own magistrates and citizens in this infant and illustrious republic of
literature. The history of the farther establishment of the French
Academy is elegantly narrated by Pelisson. The usual difficulty occurred
of fixing on a title; and they appear to have changed it so often, that
the Academy was at first addressed by more than one title; Academie _des
beaux Esprits_; Academie _de l'Eloquence_; Academie _Eminente_, in
allusion to the quality of the cardinal, its protector. Desirous of
avoiding the extravagant and mystifying titles of the Italian
academies,[275] they fixed on the most unaffected, "_L'Academie
Francaise_; but though the national genius may disguise itself for a
moment, it cannot be entirely got rid of, and they assumed a vaunting
device of a laurel wreath, including their epigraph, "_A
l'Immortalite_." The Academy of Petersburgh has chosen a more
enlightened inscription, _Paulatim_ ("little by little"), so expressive
of the great labours of man--even of the inventions of genius!

Such was the origin of L'ACADEMIE FRANCAISE; it was long a private
meeting before it became a public institution. Yet, like the Royal
Society, its origin has been attributed to political motives, with a
view to divert the attention from popular discontents; but when we look
into the real origin of the French Academy, and our Royal Society, it
must be granted, that if the government either in France or England ever
entertained this project, it came to them so accidentally, that at least
we cannot allow them the merit of profound invention. Statesmen are
often considered by speculative men in their closets to be mightier
wonder-workers than they often prove to be.

Were the origin of the Royal Society inquired into, it might be justly
dated a century before its existence; the real founder was Lord Bacon,
who planned the _ideal institution_ in his philosophical romance of the
New Atlantis! This notion is not fanciful, and it was that of its first
founders, as not only appears by the expression of old Aubrey, when,
alluding to the commencement of the society, he adds _secundum mentem
Domini Baconi_; but by a rare print designed by Evelyn, probably for a
frontispiece to Bishop Sprat's history, although we seldom find the
print in the volume. The design is precious to a Grangerite, exhibiting
three fine portraits. On one side is represented a library, and on the
table lie the statutes, the journals, and the mace of the Royal Society