LAV 
They may be preferved through the winter in a green- 
hbufej but, never continuing longer than two years, they 
are generally railed from feed every feafon. The variety 
from the Canary Illands is more tender. Sow the leeds 
on a moderate hct-bed in the l'pring. When the plants 
come up, put each into a feparate l’mall pot filled with 
light earth. Plunge the pots into another hot-bed ; and 
irTthe beginning of June inure them to the open air, and 
towards the end of the month place them in a (heltered 
fituation. In July the plants will flower, and if the au¬ 
tumn prove warm, the feeds will ripen in September: but 
■when they do not perfect feeds, the plants may be pre¬ 
ferved through the winter in a good greenhoufe, where 
they will produce flowers and feeds molt part of that fea¬ 
fon. See Verbena. 
LAVAN'GE, one of the Virgin Illands, in the Well- 
Indies : three miles fourh-ealt from the illand of St. 
Thomas. 
LAVANSAA'RT, an illand of Ruflia, on the coalt of 
Livonia, eighty miles from the capital, four miles and a 
half long, and two broad, furrounded on the north-welt 
fide by iflets and lhallows, having three tolerable har¬ 
bours, and occupied by about forty families. Some 
patches of foil are cultivated ; and in the middle of the 
illand is a fmall lake. 
LAV'ANT, a river of England, in the county of Suf- 
fex, which runs into the fea about five miles below Clii- 
ciiefter. 
LAV'ANT, a river of Carinthia, which runs into the 
D rave at Lavamund. 
LAV'ANT SE'E, a lake of Stiria: nine miles ealt of 
Neumarck. 
LAVA'RA, in ancient geography, a town of Hifpania, 
in the interior of Lufitania. Ptolemy. 
LAVARDAC', a town of France, in the department 
of the Lot and Garonne, and chief place of a canton, in 
the dillrift of Nerac. The place contains 928, and the 
canton 94.8a, inhabitants, on a territory of 1S2J- kilio- 
jnetres, in 13 communes. 
LAVAR'DENS, a town of France, in the department 
of the Gers : feven miles north-north-well of Auch, and 
-thirteen fonth-fouth-eaft of Condom. 
LAVAR'DIN, a town of France, in the department of 
the Sarte: eight miles north-well of Le Mens. 
LAVARE'DO, f. [from the Lat. lavo, to wadi.] A 
walh ; a place where gold is got out of the earth by walh- 
ing. Scott. See Lavadero, p. 281. 
LAV'ARY, f. A lavatory ; a place to wafh in. Cole. 
LAVA'TER (Louis), a learned Svvifs proteftant di¬ 
vine, w as born at Kibourg, in the canton of Zurich, in 
the year 1527. He purfued his fltidies at Cappel, and at 
Zurich ; and afterwards travelled for further improve¬ 
ment into Germany, France, and Italy. On his return to 
his native country, he devoted hintfelf to the work of the 
miniltry ; and, after having ferved fonie time in a coun¬ 
try church, was made canon of Zurich, and appointed 
one of the pallors of that city. In the year 1554., he was 
chofen fucceffor to Bibliander, in the office of profefior of 
divinity ; but he declined the appointment, from its in¬ 
terference with the duties of his paltorai charge, to which 
he gave the preference. In thefe he fpent thirty-fix years 
of his life, fullaining a high reputation for diligence, elo¬ 
quence, and learning. He died in 1586, when he was 
about fifty-nine years of age. tie was the author of va¬ 
rious theological and controverfial works, which are held 
in elteem by the Calvinilts; and, among others, of, 1. Cora- 
snentaria in Lib. Jofute, in Ecclefiaften Salomonis, in 
Lib. II. Paraleip, fol. 2. Homiliae in Lib. Jobi, in Prov. 
Solomonis, in Lib. Ruth, in Ezechielem, fol. 1581-1586. 
3. De Ritibus Ecclefige. 4-. Cometarum Catalogus. 5. 
Vita Henrici Bullinger. 6. De Origineet Progreflu Con- 
troverliae Sacramentariae, 4-to. 1563. • y. De Speftris, Le- 
muribus, et magnis atque infolitis Fragoribus, &c. 8vo. 
2580. The piece lall mentioned is a very learned and 
qtirious treadle, in defence of the exploded doctrine of 
LAV 
apparitions, diabolical delufions, prefages, See. which has 
been frequently printed, and tranllated into the German, 
Dutch, French, and Italian, languages. Mdchoir. Adam. 
Pit. Germ. Thcol. 
LAVA'TER (John Gafpard Chriftian), a writer of 
much temporary fame, was born at Zurich in 174-1. He 
was brought up tothe proteftant miniltry, and entered into 
holy orders in 1761. For fonie years he was pallor of the 
orphans’ church, Zurich ; but from 1778 he filled the of¬ 
fices of deacon and paltor at St. Peter’s church in the fame 
place. He acquired an early reputation by the eloquence 
of his pulpit-difcourfes, and the zeal and benevolence 
with which lie fulfilled the duties of his functions. En¬ 
dowed by nature with great lenfibility and a warm ima¬ 
gination, he Hood upon the verge of fanaticifm and myf- 
ticifm. He had, however, a very acute difeernment of 
charafters; and, though little learned in books, polfefled 
an extenfive knowledge ot human nature. His theologi¬ 
cal and tnifcellaneous writings in profe and verfe are 
fcarcely known beyond the limits of the German lan¬ 
guage ; and it is only by his works on pliyfognomy that 
he lias acquired a name throughout literary Europe. Ac¬ 
cording to his own narrative, lie felt an early propeniity 
to read the human countenance, and frequently exerciled 
the pencil in Iketching fuch features as had made a parti¬ 
cular iinpreflion upon him, which he lludied with atten¬ 
tion. He had, however, entered into no regular re- 
fearches on the lubjeft, till, (landing once at the window 
with Dr. Zimmerman, the king’s phyfician at Hanover, 
fome remarks which he was led to make on the Angular 
countenance of a palling ibldier induced that medical phi- 
lofopher to urge him to purfue and methodife his ideas. 
He afterwards held a correfpondence with Dr. Zimmer¬ 
man on the lubjeCt; and, in procefs of time, with the na¬ 
tural progrefs of an enthufiallic mind, acquired not only 
a fondnels for the ltudy, but a full conviction of the re¬ 
ality of phyiiognomical lcience, and of his own dilcove- 
ries in it. The firlt fruits of his labours appeared in a 
quarto volume, written in German, and printed at Ltip- 
zic in 1776. As the author profefl’ed to be no more than 
a tiro in the lcience, he modeftly ltyled the twenty lec¬ 
tions of which, exclufive of prefaces and introdublions, it 
was compofed, fragments He took in them a wide range 
of inquiry, and diiplayed many acute and ingenious (pe¬ 
culations on human nature, with much of the fanciful 
and hypothetical. He carried his ideas of phyliognomy 
beyond the oblervation of thofe parts of the countenance 
which exhibit to a common eye the impreffions of men¬ 
tal qualities and affections; and maintained as a leading 
polition, “that the powers and faculties of the mind have 
reprefentative iigns in th efolid parts of the countenance.” 
He even extended this notion through all animated na¬ 
ture, and conceived that internal qualities univerlally de¬ 
note themfelves by external tokens. This was only the 
firlt part of a work, of which two more volumes appeared 
in fucceflion, and which prefented a molt extraordinary 
aflemblage of curious oblervation, lubtle and refined rea- 
loning, delicate feeling, and philanthropical and pious 
fentiment, together with a large admixture of paradox, 
myllicifin, whim, and extravagance. The whole was il- 
luftrated with a great number of engravings, many of 
them highly finilhed and Angularly expreflive, but many 
fanciful and little to the purpole. The work was difficult 
of comprehenfion in its native German, on account of 
the new phrafeoiogy which the author found neceflary to 
exprefs his novel ideas. It was, however, well tranllated 
into French and Englifh, and for a time became the fa¬ 
vourite topic of literary dilcuflion. It met with many en- 
thufiaftical admirers, who received its principles as de¬ 
mon llrations ; it is even laid that in Germany, for a time, 
a fervant could fcarcely be hired, the lines of whole face 
did not correfpond with thole of favourable import in La- 
vater’s plates. In France, his opinions were received 
with great avidity by the ladies, and formed the moll in- 
terefling topic of polite converfation, N.o diltinguifhed 
foreigner 
