Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/95

 LEX

( 4?o )

LIB

pears to be one of the Laws of Nature ; without which it would be hard to account for Rarefaction, and fome. other Appearances. See Refulfion.

LEURE, in Falconry, a piece of red Leather, cut in form of a Bird, or a Ball let off with a Beak, Claws, and Wings, hung out on a Crook by the Falconer to re- claim his Birds. They fometimes tie Meat to the l.eure, wherewith to feed the Bird. The Word comes from the Latin Lorum, tho others derive it from Leora, Craftiness, Deceit.

LEVY fignifies to gather or exaft ; as to levy Money, to levy Troops. Levy is fometimes alfo ufed to erector fer up ; us to levy a Mill ; alfo to raife or caft up, as to levy a Ditch, to levy a Fine, iyc. from the French lever, to raije.

LEX, fee -Lot.

LEX AMISSA, or Legem amittere, in Law is under- stood of an infamous perjured Perfon, who is faid to lofe bis Lavj ; or, as hrafton has it, non ejl tdtentts dignus Lege.

LEX JUD1C1AL1S, is properly Turgatio fer 'Judicium Ferri, fometimes call'd limply Judicium.

LEX SACR AMEN TALIS ; Purgatio fer Sacramentum.

LEX TERRjE, is the Law and Cuftom of the Land, by which Name it is diftinguifh'd from the Civil Law.

LEXICON, the fame with Dictionary. The Word is feldom ufed, excepting in fpeaking of certain antient Greek Dictionaries which bear this Name. 'Tis derived from the Greek Ae?/f DiBion, of kiyu Iffeak.

LIBATION, a Ceremony in the Heathen Sacrifices, wherein the Prieft fpilt fome Wine, Milk, or other Li- quor, in honour of the Deity to whom the Sacrifice was offered, after having firlt tailed it himfelf. Alexander i$ faid to have facrificed a Bull to Neptune ; and for an Of- fering to the Sea-Gods, threw the Golden Vefi.e-1, ufed for the Libation, into the Sea. Libatims were alfo in ufe under the Law of Mofes, being injoined by God. in Exodus xxix. and Numbers xy. See Lifjius on Libations.

LIBEL, a Writing containing Injuries, Reproaches, or Accufations againfl the Honour and Reputation of any Perfon, particularly of a Superior or Governour. Flatina is of opinion that a Writing, how injurious foever it is, cannot be call'd a Libel, if the Author's Name be to it. Libel- lers, among the antient Romans, were punifh'd with Death, but in After-Times they were only whipp'd. Au- gujius rank'd Famofos Libellos, Defamatory Libels, among the Crimes Lafie Majejiatis, of High-Treafon. F. Baudoin has publifh'd a Comment on the Imperial Laws again!! Libels. Scandalous Pictures arc reckoned amongffc Libels.

The Lawyers fay a Libel may be either in Scriptis, or fine Serif tis. in Scriftis, when a Writing is com- pofed or publifhed to another's Difgrace, which maybe done Verbis, out Cantilenis ; as where this is malicioufly repeated or fung in the prefence of others -. Or clfe Tra~ ditione, when the Libel, or any Copy of it, is deliveted out to fcandalize the Parry. Famofus Libellus fine Serif tis, may be two-fold, (i.) PiBuris, as to paint the Party in a fhameful, or ignominious manner: Or, (2.) Signis, as to fix a Gallows, or other ignominious Signs, at the Door of the Party, or elfewhere. The Punifhment of Libelling in England, is putting the Criminal on the Pillory, Whip- ping, &c.

Libel alfo fignifies the Original Declaration ofanyAction in the Civil Law.

LIBELLAT1CI. Under the Perfecution of Decisis there were feveral Chriltians, who, to prevent their being obli- ged to renounce the Faith, and facrifice to Idols in Public, made Application to the Magillrates, and abjured their Faith in private, obtaining Certificates of 'em, either by Intreaty, or by Money ; by which they were attefled to have complied with the Orders of the Emperor, and were thereby fheltered from any further Molcftation on account of their Religion. Thefc Certificates were called I iteffi, whence the People who obtained them came to be deno- minated Libellatici. Others, particularly the Centuriators of Magdeburg, are of Opinion, that the Libellatici were only fuch as fed the Magillrates with Money, to skreen them from Perfecution, and from being obliged to re- nounce Chriitianity. M. 'Fillemont retains fomewhat of each Opinion ; he thinks the Libellatici applying them- felves to the Magillrates, bought off the Sacrificing and Abjuration, and obtained Letters, by which they were declared to have renounced Chrifl, and facrificed to Idols, tho' in effect they had done neither.

LIBERAL ARTS, in oppofition to Mechanical Arts, are fuch as depend more on the Labour of the Mind, than on that of the Hand ; that confift more in the Specula- tion than the Operation, and that have a greater Regard to Amufement and Curiofity, than the fervile Mechanical Works : Such are Grammar, Rhetoric, Painting, Sculp- ture, Architecture, Mufic. The Liberal Arts ufed for- merly to be fummed up in the following Latin Verfe.

Lingua, Trofus, Ratio, Numerus, Tonus, Angulus, Afira.

And the Mechanical Arts, which however are innumera- ble, under this ;

Rus, Nemus, Anna, Faber, Vulnera, Lana, Rates.

The Word comes from the Latin Liberalis, which among the Romans fignificd a Perfon who was not a Slave, and whofe Will, of confequence, was not check'd by the Command of any Mailer.

LIBERALIA, Fcafts celebrated by the antient Romans in honour of Bacchus. Thefe were rhe fame with thofc which the Greeks call'd Vionyfiaca and Agenia ; which fee.

They took their Name from Liber, i. c. Free ; a Title conferred on Bacchus, in memory of the Liberty or Free- dom which he granted to the People of Bteotia ; or per- haps becaufe Wine, whereof he was the reputed D.ity, delivers Men from Care, and fets their Minds at cafe and freedom. Varro derives the Name of this F'eail from Liber, confidered as a Noun Adjective, and fignify- ing Free ; becaufe the Priefts were free from their Func- tion, and eas'd of all Care during the Time of the Liber alia. _ For, in effect, it was the old Women who officiated in the Ceremonies and Sacrifices of thefe Feafts.

LIBERIA, a Feaft held among the Romans on the Day wherein their Children laid afide their Juvenile Ha- bits, and affumed the Robe called Toga libera. The Liberia were kept on the fixtecnth of the Calends of Aprils that is, the 1 7 th of March.

LIBERTIN, among the Romans, was what we call a Freed Man, a Perfon fet free from a Legal Servitude. Thefe ftill retain'd fome Mark of their antient State. He' who made a Slave free, had a Right of Patronage and of Patron over the Libertin i if the IMertin fail'd ofihewin" due Refpects to his Patron, he was reftorcd to his Serv£ tude ; and if the Libertin died without Children, his Pa- tron was his Heir.

LIBERTINES, the Name of a Sea in Religion, that arofe in the Year 1525. Their principal Tenets were, That there is but one only Spirit, which is that of God ; who is diffufed through all Things, who is and lives in all Crea- tures ; that our Souls arc nothing bur this Spirit of God : That the Soul dies with the Body; that Sin is a mere Chimarra, and only fubfifts in Opinion, for that it was God that did all, both Good and Evil; that Paradife is a Dream, and Hell a Phantom, invented by the Divines, and Religion a State-Trick to keep Men in Awe ; that fpiritual Regeneration confifls in nothing but itifling the Remorfe of Confcience ; Repentance in avowing to have done no Evil ; and that it is lawful, and even expedient to diffemble in Matters of Religion. To thefe they added horrible Blafphcmies againft Jefus Chrift, faying, he was nothing but a mere 3e nefcai auoi, compofed of the Spirit of God, and of the Opinion of Men. Thefe Maxims occasioned their being called Libertines ; and the Word has been ufed in an ill Scnfe ever fincc.

They fpread principally in Holland and Brabant. Their Leaders were one Quintin a Ficard, and another called Chofin, who affociated with him, and became his Difciple.

LIBERTY, is ufually underttood of that State where- in a Man a8s freely ; or that Power by which he deter- mines himfelf voluntarily either to Good or Evil, to this thing or to that : Or Liberty is an active Indifference of the Will, to will, or not will anything. F.Malbramh gives us a ftill more Philofophical Definition. The Will he defines to be that Impreffion, or natural Motion which inclines towards Good in the general; and by Liberty he underftands, that Power which the Mind has of determi- ning this general Impreffion towards fuch Objects as pleafe us ; and fo of direfling our general Inclinations to fome particular Things: whence it is eafy to perceive, that tho' all natural Inclinations be voluntary, yet they are not all free ; nor, we mean, with a Freedom of Indifference which includes a Power of willing, or not willing ; or of" willing quite the contrary to that which our natural Incli- nations lead us to : For tho' 'tis voluntarily and freely that we love Good in general, ir being abfurd to fuppofe, we fhould love any thing without the Will, or that the Will can ever be conflrain'd ; yet we don't love freely, (in the Senfe juft laid down) becaufe 'tis not in the power of the Will not to defire to be happy. It mud be obfer- ved, however, that the Mind, confidered as determined towards Good in general, cannot divert its Motion to any particular Good, unlefs the fame Mind, confidered as capable of Ideas, have fome Knowledge of that particular Good. That is, in plainer Terms, the Will is a blind Power, that cannot apply itfelf to any thing but what rhe Underftanding reprefents to it: So that the Power which the Will has to determine its Impreffion towards general Good, or irs natural Inclinations, varioufly, confifls in rhe Power it has to command the Underftanding to reprefent

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