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10
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search. For a brief space in 1682 La Salle's fate
seems more propitious, when, on 9 April, we catch a
glimpse of hmi planting the fleurs-de-lis on the banks
of the Mississippi, and claiming for France the wide
territory that it drained. But, five years later, in the
wretched failure of an attempt to plant a colony at
the mouth of the Mississippi, he was murdered by
mutineers from ambush.
La Salle's schemes of empire and of trade were far too vast for his own generation to accomplish, though it was along the Unes tliat he projected that France pmmied her colonial policy in the New World in the eighteenth century until finally overthrown by the English in the French and Indian Wars.
Maeobt, Af <*motrM et DocumenU (Paris, 1879-88), I, II, III; Shxa, Discovery of the Mississippi; Charlkvoix. Hifioire de la Nouvelle-France (Paris, 1744; tr. Shea, New York, 1865-72^; Lbcubrcq. Etdblissemeni de la foi dans la Nouvelle-France (Paris. 1691; tr. Shba, New York, 1881): Parkm an, La iSa//^ and the Discovery of the Greii West ( New Yorljrf 1869) . For full bibliojeraphy of the La Salle-Marquette-Joliet controversy, con- sult WiNSOR, Narrative and Critical History of America, IV (London, 1884-9), 245 sqq.
Jarvis Keiley.
Lasaulx, Ernst von, scholar and philosopher, b. at Coblenz, 16 March, 1805; d. at Mumch, 9 May, 18G1. His father, Johann Claudius von Lasaulx, was a dis- tinguished architect; his uncle, Johann Joseph Gorres (q. v.), was the fiery champion of Catholic liberties; and the young Ernst became imbued with an enthu- siasm for the Catholic Faith and for liberty. He first studied at Bonn (1824-30), and later took up classical philology and philosophy at Munich, attaching him- self in particular to Schelling, Gorres, and Baadcr, and then spent four years travelling through Austria, Italy, Greece, and Palestine, visiting the places most famous in the history of civilization, both pagan and Christian. His voyage to Athens was made as a member of the suite of Prince Otto of Wittelsbach fBavaria), who had been elected King of the Hellenes. On his return to his native land he took the doctor's degree at Kiel, in 183i), presenting a dissertation en- titled *' De mortis dominatu in vetercs, commentatio theologica-philosophica",andwas appointed dozerU in classical philology at the University of Wurzburg, where he exercised a deep and far-reaching influence on the vouth of the university. Meanwhile he mar- ried Julie Baader, daughter of the Munich philosopher, Franz Baader.
Upon the arrest (20 November, 1837) of Clemens August, Archbishop of Cologne, whose forcible deten- tion in the fortress of Minden by order of the Prus- sian Government caused a great stir in Catholic circles both at home and abroad, Lasaulx wrote to his uncle, Gorres, calling upon him to protest against the arbitrary act of the "military Govern- ment of Berlin agamst the Archbishop of Cologne". This was the impulse that was responsible for Gbrres's celebrated " Athanasius". At the same time Lasaulx himself issued the controversial pamphlet "Kritische Bemerkungen iiber die K5lner Sache", a bold attack on the Prussian Government and the diplomat Josias von Bunsen. In the autunm of 1844 Lasaulx was appointed professor of philology and aesthetics at the University of Munich, despite the vigorous efforts of the Wurzburg senate to secure his continued services there. At Munich he quickly be- came famous as a magnetic and stimulating teacher. When his influence effected the downfall of the min- ister Abel, the senate of the University applauded his action, but Iving Louis, on the other hand, vented his displeasure by dismissing Lasaulx from office (28 Feb- ruary, 1847). Demonstrations on the part of the stu- dents followed, resulting in the dismissal of eight other members of the university teaching staff. In 1848 Lasaulx, with three of his former colleagues, was elected to the National Assembly at Frankfort, where he identified himself with the Conservative group and
again and again eloquently defended the liberties of
the Catholic Church among the intellectual ilite o£
Germanv.
King Maximilian II having at length yielded to the petition of the Munich students to reinstate Lasaulx and the other expelled professors (15 March. 1849), Lasaulx resumed his work as a philosophical writer. Id the same vear he was elected a member of the Ba- varian Chamber of Deputies, where, until his death, his masterly ability in all political controversies found energetic expression. Soon after his death, four of his works were placed on the Index; it was found that in them he had erred on the side of effacing the dis- tinction between the conmion human religious ele- ment in heathenism and the theological expression of Christian revelation. Several years earlier, however, he had declared that, should any errors be found in his works, he would freely submit to the judgment of the Church.
Holland, Erinncrungen an Ernst von Lasaulx (Munich, 1861); Stolzle, Ernst vonlAiuulx (Miinater, 1904).
Karl Hoeber.
Lascaris, Constantine, of Constantinople, Greek scholar, b. 1434; d. at Messina in 1501. Made a pris- oner by the Turks on the fall of Constantinople, he probably stayed the greater part of seven years in (Jorfu; he made a visit to Rliodes where he acouired some manuscripts; finally came to Italy and settled at Milan as a copyist of manuscripts. His work on the eight parts of speech presented to Princess Hippolyta Sforza procured from her father a reauest to teach the princess Greek. Lascaris followea the princess to Naples when she married Alfonso II (1465). The following year he left for Greece, but the vessel stop- ping at Messina, he was urged to stay there, con- sented, and died there after many years, bequeathing to the city his seventy-six manuscripts. They re- mained at Messina until 1679, and were then moved first to Palermo and later to Spain^ where they are now in the National Library of Madrid. Constantine Ijascaris was above all a tutor and a transcriber of manuscripts. One of his pupils was the future Cardi- nal Bembo. His industry as a copyist was soon su- perseded by the art of printing. He was himself the author of the first lx)ok printed in Greek, a small grammar (Milan, 1476) entitled "Erotemata".
Leorand, Bibliographie hell&nique, I (Paria, 1884), Ixxi;
Iriarte,_ BibliothecoB Matritensis codices m-ceci (1769);
- .' ' arec de VEsc ' ' '_
1880); Rapport sur une mission en Espagne in Archives des
Graux, Essai sur les origines du fond grec de VEscurial (Paris,
missions, 3d ser.. V, i (Paris, 1877), 124; Sandtb, A History oj
Classical Scholarship, II (Cambridge, 1908), 77- Sabbadini,
IjC scoperte dei codicx latini e greci net secoli XIV e XV (Florence,
1905), 67.
Paul Lejat.
Lascaris, Janus (or John), surnamed Rhtnda- CENUS (from Rhyndacus, a country town in Asia Minor), noted Greek scholar, b. about 1445; d. at Rome in 1535. After the fall of Constantinople he was taken to Peloponnesus and to Crete. When still quite young he came to Venice, where Bessarion be- came his patron, and sent him to learn Latin at Padua. On the death of Bessarion, Lorenzo de' Medici wel- comed him to Florence, where Lascaris gave Greek lectures on Thucydides, Demosthenes, Sophocles, and the Greek anthology. Twice Lorenzo sent him to Greece in quest of manuscripts. When he returned the second time (1492) he brought back about two hundred from Mount Athos. Meanwhile Lorenzo had passed away. Lascaris entered the service of France and was ambassador at Venice from 1503 to 1508, at which time he became a member of the Greek Acad- emy of Aldus Manutius; but if the printer had the benefit of his advice, no Aldine work Dears his name. He resided at Rome under Leo X, the first pope of the Medici family, from 1513 to 1518, returned under aement VII m 1523, and Paul III in 1534. Meanwhile he had assisted Louis XII in forming the library of
