A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 30

LLOYD, ROBERT (1733-1764).--Poet, _ed._ at Westminster and Camb., _pub._ _The Actor_ (1760), a poem which had considerable popularity, some miscellaneous verses, and a comic opera, _The Conscious Lovers_ (1764).

He was a friend of Churchill, who showed him much kindness in his frequent misfortunes; and on hearing of C.'s death he took to bed, and soon _d._, apparently of a broken heart.

LOCKE, DAVID Ross (PETROLEUM V. NASBY) (1833-1888).--Humorist, _b._ in New York State. His political satires really influenced opinion during the war. He was a printer and then a journalist, and his writings include _Swingin' round the Cirkle_, _Struggles of P.V. Nasby_, _Nasby in Exile_, and two novels, _A Paper City_ and _The Demagogue_.

LOCKE, JOHN (1632-1704).--Philosopher, _s._ of a landsteward, was _b._ at Wrington, near Bristol, and _ed._ at Westminster School and Oxf. In 1660 he became lecturer on Greek, in 1662 on Rhetoric, and in 1664 he went as sec. to an Emba.s.sy to Brandenburg. While a student he had turned from the subtleties of Aristotle and the schoolmen, had studied Descartes and Bacon, and becoming attracted to experimental science, studied medicine, and practised a little in Oxf. At the same time his mind had been much exercised by questions of morals and government, and in 1667 he wrote his _Essay on Toleration_. In the same year he became known to Lord Ashley (afterwards 1st Earl of Shaftesbury), in whose house he went to reside. Here he made the acquaintance of Buckingham, Halifax, and other leading men of the time, and was entrusted by Ashley with the education of his _s._, and afterwards of his grandson, the famous 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (_q.v._). He was also employed by him to draw up a const.i.tution for the new colony of Carolina, the provisions of which in regard to religion were regarded as too liberal and were, at the instance of the Established Church, departed from. In 1672 when Ashley became Chancellor he bestowed upon L. the office of Sec. of Presentations, and afterwards a post at the Board of Trade. In 1675 L. graduated M.B., and in the same year went for the benefit of his health, which had always been delicate, to Montpelier, where there was then a celebrated medical school, and subsequently to Paris, where he became acquainted with most of the eminent Frenchmen of the day. Recalled by Shaftesbury in 1679 he returned to England but, his patron having in 1682 been obliged to take refuge in Holland from a prosecution for high treason, he followed him there. In consequence of this he became obnoxious to the Government, and was in 1684 deprived of his studentship at Christ Church. Shaftesbury having _d._ in Holland, L. remained there until the Revolution, when he returned to England in the fleet which carried the Princess of Orange. He was now in favour with Government, and had the offer of diplomatic employment which, on account of his health, he declined, but was appointed a Commissioner of Appeals. In 1698 he was an adviser of the Government on the question of the coinage, and was made a member of the newly inst.i.tuted Council on Trade, which position he resigned in 1700.

During his last years he lived with Sir Francis and Lady Masham at Gates in Ess.e.x, where Lady M., who was a _dau._ of Ralph Cudworth (_q.v._), and an old friend, a.s.siduously tended his last years. The services of L. to his country in civil and religious matters were various and great; but it is upon his philosophical writings, and chiefly on his _Essay on the Human Understanding_ (1690) that his fame rests. It is divided into four books, of which the first treats of innate ideas (the existence of which he denies), the second traces the origin of ideas, the third deals with language, and the fourth lays down the limits of the understanding. Other works of his are _Thoughts concerning Education_ (1693), _On the Conduct of the Understanding_ (_pub._ posthumously), _The Reasonableness of Christianity_ (1695), _Treatise on Government_, and _Letters on Toleration_. If not a very profound or original philosopher L. was a calm, sensible, and reasonable writer, and his books were very influential on the English thought of his day, as well as on the French philosophy of the next century. His style is plain and clear, but lacking in brightness and variety.

_Lives_ by Lord King (1829), and Bourne (1876). _Works_ ed. by Prof. A.C.

Fraser (1894). _See_ also T.H. Green's Introduction to Hume (1874).

LOCKER-LAMPSON, FREDERICK (1821-1895).--Poet, _s._ of the sec. of Greenwich Hospital, held appointments in Somerset House and the Admiralty. He wrote a number of clever _vers de societe_, which were _coll._ as _London Lyrics_ (1857). He also compiled _Lyra Elegantiarum_, an anthology of similar verse by former authors, and _Patchwork_, a book of extracts, and wrote an autobiography, _My Confidences_ (1896).

LOCKHART, JOHN GIBSON (1794-1854).--Novelist and biographer, _s._ of a minister of the Church of Scotland of good family, was _b._ at Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, and _ed._ at Glasgow and Oxf. He studied law at Edin., and was called to the Scottish Bar in 1816, but had little taste for the profession. Having, however, already tried literature (he had translated Schlegel's _Lectures on the History of Literature_), he devoted himself more and more to a literary life. He joined John Wilson, and became one of the leading contributors to _Blackwood's Magazine_.

After bringing out _Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk_ (1819), sketches mainly of Edinburgh society, he produced four novels, _Valerius_ (1821), _Adam Blair_ (1822), _Reginald Dalton_ (1824), and _Matthew Wald_ (1824).

His _Life of Burns_ appeared in 1828. He was ed. of the _Quarterly Review_ 1824-53. In 1820 he had _m._ Sophia, _dau._ of Sir Walter Scott, which led to a close friendship with the latter, and to his writing his famous _Life of Scott_, undoubtedly one of the greatest biographies in the language. His later years were overshadowed with deep depression caused by the death of his wife and children. A singularly reserved and cold manner led to his being regarded with dislike by many, but his intimate friends were warmly attached to him.

LODGE, THOMAS (1558?-1625).--Poet and dramatist, _s._ of Sir Thomas L., Lord Mayor of London, was _ed._ at Merchant Taylor's School and Oxf. He was a student of Lincoln's Inn, but abandoned law for literature, ultimately studied medicine, and took M.D. at Oxf. 1603; having become a Roman Catholic, he had a large practice, chiefly among his co-religionists. In 1580 he _pub._ _A Defence of Plays_ in reply to Gosson's _School of Abuse_; and he wrote poems, dramas, and romances. His princ.i.p.al dramatic works are _The Wounds of Civil War_, and (in conjunction with Greene, _q.v._) _A Looking-gla.s.s for London and England_.

Among his romances may be mentioned _Euphues' Shadow_, _Forbonius and Prisceria_ (1584), and _Rosalynde, Euphues' Golden Legacie_ (1590).

His poems include _Glaucus and Scilia_ (1589), _Phillis honoured with Pastoral Sonnets, Elegies, and Amorous Delights_ (1593). _Rosalynde_, his best known work, and the source from which Shakespeare is said to have drawn _As you like It_, was written to beguile the tedium of a voyage to the Canaries. _Robin the Divell_ and _William Longbeard_ are historical romances. L. was also a voluminous translator. He was one of the founders of the regular English drama, but his own plays are heavy and tedious.

His romances, popular in their day, are sentimental and over-refined in language, but are enlivened by lyrical pieces in which he is far more successful than in his dramatic work.

LOGAN, JOHN (1748-1788).--Poet, _s._ of a small farmer at Soutra, Midlothian, was destined for the ministry of a small Dissenting sect to which his _f._ belonged, but attached himself to the Church of Scotland, and became minister of South Leith in 1773. He read lectures on the philosophy of history in Edin., and was the author of a vol. of poems.

He also ed. those of his friend, Michael Bruce (_q.v._), in such a way, however, as to lead to a controversy, still unsettled, as to the authorship of certain of the pieces inserted. L., in fact, suppressed some of Bruce's poems and introduced others of his own. Unfortunately for the reputation of both poets the disputed authorship extends to the gem of the collection, the exquisite _Ode to the Cuckoo_, beginning "Hail, beauteous stranger of the grove," which Burke considered the most beautiful lyric in the language. L. fell into dissipated habits, resigned his ministerial charge, and went to London, where he took an active part in the controversy regarding the impeachment of Warren Hastings.

LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879).--Cla.s.sical scholar, _ed._ at Camb. He was Prof.

of Ancient Languages in the Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1824-28, of Greek at University Coll., London, 1828-31, and of Latin there, 1842-46. He did much for the diffusion of education, was one of the founders and sec. of the Royal Geographical Society, and ed. of the _Penny Cyclopaedia_. He translated Marcus Aurelius (1862), and _The Discourses of Epictetus_ (1877), and wrote _Two Discourses on Roman Law_ (1847), a subject on which he was the greatest English authority.

LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH (1807-1882).--Poet, was _b._ at Portland, Maine, the _s._ of Stephen L., a lawyer. From childhood he cared little for games, but was always devoted to reading. In 1822 he was sent to Bowdoin Coll., of which his _f._ was a Trustee, and after graduating was appointed to a new Chair of Modern Languages, which the coll. had decided to establish, and with the view of more completely qualifying him for his duties, he was sent to Europe for a three years' course of study. He accordingly went to France, Spain, and Italy. Returning in 1829 he commenced his professional duties, writing also in the _North American Review_. In 1831 he entered into his first marriage, and in 1833 he _pub._ his first books, a translation from the Spanish, followed by the first part of _Outre Mer_, an account of his travels. At the end of the year L. was invited to become Prof. of Modern Languages at Harvard, an offer which he gladly accepted. He paid a second visit to Europe accompanied by his wife, who, however, _d._ at Amsterdam. He returned to his duties in 1836, and in 1838 appeared _Voices of the Night_, containing the "Psalm of Life" and "Excelsior," which had extraordinary popularity, and gave him a place in the affections of his countrymen which he held until his death. The same year saw the publication of _Hyperion_. His next work was _Ballads and other Poems_, containing "The Wreck of the Hesperus" and "The Village Blacksmith." In 1843 he _m._ his second wife, and in the same year appeared _The Spanish Student_, a drama. The _Belfry of Bruges_ and _Evangeline_ (1847), generally considered his masterpiece, followed. In 1849 he _pub._ _Kavanagh_, a novel which added nothing to his reputation, and in 1851 _Seaside and Fireside_, and _The Golden Legend_. Having now a sufficient and secure income from his writings, he resigned his professorship, and devoted himself entirely to literature. _Hiawatha_ appeared in 1855, and _The Courtship of Miles Standish_ in 1858. In 1861 he lost his wife under tragic circ.u.mstances, a blow which told heavily upon him. His latest works were a translation of Dante's _Divina Commedia_, _Tales of a Wayside Inn_, _The New England Tragedies_, and _The Divine Tragedy_, the last two of which he combined with _The Golden Legend_ into a trilogy, which he named _Christus_. In 1868 he paid a last visit to England, where he was received with the highest honour. Later works were _Three Books of Song_, _Aftermath_, and _Ultima Thule_. He _d._ on March 14, 1882. L.

lacked the intensity of feeling and power of imagination to make him a great poet; but few poets have appealed to a wider circle of readers. If he never soars to the heights or sounds the deeps of feeling he touches the heart by appealing to universal and deep-seated affections. He was a man of n.o.ble and chivalrous character.

_Lives_ by S. Longfellow in Riverside ed. of works (11 vols. 1886-90), Robertson (Great Writers Series), and Higginson (American Men of Letters).

LOVELACE, RICHARD (1618-1658).--Poet, _b._ at Woolwich, _s._ of Sir William L., was _ed._ at Oxf., where he is described by Anthony Wood as "the most amiable and beautiful person that eye ever beheld." He was an enthusiastic Royalist, and spent his whole fortune in support of that cause. For presenting "the Kentish pet.i.tion" in favour of the King, he was imprisoned in 1642, when he wrote his famous song, _When Love with unconfined wings_. After his release he served in the French army, and was wounded at Dunkirk. Returning, he was again imprisoned, 1648, and produced his _Lucasta: Epodes, Odes_, etc. He lives in literature by a few of his lyrics which, though often careless, are graceful and tender.

He _d._ in poverty.

LOVER, SAMUEL (1797-1868).--Song-writer and novelist, was a painter of portraits, chiefly miniatures. He produced a number of Irish songs, of which several--including _The Angel's Whisper_, _Molly Bawn_, and _The Four-leaved Shamrock_--attained great popularity. He also wrote some novels, of which _Rory O'More_ (in its first form a ballad), and _Handy Andy_ are the best known, and short Irish sketches, which, with his songs, he combined into a popular entertainment called _Irish Nights_. He joined with d.i.c.kens in founding _Bentley's Magazine_.

LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL (1819-1891).--Poet and essayist, _b._ at Camb., Ma.s.sachusetts, _s._ of a Unitarian minister, was _ed._ at Harvard. He began active life as a lawyer, but soon abandoned business, and devoted himself mainly to literature. In 1841 he _pub._ a vol. of poems, _A Year's Life_, and in 1843 a second book of verses appeared. He also wrote at this time political articles in the _Atlantic_ and _North American Review_. In 1848 he _pub._ a third vol. of _Poems_, _A Fable for Critics_, _The Biglow Papers_, and _The Vision of Sir Launfal_; and he was in 1855 appointed Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard in succession to Longfellow. _Among my Books_ appeared in 2 series, in 1870 and 1876. His later poems included various _Odes_ in celebration of national events, some of which were _coll._ in _Under the Willows_, _The Cathedral_, and _Heartsease and Rue_. In 1877 he was appointed United States minister to Spain, and he held a similar appointment in England 1880-85. He _d._ at Elmwood, the house in which he was _b._ L. was a man of singularly varied gifts, wit, humour, scholarship, and considerable poetic power, and he is the greatest critic America has yet produced. He was a strong advocate of the abolition of slavery.

LOWTH, ROBERT (1710-1787).--Theologian and scholar, _s._ of William L., Prebendary of Winchester, and author of a _Commentary on the Prophets_, was _b._ at Winchester, and _ed._ there and at Oxf. Entering the Church he became Bishop successively of St. David's, Oxf., and London. In 1753 he _pub._ _De Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum_. He also wrote a _Life of William of Wykeham_, the founder of Winchester Coll., and made a new translation of Isaiah.

LYDGATE, JOHN (1370?-1451?).--Poet, _b._ in Suffolk, was ordained a priest in 1397. After studying at Oxf., Paris, and Padua, he taught literature in his monastery at Bury St. Edmunds. He appears to have been a bright, clear-minded, earnest man, with a love of the beautiful, and a faculty of pleasant, flowing verse. He wrote copiously and with tiresome prolixity whatever was required of him, moral tales, legends of the saints, and histories, and his total output is enormous, reaching 130,000 lines. His chief works are _Troy Book_ (1412-20), written at the request of Henry V. when Prince of Wales, _The Falls of Princes_ (1430-38), and _The Story of Thebes_ (_c._ 1420). These books were first _printed_ in 1513, 1494, and _c._ 1500 respectively. L. also wrote many miscellaneous poems. He was for a time Court poet, and was patronised by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester; but the greater part of his life was spent in the monastery at Bury St. Edmunds. He was an avowed admirer of Chaucer, though he largely follows the French romancists previous to him.

LYELL, SIR CHARLES (1797-1875).--Geologist and writer, _s._ of Charles L., of Kinnordy, Forfarshire (a distinguished botanist and student of Dante), was brought up near the New Forest. After going to school at various places in England, he was sent to Oxf., where under Buckland he imbibed a taste for science. He studied law, and was called to the Bar, but soon devoted himself to geology, and made various scientific tours on the Continent, the results of his investigations being _pub._ chiefly in the Transactions of the Geological Society, of which he was afterwards repeatedly Pres. His two chief works are _The Principles of Geology_ (1830-33), and _The Elements of Geology_ (1838). In these books he combated the necessity of stupendous convulsions, and maintained that the greatest geologic changes might be produced by remote causes still in operation. He also _pub._, among other works, _Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man_ (1863). He was Prof. of Geology in King's Coll., London, 1831-33, Pres. of the British a.s.sociation 1864, knighted in 1848, and _cr._ a Baronet in 1864. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. In his later years he was generally recognised as the greatest of living geologists.

LYLY, JOHN (1554?-1606).--Dramatist and miscellaneous writer, was _b._ in the Weald of Kent, and _ed._ at both Oxf. and Camb. He wrote several dramas, most of which are on cla.s.sical and mythological subjects, including _Campaspe_ and _Sapho and Phao_ (1584), _Endymion_ (1591), and _Midas_ (1592). His chief fame, however, rests on his two didactic romances, _Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit_ (1579), and _Euphues and his England_ (1580). These works, which were largely inspired by Ascham's _Toxophilus_, and had the same objects in view, viz., the reform of education and manners, exercised a powerful, though temporary, influence on the language, both written and spoken, commemorated in our words "euphuism" and "euphuistic." The characteristics of the style have been set forth as "pedantic and far-fetched allusion, elaborate indirectness, a cloying smoothness and drowsy monotony of diction, alliteration, punning, and such-like puerilities, which do not, however, exclude a good deal of wit, fancy, and prettiness." Many contemporary authors, including Shakespeare, made game of it, while others, _e.g._ Greene, admired and practised it. L. also wrote light dramatic pieces for the children of the Chapel Royal, and contributed a pamphlet, _Pappe with an Hatchet_ (1589) to the Mar-prelate controversy in which he supported the Bishops. He sat in Parliament for some years.

LYNDESAY, SIR D., (_see_ LINDSAY.)

LYTE, HENRY FRANCIS (1793-1847).--Hymn-writer, _b._ at Ednam, near Kelso, of an ancient Somersetshire family, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, took orders, and was inc.u.mbent of Lower Brixham, Devonshire. He _pub._ _Poems: chiefly religious_ (1833). He is chiefly remembered for his hymns, one of which, _Abide with Me_, is universally known and loved.

LYTTELTON, GEORGE, 1ST LORD LYTTELTON (1709-1773).--Poet, _s._ of Sir Thomas L., of Hagley, Worcestershire, _ed._ at Eton and Oxf., was the patron of many literary men, including Thomson and Mallet, and was himself a somewhat voluminous author. Among his works are _Letters from a Persian in England to his friend in Ispahan_ (1735), a treatise _On the Conversion of St. Paul_ (1746), _Dialogues of the Dead_ (1760), which had great popularity, and a _History of the Reign of Henry II._, well-informed, careful, and impartial, but tedious. He is chiefly remembered by his _Monody_ on the death of his wife. The stanza in _The Castle of Indolence_ in which Thomson is playfully described (canto 1, st. lxviii.), is by L., who is himself referred to in lxv. He took some part in public affairs, and was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1756.

LYTTON, EDWARD GEORGE EARLE LYTTON-BULWER, 1ST LORD (1803-1873).--Novelist and statesman, third son of General Earle Bulwer of Heydon and Dalling, Norfolk, and of Elizabeth Lytton, heiress of Knebworth, Herts, was _b._ in London, and _ed._ privately and at Camb. He began to write when still a boy, and _pub._, in 1820, _Ismael and other Poems_. His marriage in 1825 to Rosina Wheeler, an Irish beauty, caused a quarrel with his mother, and the loss of his income, and thus incidentally gave the impulse to his marvellous literary activity. The marriage proved an unhappy one, and was terminated by a separation in 1836. During its continuance, however, his life was a busy and productive one, its literary results including _Falkland_ (1827), _Pelham_ (1828), _Paul Clifford_ (1830), _Eugene Aram_ (1832), _The Pilgrims of the Rhine_, _Last Days of Pompeii_, _Rienzi_ (1835), besides _England and the English_, _Athens its Rise and Fall_, and innumerable tales, essays, and articles in various reviews and magazines, including the _New Monthly_, of which he became ed. in 1831. In the same year he entered Parliament as a Liberal, but gradually gravitated towards Conservatism, and held office in the second government of Lord Derby as Colonial Sec. 1858-59. As a politician he devoted himself largely to questions affecting authors, such as copyright and the removal of taxes upon literature. He continued his literary labours with almost unabated energy until the end of his life, his works later than those already mentioned including the _Last of the Barons_ (1843), _Harold_ (1848), the famous triad of _The Caxtons_ (1850), _My Novel_ (1853), and _What will he do with it?_ (1859); and his studies in the supernatural, _Zanoni_ (1842), and _A Strange Story_ (1862). Later still were _The Coming Race_ (1870) and _Kenelm Chillingly_ (1873). To the drama he contributed three plays which still enjoy popularity, _The Lady of Lyons_, _Richelieu_, both (1838), and _Money_ (1840). In poetry he was less successful. _The New Timon_, a satire, is the best remembered, largely, however, owing to the reply by Tennyson which it brought down upon the author, who had attacked him. In his works, numbering over 60, L. showed an amazing versatility, both in subject and treatment, but they have not, with perhaps the exception of the Caxton series, kept their original popularity. Their faults are artificiality, and forced brilliancy, and as a rule they rather dazzle by their cleverness than touch by their truth to nature. L. was raised to the peerage in 1866.

_Life, Letters, etc._, of Lord Lytton by his son, 2 vols., comes down to 1832 only. Political Memoir prefaced to _Speeches_ (2 vols., 1874).

LYTTON, EDWARD ROBERT BULWER, 1ST EARL OF LYTTON (1831-1891).--Poet and statesman, _s._ of the above, was _ed._ at Harrow and Bonn, and thereafter was private sec. to his uncle, Sir H. Bulwer, afterwards Lord Dalling and Bulwer (_q.v._), at Washington and Florence. Subsequently he held various diplomatic appointments at other European capitals. In 1873 he succeeded his _f._ in the t.i.tle, and in 1876 became Viceroy of India.

He was _cr._ an Earl on his retirement in 1880, and was in 1887 appointed Amba.s.sador at Paris, where he _d._ in 1891. He valued himself much more as a poet than as a man of affairs; but, though he had in a considerable degree some of the qualities of a poet, he never quite succeeded in commanding the recognition of either the public or the critics. His writings, usually appearing under the pseudonym of "Owen Meredith,"

include _Clytemnestra_ (1855), _The Wanderer_ (1857), _Lucile_ (1860), _Chronicles and Characters_ (1868), _Orval, or the Fool of Time_ (1869), _Fables in Song_ (1874), and _King Poppy_ (1892). As Viceroy of India he introduced important reforms, and his dispatches were remarkable for their fine literary form.

MACAULAY, MRS. CATHERINE (SAWBRIDGE) (1731-1791).--_Dau._ of a landed proprietor of Kent, was an advocate of republicanism, and a sympathiser with the French Revolution. She wrote a _History of England from the Accession of James I. to the Elevation of the House of Hanover_ (8 vols., 1763-83), which had great popularity in its day, some critics, _e.g._ Horace Walpole, placing it above Hume. Though a work of no real research or authority, it is in the main well written.

MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON, LORD (1800-1859).--Historian, essayist, and statesman, _s._ of Zachary M., a wealthy merchant, and one of the leaders of the anti-slavery party, was _b._ at Rothley Temple, Leicestershire, and _ed._ at a private school and at Trinity Coll., Camb., of which he became a Fellow in 1824, and where, though he gained distinction as a cla.s.sical scholar and debater, he did not take a high degree, owing to his weakness in mathematics. About the time of his leaving the Univ. his prospects were entirely changed by the failure of his father's firm. He accordingly read law, and in 1826 was called to the Bar, which led to his appointment two years later as a Commissioner in Bankruptcy. He had by this time made his first appearance in print, in _Knight's Quarterly Magazine_, and in 1825 he formed the connection with the _Edinburgh Review_ which redounded so greatly to the fame of both. His first contribution was the famous essay on Milton, which, although he afterwards said of it that "it contained scarcely a paragraph which his matured judgment approved," took the reading public by storm, and at once gave him access to the first society in London, in which his extraordinary conversational powers enabled him to take a leading place.

He now began to turn his mind towards public life, and by favour of Lord Lansdowne sat in the House of Commons for his family borough of Calne.

Entering the House in 1830 in the thick of the Reform struggle, M. at once leaped into a foremost place as a debater, and after the pa.s.sage of the Reform Bill sat as one of the two members for the new borough of Leeds, and held office as Sec. to the Board of Control. The acquaintance with Indian affairs which he thus gained led to his appointment as a member of the Supreme Council of India, whither he went in 1834. Here his chief work was the codification of the criminal law, which he carried out with great ability, and by which he wrote his name on the history of the empire. By the regard for the rights of the natives which he showed, he incurred much ill-will in interested quarters. For this he consoled himself with the pleasures of literature, which gradually a.s.sumed the preponderance in his mind over political ambitions. In 1838 he returned to England. The next year he began _The History of England_, but for some time to come his energies were still divided between this task, the demands of the _Edinburgh Review_, and politics. He was elected for Edin., for which he sat until 1847, when he was thrown out on the Maynooth question, and from 1839-41 was Sec. for War. The _Lays of Ancient Rome_ were _pub._ in 1842, and a collection of his essays in _The Edinburgh_ the following year. In 1846 he joined the government of Lord John Russell as Paymaster-General, an office with light duties, his retirement from which, however, followed the loss of his seat in the next year. He was now finally set free for his great work, which became thenceforth the leading interest of his life. The first and second vols.

appeared in 1848, and were received with extraordinary applause. In 1852 he was offered, but declined, a seat in the coalition government of Lord Aberdeen, accepting, however, the seat in Parliament which Edin., now repentant, gave him unsolicited. His health began about this time to show symptoms of failure, and he spoke in the House only once or twice.

In 1855 the third and fourth vols. of the _History_ came out, and meeting with a success both at home and in America unprecedented in the case of an historical work, were translated into various foreign languages. In 1857 M. was raised to the Peerage, a distinction which he appreciated and enjoyed. His last years were spent at Holly Lodge, Kensington, in comparative retirement, and there he _d._ on December 28, 1859. Though never _m._, M. was a man of the warmest family affections. Outside of his family he was a steady friend and a generous opponent, disinterested and honourable in his public life. Possessed of an astonishing memory, knowledge of vast extent, and an unfailing flow of ready and effective speech, he shone alike as a parliamentary orator and a conversationalist.

In his writings he spared no pains in the collection and arrangement of his materials, and he was incapable of deliberate unfairness.

Nevertheless, his mind was strongly cast in the mould of the orator and the pleader: and the vivid contrasts, ant.i.theses, and even paradoxes which were his natural forms of expression do not always tend to secure a judicial view of the matter in hand. Consequently he has been accused by some critics of party-spirit, inaccuracy, and prejudice. He has not often, however, been found mistaken on any important matter of fact, and in what he avowedly set himself to do, namely, to give a living picture of the period which he dealt with, he has been triumphantly successful.

Unfortunately, strength and life failed before his great design was completed. He is probably most widely known by his _Essays_, which retain an extraordinary popularity.

_Life_ by his nephew, Sir G.O. Trevelyan. _See_ also J.C. Monson's _Life_ (English Men of Letters).

MACCARTHY, DENIS FLORENCE (1817-1882).--Poet, _b._ at Dublin, and _ed._ at Maynooth with a view to the priesthood, devoted himself, however, to literature, and contributed verses to _The Nation_. Among his other writings are _Ballads, Poems, and Lyrics_ (1850), _The Bell Founder_ (1857), and _Under-Glimpses_. He also ed. a collection of Irish lyrics, translated Calderon, and wrote _Sh.e.l.ley's Early Life_ (1872).