into question, determine, or difpofe of the lands or goods of any fubjects of this kingdom; but that the fame ought to be tried and determined in the ordinary courts of justice, and by course of law. 4. If there fhould happen any uncommon injury or infringement of the rights before mentioned, which the ordinary courfe of law is too defective to reach, there still remains a 4th fubordinate right, appertaining to every individual, namély, the right of petitioning the king, or house of parliament, for the redrefs of grievances. In Ruffia, Peter the Great established a law, that no fubject might petition the throne till he had firft petitioned two different minifters of ftate. In cafe he obtained juftice from neither, he might then present a petition to the prince; but upon pain of death, if found to be in the wrong. The restrictions, for fome there are, which are laid upon petitioning in Britain, are of a nature extremely different; and while they promote the fpirit of peace, they are no check upon that of liberty. Care only must be taken, left, under the pretence of petitioning, the subject be guilty of any riot or tumult; as happened in the opening of the memorable parliament in 1640: and, to prevent this, it is provided by the statute 13 Car. II. ft. 1. c. 5. that no petition to the king, or either house of parliament, for any alteration in church or state, fhall be figned by above 20 perfons, unless the matter thereof be approved by three juftices of the peace, or the major part of the grand jury, in the county; and in London, by the lord mayor, aldermen, and common council: nor fhall any petition be prefented by more than 10 perfons at a time. But under these regulations, it is declared by the ftatute 1 W. and M. ft. 2. c. 2. that the subject hath right to petition; and that all commitments and profecutions for fuch petioning are illegal. 5. The fifth and laft auxiliary right of the subject, that we shall mention, is that of having arms for their defence, fuitable to their condition and degree, and fuch as are allowed by law: Which is also declared bythe fame ftatute i W. and M. ft. 2. c. 2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due reftrictions, of the natural right of resistance and felf-prefervation, when the fanctions of fociety and laws are found infufficient to reftrain the violence of oppreffion. In these several articles confift the rights or liberties of Britons: liberties more generally talked of, than thoroughly understood; and yet highly neceffary to be perfectly known and confidered by every Briton; more efpecially by every man of rank or property, left his ignorance of the points whereon they are founded fhould hurry him into faction and licentioufnefs on the one hand, or a pufillanimous indifference and criminal fubmiffion on the other. So long as these rights of personal security, perfonal liberty, and private property, remain inviolate, the fubject is perfectly free; for every species of compulfive tyranny and oppreffion muft act in oppofition to one or other of these rights, having no other object upon which it can poffibly be employed. To preserve these from violation, it is neceffary that the conftitution of parliament be fupported in its full vigour; and limits, certainly known, be fet to the royal prerogative. And, laftly, to vindicate these rights, when actually violated or VOL. XIII. PART I.

I

attacked, the fubjects of Britain are entitled, in the first place, to the regular administration and free courfe of juftice in the courts of law; next, to the right of petitioning the king and parliament for redrefs of grievances; and, lastly, to the right of having and ufing arms for felf-prefervation and defence. And all these rights and liberties it is our birthright to enjoy entire; unless where the laws of our country have laid them under neceffary reftraints: Reftraints in themselves fo gentle and moderate, as will appear upon farther inquiry, that no man of fenfe or probity would wish to fee them flackened. For all of us have it in our choice to do every thing that a good man would defire to do; and are restrained from nothing, but what would be pernicious either to ourselves or our fellow-citizens. So that this review of our fituation may fully juftify the obfervation of a learned French author, who indeed generally both thought and wrote in the spirit of genuine freedom, that the British is the only nation in the world where political or civil liberty is the direct end of its conftitution. The United States of America need hardly be mentioned as an exception, as the spirit of liberty which pervades their conftitution owes its origin to that of Britain. We shall therefore clofe our remarks upon it with the expiring wifh of the famous Father Paul to his country, “ESTO PERPETUA!”

(3.) LIBERTY, in mythology, was a goddess both among the Greeks and Romans. Among the former the was invoked under the title ELEUTHERIA, and by the latter fhe was called LIBERTAS, and held in fingular veneration; temples, altars, and ftatues, were erected in honour of her. A very magnificent temple was confecrated to her on mount Aventine by Tiberius Gracchus, before which was a fpacious court, called atrium libertatis. The Romans alfo erected a new temple in honour of Liberty when Julius Cæfar established his empire over them, as if their liberty had been fecured by an event which deftroyed it. The French acted a fimilar part by installing Bonaparte Firf Conful for life, upon the 14th July 1802, the anniverfary of that liberty which they had established in 1791, and which he has now, with imperial power and firmness, totally overthrown. In a medal of Brutus, Liberty is exhibited under the figure of a woman, holding in one hand a cap, the fymbol of Liberty, and two poni ards in the other, with the infeription IDIBVS MARTIIS.

(4.) LIBERTY, in geography, a poft-town of Virginia, 15 miles from New London, and 35 from Martinsburg and Fincastle.

(5.) LIBERTY AND NECESSITY. See META

PHYSICS.

(6.) LIBERTY OF THE PRESS. The art of printing, foon after its introduction, was looked upon in England, as well as in other countries, as merely a matter of ftate, and fubject to the coercion of the crown. It was therefore regulated with us by the king's proclamations, prohibitions, char. ters of privilege and licence, and finally by the decrees of the court of ftar-chamber, which limited the number of printers, and of preffes which each fhould employ, and prohibited new publications unless previously approved by proper licensers.

A a

On

(9.) LIBERTY, WEST, a town of Virginia, capi tal of Ohio county, feated at the head of Short Creek, 6 m. from Ohio, 2 W. of the Pennfylvania Line, 18 NW. of Wheeling, 23 W. of Washington in Pennsylvania, and 348 from Philadelphia. LIBETHRA, in ancient geography, a town and fountain of Theffaly. The latter was called the fountain of fong, and was fituated in Magnefia, a diftrict of Macedonia annexed to Theffaly. The town ftood on Mount Olympus, where it verges towards Macedonia: hence the mufes are called LIBETHRIDES. (Virgil.) Strabo places on Helicon, not only Hippocrene, and the temple of the Mufes, but alfo the caves of the nymphs Libethrides. LIBETHRIDES. See laft article.

LIBETHRIUS MONS, in ancient geography, LIBETHRUS, Sa mountain of Baotia, 40 ftadia from Coronea; where stood the ftatues of the Mufes, and of the Libethrides. It was either conjoined with, or at leaft very near to, Helicon.

* LIBIDINOUS. n. f. [libidinofus, Lat.] Lewd; luftful.-If wanton glances and libidinous thoughts had been permitted by the gofpel, they would have apoftatized nevertheless. Bentley.

* LIBIDINOUSLY. adv. [from libidinous.] Lewdly; luftfully.

On the demolition of this odious jurifdiction in 1641, the long parliament of Charles I. after their rupture with that prince, affumed the fame powers as the ftar-chamber had exercifed with refpect to the licensing of books: and in 1643, 1647, 1649, and 1652, (Scobell, i. 44, 134. ii. 88, 230.) iffued their ordinances for that purpofe, founded principally on the ftar-chamber's decree of 1637. In 1662, was paffed the ftatute 13 and 14 Car. II. c. 33. which, with some few alterations, was copied from the parliamentary ordinances. This act expired in 1679; but was revived by ftatute 1 Jac. II. c. 17. and continued till 1692. It was then continued for two years longer by ftatute 4 W. and M. c 24. but though frequent attempts were made by the government to revive it in the fubfequent part of that reign (Com. Journ. 11 Feb. 1694, 26 Nov. 1695, 22 Oct. 1696, 9 Feb. 1697, 31 January 1698), yet the parliament refifted it fo ftrongly, that it finally expired, and the prefs became properly free in 1694, and has continued so ever fince. The liberty of the prefs, however, fo effential to the existence of a free ftate, confifts not in freedom from any criminal matter that may be published, but in laying no previous restraints upon publications. Every freeman has undoubtedly a right to lay what fentiments he pleases before the public; to forbid this, is to deftroy the freedom of the prefs: but if he publishes what is improper, mischievous, or illegal, he muft take the confequence of his own temerity. See LIBEL, 2. To fubject the prefs to the reftrictive power of a licenfer, in the manner above mentioned, is to fubject all freedom of fentiment to the prejudices of one many and make him the arbitrary and infallible judge of all difputed points in learning, religion, and government. But to punifh (as the law does at prefent) any dangerous or offenfive writings which, when published, shall, on a fair and impartial trial, be adjudged of a pernicious tendency, is neceffary for the preservation of peace and good order, of government and religion, the only folid foundations of civil liberty. Thus the will of individuals is ftill left free; the abuse only of that free-will is the object of legal punishment. Neither is any restraint hereby laid upon freedom of thought or inquiry; liberty of private fentiment is still lefs; the diffeminating or making public of bad fentiments, deftructive of the ends of fociety, is the crime which fociety corrects. A man (fays a fine writer on this fubject) may be allowed to keep poisons in his closet, but not publicly to vend them as cordials. And to this we may add, that the only plaufible argument heretofore ufed for reftraining the juft freedom of the prefs, "that it was neceffary to prevent the daily abuse of it," will entirely lofe its force, when it is fhown (by a feafonable exertion of the laws) that the prefs cannot be abused to any bad purpose without incurring a faitable punishment: whereas, it can never be used to any good one when under the controul of an infpector. So true will it be found, that to cenfure the licentioufnefs, is to maintain the liberty of the prefs.

(7.) LIBERTY, PORT, a port of Guadaloupe. (8.) LIBERTY Town, a town of Maryland, in Frederick county, 42 miles WNW. of Baltimore, near fome copper mines.

LIBÍTINA, in the Roman mythology, a god. defs who prefided over funerals. She was the fame with the Venus infera or Epithymbia of the Greeks. She had a temple at Rome, where was lodged a certain piece of money for every perfon who died, whofe name was recorded in a regifter called Libitina ratio. This practice was established by Servius Tullius, in order to obtain an account of the number of annual deaths in the city of Rome, and confequently the increase or decreafe of its inhabitants. All things requifite for funerals were fold in the temple of Libitina.

LIBITINARII, [from EIBITINA,] were undertakers whofe office it was to take care of funerals, prepare all things neceffary upon the folemn occafion, and furnish every article required. They kept a number of fervants to perform the working part of the profeffion, such as the pollinetores, vefpillones, &c. See FUNERAL, § 9.

LIBNA, in ancient geography, a facerdotal city in the tribe of Judah, a place of strength, as appears from Sennacherib's laying fiege to it, 2 Kings xix. If. xxxvii. In Jerome's time, it was a village, called LOBNA, in the territory of Eleutheropolis.

LIBON, a Greek architect who built the celebrated temple of Jupiter Olympius. He flourished about A. A. C. 450.

LIBOURNE, a town of France, in the dep. of Gironde, and late province of Guienne, containing about 5000 citizens. It is a trading town, seated on the Dordogne, 20 m. NE. of Bourdeaux, and 205 S. by W. of Paris. Lon. o. to. W. Lat. 44. 55. N. (1) LIBRA, or BALANCE, one of the mechanical powers. See BALANCE.

(2.) LIBRA, in aftronomy, one of the 12 figns of the zodiae, exactly oppofite to Aries; so called becaufe when the fun is in this fign at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights are equal, as if weighed in a balance. See ASTRONOMY, § 548.

(3.) LIBRA alfo denotes the ancient Roman POUND, borrowed from the Sicilians, who called it litra. The libra was divided into 13 uncie o ounces,

ounces, and the ounce into 24 fcruples. The di vifions of the libra were, the uncia, one twelfth; fextans, one fixth; quadrans, one fourth; triens, one third; quincunx, five ounces; femis, the half pound or 6 oz. feptunx, seven; bes, eight; dodrans, nine; dextrans, ten; deunx, eleven; laftly, the as weighed 12 oz. or one libra. The Roman libra was used in France for the proportion of their coin, till the time of Charlemagne, or perhaps till that of Philip I. in 1093, their fols being fo proportioned, as that 20 of them were equal to the libra. By degrees it became a term of account; and every thing of the value of 20 fols was called a livre. Hence too L. ftands for pound Sterling, and lb. for a pound in weight....

(4.) LIBRA PENSA, in law books, denotes a pound of money in weight It was anciently ufed not only to tell the money but to weigh it; because many cities, lords, and bishops, having their mints, coined money, and often bad, or too light; for which reafon, though the pound confifted of 20 fhillings, they always weighed it. ›

* LIBRAL. adj. [libralis, Latin.]. Of a pound weight. Dia.

* LIBRARIAN. n. f. [librarius, Lat.] 1. One who has the care of a library. 2. One who tranfcribes or copies books.-Charybdis thrice fwallows, and thrice refunds, the waves; this must be understood of regular tides. There are indeed but two tides in a day, but this is the error of the librarians. Broome.

LIBRARII, among the ancients, were a fort of copyifts who transcribed, in beautiful or at least legible characters, what had been written by the notarii in notes and abbreviations.

(1.) * LIBRARY. n. f. [librarie, Fr.] A large collection of books, public or private.

Then as they 'gan his library to view, And antique regifters for to avise, There chanced to the prince's hand to rise An antient book, hight Briton's monuments. Fairy Queen. -I have given you the library of a painter, and a catalogue of fuch books as he ought to read. Dryd. (2.) LIBRARY fignifies alfo an edifice or apartment deftined for holding a confiderable number of books placed regularly on fhelves. Some authors refer the origin of libraries to the Hebrews; and obferve, that the care they took to preferve their facred books, and the memory and actions of their ancestors, became an example to other nations, particularly to the Egyptians. Ofymandyas, king of Egypt, is faid to have taken the hint firft; who, according to Diodorus, had a library built in his palace, with this infcription over the door, YTXH IATPEION. Nor were the Ptolemies, who reigned in the fame country, lefs curious and magnificent in books. A library of the kings of Perfia, called a boufe of the rolls, or books, is mentioned in Ezra vi. 1. which fome imagine to have confifted of the hiftorians of that nation, and of memoirs of the affairs of ftate; but it seems rather to have been a depositary of laws, charters, and ordinances of the kings. In chap. v. 17. it is called the king's treasure house. We may, with more certainty, call that a library, mentioned in the 2d of Efdras to have been built by Nehemiah, in which were preferved the books of the prophets, and the letters of their kings. The

firft who erected a library at Athens, was the tyrant Pififtratus; though Strabo ascribes the honour to Ariftotle. That of Pififtratus was tranfported by Xerxes into Perfia, and was afterwards brought back by Seleucus Nicator to Athens. Long after, it was plundered by Sylla, and re-eftablished by Adrian. Plutarch fays, that under Eumenes there was a library at Pergamus, containing 200,000 books. Tyrannion, a celebrated grammarian, contemporary with Pompey, had a library of 30,000 volumes. That of Ptolemy Philadelphus, according to A. Gellius, contained 700,000, all in rolls, burnt by Cæfar's foldiers. Conftantine, and his fucceffors, erected a magnificent one at Conftantinople; which in the 8th century contained 300,000 volumes, all burnt by order of Leo III.; and, among the reft, one wherein the Iliad and Odyffey were written in letters of gold, on the guts of a ferpent. The moft celebrated libraries of ancient Rome were the Ulpian and the Palatine. Thofe of Paulus Æmilius, who conquered Perfeus; of Lucilius, Lucullus, of Afinius Pollio, Atticus, Julius Severus, Domitius Serenus, Pamphilius Martyr, and the emperors Gordian and Trajan, are alfo much celebrated. Anciently, every large church had its library; as appears by the writings of St Jerome, Anaftafius, and others. Pope Nicholas laid the foundation of that of the Vatican, in 1450. It was deftroyed by the conftable Bourbon, in the facking of Rome; reftored by Pope Sixtus V. and confiderably enriched with books from that of Heidelberg, plundered by Count Tilly in 1622. One of the most complete libraries in Europe, was faid to be that erected at Florence by Cofmo de Medicis, over the gate whereof is written, LABOR ABSQUE LABORE; though it was afterwards exceeded by that of the French king, begun by Francis I. aug. mented by Cardinal Richlieu, completed by M. Colbert, and now the national library. The emperor's library at Vienna, according to Lambecius, confifts of 80,000 volumes, and 15,940 curious medals. The BODLEIAN library at Oxford, built on the foundation of that of Duke Humphry, exceeds that of any univerfity in Europe, and even those of all the fovereigns of Europe, except the emperor's and the French one, which are each of them older by 100 years. It was firft opened in 1602, and has fince found a great number of benefactors; particularly Sir Robert Cotton, Sir H. Savil, Abp. Laud, Sir Kenelm Digby, Mr Allen, Dr Pococke, Mr Selden, and others. The Vatican, the Medicean, that of Beffarion at Venice, and thofe juft mentioned, exceed the Bodleian in Greek MSS. but in oriental MSS. it excels them all. As to printed books, the Ambrofian at Milan, and that of Wolfenbuttle, are two of the most famous, and yet both inferior to the Bodleian. There are alfo many public libraries belonging to the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. The principal public libraries in London, befides that of the Museum, are thofe of the college of Heralds, of the college of Physicians, of Doctors Commons, to which every bishop at the time of his confecration gives at least 20. ometimes sol. for the purchase of books; thofe of the Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, and Middle Temple; that of Lambeth, founded by A a 2

Abp.

Abp. Bancroft in 1610, for the ufe of fucceeding archbishops of Canterbury, and increafed by the benefactions of Abps. Abbot, Sheldon, and Tennison, and said to confift of at least 15,000 printed books, and 617 volumes in MS.; that of Red. Crofs ftreet, founded by Dr Daniel Williams, à Presbyterian divine, and fince enriched by many private benefactions; that of the Royal Society, called the Arundelian or Norfolk library, becaufe the principal part of the collection formerly be longed to the family of Arundel, and was given to the fociety by Henry Howard, afterwards duke of Norfolk, in 1666, which library has been increased by the valuable collection of Francis Afton, Efq. in 1715, and is still increasing by the numerous benefactions of the works of its learned members, and others; that of St Paul's, of Sion College; the queen's library, erected by Q. Caroline in 1737; and the furgeon's library, kept in their hall in the Old Bailey, &c. In Edinburgh there is a good library belonging to the university, well furnished with books; which are kept in good order. There is alfo a noble library of books and MSS. belonging to the faculty of advocates. See ADVOCATE'S LIBRARY, and EDINBURGH, 37. There are likewife feveral valuable public libraries in the different colleges belonging to the univerfities of Glafgow, Aberdeen, and St Andrews, wherein are many curious and beautifully illuminated ancient MSS.

(3.) LIBRARY, THE COTTONIAN, originally confifted of 958 volumes of original charters, grants, inftruments, letters of fovereign princes, tranfactions between this and other kingdoms and ftates, genealogies, hiftories, regifters of monafteries, remains of Saxon laws, the book of Genefis, thought to be the most ancient Greek copy extant, and faid to have been written by Origen in the ad century, and the curious Alexandrian MS. copy, in Greek capitals. This library is kept in the Britifh Museum, with the large and valuable library of Sir Hans Sloane, amounting to upwards of 42,000 volumes, &c.

(4.) LIBRARY, the King's, at St James's, was founded by Henry, eldeft fon of James I. and made up partly of books, and partly of MSS. with many other curiofities, for the advancement of learning. It has received many additions from the libraries of Ifaac Cafaubon and others.

LIBRASIO, a town of Italy, in the department of the Upper Po, and district (late duchy) of Cremona; feated on the canal of Oglio.

*To LIBRATE. v. a. [libro, Latin.] To poife; to balance; to hold in equipoife.

(1.) * LIBRATION. n. f. [libratio, Latin; libration, French.] 1. The ftate of being balanced. This is what may be faid of the balance and the libration of the body. Dryden.

Their pinions ftill

In loofe librations stretch'd. Thomfan. 2. [In aftronomy.]-Libration is the balancing motion or trepidation in the firmament, whereby the declination of the fun, and the latitude of the ftars, change from time to time. Aftronomers likewife afcribe to the moon a libratory motion, or motion of trepidation, which they pretend is from E. to W. and from N. to S. because that, at full moon, they fometimes discover parts of her

dife which are not discovered at other times. These kinds are called, the one a libration in longitude, and the other a libration in latitude. Befides this, there is a third kind, which they call an apparent libration, and which confifts in this, that when the moon is at her greateft elongation from the south, her axis being then almoft per. pendicular to the plane of the ecliptic, the fun muft enlighten towards the north pole of the moon. fome parts which he did not before; and that, on the contrary, fome parts of those which he enlightened towards the oppofite pole are obfcured; and this produces the fame effect which the libration in latitude does. Dic. Trev.-Thofe planets which move upon their axis, do not all make entire revolutions; for the moon maketh only a kind of libration, or a reciprocated motion on her own axis. Grea.

(2.) LIBRATION, § 1, def. 2. See ASTRONOMY, Index; under MOON.

* LIBRATORY. adj. [from libro, Latin.] Balancing; playing like a balance.

LIBUN, a town of Bohemia, in Boleslaw. LIBURNA, or LIBURNICA, denoted a kind of light and swift skiff, used by the Liburnians in their piracies, for which they were noted. Horace.

LIBURNIA, in ancient geography, a district of Illyricum, extending towards the Adriatic, between Iftria on the W. Dalmatia on the E. and mount Albius.on the N.

LIBURNIANS, LIBURNI, the people of LiLIBURNII, or BURNIA. The apparitors, who at the command of the Roman magistrate fummoned the people from the country, were called Liburnii, because generally from Liburnia.

LIBURNUM was a fpecies of litter made in form of Liburnian fkiffs, wherein the noblemen of Rome were carried, and where they fat at their cafe, either reading or writing. Juvenal.

(1.) LIBURNUS, in ancient geography, a mountain of Campania.

(2.) LIBURNUS, an ancient port of Tuscany, now called LIVORNO, or LEGHORN.

(1.) LIBYA, in a general sense, among the Greeks, denoted Africa, a name derived from lub, thirst, being a dry and thirfty country. See AFRICA.

(2.) LIBYA, in a more reftrained fenfe, was the middle part of Africa, extending N. and W. according to Pliny; between the Mediterranean on the N. and Ethiopia on the E. and was divided into the Hither or Exterior Libya; and the Farther or Interior. The former lay between the Mediterranean on the N. and the Farther Libya, and Ethiopia beyond Egypt, on the S. (Ptolemy.) The Farther or Interior Libya was a vast country, lying between the Hither Libya on the N. the Atlantic ocean on the W. the Ethiopic on the S. and Ethiopia beyond Egypt, on the E.-Ptolemy.

(3.) LIBYA, in a ftill more reftrained fenfe, called, for diftinction's fake, Libya Propria, was a northren diftrict of Africa, and a part of the Hither Lybia; fituated between Egypt on the E. the Mediterranean on the N. the Syrtis Major and the Regio Tripolitana on the W. the Garamantes and Ethiopia beyond Egypt on the S. now the kingdom and defert of Barea. This Libya was again fubdivided into Libya, taken in the stricteft fenfe of all, and into Marmarica and Cyrenaica.'