Cos L I B 
LI'BISCH, a town of Bohemia, in Leitmeritz? two 
miles north-north-weft of Leypa. 
LIB'ISCHAU, a town of Bohemia, in Chrudim : thir¬ 
teen miles north of Chrudim. 
LIBITI'NA, in the Roman mythology, a goddefs 
which prelided over funerals. This goddefs was the fame 
with the Venus infera, or Epkhymbia of the Greeks. She 
had a temple at Rome, where was lodged a certain piece 
of money for every perfon who died, whole name was re¬ 
corded in a regifter called Libitince ratio. This practice 
was eftabliihed by Servius Tullius, in order to obtain an 
account of the number of annual deaths in the city of 
Rome, and confequently the rate of increafe or decreafe 
of its inhabitants. 
LIBITINA'RIAN,yi [from Libitina.] One who afiifted 
in carrying a dead corpfe to the grave. Cole. 
LIBITNA'RII, f. The perfons who were to provide 
what was neceflary for funerals. Phillips. 
LIB'ITUDE,yi The will; the pleafure. Not much ufed. 
Cole. 
LIBTTUM,/. [Latin.] The will; the pleafure. 
Ad Libitum, in mufic, beiides the meaning affixed to 
Itvol.i. p.117. fignifies the contrary to obligato ; namely, 
that the inftrument to which it is applied has no folo paf- 
fages that will be miffed. In piano-forte pieces, there is 
often “an accompaniment for a violin ad libitum ;” mean¬ 
ing that the violin-part may be played or not, as may be 
moll convenient. 
LIB'LE, a town of Bohemia, in Konigingratz: thirteen 
miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Konigingratz. 
LIB'NAH, in fcripture-geography, a city of Judah, in 
the fouthern part, JoJh. xv. 42. given to the priefts, and 
declared a city of refuge; 1 Chron. vi. 54, 57. Eulebius 
and Jerome fay, it was in the diltridt of Eleutheropolis. 
It was one of the refting places (between Rimmon-Parez 
and Riffah) of the Ifraelites on their journey through the 
wildernefs. Numb, xxxiii. 20. 
LIB'NAH, or Shihor-Lienah, a city of Affier. J0JI1. 
xix. 26. Perhaps the whole promontory between Ecdippa 
and Tyre. Plin. lib. v. cap. 19. The meaning of Shihor-li- 
benah is “the rivulet of foul water which is on the white 
promontory.” Calmet. 
LIB'NI, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
LIB'NITE*yi A defcendant of Libni. A native or 
inhabitant of Libnah. 
LIBO'BO, a fmall ifland in the Eaftern Indian Sea, on 
the fouth-eaft coaft of Gilolo. Lat. 10. 48. S. Ion. 128. 
25. E. 
LI'BOCH, a town of Bohemia, in Leitmeritz: fourteen 
miles fouth-eaft of Leitmeritz. 
LIBOCH'ONITZ, a town of Bohemia, in Leitmeritz : 
eight miles fouth of Leitmeritz. 
LI'BON, a Greek architeft who built the famous temple 
of Jupiter Olympius. He fiouriflied about 450 years be¬ 
fore the Chriftian era. 
LIBONA'TI, a town of Naples, in principato Citra : 
four miles eaft-north-eaft of Policaftro. 
LIBON'GO, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of Lo- 
cango, on the Lufana, near the fea: fifty miles fouth- 
fouth-weft of Bombi. 
LIBONO'TUS, one of the thirty-two winds of the an¬ 
cients; called alfo Notolibycus and Auftro-africus; by us, 
fouth-fouth-weft. 
LIBO'RA, in ancient geography, a town of Spain, in 
the Tarragonenfis, in the country of the Carpetanians ; 
fituated on the Tagus, north-eaft of Auguftobriga, and 
almoft bordering on Lufitania. 
LI'BOS, a town of France, in the department of the 
Lot and Garonne, on the Lot: nine miles eaft of Monfian- 
quin, and twenty two north-eaft of Agen. 
LIBOU'RNE, a town of France, and principal place of 
a diltridt, in the department of the Gironde, containing 
about 5000 inhabitants: five polts eaft of Bourdeaux. 
Lat. 44. 55. N. Ion. o. 9. W. 
T T TJ 
Ju i u 
LI'BRA, the Balance, one of the mechanical powers. 
See Balance and Mechanics. 
LI'BRA, the Balance, one of the 48 old conftella- 
tions, and the 7th fign of the zodiac, being oppoiite to 
Aries, and marked like a part of a pair or Icales, thus 
The figure of the balance was probably given to this part 
of the ecliptic, becaufe when the fun arrives at this part, 
which,is at the time of the autumnal equinox, the days 
and nights are equal, as if weighed in a balance. The 
ftars in this confteilation are, according to Ptolemy, 17 ^ 
Tycho, 10; Kevelius, 20; Flamlteed, 5r. 
LI'BRA alfo denotes the ancient Roman pound, which 
was divided into 12 unciae, or ounces, and the ounce into 
24 fcruples. It feems the mean weight of the fcruple was 
nearly equal to 17J grains Troy, and confequently the 
libra, or pound, 5049 grains. It was alfo the name of a 
gold coin, equal in value to 20 denarii. Phil. ‘Tranf. vol. 
lxi. The divifions of the libra were, the uncia, one 
twelfth ; the fcxtans, one fixth ; the quadrans, one fourth j 
the triens, one third ; the quincunx, five ounces ; the fcmis , 
fix ; th e/eptunx, feven ; the bes, eight; the dodrans, nine 4 
the dextrans, ten ; the dcunx, eleven ; laftly, the as weighed 
twelve ounces, or one libra. 
The French livre is derived from the Roman libra, and 
was ufed in France for the proportions of their coin till 
the time of Charlemagne, or perhaps till that of Philip I, 
in 1093, their fols being fo proportioned, as that twenty 
of them were equal to the libra. By degrees it became a 
term of account; and every thing of the value of twenty 
fois was called a livre. 
Liera tensa, in our law-books, denotes a pound of 
money in weight. It was ufual in former days, not only 
to tell the money, but to weigh it; becaufe many cities, 
lords, and bifhops, having their mints, coined money, 
and often very bad too ; for which reafon, though the 
pound confifted of twenty (hillings, they always weigh¬ 
ed it. 
LI'BRAL, adj. [from libralis, Lat.] Of a pound weight. 
LIBRA'RIAN,/. \_libranv.s, Lat.] One who has the 
care of a library.—It was his inconceivable knowledge of 
books, that induced the great duke Cofmo the Third to do 
him the honour of making him his librarian. Spence. —One 
who tranfcribes or copies books.—Charybdis thrice [wal¬ 
lows, and thrice refunds, the waves ; this mult be under- 
ltood of regular tides. There are indeed but two tides in 
a day, but this is the error of the librarians. Broome. — Li¬ 
brarians (librarii), among the ancients, were a fort of co- 
pyifts who tranfcribed, in beautiful or at leaft legible cha¬ 
racters, what had been written by the notarii in notes and 
abbreviatures. Chambers. 
LI'BRARY, f. \_librairie, Fr.] A collection of books, 
public, or private.—I have given you the library of a 
painter, and a catalogue of iuch books as he ought to 
read. Dryden's Dufrejnoy. 
Then as they ’gan his library to view. 
And antique regifters for to avife. 
There chanced to the prince’s hand to rife 
An ancient book, hight Briton’s Monuments. Fairy Queen. 
A place furnifhed with books, or adapted to receive them. 
—Magliabechi had a local memory of the places where 
every book ltood; as in his mailer’s (hop at firft, and in 
feveral other libraries afterwards. Spence. —The denomina¬ 
tion of the Radclifte library at Oxford is a (till llronger 
proof, that the fignification of this word is not limited to 
a collcElion of books , lince that edifice had the fame title 
from its conitruCtion, before there was a fingie book in it. 
Mafon's Suppl. 
Some authors refer the origin of libraries to the Hebrews ; 
and obferve, that the care thefe took for the prefervation 
of their facred books, and the memory of what concerned 
the adtions of their anccftors, became an example to other 
nations, particularly to the Egyptians. Ofinanduas, king 
of Egypt, is (aid to have taken the hint firft; who, accord- 
