294 L A U 
which gave him an unlimited controul over all the Auf- 
trian generals, and even over the aulic council of war. 
On his return to Vienna, he was received with every mark 
of diftinftion that his fovereign and the people, by whom 
he was idolized, could beftow. After the death of the 
emperor Jofeph, he was confirmed in all his appointments 
by his fucceil'or Leopold, who continued the war. Soon 
after this he was taken ill of a fever, of which he recover¬ 
ed ; but, having imprudently rode out, contrary to the ad¬ 
vice of his phyficians, he was feized with a fuppreflion of 
urine, which put an end to his life on the 14th of July, 
1790. 
Laudohn was of a middle fize, and exceedingly thin. 
He had reddiHi hair, and ftrong eyebrows, which, when 
his mind was intent on any ferious occupation, projefted 
from his face’. He was fimple in his drefs, as well as in 
his manners. His temperament was of the melancholy 
cart, and he was fond of folitude; but, when roufed into 
aftion, he difplayed invincible fire and impetuofity ; fo 
that it appeared as if he had been animated by two differ¬ 
ent fouls; for Laudohn at his country feat, and Laudohn 
at the head of the army, were two very different beings. 
He had always a referved and thoughtful look, which was 
feldom enlivened by a fmile. He fpoke little and fiowly. 
He never indulged in long fleep, was exceedingly moderate 
in the ufe of wine, and had a ftrong averfion to medicine. 
Being accuftomed to command thoufands in the field, he 
required from his domeftics, as well as his foldiers, ft rift 
and fpeedy obedience. He feldom talked of war, and ne¬ 
ver made mention of his own aftions but on occafions 
when he could not avoid it. He had very little tafte for 
the fplendour of high life, and on that account abfented 
liimfelf as much as poftible from the pomp and parade of 
the court. Though he had not the advantage of a libe¬ 
ral education, the powers of his mind were ftrong and 
comprehendve; and he was endowed with a retentive me¬ 
mory, which continued till a late period of his life. The 
principal objeft of his ftudy was the military art; to im¬ 
prove himfelf in which, he read with great attention all 
thofe works which record the campaigns of the moft cele¬ 
brated commanders both ancient and modern. He fpoke 
and wrote German with great accuracy, and underftood 
French fo well as to be able to read it with facility. But 
he did not confine his ftudy to military works alone; he 
perufed a great many books on economical fubjefts, for 
he had enlarged the fmall library felefted for him by Gel- 
lert; and he formed fo many ufeful eftablifhments in that 
part of Bofnia and Servia which he had conquered, as 
fully fhowed that he would have been as great a ftatefman 
as he was a general, had he been placed in the civil de¬ 
partment. It was remarked, that his plans were always 
bolder the more he advanced in life; a proof that they 
were never formed at hazard, but were the refult of mul¬ 
tifarious experience and obfervation. Though he rigidly 
enforced fubordination, which heconfidered as theelfence 
of difcipline, he never haraffed his foldiers with trifles 
which had no determinate objeft. He was therefore be¬ 
loved by his troops, who, under his command, believed 
themfelves to be invincible. He never encamped in any 
place till he had made himfelf acquainted with its local 
advantages or difadvantages ; he Itudied the charafter of 
the generals oppofed to him, and often difcovered their 
plans by conjefture from their behaviour. On this ac¬ 
count he was called by his enemies the cunning Laudohn. 
But the moft ftriking feature in his charafter was that 
dauntlefs prefence of mind combined with daring intrepi¬ 
dity, fo eflential to the hero, and which can turn to the 
belt advantage any unexpected opportunity that occurs. 
As he had been inverted with every honour that could be 
conferred on him, Jofeph II. in the year 1783, caufed a 
bull of him, made of Carrara marble, to be erected in the 
hall of the aulic council of war, with the following in- 
fcription : “ Gideonis Laudohni, fummi caftrorum pra;- 
fefti, Temper ftrenui, fortis, felicis militis, et civis optiini 
exempl.um, quod duces militefque imitentur, Jofephus II. 
LAI? 
Aug. in ejus efligie proponi voluit, anno 1783.*’ Afte? 
the capture of Belgrade, the emperor, being at a lofs in 
what manner he could confer new honour upon him, 
took from the family repofitory of the houfe of Auftria 
the large ftar of the Therefian order, which confifts en¬ 
tirely of diamonds, and which, according to the Itatutes, 
can be worn only by the grand mailer of the order, or 
the head of that houfe, and lent it to Laudohn, with per- 
miflion for him to wear it on his breart. Schligktegroll'a 
Necrology. 
LAU'DUM, f. in law, an arbitrament, or award. Wal~ 
Jingkam, p. Go. 
LAVE, a river of France, which runs into the Lys near 
Bethune. 
To LAVE, v.a. [lavo , Lat.] To walh; to bathe; 
With roomy decks, her guns of mighty ftrength, 
Whofe low-laid mouths each mounting hillow laves. 
Deep in her draught, and warlike in her length. 
She feems a fea-wafp flying on the waves. Dryden , 
ILever, Fr.J To throw up; to lade; to draw out: 
I’d plough up rocks, fteep as the Alps, in dull, 
And lave the Tyrrhene waters into clouds. 
But I would reach thy head. Ben Jonfon . 
Some flow their oars, or flop the leaky fides ; 
Another, bolder yet, the yard beftrides, 
And folds the fails; a fourth with labour laves 
Th’ intruding feas, and waves ejefts on waves. Dryden . 
To LAVE, v. n. To walh ; to bathe : 
In her chafte current oft the goddefs laves , 
And with celeftial tears augments the waves. Pope. 
To LAVEE'R, v.n. To change the direction often 
a courl’e: 
How eafy ’tis, when deftiny proves kind. 
With full-fpread fails to run before thd wind: 
But thofe that ’gainft ftifF gales laveering go 
Mull he at once refolv’d, and Ikilful too. Dryden. 
LAVEE'RING, f. The aft of changing a courfe fre¬ 
quently. 
LAVELANET', a town of France, in the department 
of the Arriege: twelve miles north-eaft of Tarafcon, and 
nine fouth of Mirepoix. Lat. 4a. 56. N. Ion. 1. 55. E. 
LAVELD', or La Feld. See Lafeldt, p. 81. 
LAV'ELINE, a town of France, in the department of 
the Vofges: four miles fouth-eall of St. Diey. 
LAVEL'LO, a town of Naples, in Bafilicata, the fee of 
a bilhop, fuffragan of Bari: fix miles north of Venofa. 
LAV'EMUND. See Lavamund, p. 281. 
LA'VEN, a fmall illand near the eaft coaft of Lugon» 
Lat. 14. 12. N. Ion. 124. 6. E. 
LA'VEN, or Loven, a river of Norway, which runs 
into the fea near Lavigen. 
LAUENAU', a town of Weftphalia, in the principality 
of Calenburg: fifteen miles north of Hameln. 
LAU'ENBURG (Saxe), formerly a principality of Ger¬ 
many, bounded on the north-weft by the duchy of Hol- 
ftein, on the north-eaft and eaft by the duchy of Meck¬ 
lenburg, and on the fouth and fouth-weft by Luneburg. 
This country was anciently a part of Slavia Tranfalpina ; 
and its inhabitants, who were a tribe of the Weftern Slavi, 
or Wendi, as confining on the Elbe, were named Pola- 
bers. Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, fub- 
dued thefe Polabers, and held their country as his abfo- 
lute property; infomuch that, when unjuftly put under 
the ban of the empire, he could not be deprived of this 
acquifition, as being no fief. The imperial inveftiture of 
it, together with its feat and vote among the princes of 
the empire, was firft obtained by George I. king of Eng¬ 
land, as elector of Hanover, in 1716. In the matriculas 
of the empire and circle, its contingent was eight horfe 
and thirty foot, or 216 florins ; and to the chamber at 
Wetzlar it paid 243 rix-dollars 43 kruitzers and a half. 
The duehy of Saxe-Lauenburg, though dependent on the 
i privy- 
