Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 34.djvu/235

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Lucas
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Lucas

Scholars, p. 133), and became fellow or scholar of New College, Oxford, before 1564. In 1568 he entered Lincoln's Inn. He issued in 1588 'Three Bookes of Colloquies concerning the Arte of Shooting in great and small peeces of Artillerie,' translated from the Italian of Nicholas Tartaglia, with additions and an appendix by the translator' to shew vnto the Reader the Properties, Office, and Dutie of a Gunner, and to teach him to make and refine Artificial Saltpeter,' London, by Thomas Dawson, for John Harrison, 1588, fol. It was dedicated by the publisher to Leicester, and is fully illustrated. Lucar's appendix, 'collected out of divers good authors,' is far longer than the translation from Tartaglia.

A more interesting venture was 'A Treatise named Lucar Solace, devided into fower Bookes, which in part are collected out of diverse Authors in diverse Languages, and in part devised by Cyprian Lucar, Gentleman' (London, by Richard Field, for John Harrison, 1590), 4to. It is dedicated to William Roe, alderman of London, the author's brother-in-law. Books i. to iii. form a treatise on mensuration and geometry. Book iv. is a collection of useful information respecting modes of sinking wells, of building chimneys, of distinguishing between 'fruitful, barren, and minerall grounds,' and so forth. In addition to many drawings of geometrical figures printed in the page, there are some folding plates depicting newly invented machines; among the latter (p. 157) is a fire-engine, 'a kinde of squirt made to holde an hoggeshed of water,' whence more modern implements are possibly derived.

Lucar, who was at one time described as of Blackford, Somerset, left a son, Anthonie, who was a student at the Middle Temple in 1612; but his brother, Mark, succeeded to family property at Maydenbrook, a hamlet in Cheddon Fitz-paine. Mark's son, Emanuel, appears as captain of a troop of three hundred Devonshire soldiers, who embarked at Dartmouth for Flushing, 27 Aug. 1585 (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1581-90, p. 262). Emanuel Lucar was seated at Maydenbrook in 1623, married twice, and had a large family (Visitation of Somerset, 1623, p. 71).

[Authorities cited; Lucar's Works in Brit. Mus.; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1500-1714.]

S. L.

LUCAS, ANTHONY (1633–1693), jesuit, a native of the county of Durham, was born in 1633. He studied at St. Omer, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1662. In 1672 he became professor of theology in the college at Liège in Belgium, in 1680 rector of the college at Watten, and on 3 March 1686-1687 rector of the college at Liège. In 1687 he was removed to Rome to become rector of the English College there, and in 1693 was appointed provincial of his order. He died on 3 Oct. 1693. Lucas was involved in a controversy with Sir Isaac Newton respecting the prismatic spectrum. Another Jesuit, Francis Line [q. v.], had endeavoured to confute Newton's theory of light, and when Line died in 1675, a pupil, Gascoigne, sought Lucas's co-operation in continuing the attack on Newton. Lucas made valuable experiments, and published his results, which partly agreed with those of Newton, in the 'Philosophical Transactions' for 1676. Newton commended Lucas's researches.

[Foley's Collections, VII. i. 467; Brewster's Life of Newton, i. 82; Playfair's Works, ed. 1822, ii. 379; Abridg. Phil. Trans. ii. 334.]

W. A. J. A.

LUCAS, Sir CHARLES (d. 1648), royalist, was the youngest son of Sir Thomas Lucas, knt., of St. John's, Colchester (d. 1625), by Elizabeth, daughter of John Leighton of London, gentleman (Morant, History of Essex, i. 124). Margaret, duchess of Newcastle, describes her brother's youthful career in her autobiography (ed. Firth, pp. 280-3). Charles served first in the troop of his elder brother, Sir Thomas, in the wars of the Low Countries. He commanded a troop of horse in the king's army during the second Scottish war, and was knighted 27 July 1639 (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1640-1641, p. 318; Metcalfe, Knights, 195).

Lucas served in the royalist armies throughout the civil war, was wounded in the skirmish at Powick Bridge, 22 Sept. 1642, and took part in the capture of Cirencester, 2 Feb. 1643 (Warburton, Prince Rupert, i. 409; Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, p. 170). On 20 March 1643 he was commissioned to raise a regiment of five hundred horse, was appointed on 16 Sept. commander-in-chief of all forces to be raised in the counties of Suffolk and Essex, and on 14 Oct. sheriff of Essex (Black, Oxford Docquets, pp. 20, 72, 88). On 1 July 1643, at Padbury, with three troops of his own regiment he defeated Colonel Middleton with four hundred horse and dragoons, taking forty prisoners, and killing above a hundred of the enemy (Mercurius Aulicus). On 16 Jan. 1644 he commanded in an attack on Nottingham, and is described as styling himself general of the counties of Nottingham and Lincoln (Life of Col. Hutchinson, i. 298, 388, ed. Firth). By the recommendation of Prince Rupert he became lieutenant-general to the Marquis of Newcastle, joined him in the north in March 1644, and distinguished himself in the fight with the Scots at Hilton in Durham on