Chapter L (2)

=Laphria=, a surname of Diana at Patræ in Achaia, where she had a
temple with a statue of gold and ivory, which represented her in
the habit of a huntress. The statue was made by Menechmus and Soidas,
two artists of celebrity. This name was given the goddess from
Laphrius the son of Delphus, who consecrated the statue to her.
There was a festival of the goddess there, called also Laphria, of
which _Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 18, gives an account.

=Laphystium=, a mountain in Bœotia, where Jupiter had a temple, whence
he was called _Laphystius_. It was here that Athamas prepared to
immolate Phryxus and Helle, whom Jupiter saved by sending them a
golden ram; whence the surname, and the homage paid to the god.
_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 34.

=Lapideus=, a surname of Jupiter among the Romans.

=Lăpĭthæ=, a people of Thessaly. _See:_ Lapithus.

=Lapĭtho=, a city of Cyprus.

=Lăpĭthus=, a son of Apollo by Stilbe. He was brother to Centaurus,
and married Orsinome daughter of Euronymus, by whom he had Phorbas
and Periphas. The name of _Lapithæ_ was given to the numerous
children of Phorbas and Periphas, or rather to the inhabitants of
the country, of which they had obtained the sovereignty. The chief
of the Lapithæ assembled to celebrate the nuptials of Pirithous, one
of their number, and among them were Theseus, Dryas, Hopleus, Mopsus,
Phalerus, Exadius, Prolochus, Titaresius, &c. The Centaurs were also
invited to partake the common festivity, and the amusements would
have been harmless and innocent, had not one of the intoxicated
Centaurs offered violence to Hippodamia the wife of Pirithous.
The Lapithæ resented the injury, and the Centaurs supported their
companions, upon which the quarrel became universal, and ended
in blows and slaughter. Many of the Centaurs were slain, and they
at last were obliged to retire. Theseus among the Lapithæ showed
himself brave and intrepid in supporting the cause of his friends,
and Nestor also was not less active in the protection of chastity
and innocence. This quarrel arose from the resentment of Mars, whom
Pirithous forgot or neglected to invite among the other gods at the
celebration of his nuptials, and therefore the divinity punished
the insult by sowing dissension among the festive assembly. _See:_
Centauri. Hesiod has described the battle of the Centaurs and
Lapithæ, as also Ovid in a more copious manner. The invention of
bits and bridles for horses is attributed to the Lapithæ. _Virgil_,
_Georgics_, bk. 3, li. 115; _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 601; bk. 7, li. 305.
――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 12, li. 530; bk. 14, li. 670.
――_Hesiod_, _Shield of Heracles_.――_Diodorus_, bk. 4.――_Pindar_,
bk. 2, _Pythian_.――_Strabo_, bk. 9.――_Statius_, _Thebiad_, bk. 7,
li. 304.

=Lapithæum=, a town of Arcadia. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 20.

=Lara=, or =Laranda=, one of the Naiads, daughter of the river Almon
in Latium, famous for her beauty and her loquacity, which her
parents long endeavoured to correct, but in vain. She revealed to
Juno the amours of her husband Jupiter with Juturna, for which the
god cut off her tongue, and ordered Mercury to conduct her to the
infernal regions. The messenger of the gods fell in love with her
by the way, and gratified his passion. Lara became mother of two
children, to whom the Romans have paid divine honours, according to
the opinion of some, under the name of Lares. _Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 2,
li. 599.

=Larentia= and =Laurentia=, a courtesan in the first ages of Rome.
_See:_ Acca.

=Lăres=, gods of inferior power at Rome, who presided over houses and
families. They were two in number, sons of Mercury by Lara. _See:_
Lara. In process of time their power was extended not only over
houses, but also over the country and the sea, and we find Lares
_Urbani_ to preside over the cities, _Familiares_ over houses,
_Rustici_ over the country, _Compitales_ over cross-roads, _Marini_
over the sea, _Viales_ over the roads, _Patellarii_, &c. According
to the opinion of some, the worship of the gods Lares, who are
supposed to be the same as the manes, arises from the ancient custom
among the Romans and other nations of burying their dead in their
houses, and from their belief that their spirits continually hovered
over their houses, for the protection of the inhabitants. The
statues of the Lares resembling monkeys, and covered with the skin
of a dog, were placed in a niche behind the doors of the houses, or
around the hearths. At the feet of the Lares was the figure of a dog
barking, to intimate their care and vigilance. Incense was burnt on
their altars, and a sow was also offered on particular days. Their
festivals were observed at Rome in the month of May, when their
statues were crowned with garlands of flowers, and offerings of
fruit presented. The word Lares seems to be derived from the
Etruscan word _Lars_, which signifies conductor, or leader. _Ovid_,
_Fasti_, bk. 5, li. 129.――_Juvenal_, satire 8, li. 8.――_Plutarch_,
_Quæstiones Romanæ_.――_Varro_, _de Lingua Latina_, bk. 4, ch. 10.
――_Horace_, bk. 3, ode 23.――_Plautus_, _Aulularia_ & _Cistellaria_.

=Largra=, a well-known prostitute in Juvenal’s age. _Juvenal_,
satire 4, li. 25.

=Largus=, a Latin poet, who wrote a poem on the arrival of Antenor in
Italy, where he built the town of Padua. He composed with ease and
elegance. _Ovid_, _ex Ponto_, bk. 4, ltr. 16, li. 17.

=Larīdes=, a son of Daucus or Daunus, who assisted Turnus against
Æneas, and had his hand cut off with one blow by Pallas the son of
Evander. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 10, li. 391.

=Lārīna=, a virgin of Italy, who accompanied Camilla in her war against
Æneas. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 11, li. 655.

=Larīnum=, or =Lārīna=, now _Larino_, a town of the Frentani on the
Tifernus, before it falls into the Adriatic. The inhabitants were
called _Larinates_. _Silius Italicus_, bk. 15, li. 565.――_Cicero_,
_For Aulus Cluentius_, chs. 63, 64; _Letters to Atticus_, ltr. 12;
bk. 7, ltr. 13.――_Livy_, bk. 22, ch. 18; bk. 27, ch. 40.――_Cæsar_,
_Civil War_, bk. 1, ch. 23.

=Larissa=, a daughter of Pelasgus, who gave her name to some cities
in Greece. _Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 23.――――A city between Palestine
and Egypt, where Pompey was murdered and buried, according to some
accounts.――――A large city on the banks of the Tigris. It had a
small pyramid near it, greatly inferior to those of Egypt.――――A
city of Asia Minor, on the southern confines of Troas. _Strabo_,
bk. 13.――――Another in Æolia, 70 stadia from Cyme. It is surnamed
_Phriconis_ by Strabo, by way of distinction. _Strabo_, bk. 13.
――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 2, li. 640.――――Another near Ephesus.
――――Another on the borders of the Peneus in Thessaly, also called
_Cremaste_ from its situation (_Pensilis_), the most famous of all
the cities of that name. It was here that Acrisius was inadvertently
killed by his grandson Perseus. Jupiter had there a famous temple,
on account of which he is called _Larissæus_. The same epithet is
also applied to Achilles, who reigned there. It is still extant,
and bears the same name. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 2, li. 542.
――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 2, li. 197.――_Lucan_, bk. 6.――_Livy_, bk.
31, ch. 46; bk. 42, ch. 56.――――A citadel of Argos, built by Danaus.

=Larissæus.= _See:_ Larissa.

=Larissus=, a river of Peloponnesus flowing between Elis and Achaia.
_Strabo_, bk. 8.――_Livy_, bk. 27, ch. 31.――_Pausanias_, bk. 8,
ch. 43.

=Larius=, a large lake of Cisalpine Gaul, through which the Addua runs
in its way into the Po, above Cremona. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 2,
li. 159.

=Larnos=, a small desolate island on the coast of Thrace.

=Laronia=, a shameless courtesan in Juvenal’s age. _Juvenal_, satire 2,
li. 86.

=Lars Tolumnius=, a king of the Veientes, conquered by the Romans, and
put to death, A.U.C. 329. _Livy_, bk. 4, chs. 17 & 19.

=Titus Lartius Flavius=, a consul who appeased a sedition raised by
the poorer citizens, and was the first dictator ever chosen at Rome,
B.C. 498. He made Spurius Cassius his master of horse. _Livy_, bk. 2,
ch. 18.――――Spurius, one of the three Romans who alone withstood
the fury of Porsenna’s army at the head of a bridge, while the
communication was cutting down behind them. His companions were
Cocles and Herminius. _See:_ Cocles. _Livy_, bk. 2, chs. 10 & 18.
――_Dionysius of Halicarnassus._――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 3, ch. 2.
――――The name of Lartius has been common to many Romans.

=Lartolætani=, a people of Spain.

=Larvæ=, a name given to the wicked spirits and apparitions which,
according to the notions of the Romans, issued from their graves
in the night and came to terrify the world. As the word _larva_
signifies a _mask_, whose horrid and uncouth appearance often serves
to frighten children, that name has been given to the ghosts or
spectres which superstition believes to hover around the graves
of the dead. Some call them Lemures. _Servius_, _Commentary on the
Aeneid of Vergil_, bk. 5, li. 64; bk. 6, li. 152.

=Larymna=, a town of Bœotia, where Bacchus had a temple and a statue.
――――Another in Caria. _Strabo_, bks. 9 & 16.――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 16;
bk. 2, ch. 3.

=Larysium=, a mountain of Laconia. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 22.

=Lassia=, an ancient name of Andros.

=Lassus=, or =Lasus=, a dithyrambic poet, born at Hermione, in
Peloponnesus, about 500 years before Christ, and reckoned among the
wise men of Greece by some. He is particularly known by the answer
he gave to a man who asked him what could best render life pleasant
and comfortable? “Experience.” He was acquainted with music. Some
fragments of his poetry are to be found in Athenæus. He wrote an ode
upon the Centaurs, and a hymn to Ceres, without inserting the letter
S in the composition. _Athenæus_, bk. 10.

=Lasthĕnes=, a governor of Olynthus, corrupted by Philip king of
Macedonia.――――A Cretan demagogue, conquered by Metellus the Roman
general.――――A cruel minister at the court of the Seleucidæ, kings
of Syria.

=Lasthĕnīa=, a woman who disguised herself to come and hear Plato’s
lectures. _Diogenes Laërtius._

=Latăgus=, a king of Pontus, who assisted Æetes against the Argonauts,
and was killed by Darapes. _Flaccus_, bk. 5, li. 584.――――One of the
companions of Æneas, killed by Mezentius. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 10,
li. 697.

=Laterānus Plautus=, a Roman consul elect, A.D. 65. A conspiracy
with Piso against the emperor Nero proved fatal to him. He was led
to execution, where he refused to confess the associates of the
conspiracy, and did not even frown at the executioner who was as
guilty as himself; but when a first blow could not sever his head
from his body, he looked at the executioner, and shaking his head,
he returned it to the hatchet with the greatest composure, and it was
cut off. There exists now a celebrated palace at Rome, which derives
its name from its ancient possessors the Laterani.

=Latĕrium=, the villa of Quintus Cicero at Arpinum, near the Liris.
_Cicero_, _Letters to Atticus_, bk. 10, ltr. 1; bk. 4, ltr. 7;
_Letters to his Friends_, bk. 3, ltr. 1.――_Pliny_, bk. 15, ch. 15.

=Latiālis=, a surname of Jupiter, who was worshipped by the inhabitants
of Latium upon mount Albanus at stated times. The festivals, which
were first instituted by Tarquin the Proud, lasted 15 days. _Livy_,
bk. 21. _See:_ Feriæ Latinæ.

=Latīni=, the inhabitants of Latium. _See:_ Latium.

=Latīnus Latiaris=, a celebrated informer, &c. _Tacitus._

=Latīnus=, a son of Faunus by Marica, king of the Aborigines in Italy,
who from him were called Latini. He married Amata, by whom he had a
son and a daughter. The son died in his infancy, and the daughter,
called Lavinia, was secretly promised in marriage by her mother to
Turnus king of the Rutuli, one of her most powerful admirers. The
gods opposed this union, and the oracles declared that Lavinia must
become the wife of a foreign prince. The arrival of Æneas in Italy
seemed favourable to this prediction, and Latinus, by offering his
daughter to the foreign prince, and making him his friend and ally,
seemed to have fulfilled the commands of the oracle. Turnus, however,
disapproved of the conduct of Latinus; he claimed Lavinia as his
lawful wife, and prepared to support his cause by arms. Æneas took
up arms in his own defence, and Latium was the seat of the war. After
mutual losses it was agreed that the quarrel should be decided by
the two rivals, and Latinus promised his daughter to the conqueror.
Æneas obtained the victory and married Lavinia. Latinus soon after
died, and was succeeded by his son-in-law. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 9,
&c.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 13, &c.; _Fasti_, bk. 2, &c.
――_Dionysius of Halicarnassus_, bk. 1, ch. 13.――_Livy_, bk. 1, ch. 1,
&c.――_Justin_, bk. 43, ch. 1.――――A son of Sylvius Æneas, surnamed
also Sylvius. He was the fifth king of the Latins, and succeeded
his father. He was father to Alba his successor. _Dionysius of
Halicarnassus_, bk. 1, ch. 15.――_Livy_, bk. 2, ch. 3.――――A son of
Ulysses and Circe also bore this name.

=Lătium=, a country of Italy near the river Tiber. It was originally
very circumscribed, extending only from the Tiber to Circeii, but
afterwards it comprehended the territories of the Volsci, Æqui,
Hernici, Ausones, Umbri, and Rutuli. The first inhabitants were
called _Aborigines_, and received the name of Latini, from Latinus
their king. According to others the word is derived from _lateo_,
_to conceal_, because Saturn concealed himself there when flying
the resentment of his son Jupiter. Laurentum was the capital of the
country in the reign of Latinus, Lavinium under Æneas, and Alba under
Ascanius. _See:_ Alba. The Latins, though originally known only among
their neighbours, soon rose in consequence when Romulus had founded
the city of Rome in their country. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 38;
bk. 8, li. 322.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Dionysius of Halicarnassus._
――_Justin_, bk. 20, ch. 1.――_Plutarch_, _Romulus_.――_Pliny_, bk. 3,
ch. 12.――_Tacitus_, bk. 4, _Annals_, ch. 5.

=Latius=, a surname of Jupiter at Rome. _Statius_, bk. 5, _Sylvæ_,
poem 2, li. 392.

=Latmus=, a mountain of Caria near Miletus. It is famous for the
residence of Endymion, whom Diana regularly visited in the night,
whence he is often called _Latmius Heros_. _See:_ Endymion. _Mela_,
bk. 1, ch. 17.――_Ovid_, _Tristia_, bk. 2, li. 299; _Ars Amatoria_,
bk. 3, li. 83.――_Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 29.――_Strabo_, bk. 14.――_Cicero_,
bk. 1, _Tusculanæ Disputationes_, ch. 28.

=Latobius=, the god of health among the Corinthians.

=Latobrigri=, a people of Belgic Gaul.

=Latōis=, a name of Diana, as being the daughter of Latona.――――A
country house near Ephesus.

=Latomiæ=. _See:_ ♦Lautumiæ.

♦ ‘Latumiæ’ replaced with ‘Lautumiæ’

=Latōna=, a daughter of Cœus the Titan and Phœbe, or, according to
Homer, of Saturn. She was admired for her beauty, and celebrated
for the favours which she granted to Jupiter. Juno, always jealous
of her husband’s amours, made Latona the object of her vengeance,
and sent the serpent Python to disturb her peace and persecute her.
Latona wandered from place to place in the time of her pregnancy,
continually alarmed for fear of Python. She was driven from heaven,
and Terra, influenced by Juno, refused to give her a place where
she might find rest and bring forth. Neptune, moved with compassion,
struck with his trident, and made immovable the island of Delos,
which before wandered in the Ægean, and appeared sometimes above, and
sometimes below, the surface of the sea. Latona, changed into a quail
by Jupiter, came to Delos, where she resumed her original shape, and
gave birth to Apollo and Diana, leaning against a palm tree or an
olive. Her repose was of short duration. Juno discovered the place of
her retreat, and obliged her to fly from Delos. She wandered over the
greatest part of the world, and in Caria, where her fatigue compelled
her to stop, she was insulted and ridiculed by peasants of whom she
asked for water, while they were weeding a marsh. Their refusal and
insolence provoked her, and she intreated Jupiter to punish their
barbarity. They were all changed into frogs. She was exposed to
repeated insults by Niobe, who boasted herself greater than the
mother of Apollo and Diana, and ridiculed the presents which the
piety of her neighbours had offered to Latona. _See:_ Niobe. Her
beauty proved fatal to the giant Tityus, whom Apollo and Diana
put to death. _See:_ Tityus. At last Latona, though persecuted and
exposed to the resentment of Juno, became a powerful deity, and
saw her children receive divine honours. Her worship was generally
established where her children received adoration, particularly
at Argos, Delos, &c., where she had temples. She had an oracle in
Egypt, celebrated for the true, decisive answers which it gave.
_Diodorus_, bk. 5.――_Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 155.――_Pausanias_, bks.
2 & 3.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 21; _Hymns to Aphrodite & Artemis_.
――_Hesiod_, _Theogony_.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3, chs. 5 & 10.――_Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 6, li. 160.――_Hyginus_, fable 140.

=Latopŏlis=, a city of Egypt. _Strabo._

=Latous=, a name ♦given to Apollo, as son of Latona. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 6, fable 9.

♦ ‘give’ replaced with ‘given’

=Latreus=, one of the Centaurs, who, after killing Halesus, was himself
slain by Cæneus. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 12, li. 463.

=Laudămia=, a daughter of Alexander king of Epirus, and Olympias
daughter of Pyrrhus, killed in a temple of Diana, by the enraged
populace. _Justin_, bk. 28, ch. 3.――――The wife of Protesilaus. _See:_
Laodamia.

=Laudice.= _See:_ Laodice.

=Laverna=, the goddess of thieves and dishonest persons at Rome. She
did not only preside over robbers, called from her _Laverniones_,
but she protected such as deceived others, or performed their secret
machinations in obscurity and silence. Her worship was very popular,
and the Romans raised her an altar near one of the gates of the city,
which from that circumstance was called the gate of Laverna. She was
generally represented by a head without a body. _Horace_, bk. 1, ltr.
16, li. 60.――_Varro_, _de Lingua Latina_, bk. 4.――――A place mentioned
by _Plutarch_, &c.

=Lavernium=, a temple of Laverna, near Formiæ. _Cicero_, bk. 7,
_Letters to Atticus_, ltr. 8.

=Laufella=, a wanton woman, &c. _Juvenal_, satire 6, li. 319.

=Laviana=, a province of Armenia Minor.

=Lăvīnia=, a daughter of king Latinus and Amata. She was betrothed to
her relation king Turnus, but because the oracle ordered her father
to marry her to a foreign prince, she was given to Æneas after the
death of Turnus. _See:_ Latinus. At her husband’s death she was left
pregnant, and being fearful of the tyranny of Ascanius her son-in-law,
she fled into the woods, where she brought forth a son called Æneas
Sylvius. _Dionysius of Halicarnassus_, bk. 1.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bks. 6 & 7.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 14, li. 507.――_Livy_, bk. 1,
ch. 1.

=Lavīnium=, or =Lavīnum=, a town of Italy, built by Æneas, and called
by that name in honour of Lavinia, the founder’s wife. It was the
capital of Latium during the reign of Æneas. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1,
li. 262.――_Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Dionysius of Halicarnassus_, bk. 1.
――_Livy_, bk. 1, ch. 2.――_Justin_, bk. 43, ch. 2.

=Laura=, a place near Alexandria in Egypt.

=Laureacum=, a town at the confluence of the Ens and the Danube, now
_Lorch_.

=Laurentālia=, certain festivals celebrated at Rome in honour of
Laurentia, on the last day of April and the 23rd of December. They
were, in process of time, part of the Saturnalia. _Ovid_, _Fasti_,
bk. 3, li. 57.

=Laurentes agri=, the country in the neighbourhood of Laurentum.
_Tibullus_, bk. 2, poem 5, li. 41.

=Laurentia.= _See:_ Acca.

=Laurentīni=, the inhabitants of Latium. They received this name from
the great number of laurels which grew in the country. King Latinus
found one of uncommon largeness and beauty, when he was going to
build a temple to Apollo, and the tree was consecrated to the god,
and preserved with the most religious ceremonies. _Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bk. 7, li. 59.

=Laurentius=, belonging to Laurentum or Latium. _Virgil_, _Æneid_,
bk. 10, li. 709.

=Laurentum=, now _Paterno_, the capital of the kingdom of Latium in the
reign of Latinus. It is on the sea coast, east of the Tiber. _See:_
Laurentini. _Strabo_, bk. 5.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 4.――_Livy_, bk. 1,
ch. 1.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 171.

=Laurion=, a place of Attica, where were gold mines, from which the
Athenians drew considerable revenues, and with which they built
their fleets by the advice of Themistocles. These mines failed before
the age of Strabo. _Thucydides_, bk. 2.――_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 1.
――_Strabo_, bk. 9.

=Lauron=, a town of Spain, where Pompey’s son was conquered by Cæsar’s
army.

=Laus=, now _Laino_, a town on the river of the same name, which forms
the southern boundary of Lucania. _Strabo_, bk. 6.

=Laus Pompeia=, a town of Italy, founded by a colony sent thither by
Pompey.

=Lausus=, a son of Numitor and brother of Ilia. He was put to death by
his uncle Amulius, who usurped his father’s throne. _Ovid_, _Fasti_,
bk. 4, li. 54.――――A son of Mezentius king of the Tyrrhenians, killed
by Æneas in the war which his father and Turnus made against the
Trojans. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 649; bk. 10, li. 426, &c.

=Lautium=, a city of Latium.

=Lautumiæ=, or =Latomiæ=, a prison at Syracuse, cut out of the solid
rock by Dionysius, and now converted into a subterraneous garden
filled with numerous shrubs, flourishing in luxuriant variety.
_Cicero_, _Against Verres_, bk. 5, ch. 27.――_Livy_, bk. 26, ch. 27;
bk. 32, ch. 26.

=Leades=, a son of Astacus, who killed Eteoclus. _Apollodorus._

=Lēæi=, a nation of Pæonia, near Macedonia.

=Leæna=, an Athenian harlot. _See:_ Læna.

=Leander=, a youth of Abydos, famous for his amours with Hero. _See:_
Hero.――――A Milesian who wrote an historical commentary upon his
country.

=Leandre=, a daughter of Amyclas, who married Arcas. _Apollodorus._

=Leandrias=, a Lacedæmonian refugee of Thebes, who declared, according
to an ancient oracle, that Sparta would lose the superiority over
Greece when conquered by the Thebans at Leuctra. _Diodorus_, bk. 15.

=Leanira=, a daughter of Amyclas. _See:_ Leandre.

=Learchus=, a son of Athamas and Ino, crushed to death against a wall
by his father, in a fit of madness. _See:_ Athamas. _Ovid_, _Fasti_,
bk. 6, li. 490.

=Lebădēa=, now _Lioadias_, a town of Bœotia, near mount Helicon. It
received this name from the mother of Aspledon, and became famous
for the oracle and cave of Trophonius. No moles could live there,
according to Pliny. _Strabo_, bk. 9.――_Pliny_, bk. 16, ch. 36.
――_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 59.

=Lebĕdus=, or =Lebĕdos=, a town of Ionia, at the north of Colophon,
where festivals were yearly observed in honour of Bacchus, and where
Trophonius had a cave and a temple. Lysimachus destroyed it, and
carried part of the inhabitants to Ephesus. It had been founded by
an Athenian colony, under one of the sons of Codrus. _Strabo_, bk.
14.――_Horace_, bk. 1, ltr. 11, li. 7.――_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 142.
――_Cicero_, bk. 1, _Divination_, ch. 33.

=Lebēna=, a commercial town of Crete, with a temple sacred to
Æsculapius. _Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 26.

=Lĕbinthos= and =Lebynthos=, an island in the Ægean sea, near Patmos.
_Strabo_, bk. 10.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 7.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 8, li. 222.

=Lechæum=, now _Pelago_, a port of Corinth in the bay of Corinth.
_Statius_, _Thebiad_, bk. 2, li. 381.――_Livy_, bk. 32, ch. 23.

=Lectum=, a promontory, now cape _Baba_, separating Troas from Æolia.
_Livy_, bk. 37, ch. 37.

=Lecythus=, a town of Eubœa.

=Leda=, a daughter of king Thespius and Eurythemis, who married Tyndarus
king of Sparta. She was seen bathing in the river Eurotas by Jupiter,
when she was some few days advanced in her pregnancy, and the god,
struck with her beauty, resolved to deceive her. He persuaded Venus
to change herself into an eagle, while he assumed the form of a
swan, and, after this metamorphosis, Jupiter, as if fearful of the
tyrannical cruelty of the bird of prey, fled through the air into
the arms of Leda, who willingly sheltered the trembling swan from
the assaults of his superior enemy. The caresses with which the
naked Leda received the swan, enabled Jupiter to avail himself of his
situation, and nine months after this adventure, the wife of Tyndarus
brought forth two eggs, of one of which sprang Pollux and Helena,
and of the other Castor and Clytemnestra. The two former were deemed
the offspring of Jupiter, and the others claimed Tyndarus for their
father. Some mythologists attributed this amour to Nemesis, and not
to Leda; and they further mention, that Leda was entrusted with the
education of the children which sprang from the eggs brought forth
by Nemesis. _See:_ Helena. To reconcile this diversity of opinions,
others maintain that Leda received the name of Nemesis after death.
Homer and Hesiod make no mention of the metamorphosis of Jupiter
into a swan, whence some have imagined that the fable was unknown
to these two ancient poets, and probably invented since their age.
_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 8; bk. 3, ch. 10.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 6, li. 109.――_Hesiod_, bk. 17, li. 55.――_Hyginus_, fable 77.
――_Isocrates_, _Helen_.――_Homer_, _Odyssey_, bk. 11.――_Euripides_,
_Helen_.――――A famous dancer in the age of _Juvenal_, satire 6, li. 63.

=Ledæa=, an epithet given to Hermione, &c., as related to Leda.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 3, li. 328.

=Ledus=, now _Lez_, a river of Gaul, near the modern Montpelier. _Mela_,
bk. 2, ch. 5.

=Lĕgio=, a corps of soldiers in the Roman armies, whose numbers have
been different at different times. The legion under Romulus consisted
of 3000 foot and 300 horse, and was soon after augmented to 4000,
after the admission of the Sabines into the city. When Annibal was
in Italy it consisted of 5000 soldiers, and afterwards it decreased
to 4000, or 4500. Marius made it consist of 6200, besides 700 horse.
This was the period of its greatness in numbers. Livy speaks of 10,
and even 18, legions kept at Rome. During the consular government it
was usual to levy and fit up four legions, which were divided between
the two consuls. This number was, however, often increased, as time
and occasion required. Augustus maintained a standing army of 23 or
25 legions, and this number was seldom diminished. In the reign of
Tiberius there were 27 legions, and the peace establishment of Adrian
maintained no less than 30 of these formidable brigades. They were
distributed over the Roman empire, and their stations were settled
and permanent. The peace of Britain was protected by three legions;
16 were stationed on the banks of the Rhine and Danube, viz. two in
Lower, and three in Upper Germany; one in Noricum, one in Rhætia,
three in Mœsia, four in Pannonia, and two in Dacia. Eight were
stationed on the Euphrates, six of which remained in Syria, and two
in Cappadocia; while the remote provinces of Egypt, Africa, and Spain
were guarded each by a single legion. Besides these the tranquillity
of Rome was preserved by 20,000 soldiers, who, under the titles
of city cohorts and of pretorian guards, watched over the safety
of the monarch and of the capital. The legions were distinguished
by different appellations, and generally borrowed their name from
the order in which they were first raised, as _prima_, _secunda_,
_tertia_, _quarta_, &c. Besides this distinction, another more
expressive was generally added, as from the name of the emperor
who embodied them, as _Augusta_, _Claudiana_, _Galbiana_, _Flavia_,
_Ulpia_, _Trajana_, _Antoniana_, &c.; from the provinces or quarters
where they were stationed, as _Britannica_, _Cyreniaca_, _Gallica_,
&c.; from the provinces which had been subdued by their valour,
as _Parthica_, _Scythica_, _Arabica_, _Africana_, &c.; from the
names of the deities whom their generals particularly worshipped,
as _Minervia_, _Apollinaris_, &c.; or from more trifling accidents,
as _Martia_, _Fulminatrix_, _Rapax_, _Adjutrix_, &c. Each legion was
divided into 10 _cohorts_, each cohort into three _manipuli_, and
every manipulus into two centuries or _ordines_. The chief commander
of the legion was called _legatus_, lieutenant. The standards borne
by the legions were various. In the first ages of Rome a wolf was the
standard, in honour of Romulus; after that a hog, because that animal
was generally sacrificed at the conclusion of a treaty, and therefore
it indicated that war is undertaken for the obtaining of peace. A
minotaur was sometimes the standard, to intimate the secrecy with
which the general was to act, in commemoration of the labyrinth.
Sometimes a horse or boar was used, till the age of Marius, who
changed all these for the eagle, being a representation of that bird
in silver, holding sometimes a thunderbolt in its claws. The Roman
eagle ever after remained in use, though Trajan made use of the
dragon.

=Leitus=, or =Letus=, a commander of the Bœotians at the siege of Troy.
He was saved from the victorious hand of Hector and from death by
Idomeneus. _Homer_, _Iliad_, bks. 2, 6 & 17.――――One of the Argonauts,
son of Alector. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 9.

=Lelaps=, a dog that never failed to seize and conquer whatever animal
he was ordered to pursue. It was given to Procris by Diana, and
Procris reconciled herself to her husband by presenting him with that
valuable present. According to some, Procris had received it from
Minos, as a reward for the dangerous wounds of which she had cured
him. _Hyginus_, fable 128.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 7, li. 771.
――_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 19.――――One of Actæon’s dogs. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bk. 3, li. 211.

=Lĕlĕges= (_a_ λεγω, _to gather_), a wandering people, composed of
different unconnected nations. They were originally inhabitants
of Caria, and went to the Trojan war with Altes their king.
Achilles plundered their country, and obliged them to retire to the
neighbourhood of Halicarnassus, where they fixed their habitation.
The inhabitants of Laconia and Megara bore this name for some time,
from Lelex, one of their kings. _Strabo_, bks. 7 & 8.――_Homer_,
_Iliad_, bk. 21, li. 85.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 7; bk. 5, ch. 30.
――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 8, li. 725.――_Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 1.

=Lelegeis=, a name applied to Miletus, because once possessed by the
Leleges. _Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 29.

=Lelex=, an Egyptian, who came with a colony to Megara, where he reigned
about 200 years before the Trojan war. His subjects were called from
him _Leleges_, and the place _Lelegeia mœnia_. _Pausanias_, bk. 3,
ch. 1.――――A Greek, who was the first king of Laconia in Peloponnesus.
His subjects were also called _Leleges_, and the country where he
reigned _Lelegia_. _Pausanias._

=Lemanis=, a place in Britain, where Cæsar is supposed to have first
landed, and therefore placed by some at Lime in Kent.

=Lemannus=, a lake in the country of the Allobroges, through which
the Rhone flows by Geneva. It is now called the lake of Geneva or
Lausanne. _Lucan_, bk. 1, li. 396.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 5.

=Lemnos=, an island in the Ægean sea between Tenedos, Imbros, and
Samothrace. It was sacred to Vulcan, called _Lemnius pater_, who
fell there when kicked down from heaven by Jupiter. _See:_ Vulcanus.
It was celebrated for two horrible massacres; that of the Lemnian
women murdering their husbands [_See:_ ♦Hypsipyle], and that of the
Lemnians, or Pelasgi, in killing all the children they had had by
some Athenian women, whom they had carried away to become their wives.
These two acts of cruelty have given rise to the proverb of _Lemnian
actions_, which is applied to all barbarous and inhuman deeds. The
first inhabitants of Lemnos were the Pelasgi, or rather the Thracians,
who were murdered by their wives. After them came the children of
the Lemnian widows by the Argonauts, whose descendants were at last
expelled by the Pelasgi, about 1100 years before the christian era.
Lemnos is about 112 miles in circumference, according to Pliny, who
says that it is often shadowed by mount Athos, though at the distance
of 87 miles. It has been called ♦_Hypsipyle_, from queen ♦Hypsipyle.
It is famous for a certain kind of earth or chalk, called _terra
Lemnia_ or _terra sigillata_, from the seal or impression which
it can bear. As the inhabitants were blacksmiths, the poets have
taken occasion to fix the forges of Vulcan in that island, and
to consecrate the whole country to his divinity. Lemnos is also
celebrated for a labyrinth, which, according to some traditions,
surpassed those of Crete and Egypt. Some remains of it were still
visible in the age of Pliny. The island of Lemnos, now called
_Stalimene_, was reduced under the power of Athens by Miltiades,
and the Carians, who then inhabited it, were obliged to emigrate.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 8, li. 454.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 1, li.
593.――_Cornelius Nepos_, _Miltiades_.――_Strabo_, bks. 1, 2, & 7.
――_Herodotus_, bk. 6, ch. 140.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 7.――_Apollonius_,
bk. 1, _Argonautica_.――_Flaccus_, bk. 2, li. 78.――_Ovid_, _Ars
Amatoria_, bk. 3, li. 672.――_Statius_, bk. 3, _Thebiad_, li. 274.

♦ ‘Hipsipyle’ replaced with ‘Hypsipyle’ for consistency

=Lemovices=, a people of Gaul, now _Limousin_ and _Limoges_. _Cæsar_,
_Gallic War_, bk. 7; ch. 4.

=Lemovii=, a nation of Germany. _Tacitus_, _Germania_.

=Lĕmŭres=, the manes of the dead. The ancients supposed that the souls
after death wandered all over the world, and disturbed the peace of
its inhabitants. The good spirits were called _Lares familiares_, and
the evil ones were known by the name of _Larvæ_, or _Lemures_. They
terrified the good, and continually haunted the wicked and impious;
and the Romans had the superstition to celebrate festivals in their
honour, called _Lemuria_, or ♦_Lemuralia_, in the month of May. They
were first instituted by Romulus to appease the manes of his brother
Remus, from whom they were called _Remuria_, and, by corruption,
_Lemuria_. These solemnities continued three nights, during which the
temples of the gods were shut and marriages prohibited. It was usual
for the people to throw black beans on the graves of the deceased, or
to burn them, as the smell was supposed to be insupportable to them.
They also muttered magical words, and, by beating kettles and drums,
they believed that the ghosts would depart and no longer come to
terrify their relations upon earth. _Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 5, li. 421,
&c.――_Horace_, bk. 2, ltr. 2, li. 209.――_Persius_, bk. 5, li. 185.

♦ ‘Lemurialia’ replaced with ‘Lemuralia’

=Lĕmūria= and =Lĕmŭrālia=. _See:_ Lemures.

=Lenæus=, a surname of Bacchus, from ληνος, _a wine-press_. There
was a festival called _Lenæa_, celebrated in his honour, in which
the ceremonies observed at the other festivals of the god chiefly
prevailed. There were, besides, poetical contentions, &c. _Pausanias._
――_Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 2, li. 4; _Æneid_, bk. 4, li. 207.
――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4, li. 14.――――A learned grammarian,
ordered by Pompey to translate into Latin some of the physical
manuscripts of Mithridates king of Pontus.

=Lentŭlus=, a celebrated family at Rome, which produced many great
men in the commonwealth. The most illustrious were Lucius Cornelius
Lentulus, a consul, A.U.C. 427, who dispersed some robbers who
infested Umbria.――――Batiatus Lentulus, a man who trained up some
gladiators at Capua, which escaped from his school.――――Cornelius
Lentulus, surnamed _Sura_. He joined in Catiline’s conspiracy, and
assisted in corrupting the Allobroges. He was convicted in full
senate by Cicero, and put in prison and afterwards executed.――――A
consul who triumphed over the Samnites.――――Cnæus Lentulus, surnamed
_Gætulicus_, was made consul A.D. 26, and was some time after put
to death by Tiberius, who was jealous of his great popularity. He
wrote a history mentioned by Suetonius, and attempted also poetry.
――――Lucius Lentulus, a friend of Pompey, put to death in Africa.
――――Publius Cornelius Lentulus, a pretor, defeated by the rebellious
slaves in Sicily.――――Lentulus Spinther, a senator, kindly used by
Julius Cæsar, &c.――――A tribune at the battle of Cannæ.――――Publius
Lentulus, a friend of Brutus, mentioned by Cicero (_On Oratory_,
bk. 1, ch. 48) as a great and consummate statesman.――――Besides these,
there are a few others, whose name is only mentioned in history, and
whose life was not marked by any uncommon event. The consulship was
in the family of the Lentuli in the years of Rome 427, 479, 517, 518,
553, 555, 598, &c. _Tacitus_, _Annals_.――_Livy._――_Florus._――_Pliny._
――_Plutarch._――_Eutropius._

=Leo=, a native of Byzantium, who flourished 350 years before the
christian era. His philosophical and political talents endeared
him to his countrymen, and he was always sent upon every important
occasion as ambassador to Athens, or to the court of Philip king
of Macedonia. This monarch, well acquainted with the abilities of
Leo, was sensible that his views and claims to Byzantium would never
succeed while it was protected by the vigilance of such a patriotic
citizen. To remove him he had recourse to artifice and perfidy. A
letter was forged, in which Leo made solemn promises of betraying his
country to the king of Macedonia for money. This was no sooner known
than the people ran enraged to the house of Leo, and the philosopher,
to avoid their fury, and without attempting his justification,
strangled himself. He had written some treatises upon physic, and
also the history of his country, and the wars of Philip in seven
books, which have been lost. _Plutarch._――――A Corinthian at Syracuse,
&c.――――A king of Sparta.――――A son of Eurycrates. _Athenæus_, bk. 12.
――_Philostratus._――――An emperor of the east, surnamed the _Thracian_.
He reigned 17 years, and died A.D. 474, being succeeded by Leo II.
for 10 months, and afterwards by Zeno.

=Leocorion=, a monument and temple erected by the Athenians to Pasithea,
Theope, and Eubele, daughters of Leos, who immolated themselves when
an oracle had ordered that, to stop the raging pestilence, some of
the blood of the citizens must be shed. _Ælian_, bk. 12, ch. 28.
――_Cicero_, _de Natura Deorum_, bk. 3, ch. 19.

=Leocrătes=, an Athenian general, who flourished B.C. 460, &c.
_Diodorus_, bk. 11.

=Leodămas=, a son of Eteocles, one of the seven Theban chiefs who
defended the city against the Argives. He killed Ægialeus, and was
himself killed by Alcmæon.――――A son of Hector and Andromache. _Dictys
Cretensis._

=Leodŏcus=, one of the Argonauts. _Flaccus._

=Leogŏras=, an Athenian debauchee, who maintained the courtesan
Myrrhina.

=Leon=, a king of Sparta. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 204.――――A town of
Sicily, near Syracuse. _Livy_, bk. 24, ch. 25.

=Leona=, a courtesan, called also Læna. _See:_ Læna.

=Leonătus=, one of Alexander’s generals. His father’s name was Eunus.
He distinguished himself in Alexander’s conquest of Asia, and once
saved the king’s life in a dangerous battle. After the death of
Alexander, at the general division of the provinces, he received for
his portion that part of Phrygia which borders on the Hellespont. He
was empowered by Perdiccas to assist Eumenes in making himself master
of the province of Cappadocia, which had been allotted to him. Like
the rest of the generals of Alexander, he was ambitious of power and
dominion. He aspired to the sovereignty of Macedonia, and secretly
communicated to Eumenes the different plans he meant to pursue
to execute his designs. He passed from Asia into Europe to assist
Antipater against the Athenians, and was killed in a battle which
was fought soon after his arrival. Historians have mentioned, as
an instance of the luxury of Leonatus, that he employed a number of
camels to procure some earth from Egypt to wrestle upon, as, in his
opinion, it seemed better calculated for that purpose. _Plutarch_,
_Alexander_.――_Curtius_, bk. 3, ch. 12; bk. 6, ch. 8.――_Justin_, bk.
13, ch. 2.――_Diodorus_, bk. 18.――_Cornelius Nepos_, _Eumenes_.――――A
Macedonian with Pyrrhus in Italy against the Romans.

=Leonĭdas=, a celebrated king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the
Eurysthenidæ, sent by his countrymen to oppose Xerxes king of Persia,
who had invaded Greece with about five millions of souls. He was
offered the kingdom of Greece by the enemy, if he would not oppose
his views; but Leonidas heard the proposal with indignation, and
observed, that he preferred death for his country, to an unjust
though extensive dominion over it. Before the engagement Leonidas
exhorted his soldiers, and told them all to dine heartily, as
they were to sup in the realms of Pluto. The battle was fought at
Thermopylæ, and the 300 Spartans who alone had refused to abandon the
scene of action, withstood the enemy with such vigour, that they were
obliged to retire wearied and conquered during three successive days,
till Ephialtes, a Trachinian, had the perfidy to conduct a detachment
of Persians by a secret path up the mountains, whence they suddenly
fell upon the rear of the Spartans, and crushed them to pieces. Only
one escaped of the 300; he returned home, where he was treated with
insult and reproaches, for flying ingloriously from a battle in which
his brave companions, with their royal leader, had perished. This
celebrated battle, which happened 480 years before the christian era,
taught the Greeks to despise the number of the Persians, and to rely
upon their own strength, and intrepidity. Temples were raised to the
fallen hero, and festivals, called _Leonidea_, yearly celebrated at
Sparta, in which free-born youths contended. Leonidas, as he departed
for the battle from Lacedæmon, gave no other injunction to his
wife but, after his death, to marry a man of virtue and honour, to
raise from her children deserving of the name and greatness of her
first husband. _Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 120, &c.――_Cornelius Nepos_,
_Themistocles_.――_Justin_, bk. 2.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 1, ch. 6.
――_Pausanias_, bk. 3, ch. 4.――_Plutarch_, _Lycurgus_ & _Cleomenes_.
――――A king of Sparta after Areus II., ♦257 years before Christ.
He was driven from his kingdom by Cleombrotus his son-in-law, and
afterwards re-established.――――A preceptor to Alexander the Great.
――――A friend of Parmenio, appointed commander, by Alexander, of
the soldiers who lamented the death of Parmenio, and who formed
a separate cohort. _Curtius_, bk. 7, ch. 2.――――A learned man of
Rhodes, greatly commended by Strabo, &c.

♦ omitted word ‘years’ added

=Leontium= and =Leontīni=, a town of Sicily, about five miles distant
from the sea-shore. It was built by a colony from Chalcis in Eubæa,
and was, according to some accounts, once the habitation of the
Lætrygones, for which reason the neighbouring fields are often called
_Læstrygonii campi_. The country was extremely fruitful, whence
Cicero calls it the grand magazine of Sicily. The wine which it
produced was the best of the island. The people of Leontium implored
the assistance of the Athenians against the Syracusans, B.C. 427.
_Thucydides_, bk. 6.――_Polybius_, bk. 7.――_Ovid_, _Fasti_, bk. 4, li.
467.――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 14, li. 126.――_Cicero_, _Against Verres_,
bk. 5.

=Leontium=, a celebrated courtesan of Athens, who studied philosophy
under Epicurus, and became one of his most renowned pupils. She
prostituted herself to the philosopher’s scholars, and even to
Epicurus himself, if we believe the reports which were raised by some
of his enemies. _See:_ Epicurus. Metrodorus shared her favours in
the most unbounded manner, and by him she had a son, to whom Epicurus
was so partial, that he recommended him to his executors on his dying
bed. Leontium not only professed herself a warm admirer and follower
of the doctrines of Epicurus, but she even wrote a book in support
of them against Theophrastus. This book was valuable, if we believe
the testimony and criticism of Cicero, who praised the purity and
elegance of its style, and the truly Attic turn of the expressions.
Leontium had also a daughter called Danae, who married Sophron.
_Cicero_, _de Natura Deorum_, bk. 1, ch. 33.

=Leontocephălus=, a strongly fortified city of Phrygia. _Plutarch._

=Leonton=, or =Leontopŏlis=, a town of Egypt where lions were
worshipped. _Ælian_, _De Natura Animalium_, bk. 12, ch. 7.――_Pliny_,
bk. 5, ch. 10.

=Leontychides.= _See:_ Leotychides.

=Leos=, a son of Orpheus, who immolated his three daughters for the
good of Athens. _See:_ Leocorion.

=Leosthĕnes=, an Athenian general, who, after Alexander’s death, drove
Antipater to Thessaly, where he besieged him in the town of Lamia.
The success which for a while attended his arms was soon changed by
a fatal blow, which he received from a stone thrown by the besieged,
B.C. 323. The death of Leosthenes was followed by the total defeat of
the Athenian forces. The funeral oration over his body was pronounced
at Athens by Hyperides, in the absence of Demosthenes, who had been
lately banished for taking a bribe from Harpalus. _See:_ Lamiacum.
_Diodorus_, bks. 17 & 18.――_Strabo_, bk. 9.――――Another general of
Athens, condemned on account of the bad success which attended his
arms against Peparethos.

=Leotychĭdes=, a king of Sparta, son of Menares, of the family of the
Proclidæ. He was set over the Grecian fleet, and, by his courage
and valour, he put an end to the Persian war at the famous battle of
Mycale. It is said that he cheered the spirits of his fellow-soldiers
at Mycale, who were anxious for their countrymen in Greece, by
raising a report that a battle had been fought at Platæa, in which
the barbarians had been defeated. This succeeded, and though the
information was premature, yet a battle was fought at Platæa, in
which the Greeks obtained the victory the same day that the Persian
fleet was destroyed at Mycale. Leotychides was accused of a capital
crime by the Ephori, and, to avoid the punishment which his guilt
seemed to deserve, he fled to the temple of Minerva at Tegea, where
he perished, B.C. 469, after a reign of 22 years. He was succeeded by
his grandson Archidamus. _Pausanias_, bk. 3, chs. 7 & 8.――_Diodorus_,
bk. 11.――――A son of Agis king of Sparta by Timæa. The legitimacy of
his birth was disputed by some, and it was generally believed that
he was the son of Alcibiades. He was prevented from ascending the
throne of Sparta by Lysander, though Agis had declared him upon his
death-bed his lawful son and heir, and Agesilaus was appointed in
his place. _Cornelius Nepos_, _Agesilaus_.――_Plutarch._――_Pausanias_,
bk. 3, ch. 8.

=Lephyrium=, a city of Cilicia.

=Lepĭda=, a noble woman, accused of attempts to poison her husband,
from whom she had been separated for 20 years. She was condemned
under Tiberius. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 3, ch. 22.――――A woman who
married Scipio.――――Domitia, a daughter of Drusus and Antonia, great
niece to Augustus, and aunt to the emperor Nero. She is described by
Tacitus as a common prostitute, infamous in her manners, violent in
her temper, and yet celebrated for her beauty. She was put to death
by means of her rival Agrippina, Nero’s mother. _Tacitus._――――A wife
of Galba the emperor.――――A wife of Cassius, &c.

=Lepĭdus Marcus Æmĭlius=, a Roman, celebrated as being one of the
triumvirs with Augustus and Antony. He was of an illustrious family,
and, like the rest of his contemporaries, he was remarkable for
his ambition, to which were added a narrowness of mind, and a
great deficiency of military abilities. He was sent against Cæsar’s
murderers, and some time after, he leagued with Marcus Antony, who
had gained the heart of his soldiers by artifice, and that of their
commander by his address. When his influence and power among the
soldiers had made him one of the triumvirs, he showed his cruelty,
like his colleagues, by his proscriptions, and even suffered his
own brother to be sacrificed to the dagger of the triumvirate. He
received Africa as his portion in the division of the empire; but his
indolence soon rendered him despicable in the eyes of his soldiers
and of his colleagues; and Augustus, who was well acquainted with the
unpopularity of Lepidus, went to his camp and obliged him to resign
the power to which he was entitled as being a triumvir. After this
degrading event, he sunk into obscurity, and retired, by order of
Augustus, to Cerceii, a small town on the coast of Latium, where he
ended his days in peace, B.C. 13, and where he was forgotten as soon
as out of power. _Appian._――_Plutarch_, _Life of Augustus_.――_Florus_,
bk. 4, chs. 6 & 7.――――A Roman consul, sent to be the guardian of
young Ptolemy Epiphanes, whom his father had left to the care of
the Roman people. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 2, ch. 67.――_Justin_, bk.
30, ch. 3.――――A son of Julia the granddaughter of Augustus. He was
intended by Caius as his successor in the Roman empire. He committed
adultery with Agrippina when young. _Dio Cassius_, bk. 59.――――An
orator mentioned by _Cicero_, _Brutus_.――――A censor, A.U.C. 734.

=Lepīnus=, a mountain of Italy. _Columella_, bk. 10.

=Lepontii=, a people at the source of the Rhine. _Pliny_, bk. 3, ch. 20.

=Lepreos=, a son of Pyrgeus, who built a town in Elis, which he called
after his own name. He laid a wager that he would eat as much as
Hercules; upon which he killed an ox and ate it up. He afterwards
challenged Hercules to a trial of strength, and was killed.
_Pausanias_, bk. 5, ch. 5.

=Leprium=, or =Lepreos=, a town of Elis. _Cicero_, bk. 6, _Letters to
Atticus_, ltr. 2.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 5.

=Leptĭnes=, a general of Demetrius, who ordered Cnæus Octavius, one of
the Roman ambassadors, to be put to death.――――A son of Hermocrates
of Syracuse, brother to Dionysius. He was sent by his brother against
the Carthaginians, and experienced so much success, that he sunk 50
of their ships. He was afterwards defeated by Mago, and banished by
Dionysius. He always continued a faithful friend to the interests
of his brother, though naturally an avowed enemy to tyranny and
oppression. He was killed in a battle with the Carthaginians.
_Diodorus_, bk. 15.――――A famous orator at Athens, who endeavoured
to set the people free from oppressive taxes. He was opposed by
Demosthenes.――――A tyrant of Appollonia in Sicily, who surrendered to
Timoleon. _Diodorus_, bk. 16.

=Leptis=, the name of two cities of Africa, one of which, called
_Major_, now _Lebida_, was near the Syrtes, and had been built by a
Tyrian or Sidonian colony. The other, called _Minor_, now _Lemta_,
was about 18 Roman miles from Adrumentum. It paid every day a talent
to the republic of Carthage, by way of tribute. _Lucan_, bk. 2, li.
251.――_Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 19.――_Sallust_, _Jugurthine War_, ch. 77.
――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 8.――_Strabo_, bk. 3, li. 256.――_Cæsar_. _Civil
Wars_, bk. 2, ch. 38.――_Cicero_, bk. 5, _Against Verres_, ch. 59.

=Leria=, an island in the Ægean sea, on the coast of Caria, about 18
miles in circumference, peopled by a Milesian colony. Its inhabitants
were very dishonest. _Strabo_, bk. 10.――_Herodotus_, bk. 5, ch. 125.

=Lerĭna=, or =Planasia=, a small island in the Mediterranean, on the
coast of Gaul, at the east of the Rhone. _Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 1,
ch. 3.

=Lerna=, a country of Argolis, celebrated for a grove and a lake,
where, according to the poets, the Danaides threw the heads of their
murdered husbands. It was there also that Hercules killed the famous
hydra. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 803; bk. 12, li. 517.――_Strabo_,
bk. 8.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 3.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 1,
li. 597.――_Lucretius_, bk. 5.――_Statius_, _Thebiad_, bk. 4, li. 638.
――_Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 15.――――There was a festival, called
_Lernæa_, celebrated there in honour of Bacchus, Proserpine, and
Ceres. The Argives used to carry fire to this solemnity from a temple
upon mount Crathis, dedicated to Diana. _Pausanias._

=Lero=, a small island on the coast of Gaul, called also Lerina.

=Leros.= _See:_ Leria.

=Lesbos=, a large island in the Ægean sea, now known by the name of
_Metelin_, 168 miles in circumference. It has been severally called
_Ægira_, _Lasia_, _Æthiope_, and _Pelasgia_, from the Pelasgi, by
whom it was first peopled, _Macaria_, from Macareus who settled in it,
and _Lesbos_, from the son-in-law and successor of Macareus, who bore
the same name. The chief towns of Lesbos were Methymna and Mitylene.
Lesbos was originally governed by kings, but they were afterwards
subjected to the neighbouring powers. The wine which it produced was
greatly esteemed by the ancients, and still is in the same repute
among the moderns. The Lesbians were celebrated among the ancients
for their skill in music, and their women for their beauty; but the
general character of the people was so debauched and dissipated,
that the epithet of _Lesbian_ was often used to signify debauchery
and extravagance. Lesbos has given birth to many illustrious
persons, such as Arion, Terpander, &c. The best verses were by way
of eminence often called _Lesboum carmen_, from Alcæus and Sappho,
who distinguished themselves for their poetical compositions, and
were also natives of the place. _Diodorus_, bk. 5.――_Strabo_, bk. 13.
――_Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 2, li. 90.――_Horace_, bk. 1, ltr. 11.
――_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 160.

=Lesbus=, or =Lesbos=, a son of Lapithas, grandson of Æolus, who
married Methymna daughter of Macareus. He succeeded his father-in-law,
and gave his name to the island over which he reigned.

=Lesches=, a Greek poet of Lesbos, who flourished B.C. 600. Some
suppose him to be the author of the little Iliad, of which only few
verses remain, quoted by _Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 25.

=Lestrȳgŏnes.= _See:_ Læstrygones.

=Letānum=, a town of Propontis, built by the Athenians.

=Lethæus=, a river of Lydia, flowing by Magnesia into the Mæander.
_Strabo_, bk. 10, &c.――――Another of Macedonia,――――of Crete.

=Lēthe=, one of the rivers of hell, whose waters the souls of the dead
drank after they had been confined for a certain space of time in
Tartarus. It had the power of making them forget whatever they had
done, seen, or heard before, as the name implies, ληθη, _oblivion_.
――――Lethe is a river of Africa, near the Syrtes, which runs under
the ground, and some time after rises again, whence the origin of the
fable of the Lethean streams of oblivion.――――There is also a river of
that name in Spain.――――Another in Bœotia, whose waters were drunk by
those who consulted the oracle of Trophonius. _Lucan_, bk. 9, li. 355.
――_Ovid_, _Tristia_, bk. 4, poem 1, li. 47.――_Virgil_, _Georgics_,
bk. 4, li. 545; _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 714.――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 1,
li. 235; bk. 10, li. 555.――_Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 39.――_Horace_,
bk. 4, ode 7, li. 27.

=Letus=, a mountain of Liguria. _Livy_, bk. 41, ch. 18.