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231 gan to find they were ignorant of; and, as his good nature would not suffer that the true manner of composing fhould be concealed, he easily persuaded his companions to accept the offers, and the earnest intreaties of those who wished to increase their number. Thus a select band was formed, of about thirty people, all inclined to write, both in prose and in verse, according to the directions of Leonio, who was many years older than any of his rising pupils.

Although their meetings were held in remote parts, and only in the nature of simple recreations, they could not remain so concealed, but the reputation of them was at last spread in Rome, until it came to the ears of some of the most conspicuous people. The queen of Sweden would be minutely informed about it, and finding that it was the pleasure of this literary meeting to assemble in the open air, and on the verdant fields, fhe very kindly exprefsed her wishes that these well deserving genuises fhould no more wander here and there, but offered them her own gardens, where they might repeat their productions in her presence. Cardinal Azzolini took upon himself to have her wishes fulfilled, and Guidi being acquainted with several of them, was chosen to treat the business with them. He very willingly accepted this employment; for, as he was very much inclined to domineer, by putting himself at the head of a select company, which he foresaw would soon get a high place in the literary world, he was thus in hopes to distinguish himself from Menxini, whom he considered rather as a rival than a companion. But the queen's death overturned all these fine plans; both

June 20. Guidi and Menzini were obliged to look out for some other provision; and Leonio, with his followers, continued their learned meetings in the same rambling manner as before.

However, the queen's offer suggested to them the notion of forming themselves into an academical body, which should be entirely directed, if pofsible, to restore good taste, and fhew, by their example, the true way of composing well. To this purpose, they began exprefsly to form their lucubrations, wholly according to pastoral notions, imagining that, by its simplicity, this might turn out the most likely method of putting out of fashion those pompous and extravagant phrases, which, in the heroic stile, had gained the estimation of the public, and obtained universal applause. It happened that one day, some of them having met in the fields behind the castle of St Angelo, in a retired and solitary part on the banks of the river, one of the company, in a transport of pleasure, caused by the beauty of several pastoral poems, which that day happened to be in a greater number than ordinary, cried out, "Egli mi sembra che noi abbiamo oggi rinnovata l' Arcadia." "It seems to me that we have this day revived Arca. dia.' Some smiled at this exprefsion, and all of them were pleased; but none of them took any farther notice of it except Crescimbeni, who was one of the young gentlemen that most frequented their meetings, and was more than any of them united in friendship with Leonio. No sooner did he hear the name of Arcadia, but he thought that, from it, one might take the idea of the academy they were intending to establish:

After they had all risen from their verdant seat, to reafsume their occupations in the city, Crescimbeni stopped behind with Leonio, to whom he communicated the thought which the name of Arcadia had excited in his mind. Leonio was very much pleased at Crescimbeni's proposal: they resolved to speak of it to their companions, and to endeavour that an academy should be formed, which fhould be called Arcadia; and its members fhould be distinguished by the denomination of Arcadian Shepherds. They carried on this business with great secrecy until they had regularly laid down the whole plan of this intended literary republic.

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Gallander

To the Editor of the Bee:

THE sum total of supplies granted by parliament during this war, extended, by Dr Smollet's account, to fifty-seven millions sterling. As to the application of this money, the same historian observes, that "Britain was at once a prey to her declared adver"saries and profefsed friends. In 1746, the numbered, among her mercenaries, two emprefses, five German princes, and a powerful monarch, whom fhe hired to afsist her in trimming the balance of 66 Europe. Had these fruitlefs subsidies been saved; FOL. ix.

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June 20. had the national revenue been applied with economy to national purposes; had it been employed in liquidating, gradually, the public incumbrances, in augmenting the navy, improving manufactures, encouraging and securing the colonies, and extending trade and navigation, corruption would have " become altogether unnecefsary, and disaffection ❝ would have vanished; the people would have been "eased of their burdens, and ceased to complain: "Commerce would have flourished, and produced "such affluence as must have raised Great Britain "to the highest pinnacle of maritime power, above

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all rivalfhip and competition." Instead of such measures, let us observe the picture exhibited by the same author. "Without conduct, confidence, or "concert, Britain engages in blundering negocia"tions; the involves herself rafhly in foreign quarrels, and lavishes her substance with the most dangerous precipitation: She is even deserted by 6 her wonted vigour, steadinefs, and intrepidity: "She grows vain, fantastical, and pusillanimous; " her arms are despised by her enemies, and her "councils ridiculed through all Christendom *.”

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Had the House of Commons pofsefsed judgement to comprehend, or honesty to pursue, the interest of their constituents, they would have fhunned, as an abyfs of destruction, the war of 1739. I have computed that every able bodied man is worth, in fee simple, to the public, about three hundred pounds sterling. We have seen, that for the service of the

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year 1748, the House of Commons voted above an hundred thousand men; and of these, forty thou-. sand would most likely perish in the course of the campaign. To this account may be added the myriads of followers of the forces who must have been destroyed; those who were killed in the service of privateering, or in the ships captured by those of the enemy; and that immense body who lost their limbs, and instead of a service, became a burden to their country. As the war lasted for nine years, we may safely presume that, in all the various modes of destruction, three hundred thousand lives were lost; and these, at three hundred pounds each, present us with an account of human blood to the extent of NINETY MILLIONS STERLING *. Even this sum, extravagant as it may seem, is yet the smallest part of our lofs; for, had these men continued in this coun try, their posterity would at this day, in the common course of nature, have increased the population, of Britain by an addition of a million, or fifteen hundred thousand inhabitants. How much more rational and pleasing would such a prospect have been, than to sacrifice three hundred thousand victims on the altar of absurdity? I hazard this exprefsion, because it has been fairly proved that the war itself was absolutely without an object. These unfortunate men. might have been engaged to excellent purpose as masons, blacksmiths, and carpenters, in agriculture, in cutting canals and turnpike roads, or in catching.

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As our forces not only suffered, but inflicted many terrible blows we may state the can ge of our antagonists in an equal proportion' to out

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