a town in Cornwall, seated in a plain. Leslie is a corporation, and sends two members to parliament. It had formerly a castle, now in ruins. It is one of the largest and best built towns in Cornwall, with the greatest market. It was first incorporated by Edward earl of Cornwall, afterwards by King John's son, Richard king of the Romans, and had privileges from Edward the Black Prince. Queen Elizabeth granted it a charter; by which it was to have a mayor and burgesses, who should have a perpetual succession, purchase lands, &c. Here is a handsome town hall built on stone pillars, with a turret on it, and a noble clock with four dials, a large church, a meeting house, an eminent free school, and a curious conduit; and on the adjacent commons, which feed multitudes of sheep, there have been frequent horse races. Here is a great trade in all manufactures of leather; and some spinning, which is encouraged by the clothiers of Devonshire. On the hills of North Lefkard, and in the way from hence to Launcelton, are many mines of tin, which is cast at the blowing houses into blocks, that are sent hither to be coined.

Leslie, John, bishop of Ross in Scotland, the son of Gavin Leslie an eminent lawyer, was born in the year 1526, and educated at the university of Aberdeen; of which diocese he was made official, when but a youth. He was soon after created doctor of civil and canon law; but being peculiarly addicted to the study of divinity, he took orders, and became parson of Ure. When the Reformation began to spread in Scotland, and disputes about religion ran high, Dr Leslie, in 1560, distinguished himself at Edinburgh as a principal advocate for the Roman church, and was afterwards deputed by the chief nobility of that religion to console with Queen Mary on the death of her husband the king of France, and to invite her to return to her native dominions. Accordingly, after a short residence with her majesty, they embarked together at Calais in 1561, and landed at Leith. She immediately made him one of her privy council, and a senator of the college of justice. In 1564, he was made abbot of Lindores; and on the death of Sinclair was promoted to the bishopric of Ross. These accumulated honours he wished not to enjoy in luxurious indolence. The influence derived from them, he exerted to the prosperity of his country. It is to him that Scotland is indebted for the publication of its laws, commonly called "The black acts of parliament," from the Saxon character in which they were printed. At his most earnest desire, the revision and collection of them were committed to the great officers of the crown. In 1568, Queen Mary having fled to England for refuge, and being there detained a prisoner, Queen Elizabeth appointed certain commissioners at York to examine into the cause of the dispute between Mary and her subjects. These commissioners were met by others from the queen of Scots. The bishop of Ross was of the number, and pleaded the cause of his royal mistress with great energy, though without success; Elizabeth had no intention to release her. Mary, disappointed in her expectations from the conference at York, sent the bishop of Ross ambassador to Elizabeth, who paid little attention to his complaints. He then began to negotiate a marriage between his royal mistress and the duke of Norfolk; which negociation, it is well known, proved fatal to the duke, and was the cause of Leslie's being sent to the Tower. In 1573 he was banished the kingdom, and retired to Holland. The two following years he spent in fruitless endeavours to engage the powers of Europe to espouse the cause of his queen. His last application was to the pope; but the power of the heretic Elizabeth had no less weight with his holiness than with the other Roman Catholic princes of Europe. Finding all his personal applications ineffectual, he had recourse to his pen in Queen Mary's vindication; but Elizabeth's ultima ratio regum was too potent for all his arguments. Bishop Leslie, during his exile, was made coadjutor to the archbishop of Rouen. He was at Brussels when he received the account of Queen Mary's execution; and immediately retired to the convent of Guiterenberg near that city, where he died in the year 1596. It was during the long and unfortunate captivity of Mary, that he amused himself in writing the History of Scotland, and his other works. The elegance and charms of literary occupations served to affuse the violence of his woes. His knowledge and judgement as an historian are equally to be commended. Where he acts as the transcriber of Boece, there may be distinguished, indeed, some of the inaccuracies of that writer. But, when he speaks in his own person, he has a manliness, a candour, and a moderation, which appear not always even in authors of the Protestant persuasion. His works are, 1. Affliction animi consolationes, &c., composed for the consolation of the captive queen. 2. De origine, mortibus, et gestis Scotorum. 3. De titulo et jure ferentiumque Marie Scotorum reginae, quo regni Anglici successione fide justa vindicat. 4. Parænæs ad Anglos et Scotos. 5. De illyria feminarum in republic. administraanda, &c. 6. Oration ad reginam Elisabetham pro libertate imperatrix. 7. Parænæs ad nobilitatem populumque Scoticum. 8. An account of his proceedings during his embassy in England from 1568 to 1572; manuscript, Oxon. 9. Apology for the bishop of Ross, concerning the duke of Norfolk; manuscript, Oxon. 10. Several letters, manuscript.

Leslie, Charles, a learned divine of Ireland, the time and place of whose birth is uncertain. He was educated at Inniskilling; and in 1664, was created fellow of Trinity-college, Dublin, where he continued till he became A.M. At the decease of his father he came over to England, and entered himself in the Temple at London. The study of the law very soon disgusted him, and he turned all his attention to theology, being admitted into holy orders in 1680. In 1687, he was chosen chancellor of the church and diocese of Connor, at which time he made himself extremely unpopular by his determined opposition to the tenets of the church of Rome. He imbibed the absurd and pernicious doctrines of passive obedience and non-resistance, by which his judgement was so much baffled, that he refused to take the oath of allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, at the revolution.

He was a strenuous champion for the cause of the nonjurors, in defence of which he published a work in 1692, being an answer to The State of Protestants in Ireland under the late King James's Government, written by Archbishop King. He also wrote a paper called the Rehearsal, originally published once a week, and afterwards twice, in a folio half-sheet, consisting of a dialogue on the affairs of the times. It lasted during fix