Of the other two original members Anastasio de
Filiis was dead, and although Hecke returned to Italy in 1614, and
rejoined the Academy, yet he was soon afterwards struck off the list in
consequence of his lapsing into insanity. Among the academicians we find
the names of Galileo, Fabio Colonna, Lucas Valerio, Guiducci, Welser,
Giovanni Fabro, Terrentio, Virginio Cesarini, Ciampoli, Molitor,
Cardinal Barberino, (nephew of Pope Urban VIII.) Stelliola, Salviati,
&c.
The principal monument still remaining of the zeal and industry to which
Cesi incited his academicians is the Phytobasanos, a compendium of the
natural history of Mexico, which must be considered a surprising
performance for the times in which it appeared. It was written by a
Spaniard named Hernandez; and Reccho, who often has the credit of the
whole work, made great additions to it. During fifty years the
manuscript had been neglected, when Cesi discovered it, and employed
Terrentio, Fabro, and Colonna, all Lynceans, to publish it enriched with
their notes and emendations. Cesi himself published several treatises,
two of which are extant; his _Tabulæ Phytosophicæ_, and a Dissertation
on Bees entitled _Apiarium_, the only known copy of which last is in the
library of the Vatican. His great work, _Theatrum Naturæ_, was never
printed; a circumstance which tends to shew that he did not assemble the
society round him for the purpose of ministering to his own vanity, but
postponed the publication of his own productions to the labours of his
coadjutors. This, and many other valuable works belonging to the academy
existed in manuscript till lately in the Albani Library at Rome. Cesi
collected, not a large, but an useful library for the use of the
academy, (which was afterwards augmented on the premature death of
Cesarini by the donation of his books); he filled a botanical garden
with the rarer specimens of plants, and arranged a museum of natural
curiosities; his palace at Rome was constantly open to the academicians;
his purse and his influence were employed with equal liberality in their
service.
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