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netrated farther into nature than any one has 

 done fince. Alexander the Great was remark- 

 able for encouraging all the fine arts, as well 

 natural hiftory as other literature, without which 

 his memory could not have fubfifted till this 

 time. But to eome nearer our own times, Lewis 

 XIV. of France, though one of the greateft 

 princes of the age he lived in, and engaged in 

 feveral wars for a confiderable part of his life, 

 yet found time to improve his mind by the ftu- 

 dy of the fine arts, and eftablifhed an academy 

 for the farther improvement of arts and new dif- 

 coveries in nature : he was fuch a lover of the 

 produdlions of nature, that he made gardens, 

 and built magnificent ftoves, &c. for the recep- 

 tion and raifing of all exotic plants ^ and built at 

 Verfailles, near his palace, art elegant and 

 curious place called the Managery^ with large 

 apartments and conveniencies for living ani- 

 mals from all parts of the world -, and not only 

 rare pidlures and fculptures of the greateft 

 mafters were collected in his cabinets, but 

 feveral extraordinary produdlions of nature. 

 Auguftus the late king of Poland was alfo a 

 great encourager of natural knowledge, and 



had 



