LAGUS LAING, 



349 



probably hastened his death. Notwithstanding his 

 advanced age, he could not be content to relax his 

 exertions, and had superintended the publication of 

 tiie second edition of his T/icorie des Fonctions 

 analytiques, enriched with annotations, when, ex- 

 hausted by his labours, lie died, April 10, 1813. 

 His remains were interred in the Pantheon. Lace- 

 pede and La Place pronounced funeral addresses 

 over his body. 



Lagrange was no less amiable than modest, and 

 was never led by the honours bestowed upon him- 

 self, to underrate the merits of others. His respect 

 for Euler was unlimited, and he was frequently accus- 

 tomed to say to his scholars, "Study Euler, if you 

 would become geometricians." His works have been 

 partly published separately, and are partly contained 

 in tlie memoirs of the academies of Turin, Berlin, 

 and Paris, in the Journal of the Polytechnical School, 

 the Connaissance des Temps,and in the Ephemerides. 

 The most important are his Mecanique analytique 

 (Paris, 1787; new editions, 1811, and 1815); Theorie 

 des Fonctions analytiqnes (Paris, 1797, and 1813); 

 Resolutions des Equations numeriques (Paris, 1798, 

 and 1808); Lemons sur le calcul des Fonctions (there 

 are several editions of this work, but the latest is 

 that of Paris, 1806), and Essai d 1 Arithmitique poli- 

 tique (to be found in the collections edited by 

 Roeder, in 1796). A part of Lagrange's posthu- 

 mous papers were, in 1815, given to the institute, by 

 Carnot, minister of the interior; and by a subsequent 

 vote of the academy of sciences, they were incorpor- 

 ated with the library of that learned society. 



LAGUS. See Ptolemy. 



LAHARPE, JEAN FRANCOIS DE; a French drama- 

 tic poet, critic, and philosopher of the last century, 

 born at Paris, November 20, 1739. His father, a 

 Swiss officer in the French service, dying in indi- 

 gence, Asselin, president of the college of Harcourt, 

 admitted him into that seminary, where he received 

 an excellent education. A lampoon on his benefac- 

 tor, which was, in all probability without foundation, 

 attributed to him, occasioned the confinement of the 

 suspected satirist for some months in the Bastile. 

 This circumstance disgusted him with his situation, 

 and, at a very early age, he threw himself on his own 

 talents as an author for support. In 1762, he pub- 

 lished a collection of poems. The tragedy of Warwick 

 (1763) was very beneficial to him in a pecuniary point 

 of view, and procured him considerable reputation. 

 It still remains on the stage. His Timoleon and 

 Phannnond met with less success ; but a series of 

 eloges on Charles V., Catinat, Fe'ne'lon, Voltaire, 

 and Henri Quatre (especially the latter), gained him 

 much credit, in a different department of literature. 

 On the breaking out of the revolution, Laharpe em- 

 braced the principles of republicanism ; but, during 

 the reign of terror, his moderation rendering him an 

 object of suspicion to those then in power, he was 

 thrown into prison in 1793, and, while in confine- 

 ment, is said to have owed his conversion to Chris- 

 tianity to the arguments of his fellow-captive, the 

 bishop of St Brieux. Though sentenced to deporta- 

 tion, the changes of the times finally restored him to 

 liberty, and he passed the remainder of his days in 

 literary retirement. A short time before his death, 

 his remarks on the measures of the government ex- 

 cited the displeasure of the first consul, and he was 

 banished to Orleans. He soon returned, however, 

 and died in 1803, in his 64lh year. His principal 

 work is the Lycee, or a complete Course of Litera- 

 ture (8vo, 12 vols). Among the rest are Gustavus 

 Vasa, Timoleon, Pharamond, and Philoctetes, trage- 

 dies ; the latter an elegant translation from the Greek 

 of Sophocles. Tatigu ct Felime (a poem, 1779); 

 Translations of Camoeus' Lusiad (2 vols); the.Psalms 



of David, and the works of Suetonius (2 vols); a 

 Commentary on the dramatic Works of Racine (7 

 vols, 8vo); the Correspondence with the Czar Paul 

 the First (4 vols, 8vo), and a refutation of the opin- 

 ions of Helvetius. 



LA HOGUE ; the north-western point of the pen- 

 insula, near Cherburg, in the department La Manche. 

 A naval battle was fought here May 29, 1692, be- 

 tween the French, under Fourville, and the British 

 and Dutch, under Russel. The French were beaten. 

 James II. beheld the battle from the land, and was 

 obliged to witness the defeat of his party. 



LAHYRE (properly Etienne f'ignoles}; a brave 

 knight in the reign of Charles VII. of France, and 

 the faithful companion of the maid of Orleans. La- 

 hyre hated the English bitterly, as his family had been 

 ruined by their invasions. In 1418, when Coucy 

 was surrendered to the Burgundians, the allies of 

 the English, in consequence of the treachery of the 

 mistress of the commandant, Lahyre and the equally 

 brave Peter de Xaintrailles placed themselves at the 

 head of the remnant of the garrison, and successfully 

 led their little band, in the midst of constant skir- 

 mishes, through a country filled with enemies. After 

 many valiant deeds in Valois, and in Champagne, 

 Lahyre hastened to the relief of Orleans. The gov- 

 ernment of the town sent him with a petition to the 

 dauphin, Charles VII., to implore his assistance. 

 He found the weak and pleasure-loving prince pre- 

 paring for an entertainment. " What are your 

 thoughts ?'' said Charles to the knight, who viewed 

 with indignation the frivolity of the court. " I think," 

 replied Lahyre, " that a kingdom could not be lost 

 more merrily." Returning to Orleans, he did his ut- 

 most to save the town, and to assemble the relics of 

 the beaten army. In 1429, the maid of Orleans 

 appeared. Lahyre joined her, and was with her at 

 her entrance into the town. He followed the de- 

 feated English, and distinguished himself in the bat- 

 tles of Jargeau and Patai. In the middle of winter, 

 he stormed Louviers, and advanced to Rouen with 

 the intention of liberating the imprisoned Joan ; but 

 the English took him prisoner. He soon, however, 

 obtained his liberty, and renewed his exertions, with 

 Xaintrailles, against the enemy. To his death, Lahyre 

 was the most inveterate enemy of the invaders of his 

 country, and injured them greatly. He was repeatedly 

 taken prisoner, often by the treachery of false friends; 

 but he always succeeded in liberating himself : for a 

 time, he even braved his own king, continuing a petty 

 warfare against the English and the Burgundians, and 

 garrisoning several towns, although Charles had con- 

 cluded a peace. On a journey to Montauban, where 

 he accompanied Charles VII., in 1442, he died in 

 consequence of his wounds. His romantic valour, 

 together with his attachment to the maid of Orleans, 

 procured him, after his death, the honour of having 

 his name added to the knave of hearts in the French 

 playing cards ; the pictures of which are, as it is 

 well known, designated by the names of different 

 heroes. 



LAING, MAJOR ALEXANDER GORDON, one of the 

 many unfortunate explorers of Africa, was born at 

 Edinburgh on the 27th of December, 1793. His 

 father was a popular classical teacher in that city, 

 and young Laing, after receiving a good education, 

 employed himself, for some time, in taking charge of 

 the commercial department of his father's academy. 



In 1809, volunteering was very general in Edin- 

 burgh, and Laing attached himself to a corps then 

 forming. In 1810, he was made an ensign in the 

 Prince of Wales' volunteers, and from that period the 

 academy had no more charms for him. In his eigh- 

 teenth year he set off for Barbadoes to his maternal 

 uncle, then colonel Gordon, who at that time held the 



