Lives by S. Longfellow in Riverside ed. of works (11 vols. 1886-90), Robertson (Great Writers Series), and Higginson (American Men of Letters).

LOVELACE, RICHARD (1618-1658).—­Poet, b. at Woolwich, s. of Sir William L., was ed. at Oxf., where he is described by Anthony Wood as “the most amiable and beautiful person that eye ever beheld.”  He was an enthusiastic Royalist, and spent his whole fortune in support of that cause.  For presenting “the Kentish petition” in favour of the King, he was imprisoned in 1642, when he wrote his famous song, When Love with unconfined wings.  After his release he served in the French army, and was wounded at Dunkirk.  Returning, he was again imprisoned, 1648, and produced his Lucasta:  Epodes, Odes, etc.  He lives in literature by a few of his lyrics which, though often careless, are graceful and tender.  He d. in poverty.

LOVER, SAMUEL (1797-1868).—­Song-writer and novelist, was a painter of portraits, chiefly miniatures.  He produced a number of Irish songs, of which several—­including The Angel’s Whisper, Molly Bawn, and The Four-leaved Shamrock—­attained great popularity.  He also wrote some novels, of which Rory O’More (in its first form a ballad), and Handy Andy are the best known, and short Irish sketches, which, with his songs, he combined into a popular entertainment called Irish Nights.  He joined with Dickens in founding Bentley’s Magazine.

LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL (1819-1891).—­Poet and essayist, b. at Camb., Massachusetts, s. of a Unitarian minister, was ed. at Harvard.  He began active life as a lawyer, but soon abandoned business, and devoted himself mainly to literature.  In 1841 he pub. a vol. of poems, A Year’s Life, and in 1843 a second book of verses appeared.  He also wrote at this time political articles in the Atlantic and North American Review.  In 1848 he pub. a third vol. of Poems, A Fable for Critics, The Biglow Papers, and The Vision of Sir Launfal; and he was in 1855 appointed Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard in succession to Longfellow. Among my Books appeared in 2 series, in 1870 and 1876.  His later poems included various Odes in celebration of national events, some of which were coll. in Under the Willows, The Cathedral, and Heartsease and Rue.  In 1877 he was appointed United States minister to Spain, and he held a similar appointment in England 1880-85.  He d. at Elmwood, the house in which he was b. L. was a man of singularly varied gifts, wit, humour, scholarship, and considerable poetic power, and he is the greatest critic America has yet produced.  He was a strong advocate of the abolition of slavery.

LOWTH, ROBERT (1710-1787).—­Theologian and scholar, s. of William L., Prebendary of Winchester, and author of a Commentary on the Prophets, was b. at Winchester, and ed. there and at Oxf.  Entering the Church he became Bishop successively of St. David’s, Oxf., and London.  In 1753 he pub. De Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum.  He also wrote a Life of William of Wykeham, the founder of Winchester Coll., and made a new translation of Isaiah.