438 
LEE 
likewife the ancient family-feat of Charles Boone, efq. 
occupied by Benjamin Harrifon, efq. On the fummit of 
the hill, next the heath, hands the ancient church of Lee, 
in a fit-nation particularly rural and picturefque, In the 
church are two fine monuments; the one of the Boone 
and the other of the Fludyer family. The great aftrono- 
rner royal, Dr. Edmund Halley, is interred here, under a 
plain tomb, with a Latin inscription, which is printed 
with his life. Here alfo lies buried, with a Small head- 
flone, Parfons, of comic memory. 
In this church-yard alfo hands the. monument of Charles 
Roper, baron Dacre; ereCted by his widow, lady Dacre, 
who is lately dead, and lies buried with him. Of the 
very lingular and pious attachment of this lady, the fol¬ 
lowing (ketch is given by Mr. Pratt, in his Gleanings. 
“ In Lee church-yard is depofited the remains of the right 
bon. Charles baron Dacre, who is preferved to the me¬ 
mory by more powerful ties upon it, than his wealth, ti¬ 
tles, or the common tradition of his having been born 
one day, and having died on another. Suffer me to lead 
you, with ccnfecrating lteps, to what better feparated him 
from the furrounding and oblivious map of mortality. 
You will, I truft, one day read the whole of the infcrip- 
tion graven on his tomb: meanwhile I (hall offer you a par¬ 
tial extract. ‘ His afflicted widow, as a teftimony of their 
diftinguifhed and unclouded union for near twenty years, 
their unexampled happinefs, and of the unbounded confi¬ 
dence in which they lived, and as a fincere token of her real 
gratitude for his uniform endearing affection and parti¬ 
cular generofity, her deep-felt forrow, and tendered re¬ 
membrance, has erected this unadorned monument, and 
herfelf infcribed thofe well-known truths to his beloved 
memory; accounting them moil confonant to the purity 
of his life, his mild difpofition, his amiable temper, and 
genuine character.’ This conjugal tribute proceeds in the 
fame ftrain, and clofes with the mourner’s affurance, that 
the fubmits with pious faith to the will of her God, and 
trufts in the fame interceflion to his mercy, with brighteft 
hopes of lading re-union in eternal blifs. In this fpirit 
of attachment die has afled ever fince the era of her lofs 
to the prefent hour, and will probably continue fo to de¬ 
port herfelf to the lateft of her life; at lead while the 
power is given her to walk, or to be conveyed to the fa- 
cred fpot where fhe has enfhrined her heart. Lady Dacre 
has been in the practice of vifiting the grave of her liuf- 
band ever fince the time of his burial; in truth almod 
daily, as fhe chiefly refides at her villa in this parifh. 
The precinfts of the tomb are kept facred from every 
profanitjr, both of ill accident or malicious defign ; in¬ 
deed, from the elements and winds of heaven, which fhe 
will not fuffer to vifit too roughly. While I was mak¬ 
ing thefe reflections with my pencil, I obferved the lady 
who had called them forth coming towards the church¬ 
yard with hady and anxious deps; which, on perceiving 
I was feated on the dyle, (he directed to a finaller gate, 
and found it locked, and feemed much difappointed. 
Unwilling to interrupt her pious purpofe, I quitted the 
ftyle, when, bending in acknowledgment, (lie paffed into 
the church-yard, but was again diverted from her pur¬ 
pofe. A party of people (it being Sunday) w'ere halten- 
ang to the tomb to read the infcription ; the throng in- 
creafing by the entrance of fome additional company, her 
ladyfhip went back into the road, where (lie remained, 
walking backward and forward in view of the church¬ 
yard, till the intruders had left it; when, returning to 
the fpot from whence fhe had been fo long witheld, fhe 
redoubled her attention ; and I faw her, while I flood 
aloof, (myfelf unfeen,) kneeljin reverence at the foot of 
the grave. After remaining fome time (I prefume in 
prayer), fhe went back to her villa, where, in his lifetime, 
flie had fo long been bleffed with the fociety of him whofe 
lofs fhe now bewails. Hallowed be thdt tender and ge¬ 
nerous fortitude, and facred be the pious griefs, that are 
luperior to and refifl fuch contemptible dominion over all 
the ribald jefts and infults, that a reverence for natural im- 
LEE 
preflion induces! The care of this tomb was undertaken 
by the valet of the deceafed, upon principles of unbought 
attachment to his noble mafter, under the fanaion of his 
lady ; who had the heartfelt fatisfaCtion to perceive her 
wifhes (that the facred ftruaure fhould be kept unfullied) 
accomplished by this faithful domeflic; who has conti¬ 
nued uniformly attentive, defying all feafons and circum, 
fiances; and, even wdien the whole village appeared to be 
loll in fnow, his care was never allowed to feel more 
weight than muff inevitably collea in the few hours that 
fufpended his vifit.” In one of this lady’s pious vifits, a 
depraved villain robbed her of her gold watch and purfe. 
Since the death of lady Dacre, the tomb is no longer diftin- 
guifhed for that neatnefs in which it was formerly kept. 
LEE, a river of Ireland, which paffes by Cork, and 
empties itfelf into Cork Harbour. 
LEE, a river of Ireland, which rifes about fix miles 
eaft from Tralee, in the county of Kerry, and runs into 
Tralee Bay. 
LEE, a river of England, wdiich runs into the Wever 
two miles north of Nantwich in Chefhire. 
LEE (Nathaniel), a dramatic poet, was the fon of a 
clergyman, and was educated at Weftminfter-fchool un¬ 
der Dr. Bufby. He was admitted a fcholar of Trinity- 
college, Cambridge, in 1668; but quitted the univerfity 
without a fellowfhip, and attempted to pufh his fortune 
at court, with what expectation, or in what capacity, we 
are not told. Failing in this projeft, he effayed his pow¬ 
ers in writing for the ftage; and in 1675 produced his 
tragedy of Nero. From this time to 1681 he gave the 
town a new tragedy yearly, all which appear to have had 
temporary fuccefs. He alfo made » trial of his abilities as an 
aClor, encouraged by the applaufe he received from the 
players when reading his pieces at rehearfals for their in- 
ftruction. But, though he read with extraordinary pa¬ 
thos, he foon found himfelf deficient in other qualifica¬ 
tions for the ftage, and gave up the attempt. The 
vvarmth of his feelings, probably joined to irregularity of 
living, occaiioned an unhappy derangement of mind, 
which proceeded to fuch a length, that it was neceffary 
to confine him in Bedlam. After an abode in that re¬ 
ceptacle of mifery for four years, he was difcharged in 
1688, and was able to write two more tragedies. Flis 
circumftances were, however, very low; and his chief 
fupport was a weekly penfion of ten (hillings from the 
theatre royal. His laft play was the Maffacre of Paris, in 
1690; a fubjeCt of horror dangerous to ail unfettled brain. 
Not long after its appearance he died, as it is faid, in a 
drunken fireet-frolic by night, and was buried by the pa- 
ri(h of St. Clement Danes. 
Lee is reckoned by Addifon (Spectator, N° 39) to have 
equalled any of his contemporaries in a natural genius 
for tragedy, but to have been hurried away by the impe- 
tuofity of his ideas into the turgid and bombaftic, bury¬ 
ing his thoughts in fuch a cloud of words, that it is diffi¬ 
cult to difcern their beauty. His mind was probably ne¬ 
ver free from a degree of diforder, and was incapable of 
the exercife of cool judgment. He certainly poffeffed a 
vein of high poetry, and could give a powerful expreffion 
to paffion, though always upon the verge of rant. He 
was accounted to excel in reprefenting the paffion of love, 
which he fometimes touched with exquifite tendernels, as 
well as force. His Theodofius, or the Force of Love, was 
long a favourite on this account; that, and his Rival 
Queens, are the only pieces out of eleven which he com- 
pofed, that keep a place on the ftage. He likewife wrote 
two in conjunction with Dryden ; Oedipus, and The Duke 
of Gnife. Biog. Britan. 
LEE-CHEE,y. in botany. See Sapindus. 
LEE’s CREEK, a river of Virginia, which runs into 
the Ohio in lat. 38. 57. N. Ion. 81. 55. W. 
LEE’s CREEK, a river of Kentucky, which runs into 
the Ohio in lat. 38. 36. N. Ion. 88. 56. W. 
LEE’s MARK, rocks in the Spnniffi Main, near the 
Molqttito Shore. Lat. 14. 10. N. Ion. 82.10. VV. 
LEE- 
