LEAH,
Eldest daughter of Laban the Syrian, who deceived Jacob into an intercourse, then termed marriage, with this unsought, unloved woman. She became mother of six sons, named as heads of six of the tribes of Israel. Among these was Levi, whose posterity inherited the priesthood, and Judah, the law-giver, from whom descended "Shiloh," or the Messiah. These were great privileges; yet dearly did Leah pay the penalty of her high estate, obtained by selfish artifice, in which modesty, truth, and sisterly affection, were all violated. Jacob, her husband, "hated her," and she knew it; knew, too, his heart was wholly given to his other wife—her beautiful, virtuous sister; what earthly punishment could have been so intensely grievous to Leah? As her name implies, "tender-eyed," she was probably affectionate, but unprincipled and of a weak mind, or she would never have taken the place of her sister, whom she knew Jacob had served seven years to gain. Leah loved her husband devotedly; but though she was submissive and tender, and bore him many sons, a great claim on his favour, yet he never appeared to have felt for her either esteem or affection.
Jacob had sought to unite himself with Rachel in the holy union of one man with one woman, which only is true marriage; but the artifice of Laban and the passion of Leah desecrated this union, and, by introducing polygamy into the family of the chosen Founder of the house of Israel, opened the way for the worst of evils to that nation, the voluptuousness and idolatry which finally destroyed it. A treacherous sister, a forward woman, an unloved wife, Leah has left a name unhonoured and unsung. She was married about B.C. 1763.
LEAPOR, MARY,
Was born in Northamptonshire, in 1712, her father having been many years gardener to a gentleman in that county. Her education was suitable to her humble rank, but her attainments far surpassed all expectation. Her modesty kept her merit concealed till it was too late for her to reap any temporal emoluments from her writings. She died in her twenty-fourth year, and, when on her death-bed, gave her father a collection of papers, containing original poems, which were afterwards published. Some of these poems are very good. She also wrote a tragedy entitled "The Unhappy Father."
LEE, ANNE,
Was born at Manchester, in 1736. She was the daughter of a blacksmith, and at an early age she became the wife of one of the same trade. She is distinguished as the person who introduced Shakerism into America, and she became the leader of the sect. Her first "testimony of salvation and eternal life," borne in 1770, was the injunction of celibacy as the perfection of human nature; and next, she claimed to be a divine person. From this time she was honoured with the title of "Mother Anne," while she styled herself "Anne the Word." Having been persecuted in England, she went to America, in 1774, with several members of the society, and formed the first community of Shakers, at Watervliet, near Albany, where she died, in 1784.
