*LESSING, KARL FRIEDRICH, was born at Breslau, February 8, 1803. His father (a nephew of the poet Leasing), wishing his son to become an architect, sent him to Berlin in 1821 for the purpose of studying architecture. Young Leasing however had set his heart on being a painter, and by the advice of Professor Mimi directed his attention to landscape, which he studied to such purpose that his first picture, ' The Churchyard,' produced a great impression. But attracted to Dusseldorf by Wilhelm Schadow, he there turned to historical painting, and aeon come to bo regarded as one of the most promising of the young painters who were looking up to Schadow as their guide. Among the more important works which he produced in this his first manner, as it is termed, are the cartoon of the 'Battle of Iconium ; " The Castle by the Sea-side;' The Court-yard of the Convent—a Snow scene' (now in the Museum at Cologne), a singu larly poetical work which became very popular ; The Death of Frederick II.; ' a ' Scene from Lenore; " The Robber,' a vary striking genre picture, with o remarkably rich landscape; and above all his ' Royal Mourners,' first exhibited at Berlin in 1830—a work of great purity and elevation of style and powerful expression ; for the head of the king it may be noticed Schadow sat as a model. He now again for awhile studied landscape amidst some of the wilder scenery ot Germany, and produced some very striking forest and mountain views, and a grand 'Scene in the Eifel,' whioh was greatly admired. But again, in 1838, Leasing returned to history, but this time adopting a bolder, richer, and less severe manner. His first picture was the Tyrant Ezzelin in Captivity refusing the exhortations of this Monks.' His grand work, 'Huss before the Council of Constance,' was finished in 1842, and at once took its place as one of the most important pro ductions of the school of Dusseldorf. It was followed by the 'Capture of Pope Paschal II, by the Emperor Henry IL' The choice of these sub jects, and the earnest treatment of them completed the rupture, which had for some time been imminent, between Leasing and that sectiou of the modern German school of painting which boasted itself strictly Roman Catholic, and which had adhered with inflexible rigidity to the severe style of art inaugurated by Veit, Schadow, &a As in theology eo in art Leasing had been gradually breaking away from this school, and adopting the freer and more dramatic style, which has distinguished all his later works ; and under his influence the younger Dusseldorf painters have likewise adopted a similarly free and varied manuer. Of his later works may be mentioned the 'Battle of the
Mongols (1241) near Liegnitz," A Scene in the Hussite War; 'Passage of the Crusaders to tho Holy Sepulchre," Knight by the Well,' &c.
Leasing is a painter of great original power, of a thoroughly poetical turn of mind, and possesses much mental vivacity and an earnest love of nature : and he is well-fitted to be the leader in the reaction from that style which at first was of the greatest value in its elevation and purity, but seemed to be fast merging into formality and mannerism. L'ESTRANGE, SIR ROGER, was born in Norfolk in 1616. Liko his father, he was a royalist, and he accompanied Charles I. to Scot land in 1639. He was arrested by the emissaries of the parliament in 1644, and sentenced to be shot as a spy, but some delay having protracted the execution of this sentence, he managed to escape, in 1648, and attempted to raise an insurrection in Kent. This having failed, he fled the country, but returned in 1653, hoping to take advantage of the general act of amnesty. Cromwell having taken his part, his hopes were realised, though this circumstance caused him to be eyed with some suspicion by his friends the royalists. After the Restoration he was appointed censor of the press, and in 1665 he brought out a paper called the 'Public Intelligences.' He was devoted to the court, and on the approach of the Revolution of 1683 lost all his appointments. He died in 1704.
His works consist of a vast number of political pamphlets, besides translations of Josephs's, Cicero's Offices,' Seneca's 'Morals,' Eras mus's ' Colloquies,' sEsop's 'Fables,' Quevedo'a Visions,' &c. He is generally and very justly censured for having used too many vulgar and coarse expressions in his versions of classic authors, but on a reference to Echard's low translation of ' Terence' it will be found that this fault was not peculiar to L'Eatrange.