LEOMINSTER

leominster, a township of worcester county, massachusetts, u.s.a., about 45 m. n.w. of boston and about 20 m. n. by e. of worcester. pop. (1890) 7269; (1900) 12,392, of whom 2827 were foreign-born; (1910 census) 17,580. it is a broken, hilly district, 26.48 sq. m. in area, traversed by the nashua river, crossed by the northern division of the new york, new haven & hartford railroad, and by the fitchburg division of the boston & maine, and connected with boston, worcester and other cities by interurban electric lines. along the n.e. border and mostly in the township of lunenburg are whalom lake and whalom park, popular pleasure resorts. the principal villages are leominster, 5 m. s.e. of fitchburg, and north leominster; the two adjoin and are virtually one. according to the special u.s. census of manufactures of 1905 the township had in that year a greater diversity of important manufacturing industries than any place of its size in the state, or, probably, in the united states; its 65 manufactories, with a capital of $4,572,726 and with a product for the year valued at $7,501,720 (39% more than in 1900), produced celluloid and horn work (the manufacture of which is a more important industry here than elsewhere in the united states), celluloid combs, furniture, paper, buttons, pianos and piano-cases, children's carriages and sleds, stationery, leatherboard, worsted, woollen and cotton goods, shirts, paper boxes, &c. leominster owns and operates its water-works. the township was formed from a part of lancaster township in 1740. leon, luis ponce de (1527-1591), spanish poet and mystic, was born at belmonte de cuenca, entered the university of salamanca at the age of fourteen, and in 1544 joined the augustinian order. in 1561 he obtained a theological chair at salamanca, to which in 1571 was added that of sacred literature. he was denounced to the inquisition for translating the book of canticles, and for criticizing the text of the vulgate. he was consequently imprisoned at valladolid from march 1572 till december 1576; the charges against him were then abandoned, and he was released with an admonition. he returned to salamanca as professor of biblical exegesis, and was again reported to the inquisition in 1582, but without result. in 1583-1585 he published the three books of a celebrated mystic treatise, _los nombres de cristo_, which he had written in prison. in 1583 also appeared the most popular of his prose works, a treatise entitled _la perfecta casada_, for the use of a lady newly married. ten days before his death, which occurred at madrigal on the 23rd of august 1591, he was elected vicar general of the augustinian order. luis de leon is not only the greatest of spanish mystics; he is among the greatest of spanish lyrical poets. his translations of euripides, pindar, virgil and horace are singularly happy; his original pieces, whether devout like the ode _de la vida del cielo_, or secular like the ode _a salinas_, are instinct with a serene sublimity unsurpassed in any literature, and their form is impeccable. absorbed by less worldly interests, fray luis de leon refrained from printing his poems, which were not issued till 1631, when quevedo published them as a counterblast to _culteranismo_. the best edition of luis de leon's works is that of merino (6 vols., madrid, 1816); the reprint (madrid, 1885) by c. munoz saenz is incorrect. the text of _la perfecta casada_ has been well edited by miss elizabeth wallace (chicago, 1903). see _coleccion de documentos ineditos para la historia de espana_, vols. x.-xi.; f. h. reusch, _luis de leon und die spanische inquisition_ (bonn, 1873); m. gutierrez, _fray luis de leon y la filosofia espanola_ (madrid, 1885); m. menendez y pelayo, _estudios de critica literaria_ (madrid, 1893), primera serie, pp. 1-72.