Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

706 - LIBRA. LBRAIB RARI.
and the descendants of libertini were sometimes bronze balances may be seen in the British Museum
taunted with their servile origin. (Hor. Se}rn. i. and in other collections of antiquities, and also of
6, 46.) the steel-yard [STATERA], which was used for the
The law which concerns the property (bona) of same purposes as the libra. The woodcut to the
Libertini may be considered under PATRONuS; article CATENA shows some of the chains by which
see also INGENUI and LEX JUNIA. [G. L.] the scales are suspended from the beam. In the
LIBITINA'RII. [FuNus, p. 558, a.] works of ancient art, the balance is also introduced
LIBRA or AS, a pound, the unit of weight emblematically in a great variety of ways. The
among the Romans and Italians. Many ancient annexed woodcut is taken from a beautiful bronze
specimens of this weight, its parts and multiples, patera, representing Mercury and Apollo engaged
have come down to us; but of these some are im. in exploring the fates of Achilles and Memnon, by
perfect, and the rest differ so much in weight that weighing the attendant genius of the one against
no satisfactory conclusion can be drawn from them.
The difference between some of these specimens
is as much as two ounces. An account of some of
the most remarkable of them is given by Hussey H\
(Ancient Weights, &c. ix. ~ 3), and Bdckh (Mtfetroloqq. Untersuch. p. 170). This variety is to be accounted'for partly by the well-known carelessness
of the Romans in keeping to their standards of I l['-C 7,\t X
weight, and partly by the fact that many of the;
extant weights are from provincial towns, in which' \ 1
this carelessness was notoriously greater than in
the metropolis.
The computation of the weight of the tibr has //
been attempted in two ways, which are more fully
discussed under PONDERA. The method which has
been.followed by most writers is that of deducing
it from the weights of the silver coins —a process
which gives, according to Hussey, 5040 grains,
and according to Wurm and Biickhb, a little more
than 5053. The other plan is that of weiohing that of the other. (WVinckelmann, llosz. neld. ] 33;
the quantity of water held by the Congius of Millin, ]Peintures de Vases Anat. i. pl. 19. p. 39.)
Vespasian, which originally contained 10 Roman A balance is often represented on the reverse of
pounds, which gives a result of about 5200 grains. the Ronman imperial coins; and to indicate more
According to the former computation, it was some- distinctly its signification, it is frequently held by
what less than 11-, according to the latter, some- a female in her right hand, while she supports
what more than 11- ounces avoirdupois; and, a cornucopia in her left, the words AEQVITAS
according to either, its value may be ronghly AVGVSTI being inscribed on the margin, so as to
stated as a little less than 3-4th of a pound denote the justice and impartiality with which the
av oirdupois. emperors dispensed their bounty.
The uncial division, which hcas been noticed in The constellation Libra is placed in the Zodiac
speaking of the coin As, was also applied to the at the equinox, bectase it is the period of the year
weight. (See the Tables.) The divisions of the at which day and night are equally balanced.
ounce are given under UNCIA-. Where the word (Virg. Geor. i. 208; Plin. H. A. xvii, 69; Schol.
pondo, or its abbreviations P. or POND., occur in2 Arat. 89.)
with a simple number, the weight understood is The mason's or carpenter's level was called libra
the librsc or libella (whence the English nanme), on account
The name ibrea was also given to a measure of of its resemblance in many respects to a balance.
horn divided into twelve equal parts (unciae) by (Varro, de Re Rust. i. 6; olumelia, iii. 13; Plin.
lines marked on it, and used for measuring oil. H. N. xxxvi. 52.) Hence the verb libsio meant to
(Suet. Caes. c. 38; Galen, de Comnp. Med. Gen. i. level as well as to weigh. The woodcut to the
17, vi. 8; Horat. Sat. ii. 2. 49-61.) [P. S.] article CIRCINUS shows a tibelafCabrilis having the
LIBRA, dinm. LIBELLA ( a'ra'cbs), a balance, form of the letter A (Veget. iii. 20), and the line
a pair of scales. The principal parts of this instru- and plummet (perpendiculums) depending from the
ment were, 1. The beam [J:t4u~'M], whence any- apex. [J. Y.]
thing which is to be weighed is said nrb u'v-ybv LIBRAMENTUM, LIBRATIO AQUAvaeAjOaalm, literally, " to be thrown under the RUM. [AQuAaDUCTUS, p. 113, b.]
beam." (Aelian, F. H. x. 6.) 2. The two scales, LIBRA'RII, the name of slaves, who waere emcalled in Greek TrcXamTa (Hom. I. viii. 69, xii. ployed by their masters in writing or copying in
433, xvi. 659, xix. 223, xxii. 209; Aristoph. any way. They must be distinguished fi'om the
Ranae, 809) and srAdistyye (Aristoph. Ranaee, Scribae publici, who were freemen [SCRIBAE],
1425), and in Latin lances (Virg. Aen. xii. 725; and also from the booksellers [LIBER], to both
Pers. iv. 10; Cic. Acad. iv. 12). [LANX.] Hence of whom this name is occasionally applied. The
the verb TaXaPTreSX is employed as equivalent to slaves, to whon the mnle of librarii Was given,
aoeaO&odw, and to the Latin libieo, and is applied as may be divided into three classes -
descriptive of an eagle balancing his wings in the 1. Litrarii who were employed in copying
air. (Philostrat. Jun. Intag. 6; Welcker, ad loc.) books, called Scriptores Librarii by Horace (Ars
The beam was made without a tongue, being held PoPt. 354). These librarii were called in later
by a ring or other appendage (ligula, piiz), fixed times antiquarii. (Cod. 12. tit. 19. s. 10; Cod.
i the centre. (See the woodcut.) Specinmens of Theod. 4. tit. 8. s. 2; Isid. Orig. vi. 14.) Isidore