A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 29

His last work was _Early Adventures in Persia, etc._, and he left an autobiography, _pub._ in 1903. He also wrote on Italian art.

LEAR, EDWARD (1812-1888).--Artist and miscellaneous author, _b._ in London, and settled in Rome as a landscape painter. He was an indefatigable traveller, and wrote accounts, finely ill.u.s.trated, of his journeys in Italy, Greece, and Corsica. His best known works are, however, his _Book of Nonsense_ (1840) (full of wit and _good_ sense), _More Nonsense Rhymes_ (1871), and _Laughable Lyrics_ (1876). L. had also a remarkable faculty for depicting birds.

LECKY, WILLIAM EDWARD HARTPOLE (1838-1903).--Historian, the _s._ of a landed gentleman of Carlow, was _b._ near Dublin, and _ed._ at Cheltenham and Trinity Coll., Dublin. Originally intended for the Church, he devoted himself to a literary career. His first work of importance was _Leaders of Public Opinion in Ireland_ (1861) (essays on Swift, Flood, Grattan, and O'Connell). The study of Buckle's _History of Civilisation_ to some extent determined the direction of his own writings, and resulted in the production of two important works, _History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe_ (1865), and _History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne_ (1869), both remarkable for learning, clearness, and impartiality. Both, however, gave rise to considerable controversy and criticism. His princ.i.p.al work is _The History of England in the Eighteenth Century_ (1878-90). Characterised by the same sterling qualities as his preceding books, it deals with a subject more generally interesting, and has had a wide acceptance. His view of the American war, and the controversies which led to it, is more favourable to the English position than that of some earlier historians.

Other works are _Democracy and Liberty_ (1896), and _The Map of Life_ (1899). Though of warm Irish sympathies, L. was strongly opposed to Home Rule. He sat in Parliament for his Univ. from 1895 until his death. He received many academical distinctions, and was a Corresponding Member of the Inst.i.tute of France, and one of the original members of the Order of Merit.

LEE, NATHANIEL (1653?-1692).--Dramatist, _s._ of a clergyman at Hatfield, was _ed._ at Westminster School and Camb. After leaving the Univ. he went to London, and joined the stage both as actor and author. He was taken up by Rochester and others of the same dissolute set, led a loose life, and drank himself into Bedlam, where he spent four years. After his recovery he lived mainly upon charity, and met his death from a fall under the effects of a carouse. His tragedies, which, with much bombast and frequent untrained flights of imagination, have occasional fire and tenderness, are generally based on cla.s.sical subjects. The princ.i.p.al are _The Rival Queens_, _Theodosius_, and _Mithridates_. He also wrote a few comedies, and collaborated with Dryden in an adaptation of _Oedipus_, and in _The Duke of Guise_.

LEE, SOPHIA (1750-1824), LEE, HARRIET (1757-1851).--Novelists and dramatists, _dau._ of John L., an actor, were the authors of various dramatic pieces and novels. By far their most memorable work was _The Canterbury Tales_, 5 vols. (1797-1805) which, with the exception of two, _The Young Lady's_ and _The Clergyman's_, were all by Harriet. The most powerful of them, _Kruitzner_, fell into the hands of Byron in his boyhood, and made so profound an impression upon him that, in 1821, he dramatised it under the t.i.tle of _Werner, or the Inheritance_. The auth.o.r.ess also adapted it for the stage as _The Three Strangers_. The tales are in general remarkable for the ingenuity of their plots. Harriet lived to the age of 94, preserving to the last her vigour of mind and powers of conversation. G.o.dwin made her an offer of marriage to which, however, his religious opinions presented an insuperable barrier.

Sophia's chief work was _The Chapter of Accidents_, a comedy, which had a great run, the profits of which enabled the sisters to start a school at Bath, which proved very successful, and produced for them a competence on which they were able to retire in their later years.

LE FANU, JOSEPH SHERIDAN (1814-1873).--Novelist, _s._ of a Dean of the Episcopal Church of Ireland, and grand-nephew of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, and became a contributor and ultimately proprietor of the _Dublin University Magazine_, in which many of his novels made their first appearance. Called to the Bar in 1839, he did not practise, and was first brought into notice by two ballads, _Phaudrig Croohoore_ and _Shamus...o...b..ien_, which had extraordinary popularity. His novels, of which he wrote 12, include _The c.o.c.k and Anchor_ (1845), _Torlough O'Brien_ (1847), _The House by the Churchyard_ (1863), _Uncle Silas_ (perhaps the most popular) (1864), _The Tenants of Malory_ (1867), _In a Gla.s.s Darkly_ (1872), and _Willing to Die_ (posthumously). They are generally distinguished by able construction, ingenuity of plot, and power in the presentation of the mysterious and supernatural. Among Irish novelists he is generally ranked next to Lever.

LEIGHTON, ROBERT (1611-1684).--Divine, was the _s._ of Alexander L., physician, and writer on theology, who, on account of his anti-prelatic books, was put in the pillory, fined, and had his nose slit and his ears cut off. Robert was _ed._ at Edin., after which he resided for some time at Douay. Returning to Scotland he received Presbyterian ordination, and was admitted minister of Newbattle, near Edin. In 1653 he was appointed Princ.i.p.al and Prof. of Divinity in the Univ. of Edin., which offices he held until 1662 when, having separated himself from Presbyterianism, he was appointed Bishop of Dunblane, under the new Episcopal establishment.

He repeatedly but unsuccessfully endeavoured to bring about an ecclesiastical union in Scotland on the basis of combining the best elements in each system. Discouraged by his lack of success in his well-meant efforts, he offered in 1665 to resign his see, but was persuaded by Charles II. to remain in it, and in 1669 was promoted to be Archbishop of Glasgow, from which position, wearied and disappointed, he finally retired in 1674, and lived with his widowed sister, Mrs.

Lightmaker, at Broadhurst Manor, Suss.e.x. On a visit to London he was seized with a fatal illness, and _d._ in the arms of his friend, Bishop Burnet, who says of him, "he had the greatest elevation of soul, the largest compa.s.s of knowledge, the most mortified and heavenly disposition that I ever saw in mortal." His sermons and commentaries, all _pub._ posthumously, maintain a high place among English religious cla.s.sics, alike for thought and style. They consist of his _Commentary on St.

Peter_, _Sermons_, and _Spiritual Exercises, Letters, etc._ His _Lectures and Addresses_ in Latin were also _pub._

LELAND, CHARLES G.o.dFREY (1824-1903).--American humorist, _b._ at Philadelphia, was _ed._ at Princeton, and in Europe. In his travels he made a study of the gipsies, on whom he wrote more than one book. His fame rests chiefly on his _Hans Breitmann Ballads_ (1871), written in the _patois_ known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Other books of his are _Meister Karl's Sketch-book_ (1855), _Legends of Birds_ (1864), _Algonquin Legends_ (1884), _Legends of Florence_ (1895), and _Flaxius, or Leaves from the Life of an Immortal_.

LELAND or LEYLAND, JOHN (1506-1552).--Antiquary, _b._ in London, and _ed._ at St. Paul's School and at Camb., Oxf., and Paris. He was a good linguist, and one of the first Englishmen to acquire Greek, and he was likewise acquainted with French, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, and Anglo-Saxon. He became chaplain and librarian to Henry VIII., from whom he received the Rectory of Poppeling, near Calais, and in 1533 the appointment of King's Antiquary. Soon afterwards he was permitted to do his work in France by deputy, and was commissioned to go over England in search of doc.u.ments and antiquities; and on the strength of this made his famous tour, which lasted for about six years. He was able to do something to stem the destruction of ma.n.u.scripts on the dissolution of the monasteries, and made vast collections of doc.u.ments and information regarding the monuments and general features of the country, which, however, he was unable fully to digest and set in order. They formed, nevertheless, an almost inexhaustible quarry in which succeeding workers in the same field, such as Stow, Camden, and Dugdale, wrought. In his last years he was insane, and hence none of his collections appeared in his lifetime. His _Itinerary_ was, however, at length _pub._ by T. Hearne in 9 vols. (1710-12), and his _Collectanea_ in 6 vols. (1715).

LEMON, MARK (1809-1870).--Journalist and humorist, _b._ in London, wrote many theatrical pieces, and a few novels, of which the best is _Falkner Lyle_, others being _Leyton Hall_, and _Loved at Last_. He also wrote stories for children, lectured and gave public readings, and contributed to various periodicals. He is best known as one of the founders and, from 1843 until his death, the ed. of _Punch_. His _Jest Book_ appeared in 1864.

LENNOX, CHARLOTTE (RAMSAY) (1720-1804).--Was _b._ in New York, of which her _f._, Colonel Ramsay, was Governor. She wrote a novel, _The Female Quixote_ (1752), which had considerable vogue in its day. Her other writings--novels, translations, and a play--are now forgotten. She was befriended by Dr. Johnson. Mrs. Thrale (_q.v._) said that "everybody admired Mrs. L., but n.o.body liked her."

LESLIE, or LESLEY, JOHN (1527-1596).--Historian, studied at Aberdeen and Paris, at the former of which he became, in 1562, Prof. of Canon Law. He was a Privy Councillor 1565, and Bishop of Ross 1566, and was the confidential friend of Queen Mary, who made him her amba.s.sador to Queen Elizabeth. He was thrown into the Tower for his share in promoting a marriage between Mary and the Duke of Norfolk, whence being released on condition of leaving England, he went first to Paris and then to Rome, where he busied himself on behalf of his mistress. He became Vicar-General of the diocese of Rouen in 1579, and _d._ at the monastery of Guirtenburg near Brussels. While in England he wrote in Scots vernacular his _History of Scotland_ from the death of James I. (where Boece left off) to his own time. At Rouen he rewrote and expanded it in Latin (1575), from which it was re-translated into Scots by James Dalrymple in 1596.

L'ESTRANGE, SIR ROGER (1616-1704).--Journalist and pamphleteer, youngest _s._ of a Norfolk baronet, was probably at Camb., and in 1638 took arms for the King. Six years later he was captured, imprisoned in Newgate, and condemned to death. He, however, escaped, endeavoured to make a rising in Kent, and had to flee to Holland, where he was employed in the service of Charles II. On receiving a pardon from Cromwell he returned to England in 1653. In view of the Restoration he was active in writing on behalf of monarchy, and in 1663 _pub._ _Considerations and Proposals in order to Regulating of the Press_, for which he was appointed Surveyor of Printing-Presses and Licenser of the Press, and received a grant of the sole privilege of printing public news. His first newspaper, _The Intelligencer_, appeared in the same year, and was followed by _The News_ and the _City Mercury, or Advertis.e.m.e.nts concerning Trade_. Thereafter his life was spent in ed. newspapers and writing political pamphlets in support of the Court and against the Whigs and Dissenters. In 1685 he was knighted. His controversies repeatedly got him into trouble, and after the Revolution he lost his appointments, and was more than once imprisoned. In addition to his political writings he translated _aesop's Fables_, Seneca's _Morals_, and Cicero's _Offices_. His _aesop_ contains much from other authors, including himself. In his writings he was lively and vigorous but coa.r.s.e and abusive.

LEVER, CHARLES JAMES (1806-1872).--Novelist, _b._ at Dublin, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll. there. He studied medicine at Gottingen, and practised at various places in Ireland. In 1837 he contributed to the _Dublin University Magazine_ his first novel, _Harry Lorrequer_, and the immediate and wide acceptance which it found decided him to devote himself to literature. He accordingly followed it with _Charles O'Malley_ (1840), his most popular book. After this scarcely a year pa.s.sed without an addition to the list of his light-hearted, breezy, rollicking stories, among which may be mentioned _Jack Hinton_ (1842), _Tom Burke of Ours_, _Arthur O'Leary_, and _The Dodd Family Abroad_. _The O'Donoghue_ and _The Knight of Gwynne_ (1847) are more in the nature of historical romances.

In 1864 he contributed to _Blackwood's Magazine_ a series of miscellaneous papers, _Cornelius O'Dowd on Men, Women, and Things in General_. L.'s life was largely spent abroad. After practising his profession in Brussels 1840-42 he returned to Dublin to ed. the _Dublin University Magazine_, which he did until 1845, after which he went to Italy, settled at Florence, and thereafter was British Consul successively at Spezzia and Trieste, at the latter of which he _d._ He continued to produce novels up to the end of his life. Among the later ones are _Sir Brooke Fosbrooke_, _The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly_, and _Lord Kilgobbin_ (1872).

LEWES, GEORGE HENRY (1817-1878).--Philosopher and miscellaneous writer, _b._ in London, and _ed._ at Greenwich, and in Jersey and Brittany. His early life was varied; he tried law, commerce, and medicine successively, and was then for two years in Germany, on returning from which he tried the London stage, and eventually settled down to journalism, writing for the _Morning Chronicle_, for the _Penny Encyclopaedia_, and various periodicals. Thereafter he ed. the _Leader_ (1851-54), and the _Fortnightly Review_ (which he founded) (1865-66). His articles deal with an extraordinary variety of subjects--criticism, the drama, biography, and science, both physical and mental. His chief works are _The History of Philosophy from Thales to Comte_, _Comte's Philosophy of the Sciences_ (1853), _The Psychology of Common Life_ (1859), _Studies in Animal Life_ (1862), _Problems of Life and Mind_ (1873-79). L. was an exceptionally able dramatic critic, and in this department he produced _Actors and the Art of Acting_ (1875), and a book on the Spanish Drama. By far his greatest work, however, is his _Life and Works of Goethe_ (1855), which remains the standard English work on the subject, and which by the end of the century had, in its German translation, pa.s.sed into 16 ed. He also wrote two novels, _Ranthorpe_ (1847), and _Rose, Blanche, and Violet_ (1848), neither of which attained any success. In his writings he is frequently brilliant and original; but his education and training, whether in philosophy or biology, were not sufficiently thorough to give him a place as a master in either. L.'s life was in its latter section influenced by his irregular connection with Miss Evans ("George Eliot"), with whom he lived for the last 24 years of it, in close intellectual sympathy. To his appreciation and encouragement were largely due her taking up prose fiction.

LEWIS, SIR GEORGE CORNEWALL (1806-1863).--Scholar and statesman, _s._ of Sir Thomas F.L., a Radnorshire baronet, was _ed._ at Eton and Oxf. He studied law, was called to the Bar in 1831, and entered Parliament in 1847, where his intellect and character soon gained him great influence.

After serving on various important commissions and holding minor offices, he became Chancellor of the Exchequer 1855-58, Home Sec. 1859-61, and War Sec. 1861-63. His official labours did not prevent his entering into profound and laborious studies, chiefly in regard to Roman history, and the state of knowledge among the ancients. In his _Inquiry into the Credibility of Ancient Roman History_ (1855), he combated the methods and results of Niebuhr. Other works are _On the Use and Abuse of Political Terms_, _Authority in Matters of Opinion_, _The Astronomy of the Ancients_, and a _Dialogue on the best Form of Government_. The somewhat sceptical turn of his mind led him to sift evidence minutely, and the labour involved in his wide range of severe study and his public duties no doubt shortened his valuable life.

LEWIS, MATTHEW GREGORY (1775-1818).--Novelist, _s._ of Matthew L., Deputy Sec. in the War Office, was _ed._ at Westminster and Oxf. Thereafter he went to Germany. From his childhood tales of witchcraft and the supernatural had a powerful fascination for him, and in Germany he had ample opportunities for pursuing his favourite study, with the result that at the age of 20 he became the author of _The Monk_, a tale in which the supernatural and the horrible predominate to an unprecedented extent, and from which he is known as "Monk L." The same characteristic appears in all his works, among which may be mentioned _Tales of Terror_ (1779), _Tales of Wonder_ (to which Sir W. Scott contributed), and _Romantic Tales_ (1808). Though affected and extravagant in his manners, L. was not wanting in kindly and generous feelings, and in fact an illness contracted on a voyage to the West Indies to inquire into and remedy some grievances of the slaves on his estates there was the cause of his death.

LEYDEN, JOHN (1775-1811).--Poet and Orientalist, _b._ at Denholm, Roxburghshire, gave early evidence of superior ability, and his _f._, who was a shepherd, destined him for the Church. He accordingly entered the Univ. of Edin., where he had a brilliant career, showing a special apt.i.tude for languages and natural history. In 1800 he became a licentiate of the Church, but continued his scientific and linguistic studies, and also began to write. In 1799 he had _pub._ a sketch of the _Discoveries and Settlements of the Europeans in Northern and Western Africa_, and he contributed to Scott's _Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_, and to "Monk" Lewis's _Tales of Wonder_. His enthusiasm for Oriental learning led to application being made on his behalf to Government for some situation which would make his acquirements available for the public service, but the only opening which could be obtained was that of a ship's surgeon. By extraordinary exertions L. qualified himself for this in a few months, and set sail for the East, after finishing his poem, _Scenes of Infancy_. Soon after his arrival at Madras his health gave way, and after some time pa.s.sed in Prince of Wales Island he visited the Malay Peninsula, and some of the East Indian Islands, collecting vast stores of linguistic and ethnographical information, on which was founded his great _Dissertation on the Indo-Persian, Indo-Chinese, and Dekkan Languages_ (1807). Soon after this L. was appointed a prof. in the Bengal Coll., and a little later a judge in Calcutta. In 1811 he accompanied the Governor-General, Lord Minto, to Java. His health, however, had been undermined by his almost super-human exertions, and immediately after landing he contracted a fever, of which he _d._ in three days at the early age of 36. Two Oriental works translated by him, _Sejarah Malayu_ (Malay Annals) and _Commentaries of Baber_ were _pub._ respectively in 1821 and 1826.

LIDDELL, HENRY GEORGE (1811-1898).--Historian, etc. _Ed._ at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxf., of which in 1855 he became Dean. He wrote a _History of Ancient Rome_ (1855), and, along with R. Scott, _pub._ a _Greek-English Lexicon_ (1843).

LIDDON, HENRY PARRY (1829-1890).--Divine, _s._ of a captain in the navy, was _b._ at North Stoneham, Hants, and _ed._ at King's Coll. School, London, and Oxf. He took orders 1853, was Vice-Princ.i.p.al of Cuddesdon Theological Coll. 1854-59, Prebendary of Salisbury 1864, and Canon of St.

Paul's 1870. He was also Ireland Prof. of Exegesis at Oxf. 1870-82. In 1866 he delivered his Bampton Lectures on _The Divinity of Our Lord_, and came to be recognised as one of the ablest and most eloquent representatives of the High Church party. His sermons in St. Paul's were among the leading features of the religious life of London. L. was an ardent protagonist in the various controversies of his time bearing upon ecclesiastical and moral questions.

LIGHTFOOT, JOSEPH BARBER (1828-1889).--Theologian and scholar, _b._ at Liverpool, and _ed._ at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and Camb., entered the Church, and was successively Hulsean Prof. of Divinity 1861, Chaplain to Queen Victoria 1862, member of the New Testament Company of Revisers 1870-80, Margaret Prof. of Divinity, Camb., 1875, and Bishop of Durham 1879. He was probably the greatest scholar of his day in England, especially as a grammarian and textual critic. Among his works are _Commentaries_ on several of the minor Pauline epistles, a fragmentary work on the Apostolic Fathers, _Leaders in the Northern Church_ (1890), and _The Apostolic Age_ (1892).

LILLO, GEORGE (1693-1739).--Dramatist, of Dutch descent, was _b._ in London, succeeded his _f._ in business as a jeweller, in which he had good speed, and devoted his leisure to the composition of plays in the line of what was known as the "domestic drama." He wrote in all seven of these, among which are _The London Merchant, or the History of George Barnewell_, acted 1731, _The Christian Hero_ (1735), and _Fatal Curiosity_ (1736). He was a friend of Fielding, who said of him that "he had the spirit of an old Roman joined to the innocence of a primitive Christian."

LINDSAY, or LYNDSAY, SIR DAVID (1490-1555).--Scottish poet and satirist, _s._ of David L. of Garmylton, near Haddington, was _b._ either there or at The Mount in Fife, and _ed._ at St. Andrews. Early in life he was at the Court of James IV., and on the King's death was appointed to attend on the infant James V., whose friend and counsellor he remained, though his advice was, unhappily for his country, not always given heed to. In 1529 he was knighted and made Lyon King at Arms. He was employed on various missions to the Emperor Charles V., and to Denmark, France, and England. He was always in sympathy with the people as against the n.o.bles and the clergy, and was their poet, with his words in their mouths. He favoured the Reformers, and was one of those who urged Knox to become a preacher. He did not, however, adhere to the reformed congregation, and _d._ at least nominally in the Roman Church. Yet he lashed the vices of the clergy as they had never been lashed before, and only escaped their vengeance by the protection of the King, who also condoned the severities directed against himself. His latter days were spent at The Mount, where he _d._ His chief writings are _The Dreme_, written 1528, _The Complaynt to the King_ (1529), _The Testament and Complaynt of our Soverane Lord's Papyngo_ (Parrot) (1530), _Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Three Estaitis_, _A Dialogue betwixt Experience and a Courtier_ (1552), _The Monarchy_ (1554), and _The History of Squyer Meldrum_. L. was a true poet, gifted with fancy, humour, and a powerful satiric touch and a love of truth and justice. He had a strong influence in turning the minds of the common people in favour of the Reformation.

_Works_ ed. by Chalmers (3 vols., 1806), and D. Laing (3 vols., 1879).

LINDSAY, or LINDESAY, ROBERT (1500?-1565?).--Historian, Laird or tenant of Pitscottie, Fife, wrote a history ent.i.tled _The Chronicles of Scotland_, intended as a continuation of that of Boece. It deals with the period 1436-1515, and though often inaccurate in detail, is often vivid and quaint.

LINGARD, JOHN (1771-1851).--Historian, _b._ at Winchester of humble Roman Catholic parentage, was in 1782 sent to the English Coll. at Douay, whence he escaped from the revolutionaries in 1793, and returning to England, went to Crookhall Coll., near Durham, and afterwards to Ushaw.

Ordained a priest in 1795, he became Vice-Pres. and Prof. of Philosophy at the latter coll. In 1806 he _pub._ _The Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church_, and while a missioner at Hornby, Lancashire, began his _History of England to the Accession of William and Mary_ (8 vols., 1819-30). In the preparation of this work L. had access to material hitherto _unpub._, and not available for Protestant historians, such as doc.u.ments in the Vatican and other Roman Catholic sources, and was consequently able to throw new light on various parts of his subject. The work was attacked by various writers from the Protestant standpoint. L. replied to his critics with the result that it is now generally admitted that the history, while in parts coloured by the theological and political point of view of the author, is generally an impartial and valuable work, and it remains a leading authority on the Reformation period viewed from the side of the enlightened Roman Catholic priesthood. This opinion is supported by the fact that the Ultramontane party among the Roman Catholics regarded the book as a dangerous one in respect of the interests of their Church.

LINTON, MRS. ELIZA LYNN (1822-1898).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _dau._ of a clergyman, settled in London in 1845, and next year produced her first novel, _Azeth, the Egyptian; Amymone_ (1848), and _Realities_ (1851), followed. None of these had any great success, and she then joined the staff of the _Morning Chronicle_, and _All the Year Round_. In 1858 she _m._ W.J. Linton, an eminent wood-engraver, who was also a poet of some note, a writer upon his craft, and a Republican. In 1867 they separated in a friendly way, the husband going to America, and the wife devoting herself to novel-writing, in which she attained wide popularity.

Her most successful works were _The True History of Joshua Davidson_ (1872), _Patricia Kemball_ (1874), and _Christopher Kirkland_. She was a severe critic of the "new woman."

LISTER, THOMAS HENRY (1800-1842).--Novelist, _ed._ at Westminster and Camb., was latterly the first Registrar-General for England and Wales. He wrote several novels, among which are _Granby_ (1826), _Herbert Lacy_ (1828), _Arlington_ (1832). He was also the author of a Life of Clarendon.

LITHGOW, WILLIAM (1582-1645).--Traveller, _b._ at Lanark, claimed at the end of his various peregrinations to have tramped 36,000 miles on foot.

Previous to 1610 he had visited Shetland, Switzerland, and Bohemia. In that year he set out for Palestine and Egypt. His next journey, 1614-16, was in Tunis and Fez; but his last, 1619-21, to Spain, ended unfortunately in his apprehension at Malaga and torture as a spy. He gave an account of his travels in _Rare Adventures and Paineful Peregrinations_, and wrote _The Siege of Breda_, _The Siege of Newcastle_, and _Poems_.

LIVINGSTONE, DAVID (1813-1873).--Missionary explorer, _b._ at Blantyre, Lanarkshire, spent the years between 10 and 24 as an operative in a cotton mill there. Becoming interested in foreign missions he qualified himself, and entering the service of the London Missionary Society, set out in 1846 to South Africa. He subsequently made journeys into the interior, which ultimately developed into his great pioneering and exploration expeditions, in which he discovered Lake Ngami 1849, and the river Zambesi 1851. In 1856 he visited England, _pub._ his _Missionary Travels_ (1857), and retired from the service of the London Missionary Society. He was Consul at Quilimane 1858-64, and in 1858 commanded an expedition for exploring Eastern and Central Africa, in the course of which he discovered Lakes Shirwa and Nya.s.sa 1859. Again visiting England he _pub._ his second book, _The Zambesi and its Tributaries_ (1865).

Returning to Africa he organised an expedition to the Nile basin, discovered Lake Bangweolo, explored the cannibal country, enduring terrible sufferings and dangers, from which he was rescued just in time by H.M. Stanley. His last journey was to discover the sources of the Nile, but it proved fatal, as he _d._ at a village in Ilala. His remains were brought home and buried in Westminster Abbey. L. was a man of indomitable courage, and of a simple n.o.bility of character. His writings are plain, unadorned statements of his work and experiences. He ranks among the greatest explorers and philanthropists. The diary which he kept was _pub._ as _Last Journals of David Livingstone in Central Africa_ (1874). His view of his duty in the circ.u.mstances in which he found himself was to be a pioneer opening up new ground, and leaving native agents to work it up.