LED 
435 
LED 
two former were deemed the offspring of Jupiter, and the 
others claimed Tyndarus for their father. Some mytho- 
logiffs attribute this amour to Nemefis, and not to Leda.; 
and they further mention, that Leda was, entrufted with 
the education of the children which fprang from the eggs 
brought -forth by Nemefis. See Helena. To reconcile 
this diverfity of opinions, others maintain that Leda re¬ 
ceived the name of Nemefis after death. Homer and 
Hefiod make no mention of the metamorphofis of Jupiter 
into a fwan, whence fome have imagined that the fable 
was unknown to thefe two ancient poets, and probably 
invented fince their age- 
LE'DA NE'GUS, a town of Abyfiinia, in the province 
of Gojam : 120 miles fouth-fouth-weff of Gondar. 
LE'DAH, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of Gang- 
pour : twenty miles fouth of Gangpour. 
LEDAT'j a town of France, in the department of the 
Lot and Garonne : three miles north-north-weft of Ville- 
neuve d’Agen, and fix fouth-weft of Monflanquin. 
LED BURY, an ancient borough and market-town in 
the county of Hereford, fituated on a declivity within a 
fmall valley, foimecLby the Dog-liill and other eminences, 
about one mile weft from the river Leddon, from which 
it derives part of its name. The town confilts chiefly of 
two ftreets, croffing each other at right angles; the prin¬ 
cipal ftreet runs north and fouth, and has a middle row 
near the old market-houfe. This building is elevated on 
ltrong oak pillars, and compofed of timber and lath plaf- 
tered and white-waftied ; the beams being coloured black : 
this mode of building is prevalent in the more ancient 
parts of the town ; and many of the houfes have project¬ 
ing ftories. The modern houfes are of red brick, and of 
a refpeClable appearance. The pavement, even in the 
high ftreet, is very bad, and full of inequalities; the 
ftpall ftones that form it being prefled into the (tiff clay, 
which is the general foil of the county. Bilhop Bohun 
procured the charter of a market from king Stephen, to 
be held on Saturdays; but, this having fallen into difufe, 
queen Elizabeth granted a new charter fora Tuefday- 
market, and two annual fairs ; the tolls arifing from 
which were to be given to the poor. The borough had 
once the privilege of fending two members to parliament, 
but furrendered the right, on the plea of inability to fup- 
port them. The church, which is a large edifice, of Saxon 
origin, confifts of a nave, fide-ailles, and chancel; a cha¬ 
pel called St. Catharine’s, and a detached tower, termi¬ 
nated by a finely-proportioned fpire, about fixty feet 
high. Bilhop Foliot founded an hofpital in this town in 
the year 1232 for the maintenance of poor men and wi¬ 
dows : it was re-founded and farther endowed by queen 
Elizabeth. The hofpital is a very ancient timber and 
plafter building. Here are alfo a free-fchool, a charity- 
fchool, and feveral alms-houfes. The clothing-trade was, 
at one period, very flourifhing in this town; but the 
principal bufinefs now carried on is the manufacture of 
ropes, lines, and facks. The cider-trade, however, is very 
confiderable; great quantities being made in the vicinity. 
The bilhops of Hereford formerly had a palace here. 
Ledbury is 16 miles north-weft of Gloucefter, and 123 
weft of London. Lat. 52. 6. N. Ion. 2. 20. W. 
On the Dog-hill, to the north of Ledbury, is Hope 
End, the feat of fir Harry Vane Tempeft, bart. About 
two miles fouth of the town is the Vineyard-camp; the 
works of which haye been almoft defaced by the plough, 
and the area is cultivated. 
Not far from Ledbury, is Colwal ; near which, upon a 
wafte, as a countryman was digging a ditch about his cot¬ 
tage, he found a crown or corone^ of gold, with gems fet 
deep in it. It w'as of a fize large enough to be drawn 
over the arm with the fleeve; the ftones of it were fold 
to a jeweller for 1500I. Eritijh Directory. 
LED'DEN, f [from leben, Sax. the Latin language.] 
Language.—Her Icddcn was like human language true. 
Fairfax. 
Thereto he was expert in prophecies 
And could the ledden of the gods unfold. Spenfer. 
True meaning: 
And thofe that do to Cvnthia expound 
The ledden of Itrange languages in charge. Spenfer. 
LED'DER, a river of North Wales, which runs into 
the Conway twelve miles fouth of Aberconway. 
LED'ENITZ, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Be- 
chin : feven miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Budweifs. 
LE'DER, a lake of the county of Tyrol: eighteen 
miles weft of Trent, and four weft of Riva. 
LE'DERHOFE, a town of Saxony, in the circle of 
Neuftadt: fix miles weft of Weyda. 
LEDES'MA, a town of Spain, in the province of Leon, 
on the river Tormes, defended by nature and art. Near 
it is a warm medicinal bath. It is eighteen miles weft of 
Salamanca. 
LEDET'SCH, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Czaf- 
lau : thirteen miles fouth of Czaflau, and forty-two fouth- 
eaft of Prague. Lat. 49. 40. N. Ion. 15.15. E. 
LEDET'Z, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Eolef- 
law : feven miles fouth-eaft of Jung Buntzel. 
LEDGE, /. [ leggen , Dut. to lie.] A row; layer; ftra- 
tum.—The lowed ledge or row ftiould be merely of ftone, 
clofely laid, without mortar: a general caution for all 
parts in building contiguous to board. IVotton's Architec¬ 
ture. —A ridge riling above the reft, or projecting beyond 
the reftj—The four parallel lticks, rifing above five inches 
higher than the handkerchief, ferved as ledges on each 
fide. Gulliver. —Any prominence, or rifing part: 
Beneath a ledge of rocks his fleet he hides, 
The bending brow' above a fafe retreat provides. Dryden. 
LED'GER. See Leger. 
LEDIANA'IA, a bay or gulf of the Frozen Sea, on 
the north coaft of Nova Zembla... Lat. 76. 40. N. Ion. 59. 
14. E. 
LEDIANO'I, a cape on the north coaft of Nova Zem- 
bla. Lat. 78. N. Ion. 73. 24. E. 
LEDIGNAN', a town of France, in the department of 
the Gard : fifteen miles north-w'eft of Nilines. 
LE'DON,/. in botany. See Cistus, vol. iv. 
LEDONG', a town on the eaft coaft of the ifland of 
Borneo. Lat. 4. 33. N. Ion. 116. 42. E. 
LEDO'REN, a fmall ifland on the w’eft flde of the gulf 
of Bothnia. Lat. 63. 12. N. Ion. 20. 56 E. 
LEDOY'RA, a town of Spain, in Galicia: eleven miles 
north-eaft of Santiago. 
LEDRAN'. See Dran, vol. vi. p. 65. 
LED'SHAM, a village near PontefraCt in Yorkfliire ; 
here is an hofpital for ten aged people, who have each two 
rooms and a garden, and iol. a-year in money. Led- 
fliam-hall is the manor-houfe, which belongs to Peregrine 
Wentworth, efq. 
LE'DUM, [ft ladendo odore , from its difagreeable in¬ 
jurious feent. Linn.] In botany, a genus of the clafs 
decandria, order monogynia, natural order of bicornes, 
(rhododendra, JuJf.) The generic characters are—Calyx: 
perianthium one-leafed, very fmall, five-toothed. Corol¬ 
la: one-petalled, flat, five-parted ; divilions ovate, con¬ 
cave, rounded. Stamina: filaments ten, filiform, fpread- 
ing, length of the corolla : antherse oblong. Piftillum : 
germ rounaifli ; ftyle filiform, length of the ftamens ; 
ftigma obtufe. Pericarpium: capfule roundifh, five-cell¬ 
ed, gaping five ways at the bafe. Seeds numerous, ob¬ 
long, narrow, (harp on each fide, extremely (lender.— Ejjen - 
tial Charadler. Calyx : five-cleft; corolla flat, five-parted 5 
capfule five-celled, gaping at the bafe. 
Species. 1. Ledum paluftre, marfh ledum, or marfh cif- 
tus: leaves linear, rolled back at the edge, tomentofe un¬ 
derneath. Root branched, running widely and deeply 
into the ground. Stems (hrubby, (lender, three or four 
feet. 
