Chapter Leandra to Legend of Montrose of L by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Leandra to Legend of Montrose

Leandra, daughter of an opulent Spanish farmer, who eloped with Vincent de la Rosa, a heartless adventurer, who robbed her of all her money, jewels, and other valuables, and then left her to make her way home as best she could. Leandra was placed in a convent till the scandal had blown over.—Cervantes: Don Quixote, I. iv. 20 (“The Goat-herd’s Story,” 1605).

Léandre, son of Géronte. During the absence of his father, he fell in love with Zerbinette, whom he supposed to be a young gipsy, but who was in reality the d aughter of Argante his father’s friend. Some gipsies had stolen the child when only four years old, and required £30 for her ransom—a sum of money which Scapin contrived to obtain from Léandre’s father under false pretences. When Géronte discovered that his son’s bride was the daughter of his friend Argante, he was quite willing to excuse Scapin for the deceit practised on him.—Moliere: Les Fourberies de Scapin (1671).

(In Otway’s version of this comedy, called The Cheats of Scapin, Léandre is Anglicized into “Leander;” Géronte is called “Gripe;” Zerbinette is “Lucia;” Argante is “Thrifty;” and the sum of money is £200.)

Léandre, the lover of Lucinde daughter of Géronte. (See Lucinde.)—Mèdecin Malgré Lui (1666).

Leandro, a gentleman who wantonly loves Amaranta (the wife of Bartolus a covetous lawyer).—Fletcher: The Spanish Curate (1622).

Leandro the Fair (The Exploits and Adventures of), part of the series called Le Roman des Romans, pertaining to “Amadis of Gaul.” This part was added by Pedro de Lujan.

Lear, mythical king of Britain, son of Bladud. He had three daughters, and when four score years old, wishing to retire from the active duties of sovereignty, resolved to divide his kingdom between them in proportion to their love. The two elder said they loved him more than their tongue could express, but Cordelia the youngest said she loved him as it became a daughter to love her father. The old king, displeased with her answer, disinherited Cordelia, and divided his kingdom between the other two, with the condition that each alternately, month by month, should give him a home, with a suite of a hundred knights. He spent the first month with his eldest daughter, who showed him scant hospitality. Then going to the second, she refused to entertain so large a suite; whereupon the old man would not enter her house, but spent the night abroad in a storm. When Cordelia, who had married the king of France, heard of this, she brought an army over to dethrone her sisters, but was taken prisoner and died in jail. In the mean time, the elder sister (Goneril) first poisoned her younger sister from jealousy, and afterwards put an end to her own life. Lear also died.—Shakespeare: King Lear (1605).

(The best performers of “king Lear” have been David Garrick (1716–1779) and W.C. Macready (1793–1873). The stage Lear is a corrupt version by Nahum Tate (Tate and Brady); as the stage Richard III. is Colley Cibber’s travesty.)

N.B.—(1) Percy, in his Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, has a ballad about “King Leir and His Three Daughters” (series I.ii.).

(2) The story is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his British History. Spenser has introduced the tale in his Faërie Queene (ii. 10).

(3) Camden tells a similar story of Ina the king of the West Saxons (Remains, 306).

In the Gesta Romanorum, Introd. xxxix. ch. 21, the king is called Theodorius.

(Shakespeare’s tragedy of King Lear, first printed in quarto (1608), is founded on The True Chronicle History of King Leir and His Three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordelia, 1605.)

Learned (The), Coloman king of Hungary (*, 1095–1114).

Learned Blacksmith (The), Elihu Burritt, the linguist (1811–1879).