Chapter XVIII: Part 18

=Langley= (_Sir Frederick_), a suitor to Miss Vere, and one of the Jacobite conspirators with the laird of Ellieslaw.—Sir W. Scott, _The Black Dwarf_ (time, Anne).

=Langosta= (_Duke of_), the Spanish nickname of Aosta, the elected king of Spain. The word means “a locust” or “plunderer.”

=Language:= (_The Primeval_).

Psammetichus, king of Egypt, desiring to learn what was the original language, shut up two infants with a goat to suckle them, in a place where they could hear no human voice, and gave orders to report to him the first word they should utter. At the end of two years they cried “Bekos,” and as this resembled the Phrygian word for “bread,” Psammetichus decided that the Phrygians were older than the Egyptians. The word was really the echo of the cry of the goat.

=Languish= (_Lydia_), a romantic young lady, who is for ever reading sensational novels, and molding her behavior on the characters which she reads of in these books of fiction. Hence she is a very female Quixote in romantic notions of a sentimental type (see act i. 2).—Sheridan, _The Rivals_ (1775).

=Lantern-Land=, the land of authors, whose works are their lanterns. The inhabitants, called “Lanterners” (_Lanternois_), are bachelors and masters of arts, doctors, and professors, prelates and divines of the council of Trent, and all other wise ones of the earth. Here are the lanterns of Aristotle, Epicūros, and Aristophănês; the dark earthen lantern of Epictētos, the duplex lantern of Martial, and many others. The sovereign was a queen when Pantag´ruel visited the realm to make inquiry about the “Oracle of the Holy Bottle.”—Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, v. 32, 33 (1545).

=Lanternois=, pretenders to science, quacks of all sorts, and authors generally. They are the inhabitants of Lantern-land,¤ and their literary productions are “lanterns.”—Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, v. 32, 33 (1545).

=Laocoon= [_La.ok´.o.on_], a Trojan priest, who, with his two sons, was crushed to death by serpents. Thomson, in his _Liberty_, iv., has described the group, which represents these three in their death agony. It was discovered in 1506, in the baths of Titus, and is now in the Vatican. This exquisite group was sculptured at the command of Titus by Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus, in the fifth century B.C.—Virgil, _Æneid_, ii. 201-227.

=Laodami´a=, wife of Protesila´os, who was slain at the siege of Troy. She prayed that she might be allowed to converse with her dead husband for three hours, and her request was granted; but when her husband returned to hadês, she accompanied him thither.

⁂ Wordsworth has a poem on this subject, entitled _Laodamia_.

=Laodice´a=, now _Lataki´a,_ noted for its tobacco and sponge.—See _Rev._ iii. 14-18.

=Lapet= (_Mons._), a model of poltroonery, the very “Ercles’ Vein” of fanatical cowardice. M. Lapet would fancy the world out of joint if no one gave him a tweak of the nose or lug of the ear. He was the author of a book on the “punctilios of duelling.”—Beaumont and Fletcher, _Nice Valour_ or _The Passionate Madman_ (1647).

=Lapham= (_Silas_). Boston man who has made a fortune, and means to enjoy it. His future son-in-law thus hits him off: “Simple-hearted and rather wholesome. He could be tiresome, and his range of ideas is limited. But he is a force, and not a bad one. He hasn’t got over being surprised at the effect of rubbing his lamp.” His most attractive qualities are his appreciation of his faithful wife, _Persis_, and prideful fondness for his pretty daughters. He is honest, too, through and through, and sacrifices much to sturdy integrity.—W. D. Howells, _The Rise of Silas Lapham_ (1885).

=Lappet,= the “glory of all chambermaids.”—H. Fielding, _The Miser_.

=Lapraick= (_Laurie_), friend of Steenie Steenson, in Wandering Willie’s tale.—Sir W. Scott, _Redgauntlet_ (time, George III.).

=Laprel=, the rabbit, in the beast-epic entitled _Reynard the Fox_ (1498).

=Lara=, the name assumed by Conrad, the corsair, after the death of Medo´ra. On his return to his native country, he was recognized by Sir Ezzelin, at the table of Lord Otho, and charged home by him. Lara arranged a duel for the day following, but Sir Ezzelin disappeared mysteriously. Subsequently, Lara headed a rebellion, and was shot by Otho.—Byron, _Lara_ (1814).

_Lara_ (_The Seven Sons of_), sons of Gonzalez Gustios de Lara, a Castilian hero, brother of Ferdinand Gonzalez, count of Castile. A quarrel having arisen between Gustios and Rodrigo Velasquez, his brother-in-law, Rodrigo caused him to be imprisoned in Cor´dova, and then allured his seven nephews into a ravine, where they were all slain by an ambuscade, after performing prodigies of valor. While in prison, Zaïda, daughter of Almanzor, the Moorish prince, fell in love with Gustios, and became the mother of Mudarra, who avenged the death of his seven brothers (A.D. 993).

⁂ Lope de Vega has made this the subject of a Spanish drama, which has several imitations, one by Mallefille, in 1835.—See Ferd. Denis, _Chroniques Chevaleresques d’Espagne_ (1839).

=Larder= (_The Douglas_), the flour, meal, wheat, and malt of Douglas Castle, emptied on the floor by good Lord James Douglas, in 1307, when he took the castle from the English garrison. Having staved in all the barrels of food, he next emptied all the wine and ale, and then, having slain the garrison, threw the dead bodies into this disgusting mess, “to eat, drink, and be merry.”—Sir W. Scott, _Tales of a Grandfather_, ix.

_Wallace’s Larder_ is a similar mess. It consisted of the dead bodies of the garrison of Ardrossan, in Ayrshire, cast into the dungeon keep. The castle was surprised by him in the reign of Edward I.

=Lardoon= (_Lady Bab_), a caricature of fine life, the “princess of dissipation,” and the “greatest gamester of the times.” She becomes engaged to Sir Charles Dupely, and says, “to follow fashion where we feel shame, is the strongest of all hypocrisy, and from this moment I renounce it.”—J. Burgoyne, _The Maid of the Oaks_.

=La Roche=, a Swiss pastor, travelling through France with his daughter Margaret, was taken ill, and like to die. There was only a wayside inn in the place, but Hume, the philosopher, heard of the circumstance, and removed the sick man to his own house. Here, with good nursing, La Roche recovered, and a strong friendship sprang up between the two. Hume even accompanied La Roche to his manse in Berne. After the lapse of three years, Hume was informed that Mademoiselle was about to be married to a young Swiss officer, and hastened to Berne to be present at the wedding. On reaching the neighborhood, he observed some men filling up a grave, and found on inquiry that Mademoiselle had just died of a broken heart. In fact, her lover had been shot in a duel, and the shock was too much for her. The old pastor bore up heroically, and Hume admired the faith which could sustain a man in such an affliction.—H. Mackenzie, “Story of La Roche” (in _The Mirror_).

=Lars=, the emperor or over-king of the ancient Etruscans. A khedive, satrap, or under-king, was called _lŭcŭmo_. Thus the king of Prussia, as emperor of Germany, is _lars_, but the king of Bavaria is a _lucumo_.

There be thirty chosen prophets.
The wisest of the land,
Who alway by lars Por´sena,
Both morn and evening stand.
Lord Macaulay, _Lays of Ancient Rome_
(“Horatius,” ix. 1842).

=Larthmor=, petty king of Ber´rathon, one of the Scandinavian islands. He was dethroned by his son, Uthal, but Fingal sent Ossian and Toscar to his aid. Uthal was slain in single combat, and Larthmor was restored to his throne.—Ossian, _Berrathon_.

=Larthon=. the leader of the Fir-bolg or Belgæ of Britain, who settled in the southern parts of Ireland.

Larthon, the first of Bolga’s race who travelled in the winds. White bosomed spread the sails of the king towards streamy Inisfail [_Ireland_]. Dun night was rolled before him, with its skirts of mist. Unconstant blew the winds and rolled him from wave to wave.—Ossian, _Temora_, vii.

=Lascaris=, a citizen. Sir W. Scott, _Count Robert of Paris_ (time, Rufus).

=Las-Ca´sas=, a noble old Spaniard, who vainly attempted to put a stop to the barbarities of his countrymen, and even denounced them (act i. 1).—Sheridan, _Pizarro_ (1799, altered from Kotzebue).

=Lascelles= (_Lady Caroline_), supposed to be Miss M. E. Braddon.—_Athenæum_, 2073, _p._ 82 (C. R. Jackson).

=Last Man= (_The_), Charles I.; so called by the parliamentarians, meaning _the last man who would wear a crown in Great Britain_. Charles II. was called “The son of the Last man.”

=Last of the Fathers=, St. Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux (1091-1153).

=Last of the Goths=, Roderick, the thirty-fourth and last of the Visigothic line of kings in Spain (414-711). He was dethroned by the African Moors.

⁂ Southey has an historical tale in blank verse, entitled _Roderick, the Last of the Goths_.

=Last of the Greeks=, (_The_), Philopœmen of Arcadia (B.C. 253-183).

=Last of the Knights=, Maximilian I., _the Penniless_, emperor of Germany (1459, 1493-1519).

=Last of the Mo´hicans.=, Uncas, the Indian chief, is so called by J. F. Cooper, in his novel of that title.

⁂ The word ought to be pronounced _Mo.hic.´kanz_, but custom has ruled it otherwise.

=Last of the Romans=, Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Cæsar (B.C. 85-42).

Caius Cassius Longīnus is so called by Brutus (B.C.*-42).

Aëtius, a general who defended the Gauls against the Franks, and defeated Attila in 451, is so called by Proco´pius.

Congreve is called by Pope, _Ultimus Romanus_ (1670-1729).

Horace Walpole is called _Ultimus Romanorum_ (1717-1797).

François Joseph Terasse Desbillons was called _Ultimus Romanus_, from his elegant and pure Latinity (1751-1789).

=Last of the Tribunes=, Cola di Rienzi (1313-1354).

⁂ Lord Lytton has a novel so entitled (1835).

=Last of the Troubadors=, Jacques Jasmin, of Gascony (1798-1864).

=Last who Spoke Cornish= (_The_), Doll Pentreath (1686-1777).

=Last Words,= (SEE DYING SAYINGS).

=Lath´erum=, the barber at the Black Bear inn, at Darlington.—Sir W. Scott, _Rob Roy_ (time, George I.).

=Lathmon=, son of Nuäth, a British prince. He invades Morven while Fingal is in Ireland with his army; but Fingal returns unexpectedly. At dead of night, Ossian (Fingal’s son) and his friend Gaul, the son of Morni, go to the enemy’s camp, and “strike the shield” to arouse the sleepers, then rush on, and a great slaughter ensues in the panic. Lathmon sees the two opponents moving off, and sends a challenge to Ossian; so Ossian returns, and the duel begins. Lathmon flings down his sword, and submits; and Fingal, coming up, conducts Lathmon to his “feast of shells.” After passing the night in banquet and song, Fingal dismisses his guest next morning, saying, “Lathmon, retire to thy place; turn thy battles to other lands. The race of Morven are renowned, and their foes are the sons of the unhappy.”—Ossian, _Lathmon_.

⁂ In _Oithona_ he is again introduced, and Oithona is called Lathmon’s brother.

[_Donrommath_] feared the returning Lathmon, the brother of unhappy Oithona.—Ossian, _Oithona_.

=Lat´imer= (_Mr. Ralph_), the supposed father of Darsie Latimer, _alias_ Sir Arthur Darsie Redgauntlet.

_Darsie Latimer_, _alias_ Sir Arthur Darsie Redgauntlet, supposed to be the son of Ralph Latimer, but really the son of Sir Henry Darsie Redgauntlet, and grandson of Sir Redwald Redgauntlet.—Sir W. Scott, _Redgauntlet_ (time, George III.).

=Latin Church= (_Fathers of the_): Lactantius, Hilăry, Ambrose, of Milan, Jer´ome, Augustin of Hippo, and St. Bernard, “Last of the Fathers.”

=Lati´nus=, king of the Laurentians, who first opposed Æne´as, but afterwards formed an alliance with him, and gave him his daughter Lavinia in marriage.—Virgil, _Æneid_.

_Latinus_, an Italian, who went with his five sons to the siege of Jerusalem. His eldest son was slain by Solyman; the second son, Aramantês, running to his brother’s aid, was next slain; then the third son, Sabi´nus; and lastly, Picus and Laurentës, who were twins. The father, having lost his five sons, rushed madly on the soldan, and was slain also. In one hour fell the father and his five sons.—Tasso, _Jerusalem Delivered_ (1575).

=Latmian Swain= (_The_), Endym´ion. So called because it was on Mount Latmos, in Caria, that Cynthia (_the moon_) descended to hold converse with him.

Thou dids’t not, Cynthia, scorn the Latmian swain.
Ovid, _Art of Love_, iii.

=Lato´na=, mother of Apollo (_the sun_) and Diana (_the moon_). Some Lycian hinds jeered at her as she knelt by a fountain in Delos to drink, and were changed into frogs.

As when those hinds that were transformed to frogs,
Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny,
Which after held the sun and moon in fee.
Milton, _Sonnets_.

=Latorch=, Duke Rollo’s “earwig,” in the tragedy called _The Bloody Brother_, by Beaumont and Fletcher (1639).

=Latro= (_Marcus Porcius_), a Roman rhetorician in the reign of Augustus; a Spaniard by birth.

I became as mad as the disciples of Porcius Latro, who, when they had made themselves as pale as their master by drinking decoctions of cumin, imagined themselves as learned.—Lesage, _Gil Blas_, vii. 9 (1735).

=Laud= (_Archbishop_). One day, when the archbishop was about to say grace before dinner, Archie Armstrong, the royal jester, begged permission of Charles I. to perform the office instead. The request being granted, the wise fool said, “All _praise_ to the Lord, and little _Laud_ to the devil!” the point of which is much increased by the fact that the archbishop was a very small man.

=Lauderdale= (_The Duke of_), president of the privy council.—Sir W. Scott, _Old Mortality_ (time, Charles II.).

=Laugh= (_Jupiter’s_). Jupiter, we are told, laughed incessantly for seven days after he was born.—Ptol. Hephæstion, _Nov. Hist._, vii.

=Laughing Philosopher= (_The_), Democ´rītos, of Abde´ra (B.C. 460-357).

⁂He laughed or jeered at the feeble powers of man so wholly in the hands of fate, that nothing he did or said was uncontrolled. The “Weeping Philosopher” was Heraclitos.

Dr. Jeddler, the philosopher, who looked upon the world as a “great practical joke, something too absurd to be considered seriously by any rational man.”—C. Dickens, _The Battle of Life_ (1846).

=Laughter= (_Death from_). A fellow in rags told Chalchas, the soothsayer, that he would never drink the wine of the grapes growing in his vineyard; and added, “If these words do not come true, you may claim me for your slave.” When the wine was made, Chalchas made a feast, and sent for the fellow to see how his prediction had failed; and when he appeared, the soothsayer laughed so immoderately at the would-be prophet that he died.—Lord Lytton, _Tales of Miletus_, iv.

Somewhat similar is the tale of Ancæos. This king of the Lelĕgês, in Samos, planted a vineyard, but was warned by one of his slaves that he would never live to taste the wine thereof. Wine was made from the grapes, and the king sent for his slave, and said, “What do you think of your prophecy now?” The slave made answer, “There’s many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip;” and the words were scarcely uttered, when the king rushed from table to drive out of his vineyard a boar which was laying waste the vines, but was killed in the encounter.—Pausanias.

Crassus died from laughter on seeing an ass eat thistles. Margutte, the giant, died of laughter on seeing an ape trying to pull on his boots. Philemon or Philomēnês died of laughter on seeing an ass eat the figs provided for his own dinner (_Lucian_, i. 2). Zeuxis died of laughter at sight of an old woman he had painted.

=Launay= (_Vicomte de_), pseudonym of Mde. Emile de Girardin (_née_ Delphine Gay).

=Launce=, the clownish servant of Proteus, one of the two “gentlemen of Verona.” He is in love with Julia. Launce is especially famous for soliloquies to his dog, Crab, “the sourest-natured dog that lives.” Speed is the serving-man of Valentine, the other “gentleman.”—Shakespeare, _The Two Gentlemen of Verona_ (1594).

=Launcelot=, bard to the Countess Brenhilda’s father.—Sir W. Scott, _Count Robert of Paris_ (time, Rufus).

_Launcelot_ (_Sir_), originally called Galahad, was the son of Ban, king of Benwick (_Brittany_), and his wife, Elein (pt. i. 60). He was stolen in infancy by Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, who brought him up till he was presented to King Arthur and knighted. In consequence, he is usually called Sir Launcelot du Lac. He was in “the eighth degree [_or generation_] of our Saviour” (pt. iii. 35); was uncle to Sir Bors de Ganis (pt. iii. 4); his brother was Sir Ector de Maris (pt. ii. 127); and his son, by Elaine, daughter of King Pelles, was Sir Galahad, the chastest of the 150 knights of the Round Table, and therefore allotted to the “Siege Perilous” and the quest of the Holy Graal, which he achieved. Sir Launcelot had from time to time a glimpse of the Holy Graal; but in consequence of his amours with Queen Guenever, was never allowed more than a distant and fleeting glance at it (pt. iii. 18, 22, 45).

Sir Launcelot was the strongest and bravest of the 150 knights of the Round Table; the two next were Sir Tristram and Sir Lamoracke. His adultery with Queen Guenever was directly or indirectly the cause of the death of King Arthur, the breaking up of the Round Table, and the death of most of the knights. The tale runs thus: Mordred and Agravain hated Sir Launcelot, told the king he was too familiar with the queen, and, in order to make good their charge, persuaded Arthur to go a-hunting. While absent in the chase, the queen sent for Sir Launcelot to her private chamber, when Mordred, Agravain, and twelve other knights beset the door, and commanded him to come forth. In coming forth he slew Sir Agravain and the twelve knights; but Mordred escaped and told the king, who condemned Guenever to be burned to death. She was brought to the stake, but rescued by Sir Launcelot, who carried her off to Joyous Guard, near Carlisle. The king besieged the castle, but received a bull from the pope, commanding him to take back the queen. This he did, but refused to be reconciled to Sir Launcelot, who accordingly left the realm and went to Benwick. Arthur crossed over with an army to besiege Benwick, leaving Mordred regent. The traitor, Mordred, usurped the crown, and tried to make the queen marry him; but she rejected his proposal with contempt. When Arthur heard thereof, he returned, and fought three battles with his nephew, in the last of which Mordred was slain, and the king received from his nephew his death-wound. The queen now retired to the convent of Almesbury, where she was visited by Sir Launcelot; but as she refused to leave the convent, Sir Launcelot turned monk, died “in the odor of sanctity,” and was buried in Joyous Guard (pt. iii. 143-175).

“Ah! Sir Launcelot,” said Sir Ector; “thou were [_sic_] head of all Christian knights.” “I dare say,” said Sir Bors, “that Sir Launcelot there thou liest, thou were never matched of none earthly knight’s hand; and thou were the courteoust knight that ever bare shield; and thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrode horse; and thou were the truest lover of sinfull man that ever loved woman; and thou were the kindest man that ever struck with sword; and thou were the goodliest person that ever came among press of knights; and thou were the meekest man and the gentlest that ever eat in hall among ladies; and thou were the sternest knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in rest.”—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, iii. 176 (1470).

N. B.—The Elaine above referred to is not the Elaine of Astolat, the heroine of Tennyson’s _Idyll_. Sir Ector de Maris is not Sir Ector, the foster-father of King Arthur; and Sir Bors de Ganis must be kept distinct from Sir Bors of Gaul, and also from Sir Borre or Sir Bors, a natural son of King Arthur, by Lyonors, daughter of the Earl Sanam (pt. i. 15).

_Sir Launcelot and Elaine._ The Elaine of Tennyson’s _Idyll_, called the “fair maid of Astolat,” was the daughter of Sir Bernard, lord of Astolat, and her two brothers were Sir Tirre (not _Sir Torre_, as Tennyson writes the word) and Lavaine (pt. iii. 122). The whole tale and the beautiful picture of Elaine propelled by the old dumb servitor down the river to the king’s palace, is all borrowed from Sir T. Malory’s compilation. “The fair maid of Astolat” asked Sir Launcelot to marry her, but the knight replied, “Fair damsel, I thank you, but certainly cast me never to be married;” and when the maid asked if she might be ever with him without being wed, he made answer, “Mercy defend me, no!” “Then,” said Elaine, “I needs must die for love of you;” and when Sir Launcelot quitted Astolat, she drooped and died. But before she died she called her brother, Sir Tirre (not _Sir Lavaine_, as Tennyson says, because Sir Lavaine went with Sir Launcelot as his squire), and dictated the letter that her brother was to write, and spake thus:

“While my body is whole, let this letter be put into my right hand, and my hand bound fast with the letter until that I be cold, and let me be put in a fair bed, with all my richest clothes.... and be laid in a chariot to the next place, whereas the Thames is, and there let me be put in a barge, and but one man with me ... to steer me thither, and that my barge be covered with black samite.”... So her father granted ... that all this should be done ... and she died. And so, when she was dead, the corpse and the bed ... were put in a barge ... and the man steered the barge to Westminster.—Pt. iii. 123.

The narrative then goes on to say that King Arthur had the letter read, and commanded the corpse to be buried right royally, and all the knights then present made offerings over her grave. Not only the tale, but much of the antique flavor of the original is preserved in the version of the laureate.—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_ (1470).

_Launcelot and Guenever._ Sir Launcelot was chosen by King Arthur to conduct Guenever (his bride) to court; and then began that disloyalty between them which lasted to the end. Gottfried, the German minnesinger (twelfth century), who wrote the tale of Sir Tristan [our _Tristram_], makes King Mark send Tristan to Ireland, to conduct Yseult to Cornwall, and then commenced that disloyalty between Sir Tristram and his uncle’s wife, which also lasted to the end, and was the death of both.

_Launcelot Mad._ Sir Launcelot, having offended the queen, was so vexed, that he went mad for two years, half raving and half melancholy. Being partly cured by a vision of the Holy Graal, he settled for a time in Joyous Isle, under the assumed name of _La Chevalier Mal-Fet_. His deeds of prowess soon got blazed abroad, and brought about him certain knights of the Round Table, who prevailed on him to return to court. Then followed the famous quest of the Holy Graal. The quest of the graal is the subject of a minnesong by Wolfram (thirteenth century), entitled _Parzival_. (In the _History of Prince Arthur_, complied by Sir T. Malory, it is Galahad, son of Sir Launcelot, not Percival, who accomplished the quest).

⁂ The madness of Orlando, by Ariosto, resembles that of Sir Launcelot.

_Launcelot a Monk._ When Sir Launcelot discovered that Guenever was resolved to remain a nun, he himself retired to a monastery, and was consecrated a hermit by the bishop of Canterbury. After twelve months, he was miraculously summoned to Almesbury, to remove to Glastonbury the queen, who was at the point of death. Guenever died half an hour before Sir Launcelot arrived, and he himself died soon afterwards (pt. iii. 174). The bishop in attendance on the dying knight affirmed that “he saw angels heave Sir Launcelot up to heaven, and the gates of paradise open to receive him” (pt. iii. 175). Sir Bors, his nephew, discovered the dead body in the cell, and had it buried with all honors at Joyous Guard (pt. iii. 175).—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_ (1470), and also Walter Mapes.

When Sir Bors and his fellows came to his (Sir Launcelot’s) bed, they found him stark dead, and he lay as he had smiled, and the sweetest savor about him that ever they smelled.—Sir T. Malory, _History of Prince Arthur_, iii. 175 (1470).

N.B.—Sir Launcelot intended, when he quitted the court of Arthur, and retired to Benwick, to found religious houses every ten miles between Sandwich and Carlisle, and to visit every one of them barefoot; but King Arthur made war upon him, and put an end to this intention.

⁂ _Other particulars of Sir Launcelot._ The tale of Sir Launcelot was first composed in monkish Latin, and was translated by Walter Mapes (about 1180). Robert de Borron wrote a French version, and Sir T. Malory took his _History of Prince Arthur_ from the French, the third part being chiefly confined to the adventures and death of this favorite knight. There is a metrical romance called _La Charrette_, begun by Chrestiens de Troyes (twelfth century), and finished by Geoffrey de Ligny.

_Launcelot_, the man of Mons. Thomas. (See LANCELOT.)—Beaumont and Fletcher, _Mons. Thomas_ (1619).

=Launfal= (_Sir_), steward of King Arthur. Detesting Queen Gwennere, he retired to Carlyoun, and fell in love with a lady named Tryamour. She gave him an unfailing purse, and told him if he ever wished to see her, all he had to do was to retire into a private room, and she would be instantly with him. Sir Launfal now returned to court, and excited much attention by his great wealth. Gwennere made advances to him, but he told her she was not worthy to kiss the feet of the lady to whom he was devoted. At this repulse, the angry queen complained to the king, and declared to him that she had been most grossly insulted by his steward. Arthur bade Sir Launfal produce this paragon of woman. On her arrival, Sir Launfal was allowed to accompany her to the isle of Ole´ron; and no one ever saw him afterwards.—Thomas Chestre, _Sir Launfal_ (a metrical romance, time, Henri VI.).

⁂ James Russell Lowell has a poem entitled _The Vision of Sir Launfal_.

=Laura=, niece of Duke Gondibert, loved by two brothers, Arnold and Hugo, the latter dwarfed in stature. Laura herself loved Arnold; but both brothers were slain in the faction fight stirred up by Prince Oswald against Duke Gondibert, his rival in the love of Rhodalind, only child of Aribert, king of Lombardy. On the death of Arnold and Hugo, Laura became attached to Tybalt. As the tale was never finished, we have no key to the poet’s intention respecting Laura and Tybalt.—Sir Wm. Davenant, _Gondibert_ (died 1668).

_Laura_, a Venetian lady, who married Beppo. Beppo being taken captive, turned Turk, joined a band of pirates, and grew rich. He then returned to his wife, made himself known to her, and “had his claim allowed.” Laura is represented as a frivolous mixture of millinery and religion. She admires her husband’s turban, and dreads his new religion. “Are you really, truly, now a Turk?” she says. “Well, that’s the prettiest shawl! Will you give it me? They say you eat no pork. Bless me! Did I ever? No, I never saw a man grown so yellow! How’s your liver?” and so she rattles on.—Byron, _Beppo_ (1820).

=Laura Fairlie=, innocent victim of the machinations of _Sir Percival Glyde_ and _Count Tosco_. The former marries her for her fortune, then imprisons her in an insane asylum, and announces her death. In the end she becomes a widow, and weds Walter Harbright, who has long loved her.—Wilkie Collins, _The Woman in White_.

=Laura and Petrarch.= Some say _La belle Laure_ was only an hypothetical name used by the poet to hang the incidents of his life and love on. If a real person, it was Laura de Noves, the wife of Hugues de Sade, of Avignon, and she died of the plague in 1348.

Think you, if Laura had been Petrarch’s wife,
He would have written sonnets all his life?
Byron, _Don Juan_, iii. 8 (1820).

=Laurana=, the lady-love of Prince Parismus of Bohemia.—Emanuel Foord, _The History of Parismus_ (1598).

=Laureate of the Gentle Craft=, Hans Sachs, the cobbler poet of Nuremberg. (See TWELVE WISE MASTERS).

=Laurence= (_Friar_), the good friar who promises to marry Romeo and Juliet. He supplies Juliet with the sleeping draught, to enable her to quit her home without arousing scandal or suspicion. (See LAWRENCE).—Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_ (1597).

_Laurence_, baby-boy whose brief life is the theme of Rossiter Johnson’s poem bearing that caption:

“The newness of love at his coming,
The freshness of grief when he went,
The pitiless pain of his absence,
The effort at argued content,
The dim eye forever retracing
The few little footprints he made,
The quick thought forever recalling
The visions that never can fade—
For these but one comfort, one answer
In faith’s or philosophy’s roll;—
Came to us for a pure little body
Went to GOD for a glorified soul.”
Rossiter Johnson, _Idler and Poet_ (1883).

=Laurie,= favorite playfellow of _Little Women_, and when they are no longer “little,” the husband of Amy.—L.M. Alcott, _Little Women_.

=Laurringtons= (_The_), a novel by Mrs. Trollope, a satire on “superior people,” the bustling Bothebys of society (1843).

=Lauzun= (_The duke de_), a courtier in the court of Louis XIV. Licentious, light-hearted, unprincipled and extravagant. To promote his own fortune, he supplanted La Vallière by Mde. de Montespan in the king’s favor. Montespan thought he loved her; but when he proposed to La Vallière, the discarded favorite, Mde. de Montespan dismissed him. The duke, in revenge, persuaded the king to banish the lady, and when La Vallière took the veil, the king sent Mde. de Montespan this cutting epistle:

We do not blame you; blame belongs to love, And love had nought with you. The duke de Lauzun, of these lines the bearer, Confirms their purport. From our royal court We do excuse your presence. Lord E.L.B. Lytton, _The Duchess de la Vallière_, v. 5 (1836).

=Lavaine= (_Sir_), brother of Elaine, and son of the lord of As´tolat. Young, brave and knightly. He accompanied Sir Lancelot when he went to tilt for the ninth diamond.—Tennyson, _Idylls of the King_ (“Elaine”).

=Lavalette= (3 _syl._), condemned to death for sending to Napoleon secret intelligence of Government despatches. He was set at liberty by his wife, who took his place in prison, but became a confirmed lunatic.

Lord Nithsdale escaped in a similar manner from the Tower of London. His wife disguised him as her maid, and he passed the sentries without being detected.

=La Vallière= (_Louise, duchess de_), betrothed to the Marquis de Bragelonê (4 _syl._), but in love with Louis XIV., whose mistress she became. Conscience accused her, and she fled to a convent; but the king took her out, and brought her to Versailles. He soon forsook her for Mde. de Montespan, and advised her to marry. This message almost broke her heart, and she said, “I will choose a bridegroom without delay.” Accordingly she took the veil of a Carmelite nun, and discovered that Bragelonê was a monk. Mde. de Montespan was banished from the court by the capricious monarch. Lord E.L.B. Lytton, _The Duchess de la Vallière_ (1836).

=Liavin´ia,= daughter of Latīnus, betrothed to Turnus, king of the Rutuli. When Æne´as landed in Italy, Latinus made an alliance with him, and promised to give him Lavinia to wife. This brought on a war between Turnus and Æneas, that was decided by single combat, in which Æneas was the victor.—Virgil, _Æneid_.

_Lavinia_, daughter of Titus Andron´icus, a Roman general employed against the Goths. She was betrothed to Bassia´nus, brother of Saturnius, emperor of Rome. Being defiled by the sons of Tam´ora, queen of the Goths, her hands were cut off and her tongue plucked out. At length her father, Titus, killed her, saying, “I am as woeful as Virginius was, and have a thousand times more cause than he to do this outrage.”—(?) Shakespeare, _Titus Andron´icus_ (1593).

In the play, Andronicus is always called _An.dron´.i.kus_, but in classic authors it is _An.dro.nī.kus_.

_Lavinia_, sister of Lord Al´tamont, and wife of Horatio.—N. Rowe, _The Fair Penitent_ (1703).

=Lavinia and Pale´mon.= Lavinia was the daughter of Acasto, patron of Palemon, from whom his “liberal fortune took its rise.” Acasto lost his property, and dying, left a widow and daughter in very indigent circumstances. Palemon often sought them out, but could never find them. One day, a lovely, modest maiden came to glean in Palemon’s fields. The young squire was greatly struck with her exceeding beauty and modesty, but did not dare ally himself with a pauper. Upon inquiry, he found that the beautiful gleaner was the daughter of Acasto; he proposed marriage, and Lavinia “blushed assent.”—Thomson, _Seasons_, (“Autumn,” 1730).

⁂ The resemblance between this tale and the Bible story of Ruth and Boaz must be obvious to every one.

=Law of Athens= (_The_). By Athenian law, a father could dispose of his daughter in marriage as he liked. Egēus pleaded this law, and demanded that his daughter Hermia should marry Demētrius, or suffer the penalty of the law; if she will not

Consent to marry with Demetrius,
I beg the ancient privilege of Athens;
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death; according to our law.
Shakespeare, _Midsummer Night’s Dream_, act i. sc. 1 (1592).

=Law of Flanders= (_The_). Charles “the Good,” earl of Flanders, made a law that a serf, unless legally emancipated, was always a serf, and that whoever married a serf became a serf. S. Knowles has founded his tragedy called _The Provost of Bruges_ on this law (1836).

=Law of Lombardy= (_The_).

We have a law peculiar to this realm,
That subjects to a mortal penalty
All women nobly born ... who, to the shame
Of chastity, o’erleap its thorny bounds,
To wanton in the flowery path of pleasure.
Act. ii. 2.

On this law Robert Jephson has founded the following tragedy: The Duke Bire´no, heir to the crown, falsely charges the Princess Sophia of incontinence. The villainy of the duke being discovered, he is slain in combat by a Briton named Paladore, and the victor marries the princess (1779).

=Lawrence= (_Steven_). Big yeoman, whose travels in America have added a touch of the backwoodsman to the English rustic. Handsome, wholesome and sensible, but unsophisticated. He is trapped into a marriage by a scheming woman, while he loves another. A series of unhappy years follow. His wife is shallow of heart and head, vain and ambitious; he resolute, upright, and tender of heart. After her death, he meets and marries the genuine woman of his first love.—Annie Edwards, _Steven Lawrence, Yeoman_.

=Law’s Bubble,= the famous Mississippi scheme, devised by John Law (1716-1720).

=Law’s Tale= (_The Man of_), the tale tells of Custance, daughter of the emperor of Rome, affianced to the sultan of Syria. On the wedding night the sultan’s mother murdered all the bridal party for apostacy, except Custance, whom she turned adrift in a ship. The ship stranded on the shores of Britain, where Custance was rescued by the lord-constable of Northumberland, whose wife, Hermegild, became much attached to her. A young knight wished to marry Custance, but she declined his suit; whereupon he murdered Hermegild, and then laid the knife beside Custance, to make it appear that she had committed the deed. King Alla, who tried the case, soon discovered the truth, executed the knight, and married Custance. Now was repeated the same infamy as occurred to her in Syria; the queen-mother, Donegild, disapproved of the match, and, during the absence of her son in Scotland, embarked Custance and her infant son in the same ship, which she turned adrift. After floating about for five years, it was taken in tow by the Roman fleet on its return from Syria, and Custance was put under the charge of a Roman senator. It so happened that Alla was at Rome at the very time on a pilgrimage, met his wife, and they returned to Northumberland together.

This story is found in Gower, who probably took it from the French chronicle of Nicholas Trivet.

A similar story forms the outline of _Emaărê_ (3 _syl._), a romance in Ritson’s collection.

The knight murdering Hermegild, etc., resembles an incident in the French _Roman de la Violette_, the English metrical romance of _Le Bone Florence of Rome_ (in Ritson), and also a tale in the _Gesta Romanorum_, 69.

=Lawford= (_Mr._), the town clerk of Middlemas.—Sir W. Scott, _The Surgeon’s Daughter_ (time, George II.).

=Lawrence= (_Friar_), a Franciscan who clandestinely marries Romeo and Juliet. (See LAURENCE).

_Lawrence_ (_Tom_), _alias_ “Tyburn Tom” or Tuck, a highwayman. (See LAURENCE).—Sir W. Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

=Lawrence Arbuthnot=, dilettante society man, who disguises a kindly and generous nature under a careless manner.—Frances Hodgson Burnett, _Through One Administration_ (1883).

=La Writ=, a little, wrangling French advocate.—Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Little French Lawyer_ (1647).

=Lawson= (_Sandie_), landlord of the Spa hotel—Sir W. Scott, _St. Ronan’s Well_ (time, George III.).

=Lay of the Last Minstrel.= Ladye Margaret [Scott], of Branksome Hall, the “flower of Teviot,” was beloved by Baron Henry, of Cranstown, but a deadly feud existed between the two families. One day an elfin page allured Ladye Margaret’s brother (the heir of Branksome Hall) into a wood, where he fell into the hands of the Southerners. At the same time an army of 3000 English marched to Branksome Hall to take it, but, hearing that Douglas, with 10,000 men, was on the march against them, the two chiefs agreed to decide the contest by single combat. The English champion was Sir Richard Musgrave, the Scotch champion called himself Sir William Deloraine. Victory fell to the Scotch, when it was discovered that “Sir William Deloraine” was in reality Lord Cranstown, who then claimed and received the hand of Ladye Margaret, as his reward.—Sir W. Scott, _Lay of the Last Minstrel_ (1805).

=Lazarillo=, a humorsome valet, who serves two masters, “Don Felix” and Octavio. Lazarillo makes the usual quota of mistakes, such as giving letters and money to the wrong master; but it turns out that Don Felix is Donna Clara, the _fiancée_ of Octavio, and so all comes right.—Jephson, _Two Strings to your Bow_ (1792).

Joseph Munden [1758-1832] was the original Lazarillo.—_Memoir of J.S. Munden_ (1832).

=Lazarillo de Tormes=, the hero of a romance of roguery, by Don Diego de Mendo´za (1553). Lazarillo is a compound of poverty and pride, full of stratagems and devices. The “hidalgo” walks the streets (as he says) “like the duke of Arcos,” but is occupied at home “to procure a crust of dry bread, and, having munched it, he is equally puzzled how to appear in public with due decorum. He fits out a ruffle so as to suggest the idea of a shirt, and so adjusts a cloak as to look as if there were clothes under it.” We find him begging bread, “not for food,” but simply for experiments. He eats it to see “if it is digestible and wholesome;” yet he is gay withal, and always rakish.

=Lazarus and Dives.= Lazarus, a beggar whose fate is contrasted with that of Dives, _i.e._ a rich man (Latin). At their death Lazarus goes to heaven, the rich man goes to hell and begs that Lazarus may bring him a drop of water to cool his tongue.—_Luke_, xvi. 19-31.

⁂ Lazarus is the only proper name given in any of the New Testament parables. The rich man is not named.

=Lazy Lawrence of Lubber-Land=, the hero of a popular tale. He served the schoolmaster, the squire’s cook, the farmer, and his own wife, all which was accounted treason in Lubber-land.

=Lea=, one of the “daughters of men,” beloved by one of the “sons of God.” The angel who loved her ranked with the least of the spirits of light, whose post around the throne was in the outermost circle. Sent to earth on a message, he saw Lea bathing, and fell in love with her; but Lea was so heavenly minded that her only wish was to “dwell in purity and serve God in singleness of heart.” Her angel lover, in the madness of his passion, told Lea the spell-word that gave him admittance into heaven. The moment Lea uttered it, her body became spiritual, rose through the air, and vanished from sight. On the other hand, the angel lost his ethereal nature, and became altogether earthly, like a child of clay.—T. Moore, _Loves of the Angels_, i. (1822).

=League= (_The_), a league formed at Péronne in 1576, to prevent the accession of Henri IV. to the throne of France, because he was of the reformed religion. This league was mainly due to the Guises. It is occasionally called “The Holy League;” but the “Holy League” strictly so called is quite another thing, and it is better not to confound different events by giving them the same name. (See LEAGUE, HOLY).

_League, (The Achæan)_, B.C. 281-146. The old league consisted of the twelve Achæan cities confederated for self-defence from the remotest times. The league properly so called was formed against the Macedonians.

_League (The Ætolian)_, formed some three centuries B.C., when it became a formidable rival to the Macedonian monarchs and the Achæan League.

_League (The Grey)_, 1424, called _Lia Grischa_ or _Graubünd_, from the grey homespun dress of the confederate peasants, the Grisons, in Switzerland. This league combined with the League Caddee (1401), and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions (1436), in a perpetual alliance in 1471. The object of these leagues was to resist domestic tyranny.

_League_ (_The Hans_ or _Hanseatic_), 1241-1630, a great commercial confederation of German towns, to protect their merchandise against the Baltic pirates, and defend their rights against the German barons and princes. It began with Hamburg and Lubeck, and was joined by Bremen, Bruges, Bergen, Novogorod, London, Cologne, Brunswick, Danzig; and afterwards, by Dunkerque, Anvers, Ostend, Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, etc.; still later by Calais, Rouen, St. Malo, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Marseilles, Barcelona, Seville, Cadiz, and Lisbon; and lastly by Messina, Naples, etc.; in all, eighty cities.

_League_ (_The Holy_). Several leagues are so denominated, but that emphatically so called is the league of 1511 against Louis XII., formed by Pope Julius II., Ferdinand “the Catholic,” Henry VIII., the Venetians, and the Swiss. Gaston de Foix obtained a victory over the league at Ravenna in 1512, but died in the midst of his triumph.

_League_ (_The Solemn_), 1638, formed in Scotland against the Episcopal government of the Church.

=League Caddee= (_The_), or _Ligue de la Maison de Dieu_ (1401), a confederation of the Grisons for the purpose of resisting domestic tyranny. (See LEAGUE, GREY).

=League of Augsburg= (1686), a confederation of the house of Austria with Sweden, Saxony, Bavaria, the circles of Swabia and Franconia, etc., against Louis XIV. This league was the beginning of that war which terminated in the peace of Ryswick (1698).

=League of Cambray= (1508), formed by the Emperor Maximilian I., Louis XII., of France, Ferdinand “the Catholic,” and Pope Julius II., against the republic of Venice.

=League of Ratisbonne= (1524), by the Catholic powers of Germany against the progress of the Reformation.

=League of Smalkalde= (December 31, 1530), the Protestant states of Germany leagued against Charles the Fifth. It was almost broken up by the victory obtained over it at Mühlberg in 1547.

=League of Wurtzburg= (1610), formed by the Catholic states of Germany against the “Protestant Union” of Hall. Maximilian I., of Bavaria, was at its head.

=League of the Beggars= (1560), a combination formed against the Inquisition in Flanders.

=League of the Cities of Lombardy= (1167), under the patronage of Pope Alexander III., against Frederick Barbarossa, emperor of Germany. In 1225, the cities combined against Frederick II., of Germany.

=League of the Public Weal= (_Ligue du Bien Public_), 1464, a league between the dukes of Burgundy, Brittany, Bourbon, and other princes, against Louis XI., of France.

=Leah Holland.= Handsome granddaughter of an English farmer. Michael Standish, an artist lodger, paints her portrait and falls in love with her. His mother and friends oppose the match, and Leah, in proper pride, eludes his pursuit. In the end, he weds a girl in his own rank, and Leah becomes a useful and contented trained nurse.—Georgiana M. Craik, _A Daughter of the People_.

=Lean´der= (_3 syl._), a young man of Aby´dos, who swam nightly across the Hellespont to visit his lady-love, Hero, a priestess of Sestos. One night he was drowned in his attempt, and Hero leaped into the Hellespont and died also.

The story is told by Musæus in his poem called _Hero and Leander_. Schiller has made it the subject of a ballad.

⁂ Lord Byron and Lieutenant Ekenhead repeated the feat of Leander, and accomplished it in 1 hr. 10 min.; the distance (allowing for drifting) would be about four miles.

_Leander_, a young Spanish scholar, smitten with Leonora, a maiden under the charge of Don Diego, and whom the Don wished to make his wife. The young scholar disguised himself as a minstrel to amuse Mungo, the slave, and with a little flattery and a few gold pieces lulled the vigilance of Ursula, the duenna, and gained admittance to the lady. As the lovers were about to elope, Don Diego unexpectedly returned; but being a man of 60, and, what is more, a man of sense, he at once perceived that Leander was a more suitable husband for Leonora than himself, and accordingly sanctioned their union and gave the bride a handsome dowry.—I. Bickerstaff, _The Padlock_.

=Leandra=, daughter of an opulent Spanish farmer, who eloped with Vincent de la Rosa, a heartless adventurer, who robbed her of all her money, jewels, and other valuables, and then left her to make her way home as best she could. Leandra was placed in a convent till the scandal had blown over.—Cervantes, _Don Quixote_, I. iv. 20 (“The Goat-herd’s Story,” 1605).

=Léandre= (_2 syl._), son of Géronte (_2 syl._). During the absence of his father, he fell in love with Zerbinette, whom he supposed to be a young gypsy, but who was in reality the daughter of Argante (_2 syl._), his father’s friend. Some gypsies had stolen the child when only four years old, and required £1500 for her ransom—a sum of money which Scapin contrived to obtain from Léandre’s father under false pretences. When Géronte discovered that his son’s bride was the daughter of his friend Argante, he was quite willing to excuse Scapin for the deceit practiced on him.—Molière, _Les Fourberies de Scapin_ (1671).

(In Otway’s version of this comedy, called _The Cheats of Scapin_, Léandre is Anglicized into “Leander;” Géronte is called “Gripe;” Zerbinette is “Lucia;” Argante is “Thrifty;” and the sum of money £200).

_Léandre_, the lover of Lucinde, daughter of Géronte (_2 syl._). Being forbidden the house, Lucinde pretended to be dumb, and Léandre, being introduced in the guise of an apothecary, effects a cure by “pills matrimoniac.”—Molière, _Le Médecin Malgré Lui_ (1666).

=Lean´dro=, a gentleman who wantonly loves Amaranta (the wife of Bar´tolus, a covetous lawyer).—Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Spanish Curate_ (1632).

=Lean´dro the Fair= (_The Exploits and Adventures of_), part of the series called _Le Roman des Romans_, pertaining to “Am´adis of Gaul.” This part was added by Pedro de Lujan.

=Lear=, mythical king of Britain, son of Bladud. He had three daughters, and when four score years old, wishing to retire from the active duties of sovereignty, resolved to divide his kingdom between them in proportion to their love. The two elder said they loved him more than their tongue could express, but Cordelia, the youngest, said she loved him as it became a daughter to love her father. The old king, displeased with her answer, disinherited Cordelia, and divided his kingdom between the other two, with the condition that each alternately, month by month, should give him a home, with a suite of a hundred knights. He spent the first month with his eldest daughter, who showed him scant hospitality. Then going to the second, she refused to entertain so large a suite; whereupon the old man would not enter her house, but spent the night abroad in a storm. When Cordelia, who had married the king of France, heard of this, she brought an army over to dethrone her sisters, but was taken prisoner and died in jail. In the meantime the elder sister (Goneril) first poisoned her younger sister from jealousy, and afterwards put an end to her own life. Lear also died.—Shakespeare, _King Lear_ (1605).

(The stage _Lear_ is a corrupt version by Nahum Tate (Tate and Brady); as the stage _Richard III_. is Colley Cibber’s travesty.)

⁂ Percy, in his _Reliques of Ancient English Poetry_, has a ballad about “King Leir and His Three Daughters” (series I. ii.).

The story is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his _British History_. Spenser has introduced the tale in his _Faëry Queen_ (ii. 10.)

Camden tells a similar story of Ina, the king of the West Saxons(_Remains_, 306).

_Lear_ (_King_), Shakespeare’s drama, first printed in quarto (1608), is founded on _The True Chronicle History of King Leir and His Three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordelia_ (1605).

=Learned= (_The_), Coloman, king of Hungary (*, 1095-1114).

=Learned Blacksmith= (_The_), Elihu Burritt, the linguist (1811-1879).

He studied Latin in the evening after working at the forge all day, and carried his Greek grammar in his hat, finding opportunity to place the book, now and then, against the forge-chimney and go through with _tupto, tupteis, tuptei_, unperceived by his fellow-apprentices. Unassisted and at night he, one winter, read twenty books of _The Iliad_. He also mastered, but with the aid of teachers, French, Spanish, German and Italian, and read, at the forge, works in these tongues. Hebrew he studied alone. By studying seven hours a day (never remitting his manual labor) he learned _fifty_ languages and dialects, besides acquiring much and valuable scientific information.

=Learned Painter= (_The_), Charles Lebrun, noted for the accuracy of his costumes (1619-1690).

=Learned Tailor= (_The_), Henry Wild, of Norwich, who mastered, while he worked at his trade, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic (1684-1734).

=Learned Theban= (_A_), a guesser of riddles or dark sayings; in allusion to Œdipos, king of Thebes, who solved the riddle of the Sphinx.

I’ll talk a word with this same learned Theban.
Shakespeare, _King Lear_, act iii. sc. 4 (1605).

=Learoyd.= The Yorkshireman who completes the trio of friends in Rudyard Kipling’s story _Soldiers Three_. He “was born on the wolds and bred in the dales. ... His chief virtue was an unmitigated patience which helped him to win fights.”—_Soldiers Three_.

=Leather-Stockings=, the nickname of Natty Bumppo, a half-savage and half-Christian chevalier of American wild-life. He appears in five of J. F. Cooper’s novels, hence called the Leather-stocking Tales.—See _Bumppo_.

=Le Castre=, the indulgent father of Mirable “the wild goose,” Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Wild-goose Chase_ (1652).

=L’Eclair= (_Philippe_), orderly of Captain Florian. L’Eclair is a great boaster, who masks his brag under the guise of modesty. He pays his court to Rosabelle, the lady’s-maid of Lady Geraldine.—W. Dimond, _The Foundling of the Forest_.

=Led Captain= (_A_), an obsequious person, who styles himself “Captain;” and, out of cupboard love, dances attendance on the master and mistress of a house.

Mr. Wagg, the celebrated wit, and a led captain and trencherman of my Lord Steyne, was caused by the ladies to make the assault.—Thackeray, _Vanity Fair_, li. (1848).

=Lee= (_Sir Henry_), an officer in attendance at Greenwich Palace.—Sir W. Scott, _Kenilworth_ (time, Elizabeth).

_Lee_ (_Sir Henry_), an old royalist, and head-ranger of Woodstock Forest.

_Alice Lee_, daughter of the old knight. She married Markham Everard.

_Colonel Albert Lee_, her brother, the friend of Charles II.—Sir W. Scott, _Woodstock_ (time, commonwealth).

=Leek=, worn on St. David’s Day. The general tale is that King Cadwallader, in 640, gained a complete victory over the Saxons by the special interposition of St. David, who ordered the Britons to wear leeks in their caps, that they might recognize each other. The Saxons, for want of some common cognizance, often mistook friends for foes. Drayton gives another version: He says the saint lived in the valley Ewias (_2 syl._), situated between the Hatterill Hills, in Monmouthshire. It was here “that reverend British saint to contemplation lived,”

... and did so truly fast,
As he did only drink what crystal Hodney yields,
And fed upon the leeks he gathered in the fields,
In memory of whom, in each revolving year,
The Welshmen, on his day [_March 1_], that sacred herb do wear.
_Polyolbion_, iv. (1612).

=Lefevre= (_Lieutenant_), a poor officer dying from want and sickness. His pathetic story is told by Sterne, in a novel called _The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy_ (1759).

“Mr. Fulmer, I have borrowed a book from your shop. ’Tis the sixth volume of my deceased friend, Tristram.... The divine story of Lefevre, which makes part of this book, ... does honor, not to its author only, but to human nature.”—Cumberland, _The West Indian_, ii. 1.

=Legend= (_Sir Sampson_), a foolish, testy, prejudiced, and obstinate old man, between 50 and 60. His favorite oath is “Odd!” He tries to disinherit his elder son, Valentine, for his favorite son Ben, a sailor; and he fancies Angelica is in love with him, when she only intends to fool him.