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 than thoe which were inculcated by the old academy of Socrates and Plato, and the ceptical notions which were propagated by Arceilas, Carneades, and the other diciples of the ucceeding academics.  ACADEMY, in antiquity, a garden or villa, ituated within a mile of Athens, where Plato and his followers held their philoophical conferences. It took its name from one Academus, or Ecademus, a citizen of Athens, who was the original owner of it, and made it a kind of gymnaium: he lived in the time of Theeus. Cimon embellihed it with fountains, trees, and walks; but Sylla, during the iege of Athens, employed thee very trees in making battering-engines againt the city. Cicero too had his villa, or place of retirement, near Puzzuoli, which he alo named an academy, where he compoed his Academical quetions, and his book De natura deorum.

, among the moderns, is mot commonly ued to ignify a ociety of learned men, etablihed for the improvement of any art or cience. Charlemagne was the firt that etablihed an academy in Europe. Mot nations have ince followed his example; but Italy has by far the greatet number. In the cities of Piedmont, Ferrara, and Milan, Jarckius reckons 550. We have but few in Britain. In England thoe of note are, the Royal Society, the Antiquarian Society, Society for the encouragement of arts, and the Academy of Painting; in Scotland, the Edinburgh Society, College of Phyicians, and Muical Society; all which ee in their proper places.

The French have everal academies; as, the Royal Academy of Sciences, for the improvement of phyics, mathematics, and chemitry. It was firt intituted in 1666, by the aitance of Mr Colbert, comptroller-general of the finances, but was not confirmed by the French king till the year 1696, who, by a regulation dated the 26th of January, new-modelled and put it on a better footing. According to this regulation, the academy was to be compoed of ten honorary academicians, eight trangers aociates, twenty penionaries fellows, twenty eleves or cholars, and twelve French aociates; thee were to be divided into ix classes, viz. geometricians, atronomers, mechanics, anatomits, chemits, and botanits: the honorary academits to be all inhabitants of France, the penionaries and eleves all to reide at Paris.

In the year 1716, the duke of Orleans, then regent, made an alteration in their contitution, augmenting the number of honoraries and aociates to twelve, admitting regulars among uch aociates, uppreing the clas of eleves, and etablihing in lieu thereof a new clas of twelve adjuncts to the ix everal kinds of cience cultivated by the academy; and, latly, appointing a vice preident, to be choen yearly by the king cut of the honorary members, and a director and ub-director out of the penionaries.

The academies of Florence and Bologne, of Montpelier and Boardeaux, of Leipic and Berlin, and of late thoe of Peterburg and Seville, were formed upon the ame model with the Royal Academy of Sciences.

French, a ociety of forty, etablished for improving the French language.

This academy was founded by Cardinal Richlieu, and confirmed by the edict of Lewis XIII. in 1635. They have compiled a dictionary, intitled, Le Dictionaire de l'academie Francoie. This work was begun in 1637, and finihed in 1694. They have a director and chancellor, who are drawn by lot every three months, and a ecretary who is perpetual. They meet at the old Louvre, on the Mondays, Thurdays, and Saturdays, all the year round, and hold an extraordinary meeting at the reception of a new member, and on St Lewis's day, when the prizes of eloquence and poetry are adjudged.

Royal of Painting and Sculpture. This ociety was founded about the year 1648. The members were at firt about twenty-five in number, viz. twelve officers, called ancients, eleven private members, and two yndics; but at preent it conits of forty painters and culptors. There are four perpetual rectors, nominated by the king; a director and chancellor; a ecretary, who keeps the regiter, and counterigns the dipatches; a treaurer, twelve profeors, adjunts to the rectors and profeors, ix counellors, a profeor for the part of anatomy that belongs to painting and culpture, and another for geometry and perpective.

There is alo an academy of painting, culpture, &c. at Rome, etablished by Lewis XIV. wherein thoe who have won the annual prize at Paris, are entitled to be three years entertained for their further improvement.

of Medals and Incriptions. called alo The academy of belles lettres, was erected by Lewis XIV. for the tudy and explanation of ancient monuments, and to perpetuate the remembrance of great events, by medals, relievos, incriptions, &c. The plan of this academy was formed by Mr Colbert, and etablihed in 1663. In its firt intitution it conited only of four or five members; but in 1701, they were increaed to forty, viz. ten honoraries, ten penionaries, ten aociates, and ten novices or eleves, under the direction of a preident and vice-preident, who are annually appointed by the king.

Their chief employment has been upon the medallic hitory of the reign of Lewis their founder. But the learned are indebted to this academy for many volumes of eays on other parts of hitory, publihed under the title of Memoirs, &c.

of Architecture, etablihed about the end of the year 1671 by Mr Colbert, conited at firt only of ix architects; but their number is ince coniderably increaed.

of Politics, is compoed of ix perons, who meet at the Louvre, in the chamber where the papers relating to foreign affairs are lodged. But as the kings of France are unwilling to trut any, except their miniters, with the inpection of foreign affairs, this academy is of little ue to the public.

Royal of Dancing was etablihed by the King of France in 1661. It conits of thirteen able dancing-  maters,