Part 284 (2/2)
LEPSIUS, KARL RICHARD, a celebrated Egyptologist, born in Prussian Saxony; took at first to the study of philology under Bopp, but early devoted himself to the study of the antiquities of Egypt; headed in 1842 an expedition of research among the monuments under the king of Prussia, which occupied five years, and was fertile in important results, among others the production of a work in 12 vols. on the subject ent.i.tled ”Denkmaleraus Egypten und Ethiopien,” issued between 1849 and 1860; he was the author also of works on philology (1810-1884).
LERNaeAN HYDRA, a monster with nine heads, one of them immortal, that infested a swamp near Lernae, and which Hercules was required to slay as one of his twelve labours, only as often as he cut off one head two grew on, but with the a.s.sistance of Iolcus his servant he singed off the eight mortal ones, cut down the ninth, and buried it under a huge rock.
LERWICK (31), the capital of Shetland, on the E. of Mainland; fis.h.i.+ng and knitting the chief industries.
LE SAGE, ALAIN RENe, French dramatist and novelist, born at Sarzeau, in Brittany; educated at a Jesuit school at Vannes; went to Paris in 1692; studied the Spanish language and literature, and produced translations of Spanish works and imitations; some of his dramas attained great popularity, and one in particular, the ”Turcaret,” a satire on the time generally, and not merely, as represented, on financiers of the period, gave offence; but the works by which he is best known are his novels ”Le Diable Boiteux” and ”Gil Blas,” his masterpiece (1668-1747).
LESBOS (36), modern name Mytilene, a mountainous island, the largest on the Asia Minor coast, 10 m. off sh.o.r.e and 20 m. N. of the Gulf of Symrna; has a delightful climate, disturbed by earthquakes, fertile soil, and produces fine olive-oil. In ancient Greek days it was a cradle of literature, the home of Sappho, and famous for its wine; Turkish since 1462, its population is mostly Greek; chief town Castro (12), on the E.
coast.
LESE-MAJESTY, name given to a crime against the sovereign.
LESLIE, name of a Scottish family distinguished in Scottish history as well as for military service in foreign parts.
LESLIE, CHARLES, non-juring controversial divine, born in Dublin, wrote ”A Short and Easy Method with the Jews,” and another with the Deists (1650-1722).
LESLIE, SIR JOHN, natural philosopher and professor, born at Largo, Fifes.h.i.+re; educated at St. Andrews and Edinburgh University; visited America in 1788, and returned to London 1790; for fifteen years he was engaged in scientific investigation, invented several instruments, and published his ”Inquiry into the Nature of Heat,” for which he received the Rumford Medal from the Royal Society; appointed to the chair of Mathematics in Edinburgh in 1805, he was transferred to that of Natural Philosophy in 1819; continued his researches and inventions, and shortly before his death was knighted (1766-1832).
LESPINa.s.sE, a French lady, born in Lyons, famous for her wit, to whom D'Alembert was much attached, and the centre of a learned circle in Paris in her time (1731-1776).
LESSEPS, FERDINAND DE, French diplomatist, born at Versailles; conceived the scheme of connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean in 1854, and saw it finished as the Suez Ca.n.a.l in 1869; projected a similar scheme for a ca.n.a.l at Panama, but it ended in failure, disgrace, and ruin to the projectors as well as others (1805-1894).
LESSING, GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM, a German author, and founder of modern German literature, born at Kamenz, Saxony, son of the pastor there; sent to study theology at Leipzig, studied hard; conceived a pa.s.sion for the stage; wrote plays and did criticisms; wrote an essay on Pope; took English authors as his models, revolted against those of France; made it his aim to inaugurate or rather revive a purely German literature, and produced examples regarded as cla.s.sics to this day; his princ.i.p.al dramas, all conceived on the soil, are ”Miss Sara Sampson,” ”Mina von Barnhelm,”
”Emilia Galotti,” and ”Nathan der Weise,” and his princ.i.p.al prose works are his ”Fables” and ”Laoc.o.o.n,” a critical work on art still in high repute (1729-1781).
L'ESTRANGE, SIR ROGER, a zealous Royalist, born in Norfolk; was for his zeal in the royal cause committed to prison; having escaped, he was allowed to live in retirement under Cromwell, but woke up a vigorous pamphleteer and journalist in the old interest at the Restoration, ”wounding his Whig foes very sorely, and making them wince”; he translated Josephus, Cicero's ”Offices,” Seneca's ”Morals,” the ”Colloquies” of Erasmus, and Quevedo's ”Visions,” his most popular work (1616-1704).
LETHE (i. e. oblivion), in the Greek mythology a stream in the nether world, a draught of the waters of which, generally extended to the ghosts of the dead on their entrance into Pluto's kingdom, obliterated all recollection of the past and its sorrows.
LETO (i. e. the hidden one), one of the t.i.tan brood, who became by Zeus the mother of Apollo and Artemis, and for whose confinement, in her persecution by Hera, Poseidon by a stroke of his trident fixed the till then floating island of Delos to the sea-bottom.
LETTER OF MARQUE, a commission to the captain of a merchant s.h.i.+p or a privateer to make reprisals on an enemy's s.h.i.+ps or property.
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