The Theory of Moral Sentiments - Adam Smith [251]
La Motte, Antoine Houdar de (1672-1731), French poet, dramatist, and critic; author of a series of Odes and Fables on moral themes, and in the quarrel of the ancients and the moderns a partisan of the latter.
La Placette, Jean (1639-1718), French theologian; he fled for Copenhagen on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and there authored several works developing a moderated Calvinist conception of self-love, including treatises on pride (1692), on conscience (1695), and a collection of moral essays (1697).
La Rochefoucauld, François, Duc de (1613-1680), French moralist and author of Maxims (1665), an influential collection of aphorisms chiefly intended to demonstrate the primacy of self-love in human psychology and action, earning their author a reputation as a champion of ethical egoism.
Lauzun, Antonin-Nompar de Caumont, Duc de (1633-1723), French courtier, military officer, and diplomat under Louis XIV. He was imprisoned three times, twice for short stays in the Bastille, and once for ten years in the fortress at Pignerol.
“Leliuses” (Gaius Laelius the Elder; ca. 235-160 BC), Roman military commander and statesman; and Gaius Laelius the Younger (ca. 190- 129 BC), renowned for his oratory (celebrated by Cicero in his Brutus), and his friendship of virtue with Scipio Aemilianus (memorialized by Cicero in his De amicitia).
Locke, John (1632-1704), English philosopher with chief contributions in epistemology (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690), political theory (Two Treatises and Letter Concerning Toleration, pub. 1689), education (Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1693), and apologetics (The Reasonableness of Christianity, 1695); he was also physician and secretary to the first earl of Shaftesbury and tutor to the third earl.
Louis XIII (1601-1643), king of France and father of his successor, Louis XIV; his reign witnessed the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War.
Louis XIV (1638-1715), king of France from 1661 to his death; his reign witnessed the centralization of power in the court, the advancement of French interests abroad through a succession of gifted military commanders and diplomats, and a remarkable flourishing of French arts and letters.
Lucian (2nd c. AD), Greek satirist greatly admired by Smith, who identifies him with Epicureanism and the Cyrenaics; a prolific writer, his Dialogues of the Dead and Dialogues of the Gods were especially popular in the eighteenth century.
Lucullus (Lucius Licinius Lucullus; ca. 118-57 BC), Roman statesman and commander; he invaded Armenia and battled Tigranes II and Mithradates VI, but was removed from command and replaced by Pompey in 66, who went on to victory and further great success in the eastern provinces.
Lysander (5th c. BC), Spartan commander who compelled Athens to surrender in 404, ending the Peloponnesian War.
Machiavelli, Niccolò (1469-1527), Florentinian philosopher and political administrator, known chiefly for his History of Florence, his Discourses on Livy, and his manual The Prince.
Malebranche, Nicolas (1638-1715), French philosopher and priest; his major work of epistemology, The Search After Truth (1674-1675), was an influential engagement with Cartesian conceptions of mind and matter from an Augustinian perspective.
Mandeville, Bernard (1670-1733), Dutch physician and essayist who emigrated to London and became notorious for his Fable of the Bees (1714); the subtitle of the Fable (Private Vices, Publick Benefits) has often been taken to represent the whole of his thought, leading proponents to herald him as a precursor of laissez-faire and unintended order theories and detractors to regard him as an advocate of libertinism and nihilism under the guise of moral rigorism.
Marcellus (Marcus Claudius Marcellus; 1st c. BC), Roman consul who sided with Pompey and the optimates against Caesar and the populares; after Pharsalus he went into voluntary exile but was officially pardoned by Caesar in 46 BC.
Marcus Antoninus (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus; AD 121-180), Roman emperor from 161 until his death, and author of the