Chapter XVII: Part 17

=Knight of the Leopard.= David, earl of Huntingdon, prince royal of Scotland, assumed the name and disguise of Sir Kenneth, “Knight of the Leopard,” in the crusade.—Sir. W. Scott, _The Talisman_ (time, Richard I.).

=Knight of the Lions=, the appellation assumed by Don Quixote after his attack upon the van containing two lions sent by the general of Oran as a present to the king of Spain.—Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. i. 17 (1615).

=Knight of the Pestle=, an apothecary or druggist.

=Knight of the Post=, one who haunted the purlieus of the courts, ready to be hired to swear anything. So called because these mercenaries hung about the post to which the sheriffs affixed their announcements.

I’ll be no knight of the post, to sell my soul for a bribe;
Tho’ all my fortunes be crossed, yet I scorn the cheater’s tribe.
_Ragged and Torn and True_ (a ballad).

Also a man in the pillory, or one that has been publicly tied to a post and whipped.

=Knight of the Rainbow=, a footman; so called from his gorgeous raiment.

=Knight of the Roads=, a foot-pad or highwayman; so termed by a pun on the military order entitled “The Knights of Rhodes.”

=Knight of the Rueful Countenance=, Don Quixote de la Mancha, the hero of Cervantes’ novel, is so called by Sancho Panza, his squire.

=Knight of the Shears=, a tailor. Shires (_counties_), pronounced _shears_, gives birth to the pun.

=Knight of the Sun=, Almanzor, prince of Tunis. So called because the sun was the device he bore on his shield.—Comtesse D’Aunoy, _Fairy Tales_ (“Princess Zamea,” 1682).

=Knight of the Swan=, Lohengrin, son of Parsival. He went to Brabant in a ship drawn by a swan. Here he liberated the Princess Elsa, who was a captive, and then married her, but declined to tell his name. After a time he joined an expedition against the Hungarians, and, after performing miracles of valor, returned to Brabant covered with glory. Some of Elsa’s friends laughed at her for not knowing her husband’s name, so she implored him to tell her of his family; but no sooner was the question asked than the white swan re-appeared and conveyed him away.—Wolfram von Eschenbach (a minnesinger), _Lohengrin_ (thirteenth century).

=Knight of the Tomb= (_The_), Sir James Douglas, usually called “The Black Douglas.”—Sir W. Scott, _Castle Dangerous._ In the episode of _Argalus and Parthenia_ in Sidney’s _Arcadia_. Parthenia, to avenge her husband’s death, disguises herself as “The Knight of the Tomb.”

=Knight of the White Moon=, the title assumed by Samson Carrasco, when he tilted with Don Quixote, on the condition that if the don were worsted in the encounter he should quit knight-errantry and live peaceably at home for twelve months.—Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, II. iv. 12-14 (1615).

=Knight of the Woeful Countenance=, Don Quixote de la Mancha.

=Knight with Two Swords=, Sir Balin, _le Savage_, brother of Sir Balan.—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 27, 33 (1470).

=Knights=. The three bravest of King Arthur’s knights were Sir Launcelot du Lac, Sir Tristram de Lionês or Lyonês and Sir Lamorake de Galis (_i. e._ Wales).—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 132 (1470).

⁂ The complement of the knights of the Round Table was 150 (ditto, i. 120). But in _Lancelot of the Lake_, ii. 81, they are said to have amounted to 250.

_Knights_ (_’Prentice_), a secret society established to avenge the wrongs of apprentices on their “tyrant masters.” Mr. Sim Tappertit was captain of this “noble association,” and their meetings were held in a cellar in Stagg’s house, in the Barbican. The name was afterwards changed into “The United Bull-dogs,” and the members joined the anti-popery rout of Lord George Gordon.—C. Dickens, _Barnaby Rudge_, viii. (1841).

=Knights of Alcan´tara=, a military order of Spain, which took its name from the city of Alcantara, in Estremadura. These knights were previously called “Knights of the Pear Tree,” and subsequently “Knights of St. Julian.” The order was founded in 1156 for the defence of Estremadura against the Moors. In 1197 Pope Celestine III. raised it to the rank of a religious order of knighthood.

=Knights of Calatra´va=, a military order of Spain, instituted by Sancho III. of Castile. When Sancho took the strong fort of Calatrava from the Moors, he gave it to the Knights Templars, who, wanting courage to defend it, returned it to the king again. Then Don Reymond, of the Cistercian order, with several cavelleros of quality, volunteered to defend the fort, whereupon the king constituted them “Knights of Calatrava.”

=Knights of Christian Charity=, instituted by Henri III. of France, for the benefit of poor military officers and maimed soldiers. This order was founded at the same time as that of the “Holy Ghost,” which was meant for princes and men of distinction. The order was completed by Henri IV., and resembled our “Poor Knights of Windsor,” now called “The Military Knights of Windsor.”

=Knights of Malta=, otherwise called “Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem,” a religious military order, whose residence was in the island of Malta. Some time before the journey of Godfrey of Bouillon into the Holy Land, some Neapolitan merchants built a house for those of their countrymen who came thither on pilgrimage. Afterwards they built a church to St. John, and an hospital for the sick, whence they took the name of “Hospitallers.” In 1104 the order became military, and changed the term “Hospitallers” into that of “Knights Hospitallers.” In 1310 they took Rhodes, and the order was then called “The Knights of Rhodes.” In 1523 they were expelled from Rhodes by the Turks, and took up their residence in Malta.

=Knights of Montesa=, a Spanish order of knighthood, instituted by James II. of Aragon, in 1317.

=Knights of Nova Scotia=, in the West Indies, created by James I. of Great Britain. These knights wore a ribbon of an orange tawny color.

=Knights of Our Lady of Mount Carmel= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de Notre Dame du Mont Carmel_), instituted by Henri IV. of France, in 1607, and consisting of a hundred French gentlemen.

N. B.—These knights must not be confounded with the _Carmelites_ or _L’Ordre des Carmes_, founded by Bertholde, count of Limoges, in 1156; said by legend to have been founded by the prophet Elijah, and to have been revived by the Virgin Mary. The religious house of Carmel was founded in 400 by John, patriarch of Jerusalem, in honor of Elijah, and this gave rise to the legend.

=Knights of Rhodes=. The “Knights of Malta” were so called between 1310 and 1523. (See KNIGHTS OF MALTA).

=Knights of St. Andrew=, instituted by Peter the Great, of Moscovy, in 1698. Their badge is a gold medal, having St. Andrew’s cross on one side, with these words, _Cazar Pierre monarque de tout le Russie_.

=Knights of St. Genette= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de St Genette_), the most ancient order of knighthood in France, instituted by Charles Martel, after his victory over the Saracens, in 782, where a vast number of _genets_, like Spanish cats (_civet cats_), were found in the enemy’s camp.

=Knights of St. George=. There are several orders so called:

1. St. George of Alfama, founded by the kings of Aragon.

2. St. George of Austria and Corinthia; instituted by the Emperor Frederick III., first archduke of Austria.

3. Another founded by the same emperor in 1470, to guard the frontiers of Bohemia and Hungary against the Turks.

4. St. George, generally called “Knights of the Garter” (_q. v._).

5. An order in the old republic of Genoa.

6. The Teutonic knights were originally called “Knights of St. George.”

=Knights of St. Jago=, a Spanish order, instituted under Pope Alexander III., the grand-master of which is next in rank to the sovereign. St. Jago or James (the Greater) is the patron saint of Spain.

=Knights of St. John at Jerusalem=, instituted in 1120. This order took its name from John, patriarch of Alexandria, and from the place of their abode(_Jerusalem_.) These knights subsequently resided at Rhodes (between 1310 and 1523). Being driven out by the Turks in 1523, they took up their abode in Malta, and were called “Knights of Malta.”

=Knights of St. Lazare= (2 _syl._), a religious and military order of Knights Hospitallers, established in the twelfth century, and confirmed by the pope in 1255. Their special mission was to take care of lepers. The name is derived from Lazarus, the beggar, who lay at the gate of Divês. The order was introduced into France under Louis VII., and was abolished in the first Revolution.

=Knights of St. Magdalene= (3 _syl._), a French order, instituted by St. Louis (IX.) to suppress duels.

=Knights of St. Maria de Mercede= (3 _syl._), a Spanish order, for the redemption of captives.

=Knights of St. Michael the Archangel= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de St. Michel_), a French order, instituted by Louis XI. in 1469. The king was at the head of the order. M. Bouillet says: “St. Michel est regardé comme le protecteur et l’ange tutélaire de la France.”

=Knights of St. Patrick=, instituted in 1783. The ruling sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland, and the lord-lieutenant of Ireland, are _ex-officio_ members of this order. The order is named after St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

=Knights of St. Salvador=, in Aragon, instituted by Alphonso I. in 1118.

=Knights of Windsor=, formerly called “Poor Knights of Windsor,” but now entitled “The Military Knights of Windsor,” a body of military pensioners, who have their residence within the precincts of Windsor Castle.

=Knights of the Bath=, an order of knighthood derived from the ancient Franks, and so termed because the members originally “bathed” before they performed their vigils. The last knights created in this ancient form were at the coronation of Charles II., in 1661.

G. C. B. stands for _Grand Cross of the Bath_ (the first class); K. C. B. for _Knight Commander of the Bath_ (the second class); and C. B. for _Companion of the Bath_ (the third class).

=Knights of the Blood of Our Saviour=, an order of knighthood in Mantua, instituted by Duke Vincent Gonzaga, in 1608, on his marriage. It consisted of twenty Mantuan dukes. The name originated in the belief that in St. Andrew’s Church, Mantua, certain drops of our Saviour’s blood are preserved as a relic.

=Knights of the Broom Flower= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de la Geneste_), instituted by St. Louis (IX.) of France, on his marriage. The collar was decorated with broom flowers, intermixed with _fleurs de lys_ in gold. The motto was _Exaltat Humĭlês_.

=Knights of the Carpet= or CARPET KNIGHTS, _i. e._ non-military or civil knights, such as mayors, lawyers, authors, artists, physicians, and so on, who receive their knighthood kneeling on a _carpet_, and not in the tented field.

=Knights of the Chamber= or CHAMBER KNIGHTS, knights bachelors made in times of peace in _the presence chamber_, and not in the camp. These are always military men, and therefore differ from “Carpet Knights,” who are always civilians.

=Knights of the Cock and Dog=, founded by Philippe I., _Auguste_, of France.

=Knights of the Crescent=, a military order, instituted by Renatus, of Anjou, king of Sicily, etc., in 1448. So called from the badge, which is a crescent of gold enamelled. What gave rise to this institution was that Renatus took for his device a crescent, with the word _loz_ (“praise”), which, in the style of _rebus_, makes _loz in crescent_, _i. e._ “by advancing in virtue one merits praise.”

=Knights of the Dove=, a Spanish order, instituted in 1379, by John I., of Castile.

=Knights of the Dragon=, created by the emperor Sigismond, in 1417, upon the condemnation of Huss and Jerome, of Prague, “the heretics.”

=Knights of the Ermine= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de l’Epi_), instituted in 1450 by François I., duc de Bretagne. The collar was of gold, composed of _ears of corn_ in saltier, at the end of which hung an _ermine_, with the legend _à ma vie_. The order expired when the dukedom was annexed to the crown of France.

=Knights of the Garter=, instituted by Edward III. of England, in 1344. According to Selden, “it exceeds in majesty, honor, and fame, all chivalrous orders in the world.” The story is that Joan, countess of Salisbury, while dancing with the king, let fall her garter, and the gallant Edward, perceiving a smile on the face of the courtiers, picked it up, bound it round his own knee, and exclaimed, “Honi soit qui mal y pense.” The blue garter and the motto of the order are thus accounted for.

=Knights of the Golden Fleece=, a military order of knighthood, instituted by Philippe, _le Bon_, of Burgundy, in 1429. It took its name from a representation of the golden fleece on the collar of the order. The king of Spain is grand-master, and the motto is _Ante feret quam flamma micet_.

=Knights of the Golden Shield=, an order instituted by Louis II., of France, for the defence of the country. The motto is _Allons_ (_i. e._ “Let us go in defence of our country”).

=Knights of the Hare=, an order of twelve knights, instituted by Edward III. while he was in France. The French raised a tremendous shout, and Edward thought it was the cry of battle, but it was occasioned by a hare running between the two armies. From this incident the knights created on the field after this battle were termed “Knights of the Order of the Hare.”

=Knights of the Holy Ghost= (_Chevalier de l’Ordre du Saint Esprit_), instituted by Henri III., of France, on his return from Poland. Henri III. was both born and crowned on Whit-Sunday, and hence the origin of the order.

=Knights of the Holy Sepulchre=, an order of knighthood founded by St. Hel´ena, when she visited Jerusalem, at the age of 80, and found (as it is said) the cross on which Christ was crucified, in a cavern under the temple of Venus, A. D. 328. This order was confirmed by Pope Pascal II. in 1114.

=Knights of the Lily=, an order of knighthood in Navarre, founded by Garcia, in 1048.

=Knights of the Order of Fools=, established November, 1381, and continued to the beginning of the sixteenth century. The insignia was a jester or fool embroidered on the left side of their mantles, cap and bells, yellow stockings, a cup of fruit in the right hand, and a gold key in the left. It resembled the “Odd Fellows” of more modern times.

=Knights of the Porcupine= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre du Porcépic_), a French order of knighthood. The original motto was _Cominus et eminus_, changed by Louis XII. into _Ultus avos Trojæ_.

=Knights of the Red Staff=, an order instituted by Alfonso XI. of Castile and Leon, in 1330.

=Knights of the Round Table=. King Arthur’s knights were so called, because they sat with him at a round table made by Merlin, for King Leodegraunce. This king gave it to Arthur on his marriage with Guinever, his daughter. It contained seats for 150 knights, 100 of which King Leodegraunce furnished when he sent the table.

=Knights of the Shell=. The argonauts of St. Nicholas were so called from the shells worked on the collar of the order.

=Knights of the Ship=, an order of knighthood founded by St. Louis IX., of France, in his expedition to Egypt.

=Knights of the Star= (_Chevaliers de l’Ordre de l’Etoile_), an ancient order of knighthood in France. The motto of the order was _Monstrant regibus astra viam_.

=Knights of the Swan= (_Chevalier de l’Ordre du Cygne_), an order of knighthood founded in 1443 by the elector Frederick II., of Brandenburg, and restored in 1843 by Frederick William IV., of Prussia. Its object is the relief of distress generally. The king of Prussia is grand-master. The motto is _Gott mit uns_ (“God be with you”); and the collar is of gold. The white swan is the badge of the house of Cleves (Westphalia).

Lord Berners has a novel called _The Knight of the Swan_ (sixteenth century).

=Knights of the Thistle=, said to be founded by Archaicus, king of the Scots, in 809; revived in 1530 by James V., of Scotland; again in 1687 by James II., of Great Britain; and again by Queen Anne, who placed the order on a permanent footing. The decoration consists of a collar of enamelled gold, composed of sixteen thistles interlaced with sprigs of rue, and a small golden image of St. Andrew within a circle. The motto is _Nemo me impune lacessit_. The members are sometimes called “Knights of St Andrew.”

The _rue_ mixed with the thistles is a pun on the word “Andrew” _thistles And-rue_.

⁂ There was at one time a French “Order of the Thistle” in the house of Bourbon, with the same decoration and motto.

=Knights of the Virgin’s Looking-Glass=, an order instituted in 1411 by Ferdinand of Castile.

=Knights Teutonic=, originally called “Knights of St. George,” then “Knights of the Virgin Mary,” and lastly “Teutonic Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary the Virgin.” This order was instituted by Henry, king of Jerusalem, in compliment to the German volunteers who accompanied Frederick Barbarossa on his crusade. The knights were soon afterwards placed under the tutelage of the Virgin, to whom a hospital had been dedicated for the relief of German Pilgrims; and in 1191, Pope Celestine III. confirmed the privileges, and changed the name of the order into the “Teutonic Knights,” etc. Abolished by Napoleon in 1809.

=Knights of To-day=, under this caption Charles Barnard has given us stories of engineers, mechanics, inventors, and other followers of peaceful arts that make for the enduring prosperity of the race, and call into practice nobler virtues than the trade of war and greed of conquest.

=Knighton=, groom of the duke of Buckingham.—Sir. W. Scott, _Fortunes of Nigel_ (time, James I.).

=Knockwinnock= (_Sybil_), wife of Sir Richard of the Redhand, and mother of Malcolm Misbegot.—Sir W. Scott, _The Antiquary_ (time, George III.).

=Koh-i-noor= (“_mountain of light_”), a diamond once called “The Great Mogul.” Held in the fourteenth century by the rajah of Malwa. Later it fell into the hands of the sultans of Delhi, after their conquest of Malwa. It belonged in the seventeenth century, to Aurungzebe the Great. The Schah Jihan sent it to Hortensio Borgio to be cut, but the Venetian lapidary re-reduced it from 793-5/8 carats to 186, and left it dull and lustreless. It next passed into the hands of Aurungzebe’s great-grandson, who hid it in his turban. Nadir Schah invited the possessor to a feast, and insisted on changing turbans, “to cement their love,” and thus it fell into Nadir’s hands, who gave it the name of “Koh-i-noor.” It next passed into the hands of Ahmed Shah, founder of the Cabûl dynasty; was extorted from Shah Shuja by Runjet Singh, who wore it set in a bracelet. After the murder of Shu Singh, it was deposited in the Lahore treasury, and after the annexation of the Punjaub, was presented to Queen Victoria, in 1850. It has been recut, and, though reduced to 106 carats, is supposed to be worth £140,000.

⁂ There is another diamond of the same name belonging to the shah of Persia.

=Kohlhass= (_Michael_), an excellent historical novel of the Lutheran period, by Henry Kleist, a German (1776-1811).

=Kolao,= the wild man of Misanichis. He had a son who died in early youth, and he went to Pat-Koot-Parout to crave his son’s restoration to life. Pat-Koot-Parout put the soul of the dead body in a leather bag, which he fastened with packthread, and hung round the neck of Kolao, telling him to lay the body in a new hut, put the bag near the mouth, and so let the soul return to it, but on no account to open the bag before everything was ready. Kolao placed the bag in his wife’s hands while he built the hut, strictly enjoining her not to open it; but curiosity led her to open the bag, and out flew the soul to the country of Pat-Koot-Parout again.—T. S. Gueulette, _Chinese Tales_ (“Kolao, the Wild Man,” 1723).

⁂ Orpheus, having lost his wife, Eurydĭcê, by the bite of a serpent, obtained permission of Pluto for her restoration, provided he looked not back till he reached the upper world. He had got to the end of his journey, when he turned round to see if Pluto had kept his word. As he turned he just caught sight of Eurydicê, who was instantly caught back again to the infernal regions.

=Korigans= or _Korrigans_, nine fays of Brittany, who can predict future events, assume any shape, and move from place to place as quick as thought. They do not exceed two feet in height, sing like syrens, and comb their long hair like mermaids. They haunt fountains, and flee at the sound of bells, and their breath is deadly.—_Breton Mythology._

=Kosciusko= (_Thaddœus_), the Polish general who contended against the allied army of Russia under the command of Suwarrow, in 1794. He was taken prisoner and sent to Russia, but in 1796 was set at liberty by the Czar.

Hope for a season bade the world farewell,
And Freedom shrieked—as Kosciusko fell.
Campbell, _Pleasures of Hope_, i. (1799).

=Kriemhild= [_Kreem.hild_], daughter of Dancrat, and sister of Günther, king of Burgundy. She first married Siegfried, king of the Netherlanders, who was murdered by Hagan. Thirteen years afterwards, she married Etzel (_Atilla_), king of the Huns. Some time after her marriage, she invited Günther, Hagan, and others to visit her, and Hagan slew Etzel’s young son. Kriemhild now became a perfect fury, and cut off the head of both Günther and Hagan with her own hand, but was herself slain by Hildebrand. Till the death of Siegfried, Kriemhild was gentle, modest, and lovable, but afterwards she became vindictive, bold and hateful.—_The Nibelungen Lied_ (by the German minnesingers, 1210).

=Kriss Kringle.= (See ST. NICHOLAS, SANTA CLAUS, etc.)

=Krook,= proprietor of a rag and bone warehouse, where everything seems to be bought and nothing sold. He is a grasping drunkard, who eventually dies of spontaneous combustion. Krook is always attended by a large cat, which he calls “Lady Jane,” as uncanny as her master.—C. Dickens, _Bleak House_ (1852).

=Kruitz´ner,= or the “German’s Tale,” in Miss H. Lee’s _Canterbury Tales_. Lord Byron founded his tragedy of _Werner_ on this tale.

The drama [_of Werner_] is taken entirely from the “German’s Tale” [_Kruitzner_], published in Lee’s _Canterbury Tales_, written by two sisters.... I have adopted the characters, plan, and even the language of many parts of the story.—Lord Byron, _Preface to Werner_ (1822).

=Kubla Kahn.= Coleridge says that he composed the poem in a dream, immediately after reading in Purchas’s _Pilgrimage_ a description of the Khan Kubla’s palace, and he wrote it down on awaking, in its present fragmentary state.

=Kudrun,= called the German _Odyssey_ (thirteenth century); divided into three parts called _Hagen_, _Hilde_ (_2 syl._), and _Kudrun_—same as _Gudrun_ (_q. v._).

_Hagen_ is the son of Siegebrand, king of Ireland, and is carried off by a griffin to a distant island, where three princesses take charge of him. In due time a ship touches on the island, takes all the four to Ireland, and Hagen marries Hilda, the youngest of the three sisters.

_Hilda._ In due time Hilda has a daughter, who is called by the same name, and at a marriageable age she becomes the wife of Hedel, king of Friesland.

_Kudrun._ Hilda has two children, Otwein [_Ot.vine_] a son, and Kudrun, a daughter. Kudrun is affianced to Herwig, but, while preparing the wedding dresses, is carried off by Hartmut, son of Ludwig, king of Normandy. Her father goes in pursuit, but is slain by Ludwig. On reaching Normandy, Gerlinde (3 _syl._), the queen-mother, treats Kudrun with the greatest cruelty, and puts her to the most menial work, because she refuses to marry her son. At length, succor is at hand. Her lover and brother arrive and slay Ludwig. Gerlinde is just about to put Kudrun to death, when Watt Long-beard rushes in, slays the queen, and rescues Kudrun, who is forthwith married to Herwig, her affianced lover.—Author unknown (some of the minnesingers).

=Kwa´sind,= the strongest man that ever lived, the Herculês of the North America Indians. He could pull up cedars and pines by the roots, and toss huge rocks about like playthings. His wondrous strength was “seated in his crown,” and there of course lay his point of weakness, but the only weapon which could injure him was the “blue cone of the fir tree,” a secret known only to the pygmies or Little-folk. This mischievous race, out of jealousy, determined to kill the strong man, and one day, finding him asleep in a boat, pelted him with fir cones till he died; and now, whenever the tempest rages through the forests, and the branches of the trees creak and groan and split, they say “Kwasind is gathering in his firewood.”

Dear, too, unto Hiawatha
Was the very strong man Kwasind;
He the strongest of all mortals.
Longfellow, _Hiawatha_, vi. and xviii.

=Kyrie Elyson de Montalban= (_Don_) or “Don Quirieleyson de Montalvan,” brother of Thomas de Montalban, in the romance called _Tirante le Blanc_.—Author unknown.

⁂ Dr. Warburton, in his essay on the old romances, falls into the strange error of calling this character an “early romance of chivalry.” As well might he call Claudius, king of Denmark, a play of Shakespeare’s, instead of a character in the tragedy of _Hamlet_.

A large quarto dropped at the barber’s feet ... it was the history of that famous knight _Tirante le Blanc_. “Pray let me look at that book,” said the priest; “we shall find in it a fund of amusement. Here shall we find the famous knight Don Kyrie Elyson of Montalban, and his brother Thomas.... This is one of the most amusing books ever written.”—Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. i. 6 (1605).

=Lab´arum=, the imperial standard carried before the Roman emperors in war. Constantine, having seen a luminous cross in the sky the night before the battle of Saxa Rubra, added the sacred monogram XP (_Christos_).—Gibbon, _Decline and Fall, etc._, xx. note (1788).

R. Browning erroneously calls the word _labā´rum_.

... stars would write his will in heaven,
As once when a labarum was not deemed
Too much for the old founder of these walls
[_Constantinople_].
R. Browning, _Paracelsus_, ii.

=Labe= (2 syl.), the sorceress-queen of the Island of Enchantments. She tried to change Beder, the young king of Persia, into a halting, one-eyed hack; but Beder was forewarned, and changed Labê herself into a mare.—_Arabian Nights_ (“Beder and Giauharê”).

=Labe´rius,= a Roman writer of mimes contemporary with Julius Cæsar.

Laberius would be always sure of more followers than Sophoclês.—J. Macpherson, _Dissertation on Ossian_.

=La Creevy= (_Miss_), a little talkative, bustling, cheery miniature-painter. Simple-minded, kind-hearted, and bright as a lark. She marries Tim Linkinwater, the old clerk of the brothers Cheeryble.—C. Dickens, _Nicholas Nickleby_ (1838).

=Lackitt= (_Widow_), the widow of an Indian planter. This rich, vulgar widow falls in love with Charlotte Weldon, who assumes the dress of a young man, and calls herself Mr. Welden. Charlotte even marries the widow, but then informs her that she is a girl in male apparel, engaged to Mr. Stanmore. The widow consoles herself by marrying Jack Stanmore.—Thomas Southern, _Oroonoko_ (1696).

=Lacy= (_Sir Hugo de_), constable of Chester, a crusader.

_Sir Damian de Lacy_, nephew of Sir Hugo. He marries Lady Eveline.

_Randal de Lacy_, Sir Hugo’s cousin, introduced in several disguises, as a merchant, a hawk-seller, and a robber-captain.—Sir W. Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).

=La´das,= Alexander’s messenger, noted for his swiftness of foot.

=Ladislaus,= a cynic, whose humor is healthy and amusing.—Massinger, _The Picture_ (1629).

=Ladon,= the dragon or hydra that assisted the Hesperidês in keeping watch over the golden apples of the Hesperian grove.

So oft th’ unamiable dragon hath slept,
That the garden’s imperfectly watched after all.
T. Moore, _Irish Melodies_ (1814).

=Ladur´lad,= the father of Kail´yal (_2 syl._). He killed Ar´valan for attempting to dishonor his daughter, and thereby incurred the “curse of Keha´ma” (Arvalan’s father). The curse was that water should not wet him nor fire consume him, that sleep should not visit him nor death release him, etc. After enduring a time of agony, these curses turned to blessings. Thus, when his daughter was exposed to the fire of the burning pagoda, he was enabled to rescue her, because he was “charmed from fire.” When her lover was carried by the witch Lorrimite (_3 syl._) to the city of Baly, under the ocean, he was able to deliver the captive, because he was “charmed from water, the serpent’s tooth, and all beasts of blood.” He could even descend to the infernal regions to crave vengeance against Kehama, because “he was charmed against death.” When Kehama drank the cup of “immortal death,” Ladurlad was taken to Paradise.—Southey, _The Curse of Kehama_ (1809).

=Lady= (_A_), authoress of _A New System of Domestic Cookery_ (1808), is Mrs. Rundell.

_Lady_ (_A_), authoress of _The Diary of an Ennuyée_ (1826), is Mrs. Anna Jameson.

Several other authoresses have adopted the same signature, as Miss Gunn of Christchurch, _Conversations on Church Polity_ (1833); Mrs. Palmer, _A Dialogue in the Devonshire Dialect_ (1837); Miss S. Fenimore Cooper, _Rural Hours_ (1854); Julia Ward, _Passion-flowers_, _etc._, (1854); Miss E. M. Sewell, _Amy Herbert_ (1865); etc.

=Lady of the Aroostook.= A young girl educated in a provincial town, wishes to visit relatives in Italy, and takes passage in a sailing-vessel, not knowing that there was to be no other woman on board. She is treated with chivalric respect by all on board.—W. D. Howells, _Lady of the Aroostook_ (1879).

=Lady Bountiful= (_A_). The benevolent lady of a village is so called, from “Lady Bountiful” in the _Beaux’ Stratagem_, by Farquhar. (See BOUNTIFUL, p. 125).

=Lady of Castelnore.= _Châtelaine_ of Bretagne, sought by many in marriage, but reputed haughtily cold up to the day of her death. One November morning a long delayed ship brought home her lover to weep “too late” over her grave.

“And they called her cold. God knows! underneath the winter snows, The invisible hearts of flowers grow ripe for blossoming! And the lives that look so cold, if their stories could be told, Would seem cast in gentler mould, would seem full of love and spring.” T. B. Aldrich, _The Lady of Castelnore_ (1856).

=Lady Freemason,= the Hon. Miss Elizabeth St. Leger, daughter of Lord Doneraile. The tale is that, in order to witness the proceedings of a Freemason’s lodge, she hid herself in an empty clock-case when the lodge was held in her father’s house; but, being discovered, she was compelled to submit to initiation as a member of the craft.

=Lady Magistrate,= Lady Berkley, made justice of the peace for Gloucestershire by Queen Mary. She sat on the bench at assizes and sessions girt with a sword.

=Lady Margaret,= mother of Henry VII. She founded a professorship of divinity in the University of Cambridge, 1502; and a preachership in both universities.

=Lady in the Sacque.= The apparition of this hag forms the story of the _Tapestried Chamber_, by Sir W. Scott.

=Lady of England,= Maud, daughter of Henry I. The title of _Domina Anglorum_ was conferred upon her by the council of Winchester, held April 7, 1141.—See Rymer’s _Fœdera_, i. (1703).

=Lady of Lyons= (_The_), Pauline Deschappelles, daughter of a Lyonese merchant. She rejected the suits of Beauseant, Glavis, and Claude Melnotte, who therefore combined on vengeance. To this end, Claude, who was a gardener’s son, aided by the other two, passed himself off as Prince of Como, married Pauline, and brought her home to his mother’s cottage. The proud beauty was very indignant, and Claude left her to join the French army. In two years and a half he became a colonel and returned to Lyons. He found that his father-in-law was on the eve of bankruptcy, and that Beauseant had promised to satisfy the creditors if Pauline would consent to marry him. Pauline was heart-broken; Claude revealed himself, paid the money required, and carried home Pauline as his loving and true-hearted wife.—L. B. Lytton, _Lady of Lyons_ (1838).

=Lady of Mercy= (_Our_), an order of knighthood in Spain, instituted in 1218 by James I., of Aragon, for the deliverance of Christian captives amongst the Moors. As many as 400 captives were rescued in six years by these knights.

=Lady of Shalott=, a maiden who died for love of Sir Lancelot of the Lake. Tennyson has a poem so entitled.

⁂ The story of Elaine, “the lily maid of Astolat,” in Tennyson’s _Idylls of the King_, is substantially the same.

=Lady of the Bleeding Heart,= Ellen Douglas. The cognizance of the Douglas family is a “bleeding heart.”—Sir W. Scott, _Lady of the Lake_ (1810).

=Lady of the Lake= (_A_), a harlot. (Anglo-Saxon, _lác_, “a present.”) A “guinea-fowl” or “guinea-hen” is a similar term.

But for the difference marriage makes
’Twixt wives and “ladies of the lake.”
S. Butler, _Hudibras_, iii. 1 (1668)

_Lady of the Lake (The),_ Nimue [_sic_], one of the damsels of the lake, that King Pellinore took to his court. Merlin, in his dotage, fell in love with her, when she wheedled him out of all his secrets, and enclosed him in a rock, where he died. Subsequently, Nimue married Sir Pelleas.

⁂ Tennyson, in his _Idylls of the King_ (“Merlin and Vivien”), makes Vivien the enchantress who wheedled old Merlin out of his secrets; and then, “in a hollow oak,” she shut him fast, and there “he lay as dead, and lost to life and use, and name, and fame.”

Tennyson takes a poet’s privilege, and varies the old legend at pleasure.

_Lady of the Lake (The)_, Nineve. The name of the Lady of the Lake is variously spelled in the old editions of the _Mort d’ Arthur_. We find: 1, Nimue; 2, Nineve; 3, Vivien; 4, Vivienne. 4 is the French of 3; 1 is probably a misprint for Ninve; and 1, 2, 3 are probably anagrams.

_Lady of the Lake_ (_The_). Vivienne (_3 syl._) is called _La Dame du Lac_, and dwelt _en la marche de la petite Bretaigne_. She stole Lancelot in his infancy, and plunged with him into her home lake; hence was Lancelot called _du Lac_. When her _protégé_ was grown to manhood, she presented him to King Arthur.

_Lady of the Lake_ (_The_), Ellen Douglas, once a favorite of King James; but when her father fell into disgrace, she retired with him into the vicinity of Loch Katrine.—Sir W. Scott, _Lady of the Lake_ (1810).

=Lady of the Lake and Arthur’s Sword.= The lady of the Lake gave to King Arthur the sword “Excalibur.” “Well,” said she, “go into yonder barge and row yourself to the sword, and take it.” So Arthur and Merlin came to the sword that a hand held up, and took it by the handles, and the arm and hand went under the lake again (pt. i. 23).

The Lady of the Lake asked in recompense, the head of Sir Balin, because he had slain her brother; but the king refused the request. Then said Balin, “Evil be ye found! Ye would have my head; therefore ye shall lose thine own.” So saying, with his sword he smote off her head in the presence of King Arthur.—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, i. 28 (1470).

=Lady of the Mercians,= Æthelflæd or El´flida, daughter of King Alfred. She married Æthelred, chief of that portion of Mercia not claimed by the Danes.

=Lady of the Sun,= Alice Perrers (or Pierce), a mistress of Edward III., of England. She was a married woman, and had been lady of the bed-chamber to Queen Philippa. Edwin lavished on her both riches and honors; but when the king was dying, she stole his jewels, and even the rings from his fingers.

=Lady or the Tiger?= (_The_). A princess is beloved by a subject, and for this crime he is condemned to die by the king. Two doors open from the amphitheatre. Behind one crouches a tiger; behind the other smiles a woman whom the condemned is to marry. The princess, who loves the doomed man madly, knows which door conceals death, and which marriage, and by preconcert with her lover, gives him a secret signal which to open. He walks directly to the door on the right and opens it.

“Did the tiger come out of the door, or did the lady?”—Francis Richard Stockton, _The Lady or the Tiger?_ (1884).

=Lady with a Lamp,= Florence Nightingale (1820- ).

In England’s annals ...
A lady with a lamp shall stand ...
A noble type of good,
Heroic womanhood.
Longfellow, _Santa Filomena_.

=Laer´tes= (_3 syl._), son of Polōnius, lord chamberlain of Denmark, and brother of Ophelia. He is induced by the king to challenge Hamlet to a “friendly” duel, but poisons his own rapier. He wounds Hamlet; and in the scuffle which ensues, the combatants change swords, and Hamlet wounds Laertês, so that both die.—Shakespeare, _Hamlet_ (1596).

_Laertes_ (_3 syl._), a Dane, whose life Gustavus Vasa had spared in battle. He becomes the trusty attendant of Christi´na, daughter of the king of Sweden, and never proves ungrateful to the noble Swede.—H. Brooke, _Gustavus Vasa_ (1730).

=Laer´tes’s Son,= Ulysses.

But when his strings with mournful magic tell
What dire distress Laertês’ son befell,
The streams meandering thro’ the maze of woe,
Bid sacred sympathy the heart o’erflow.
Falconer, _The Shipwreck_, iii. 1 (1756).

=Lafeu=, an old French lord, sent to conduct Bertram, count of Rousillon, to the king of France, by whom he was invited to the royal court.—Shakespeare, _All’s Well that Ends Well_ (1598).

=Lafontaine= (_The Danish_), Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875).

=Lafontaine of the Vaudeville.= So C. F. Panard is called (1691-1765).

=Lag´ado,= capital of Balnibarbi, celebrated for its grand school of projectors, where the scholars have a technical education, being taught to make pincushions from softened granite, to extract from cucumbers the sunbeams which ripened them, and to convert ice into gunpowder.—Swift, _Gulliver’s Travels_ (“Voyage to Lapu´ta,” 1726).

=La Grange= and his friend Du Croisy pay their addresses to two young ladies whose heads have been turned by novels. The girls think their manners too natural to be aristocratic, so the gentlemen send to them their lackeys, as “the marquis of Mascarille” and “the viscount of Jodelet.” The girls are delighted with their “aristocratic visitors;” but when the game has been played far enough, the masters enter and unmask the whole trick. By this means the girls are taught a most useful lesson, without suffering any serious ill consequences.—Molière, _Les Précieuses Ridicules_ (1659).

=Laider= (_Donald_), one of the prisoners at Portanferry.—Sir W. Scott, _Guy Mannering_ (time, George II.)

=Laidley= (_Genevieve_). An _ingénue_, whose sentimental heroics and tearful blandishments nearly dupe her fifty year old guardian (rich and distinguished) into a proposal.—Frank Lee Benedict, _My Daughter Elinor_ (1869).

=Lai´la= (_2 syl._), a Moorish maiden, of great beauty and purity, who loved Manuel, a youth worthy of her. The father disapproved of the match; and they eloped, were pursued, and overtaken near a precipice on the Gruádalhorcê (_4 syl._). They climbed to the top of the precipice, and the father bade his followers discharge their arrows at them. Laila and Manuel, seeing death to be inevitable, threw themselves from the precipice, and perished in the fall. It is from this incident that the rock was called “The Lovers’ Leap.”

And every Moorish maid can tell
Where Laila lies, who loved so well;
And every youth who passes there,
Says for Manuel’s soul a prayer.

Southey, _The Lovers’ Rock_ (a ballad, 1798, taken from Mariana, _De la Pena de los Enamorados_.)

_Laila_, daughter of Okba, the sorcerer. It was decreed that either Laila or Thalaba must die. Thalaba refused to redeem his own life by killing Laila; and Okba exultingly cried, “As thou hast disobeyed the voice of Allah, God hath abandoned thee, and this hour is mine.” So saying, he rushed on the youth; but Laila, intervening to protect him, received the blow, and was killed. Thalaba lived on, and the spirit of Laila, in the form of a green bird, conducted him to the simorg (_q.v._), which he sought, that he might be directed to Dom-Daniel, the cavern “under the roots of the ocean.”—Southey, _Thalaba the Destroyer_, x. (1797).

=La´is= (_2 syl._), a generic name for a courtezan. Laïs was a Greek hetæra who sold her favors for £200 English money. When Demosthenês was told the amount of the fee, he said he had “no mind to buy repentance at such a price.” One of her great admirers was Diog´enês, the cynic.

This is the cause
That Lais leads a lady’s life aloft.
G. Gascoigne, _The Steele Glas_ (died 1577).

=Lake Poets= (_The_), Wordsworth, Southey, and Coleridge, who lived about the lakes of Cumberland. According to Mr. Jeffrey, the conductor of the _Edinburgh Review_, they combined the sentimentality of Rousseau with the simplicity of Kotzebue and the homeliness of Cowper. Of the same school were Lamb, Lloyd, and Wilson. Also called “Lakers” and “Lakists.”

=Laked´ion= (_Isaac_), the name given in France to the Wandering Jew (_q.v._).

=Lalla Rookh=, the supposed daughter of Aurungzebe, emperor of Delhi. She was betrothed to Alĭris, sultan of Lesser Bucharia. On her journey from Delhi to Cashmere, she was entertained by Fer´amorz, a young Persian poet, with whom she fell in love, and unbounded was her delight when she discovered that the young poet was the sultan to whom she was betrothed.—T. Moore, _Lalla Rookh_ (1817).

=Lambert= (_General_), parliamentary leader.—Sir W. Scott, _Woodstock_ (time, Commonwealth).

_Lambert_ (_Sir John_), the dupe of Dr. Cantwell, “the hypocrite.” He entertains him as his guest, settles on him £400 a year, and tries to make his daughter Charlotte marry him, although he is 59 and she under 20. His eyes are opened at length by the mercenary and licentious conduct of the doctor. Lady Lambert assists in exposing him, but old lady Lambert remains to the last a believer in the “saint.” In Molière’s comedy, “Orgon” takes the place of Lambert, “Mde. Parnelle” of the old lady, and “Tartuffe” of Dr. Cantwell.

_Lady Lambert_, the gentle, loving wife of Sir John. By a stratagem, she convinces her husband of Dr. Cantwell’s true character.

_Colonel Lambert_, son of Sir John and Lady Lambert. He assists in unmasking “the hypocrite.”

_Charlotte Lambert_, daughter of Sir John and Lady Lambert. A pretty, bright girl, somewhat giddy, and fond of teasing her sweetheart, Darnley (see act i. 1).—I. Bickerstaff, _The Hypocrite_ (1769).

=Lambourne= (_Michael_), a retainer of the earl of Leicester.—Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time Elizabeth).

=Lambro=, a Greek pirate, father of Haidée (_q.v._).—Bryon, _Don Juan_, iii. 26, etc. (1820).

⁂ The original of this character was Major Lambro, who was captain (1791) of a Russian piratical squadron, which plundered the islands of the Greek Archipelago, and did great damage. When his squadron was attacked by seven Algerine corsairs, Major Lambro was wounded, but escaped. The incidents referred to in canto vi., etc., are historical.

=Lamderg and Gelchossa.= Gelchossa was beloved by Lamderg and Ullin, son of Cairbar. The rivals fought, and Ullin fell. Lamderg, all bleeding with wounds, just reached Gelchossa to announce the death of his rival, and expired also. “Three days Gelchossa mourned, and then the hunters found her cold,” and all three were buried in one grave.—Ossian, _Fingal_, ii.

=Lame= (_The_).

Jehan de Meung, called “Clopinet,” because he was lame, and hobbled.

Tyrtæus, the Greek poet, was called the lame or hobbling poet, because he introduced the pentameter verse alternately with the hexameter. Thus his distich consisted of one line with six feet and one line with only five.

_The Lame King_, Charles II., of Naples, _Boiteux_ (1248, 1289-1309).

=Lamech’s Song.= “Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt! If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.”—_Gen._ iv. 23, 24.

As Lamech grew old, his eyes became dim, and finally all sight was taken from them, and Tubal-Cain, his son, led him by the hand when he walked abroad. And it came to pass ... that he led his father into the fields to hunt, and said to his father: “Lo! yonder is a beast of prey; shoot thine arrow in that direction.” Lamech did as his son had spoken, and the arrow struck Cain, who was walking afar off, and killed him.... Now when Lamech ... saw [_sic_] that he had killed Cain, he trembled exceedingly ... and being blind, he saw not his son, but struck the lad’s head between his hands, and killed him.... And he cried to his wives, Ada and Zillah, “Listen to my voice, ye wives of Lamech.... I have slain a man to my hurt, and a child to my wounding!”—_The Talmud_, i.

=Lamia.= Libyan Queen, wronged by Jupiter and hated by Juno. Robbed of her children, she became a child murderess and a monster.—_Greek and Roman Mythology._

_Lamia._

“I kissed her hand, I called her blest,
I held her leal and fair—
She turned to shadow on my breast
And melted into air!
And lo! about me, fold on fold,
A writhing serpent hung—
An eye of jet, a skin of gold,
A garnet for a tongue.”
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, _Lamia_.

_Lamia._ Beautiful woman, with a serpent’s nature and much of the serpent’s glittering, sinuous charm. A seductive creature who lures men only to destroy.—_Lamia_, poem by John Keats (1820).

=Lamin´ak.= Basque fairies, little folk, who live under ground, and sometimes come into houses down the chimney, in order to change a fairy child for a human one. They bring good luck with them, but insist on great cleanliness, and always give their orders in words the very opposite of their intention. They hate church bells. Every Basque Laminak is named Guïllen (William). (See SAY AND MEAN).

=Lamington,= a follower of Sir Geoffrey Peveril.—Sir W. Scott, _Peveril of the Peak_ (time, Charles II.).

=Lami´ra,= wife of Champernel, and daughter of Vertaigné (_2 syl._), a nobleman and a judge.—Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Little French Lawyer_ (1647).

=Lamkin= (_Mrs. Alice_), companion to Mrs. Bethune Baliol.—Sir W. Scott, _The Highland Widow_ (time, George II.).

=Lammeter= (_Nancy_), fair, good and sensible girl, who marries Geoffrey Cass, in _Silas Warner_, and when she learns that the waif brought up by Silas is her husband’s child, would gladly adopt her.—George Eliot, _Silas Marner_.

=Lammikin,= a blood-thirsty builder, who built and baptized his castle with blood. He was long a nursery ogre, like Lunsford.—_Scotch Ballad._

=Lammle= (_Alfred_), a “mature young gentleman with too much nose on his face, too much ginger in his whiskers, too much torso in his waistcoat, too much sparkle in his studs, his eyes, his buttons, his talk, his teeth.” He married Miss Akershem, thinking she had money, and she married him under the same delusion; and the two kept up a fine appearance on nothing at all. Alfred Lammle had many schemes for making money; one was to oust Rokesmith from his post of secretary to Mr. Boffin, and get his wife adopted by Mrs. Boffin in the place of Bella Wilfer; but Mr. Boffin saw through the scheme, and Lammle, with his wife, retired to live on the Continent. In public they appeared very loving and amiable to each other, but led at home a cat-and-dog life.

_Sophronia Lammle_, wife of Alfred Lammle. “A mature young lady, with raven locks, and complexion that lit up well when well powdered.”—C. Dickens, _Our Mutual Friend_ (1864).

=Lamoracke= (_Sir_), LAMEROCKE, LAMORAKE, LAMOROCK, or LAMARECKE, one of the knights of the Round Table, and one of the three most noted for deeds of prowess. The other two were Sir Launcelot and Sir Tristram. Sir Lamoracke’s father was King Pellinore of Wales, who slew King Lot. His brothers were Sir Aglavale and Sir Percival; Sir Tor, whose mother was the wife of Aries, the cowherd, was his half-brother (pt. ii. 108). Sir Lamoracke was detected by the sons of King Lot in adultery with their mother, and they conspired his death.

Sir Gawain and his three brethren, Sir Agrawain, Sir Gahĕris, and Sir Modred, met him [_Sir Lamoracke_] in a privy place, and there they slew his horse; then they fought with him on foot for more than three hours, both before him and behind his back, and all-to hewed him in pieces.—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, ii. 144 (1470).

Roger Ascham says: “The whole pleasure of _La Mort d’Arthur_ standeth in two special poyntes: in open manslaughter and bold bawdye, in which booke they are counted the noblest knights that doe kill most men without any quarrell, and commit foulest adulteries by sutlest shiftes; as Sir Launcelote, with the wife of King Arthur, his master, Sir Tristram, with the wife of King Marke, his uncle, and Sir Lamerocke with the wife of King Lote, that was his aunt.”—_Works_, 254 (fourth edit.).

=Lamorce´= (_2 syl._), a woman of bad reputation, who inveigles young Mirabel into her house, where he would have been murdered by four bravoes, if Oriana, dressed as a page, had not been by.—G. Farquhar, _The Inconstant_ (1702).

=Lamourette’s Kiss= (_A_), a kiss of peace when there is no peace; a kiss of apparent reconciliation, but with secret hostility. On July 7, 1792, the Abbé Lamourette induced the different factions of the Legislative Assembly of France to lay aside their differences; so the deputies of the Royalists, Constitutionalists, Girondists, Jacobins, and Orleanists, rushed into each others’ arms, and the king was sent for, that he might see “how these Christians loved one another;” but the reconciliation was hardly made when the old animosities burst forth more furiously than ever.

=Lampad´ion,= a lively, petulant courtezan. A name common in the later Greek comedy.

=Lampe´do,= of Lacedæmon. She was daughter, wife, sister, and mother of a king. Agrippina was granddaughter, wife, sister, and mother of a king.—Tacitus, _Annales_, xii. 22, 37.

⁂ The wife of Raymond Ber´enger (count of Provence), was grandmother of four kings, for her four daughters married four kings; Margaret married Louis IX., king of France; Eleanor married Henry III., king of England; Sancha married Richard, king of the Romans; and Beatrice married Charles I., king of Naples and Sicily.

_Lampedo_, a country apothecary-surgeon, without practice; so poor and ill-fed that he was but “the sketch and outline of a man.” He says of himself:

Altho’ to cure men be beyond my skill,
’Tis hard, indeed, if I can’t keep them ill.
J. Tobin, _The Honeymoon_, iii. 3 (1804).

=Lamplugh= (_Will_), a smuggler.—Sir W. Scott, _Redgauntlet_ (time, George III.).

=Lance= (_1 syl._), falconer and ancient servant to the father of Valentine, the gallant, who would not be persuaded to keep his estate.—Beaumont and Fletcher, _Wit Without Money_ (1622).

=Lancelot= or LAUNCELOT GOBBO, servant of Shylock. He assists Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, in running away from her father, and accompanies her in her flight.—Shakespeare, _Merchant of Venice_ (1598).

=Lancelot du Lac,= by Ulrich of Zazikoven, the most ancient poem of the Arthurian series. It tells the adventures of a young knight, gay and joyous, with animal spirits and light-heartedness. (See LAUNCELOT.)—_One of the minnesongs of Germany_ (twelfth century).

=Lancelot du Lac and Tarquin.= Sir Lancelot, seeking adventures, met with a lady who prayed him to deliver certain knights of the Round Table from the power of Tarquin. Coming to a river, he saw a copper basin hung on a tree for gong, and he struck it so hard that it broke. This brought out Tarquin, and a furious combat ensued, in which Tarquin was slain. Sir Lancelot then liberated three score and four knights, who had been made captives by Tarquin. (See LAUNCELOT.)—Percy, _Reliques_, I. ii. 9.

=Lancelot of the Laik,= a Scotch metrical romance, taken from the French _Launcelot du Lac_. Galiot, a neighboring king, invaded Arthur’s territories, and captured the castle of Lady Melyhalt among others. When Sir Lancelot went to chastise Galiot, he saw Queen Guinevere, and fell in love with her. The French romance makes Galiot submit to King Arthur; but the Scotch tale terminates with his capture. (See LAUNCELOT.)

=Lanciotto Da Rimini.= The brave, deformed victim of a state-marriage. Loving his wife and brother best of created things, he is deceived by both, and goaded to fury by the discovery and the taunts of the spy, Pepe, seeks to wash out his dishonor in blood.—George Henry Boker, _Francesca Da Rimini; A Tragedy_ (1856).

=Landois= (_Peter_), the favorite minister of the Duc de Bretagne.—Sir. W. Scott, _Anne of Geierstein_ (time, Edward IV.).

=Landscape Gardening= (_Father of_), Lenôtre (1613-1700).

=Lane= (_Mr._). The victim of another man’s dishonesty. Retires from the world and lives in Ivy Lane, London, in rags and poverty, lamenting “a lost life.” Meeting him to whom he owes his ruin, he pursues him, overtakes him at the river, seizes him and sinks with him to rise no more.

“When the victim recovered _his_ life, what did his tempter and oppressor recover?”—Walter Besant; _Children of Gibeon_, (1890).

_Lane_ (_Jane_), daughter of Thomas, and sister of Colonel John Lane. To save King Charles II. after the battle of Worcester, she rode behind him from Bentley, in Staffordshire, to the house of her cousin, Mrs. Norton, near Bristol. For this act of loyalty, the king granted the family the following armorial device: A strawberry horse saliant (couped at the flank), bridled, bitted, and garnished, supporting between its feet a royal crown proper. Motto: _Garde le roy_.

=Laneham= (_Master Robert_), clerk of the council-chamber door.

_Sybil Laneham_, his wife, one of the revellers at Kenilworth Castle.—Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

=Langcale= (_The laird of_), a leader in the covenanters’ army.—Sir W. Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).