one of the old kingdoms of Spain, lying between N. Lat. 40.10. and 43., W. Long. 4. and 7., and divided into the modern provinces of Leon, Zamora, and Salamanca. It is bounded by Asturias on the N., Old Castile on the E., Estremadura on the S., and Galicia and Portugal on the W.; area 15,027 square miles. The whole region is included in the basin of the Douro, with the exception of a small portion at the N.W. angle, which is drained by the Sil, an affluent of the Minho. Leon is inclosed by the two great mountain ranges that pass along its northern and southern frontiers. The Asturian Mountains on the N. form part of the great Pyrenean chain, and send off various offsets into Leon, especially one great chain extending in a S. and S.W. direction through the northern part of the province, and separating the basin of the Douro from that of the Minho. The southern range forms part of the great central chain of the peninsula, and the highest of its summits, the Sierra de Gredos, rises to the height of 10,552 feet. There is a small range which leaves the southern chain, and runs N.W. across the southern part of the province. From these hilly regions flow down a considerable portion of what constitutes the volume of the Douro, including the Esla, with its tributaries, from the mountains of Asturias, and the Tormes from the southern range. Iron is the chief mineralogical production, and is manufactured in various ways. The soil is good, but much in want of irrigation. The mountainous parts of the province are richly wooded, and its oaks are reputed the best in Spain. The plains are very fertile, and produce abundant crops of wheat, maize, flax, &c., though the agriculture is very imperfect. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in tending sheep and cattle. The mules and asses of the province are celebrated throughout Spain. The Leonese are a hardy set of people, inured to mountain life, and jealous of any innovation that comes from the plains. They are ill-housed, ill-educated, and ill-fed. Industry is altogether in a wretched state, and consequently there is very little trade. The means of communication are few and bad, the roads being in a barely passable condition. Pop. (1849) 708,833.

Leon was anciently inhabited by the Vettones and Calaici, and formed part of Hispania Tarraconensis. In the eighth century it was consolidated into a kingdom by Don Pelayo and his successors, and in the eleventh incorporated with the kingdom of Castile by Ferdinand the Great. After some fruitless attempts to regain its independence, it was finally subjugated in the thirteenth century by Ferdinand III.

The modern province of Leon comprises the northern part of the old province, and is bounded on the N. by Asturias, E. by Old Castile, S. by Valladolid and Zamora, and W. by Galicia. Its greatest length is 120 miles, and its mean breadth 60 miles. The surface is hilly, and generally affords good pasturage for cattle, and it is traversed by a number of streams, of which the most considerable are Upper Douro, the Elsa, and Sil. Area 5871 square miles. Pop. in 1849, 288,833.

Leon (the ancient Legio, so called from the Legio septima Gemina having been stationed here), a city of Spain, capital of the above province, situate in the angle formed by the junction of the Torio and Bernesga, 176 miles N.W. of Madrid, in N. Lat. 42. 30.; W. Long. 5. 35. The town is surrounded by old decayed walls, and though containing many magnificent buildings, presents everywhere the appearance of ruin and decay. The streets are narrow and dirty, conveying the idea of great poverty. Some of the edifices are exceedingly handsome. The cathedral, founded about 1199, was formerly one of the most graceful and elegant buildings in the world. It is built in the pointed Gothic style, of a warm cream-coloured stone, and is remarkable for its lightness and proportion. The grand west entrance from the Plaza Mayor has three portals, richly ornamented with elaborate sculpture, a noble rose window, surmounted by a pinnacle, and a tower on each side. The south front has also a plaza and three arched doorways, richly sculptured. The north facade has been deformed by balustrades and candelabra; the east is circular and Gothic, with flying buttresses and pinnacles. The interior is also remarkable for its lightness and simplicity, but has been greatly deteriorated by modern attempts at improvement. It contains much carved work, and many monuments and relics of interest. Most notable among the other buildings are—the church of San Isidoro, a huge structure, also Gothic, founded in 1063; the convent of San Marcos de Leon, once the property of the order of Santiago; the town-house, built in 1585; the episcopal palace; public library, contained in an old nunnery; and a palace called La Casa de los Guzmanes. There are many institutions for educational and benevolent purposes, including a diocesan seminary; the gymnasium; primary, normal, and other schools; and four hospitals. Weaving linens, knitting caps and stockings, and making gloves, are the principal occupations of the people. What trade there is is mainly owing to two weekly markets and three annual fairs, which last for several days.

Leon was founded prior to the reign of the Emperor Galba, and was taken by Leovigildo in A.D. 586. On being recovered from the Moors, who held it for some time, it became for three centuries the residence of the kings of Leon. Under Don Pedro it lost this honour, by the transference of the court to Seville. It was sacked by Soult in December 1808. Remains of the ancient Roman wall are still extant. Pop. about 5500.

town of Central America, capital of Nicaragua, in N. Lat. 12. 25., W. Long. 86. 50.; 90 miles N.W. of Leon, Isla de Leonine Veres.

Leonine Verses, were Latin compositions, constructed according to the laws of the classic metres, but also elaborately decorated with rhyme. Though possessing no great merit, they were very popular in the middle ages. The name is probably derived from Lominus, a canon of Paris, and subsequently monk at Marseilles, in the twelfth century. Other derivations have been proposed, but with little plausibility. These verses have been traced as far back as the third century, at which era Commodianus wrote a piece of 1200 jingling verses. Two centuries after this, Latin rhyme appears to have been introduced into the hymns sung in the churches. (See HYMNS.) St Augustine and the venerable Bede are amongst the number of leonizers. The poem of the former against the Donatists contains 270 lines, all of which rhyme to the letter E. One of the most popular works of the eleventh century, *Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum*, which proceeded from the physicians of Salerno, belongs to the same school. The history of the first Crusade, and the adventures of Richard Cœur de Lion, were celebrated in similar strains.

The proper leonine consists of a couplet rhyming at the end. But the line or two lines may have the rhyme distributed throughout in a great variety of ways. When the verse is divided into two members, each member, not only of the line, but of the couplet, may rhyme. Or, as in the following, the corresponding pauses in the couplet may rhyme:

"Si tibi gratia seget—est morum, gratius habere; Si virtutis opes—despicendi eras."

But the greatest amount of variety was produced by dividing the verse into three pauses, e.g.,

"O miserrima—O dominatrix—prexipe dictu; Ne devastarem—ne lapidemur—grandinis ictu."

Sometimes the three members rhymed—sometimes the whole verse of the couplet; and even farther than this, leonines occur in which every word of the one line rhymes to every word in the second. As in the case when the line was divided into two members, so here the rhyme might be manifested in the corresponding pauses of the couplet. Another device of the leonizers was that of making a pause supply the place of a common introduction to a number of lines following. Thus, in the rules to be observed at meals,

"Dum manducatis {vultus bilares habeatis; sal culstelo capiatis; quid edendum sit ne petatis, &c.}"

and so on for eleven lines, each ending in *atir.* The vigorous literature which arose at the time of the Reformation almost entirely banished the taste for leonizing.