^28 
L E S 
among whom we may reckon Alca?us, and Sappho, Arion 
and Terpander, Theophraftus, Pittacus, and Potamon 5 
for the hiftory of whom, fee thofe articles ; and, for an 
account of the preheat ftate of Lefbos, fee Metelin. 
LES'BUS, or Lesbos, a fon of Lapithas, grandfon of 
ZEolus, who married Methymna daughter of Macareus. 
He fucceeded his father-in-law, and gave his name to the 
illand over which he reigned. See Lesbos. 
LESCA'ILLE (James), a Dutch printer and poet, born 
in 1610, was defcended fromr» a family of diftinCtion at 
Geneva, which took refuge in Holland on account of 
fome perfecution. In his profedion of a printer and book- 
feller, he gained reputation by the beauty and accuracy 
of various editions of books which he publiflied. As a 
poet in -the Dutch language, he was reckoned to have 
given an example of the politenefs and elevation of which 
it is fufceptibie. The emperor Leopold, in 1663, ho¬ 
noured him with the poetical laurel. He died in 1677. 
LESCA'ILLE (Catharine), daughter of the preceding, 
born in 1649, diftinguilhed lierfelf fo much by her poeti¬ 
cal talents, that (lie was called the Butch Sappho. She fur- 
paffed her father in the beauty of her verfe, and obtained 
'the applaufes of Vondel and other celebrated poets'of her 
country. Her brother-in-law, the bookfeller Ranck, pub- 
lifhed in 1728 a volume of her works, which contains 
(even tragedies, belides other pieces. She died in 1711. 
Moreri. 
LESCA'NO, a town of Spain, in the province of Gui- 
pufcca : nine miles fouth-fouth-weft of Tolofa. 
LESCA'R, a town of France, in the department of the 
Lower Pyrenees ; before the revolution, the fee of a bi¬ 
fliop, fuffragan of Auch. It contains about 6000 inha¬ 
bitants. It is three miles north-welt of Pau, and eigh¬ 
teen fouth-eaft of Orthez. 
LESCARBO'T (Mark), a native of Vervins, and an 
advocate in parliament, refided for fome time in New 
France, or Canada, and publiflied an account of that 
country, containing “ The Voyages, Difcoveries, and 
Settlements, of the French in the Weft Indies and New 
France, under the Authority of our Molt Chriftian Kings,” 
&c. of which the fecond edition, 8vo. is dated Paris, 
1612. He afterwards attended Peter de Caftille, the am- 
baftador of Louis XIII. to Sw’ifferland; and publiflied a 
defcription of the thirteen cantons in French heroic verfe. 
Par. 1618. 
iLESCHASSIE'R (James), a learned French lawyer, 
was born at Paris in 1550. He early diftinguifhed him- 
felf at the bar ; but, finding his health injured by his ap¬ 
plication, he accompanied M. Pibrac in his embafly to 
Poland. Upon his return, he was appointed one of the 
fubftitutes to the procurer-general. During the diftur- 
bances of the league, he adhered to the royal party, and 
obtained the efteem of' Henry IV. whom he followed till 
his reftoration to lawful fovereignty. He was confulted 
in 1605 by the republic of Venice concerning their dif- 
pute with pope Paul V. and received a valuable gold 
chain in return for his reply, which was printed in Latin 
the next year. He entertained a literary correfpondence 
with many of the moft eminent fcholars of his time 5 and 
wrote feveral treatifes upon legal fubjeCts, which, though 
concife, were greatly valued for their learning and folidi- 
ty. Among thefe, his “Treatife on the ancient and ca¬ 
nonical Liberty of the Gallican Church” is conlidered as 
throwing much light upon French hiftory. This eftima- 
ble perfon died in 1620. Alibis writings were publiflied 
collectively in one volume 4to. Paris, 1649 and 1652. 
LES'CHE, a river of France, which runs into the Meufe 
near Dinant. 
LESCHE'RES, a town of France, in the department 
of the Upper Marne: nine miles fouth of Joinville. 
LES'CHF.S, a Greek poet of Lefbos, who flourifhed 
B-C. 600. Some fuppofe him to be the author of the 
Little Iliad, of which only few verfes remain, quoted by 
Paufanias, c. 25. 
LES'CIVER, a town of Perfia, in the province of Irak: 
£.01 miles weft of Hamadan. 
L E S 
LESC'ZYN, a town of Poland, in Volhynia: twenty- 
four miles north of Berdiczow. ' 
LESER, or Les'ser, a river of France, which rifes 
near Kerpen, in the department of the Roer, and runs 
into the Mofelle three miles above Berncaltle. 
LES'EWITZ, a town of Pruflia, in Pomerelia : five 
miles north-north-eaft of Marienburg. 
LESQUISTAN'. See Dagestan. 
LE'SHEM, [Hebrew.] The name of a place. 
LESI'GNA, a town of France, in the department of 
the Aude: eleven miles weft of Narbonne, and feventeen 
eaft of Carcaflonne. 
LESIGNY' sur CREU'SE, a town of France, in the 
department of the Vienne: nine miles eaft of Chatellerault, 
and three fouth-fouth-eaft of Guerche. 
LESFNA, an ifland in the Adriatic, forty-eight miles 
long, and eight wide, anciently called Pharos, or Pharia. 
It was once a republic, afterwards fubjeCt to Narenta, 
from which it came under the dominion of particular 
lords, who ceded it to Venice in the year 1424. Great 
quantities of different kinds of marble are found on the 
ifland. The high parts are in general rocky and barren ; 
others are fertile, and feed a great number of flieep. The 
principal produftions are wine, oil, figs, almonds, faffron, 
honey, aloes, oranges, wool, cheefe, and fait. Salt-fifli 
is the principal article of commerce. Lefina is the capi¬ 
tal. Lat 43. o. N. Ion. 17. E. 
LESI'NA, a town on the above ifland, the fee of a bi- 
(hop, and refidence of a governor: it is furrounded with 
walls, and has a large and fecure harbour; but little fre¬ 
quented. The number of inhabitants is above 1200. It 
is twenty miles fouth of Spalatro. Lat. 43. 5. N. Ion. 16. 
50. E. 
LESI'NA, a town of Naples, in Gapitanata, the fee of 
a bifliop, fuffragan of Benevento, on a lake which com¬ 
municates with the Adriatic. In the year 1627, it was 
almoft totally deftroyed by an earthquake. It is twenty-fix 
miles north-weft of Manfredonia, and eighty-four north- 
north-eaft of Naples. Lat. 41. 59. N. Ion. 14. 30. E. 
LESI'NA, a lake of Naples, in Capitanata, near the 
Adriatic: twenty miles north-weft of St. Angelo. 
LESI'NA, J. [Latin.] A cobler’s awl. 
LES'INAGE,/i [from lefma.] Thriftinefs; good huf- 
bandry. Phillips. 
LES'KARD. See Liskeard. 
LESKAU', a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Pilfen : 
feven miles eaft of Plau. 
LES'KEN, a town of Pruflia, in Pomerelia: fix miles 
north-north-weft of Marienburg. 
LES'KIA, f. [fo named by Hedwig, from Nath. Godofr. 
Lcjke, profeifor of natural hiftory and ceconomy in the 
univerfity of Leipfic, and afterwards at Marburgh. He 
died in 1786, at the age of 35.] In botany, a genus of the 
clafs cryptogatnia, order mufei, or modes. The generic 
characters are—Capfules oblong; periftome double; the 
exterior with fixteen teeth, which are acute; the interior 
membranaceous, divided into equal fegments. Males 
gemmaceous in different individuals. This genus is by 
Britifti botanifts united to Hypnum, as agreeing therewith 
entirely in habit, and differing only in a very minute and 
uncertain character of the inner fringe, which is furniftied 
with fixteen fimple teeth, inltead of double or compound 
ones. See Hypnum. 
LES'KIRCH, a town of Tranfylvania: fourteen miles 
weft of Fogaras. 
LESK'NITZ, or Les'nitz, a town of Silefia, in the 
principality of Oppeln : eighteen miles fouth-eaft of Op- 
peln, and twenty north of Ratibor. Lat. 50. 25. N. loft, 
13.6. E. 
LES'KO, a town of Auftrian Poland, in Galicia: forty- 
eight miles fouth of Lemberg. 
LESKOVATZ', a town of European Turkey, in Bul¬ 
garia: eighty-four miles weft-north-weft of Sophia. 
LES'LEY (John), bifliop of Rofs, an eminent politi¬ 
cian and writer of hiftory, defcended from an ancient fa¬ 
mily in the northern part of Scotland, was born in 1527. 
He 
