Legenda Aurea by Jacques de Voragine. A collection of monkish legends in Latin. (1230-1298.)
The
Golden Legend. of Longfellow, is a semi-dramatic poem taken from an old German tale by Hartmann
von der Aur, called Poor Henry. (Twelfth century.)
Leger St. Leger Stakes (Doncaster): so called from Colonel Anthony St. Leger, who founded them in
1776. The colonel was governor of St. Lucia, and cousin of the Hon. Elizabeth St. Leger (the lady
Freemason).
The St. Leger Stakes are for both colts and mares. Those which have run in the Derby or
Oaks are eligible.
Leger-de-Main Sleight of hand; conjuring which depends chiefly on lightness of hand, or dexterity.
Legion “My name is Legion: for we are many” (St. Mark v. 9). A proverbial expression somewhat similar
to hydraheaded. Thus, speaking of the houseless poor we should say, “Their name is Legion;” so also
we should say of the diseases arising from want of cleanliness, the evils of ignorance, and so on.
The
Thundering Legion. The Roman legion that discomfited the Marcomanni in 179 is so called, because
(as the legend informs us) a thunderstorm was sent in answer to the prayers of certain Christians; this
storm relieved the thirst of the legion. In like manner a hail-storm was sent to the aid of Joshua, at the
time when he commanded the sun to stay its course, and assisted the Israelites to their victory. (Dion
Cassius, lxxi. 8. (See Joshua x. 10-12.)
Legion of Honour An order of merit instituted by the First Consul in 1802, for either military or civil
merit. In 1843 there were 49,417 members, but in 1851 one new member was elected for every two
extinct ones, so that the honour was no longer a mere farce.
Napoleon III. added a lower order of this
Legion, called the Médarille Militaire, the ribbon of which was yellow, not red. The old Legion consisted
of Grand Cross, Grand Officers, Commanders, Officers, and Chevaliers, and the ribbon of the order was
red.
“The Legion of Honour gives pensions to its military members, and free education to some four hundred of the daughters, sisters, and nieces of its members.”Legislator or Solon of Parnassus. Boileau was so called by Voltaire, because of his Art of Poetry, a production unequalled in the whole range of didactic poetry. (1636-1711.)
Leglin-girth To cast a leglin-girth. To have “a screw loose;” to have made a faux pas; to have one's reputation blown upon. A legin-girth is the lowest hoop of a leglin or milk-pail. (See Sir Walter Scott: Fortunes of Nigel, chap. xxii.)
Legree A slave-dealer in Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Mrs, Beecher Stowe.
Leibnitz-ism or Leibnitzian-ism. The doctrines taught by G. W. von Leibnitz, the German philosopher
(1646-1716). The opposite of Spinosa-ism. Spinosa taught that whatever is, is God manifested by phenomena.
The light and warmth of the sun, the refreshing breeze, space, and every visible object, is only diety in
detail. That God, in fact, is one and all.
Leibnitz, on the other hand, taught that phenomena are separate
from deity, as body is from soul; but although separate, that there is between them a pre-established
harmony. The electricity which runs along a telegraph wire is not the message, but it gives birth to the
message by pre-established harmony. So all things obey God's will, not because they are identical, but
on account of this pre-established harmony.
Leicester (pron. Lester) is the camptown on the river Leire, which is now called the Soar
Leicester Square (London). So called from a family mansion of the Sydneys, Earls of Leicester, which
stood on the north-east side.
“The Earl of Leicester, father of Algernon Sidney the patriot ... built for himself a stately house at the north-east corner of a square plot of `Lammas Land.' belonging to the parish of St. Martin's which plot henceforth became known to Londoners as Leicester Fields. A square gradually grew up on the spot,