LAB 
$n their idolatry, made no fcruple of, as appears from that 
paifage in the Alcoran, wheVe it is forbidden for the time 
to come. Omar was very angry, and called him and his 
■wives before him. After the fellow had confefled that 
they were both his wives, and fo nearly related, Omar 
alked him whether he was a Muflulman ? Yes, laid the 
fellow. And do you not know then, faid Omar, that it 
is unlawful for you to hryve them, when God faid, Neither 
marry two ffers any more ? Alcoran, iv. 277. The man 
fwore that he did not know' it was unlawful; neither was 
it unlawful. Omar fwore he lied, and he would make 
him part with one of them, or elfe ftrike his head off. 
The fellow began to grumble, and faid he wifned he had 
never been of that religion, for he could have done very 
well without it ; and had never been a whit better for it, 
fincelie had firft profefied it. Upon which Omar faid, “O 
thou enemy to God, and of thyfelf, dolt thy revile Iflam; 
which is the religion that God, and his angels, and apof- 
tles, and the belt of the creation, have chofen ?” And 
threatened him feverely if he did not make a quick dif- 
patch, and take which of them he loved belt. The man 
was fo fond of them both, that he could not tell which he 
had rather part with; upon which, fome of Omar’s atten¬ 
dants call lots for the two women ; and, the lot falling 
upon one of them three times, the man took her, and was 
forced to difmifs the other. Ockley's Hijl. of the Saracens, 
■vol. i. p. 219. May not this ftory throw fome light on the 
preceptof Mofes; Lev. xviii. 18. “ And thou thalt not take a 
wife to her lifter, to vex her." Does not this reftridtion 
look fomewhat like Mahomet’s in the Alcoran, as if fuch 
practice had been common. Does Mofes forbid it only in 
the cafe when it would vex the other lifter; but leave it as 
before, if the firft filler did not remonftrate againft it? or, 
does he take for granted that the firft wife mult be vexed 
by the admiftion of her filter ? In the ftory of Omar’s 
determination, it Ihould feem that both filters were fatif- 
fied; for, had one been vexed, doubtlefs that had been the 
one to have quitted her hulband. 
Our next remark will be upon the cuftom, or law, of 
primogeniture in cafes of marriage. This was alfo con¬ 
firmed afterwards by the Mofaic law, as is affirmed by the 
author of the Fragments to Calmet’s Dictionary, (though 
he does not quote any text to that effedt;) who adds, 
that by the fame authority it was made criminal for a 
younger fon to marry while his elder brother remained un¬ 
married. Fragment exxvi. Be this as it may, either the 
cuitom was not univerfal, and generally known, or Jacob 
mult have been acquainted with it; in the former cafe 
Laban was very culpable for not having explained to Ja¬ 
cob the law of that country in particular. 
To return from this digreffion. When Jacob had fpent 
fourteen years in the fervice of Laban, he was delirous to 
return to Canaan. But Laban, wiffiing to continue him 
in his fervice, faid, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 
Gen. xxx. 28. Jacob demanded all the young which his 
flocks Ihould produce that were of a brown colour, fpot- 
ted and fpeckled, i. e. that feemed leaft defirable for their 
wool and their fleece. Laban agreed, and committed all 
that were fpotted and of divers colours to the keeping of 
his own fons; fearing, in all probability, left Jacob Ihould 
ufe art to produce cattle of divers colours, by a mixture 
of fpotted ffieep and goats with thole which were not fo. 
But Jacob accompliffied an increafe another way, as related 
in the remaining verfes of that chapter. 
At length, after Haying twenty years with Laban, Ja¬ 
cob, perceiving that Laban did not regard him with the 
fame kindnefs as formerly, refolvecl to depart without 
taking leave: ch. xxxi. Laban fet out in purfuit of him, 
and overtook him at Mount Gilead. God appeared over¬ 
night to Laban, and forbade him to fay any thing harfli 
to Jacob; fo that, when he faw Jacob, he only complained 
of his fudden retreat, of his not giving him the comfort 
of embracing his daughters and grand-children, and of con¬ 
ducting them on their journey with cheerful mufic ; but, 
©n the lubject of his Healing from him his gods, or tera- 
LAB 3 
phim, (fee Teraphim,) he made great complaints. Ja¬ 
cob replied with fome vehemence, and agreed, that who¬ 
ever had committed this theft Ihould be put to death ; not 
knowing that Rachel was that perfon. Laban fearched 
all the tents of Jacob in vain, for Rachel concealed thefe 
images under her. Jacob in his turn remonftrated with 
Laban refpedling his conduft towards him ; but at lalt 
they agreed to make a covenant together, and to fet up a 
monument of it. They fwore therefore reciprocal friend- 
fhip and alliance ; Laban called this pile of Hones Jagar 
Sahadutha, and Jacob Galeed, both fignifying the Heap of 
Witnefs ;. each according to his language, Laban ufing 
the Syriac, and Jacob the Hebrew. Having offered facri- 
fice, they ate and drank together; and the next morning 
Laban took leave of his daughters and grand-children, 
and returned to Padam-aram ; after which we hear no 
more of him. For the fubfequent life of Jacob, fee that 
article, vol. x. p. 664. 
LA BAN, a place beyond Jordan, in Moab. Dent. i. 1. 
LA'BANT, adj. [from labor, Lat. to Aide.] Sliding j 
falling down. Scott. 
LABA'PI, a river of Chili, which runs into the Pacific 
Ocean in lat. 37. 20. S. 
LABAR'CES, a town of Spain, in the province of Af- 
turia : twelve miles weft of Santiliana. 
LABARIF'ERI, f. Among the Romans, ftandard- 
bearers, who carried the labarum. 
LAB'ARUM,y. The banner or ftandard borne before 
the Roman emperors in the wars. The labarum confifted 
of a long lance, with a fluff at top crofting it at right an¬ 
gles ; from which hung a rich ftr’eamer, of a purple co¬ 
lour, adorned with precious ltones. Till the time of Con- 
ftantine it had an eagle painted on it; but that emperor, 
in lieu thereof, added a crofs with a cipher exprefling the 
name of Jefus. The name labarum was not known before 
the time of Conftantine ; but the ftandard itfeif, in the 
form we have deferibed it, abating the fymbols of Chrif- 
tianity, was ufed by all the preceding emperors. Gibbon 
deferibes it in the following terms: “The principal ilan- 
dard which difplayed the triumph of the crofs was ftyled 
the labarum, an obfeure though celebrated name, which 
has been vainly derived from almoft all the languages 
of the world. It is deferibed as a long pike inter¬ 
fered by a tranfverfal beam. The filken veil, which hung 
down from the beam, was curioufly enwrought with the 
images of the reigning monarch and his children. The 
fummit of the pike fupported a crown of gold, which en- 
clofed the myfterious monogram, at once expreffive of the 
figure of the crofs and the initial letters of the name of 
Chrift. The fafety of the labarum was entrufted to fifty 
guards, of approved valour and fidelity; their ftation was 
marked by honours and emoluments; and fome fortjunate 
accidents foon introduced an opinion, that, as long as the 
guards of the labarum were engaged in the execution of 
their office, they were fecure and invulnerable amidft the 
darts of the enemy. In the fecond civil war, Licinius felt 
and dreaded the power of this confecrated banner, the 
fight of which, in the diftrefs of battle, animated the fol- 
diers of Conftantine with an invincible enthufiafm, and 
fcattered terror and difmay through the ranks of the ad- 
verfe legions. The Chriftian emperors, who refpedted the 
example of Conftantine, difplayed in all their military ex¬ 
peditions the ftandard of the crofs ; but, when the dege¬ 
nerate fuccefl’ors of Theodolius had ceafed to appear in 
perfon at the head of their armies, the labarum was depo- 
fited as a venerable but ufelels relic in the palace of Con- 
ftantinople. Its honours are Hill preferved on the medals 
of the Flavian family. Their grateful devotion has placed 
the monogram of Chrift in the midft of the enfigns of 
Rome. The folemn epithets of, fafety of the republic, 
glory of the army, reftoration_of public happinefs, are 
equally applied to the religious and military trophies; and 
there is Hill extant a medal of the emperor Conftantius, 
where the ftandard of the labarum is accompanied with 
thefe memorable words, By thisjign thouJkalt conquer." 
LAB AT-', 
