Harcourt Fils du Garde
des Seaux; Raymond Solliciteur-General; les Colonels Hill & Desney;
Swif, Docteur en Theologie; Prior Arbuthnott, Medicin de la Reine; &
Friend, Medicin du Duc d'Ormond. Ces Messieurs, qui ont reserve de
Nommer les Deux autre, Membres lors qu'ils le jugeront a propos,
s'assemblant tous les Jeudis, & ont deja fait des gratifications a
quelques Auteurs dont les ouvrages ont ete goutez, & recommande d'autres
aux Ministres d'Etat pour avoir quelque Etablissement._

There has been lately form'd here _a Society to Reward and Encourage
Merit, with respect to the Liberal Arts and Sciences_. It is to be
composed of 21 Members, of which Number there are already 19 chosen:
That is to say, The Dukes of _Beaufort_ and _Ormond_; the Earls of
_Arran_ and _Orrory_; the Lords _Duplin_, Son-in-Law of the Great
Treasurer; _Harley_, Son of the said Treasurer; _Lansdown_, Secretary of
War; _Masham_ and _Bathurst_; Sir _W. Windham_; Mr. _St. John_,
Secretary of State; _Harcourt_, Son of the Lord Keeper; and _Raymond_,
Sollicitor-General: The Colonels _Hill_ and _Desney_; _Swift_, Doctor of
Divinity; _Prior_, _Arbuthnott_ the Queen's Physician; and _Friend_,
Physician to the Duke of _Ormond_. These Gentlemen who have deferr'd
naming the other Two Members till such time as they think fit, do now
assemble every _Thursday_, and have already given Rewards to some
Authors, whose Works have been approved of, and have recommended Others
to the Ministers of State, that they may have some Establishment.

This Fact being thus fairly related, the Reader is desired to observe,
That it was in the Year 1629, under the single Ministry of Cardinal
_Richlieu_, when a Society of such great Wits was first form'd at
_Paris_; which was soon after establish'd, by an Edict of the King,
with the Style and Title of the _French_ Academy. And it is left to be
determin'd by all Judicious Readers, whether this _British_ Seminary of
Wit and Learning is not a Copy of that Renown'd Society in _France_; and
whether the Design and Model of it has not been approved of there, since
our happy Correspondence with that Ingenious Nation.

The _French_ Society consisted only at their first Meeting, of Seven or
Eight Men of Letters, who met together to talk about their Books and
Writings: And it was some time before Monsieur _Servien_, Secretary of
State, and other Persons, distinguish'd by their Condition, as well as
by their Merit, were added to the Compan