LEMPRIERE LENCLOS. 



439 



courage. During the reign of terror, Lemontey fled 

 to Switzerland, whence he did not return till after 

 the overthrow of the Mountain party. Deeply affected 

 with the calamity which had involved his native 

 city in ruin (see Lyons), he published his beauti- 

 ful ode Les Ruines de Lyons. He afterwards tra- 

 velled through Italy, published several poetical 

 works in Paris, and wrote various operas and ro- 

 mances. In 1804, the government conferred on 

 him, and two other literary men, the censorship of 

 theatrical works an ungrateful office, which lie at 

 first exercised with much discretion, but in which he 

 subsequently exposed himself to the complaints of 

 authors. After the restoration, he received the order 

 of the legion of honour, and the office of the director- 

 general of the book trade. He also succeeded 

 Morellet in the academy. His romance La Famille 

 de Jura ou irons-nous a Paris ? (written on occasion 

 of Napoleon's accession to the throne), in four months 

 passed through as many editions. His Essai sur 

 I' Etablissement monarchique de Louis XII'. (his mas- 

 ter-work, bold and true) was an introduction to his 

 unfinished Histoire de la France dcpuis la Mart de 

 Louis X//^. Of his operas, Palma, ou le Voyage en 

 Grece, was very successful during the revolution, 

 because he boldly attacked in it the Vandalism of 

 those times the destruction of the French monu- 

 ments of art, under the name of civism. 



LEMPRIERE, JOHN, D. D., a native of Jersey, 

 was graduated at Oxford as A. M., in 1792. In 

 the same year, he became head-master of Abingdon 

 grammar-school, and afterwards master of the free 

 grammar-school at Exeter. In 1811, he was pre- 

 sented to the rectory of Meeth, Devonshire, which 

 living, together with that of Newton Petrock, in the 

 same county, he held till his death. Doctor Lem- 

 priere was an excellent classical scholar, and pub- 

 lished a Billiotheca classica as an assistant in the 

 study of antiquities and mythology. His other 

 writings are the first volume of a translation of 

 Herodotus, with notes, which appeared in 1792: an 

 entire and elegant translation of that historian being 

 given to the world by Mr Beloe, doctor Lempriere 

 desisted from prosecuting his design. A compilation 

 of Universal Biography, first printed in quarto, with 

 an abridgment of the same, in octavo, both in 1808, 

 was his last work. He died of apoplexy, Feb. 1 , 1824. 



LEMUR. This genus of the monkey tribe (the 

 makis of Cuvier) has been divided into several sub- 

 genera; as, Lemur, which is distinguished by having 

 six projecting incisors in the lower jaw and four 

 straight ones in the upper. These animals have 

 long tails, and take the place of apes in the island 

 of Madagascar, none of the latter being found there. 

 Indris, having four incisors below and the same 

 number above ; no tail ; only one species known, 

 which the inhabitants of Madagascar tame and train 

 to the chase, like dogs. Loris, four incisors below, 

 and four above ; no tail. Their molar teeth have 

 sharp points instead of tubercles, and they sometimes 

 feed on small birds and quadrupeds. Galago, having 

 six incisors below and four above ; tail long and 

 tufted; elongated tarsi to the hind feet, which render 

 them very disproportionate to the superior extremi- 

 ties. Tarsius, four incisors above, two below, and 

 several canine teeth between the incisors and molars; 

 tail long-, tufted. All these animals have their 

 thumbs strongly developed, and the first finger on 

 the hinder feet furnished with a pointed and elevated 

 nail, all those on the other fingers being flat. Their 

 hair is woolly. 



LEMURES (maniee, lamice, ghosts, spectres), 

 among the ancient Romans ; the souls of the dead, 

 which tormented men in the night, whence they 

 were called nocturnal or black. In order to lay 



them, a ceremony called lemuria, Icmuralia, remuria, 

 was observed on the nights of the 9th, 1 1th, and 13th 

 May. About midnight, when every body was asleep, 

 the head of the family rose, and went, barefooted, 

 softly, and in silence, to a fountain. With a snap of 

 the fingers, still keeping silent, he protected himself 

 from the spectres. Having washed his hands at the 

 fountain, he returned, took some black beans in his 

 mouth, and, without looking around, threw them nine 

 times over his head, repeating, each time, Hcec ego 

 mitto ; his fabis me meosque redimo (These I send ; 

 with these beans I redeem me and mine). He then 

 washed his hands again, struck a hollow copper 

 vessel, saying nine times during the operation, in a 

 supplicating tone, Manes, exite, paterni (Ye souls of 

 my ancestors, depart). lie now looked around, mid 

 the ceremony was finished. It was believed that the 

 spirits came and collected the beans. 



LENA ; a large river of Asiatic Russia, which 

 rises in the mountains near lake Baikal, and empties, 

 after a course of about 2000 miles, througft four 

 arms, into the Northern ocean, after having received 

 the Wilime, Olekma, Aldane, and Wilhoui. It forms, 

 at its mouth, a large bay, of the same name, contain- 

 ing many islands, called the archipelago of the Lena, 

 which are cold and barren, but inhabited by many 

 animals valuable for their furs. 



LENCLOS, ANNE, called Ninon de, the French 

 Aspasia, was born at Paris, in 1616, of noble parents. 

 The early death of her parents liaving left her to 

 follow her inclinations, her character was formed by 

 the bent of her own feelings, and by the study of the 

 works of Montaigne and Charron. Even at an early 

 age, she was distinguished for her wit and acuteness. 

 She played the harpsichord and several other instru- 

 ments in a masterly style, sang with taste, and danced 

 with grace. With such attractions, she had no want 

 of lovers and suitors ; but her love of independence 

 prevented her from forming a serious connexion. To 

 render herself entirely free, she invested her property 

 in an annuity, on which she lived frugally, but in good 

 style. Her income amounted to 8000 or 10,000 

 livres. Without making a traffic of her charms, she 

 attached herself to those who pleased her, as long as 

 her inclination continued. Inconstant in love, but 

 true in friendship, equable in her temper, charming 

 in her conversation, capable of forming young men, 

 but also of seducing them, sensible, without making 

 a display of her powers, handsome even in old age, 

 she wanted nothing but female virtue, yet she con- 

 ducted herself with dignity. She never accepted 

 presents in return for her favours, though she gave 

 herself up, from blind sensuality, to transient passion, 

 without concerning herself whether its object was 

 worthy of her. Having extended her favours, in 

 succession, to the most celebrated men of her time, 

 she proved to all, that mere sensual desire, and not 

 vanity, was the cause of her passion. Notwithstand- 

 ing her reputation for gallantry, the most amiable 

 and respectable ladies of the time, such as La Fayette, 

 La Sabltere, and Maintenon, cultivated her friend- 

 ship. Of madame de Maintenon she used to say, 

 that she wished to employ her to drive away the 

 tedium of rank and age at Versailles. Even in her 

 old age, her house was the rendezvous of the most 

 agreeable personages of the city anil court, and of 

 the most distinguished men. Scarron consulted her 

 on his romances, St Evremond on his poems, Moliere 

 on his comedies, Fontenelle on his dialogues, and La 

 Rochefoucault on his maxims. Coligny, Conde, Se- 

 vigne, &c., were her lovers and friends. When the 

 queen of Sweden was in Paris, she paid Ninon a visit. 

 Voltaire speaks of her as having lost her charms of 

 person in extreme old age. St Evremond maintains 

 the contrary. At her death, Oct. 17, 1705, she 



