Sept. 12, what is worse than poverty, that languor and weariness of life, which must infest minds that are vacant, or employed only in brooding over their own misfortunes.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

THE observations of Timothy Thunderproof are received, and fhall appear

as soon as convenient.

The interesting communication by W. W. is came to hand, and fhall have a place in due course. If the author could supply the date of the letter, and the name of the place where written, it would render it still more valuable. The other paper fhall be sent as desired, with some pri

vate notices concerning it.

The Editor regrets that the elaborate performance with the signature Antiphon does not suit his miscellany. It will be left at the Office till

called for.

Rusticus is rather too harth in some of his exprefsions. His efsay pof, sefses merit; and if put into a more engaging dress it fhall have a place.

The spirited letter of W. S fhould certainly have had a place very early, were not the Editor determined to avoid altercation and long dis putes. He agrees entirely with the writer, in thinking that it is premature to form a judgement, at present, as to the events to which his letter relates. It will be time enough to decide on the tendency of the measures now going forward after these troubles shall subside, when some light may clear up the chaotic mafs which is in such high agiration at present. At that time, or on any other subject, the Editor will be glad of this gentleman's correspondence.

The verses by Marina are too defective in their present drefs for publi-. cation. Why did not the friend of this young writer revise the lines, which are not destitute of merit, before they were sent away?

The Editor is much obliged to a Shoemaker for his obliging verses; but they are too highly complimentary for publication.

The lines by Zachary Boyd are received. That kind of burlesque does not suit the views of the Editor,

93

THE BEE,

OR

LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER,

FOR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 1792.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCADIA AT ROME.

Continued from vol. x. p. 200.

In the republic of Arcadia, as in every other establishment calculated for the regulation of human affairs, experience discovered defects that were not foreseen. Great care had been taken to render the laws of Arcadia as simple and perfect as pofsible; and it was hoped they would have tended to preserve unanimity among the fhepherds for a long time; but this was soon found to be impofsible. As the progrefs of this society exhibits, in miniature, a very exact picture of what may be expected to occur in every other undertaking of the same sort, in which regulations, at first simple and easy, become complicated and difficult of execution, it will not prove unentertaining to trace it step by step, with a careful discrimination of circumstances.

In virtue of the first law, every Arcadian has a right to bring his complaints before the general afsembly; but to avoid tumults it was agreed, that the complaint fhould be given in first to the custode, who was obliged to read it in the general afsembly, although it fhould contain things against himself. All anonymous papers are rejected; only those are minded which are signed by the recurrent himself, and if the affair be of consequence; things of small importance are verbally received by the custode. However, as it did happen sometimes that individuals carried complaints, and had recourse to the coinmunity, without pafsing through the channel of the custode, disputes hence have arisen; and often the meeting broke up without any other conclusion, but the alienation of their former reciprocal affection.

The choice of a custode, mentioned in the second law, has several times given rise to disputes. Some pretended that at the end of each olympiad a new custode fhould be created, and that he might be removed even before the olympiad was out. The authority of the custode has been likewise contested; he being sometimes accused of being too arbitrary, at other times too negligent, at others too ambitious. The constant practice has been that the custode is obliged at the end of the olympiad to lay down his employment, consign the seal of the afsembly, and the keys of the Bosco Parrasio to the oldest of the Arcadians then present, and divest himself of all authority, until, by secret ballot, it shall appear whether the same custode is to be chosen again or emoved.

But the greatest blow the tranquillity of Arcadia ever had, was on account of the interpretation of the third law, in regard to the election of the colleagues. At the beginning of the institution of the Arcadia, the custos alone regulated all the businefs of the afsembly; the number of the Arcadians increasing he called for an afsistant, and the community decreed he might depute two sotto custo i at his pleasure. But even these two not being sufficient to undergo the trouble of giving intimation to the fhepherds, or of going about to collect their opinions for the regu lation of such businefs as might daily occur, the general meetings not being at that time very frequent, the custode was authorised to choose twelve of the most steady and most experienced Arcadians, to be changed every year, under the name of vice custodi; each of which was to direct a certain number of Arcadians, who, divided as it were into centurie, depended on the regulations of their centurion. A pro custode was besides added to the custode, who might afsist him in his daily labours, act for him, and represent him in case of illnefs, absence, or any other urgency that might hinder him from attending to his employment.. It was afterwards thought fit to subrate: the colleagues to the vice custodi, which latter title: was bestowed upon the person who presided over any of the colonies. Alfesibeo, strictly to adhere to the letter of the law, in orbem eligito, &c. took six of the vice custodi of that year to act as old colleagues, and named six new ones. It had been thus practised for four olympiads, when. in the year 1711, on the 15th of June, after the publication of the new six col

leagues, Eulibio Brenteatico (Paolo Rolli*,) a young mam of great vivacity, who had acquired much fame both in the public rehearsals, and in singing poetical compositions extempore, rose up against the custode, pretending he had not fulfilled the law, because amongst the six new colleagues, some had been named who had held that employment before. The complaint was neglected at first, as inconsistent with the consuetude; but Eulibio insisting, and a strong party forming in his favour; in order to adhere to what is ordered in the sanction of the laws, the opinion was. afked of three experienced Arcadians, for the purposa of directing the general afsembly to a more certain. determination. These were Opico Erimantéo, (Gra

*Paolo Rulli a few years after left Rome. A cardinal who was his friend, sent to invite him to drink chocolate with him one morning; after talking of several things, the cardinal began to persuade Rolli that he should change air on account of his health. The poet was much surpri sed at this discourse, and much more on the cardinal's insisting on his going to another country for the benefit of the air, as he never had enjoyed better health. However, considering that the cardinal belonged to the Inquisition, and that his conscience reproached him for having uttered with imprudence, some free propositions in regard to religion, Rolli tosk the hint that his good friend had wished to give him, without revealing the inviolable secret of the Inquisition, immediately left Rome, and came oves to England, where he was perhaps the first man of letters that undertook teaching Italian, and, if I were to except Vincenzo Martinelli, perhaps, I might almost say the last. While in England Rolli made an elegant translation of Milton's Paradise lost into Italian blank verse.

I am no stranger to the fame that Barretti has acquired among a few; but I am not, because of this, disposed to alter the above opinion. For this sufficient reasons, might be afsigned, were the subject deemed worthy of the attention of the reader; or were it not an ungracious task to point out the faults of any one. From these considerations I forbear to enlarge, though to have s..id lefs, I fhould have thought, would be blameable.