LEA 
416 
ed very fine in large mortars of porcelain, with peStles of 
Hone faced with iron. When the powder is perfectly 
fine, they pour in fome boiling water, and grind that 
with the reft; and, when thoroughly incorporated, they 
add more, and finally pour it off, after fome time fettling. 
The remainder at the bottom of the mortar, which is the 
coarfer part, they grind again with more water, and foon, 
till they have made the whole fine, excepting a little dirt 
or grit. When this is done, all the liquors are mixed to¬ 
gether, and well ftirred. They are fuffered to ftand two 
or three minutes after this, and then poured off, with the 
powder remaining in them. This is fuffered to fubfide 
gradually, and is the fine blue they ufein their beft works, 
our common fmalt ferving for the blue of all the common 
low-priced China-ware. 
It is plain that this ftone is a fort of lapis lazuli; and 
the ultramarine blue, ufed by our painters, is made in a 
manner not wholly unlike this. It is much to be wished, 
that England were well fearched for fuch a Stone as this 
leao, fince our mines in Derbyshire afford many blue fub- 
ftan'ces which have not been fufficiently confidered ; and, 
if it fliouid be found that either this or any other Euro¬ 
pean nation produces it, it will be a fine discovery, as we 
fnould not only have the means of giving a fine colour to 
our own manufactures of this kind, but we might trade 
with it in China to a vaft advantage. If England does 
not poflefs it, it is very probable that Germany does, 
the mines there affording an almoft inexhauftible ffore of 
coloured ftones; and this being certainly no other than 
the ftony matter of fome crystalline nodule, accidentally 
tinged with fome particles of copper. See'LAZULUS. 
LEA'O, a river of China, which runs into the fea 
twelve miles vveft of Lai-tcheou. 
LEA'O, or Le'hg, a river of Chinefe Tartary, formed 
by the union of Several rivers, none of which bear this 
name till after it has paffed the barrier between Leao-tong 
and Tartary. It runs into the gulf of Leao-tong, about 
twelve miles weft of Yao-tcheou. 
LEA'O-COU'-HO'TUN, a town of Corea, on the fouth 
fide of the Ya-lou river: 370 miles eaft of Pekin. Lat. 
40. 9. N. Ion. 125. 4. E. 
LEA/O-TONG, a province of Chinefe Tartary, now 
more ufually called Chen-yang, which fee, vol. iv. p. 403. 
LEA'O-TONG' (Gulf of), or Yellow Sea, a large 
bay or gulf of the Chinefe Sea, between the pcninfula of 
Corea and China ; about 400 miles from north to fouth, 
and from 100 to 230 from eaff to weft. Lat. 34. 45. to 41. E. 
To LEAP, v. n. [hleapan, Sax. Icup, Scot.) To jump ; 
to move upward or progreffively without change of the 
feet.—If I could win a lady at leap-frog, or by vaulting 
into my faddle with my armour on, I Should quickly leap 
into a wife. ShakeJ'pcare's Henry V. 
Thrice from the ground file leap'd, was feen to wield 
Her brandifii’d lance. Dryden's JEneid. 
To rufii with vehemence—God changed the fpirit of the 
king into mildnefs, who in a fear leaped from his throne, 
and took her in his arms, till (he came to herfelf again. 
EJther xv. 8. 
He ruin upon ruin' heaps, 
And on me, like, a furious giant, leaps. Sandys. 
To bound ; to fpring—Rejoice ye in that day, and leap 
fpr joy. Luke vi. 23. 
I am warm’d, my heart 
Leaps at the trumpet’s voice, and burns for glory. Addifon. 
To fly ; to fiart.—Out of his mouth go burning lamps, 
and Sparks of fire leap out. Job. xli. 19. 
He parted frowning from me, as if ruin 
Leap'd from his eyes; fo looks the chafed lion 
Upon the daring huntfman that has gall’d him; 
Then makes him nothing. Shakcjpeare Henry VIII. 
To LEAP, v. a. To pafs over, or into, by leaping.—- 
"Every man is not of a conftitution to leap a gulf for the 
Saving of his country. L'EJlrange . 
LEA 
As one condemn’d to leap a precipice, 
Who lees before his eyes the depth below, 
Stops Short. Dryden's Spanijh Friar, 
To comprefs, as hearts: 
Too loon they muff not feel the Sting of love: 
Let him not leap the cow. Dryden's Georgies. 
LEAP, f. Bound ; jump; aft of leaping.—Space paffed 
by leaping.—After they have carried their riders fafe over 
all leaps, and through all dangers, what comes of them 
in the end but to be broken-winded ? L'EJlrange. —Sudden 
transition.—Wickednefs comes on by degrees, as well as 
virtue ; and fudden leaps from one extreme to another are 
unnatural. L' Ef range.-— An affault of an animal of prey. 
The cat made a leap at the moufe. L'EJlrange. —Embrace 
of animals : 
How She cheats her bellowing lover’s eye ; ' 
The milling leap, the doubtful progeny. Dryden. 
Hazard, or effect of leaping : 
Behold that dreadful downfal of a rock, 
Where yon old SiSher views.the waves from high ! 
’Tis the convenient leap I mean to try. Dryden. 
A net, engine, or wheel, made of twigs, to catch fifli in. 
4 & s Will. & Mary, c. 23. In mufic, when there is an 
interval of a third, fourth, fifth, &c. between two notes. 
The leaps of a third major or minor, fourth, fifth, fixth 
minor, and oftave, either afeending or descending, are 
performed by the voice without any great difficulty or ef¬ 
fort ; other leaps require more attention and pains to ex¬ 
ecute. 
LE'AP-FROG, f. A play of children, in which they 
imitate the jump of f rogs.—If I could win a lady at leap¬ 
frog, I Should quickly leap into a wife. Shakefpeare's 
Henry V. 
LE'AP-YEAR,/. See Bissextile, vol. iii.—The rea- 
fon of the name of leap-year is, that a day of the week is 
miffed ; as, if 011 one year the firSt of March be on Mon¬ 
day, it will on the next year be on Tuefday, but on leap- 
year it will leap to Wednesday. The Sun confiftethof 365 
days and almoft fix hours, wanting eleven minutes; which 
fix hours omitted will, in procefs of time, largely deprave 
the compute ; and this is the occafion of the biffextile or 
leap-year. Brown. 
LE'APER,yi One who leaps or jumps. In the French 
army there is at this time a Singular kind of troops called 
leapers, who are trained to the greatest agility and Skill in 
corporeal movements. They accompany a corresponding 
number of cavalry into the field, whole horfes are accus¬ 
tomed to carry double, and not to Start when a man leaps 
up behind them. Their evolutions are made with won¬ 
derful rapidity ; they gallop to the place at which they 
are required to aft, and immediately the leapers jump 
down, form themfelves into a line behind the horles, and 
become a Separate army. If this tn-croupe infantry Should 
meet with a repnlfe, they are taken off’ the field in the 
fame way. Worjley's Account of France. 
LE'APING,/. The aft of jumping; the embrace of 
beafts. 
LE'AR, the name of a British king, Said in old chro¬ 
nicles to have Succeeded his father Bladud about A. M. 
3160. The Story of this king and his three daughters is 
well known, from SbakeSpeare’s excellent tragedy founded 
on it. 
LEAR'CHUS, a fon of Athamas and Ino, crushed to 
death againft a wall by his father, in a fit of madnefs. 
See Athamas, vol. ii. p. 462. 
LEARE,,/. [lxjie, Sax. learning.] Skill: 
From his mother’s womb, which him did bear. 
He was invulnerable made by magicke leare. Sperfr. 
To LEARE, v. a. To learn.—On that fame book liis 
Shame and lofs he lear'd. Fairfax, 
I will 
