lībertas — Lewis & Short
lībertas (old form, loebertas; v. 1. liber
I init.), ātis, f. 1. liber, the state or condition of a freeman, a being free, freedom, liberty, freedom from restraint or obligation, free will, etc.
I In gen.:
quid est enim libertas? potestas vivendi, ut velis,Cic. Par. 5, 1, 34:
ne majorem largiar ei, qui contra dicturus est, libertatem et licentiam,id. Ac. 2, 10, 30:
praecidere sibi libertatem vivendi,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 1, § 3:
tabella dat populo eam libertatem, ut, quod velint, faciant,id. Planc. 6, 16:
libertas in ridendo, in plorando,id. ib. 14, 33:
omnium rerum impunitam libertatem tenere,id. de Or. 1, 52, 226:
libertas est naturalis facultas ejus quod cuique facere libet, nisi si quid vi aut jure prohibetur,Just. Inst. 1, 3, 1.—With gen.:
feminae omnium rerum libertatem desiderant,Liv. 34, 2 fin:
testamentorum,Quint. 3, 6, 84:
verborum (with licentia figurarum),id. 10, 1, 28:
dialogorum,id. 10, 5, 15:
caeli,the open air, id. 10, 3, 22.—Poet. with inf sit modo libertas, quae velit ira, loqui, Prop. 1, 1, 28:
nec mihi libertas imis freta tollere arenis,Val. Fl. 1, 601.—
II In partic.
A Civil freedom, liberty, opp. to slavery:
Scaevae, servo Q. Crotonis, libertas data est,Cic. Rab. Perd. 11, 31: alicujus libertati parcere, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38 (Ann. v. 206 Vahl.):
omnes homines naturā libertati studere et condicionem servitutis odisse,Caes. B. G. 3, 10 fin.:
patriam et libertatem perdidi,Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 50:
libertas paenulast tergo tuo,id. Most. 4, 2, 74:
haruspex his promisit libertatem,id. Poen. 5, 4, 54:
aliquem in libertatem asserere,Suet. Vit. 10:
petitur puer in libertatem,id. Rhet. 1:
libertatis condicio,Ulp. Fragm. 2, 3:
favor libertatis,Gai. Inst. 1, 21; Paul. Sent. 2, 23, 2:
libertatem dare,Gai. Inst. 2, 200:
amittere,id. ib. 1, 160 sq.—
(b) In plur. (anteand post-class.):
tribus non conduci possim libertatibus, Quin, etc.,Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 70:
pecunias et libertates servis et ante dono datas,Tac. A. 15, 55:
in libertatibus dandis,Gai. Inst. 2, § 228:
libertatium conservandarum causa,Dig. 38, 1, 13, § 1:
lex (Fufia Caninia) cavet ut libertates servis testamento nominatim dentur,Ulp. Fragm. 1, 25.—
2 Trop.:
se in libertatem vindicare,Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 145; cf.:
in libertatem vindicati,id. N. D. 1, 20, 56.—
B Political freedom, liberty, or independence of a people not under monarchical rule, or not subject to another people (opp. servitus and dominatus):
aut exigendi reges non fuerunt: aut plebi re, non verbo danda libertas,Cic. Leg. 3, 10 fin.:
aliae nationes servitutem pati possunt: populi Romani est propria libertas,id. Phil. 6, 7 fin.; cf. id. ib. 3, 11 fin.:
in optimatium dominatu vix particeps libertatis potest esse multitudo,id. Rep. 1, 27, 43:
et a regum et a patrum dominatione solere in libertatem rem populi vindicari, etc.,id. ib. 1, 32, 48:
alicui eripere libertatem,id. ib. 1, 17, 28:
in libertate permanere,Caes. B. G. 3, 8:
libertatem accipere, recuperare,id. ib. 7, 1 fin.:
plus communi libertati tribuere,id. ib. 7, 37:
per dolum ac proditionem prope libertas amissa est,Liv. 2, 3, 1:
conditor Romanae libertatis,id. 8, 34.—
C The spirit of liberty, consciousness of freedom:
dolor animi, innata libertas, prompta excellensque virtus,Cic. Sest. 41, 88:
timefacta libertas,id. Off. 2, 7, 24.—
D Freedom of speech or thought, frankness, boldness, candor (mostly post-Aug.):
hoc mihi libertas, hoc pia lingua dedit,Ov. H. 15, 68:
vera de exitu ejus magna cum libertate ominatus est,Vell. 2, 71, 2:
quae in aliis libertas est, in aliis licentia vocatur,Quint. 3, 8, 48:
affectatores libertatis,id. 6, 2, 16; 10, 1, 94:
antiqua comoedia facundissimae libertatis,id. 10, 1, 65:
vox honestissimae libertatis,id. 11, 1, 37:
libertas ingenii,Sall. J. 30, 3.—
E Freedom from taxation, exemption:
aedium,Dig. 8, 6, 18.—
F Personified: Līber-tas, tatis, f., the goddess of Liberty, whose temple on the Aventine Hill was founded by the father of Tiberius Gracchus in the second Punic war; in the atrium of this temple the census-tables were preserved, Ov. F. 4, 624; Liv. 24, 17; 25, 7; 34, 44; 45, 15; Cic. Mil. 22, 59; id. Att. 4, 16, 14; id. N. D. 2, 23, 61. A statue of Libertas was erected by Clodius on the site of Cicero's house after it was pulled down, Cic. Att. 4, 2, 3.