LYO 
LYMPH, a fine fluid, separated in the 
body from the mass of blood, and contained 
in peculiar vessels. It is distinguished into 
watery and coagnlable lymph ; the former, 
as tears for an example, is little else than 
water holding in solution a small portion of 
salt, and still less of animal matter. Coa- 
gnlable. lymph, which is found in the dropsy, 
contains a very considerable portion of 
albumen, so as to be viscid to the touch, 
and when heated to coagulate firmly, like 
the white of an egg. 
LYMPHATICS, or Lybtpheducts, in 
anatomy. See preceding article. 
LYON.S (IsRAEr.), a good mathematician 
and botanist, was the son of a Polish Jew, 
silversmith, and teacher of Hebrew at Cam- 
bridge in England, where be was come to 
settle, and where young Lyons was born, 
I?."}?. He was a very extraordinary young 
man for parts and ingenuity ; and showed 
very early in life a great inclination to 
learning, particularly' in mathematics, on 
which account he w'as much patronised by 
Dr. Smith, master of Trinity College. 
About 1755 he began to study botany,wliich 
he continued occasionally till bis death ; in 
which he made a considerable progress, and 
could remember not only the Linnaean 
names of almost all the English plants, but 
even the synonyma of the old botanists; 
and he had prepared large materials for a 
Flora Cantabrigiensis, describing fully every 
part of each plant from the specimen, with- 
out being obliged to consult, or being 
liable to be misled, by former authors. 
In 1 758, he obtained mncli celebrity, by 
publishing “A Treatise on Fluxions,” de- 
dicated to bis patron Dr. Smith ; and in 
1763, “ Fasciculus Plantarum circa Canta- 
brigiam,” &c. In tlie same year, or the 
year before, be read lectures on botany at 
Oxford witli great applause, to at least sixty 
pupils ; but lie could not be prevailed on 
to make along absence from Cambridge. 
Mr. Lyons w'as sometime employed as 
one of tlie computers of tlie nautical alma- 
nac ; and besides be received frequent other 
presents from tlie Board of Longitude for 
bis own inventions. He bad studied the 
English history, and could quote whole 
passages from the monkish writers verba- 
tim. He could read Latin and Frencli w ith 
ease, but w’rote the former ill. He was ap- 
pointed by the Board of Longitude to sail 
witli Captain Phipps, in Ids voyage towards 
tlie north pole, in 1773, as astronomical 
observatoi: ; and he discharged that ofiice 
to the satisfaction of bis cniployers. After 
LYR 
liis return from tliis voyage be married, and 
settled in London, W'here he died of tlie 
measles in about tw'o years. 
At tlie time of his deatli be was engaged 
in preparing for the press a complete edi- 
tion of all tlie works of tlie late learned 
Dr. Halley, a work very nmch wanted. 
His calculations in “ Spherical Trigonometry 
abridged,” were printed in the Philos, 
Trans, vol. Ixv. for the year 1775, page 470. 
After his death, his name appeared in the 
title-page of a Geograpliical Dictionary, the 
astronomical parts of which were said to be 
“ taken from tlie papers of the late Mri 
Israel Lyons of Cambridge, author of seve- 
ral valuable matliematica! productions, and 
astronomer in Lord Mnlgrave’s voyage to 
the northern hemisphere.” The astrono- 
mical and other mathematical calculations, 
printed in the account of Captain Phipps’s 
voyage towards the north pole, mentioned 
above, were made by Mr. Lyons. This ap- 
peared afterw'ards, by tlie acknowledg- 
ment of Captain Phipps, w'lien Dr. Horsley 
detected a material error, in some part of 
tlienijin Ids “ Remarks on tiic Observations 
made in the late Voyage, &c.” 1774. 
“ Tiie Scliolar’s Instructor, of Hebrew 
Grammar, by Israel Lyons, teacher of the 
Hclirew tongue in the university of Cam- 
bridge,” tlie gd edit., &c. 1757, 8vo. ; was 
tlie production of ids fatlier,. as was also 
aiiotlier treatise, pointed at tiie Cambridge 
press, under the title of “ Observations 
and Inquiries relating to various parts of 
Scripture History,” 1761. 
LYRE, a musical instrument of the 
string kind, much used by the ancients. 
Fiom the lyre, w'idcli ail agree to liave 
been tlie first instriiraent of tlie string kind 
in Greece, arose an infinite number of 
others, dift’ering in sliape and number of 
strings, as the psalterion, trigon, sambuens, 
pectis, magadis, barbiton, testudo, (the two 
last are used proiniscnonsly by Horace with 
cythara and lyra) epigoninm, simmicium, 
and patidoron ; which were all struck witii 
the band, a plectrum or a little iron-rod. 
We have no satisfactory account of their 
shape, structure, or number of strings ; their 
bare names only have been transmitted to 
us by tlic ancients. IVe see, indeed, num- 
bers of instruments op old medals ; but 
vvlietiier they are any of these, we cannot 
find out. Tlie modern lyre, or Welsh harp,, 
consisting of forty strings, is sufficiently 
known. The Ijre among poets, painters, 
statuaries, carvers, &c. is attributed to 
Apollo and the liluses. 
