See Excoecaria, Botany Index.

LIGNUM Nephriticum. See Guillandina, Botany Index.

LIGNUM Rhodium, or Rosewood, in the Materia Medica; a wood, or root, chiefly brought from the Canary islands.

The taste of this wood is lightly bitterish, and somewhat pungent; its smell is very fragrant, resembling that Lignum that of roses: long kept, it seems to lose its smell; but on cutting, or rubbing one piece against the other, it smells as well as at first. Distilled with water, it yields an odoriferous essential oil, in very small quantity. Rhodium is at present in esteem only upon account of its oil, which is employed as a high and agreeable perfume.

**Lignum Campechense.** See **Hematoxylum**, Botany Index.

**Lignum Colubrinum.** See **Ophiophriza**.

**Ligulated,** among botanists, an appellation given to such florets as have a straight end turned downwards, with three indentures, but not separated into segments.

**Liguria,** in *Ancient Geography*, a country of Italy, bounded on the south by the Mediterranean sea, on the north by the Apennine mountains, on the west by part of Transalpine Gaul, and on the east by Etruria. There is a great disagreement among authors concerning the origin of the Ligurians, though most probably they were descended from the Gauls. Some carry up their origin as far as the fabulous heroes of antiquity; while others trace them from the Ligyes, a people mentioned by Herodotus as attending Xerxes in his expeditions against Greece. These Ligyes are by some ancient geographers placed in Colchis; by others, in Albania.—According to Diodorus Siculus, the Ligurians led a very wretched life; their country being entirely overgrown with woods, which they were obliged to pull up by the root, in order to cultivate their land, which was also encumbered with great stones, and, being naturally barren, made but very poor returns for all their labour. They were much addicted to hunting; and, by a life of continual exercise and labour, became so strong, that the weakest Ligurian was generally an overmatch for the strongest and most robust among the Gauls. The women are said to have been almost as strong as the men, and to have borne an equal share in all laborious enterprises. With all their bravery, however, they were not able to resist the Roman power; but were subdued by that warlike nation, about 211 B.C.

**Ligusticum, lovage,** a genus of plants belonging to the pentandria clasf; and in the natural method ranking under the 45th order, Umbellatae. See Botany Index.

**Ligustrum, privet,** a genus of plants belonging to the diandria clasf; and in the natural method ranking under the 44th order, Sepiariae. See Botany Index.

**Liburne, John,** an enthusiastic demagogue, who was tyrannically punished by the star-chamber court, being put in the pillory, whipped, fined, and imprisoned, for importing and publishing seditious pamphlets, which he had got printed in Holland; they chiefly reflected on the church of England and its bishops; he suffered in 1637, and in prison was doubly loaded with irons. In 1641, he was released by the long parliament: and from this time he had the address to make himself formidable to all parties, by his bold, aspiring genius. He signalized himself in the parliament army; and was at one time the secret friend and confidant of Cromwell, and at another his avowed enemy and accuser; so that, in 1659, Cromwell found it to be his interest to silence him, by a grant of some forfeited estates. But after this, he Lillaceous grew outrageous against the protector's government; became chief of the levellers; and was twice tried for high treason, but acquitted by the juries. The last was for returning from exile (having been banished by the parliament) without a pass. He died in 1657, aged 88.

**Liliaceous,** in Botany, an appellation given to such flowers as resemble those of the lily.

**Lilium,** the lily; a genus of plants belonging to the hexandria clasf, and in the natural method ranking under the 10th order, Coronariae. See Botany Index.

**Lillo, George,** an excellent dramatic writer, was born at London in 1603. He was a jeweller by profession, and followed his business for many years in that neighbourhood with the fairest reputation. He was at the same time strongly attached to the muses, yet seemed to have laid it down as a maxim, that the devotion paid to them ought always to tend to the promotion of virtue, morality, and religion. In pursuance of this aim, Lilly was happy in the choice of his subjects, and showed great power of affecting the heart, by working up the passions to such a height as to render the distresses of common and domestic life equally interesting to the audiences as that of kings and heroes, and the ruin brought on private families by an indulgence of avarice, lust, &c., as the havoc made in states and empires by ambition, cruelty, or tyranny. His "George Barnwell," "Fatal Curiosity," and "Arden of Feverham," are all planned on common and well known stories; yet they have perhaps more frequently drawn tears from an audience than the more pompous tragedies of Alexander the Great, All for Love, &c. In the prologue to "Elmeric," which was not acted till after the author's death, it is said, that when he wrote that play, he "was deprived by want," and afflicted by disease; but in the former particular there appears to be evidently a mistake, as he died possessed of an estate of 60l. a-year, besides other effects to a considerable value. His death happened in 1739, in the 47th year of his age. His works have been collected, and published, with an account of his life, in 2 vols. 12mo.

**Lilly, John,** a dramatic poet, was born in the Wealds of Kent, about the year 1553, and educated in Magdalen-college, Oxford, where he took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1573, and that of master in 1575. From Oxford he removed to Cambridge; but how long he continued there, is uncertain. On his arrival in London, he became acquainted with some of Queen Elizabeth's courtiers, by whom he was caressed, and admired as a poet and a wit; and her majesty, on particular festivals, honoured his dramatic pieces with her presence. His plays are nine in number. His first publication, however, printed in 1580, was a romance called *Euphues*, which was universally read and admired. This romance, which Blount, the editor of five of his plays, lays introduced a new language, especially among the ladies, is, according to Beikenhoult, in fact a most contemptible piece of affectation and nonsense; nevertheless it seems very certain, that it was in high estimation by the women of fashion of those times, who, we are told by Whalley, the editor of Ben Jonson's works, had all the phrases by heart; and those who did not speak Euphysin were as little regarded at court as if they could not speak French.

"He was (says Oldys) a man of great reading, good memory, ready faculty of application, and uncommon eloquence; but he ran into a vast excess of allusion." When or where he died is not known. Anthony Wood says he was living in 1597, when his last comedy was published. After attending the court of Queen Elizabeth 13 years, notwithstanding his reputation as an author, he was under a necessity of petitioning the queen for some small stipend to support him in his old age. His two letters or petitions to her majesty on this subject are preserved in manuscript.