op- 

 pofite fides of every doubtful quelUon, it was peculiarly 

 adapted, additled himfclf to this feft ; and having himfelf 

 been inftrucled by Philo, he would not find it difficult to 

 ir.duee others to follow his example. Cicero De Off. 1. 2. 

 c. 2. Oper. torn. iii. p. 328. Tufc. 1. 2. c. 2. torn. ii. p. 353. 

 — 1. 4. c. 4. torn. ii. p. 419. Acad. Qii. palTim. tom. ii. 

 p. 5 — 99. De Fin. 1. 2. c. I. tom. ii. p. 129 — 1. 5. 

 c. 3 — 5. tom.ii. p. 24?! — 2;i. De Orat. 1. 3. c. 16 — 18. 

 torn. i. p. 32S. De Nat. Deoruni, I. i. c. 5 — 7. tom. ii. 

 p. 504. Philof. Fragm. tom. iii. p. 585. Ed. Olivet. 

 Genev. — Diog. Laeit. 1. 3 — 4 — 6. tom. i. Ed. Amft. — 

 tjext. F.mp. 1. !. c. 33. p. 56. Contra Logic. 1. 7. p. 401, 

 &c. Ed. Fabr. Lipf. Enf. Hift. of Philof. b. 2. c. 8. 

 vo'. i. p. 238, &;c. b. 3. c. I. vol. ii. p. 9 — II. See Eclfc- 

 Tics, Pl'atonists, and Sceptics. For the difference 

 b-tween the Academics and Sceptics; See SctPTic?. 



Academics, Academicians, or Academists, is alfo 

 lifed among us for the members of the modern academies, 

 or inllitu'cd focieties of learned perfons. 



ACADEMY, AcADEMiA, in A:iUqmty, a public grove, 

 or villa, fituate in one of the fuburbs of Athens, abo.it fix 

 ft.'.dia, or j of a mile from the city ; where Plato, and the 

 ■wife men who followed him, held affemblies for dispute and 

 philofophical conference ; and which gave the denomination 

 to the feci of Academics. 



It took its name aciid-my, from one Academus, or Eca- 

 demus a citizen of Athens, to whom it originally be- 

 longed ; and who appropriated It to gymnallic fports or 

 exercifes. — H.- lived in the time of Tli^lcus. 



Some, erroneoufly, d:rlve its name .ind origin from Cad- 

 mus tiie Phoenician, as being the firfl who introduced learn- 

 ing, and the ufe of letters, among the Greek?. 



The academy was farther improved and adorned by Ci- 

 mon, with fountains, trees, fliidy wal!;";, &c. for the con- 

 venience of the philofophers and men of learning who here 

 met to confer, difpute, &c. — Hipparchus, the fon of 

 Pififtratus, built a wall round it : and, in order to defray 

 tlie charges, laid fo heavy a tax on the people, tliat ever 



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after 'Irr«f;^» tiix«i was ufed proverbially for any cxpen- 

 five buiinels. It was alfo the burjing-place of illullrious 

 perfons, who had defervcd well of the republic. Of this 

 retreat, fo well adap'<d to philofophy and the mufes, Ho- 

 race fpeaks, Epill. II. 45. 



•' Atque inter fylvas Academ! quserere venim." 

 " 'Midll academic groves to fcarcli for truth." 



Within this inclofure Plato pofleflcd, as a part of liia 

 humble patrimony, purchafedat the price of three thoufand 

 drachmas, or about 1 16I. los. 6d. fterliiig, a fmall garden, in 

 which he opened a fchool for the reception of tliofe who 

 might be difpofed to attend his inllruclions. 



Here he taught his philofoph./ : and from this clrcum- 

 llancc all public places, delHned for the affemblies of the 

 learned and ingenious, have been fince called academies. 



Sylla facrificed the delicious groves and walks of the aca- 

 demy, planted by Cimon, to the laws of war ; and em- 

 ployed thofc very trees to make machines with which to 

 batter the city. Cicero alfo had a villa, or countiy retire- 

 ment near Pu/.zuoli, ivhich he called by the fame name, 

 academia ; whei-e he ufed to entertain his philofophical 

 friends. — It was here he compofed his Academical Quef- 

 tions, and his book De NaturaDeorum. 



Academy is more frequently ufed among the moderns, 

 for a regular society, or company of learned perfons ; in- 

 ftitutcd generally under the protection of a prince, for the 

 cviltivatioii and improvement of arts or fciences. 



Ptolemy Soter, in order to encourage and improve the 

 liberal arts in his dominions, founded an academy at Alex- 

 andria, or a fociety of learned men, who devoted thcmfelves 

 to the fludy of philofophy, and all other fciences ; and he 

 provided them with a collection of books, which became by 

 degrees the finefl library in the world, and has been known 

 under the name of the Alexandrian hbrary. 



Thcodofius the younger, founded an academy at Con- 

 ftantinople, which he fumiHied with able profefTors of every 

 fcience, intending it as a rival inftitution to th;et at Rome, 

 which, with other literaiy feminaries, had been deftroyed by 

 Alaric a.>d the Goths, towards the clofe of the fourth, and 

 beginning of the fifth centuries. 



Some authors confound academy with univerfity ; but 

 though much the fame in I.,atin, they are very different 

 t/iings in Englifh. — An univerfity is, properly, a body com- 

 pofed of graduates in the feveral faculties ; of profefTors, 

 who teach in the pub'.;c fchools ; of regents or tutors, and 

 iludents who le;irn under them, and afpire likewife to de- 

 grees. Whereas, an academy is not intended to teach or 

 profefs any art, fucli as it is, but to improve it : it is not 

 for novices to be inftrufted in, but for thofe that are more 

 ki-owing ; for perfons of diilinguilhed abilities to confer in, 

 and con-iir.unicate their lights and difcoveries to each other, 

 for th:ir nuitual b nefit and improvement. 



The firfl academy we read of, was eflablifhed by Charle- 

 magne at the motion of Alcuin : it was compofed of the 

 chief wits of the court, the enip ror hiir.felf being a mem- 

 ber. — In their academical conferences, every perfon was to 

 give an account of what ancient authors he had read ; and 

 each of them affumed the name of fome ancient author who 

 pleafed him mofl, or fome celebrated perfon of antiquity. 

 Alcuin, from whofe letters we learn tiiefe particulars, took 

 that of FhccuG, the furnamje of Horace ; a young lord 

 named Augilbert, took that of Homer ; Adelard, bifhop 

 of Corbie, was called Auguflin ; Riculf, bifhop of Mentz, 

 was Dametas ; and the kiug himfelf, David. 



Moft nations have now their acadtmies j but Italy has the 

 grcateft number. 



Of 



