Chapter XIV: Part 14

KAVANAGH, JULIA (1824-1877).--Novelist, _dau._ of Morgan K., poet, and philologist, wrote many novels, of which the scene is usually in France, among which are _Madeleine_ (1848), _Adèle_, and _Daisy Burns_; also biographical works, _Woman in France in the 18th Century_ (1850), etc.

KAYE, SIR JOHN WILLIAM (1814-1876).--Historian and biographer, _s._ of a London solicitor, was _ed._ at Eton and Addiscombe. After serving for some time in the Bengal Artillery, he succeeded J.S. Mill as sec. to the political and secret department in the East India Office. His first literary work was a novel _pub._ in 1845, and he then began his valuable series of histories and biographies illustrative of the British occupation of India, including _The War in Afghanistan_ (1851), and _The Sepoy War in India_, which he did not live to finish, and which was completed by G.B. Malleson as _The History of the Indian Mutiny_ (6 vols., 1890); also histories of the East India Company and of Christianity in India, and Lives of Sir John Malcolm and other Indian soldiers and statesmen. All his writings are characterised by painstaking research, love of truth, and a style suited to the importance of his subjects. He was made K.C.S.I. in 1871.

KEARY, ANNIE (1825-1879).--Novelist, wrote some good novels, including _Castle Daly_, _A Doubting Heart_, and _Oldbury_, also books for children and educational works.

KEATS, JOHN (1795-1821).--Poet, _s._ of the chief servant at an inn in London, who _m._ his master's _dau._, and _d._ a man of some substance. He was sent to a school at Enfield, and having meanwhile become an orphan, was in 1810 apprenticed to a surgeon at Edmonton. In 1815 he went to London to walk the hospitals. He was not, however, at all enthusiastic in his profession, and having become acquainted with Leigh Hunt, Hazlitt, Shelley, and others, he gave himself more and more to literature. His first work--some sonnets--appeared in Hunt's _Examiner_, and his first book, _Poems_, came out in 1817. This book, while containing much that gave little promise of what was to come, was not without touches of beauty and music, but it fell quite flat, finding few readers beyond his immediate circle. _Endymion_, begun during a visit to the Isle of Wight, appeared in 1818, and was savagely attacked in _Blackwood_ and the _Quarterly Review_. These attacks, though naturally giving pain to the poet, were not, as was alleged at the time, the cause of his health breaking down, as he was possessed of considerable confidence in his own powers, and his claim to immortality as a poet. Symptoms of hereditary consumption, however, began to show themselves and, in the hope of restored health, he made a tour in the Lakes and Scotland, from which he returned to London none the better. The death soon after of his brother Thomas, whom he had helped to nurse, told upon his spirits, as did also his unrequited passion for Miss Fanny Brawne. In 1820 he _pub._ _Lamia and Other Poems_, containing _Isabella_, _Eve of St. Agnes_, _Hyperion_, and the odes to the _Nightingale_ and _The Grecian Urn_, all of which had been produced within a period of about 18 months. This book was warmly praised in the _Edinburgh Review_. His health had by this time completely given way, and he was likewise harassed by narrow means and hopeless love. He had, however, the consolation of possessing many warm friends, by some of whom, the Hunts and the Brawnes, he was tenderly nursed. At last in 1821 he set out, accompanied by his friend Severn, on that journey to Italy from which he never returned. After much suffering he _d._ at Rome, and was buried in the Protestant cemetery there. The character of K. was much misunderstood until the publication by R.M. Milnes, afterwards Lord Houghton (_q.v._), of his _Life and Letters_, which gives an attractive picture of him. This, together with the accounts of other friends, represent him as "eager, enthusiastic, and sensitive, but humorous, reasonable, and free from vanity, affectionate, a good brother and friend, sweet-tempered, and helpful." In his political views he was liberal, in his religious, indefinite. Though in his life-time subjected to much harsh and unappreciative criticism, his place among English poets is now assured. His chief characteristics are intense, sensuous imagination, and love of beauty, rich and picturesque descriptive power, and exquisitely melodious versification.

_Life, Letters, etc._, by R.M. Milnes (1848), _Poems and Letters_ (Forman, 5 vols., 1900). Keats (Men of Letters Series, Colvin, 1887), etc. _Poems_ (1817), _Endymion_ (1818), _Lamia and Other Poems_ (1820).

KEBLE, JOHN (1792-1866).--Poet and divine, _s._ of the Rev. John K., Vicar of Coln St. Aldwyn's, Gloucestershire, _b._ at Fairford in the same county, _ed._ by his _f._ and at Oxf., where he was elected a Fellow of Oriel Coll., and was for some years tutor and examiner in the Univ. His ideal life, however, was that of a country clergyman, and having taken orders in 1815, he became curate to his _f._ Meantime he had been writing _The Christian Year_, which appeared in 1827, and met with an almost unparalleled acceptance. Though at first anonymous, its authorship soon became known, with the result that K. was in 1831 appointed to the Chair of Poetry at Oxf., which he held until 1841. In 1833 his famous sermon on "national apostasy" gave the first impulse to the Oxf. movement, of which, after the secession of Newman to the Church of Rome, he, along with Pusey, was regarded as the leader, and in connection with which he contributed several of the more important "tracts" in which were enforced "deep submission to authority, implicit reverence for Catholic tradition, firm belief in the divine prerogatives of the priesthood, the real nature of the sacraments, and the danger of independent speculation." His _f._ having _d._, K. became in 1836 Vicar of Hursley, near Winchester, where he remained until his death. In 1846 he _pub._ another book of poems, _Lyra Innocentium_. Other works were a Life of Wilson, Bishop of Sodor and Man, and an ed. of the Works of Hooker. After his death appeared _Letters of Spiritual Counsel_, and 12 vols. of _Parish Sermons_. The literary position of K. must mainly rest upon _The Christian Year_, _Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays_, and _Holidays throughout the Year_, the object of which was, as described by the author, to bring the thoughts and feelings of the reader into unison with those exemplified in the Prayer Book. The poems, while by no means of equal literary merit, are generally characterised by delicate and true poetic feeling, and refined and often extremely felicitous language; and it is a proof of the fidelity to nature with which its themes are treated that the book has become a religious classic with readers far removed from the author's ecclesiastical standpoint and general school of thought. K. was one of the most saintly and unselfish men who ever adorned the Church of England, and, though personally shy and retiring, exercised a vast spiritual influence upon his generation.

_Life_ by J.D. Coleridge (1869), another by Rev. W. Lock (1895).

KEIGHTLEY, THOMAS (1789-1872).--Historian, _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, wrote works on mythology and folklore, and at the request of Dr. Arnold of Rugby, a series of text-books on English, Greek, and other histories. His _History of Greece_ was translated into modern Greek. Among his other books are _Fairy Mythology_ (1850), and _Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy_, and a work on Popular Tales and their transmission from one country to another.

KEITH, ROBERT (1681-1757).--Historian, _b._ in Kincardineshire, belonged to the family of the Earls Marischal, and was Bishop of Fife in the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was deeply versed in Scottish antiquities, and _pub._ _History of the Affairs of Church and State in Scotland_ during the Reformation. He also compiled _A Catalogue of the Bishops of Scotland_ (1755).

KELLY, HUGH (1739-1777).--Dramatist, _s._ of a Dublin publican, worked in London as a staymaker, 1760, and after ed. various journals, wrote _Memoirs of a Magdalen_ (1767). His play, _False Delicacy_ (1768), had an extraordinary success, and was translated into French, German, and Portuguese. His other plays had no great success. He left off writing for the stage in 1774, and endeavoured to practise as a barrister, but without success. He also wrote political pamphlets, for which he received a pension from Government.

KEN, THOMAS (1637-1711).--Religious writer, _s._ of an attorney, was _b._ at Little Berkhampstead, _ed._ at Winchester and Oxf., and entering the Church received the living of Brightstone, Isle of Wight, where he composed his _Morning, Evening, and Midnight Hymns_, perhaps the most widely known of English hymns. These he was accustomed to sing daily to the lute. After holding other benefices he became Bishop of Bath and Wells, and a Chaplain to Charles II. He was one of the "Seven Bishops" sent to the Tower by James II. Refusing to take the oaths to William and Mary, he was deprived, and spent his later years in comparative poverty, though he found an asylum at Longleat with Lord Weymouth. Izaak Walton was his brother-in-law. K. wrote a manual of prayers for Winchester School, and other devotional works.

KENNEDY, JOHN PENDLETON (1795-1870).--Novelist, _b._ in Baltimore, was distinguished as a lawyer and politician. He wrote three novels, _Swallow Barn_ (1832), _Horse Shoe Robinson_ (1835), and _Rob of the Bowl_ (1838), which give a vivid presentation of life in the Southern States.

KENNEDY, WALTER (_fl._ 1500).--_S._ of Lord K., was _ed._ at Glasgow, and is perhaps best known as Dunbar's antagonist in the _Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy_. Other poems are _Praise of Aige_ (Age), _Ane Ballat in Praise of Our Lady_, and _The Passion of Christ_. Most of his work is probably lost.

KILLIGREW, THOMAS (1612-1683).--Dramatist, _s._ of Sir Robert K., of Hanworth, was a witty, dissolute courtier of Charles II., and wrote nine plays, each in a different city. Of them the best known is _The Parson's Wedding_.

KING, HENRY (1592-1669).--Poet, _s._ of a Bishop of London, was _ed._ at Westminster School and Oxf. He entered the Church, and rose in 1642 to be Bishop of Chichester. The following year he was deprived, but was reinstated at the Restoration. He wrote many elegies on Royal persons and on his private friends, who included Donne and Ben Jonson. A selection from his _Poems and Psalms_ was _pub._ in 1843.

KINGLAKE, ALEXANDER WILLIAM (1809-1891).--_B._ near Taunton, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., was called to the Bar in 1837, and acquired a considerable practice, which in 1856 he abandoned in order to devote himself to literature and public life. His first literary venture had been _Eothen_, a brilliant and original work of Eastern travel, _pub._ in 1844; but his _magnum opus_ was his _Invasion of the Crimea_, in 8 vols. (1863-87), which is one of the most effective works of its class. It has, however, been charged with being too favourable to Lord Raglan, and unduly hostile to Napoleon III., for whom the author had an extreme aversion. Its great length is also against it.

KINGSFORD, WILLIAM (1819-1898).--Historian, _b._ in London, served in the army, and went to Canada, where he was engaged in surveying work. He has a place in literature for his _History of Canada_ in 10 vols., a work of careful research, though not distinguished for purely literary merits.

KINGSLEY, CHARLES (1819-1875).--Novelist and historian, _s._ of a clergyman, was _b._ at Holne Vicarage near Dartmoor, but passed most of his childhood at Barnack in the Fen country, and Clovelly in Devonshire, _ed._ at King's Coll., London, and Camb. Intended for the law, he entered the Church, and became, in 1842, curate, and two years later rector, of Eversley, Hampshire. In the latter year he _pub._ _The Saints' Tragedy_, a drama, of which the heroine is St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Two novels followed, _Yeast_ (1848) and _Alton Locke_ (1850), in which he deals with social questions as affecting the agricultural labouring class, and the town worker respectively. He had become deeply interested in such questions, and threw himself heart and soul, in conjunction with F.D. Maurice and others, into the schemes of social amelioration, which they supported under the name of Christian socialism, contributing many tracts and articles under the signature of "Parson Lot." In 1853 appeared _Hypatia_, in which the conflict of the early Christians with the Greek philosophy of Alexandria is depicted; it was followed in 1855 by _Westward Ho_, perhaps his most popular work; in 1857 by _Two Years Ago_, and in 1866 by _Hereward the Wake_. _At Last_ (1870), gave his impressions of a visit to the West Indies. His taste for natural history found expression in _Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore_ (1855), and other works. _The Water Babies_ is a story for children written to inspire love and reverence of Nature. K. was in 1860 appointed to the Professorship of Modern History at Camb., which he held until 1869. The literary fruit of this was _Roman and Teuton_ (1864). In the same year he was involved in a controversy with J.H. Newman, which resulted in the publication by the latter of his _Apologia_. K., who had in 1869 been made a Canon of Chester, became Canon of Westminster in 1873. Always of a highly nervous temperament, his over-exertion resulted in repeated failures of health, and he _d._ in 1875. Though hot-tempered and combative, he was a man of singularly noble character. His type of religion, cheerful and robust, was described as "muscular Christianity." Strenuous, eager, and keen in feeling, he was not either a profoundly learned, or perhaps very impartial, historian, but all his writings are marked by a bracing and manly atmosphere, intense sympathy, and great descriptive power.

KINGSLEY, HENRY (1830-1876).--Novelist, brother of the above, _ed._ at King's Coll., London, and Oxf., which he left without graduating, and betook himself to the Australian gold-diggings, being afterwards in the mounted police. On his return in 1858 he devoted himself industriously to literature, and wrote a number of novels of much more than average merit, including _Geoffrey Hamlyn_ (1859), _The Hillyars and the Burtons_ (1865), _Ravenshoe_ (1861), and _Austin Elliot_ (1863). Of these _Ravenshoe_ is generally regarded as the best. In 1869 he went to Edinburgh to ed. the _Daily Review_, but he soon gave this up, and became war correspondent for his paper during the Franco-German War.

KINGSLEY, MARY HENRIETTA (1862-1900).--Traveller, _dau._ of George Henry K. (himself a traveller, and author of _South Sea Bubbles_, a very successful book), and niece of Charles K. (_q.v._). She travelled in West Africa, where she made valuable observations and collections. Her _Travels in West Africa_ is one of the most original and stimulating books of its class. Miss K. had a singular power of viewing the religious rites of savage peoples from their point of view. She was about to undertake another journey, but stopped to nurse Boer prisoners, and _d._ of fever.

KINGSTON, WILLIAM HENRY GILES (1814-1880).--Writer of tales for boys, _b._ in London, but spent much of his youth in Oporto, where his _f._ was a merchant. His first book, _The Circassian Chief_, appeared in 1844. His first book for boys, _Peter the Whaler_, was _pub._ in 1851, and had such success that he retired from business and devoted himself entirely to the production of this kind of literature, in which his popularity was deservedly great; and during 30 years he wrote upwards of 130 tales, including _The Three Midshipmen_ (1862), _The Three Lieutenants_ (1874), _The Three Commanders_ (1875), _The Three Admirals_ (1877), _Digby Heathcote_, etc. He also conducted various papers, including _The Colonist_, and _Colonial Magazine and East India Review_. He was also interested in emigration, volunteering, and various philanthropic schemes. For services in negotiating a commercial treaty with Portugal he received a Portuguese knighthood, and for his literary labours a Government pension.

KIRKLAND, JOSEPH (1830-1894).--Novelist, _b._ in New York State, was a lawyer in Chicago, then served in the war. He is remembered as the author of two very vivid and life-like novels of pioneer life in the Far West, _Illinois Zury_ and _The McVeys_. Other works are _The Captain of Company K._ and _The Story of Chicago_.

KITTO, JOHN (1804-1854).--Biblical scholar, _s._ of a Cornish stonemason, was _b._ at Plymouth. At the age of 12 a fall led to his becoming totally deaf. From poverty and hardship he was rescued by friends, to whom his mental powers had become known, and the means of education were placed within his reach. By these he profited so remarkably that he became a valuable contributor to Biblical scholarship. He travelled much in the East in the pursuit of his favourite studies. Among his works are _Scripture Lands_, _Daily Bible Illustrations_, and _The Lost Senses_ in 2 vols., one dealing with Deafness and the other with Blindness. He also ed. _The Pictorial Bible_, _The Journal of Sacred Literature_, _The Cyclopædia of Bible Literature_, and contributed to various periodicals. He received a pension of £100 from Government. In 1844 the Univ. of Giessen conferred upon him the degree of D.D.

KNIGHT, CHARLES (1791-1873).--Publisher and writer, _b._ at Windsor, where his _f._. was a bookseller. After serving his apprenticeship with him he went to London, and in 1823 started business as a publisher, and co-operated effectively with Brougham and others in connection with The Society for Diffusing Useful Knowledge. He was publisher for the Society, and issued _The Penny Magazine_, _Penny Cyclopædia_, _Pictorial History of England_, etc. He ed. with success _The Pictorial Shakespeare_, and was the author of a vol. of essays, _Once upon a Time_, an autobiography, _Passages from a Working Life_ (1863), a _History of the Thirty Years' Peace_, which was completed by Miss Harriet Martineau, and various other works.

KNIGHT, HENRY GALLY (1786-1846).--A country gentleman of Yorkshire, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., was the author of several Oriental tales, _Ilderim, a Syrian Tale_ (1816), _Phrosyne, a Grecian Tale_, and _Alashtar, an Arabian Tale_ (1817). He was also an authority on architecture, and wrote various works on the subject, including _The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Italy_, and _The Normans in Sicily_, which brought him more reputation than his novels.

KNOLLES, RICHARD (1550?-1610).--Historian, _b._ at Coldashby, Northamptonshire, and _ed._ at Oxf., _pub._ in 1603 _The History of the Turks_, which went through many ed. Its principal value now is as a piece of fine English of its time, for which it is ranked high by Hallam. K. was master of a school at Sandwich. The History was continued by Sir Paul Rycaut (1628-1700).

KNOWLES, HERBERT (1798-1817).--Poet, author of the well-known _Stanzas written in Richmond Churchyard_, which gave promise of future excellence. But he _d._ a few weeks after he had been enabled, through the help of Southey to whom he had sent some of his poems, to go to Camb.

KNOWLES, JAMES SHERIDAN (1784-1862).--Dramatist, _s._ of James K., schoolmaster and lexicographer, was _b._ at Cork. He was the author of a ballad, _The Welsh Harper_, which had great popularity, and gained for him the notice of Hazlitt and others. For some years he studied medicine, which, however, he abandoned for literature, and produced several plays, including _Caius Gracchus_ (1815), _Virginius_ (1820), _The Hunchback_ (1832), and _The Love Chase_ (1837), in some of which he acted. He gave up the stage in 1843, became a preacher in connection with the Baptist communion, and enjoyed great popularity. He _pub._ two polemical works, _The Rock of Rome_, and _The Idol demolished by its own Priests_.

KNOX, JOHN (1505?-1572).--Reformer and historian, was _b._ near Haddington, and _ed._ at the Grammar School there and at Glasgow. He is believed to have had some connection with the family of K. of Ranfurly in Renfrewshire. The year of his birth was long believed to be 1505, but of late some writers have found reason to hold that he was really _b._ some years later, 1510 or even 1513. At Glasgow he was the pupil of John Major (_q.v._), and became distinguished as a disputant. He is believed to have been ordained a priest about 1530, after which he went to St. Andrews and taught. About this time, however, there is a gap of 12 years or more, during which almost nothing is known of his life. About 1545 he came under the influence of George Wishart, who was burned as a heretic at St. Andrews in the following year, and embraced the Reformation principles, of which he became a champion on the Continent, in England, and finally and especially in Scotland. He joined the reforming party in St. Andrews in 1547, and was, much against his will, elected their minister. The next year he was made prisoner, sent to France, and condemned to the galleys, where he remained for nearly two years. For the next five years he was in England, chiefly at Newcastle and Berwick, where he was zealously engaged in propagating and defending the reformed doctrines. On the accession of Mary in 1553 K. escaped to the Continent, where he remained--at Dieppe, Frankfort on the Maine, and Geneva--until 1559. During this period, in addition to his pastoral and ecclesiastical activities, he wrote copiously, the best known of his works of that time being his _First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment [government] of Women_. The first, it proved also the last, as he never produced the other two which he promised or threatened. He finally returned to Scotland in 1559, and was at once the chief actor and the chief narrator of the crowded and pregnant events which culminated in the abdication of Queen Mary and the establishment of Protestantism in Scotland. As minister of the High Church of Edin. K. was at the centre of events, which he probably did more to mould than any other man. As Carlyle says, "He is the one Scotchman to whom, of all others, his country and the world owe a debt." Here, after his long battle with principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, his triumphs, and disappointments, after growing weakness and becoming "weary of the world," he _d._ on November 24, 1572. His place in literature he has by virtue of his _Historie of the Reformation in Scotland_. It extends from 1558-67. Its language is much more English than that spoken and written in Scotland at the time. It is of the highest historical value, and in style terse, vigorous, with flashes of a quiet, somewhat saturnine humour, and of vivid description--the writing of a great man of action dealing with the events in which he had been the leading actor. His own figure and that of the Queen are those round which the drama turns. The leading features of his character were courage and intense earnestness. "Here," said the Regent Morton, "lies a man who never feared the face of man." And with all his sternness there was in him a vein of cordial friendliness and humour. He has been accused of intolerance, and of harshness in his dealings with the Queen. But as Carlyle has said, as regards the second accusation, "They are not so coarse, these speeches; they seem to me about as fine as the circumstances would permit. It was unfortunately not possible to be polite with the Queen of Scotland unless one proved untrue to the nation."

_Lives_ by M'Crie (1812), and Prof. Hume Brown (1895). _Works_ ed. by D. Laing.

KNOX, VICESIMUS (1752-1821).--Essayist, etc., _ed._ at Oxf., took orders, and became Head Master of Tunbridge School. He _pub._ _Essays Moral and Literary_ (1778), and compiled the formerly well-known _Elegant Extracts_, often reprinted.

KNOX, WILLIAM (1789-1825).--Poet, _s._ of a farmer in Roxburghshire, wrote several books of poetry, _The Lonely Hearth_, _Songs of Israel_, _Harp of Zion_, etc., which gained him the friendship of Scott. He fell into dissipated habits, was latterly a journalist in Edin., and _d._ at 36.

KYD, THOMAS (1558-1595).--Dramatist, _s._ of a London scrivener, _ed._ at Merchant Taylor's School, appears to have led the life of hardship so common with the dramatists of his time, was for a short time imprisoned for "treasonable and Atheistic views," and made translations from the French and Italian. His drama, _The Spanish Tragedy_ (1594), had extraordinary popularity, and was translated into Dutch and German. Some of the scenes are believed to have been contributed by another hand, probably by Ben Jonson. He also produced a play on the story of Hamlet, not now in existence, and he may have written the first draft of _Titus Andronicus_. Other plays which have been attributed to him are _The First Part of Jeronimo_ (1605), _Cornelia_ (1594), _The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune_, and _The Tragedye of Solyman and Perseda_ (1599). But, although one of the best known dramatists in his day, very little is now certain either as to his personal history or his works.

LAIDLAW, WILLIAM (1780-1845).--Poet, _s._ of a border farmer, became steward and amanuensis to Sir W. Scott, and was the author of the beautiful and well-known ballad, _Lucy's Flittin'_.

LAING, DAVID (1793-1878).--Antiquary, _s._ of a bookseller in Edin., with whom he was in partnership until his appointment, in 1837, as librarian of the Signet Library. He ed. many of the publications of the Bannatyne Club, of which he was sec. (1823-61). He was also Honorary Prof. of Antiquities to the Royal Scottish Academy. Among the more important works which he ed. were _Baillie's Letters and Journals_ (1841-2), _John Knox's Works_ (1846-64), and the poems of Sir D. Lyndsay, Dunbar, and Henryson.

LAING, MALCOLM (1762-1818).--Was a country gentleman in Orkney. He completed Henry's _History of Great Britain_, and wrote a _History of Scotland from the Union of the Crowns to the Union of the Kingdoms_ (1802). He was an assailant of the authenticity of the Ossianic poems, and wrote a dissertation on the Participation of Mary Queen of Scots in the Murder of Darnley. He did much to improve the agriculture of Orkney.

LAMB, LADY CAROLINE (1785-1828).--Novelist, _dau._ of 3rd Earl of Bessborough, _m._ the Hon. William Lamb, afterwards Lord Melbourne and Prime Minister. She wrote three novels, which, though of little literary value, attracted much attention. The first of these, _Glenarvon_ (1816), contained a caricature portrait of Lord Byron, with whom the authoress had shortly before been infatuated. It was followed by _Graham Hamilton_ (1822), and _Ada Reis_ (1823). Happening to meet the hearse conveying the remains of Byron, she became unconscious, and fell into mental alienation, from which she never recovered.

LAMB, CHARLES (1775-1834).--Essayist and poet, was _b._ in London, his _f._ being confidential clerk to Samuel Salt, one of the benchers of the Inner Temple. After being at a school in the neighbourhood, he was sent by the influence of Mr. Salt to Christ's Hospital, where he remained from 1782-89, and where he formed a lifelong friendship with Coleridge. He was then for a year or two in the South Sea House, where his elder brother John was a clerk. Thence he was in 1792 transferred to the India House, where he remained until 1825, when he retired with a pension of two-thirds of his salary. Mr. Salt _d._ in 1792, and the family, consisting of the _f._, mother, Charles, and his sister Mary, ten years his senior, lived together in somewhat straitened circumstances. John, comparatively well off, leaving them pretty much to their own resources. In 1796 the tragedy of L.'s life occurred. His sister Mary, in a sudden fit of insanity, killed her mother with a table-knife. Thenceforward, giving up a marriage to which he was looking forward, he devoted himself to the care of his unfortunate sister, who became, except when separated from him by periods of aberration, his lifelong and affectionate companion--the "Cousin Bridget" of his essays. His first literary appearance was a contribution of four sonnets to Coleridge's _Poems on Various Subjects_ (1796). Two years later he _pub._, along with his friend Charles Lloyd, _Blank Verse_, the little vol. including _The Old Familiar Faces_, and others of his best known poems, and his romance, _Rosamund Gray_, followed in the same year. He then turned to the drama, and produced _John Woodvil_, a tragedy, and _Mr. H._, a farce, both failures, for although the first had some echo of the Elizabethan music, it had no dramatic force. Meantime the brother and sister were leading a life clouded by poverty and by the anxieties arising from the condition of the latter, and they moved about from one lodging to another. L.'s literary ventures so far had not yielded much either in money or fame, but in 1807 he was asked by W. Godwin (_q.v._) to assist him in his "Juvenile Library," and to this he, with the assistance of his sister, contributed the now famous _Tales from Shakespeare_, Charles doing the tragedies and Mary the comedies. In 1808 they wrote, again for children, _The Adventures of Ulysses_, a version of the _Odyssey, Mrs. Leicester's School_, and _Poetry for Children_ (1809). About the same time he was commissioned by Longman to ed. selections from the Elizabethan dramatists. To the selections were added criticisms, which at once brought him the reputation of being one of the most subtle and penetrating critics who had ever touched the subject. Three years later his extraordinary power in this department was farther exhibited in a series of papers on Hogarth and Shakespeare, which appeared in Hunt's _Reflector_. In 1818 his scattered contributions in prose and verse were _coll._ as _The Works of Charles Lamb_, and the favour with which they were received led to his being asked to contribute to the _London Magazine_ the essays on which his fame chiefly rests. The name "Elia" under which they were written was that of a fellow-clerk in the India House. They appeared from 1820-25. The first series was printed in 1823, the second, _The Last Essays of Elia_, in 1833. In 1823 the L.'s had left London and taken a cottage at Islington, and had practically adopted Emma Isola, a young orphan, whose presence brightened their lives until her marriage in 1833 to E. Moxon, the publisher. In 1825 L. retired, and lived at Enfield and Edmonton. But his health was impaired, and his sister's attacks of mental alienation were ever becoming more frequent and of longer duration. During one of his walks he fell, slightly hurting his face. The wound developed into erysipelas, and he _d._ on December 29, 1834. His sister survived until 1847.

The place of L. as an essayist and critic is the very highest. His only rival in the former department is Addison, but in depth and tenderness of feeling, and richness of fancy L. is the superior. In the realms of criticism there can be no comparison between the two. L. is here at once profound and subtle, and his work led as much as any other influence to the revival of interest in and appreciation of our older poetry. His own writings, which are self-revealing in a quite unusual and always charming way, and the recollections of his friends, have made the personality of Lamb more familiar to us than any other in our literature, except that of Johnson. His weaknesses, his oddities, his charm, his humour, his stutter, are all as familiar to his readers as if they had known him, and the tragedy and noble self-sacrifice of his life add a feeling of reverence for a character we already love.

Life and Letters and Final Memorials by Talfourd, also Memoir by B.W. Proctor and A. Ainger prefixed to ed. of _Works_ (1883-88). Life, Works, and Letters of Charles and Mary Lamb, in 9 vols., E.V. Lucas, and 12 vols. ed. W. Macdonald.

LANDON, LETITIA ELIZABETH (1802-1838).--Poetess, _dau._ of an army agent, was _b._ in London. She was a prolific and, in her day, remarkably popular writer, but she wrote far too easily and far too much for permanent fame. Many of her poems appeared in the _Literary Gazette_, and similar publications, but she _pub._ separately _The Fate of Adelaide_ (1821), _The Improvisatrice_ (1824), _The Troubadour_ (1825), _The Venetian Bracelet_ (1829), etc. She also wrote a few novels, of which _Ethel Churchill_ was the best, and a tragedy _Castruccio Castracani_ (1837). She _m._ a Mr. Maclean, Governor of one of the West African Colonies, where, shortly after her arrival, she was found dead from the effects of an overdose of poison, which it was supposed she had taken as a relief from spasms to which she was subject. She was best known by her initials, L.E.L., under which she was accustomed to write.

LANDOR, WALTER SAVAGE (1775-1864).--Poet and miscellaneous author, _s._ of a physician, was _b._ at Ipsley Court, Warwick, the property of his mother, and _ed._ at Rugby and Oxf., where he earned the nickname of "the mad Jacobin," and whence he was rusticated. His whole long life thereafter was a series of quarrels, extravagances, and escapades of various kinds, the result of his violent prejudices, love of paradox, and ungovernable temper. He quarrelled with his _f._, his wife, most of his relations, and nearly all his friends, ran through a large fortune, and ended his days in Italy supported by a pension granted by his brothers. Yet he was not devoid of strong affections and generosity. His earliest publication was _Poems_ (1795); _Gebir_ (1798), an epic, had little success, but won for him the friendship of Southey. In 1808 he went to Spain to take part in the war against Napoleon, and saw some service. His first work to attract attention was his powerful tragedy of _Don Julian_ (1811). About the same time he _m._ Miss Julia Thuillier--mainly, as would appear, on account of her "wonderful golden hair"--and purchased the estate of Llantony Abbey, Monmouthshire, whence, after various quarrels with the local authorities, he went to France. After a residence of a year there, he went in 1815 to Italy, where he lived until 1818 at Como, which, having insulted the authorities in a Latin poem, he had to leave. At Florence, which was his residence for some years, he commenced his famous _Imaginary Conversations_, of which the first two vols. appeared 1824, the third 1828, fourth and fifth 1829. Other works were _The Examination of W. Shakespeare touching Deer-stealing_ (1834), _Pericles and Aspasia_ (1836), _Pentameron_ (1837), _Hellenics_ (1847), and _Poemata et Inscriptiones_ (1847). He quarrelled finally with his wife in 1835, and returned to England, which, however, he had to leave in 1858 on account of an action for libel arising out of a book, _Dry Sticks Fagoted_. He went to Italy, where he remained, chiefly at Florence, until his death. L. holds one of the highest places among the writers of English prose. His thoughts are striking and brilliant, and his style rich and dignified.

_Works_ ed. C.G. Crump, 10 vols.

LANE, EDWARD WILLIAM (1801-1876).--Arabic scholar, _s._ of a prebendary of Hereford, where he was _b._, began life as an engraver, but going to Egypt in search of health, devoted himself to the study of Oriental languages and manners, and adopted the dress and habits of the Egyptian man of learning. He _pub._ _Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians_ (1836), which remains a standard authority, and a translation of _The Thousand and One Nights_ (1838-40) (Arabian Nights). What was intended to be the great work of his life, his _Arabic Lexicon_, was left unfinished at his death, but was completed by his nephew, Prof. S.L. Poole. L. was regarded as the chief European Orientalist of his day.

LANGHORNE, JOHN (1735-1779).--Poet, _s._ of a clergyman, was _b._ at Kirkby Stephen; having taken orders, he was for two years a curate in London, and from 1776 Rector of Blagdon, Somerset, and Prebendary of Wells. He is chiefly remembered as being the translator, jointly with his brother, Rev. William L., of _Plutarch's Lives_, but in his day he had some reputation as a poet, his chief work in poetry being _Studley Park_ and _Fables of Flora_. In his _Country Justice_ (1774-77) he dimly foreshadows Crabbe, as in his descriptive poems he dimly foreshadows Wordsworth. He was twice married, and both of his wives _d._ in giving birth to a first child.

LANGLAND, WILLIAM (OR WILLIAM of LANGLEY) (1330?-1400?).--Poet. Little can be gleaned as to his personal history, and of that little part is contradictory. In a note of the 15th century written on one MS. he is said to have been _b._ in Oxfordshire, the _s._ of a freeman named Stacy de Rokayle, while Bale, writing in the 16th century, makes his name Robert (certainly an error), and says he was _b._ at Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire. From his great poem, _Piers the Plowman_, it is to be gathered that he was bred to the Church, and was at one time an inmate of the monastery at Great Malvern. He _m._, however, and had a _dau._, which, of course, precluded him from going on to the priesthood. It has further been inferred from his poem that his f., with the help of friends, sent him to school, but that on the death of these friends the process of education came to an end, and he went to London, living in a little house in Cornhill and, as he says, not only _in_ but _on_ London, supporting himself by singing _requiems_ for the dead. "The tools I labour with ... [are] _Paternoster_, and my primer _Placebo_, and _Dirige_, and my _Psalter_, and my seven Psalms." References to legal terms suggest that he may have copied for lawyers. In later life he appears to have lived in Cornwall with his wife and _dau._ Poor himself, he was ever a sympathiser with the poor and oppressed. His poem appears to have been the great interest of his life, and almost to the end he was altering and adding to, without, however, improving it. The full title of the poem is _The Vision of Piers Plowman_. Three distinct versions of it exist, the first _c._ 1362, the second _c._ 1377, and the third 1393 or 1398. It has been described as "a vision of Christ seen through the clouds of humanity." It is divided into nine dreams, and is in the unrhymed, alliterative, first English manner. In the allegory appear such personifications as Meed (worldly success), Falsehood, Repentance, Hope, etc. Piers Plowman, first introduced as the type of the poor and simple, becomes gradually transformed into the Christ. Further on appear Do-well, Do-bet, Do-best. In this poem, and its additions, L. was able to express all that he had to say of the abuses of the time, and their remedy. He himself stands out as a sad, earnest, and clear-sighted onlooker in a time of oppression and unrest. It is thought that he may have been the author of a poem, _Richard the Redeless_: if so he was, at the time of writing, living in Bristol, and making a last remonstrance to the misguided King, news of whose death may have reached him while at the work, as it stops in the middle of a paragraph. He is not much of an artist, being intent rather on delivering his message than that it should be in a perfect dress. Prof. Manley, in the _Cambridge History of English Literature_, advances the theory that _The Vision_ is not the work of one, but of several writers, W.L. being therefore a dramatic, not a personal name. It is supported on such grounds as differences in metre, diction, sentence structure, and the diversity of view on social and ecclesiastic matters expressed in different parts of the poem.

LANIER, SIDNEY (1842-1881).--Miscellaneous writer, _s._ of a lawyer of Huguenot descent, was _b._ at Macon, Georgia. He had a varied career, having been successively soldier, shopman, teacher, lawyer, musician, and prof. His first literary venture was a novel, _Tiger Lilies_ (1867). Thereafter he wrote mainly on literature, his works including _The Science of English Verse_ (1881), _The English Novel_ (1883), and _Shakespeare and his Forerunners_ (1902); also some poems which have been greatly admired, including "Corn," "The Marshes of Glynn," and "The Song of the Chattahoochee"; ed. of Froissart, and the Welsh _Mabinogion_ for children. He worked under the shadow of serious lung trouble, which eventually brought about his death.

LARDNER, DIONYSIUS (1793-1859).--Scientific writer, _s._ of a solicitor in Dublin, and _b._ there, was intended for the law, but having no taste for it, he entered Trinity Coll., Dublin, and took orders, but devoted himself to literary and scientific pursuits, and became a contributor to the _Edinburgh Review_, and various Encyclopædias. In 1827 he was appointed Prof. of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in the Univ. of London (afterwards Univ. Coll.), and in 1829 began his great work, _The Cabinet Cyclopædia_, which was finished in 133 vols. 20 years later. In his literary undertakings, which included various other schemes of somewhat similar character, he was eminently successful, financially and otherwise. He lived in Paris from 1845 until his death.

LATIMER, HUGH (1485-1555).--Reformer and divine, _s._ of a Leicestershire yeoman, went to Camb. in 1500, and became Fellow of Clare Hall. Taking orders, he was at first a defender of the ancient faith, but convinced by the arguments of Bilney, embraced the reformed doctrines. He was called to appear before Wolsey, but dismissed on subscribing certain articles. His opposition to the Pope, and his support of the King's supremacy, brought him under the notice of Henry, and he was appointed chaplain to Anne Boleyn, and in 1535 Bishop of Worcester. For preaching in favour of the reformed doctrines he was twice imprisoned in the Tower, 1539 and 1546, and on the former occasion resigned his bishopric, which he declined to resume on the accession of Edward VI. On the accession of Mary he was with Ridley, Bishop of London, thrown into prison (1554), and on October 16, 1555, burned at Oxf. His words of encouragement to his fellow-martyr are well known, "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out." He holds his place in English literature by virtue of his sermons--especially that on _The Ploughers_--which, like himself, are outspoken, homely, and popular, with frequent touches of kindly humour.

LAUDER, SIR THOMAS DICK (1784-1848).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _s._ of a Scottish baronet, wrote two novels, _Lochandhu_ (1825), and _The Wolf of Badenoch_ (1827), but is best known for his _Account of the Great Floods in Morayshire in 1829_. He also wrote _Legendary Tales of the Highlands_, and contributed to scientific journals and magazines.

LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761).--Divine, _s._ of a grocer at Kingscliffe, Northamptonshire, was _ed._ at Camb., and in 1727 became tutor to the _f._ of Edward Gibbon, the historian. About 1728 he _pub._ his best known book, _A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life_, a work which has had a profound influence upon the religious life of England, largely owing to the impression which it produced upon such minds as those of Dr. Johnson, the Wesleys, and others. In 1737 he became a student of the works of Jacob Boehmen, the German mystic, and devoted himself largely to the exposition of his views. The theological position of L. was a complicated one, combining High Churchism, mysticism, and Puritanism: his writings are characterised by vigorous thought, keen logic, and a lucid and brilliant style, relieved by flashes of bright, and often sarcastic, humour. His work attacking Mandeville's _Fable of the Bees_ (1723) is perhaps that in which these qualities are best displayed in combination. He retired in 1740 to Kingscliffe, where he had founded a school for 14 girls.

LAWRENCE, GEORGE ALFRED (1827-1876).--Novelist, was a barrister. He wrote several novels, of which one--_Guy Livingstone_ (1857)--had great popularity. On the outbreak of the American Civil War he went to America with the intention of joining the Confederate Army, but was taken prisoner and only released on promising to return to England.

LAYAMON (_fl._ 1200).--Metrical historian, the _s._ of Leovenath. All that is known of him is gathered from his own writings. He was a priest at Ernley (now Areley Regis), Worcestershire. In his day the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace, in French, were the favourite reading of the educated, and "it came to him in mind" that he would tell the story of _Brut_ in English verse. He set out in search of books and, founding his poem on the earlier writers, he added so much from his own knowledge of Welsh and West of England tradition that while Wace's poem consists of 15,000 lines, his extends to 32,000. Among the legends he gives are those of _Locrine_, _Arthur_, and _Lear_. The poem is in the old English unrhymed, alliterative verse, and "marks the revival of the English mind and spirit."

LAYARD, SIR AUSTIN HENRY (1817-1894).--Explorer of Nineveh, _b._ at Paris, _s._ of a Ceylon civilian. After spending some years in the office of a London solicitor, he set out in search of employment in Ceylon, but passing through Western Asia, became interested in the work of excavating the remains of ancient cities. Many of his finds--human-headed bulls, etc.--were sent to the British Museum. Two books--_Nineveh and its Remains_ (1848-49), and _The Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon_ (1853)--brought him fame, and on his return home he received many honours, including the freedom of the City of London, the degree of D.C.L. from Oxf., and the Lord Rectorship of Aberdeen Univ. He entered Parliament, where he sat as a Liberal. He held the offices of Under-Foreign Sec. (1861-66), and Chief Commissioner of Works (1868-69), and was Ambassador to Spain 1869, and Constantinople 1877; and on his retirement in 1878 he was made G.C.B. He was a very successful excavator, and described his work brilliantly, but he was no great linguist, and most of the deciphering of the inscriptions was done by Sir H. Rawlinson. His last work was _Early Adventures in Persia, etc._, and he left an autobiography, _pub._ in 1903. He also wrote on Italian art.

LEAR, EDWARD (1812-1888).--Artist and miscellaneous author, _b._ in London, and settled in Rome as a landscape painter. He was an indefatigable traveller, and wrote accounts, finely illustrated, of his journeys in Italy, Greece, and Corsica. His best known works are, however, his _Book of Nonsense_ (1840) (full of wit and _good_ sense), _More Nonsense Rhymes_ (1871), and _Laughable Lyrics_ (1876). L. had also a remarkable faculty for depicting birds.

LECKY, WILLIAM EDWARD HARTPOLE (1838-1903).--Historian, the _s._ of a landed gentleman of Carlow, was _b._ near Dublin, and _ed._ at Cheltenham and Trinity Coll., Dublin. Originally intended for the Church, he devoted himself to a literary career. His first work of importance was _Leaders of Public Opinion in Ireland_ (1861) (essays on Swift, Flood, Grattan, and O'Connell). The study of Buckle's _History of Civilisation_ to some extent determined the direction of his own writings, and resulted in the production of two important works, _History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe_ (1865), and _History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne_ (1869), both remarkable for learning, clearness, and impartiality. Both, however, gave rise to considerable controversy and criticism. His principal work is _The History of England in the Eighteenth Century_ (1878-90). Characterised by the same sterling qualities as his preceding books, it deals with a subject more generally interesting, and has had a wide acceptance. His view of the American war, and the controversies which led to it, is more favourable to the English position than that of some earlier historians. Other works are _Democracy and Liberty_ (1896), and _The Map of Life_ (1899). Though of warm Irish sympathies, L. was strongly opposed to Home Rule. He sat in Parliament for his Univ. from 1895 until his death. He received many academical distinctions, and was a Corresponding Member of the Institute of France, and one of the original members of the Order of Merit.

LEE, NATHANIEL (1653?-1692).--Dramatist, _s._ of a clergyman at Hatfield, was _ed._ at Westminster School and Camb. After leaving the Univ. he went to London, and joined the stage both as actor and author. He was taken up by Rochester and others of the same dissolute set, led a loose life, and drank himself into Bedlam, where he spent four years. After his recovery he lived mainly upon charity, and met his death from a fall under the effects of a carouse. His tragedies, which, with much bombast and frequent untrained flights of imagination, have occasional fire and tenderness, are generally based on classical subjects. The principal are _The Rival Queens_, _Theodosius_, and _Mithridates_. He also wrote a few comedies, and collaborated with Dryden in an adaptation of _Oedipus_, and in _The Duke of Guise_.

LEE, SOPHIA (1750-1824), LEE, HARRIET (1757-1851).--Novelists and dramatists, _dau._ of John L., an actor, were the authors of various dramatic pieces and novels. By far their most memorable work was _The Canterbury Tales_, 5 vols. (1797-1805) which, with the exception of two, _The Young Lady's_ and _The Clergyman's_, were all by Harriet. The most powerful of them, _Kruitzner_, fell into the hands of Byron in his boyhood, and made so profound an impression upon him that, in 1821, he dramatised it under the title of _Werner, or the Inheritance_. The authoress also adapted it for the stage as _The Three Strangers_. The tales are in general remarkable for the ingenuity of their plots. Harriet lived to the age of 94, preserving to the last her vigour of mind and powers of conversation. Godwin made her an offer of marriage to which, however, his religious opinions presented an insuperable barrier. Sophia's chief work was _The Chapter of Accidents_, a comedy, which had a great run, the profits of which enabled the sisters to start a school at Bath, which proved very successful, and produced for them a competence on which they were able to retire in their later years.

LE FANU, JOSEPH SHERIDAN (1814-1873).--Novelist, _s._ of a Dean of the Episcopal Church of Ireland, and grand-nephew of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, and became a contributor and ultimately proprietor of the _Dublin University Magazine_, in which many of his novels made their first appearance. Called to the Bar in 1839, he did not practise, and was first brought into notice by two ballads, _Phaudrig Croohoore_ and _Shamus O'Brien_, which had extraordinary popularity. His novels, of which he wrote 12, include _The Cock and Anchor_ (1845), _Torlough O'Brien_ (1847), _The House by the Churchyard_ (1863), _Uncle Silas_ (perhaps the most popular) (1864), _The Tenants of Malory_ (1867), _In a Glass Darkly_ (1872), and _Willing to Die_ (posthumously). They are generally distinguished by able construction, ingenuity of plot, and power in the presentation of the mysterious and supernatural. Among Irish novelists he is generally ranked next to Lever.

LEIGHTON, ROBERT (1611-1684).--Divine, was the _s._ of Alexander L., physician, and writer on theology, who, on account of his anti-prelatic books, was put in the pillory, fined, and had his nose slit and his ears cut off. Robert was _ed._ at Edin., after which he resided for some time at Douay. Returning to Scotland he received Presbyterian ordination, and was admitted minister of Newbattle, near Edin. In 1653 he was appointed Principal and Prof. of Divinity in the Univ. of Edin., which offices he held until 1662 when, having separated himself from Presbyterianism, he was appointed Bishop of Dunblane, under the new Episcopal establishment. He repeatedly but unsuccessfully endeavoured to bring about an ecclesiastical union in Scotland on the basis of combining the best elements in each system. Discouraged by his lack of success in his well-meant efforts, he offered in 1665 to resign his see, but was persuaded by Charles II. to remain in it, and in 1669 was promoted to be Archbishop of Glasgow, from which position, wearied and disappointed, he finally retired in 1674, and lived with his widowed sister, Mrs. Lightmaker, at Broadhurst Manor, Sussex. On a visit to London he was seized with a fatal illness, and _d._ in the arms of his friend, Bishop Burnet, who says of him, "he had the greatest elevation of soul, the largest compass of knowledge, the most mortified and heavenly disposition that I ever saw in mortal." His sermons and commentaries, all _pub._ posthumously, maintain a high place among English religious classics, alike for thought and style. They consist of his _Commentary on St. Peter_, _Sermons_, and _Spiritual Exercises, Letters, etc._ His _Lectures and Addresses_ in Latin were also _pub._

LELAND, CHARLES GODFREY (1824-1903).--American humorist, _b._ at Philadelphia, was _ed._ at Princeton, and in Europe. In his travels he made a study of the gipsies, on whom he wrote more than one book. His fame rests chiefly on his _Hans Breitmann Ballads_ (1871), written in the _patois_ known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Other books of his are _Meister Karl's Sketch-book_ (1855), _Legends of Birds_ (1864), _Algonquin Legends_ (1884), _Legends of Florence_ (1895), and _Flaxius, or Leaves from the Life of an Immortal_.