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 218 LAW were buried in the church of San Gemini ano, whence in 1808 they were transferred to the church of San Moise by Marshal Lauriston, the grandson of his brother. Works upon Law and his system are numerous, but it is only within the present century that justice has to any degree been done to the uncommon abil- ities of which he was really possessed. See Thiers, Histoire de Law (published in Paris in 1858, from the Revue progressive of 1826; English translation, New York, 1859); Kur- tzel, Gesckichte der Law'schen Finans- Operation (in Raumer's HistoriscJies TascheribucJi, 1846); and Charles Mackay, "Memoirs of Extraordi- nary Popular Delusions" (London, 1850). LAW, William, an English mystic, born at King's Cliff e, Northamptonshire, in 1686, died there, April 9, 1761. He was admitted into Emmanuel college, Cambridge, in 1705, received the degrees of bachelor and master, and was elected to a fellowship in 1711, which he re- tained till 1716, when he forfeited it by refusing as a Jacobite to take the prescribed oath of allegiance to George I. He never again offi- ciated in public, though livings wero, tendered him through his friend Dr. Sherlock, after- ward bishop of London. In 1717 he engaged in London in the Bangorian controversy, pub- lishing three letters to the bishop of Bangor which are among his most effective produc- tions. In 1726 he wrote an answer to Mande- ville's " Fable of the Bees," an admirable essay, which has been republished separately with an introduction by F. D. Maurice (Cambridge, 1844). He soon became tutor to the father of the historian Gibbon at Putney, accompanied his pupil to the university of Cambridge in 1727, and afterward remained in the family more than ten years. His treatise on " Chris- tian Perfection" appeared in 1726, and was followed in 1729 by his " Serious Call to a De- vout and Holy Life," his most popular work. Dr. Johnson mentions it as the first book which made him think in earnest of religion, and styles it the finest hortatory theology in any language. These writings caused him to be consulted as a spiritual adviser by many serious persons, and his piety and wisdom gave him great personal authority. Among those who were instructed by him were the brothers John and Charles Wesley ; and a divine named Dr. Trapp in a published discourse, which was answered by Law, attributed the origin of Methodism and other religious movements of the time to his influence and writings. To a young lady who had expressed a desire to be of the Roman Catholic communion he addressed three remarkable letters (l731-'2; first pub- lished in 1779). He lived subsequently with Mrs. Hutcheson, and with Hester Gibbon, a sister of his pupil, at King's Cliffe, engaged in exercises of piety, and devoting their com- bined annual income of about 3,000 to pur- poses of charity. A school was endowed for the instruction and clothing of 40 boys and girls, which still continues under the name of LAW MERCHANT Law's and Hutcheson's charities. He published subsequently a few tracts, and a translation of Jacob Boehm (Behmen), which bears his name (4 vols., 1764-'81), but contains little by him besides illustrative mystical figures, having been prepared for the press by Mrs. Hutcheson and Miss Gibbon, and published at their expense. His collected works (9 vols., London, 1762) embrace 16 treatises and a collection of letters. His life was written by Richard Tighe (Lon- don, 1813). A volume entitled " Notes and Materials for an Adequate Biography of the celebrated Divine and Theosopher William Law " was printed for the Theosophian library in London in 1856. LAWES, Henry, an English composer, born probably in Salisbury in 1600, died in 1662. About 1625 he became one of the gentlemen of the chapel to Charles I., and soon acquired a considerable reputation as a composer of music for masques and songs. His works are numerous and of unequal merit. Among the most successful was the music to Milton's " Comus," performed at Ludlow castle in 1634, the composer himself personating the " Atten- dant Spirit." Milton speaks of his strains as "sweetening every musk rose of the dale." Waller, many of whose songs Lawes set to music, Herrick, and Phillips also speak of him in their verses as the great English composer of the day. Lawes continued in the service of Charles until the death of the latter, and at the restoration he composed the anthem for the coronation of Charles II. LAW MERCHANT. This ancient phrase has been defined as synonymous with the law of merchants. It is rather the system of law which the courts of England and the United States apply to mercantile contracts. It is a branch of the common law, inferior in impor- tance to no other, and in many respects quite distinct from any other. The principal sub- jects embraced within it are the law of shipping, including that of marine insurance ; the law of negotiable bills of exchange and promissory notes ; and the law of sales ; all of which topics are treated of in this work specifically. The law merchant has grown up gradually, and, du- ring the larger part of its existence, slowly. It originated undoubtedly in the customs of merchants. That it stands out in English law more prominently and distinctly than in any other general system of municipal law, may be reasonably ascribed to the greater extent of the commerce of England for many ages. In the earliest records we have distinct intima- tions that questions in relation to the interests and contracts of merchants came not unfre- quently before the courts ; and that these ques- tions were decided even then by a reference to the customs of merchants. In doing this the courts only obeyed a necessity, which was felt wherever commerce existed and was respected. It is not to be concealed, however, that the courts did this with some reluctance, and by steps which followed each other only at long