Labeālis, a lake in Dalmatia, now Scutari, of which the neighbouring inhabitants were called Labeates. Livy, bk. 44, ch. 31; bk. 45, ch. 26.
Lăbeo Antistius, a celebrated lawyer in the age of Augustus, whose views he opposed, and whose offers of the consulship he refused. His works are lost. He was wont to enjoy the company and conversation of the learned for six months, and the rest of the year was spent in writing and composing. His father, of the same name, was one of Cæsar’s murderers. He killed himself at the battle of Philippi. Horace, bk. 1, satire 3, li. 82, has unjustly taxed him with insanity because, no doubt, he inveighed against his patrons. Appian, The Civil Wars, bk. 4.—Suetonius, Augustus, ch. 45.——A tribune of the people at Rome, who condemned the censor Metellus to be thrown down from the Tarpeian rock, because he had expelled him from the senate. This rigorous sentence was stopped by the interference of another of the tribunes.——Quintus Fabius, a Roman consul, A.U.C. 571, who obtained a naval victory over the fleet of the Cretans. He assisted Terence in composing his comedies, according to some.——Actius, an obscure poet who recommended himself to the favour of Nero by an incorrect translation of Homer into Latin. The work is lost, and only this curious line is preserved by an old scholiast, Persius, bk. 1, li. 4, Crudum manducus Priamum, Priamique Pisinnos.
Lăbĕrius J. Decimus, a Roman knight famous for his poetical talents in writing pantomimes. Julius Cæsar compelled him to act one of his characters on the stage. The poet consented with great reluctance, but he showed his resentment during the acting of the piece by throwing severe aspersions upon Julius Cæsar, by warning the audience against his tyranny, and by drawing upon him the eyes of the whole theatre. Cæsar, however, restored him to the rank of knight which he had lost by appearing on the stage; but to his mortification, when he went to take his seat among the knights, no one offered to make room for him, and even his friend Cicero said, Recepissem te nisi angustè sederem. Laberius was offended at the affectation and insolence of Cicero, and reflected upon his unsettled and pusillanimous behaviour during the civil wars of Cæsar and Pompey, by the reply of Mirum si angustè sedes, qui soles duabas sellis sedere. Laberius died 10 months after the murder of Julius Cæsar. Some fragments remain of his poetry. Macrobius, Saturnalia, bk. 2, chs. 3 & 7.—Horace, bk. 1, satire 10.—Seneca, de Controversiæ, bk. 7, ch. 3.—Suetonius, Cæsar, ch. 39.——Quintus Durus, a tribune of the soldiers in Cæsar’s legions, killed in Britain. Cæsar, Gallic War.
Labīcum, now Colonna, a town of Italy, called also Lavicum, between Gabii and Tusculum, which became a Roman colony about four centuries B.C. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 796.—Livy, bk. 2, ch. 39; bk. 4, ch. 47.
Lăbiēnus, an officer of Cæsar in the wars of Gaul. He deserted to Pompey, and was killed at the battle of Munda. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 6, &c.—Lucan, bk. 5, li. 346.——A Roman who followed the interest of Brutus and Cassius, and became general of the Parthians against Rome. He was conquered by the officers of Augustus. Strabo, bks. 12 & 14.—Dio Cassius, bk. 48.——Titus, an historian and orator at Rome in the age of Augustus, who admired his own compositions with all the pride of superior genius and incomparable excellence. The senate ordered his papers to be burnt on account of their seditious contents; and Labienus, unable to survive the loss of his writings, destroyed himself. Suetonius, Caligula, ch. 16.—Seneca.
Labinētus, or Labynētus, a king of Babylon, &c. Herodotus, bk. 1, ch. 74.
Labotas, a river near Antioch in Syria. Strabo, bk. 16.——A son of Echestratus, who made war against Argos, &c.
Labradeus, a surname of Jupiter in Caria. The word is derived from labrys which in the language of the country signifies a hatchet, which Jupiter’s statue held in its hand. Plutarch.
Labron, a part of Italy on the Mediterranean, supposed to be Leghorn. Cicero bk. 2, Letters to his brother Quintus, ltr. 6.
Lăby̆rinthus, a building whose numerous passages and perplexing windings render the escape from it difficult, and almost impracticable. There were four very famous among the ancients; one near the city of Crocodiles or Arsinoe, another in Crete, a third at Lemnos, and a fourth in Italy, built by Porsenna. That of Egypt was the most ancient, and Herodotus, who saw it, declares that the beauty and art of the building were almost beyond belief. It was built by 12 kings, who at one time reigned in Egypt, and it was intended for the place of their burial, and to commemorate the actions of their reign. It was divided into 12 halls, or, according to Pliny, into 16, or, as Strabo mentions, into 27. The halls were vaulted, according to the relation of Herodotus. They had each six doors, opening to the north, and the same number to the south, all surrounded by one wall. The edifice contained 3000 chambers, 1500 in the upper part, and the same number below. The chambers above were seen by Herodotus, and astonished him beyond conception, but he was not permitted to see those below, where were buried the holy crocodiles and the monarchs whose munificence had raised the edifice. The roofs and walls were encrusted with marble, and adorned with sculptured figures. The halls were surrounded with stately and polished pillars of white stone, and, according to some authors, the opening of the doors was artfully attended with a terrible noise like peals of thunder. The labyrinth of Crete was built by Dædalus, in imitation of that of Egypt, and it is the most famous of all in classical history. It was the place of confinement for Dædalus himself, and the prison of the Minotaur. According to Pliny the labyrinth of Lemnos surpassed the others in grandeur and magnificence. It was supported by 40 columns of uncommon height and thickness, and equally admirable for their beauty and splendour. Modern travellers are still astonished at the noble and magnificent ruins which appear of the Egyptian labyrinth, at the south of the lake Mœris, about 30 miles from the ruins of Arsinoe. Mela, bk. 1, ch. 9.—Pliny, bk. 36, ch. 13.—Strabo, bk. 10.—Diodorus, bk. 1.—Herodotus, bk. 2, ch. 148.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 5, li. 588.