LOU 



other cities, who alTenibled in the town-houfe, which is a 

 beautiful Gothic ftiudlure. In the year 1382 the weavers 

 and other tradcfinen revolted againll Wencedaus, duke of 

 Brabant, and not only threw 17 of the magiftrates out of 

 the windows of the town-houfe, but proceeded to commit 

 other afts of enormity, and to lay walle the province : but 

 teing befieged, they fupplicated for mercy and obtained 

 pardon, the mod culpable only being puniflied ; ai:d the 

 weavers, who inftigated the infurreftion, were banilhed ; 

 and mod of them retired to England, where they were well 

 received. As Louvain, on this occafion, was nearly deprived 

 of commerce and inhabitants, John IV. duke of Brabant, 

 in the year 1426, founded an univeriity, which was after- 

 wards deemed the ornament and glory of the place, and is 

 faid to have refembled our Engiifh univerfities more than any 

 other abroad. In this univerfity there are 60 colleges, which 

 have been much admired for their fituation and building, 

 though lefs fumptuous than thofe of Oxford and Cambridge. 

 Louvain had alfo a Dutch college for Roman Cathohcs, an 

 Enghfh one of Dominican friars, an In(h one of fecular 

 priefts, another of Dominican friars, and av.other of Fran- 

 cifcans. Here was alfo a convent of Enghfh nuns, reckoned 

 thebeft of any of this nation in the Low Countries. The trade 

 of this place at prelent, which is much declined from what 

 it was in the ancient days of its profperity and glory, is not 

 very confiderable, and confifts principally in beer, of which 

 a great quantity is fent to Bruftels, Antwerp, Liege, Tirle- 

 mont, and other cities and towns. Louvain is ill adapted 

 for defence again ft; an enemy, its walls being nine miles in 

 circumference, though not a third part of the iiiclofed 

 ground has buildings, the vacant fpace being occupied for 

 gardens and vineyards. It was taken by the foldiers of the 

 French repubhc by Dumouricr, in their hafty progrefs 

 through Brabant, but evacuated March the 3d, 179.:?. Lou- 

 vain was anciently fituated partly in the diocefe of Liege 

 and partly in that of Cambray ; but when the archbifhopric 

 of Malines was erected, it was placed under that diocefe, 

 and fo it remained till its union with France ; 21 miles S. of 

 Antwerp. N. lat. 50' 54'. E. long. 4 40'. 



LOUVEGNE , a town of France, in the department of 

 the Ourtlie, and chief place of a canton, in the diilrift of 

 Liege. The place contains 1541, and the canton 5925 

 inhabitants, on a territory of 170 kiliometres, in 7 com- 

 munes. 



LOUVET, Petek, in Biography, a native of Reinville, 

 near Beauvais, flouriflned in the feventeenth century, was 

 educated to the profeffion of the law, and became mailer of 

 requefts to queen Margaret. He was author of feveral 

 works, which contain much ufeful and curious matter, and 

 valuable to the hiftorian. Of this defcription are " The 

 Hillory of the Antiquities of the Diocefe of Beauvais';" 

 " Nomenclatura et Chronologia Rerum EcclefialHcarum 

 Disecelis Bellovacenlis ;" and " Remarks on the ancient 

 State of the Nobility in the Beauvafm, and of feveral French 

 Families." He died in 1646. 



LoUVET DE COUVRAY, JOHN BaPTIST, OWe of the 



members of the French convention of France, noticed in 

 the article Lewi.s XVI. He was of the Briffotine party, 

 and had the courage to oppofe the favage Robefpierre, 

 when at the very hei^^ht of his power ; yet he efcaped the 

 flaughter which that tyrant inflicted on a multitude of good 

 men, and died in the year 1797., He vvas author of a ro- 

 mance, entitled " The Amours of the Chevalier Faublas;" 

 a political journal, called " The Sentinel ;" " A Juililica- 

 tion of Paris in 1789 ;" " Emily de Varmont ;" and " An 

 Account of himfelf^ and of the Dangers which he had paffed 

 through." 



LOU 



LOUVIERS, in Geography, a town of France, and 

 principal place of a diflrift, in the department of the Eure, 

 12 miles N. of Evreux. The place contains 6500, and 

 the canton 14,444 inhabitants, on a territory of i )7^ 

 kiliometres, in 22 communes. N. lat. 49' 3'. E. long. 



LOUVIGNE'-du-Desert, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Ille and Vilaine, and chief place of a can- 

 ton, in the diftricl of Fougeres ; 8 miles N.N E. of Fou- 

 geres. The place contains 3060, and the canton 13,435 

 inhabitants, on a territory of 172! kiliomet»-es, in 8 com- 

 munes. 



LOUVILLE, Eugene d'Aloxville, in Biography, a 

 French mathematician and artronomer, who flourifhed in the 

 former part of the eighteenth century, defcended from an 

 ancient family, was born in the diocefe of Chartres in the 

 year 1671. He was educated for the naval or mihtary pro- 

 feflion : he ferved in both capacities, and obtained a con- 

 fiderable rank in the army of Philip V. king of Spain. 

 Being difbanded upon the peace of Utrecht, he devoted 

 himfelf entirely to the fludy of the mathematics, and par- 

 ticularly to the fcienceof aftronomy. About the year 171J 

 he went to Marfeilles, for the purpofe of afcertaining the 

 latitude of that place, in order that he might the better 

 compare his obfervations with thofe of Pytheas, made almoft 

 two thoufand years before. In 1714 he was admitted a 

 member of the academy of fciences at Paris, and appointed 

 aftronomer at the obfervatory of that city. During the 

 year 1715 he came into England, in order to obferve the 

 total eclipfe of the fun in that year, which was to be more 

 perfe6tly vifible in the neighbourhood of London, than in 

 any other part of the northern heraifphere. He was novf 

 elefted a member of the Royal Society ef London ; and on 

 his return to his native country, he apphed himfelf moft 

 afTiduoufly to his aflronomical purfuits. So intent was he 

 in profecuting his ftudies, that he became a reclufe, who 

 was never to be fpoken with but during the time when he 

 was at his meals, and who immediately afterwards withdrew 

 into privacy. Notwithftanding this temper of mind, he was 

 noted for a delicacy and nicenefs with refpeft to drefs, and 

 articles for the table. In the year 1732 he was attacked 

 with a lethargic diforder, which in a fhort time terminatf?d 

 his life and labours. He was author of a great number of 

 curious " Differtations," on phyfical and aftronomical fub- 

 jefts ; feveral of which are inferted in the " Memoirs of the 

 Academy of Sciences," and others in the " French Mer- 

 cury." Louville was a good mechanic : he pofTeffed a fine 

 colleftion of inflruments, the beil of which were made with 

 his own hands. Moreri. 



LOUVO, in Geography, a town of Siam, feated on a 

 river which runs into the Macon. The fituation is fo de- 

 lightful, and the air fo falubrious, that the king refides 

 here during the greatell part of the year ; 40 miles S. of 

 Siam. N. lat. 14' Si;'. E. long. 100" 30'. 



LOUVRE, in Aliific, a well-known dance-tune. 



Louvre was alfo formerly the name of the royal palace at 

 Paris. 



Louvre, Honours of the. See Honours. 



LOUVRES, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Seine and Oife ; 1 2 miles N. of Paris. 

 N. lat. 49' 3'. E. long. 2° 3,-'. 



LOW, Edwaud, in Biography, organift of Chrift-church 

 college, Oxford, in the feventeenth century. Anthony 

 Wood fpeaks of him as " a proud man, who could not en- 

 dure that any one of the waits or common muficians Hiould 

 be allowed to play at the weekly inufic-mectings, among re- 

 gular profelTors and gentlemen performers." Low had 

 3 K 2 been 



