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

Lefevre (Lieutenant, a poor officer dying from want and sickness. His pathetic story is told by Sterne, in a novel called The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy (1759).

“Mr. Fulmer, I have borrowed a book from your shop. ’Tis the sixth volume of my deceased friend, Tristram…. The divine story of Lefevre, which makes part of this book, … does honour, not to its author only, but to human nature.”—Cumberland: The West Indian, ii. I (1771).

Leg of Mutton School (The), authors who praise those who give them good dinners and suppers. Lockhart introduced the phrase.

Legend (Sir Sampson), a foolish, testy, prejudiced, and obstinate old man, between 50 and 60. His favourite oath is “Odd!” He tries to disinherit his elder son Valentine, for his favourite son Ben, a sailor; and he fancies Angelica is in love with him, when she only intends to fool him.

He says, “I know the length of the emperor of China’s foot, have kissed the Great Mogul’s slipper, and have rid a-hunting upon an elephant with the cham of Tartary.”—Congreve: Love for Love, ii. (1695).

“Sir Sampson Legend” is such another lying, overbearing character, but he does not come up to “sir Epicure Mammon” [Ben Jonson: The Alchemist].—C. Lamb.

Legend (The Golden), a semi-dramatic poem by Longfellow, taken from an old German tale by Hartmann von der Aue [Our], called Poor Henry (1851). Hartmann was one of the minnesingers, and lived in the twelfth century. (See Henry, Poor.)

Legend of Montrose, a novel by sir W. Scott (1819). This brief, imperfect story contains one of Scott’s best characters, the redoubted Rittmaster, Dugald Dalgetty, a combination of soldada and pedantic student of Mareschal College, Aberdeen (time, Charles I.).

The plot of the novel consists of a battle between the Royalists and Parliamentarians, and a slight love- story. In 1644 James Graham, earl of Montrose, was created commander-in-chief of the royal forces in Scotland, and in 1645 conquered, at Inverlochy, the marquis of Argyle, the parliamentary leader.

The love-story is this: the earl of Menteith and Allan MAulay, both royalists, proposed to Annot Lyle, daughter of sir Duncan Campbell, a parliamentarian. She chose the earl, and married him.

In regard to Dalgetty, he was a royalist, in the employ of Menteith. Argyle tried to seduce him, but he knocked him down and fled to the royalist forces.