Lyfing

See Living. Lygdamis (lig'da-mis). Lived in the 6th century B. C. A Greek tyrant of Naxos. Lying Lover, The, or the Ladies' Friendship. A comedy by Steele, produced in 1703. It was taken from P. Corneille's "Le menteur." Lying Valet, The. A play by David Garrick, adapted by him from Motteux's "Novelty." Lykia. See Lycia . Lyly (lil'i), John. Born in the Weald of Kent about 1554: died at London, Nov., 1606. An English dramatist and novelist. He graduated at Oxford (Magdalen College) in 1573; went to London, where he entered upon literary work and endeavored to establish himself at court; championed the bishops in the "Martin Marprelate" controversy; and became a member of Parliament in 1589 (reëlected in 1593, 1597, and 1601). His principal work is "Euphues, or the Anatomy of Wit" (which see), which brought into prominence the affected style named from it "Euphuism." In the Marprelate contro. versy he wrote "Pappe with a Hatchet, etc." He also wrote a number of plays, including "Alexander and Campaspe," "Sapho and Phao," "Endimion, the Man in the Moon," etc. Lyly's two secrets are in the first place an antithesis more laboured, more monotonous, infinitely more pointle than Macaulay's - which antithesis seems to have met with not a little favour, and was indeed an obvious expedient for lightening up and giving character to the correct but featurele prose of Ascham and other "Latiners." The second was a fancy which amounts to mania for similes, strung together in endle lists, and derived as a rule from animals, vegetables, or minerals, especially from the Fauna and Flora of fancy. It is impo ible to open a page of "Euphues" without finding an example of this eccentric and tastele trick, and in it, as far as in any single thing, must be found the recipe for euphuism pure and simple. As used in modern language for conceited and precious language in general, the term has only a very partial application to its original, or to that original's author. Indeed Lyly's vocabulary, except occasionally in his similes, is decidedly vernacular, and he very commonly mingles extremely homely words with his highest flights.