LACHMANN, KARL. 



LAENNEC, RENE-THEOPHILE. 



bis works how him to have b*m a profound observer and an elegant 

 writer. We ben aubjoin tb* title* of bii principal work*, but for a 

 coropUU enumeration of bu literary contribution* wo refer to C'n virr'n 

 Klogt*,' where a good biographical memoir of Laorfpede will be 

 fuun-l : 



Uiatoire Naturrlle, iWnerale, at Particuliere, dea Quadrupedes 

 Oviparo* et d Serpent*,' 3 Tola. 4 to. Para, 1788-89, translated into 

 German by B clutein, Sro, Weimar, 1803; 'Uiatoire Naturelle, 4a, 

 die 1'ois.on*,' 5 Tula. 4to, Paris. 1708-1803, tranalated into German, 

 2 vol*. Sro, Berlin, 1804 ; ' ftloga Uistorique de Daubenton,' 8vo, 

 Paru, 1 790 ; ' Uiatoire Naturalla, &c,. dea C4tacV 4to, Paria, 1804. 



11 MANN, KARL, profeaaor in tbe University of Berlin, and 

 member of tbe Academy of Sciences, occupied a high rank among tbe 

 critic* and philologists of Germany. He was born at Bruniwiok, on 

 the 4th of March 1793. In that town he received his early education, 

 and under bis t- acher Konrad lieusiuger was first awakened his love 

 for literature. For one session, in 1809, he attended the lecture* of 

 mi in the University of Leipzig, and next pursued bis studies 

 iu that of Gottingen, where, in conjunction with Di**n, Schulze. and 

 Bunsen, he founded a philological society in 1811. While at Gottin- 

 gen, Benecke lectured upon tbe old German literature, which probably 

 directed Lachmann'a attention more particularly towards it, and at a 

 later period led to much valuable criticism upon and editions of many 

 of tbe early German writers. Daring the short war occasioned by 

 Bonaparte's return from Elba to France, in 1815, Laohmann served at 

 a volunteer in the Prussian service, in which he continued till the end 

 of that year. In 1816 his edition of Propertiua, which he had pre- 

 pared at Gottingen, was published at Leipzig ; and at Easter of that 

 year be read his probational easay before the University of Berlin, 

 ' Ueber die urgpriingliche Gestalt des Gecliolita von der Niebelungen 

 Koth' ('On the Original Form of the Poem on the Niebelungen 

 Calamities'). After this be was appointed, in rapid succession, teacher 

 at the Gymnasium and professor at the University of Konigsberg, and 

 professor of the University of Berlin, the last promotion being attained 

 in 1827. Highly esteemed aa an academic teacher, and sedulous in 

 the discharge of his duties, he nevertheless actively continued his 

 literary labours. Many of these were critical or philological essays 

 contributed to periodical works. Of his distinct work*, the more 

 important have been his essays on the Niebelungeu Lied and on Homer 

 Betrachtungen iiber die llias '), which are both um-terly specimens 

 of criticism. His last was the substance of two lectures delivered 

 before the Berlin Academy in 1888 and 1841. In 1834 and 1842 he 

 published two editions of the New Testament, the lout with tbe 

 Vulgate translation, in which be endeavoured to restore the text to 

 that of the 3rd and 4th centuries. In tbe classical department 

 he published : ' De cboricis systematis tragicorum Giteci,' Berlin, 

 1819; and 'De meosura trsgcediorum,' Berlin, 1822; with carefully- 

 prepared editions of Catullus, Tibullus, Terence, Babrius, and 

 Aviauus, at intervals from 1829 to 1845; one of Ciiius, so important 

 to tbe students of tbe Roman jurisprudence, in 1841 ; and essays upon 

 Dotithrus and Ulpian iu the ninth volume of Savigny's ' Zeitscbrift.' 

 Most of these works have gone through more than one edition. His 

 attention however was never diverted from the early literature of 

 the north of Europe. In 1816 he translated the first volume of 

 Muller's ' Sagabibliothek ;' in 1820 a selection from the High- 

 German poets of the 13th century ; in 1826 an edition of the 

 'Niebelungen Lied;' in 1827 an edition of the poems of Walther 

 von der Vogclweide ; in the same year, in conjunction with Benecke, 

 an edition of Harttnanu's 'Iwein;' in 1833, an edition of tbe poems 

 of Wolfram von Eschenbach ; in 1838, Hartmonn's 'Gregor,' and the 

 poems of Ulrica von Lichtenstein in 1841. These were all prepared 

 with trout care, and accompanied with valuable remarks. He also 

 contributed numerous papers to the 'Rheiniscben Museum,' and 

 read others before the Berlin Academy. The most noticeable are 

 ' Ui her altbochdeutcche Betonung und Verkunst ' (' On the Early 

 High German Accentuation and Versification'), 'Ueber Singen und 

 Sagen,' and 'Ueber das Hildebrandslied.' He also published an 

 excellent critical edition of Leaning's collected works, in 13 vols., 

 Berlin, 1838-40; and an edition of Klenze's 'Philological Essays.' 

 Lacbuianu is likewise the author of a translation of Shakanere'a 

 sounete, published in 1820; and of ' Macbeth.' published in 1839. He 

 died in March 1851. 



LA CONDAM1NE, CHARLES MARIE, was bom at Paris on the 

 28th of January 1701. Upon leaving college be entered the army as 

 a volunteer, and forthwith proceeded to take part in the siege of 

 Rosas, where his intrepidity soon rendered him conspicuous ; but on 

 the restoration of peace, finding the expectations of promotion which 

 ho had previously entertained not likely to be realised, he quitted the 

 military profession, and in 1730 en tired tho Academy of Sciences as 

 assistant chemist ("adjoint chemist^ "). Shortly after this be embarked 

 in an ex|>e<iition to the Mediterranean, having for its object the explo- 

 ration of the coast* of Asia and Africa, and while absent visited Troas, 

 Cyprus and Jerusalem, and passed five months at Constantinople. 

 Upon his return to Paris the Academy were busily occupied in dis- 

 cussing tbe arrangements for a voyage to tbe equator for the purpose 

 of measuring an arc of the meridian, with a view to the more accurate 

 determination of the dimensions and figure of the earth. From the 

 first mention of thii project La Condamiue directed bw attention to 



every branch of science connected with it " The very desire," says 

 Condorcet, "of bring connected with o perilous an undertaking, 

 made him an attronomer." His proposals having been accepted by 

 the Academy, who felt how much his natural eeal and courage might 

 tend to the success of the expedition, he again (1735) took leave of 

 hi* country in company with Messieurs Bouguer and Godin, and pro- 

 ceeded to Peru. The fatigue and hardships which they had to 

 encounter till their return in 1748, and which were heightened by 

 tbe discord and jealousy which rose up among them, have been already 

 noticed. [BonousR.] Upon his return be published ' An Account of 

 a Voyage up the Amazon,' 1745; and in the same year, an abridged 

 account of his ' Travels in South America.' His work entitled ' The 

 Figure of tho Earth as determined by the Observation* of Messieurs 

 de la Condamine and Bouguer,' did not appear till 1749. In 1747 he 

 proposed to his government the adoption of the length of the seconds' 

 pendulum as an invariable unit of measure. In 1748 he waa t 

 a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and in 1760 a member of 

 tbe Academy of Sciences of Paris. In 1763 La Condamine and 

 Lalande formed part of tbe deputation appointed by the Aca lemy to 

 be present at the making of tbe Report of tbe Royal Society concern- 

 ing tbe inventions of Harrison for facilitating the finding of tbe 

 longitude. He die>l on the 4th of February 1774, while undergoing 

 an experimental operation for the removal of a malady contracted in, 

 Peru. Always occupied, be appears to have needed time to feel bis 

 misfortunes, and notwithstanding his sufferings be appears never to 

 have been unhappy. His wit, the amiability of his temper, and the 

 celebrity of his travels, made him many friends, and his humour was 

 generally successful in blunting the attacks of enmity. Hia curiosity 

 and love of distinction urged him on in the pursuit of information, 

 and ultimately led to his carrying on a correspondence with tbe learned 

 of all nations upon almost every subject. 



The principal works of La Condamine which have not already 

 been mentioned are, 'Measure of the First Three Degrees of the 

 Meridian in the Southern Hemisphere,' 1751; 'History of tbe 

 Pyramids of Quito,' 1751; 'Journal of the Voyage to the Equator,' 

 1751 ; besides numerous scientific memoirs in the Transactions of 

 the Academy of .Sciences of Paria, and in those of tho Academy of 

 Berlin. 



(Condorcet, filoyt de la Condamine, Paris, 1804, tome i. ; Biot, 

 Notice of the Life of Condamine ; Bing. Univ. ; The World of Conda- 

 mine ; Thomson, hitt. of the Royal Society.) 



LACTA'NTIUS, (LUCIUS C(ELIU3,or C.ECILIUS FIRMIANU8 

 LACTANT1US), one of the early Latin fathers, was a scholar of 

 Arnobius, who taught rhetoric at Sicca iu Africa. He lived at tbe 

 end of the 3rd and the beginning of tbo 4th century. His native 

 country is uncertain, but he is generally supposed to have been an 

 African. On the invitation of Diocletian, he went to Nicoiuedia, 

 where he taught rhetoric. He became afterwards preceptor to 

 Crispus, tbe son of Conatautiue, in Gaul. The time of his death is 

 not satisfactorily ascertained. 



His chief work is the ' Divine Institutions,' in seven books, written 

 iu reply to two heathens who wrote against Christianity at the begin- 

 ning of Diocletian's persecution. The date of the composition of this 

 work cannot be exactly fixed. Basnage, Du Pin, and others place it 

 about 320 ; Cave and Lardncr about 306 : Larduer states tbe argu- 

 ments on both sides in bis ' Credibility ; ' and, on tho whole, the 

 latter opinion seems tbe more probable. Du Pin has given an analysis 

 of the ' Institutions.' The other extant works of Lactautius are, 

 an ' Epitome of the Divine Institutions ; ' tbe first five books of which 

 were not known in Jerome's time, but were discovered and published 

 by 1'faff in the year 1712 ; a treatise on the ' Workmanship of God ; ' 

 a treatise on the ' Wrath of God,' and a work entitled ' Syuipoaion,' 

 which he wrote when he was very young. He also wrote an ' Itinerary 

 from Africa to Nicomedia,' a work entitled ' Grammaticua,' two 

 books to Aaclepiades, and eight books of Epistles, all of which are 

 lost A work on the ' Deaths of Persecutors ' is ascribed to Lactan- 

 tin*, but its genuineness ia much disputed. 



Tbe testimony to his learning, eloquence, and piety is most abundant. 

 Le Clerc calls him the most eloquent of the Latin fathers, and Du Pin 

 places his style almost on a level with Cicero's. Many writers however 

 value bis rhetoric more than his theology. He has been charged, 

 among other errors, with Mauichxisni, from which Lardner takes great 

 pains to defend him. 



Complete editions of bis works were published by Heumann at 

 Gottiugcn iu 1736 (the preface to this edition contains a catalogue 

 of former editions) ; and by the Abbd Lenglet, 2 vols. 4to, Pari*, 1748. 



LAtNNEC, RENE-THEOPH1LE-HYACINTHE, waa born at 

 Quimper, in Lower Brittany, iu 1781. The first part of his medical 

 education was conducted by bis uncle, Dr. Laeuueo, a physician of 

 repute at Nantes, and in 1800 he went to Paris, where bo at ten led 

 tbe several medical courses, and attached himself to tbe llopital 

 de la Charitd, of which Corviiarl was the chief physician. In 1814 

 be took tbe degree of Doctor of Medicine, being already distinguished 

 as well for his literary acquirements as for his professional industry 

 and talent In the same year he became chief editor of the 'Journal 

 de Medicine,' to which he had communicated several excellent 

 papers, both on healthy and morbid anatomy. Having obtained 

 considerable reputation, both in private practice and by his lectures 



