493 
LEOMI 
own death took place in 1671, when he was in thefeventy- 
ftrft year of his age. He was the author of numerous 
works, the principal of which are, 1. Studium Sapientiae 
Univerfalis, 3 vols. folio. The firft of thefe volumes ap¬ 
peared at Paris in 1657, and comprehends the profane fai¬ 
ences; the other two were printed at Lyons, in 1664., and 
comprife the different branches of facred literature and 
divinity, 2. The Hiftory of the Carmelites of the Pro¬ 
vince of Tours, in Latin, 1640, 4to. 3. A Journal of 
what took Place during the laft Sicknefs, and at the Death, 
of Cardinal Richelieu, 164a, 4to. 4. Sermons, in 4 vols. 
folio, 1671-1675. 
LE'OBEN, or Leu'ben, a town of Stiria, on the 
Muehr. At this town the preliminaries of peace between 
the emperor and the French republic were agreed to, on 
the 20th of April, 1797. It is ten miles welt of Pruck, 
and fixty-eight fouth-weft of Vienna. Lat. 47. 22. N. 
Ion. 14. 55. E. 
LEOB'SCHUZ, or Lub'schutz, a town of Silefia, and 
capital of a circle, in the principality of Jagerndorf. This 
town has luffered much by war, particularly in 1626, 
1627, 1634, and 1642 ; and, in the year 1603, it was almoft 
deftroyed by fire. It is fixteen miles north-weft of Rati- 
bor, and thirty fouthof Oppeln. Lat. 50. 5.N. Ion. 17.44.E. 
LEO'CHEL, a town of Scotland, in the county of 
Aberdeen : fix miles north-weft of Kincardine O’Neil. 
LE'OCON, a man’s name; a king of Pontus. 
LEOCO'RION, a monument erected by the Athenians 
to Pafithea, Theope, and Eubule, daughters of Leos, who 
immolated themfelves when an oracle had ordered that, 
to ftop the raging peftilence, fome of the blood of the ci¬ 
tizens mult be filed. /Elian. 
LEOC'RATES, an Athenian genera], who fiouriflied 
B. C. 460. 
LE'OD, /—Lcod fignifies the people; or, rather, a na¬ 
tion, country, &c. Thus, Leodgar is one of great interell 
with the people or nation. Gib/on's Camden . 
LEODAMAS, a fon of Eteocles, one of the feven 
Theban chiefs who defended the city againft the Argives. 
He killed Aigialeus, and was himfelf killed by Alciaaeon. 
—A fon of Heftor and Andromache. 
LEOD OCUS, one of the Argonauts. Flaccus. 
LE'OF, f. — Leo/ denotes love; fo Leofzuin is a winner of 
love; Leo/Jlan , belt beloved: like thele Agapetus, Eraf- 
nms, Philo, Amandus, &c. Gib/on. 
LEOGA'NE, a feaport town of the ifland of Hifpa- 
niola, on the north coaft. This was once the feat of the 
French government. It is however not well fituated ; 
but the air is laid to be good, and the foil of the environs 
fertile. In 1796, it was taken by the Britifh. Lat. 28. 
30. N. Ion. 73. 25. W. 
LE'OMINSTER, orLEM'sTER, a borough and market- 
town in the county of Hereford, fituated in a very rich 
and fertile vale abounding with orchards, hop-yards, fine 
meadows, and arable lands ; 137 miles from London. Its 
immediate fite is, as Leland deftribes, “fumwhat lowe, 
and all the ground very neere about it is farre lower.” 
The river Lugg flows on its north and eaft fides; two 
fmaller ftreams run through the town, and three other 
confiderable rivulets pals it within half a mile. Its ex¬ 
tent from north to fouth is nearly a mile; and from eaft 
to weft about half a mile. “ The towne of Leominlter,” 
Leland fays, “is metely large, and hath good buildinges 
of tymbre. The towne, by reafon of their principall wool, 
ufe great drapinge of clothe, and thereby it fiouriflied. 
Syns of latter days it chanced that the cittyes of Hereford 
and Worcefter complained of the frequency of people 
that came to Lemlter, in prejudice of bothe their mar- 
ketts; whereupon the Saturday markett was removed 
from Lemlter, and a markett on Friday newly afligned 
to it; fyns that time the towne of Lemlter hath decayed.” 
This town is faid to have been originally called Monaf- 
tcrium Leonias, from a monaftery built by king Mulvald, 
after he had feen a lion in a vifion; others, however, fup- 
pofe its prefent name to be a corruption of Llaa Lieni* 
V QL. XII. No. 847, 
N S T El 
which they fay it received of the ancient Britons, in 
whofe language it lignifies a church of nuns. Others again 
derive Lemlter from linum, the Latin name of flax, the 
country about it producing the heft kind of that valuable 
plant. In the year 1055, Leominlter was feized upon by 
the WeKh chieftains, who ltrengthened it by fortifications, 
the remains of which may be traced even at the prefent 
period. The town appears to have been a place of fome 
confequence at the time of the Domefday furvey; as that 
regifter records that the manor, with its appurtenances, 
confifting of fixteen dependent eftates, had been afligned 
by Edward the Gonfeflor to his queen Editha; and that 
it was governed by eight bailiffs, eight beadles, and eight 
free tenants. When the furvey was made, the manor 
belonged to the king ; great part of the cuftomary rent 
was paid as compofition for fait, filh, and eels. Here was 
alio a wood fix miles in length, and three broad; but part 
of it was even then begun to be cleared for tillage. 
About the time of William Rufus, the fortifications of 
Leominlter were ltrengthened and enlarged, the better to 
fecure it againft the incurfions of the Welfli. In the 
reign of king John, William de Braofe, lord of Breck¬ 
nock, a turbulent and high-fpirited baron, plundered this 
town, and burned great part of it, together with the pri¬ 
ory and church. In Henry IV’s reign, Leominlter was 
for fome time in the poffeflion of Owen Glendour, after 
he had defeated the earl of March. In the next century, 
the inhabitants of this town took a decifive part towards 
the eftablilhment of queen Mary on the throne; for which 
fervice Ihe granted them the firlt regular charter of incor¬ 
poration, with many valuable privileges. An annual fair 
bad been granted in 1170, by Henry II. two additional 
fairs, each of fix days’ continuance, were granted by Ed¬ 
ward I. The fairs at prefent are fix, viz. Feb. 13, Tues¬ 
day after Midlent-Sunday, May 2, July 10, September 4, 
and November 3 ; at each of which the bailiff holds a 
court of pie-powder. 
The church was built in different centuries; the north 
fide (or what is called the back aide), with part of the 
tower, appears to have been built before the conqueft ; the 
body of the church, where fervice is performed, is very 
large, neat, and lpacious; the roof is fupported by four 
large Tuftan pillars; it is regularly and neatly pewed, 
has a fine large altar-piece, painted from Rubens, of the 
Lord’s Supper; on the left 'fide is a painting of Mofes 
with his rod ; and, on the right, Aaron, in his high 
prieft’s drefs, with a pot of incenl'e, &c. There is alfo 
a fine-toned organ, and a fet of fingers; likewife a ring 
of eight tuneable bells. A great fire, near a century 
back, deftroyed the roof, eaft end, and infide, of the 
church, with the ftalls and monuments ; one of the lat¬ 
ter is deferibed in Weaver’s Monuments, to the memory 
of Kenelm, a Mercian prince, in Saxon characters. Here 
is a Baptift meeting-houfe ; a handfome fquare brick¬ 
building, with a houfe for the minifter, and two other 
dwellings for widows adjoining, built and endowed by 
Mrs. Mary Marlow, of this town. A Prelbyterian meet¬ 
ing-houfe; a Quakers’ ditto; and a Moravian chapel, 
with the minifter’s houfe adjoining, a neat plain building 
with a fmall organ. During the time of rebuilding the 
church, divine fervice was performed in a contiguous 
building, anciently called the Chapelle in the ‘Forbury, 
ereCted by Peckham archbilhop of Canterbury about the 
end of the thirteenth century. It was afterwards 'ap¬ 
propriated to the purpofe of tuition, and thence called the 
fchool-houfe ; but has lately been converted into a regular 
theatre; it is a plain building, with pointed windows. 
The priory, fituated to the north-eaft of the church, on 
the little river Pinfley, was originally a monaftery, built 
by Merewald, fon of Penda king of Mercia, A. D. 658, 
for religious virgins, and endowed with much land about 
the town. Henry I. annexed this monaftery, with the 
lands, See. as a priory, or cel! of monks, to his own ab¬ 
bey at Reading; and fo it continued till the diflpiutibn in 
the reign of Henry. VIII. .In the laft century it was z 
6 K manfion- 
