Leckey, Williaji, a Presbyterian minister in Ire- land, flourished in the second half of the 17th centurj'. He made himself conspicuous by the part he took in the Blood plot — an attempt, after the Restoration, to compli- cate the Nonconformists and the government by Avar- ring against Romanism, He was imprisoned i\Iay 22, 1663, and, refusing to conform, was condemned to death, and executed on July 15 at Gallows Green, near Dublin. Leckey was a line preacher and an able scholar, a fellow of the College of Dublin, which high school petitioned for his life. This roipiest was granted upon the con- formity of Leckey, which, as we have seen above, he re- fused. See Reid, Hist, of the Presbyterian Ch. in Ireland, ii, 275-282,
Lecleic, David, a Protestant theologian, was born at Geneva Feb. 19. 1591. He studied at Geneva, Stras- burg, and Heidelberg, and in 1615 went to England to
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perfect himself in the study of Hebrew. He subse- quently returned to his native place, and in 1618 was appointed professor of Hebrew at the university. He was ordained for the ministry in 1G28, and died April 21, 11)54. He wrote Qucesiiones saci'a, in quibus mitlta Scripturce loca variaque lingucB sacra idiomata expli- cantur, etc.; accesserunt similium argumentoruvi diatri- bce Steph.Clerici (Amst, 1685, 8vo) : — Oraliones (^riii), conspectus ecclesiasticus et poemuta ; acceduni Steph. Cle- rici Dissertationes philologica (Arasterd. 1687, 8vo) : — a Latin translation of Buxtorf 's Synagogue (Basle, 1641, 8vo and 4to) ; etc. See Tm Vie de David Leclerc, in his Qucesiiones sucrce ; Senebier, I/isi. Lilteraire de Geneve ; Haag, La France Protestunte ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Ge- ne rede, XXX, 195.
Leclerc, James Theodore, a Swiss Protestant theologian and Orientalist, ;vas born at Geneva Nov. 25, 1692. He became pastor and professor of Oriental lan- guages in that city in 1725, and died in 1758. He wrote, Preservaiif contre le Fanaiisme, ou Refutation des j)retendus Inspires de ce Steele, trad, du Latin de Sam. Turretin (Gen. 1723, 8vo) : it is a work against the prophets of the Cevennes : — Supplement au Preservaiif conire le Fanaiisme (Gen. 1723, 8vo) : — Les Psaumes fra- duits en Fran^ais sur Voriginal Uebreu (Gen. 1740 and 1761, 8vo). See Senehier, Hist. Litterait'e de Geneve; Haag, Zu France Pi-otestante ; Hoefer, Nouv, Biog. Ge- nercde, xxx, 200. (J. N. P.)
Le Clerc, John (1), first martyr of the Ecforma- tioii in France, a mechanic by trade, was born at Meaux towartls the close of the 15th centurj'. He was brought to the knowledge of divine truth by reading the N. T. translated into FrcncVi by Lefevre d'Ltaples, and in his zeal for the cause he dared to post on the door of the cathedral a 1)111 in which the pope was called antichrist. For this offence he was condemned to be whipped in Paris and at INIeaux, was branded on the forehead, and exiled. He retired to Rosoy, then to Metz in 1525, where he continued to work at his trade, wool-carding. Here he one day broke the images which the Romanists intended to carry in procession. Instead of trying to hide himself, he boldly confessed his deed, and was con- demned to fearful bodily punishment. His right hand was cut off, his nose torn out, his arm and breast torn with red-hot pincers, and his head encircled with two or three bands of red-hot iron ; amid all his torments he sung aloud the verse of Psa. cxv, " Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands." He was finally thrown into the fire, and thus died. His brother Peter, also a wool-carder, was chosen by the Protestants of Meaux for their pastor, and fell a victim to persecution in 1546. See Haag, La France Protestante, vol. vi ; Hoe- fer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxx, 193 ; Browning. IJistory of the Huguenots, i, 23.
Le Clerc, John (2). See Clerc, Le.
Leclerc, Laurent Jose, a French priest, was born in Paris Aug. 22, 1677, studied theology, and was then admitted into the community of the preachers of St. Sul- ])ice, was licensed by the Sorbonne in 1704, and taught theology at Tulle and at Orleans. In 1722 he became princii)al of the theological seminary at Orleans, and died May 6, 1736. He published, besides other works, .4 Critical Letter on Buylt's Dictionary. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxx, 201.
Lecomte, Louis, a French Jesuit, was born at Bor- deaux about the middle of the 17th century. He was sent as missionary to China in 1685, and, after a stay of some years in the mission of Shensee (Chensi), re- turned to France, and published in 1696 Memoirs on the present Slate of China, a work which was censured bj' the faculty of theology. He died in 1729.— Thomas, Biog. Did. p. 1390.
Lectern, or Lettern (Lat. leciorium or lectriciuni), a reading-desk or stand, properly movable, from which the Scripture "lessons" (leciiones), which form a portion
of the various church- services, are chanted or read in many churches. The lectern (also called pulpitum, arnbo, sugges- ius,pyrgus, tribunal, lec- tricium, or, most fre- quently, leciorium), of very ancient use, is of various forms and of different materials, and is found both in Roman Catholic churches and in the cathedrals and college-chapels of the Church of F^ngland. Originally they were made of wood, but later they were frequently also made of stone or metal, and sometimes in the form of an eagle (the symbol of St. John the Evangelist), the outspread wings of