or LACE, in the sea-language, signifies to bind bind and make fast; as, to lash the bonnet to the course, or the drabbler to the bonnets; also the carpenter takes care that the spare yards be lashed fast to the ship's side; and in a rolling sea, the gunners mind that the guns be well lashed, lest they should break loose. Lashers are properly those ropes which bind fast the tackles and the breechings of the ordnance, when hauled or made fast within-board.

**Lassitude**, or **weariness**, in medicine, a morbid sensation, that comes on spontaneously, without any previous motion, exercise, or labour. This is a frequent symptom in acute distempers: it arises either from an increase of bulk, a diminution of proper evacuation, or too great a consumption of the fluids necessary to maintain the spring of the solids, or from a vitiated secretion of that juice.

**Lassus**, or Lasus, a dithyrambic poet, born at Hermione in Peloponnesus about 500 years before Christ. He is reckoned among the wise men of Greece by some. He is particularly known by the answer he gave to a man who asked him what could best render life pleasant and comfortable? Experience. He was acquainted with music. Some fragments of his poetry are to be found in Athenaeus. He wrote an ode upon the Centaurs, and an hymn to Ceres, without inserting the letter S in the composition.

**Last**, in general, signifies the burden or load of a ship. It signifies also a certain measure of fish, corn, wool, leather, &c. A last of codfish, white herrings, meal, and ashes for soap, is twelve barrels; of corn or rape-seed, ten quarters; of gunpowder, twenty-four barrels; of red herrings, twenty casks; of hides, twelve dozen; of leather, twenty dickers; of pitch and tar, fourteen barrels; of wool, twelve sacks; of stock-fish, one thousand; of flax or feathers, 1700lb.

**Lastage**, or **lestage**, a duty exacted in some fairs and markets, for carrying things bought whither one will. It signifies also the ballast or lading of a ship; and sometimes is used for garbage, rubbish, or such like filth.

**Lateran** was originally the proper name of a man; whence it descended to an ancient palace in Rome, and to the buildings since erected in its place; particularly a church called St John of Lateran, which is the principal see of the pope-dom.

**Councils of the Lateran**, are those held in the basilica of the Lateran: of these there have been five, held in 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215, and 1513.

**Canons Regular of the Congregation of the Lateran**, is a congregation of regular canons, whereof that church is the principal place or seat.

It is pretended there has been an uninterrupted succession of clerks, living in community from the time of the apostles; and that a number of these were established in the Lateran in the time of Constantine. But the canons were not introduced till the time of Leo I. and these held the church 800 years, till the reign of Boniface, who took it from them, and placed secular canons in their room: 150 years after, the regulars were reinstated.

**A Latere**, a term used to denote the qualifications of the cardinals whom the pope sends as legates into foreign countries. They are called legates a latere, as being his holiness's assistants and counsellors in ordinary. These are the most considerable of the other three kinds of legates, being such as the pope commissions to take his place in councils; and so called, in regard that he never gives this office to any but his favourites and confidants, who are always a latere, at his side. A legate a latere has the power of conferring benefices without a mandate, of legitimating bastardy to hold offices, and has a crois carried before him as the ensign of his authority.

**De Latere**, legates who are not cardinals, but yet are entrusted with an apostolical legation. See the article Legate.

**Late-wake**, a ceremony used at funerals in the Highlands of Scotland. The evening after the death of any person, the relations and friends of the deceased meet at the house, attended by bagpipe or fiddle; the nearest of kin, be it wife, son, or daughter, opens a melancholy ball, dancing, and greeting (i.e., crying violently) at the same time, and this continues till daylight; but with such gambols and frolics among the younger part of the company, that the loss which occasioned them is often more than supplied by the consequences of that night. If the corpse remains unburied for two nights, the same rites are renewed. Thus, Scythian-like, they rejoice at the deliverance of their friends out of this life of misery.

**Lateen-sail**, a long triangular sail extended by a lateen yard, and frequently used by xebecs, palaques, fetes, and other vessels navigated in the Mediterranean sea.

**Lathe**, in building, a long, thin, and narrow slip of wood nailed to the rafters of a roof or ceiling, in order to sustain the covering.

**Lathe-bricks**, a particular sort of bricks made in some parts of England, of 22 inches in length and 6 in breadth, which are used in the place of laths or spars, supported by pillars in cells, for the drying of malt. This is an excellent contrivance; for besides that they are not liable to fire, as the wooden laths are, they retain the heat vastly better; so that being once heated, a very small quantity of fire will serve to keep them so.

**Lathe**, a very useful engine for the turning of wood, ivory, metals, and other materials. (See Turning.) The invention of the lathe is very ancient: Diodorus Siculus says, the first who used it was a grandson of Daedalus, named Talus. Pliny attributes it to Theodore of Samos; and mentions one Thericles, who rendered himself very famous by his dexterity in managing the lathe. With this instrument the ancients turned all kinds of vases, many whereof they enriched with figures and ornaments in basso relievo. Thus Virgil:

*Lenta quibus torno facili superaddita viti.*

The Greek and Latin authors make frequent mention of the lathe; and Cicero calls the workmen who used it *vajcularii*. It was a proverb among the ancients, to say a thing was formed in the lathe, to express its delicacy and juttness.

The lathe is composed of two wooden cheeks or sides, parallel to the horizon, having a groove or opening between; perpendicular to these are two other pieces called *puppets*, made to slide between the cheeks, and to be fixed down at any point at pleasure. These have two points, between which the piece to be turned is sustained; the piece is turned round, backwards... backwards and forwards, by means of a string put round it, and fastened above to the end of a pliable pole, and underneath to a tredle or board moved with the foot. There is also a rest which bears up the tool, and keeps it steady.

As it is the use and application of this instrument that makes the greatest part of the art of turning, we refer the particular description thereof, as well as the manner of applying it in various works, to that head. See Turning.