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that a good man would desire to do ; and are restrained from no-thing, but what would be pernicious either to ourselves or our fel-low-citizens. So that this review of our situation may fully jus-tify the observation of a learned French author, who indeed gene-rally both thought and wrote in the spirit of genuine freedom ;that the British is the only nation in the world where political orcivil liberty is the direct end of its constitution. The UnitedStates of America need hardly be mentioned as an exception, asthe spirit of liberty which pervades their constitution owes its ori-gin to that of Britain . We shall therefore close our remarks uponit with the expiring wish of the famous Father Paul to his country,“ Esto perpetual 1 '

Liberty, in mythology, was a goddess both among the Greeksand Romans. Among the former she was invoked under the titleKleutheria, and by the latter she was called Lihrrlas, and held insingular veneration ; temples, altars, and statues, were erected inhonour of her.

Liberty and Necessity. See Metaphysics.

Liberty of the Press. The art of printing, soon after itsintroduction, was looked upon in England, as well as in othercountries, as merely a matter of state, and subject to the coercionof the crown, ft was therefore regulated with us by the king’sproclamations, prohibitions, charters of privilege and licence, andfinally by the decrees of the court of star-chamber, which limitedthe number of printers, and of presses which each should employ,and prohibited new publications unless previously approved, byproper licensers. On the demolition of this odious jurisdiction in1641, the long parliament of Charles 1 . after their rupture withthat prince, assumed the same powers as the star-chamber had ex-ercised with respect to the licensing of books : and in 1643, 1647,1649, and 16.52, (Scobcll, i. 44, .134, ii. 88, 230,1 issued their or-dinances for the purpose, founded principally on the star-cham-ber's decree of 163 7 , In 1662, was passed the statute 13 & 14Car. II. c. 33, which, with some few alterations, was copied fromthe parliamentary ordinances. 'This act expired in 1679 ; hut wasrevived by statute 1 Jac. II. c. 17, and continued till 1692. Itwas then continued for two years longer by statute 4 W. & I\Lc. 24, but though frequent attempts were made by the government to revive it, in the subsequent part of tiiat reign (Com. Journ.

11 Feb. 1694, 26 Nov. 1695, 22 Oct. 1696, 9 Feb. 1697, 31 Jan.1698,) yet the parliament resisted it so strongly, that it iinally ex-pired, a’nd the press became properly free in 1694, and has conti-nued so ever since. The liberty of the press, however, so essen-tial to the existence ol a Iree state, consists not in freedom fromany criminal matter that may be published, but in laying no pre-vious restraints upon publications. Every freeman has undoubt-edly a right to lay what sentiments he pleases before the public ;to forbid this, is to destroy the freedom of the press: but if hepublishes what is improper, mischievous, or illegal, he must takethe consequence of his own temerity. See Libei.. To subjectthe press to the restrictive power of a licenser in the manner abovementioned, is to subject all freedom of sentiment to the prejudicesof one man, and make him the arbitrary and infallible judge of alldisputed points in learning, religion, and government. But to pu-nish (as the law does at present) any dangerous or offensive writingswhich, when published, shall, on a fair and impartial trial, be ad-judged of a pernicious tendency, is necessary for tiie preservationof peace and good order, of government and religion, the onlysolid foundations of civil liberty. Thus the will of individuals isstill left free ; the abuse only of that free-will is the object of legalpunishment. Neither is any restraint hereby laid upon freedomof thought, or inquiry ; liberty of private sentiment is still less ;the disseminating or making public of bad sentiments, destructiveof the ends of society, is the crime which society corrects. Aman (says a tine writer on this subject) may be allowed to keeppoisons in his closet, but not publicly to vend them as cordials.And to this we may add, that the only pLu-ible argument hi nto-iore used for restraining the just freedom of the press, “ that itwas necessary to prevent the daily . base of it,” will entirely loseits force, when it is shewn (by a seasonable exertion of the laws,)that the press cannot be abused to any bad purpose without in-curring a suitable punishment: w hereas it can never be used toany good one when under the conlroul of an inspector. So truewiil it be found, that to censure the licentiousness, is to maintainthe liberty of the press.

Liberty, Port, a port of Guydaloupe.

Liberty, Town, a town of Maryland , in Frederick county,42 miles W. N. W. of Baltimore , near some copper-mines.

Liberty, West, a town of Virginia, capital of Ohio county ,seated at the head of Short Creek, 6 miles from Ohio, -2 W. ofthe Pennsylvania Line, 18 N. W. of Wheeling, 23 W. of Wash-ington in lVnnsj Ivania, and 348 from Philadelphia .

LIBETIIRA, in ancient geography, a town and fountain ofThessaly. The latter was called the fountain of song, and wassituated in Magnesia, a district of Macedonia annexed to Thes-saly. The town stood on Mount Olympus , where it verges to-wards Macedonia: lienee the Muses are called Libel In ides.Strabo places on IF lieou. not only Ilippoerene, and the temple ofthe Muses , but also the eaves of the nymphs Liverthrides.

L1BI4 1NA, in the Roman mythology, a goddess who presid-ed over funerals. She was the same with the Venus inferu orKpithvmbia of the Greeks, She had a temple at Rome , wherew as lodged a cert jin piece of money for every person who died,whose name was recorded in a register called Libidos ratio.'Phis practice was established by Servius Tullus, in order to ob-tain an account of the number of annual deaths in the city ofRome , and consequently the increase or decrease of its inhabi-tants.

LlBITlNARIf, [from J.ibhina,'] were undertakers whoseoffice it was 1o take care of funerals, prepare all things necessaryupon tlie solemn occasion, and furnish every article required.

L1BNA, in ancient geography, a sacerdotal city in the tribe ofJudah, a place of strength, as appears from Sennacherib ’s layingsiege to it. 2 Kings xix. Is. xxxvii.

LI BOURN F, a town of France, in the department of Gironde ,and late province of Guienne, 20 miles N. E. of Bourdeaux, and205 S. by \V. of Paris . Lon.O. 10. \V. Lai. 44. 55. N.

LIBRA, or BALANCE, one of the mechanical powers. SeeBalance.

Libr a, in astronomy, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac, ex-actly opposite to Aries ; so called because when tine sun is in thissign at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights are equal, as itweighed in a balance. See Astronomy.

Libra, also denotes the ancient Roman pound, borrowed from(lie Sicilians, who called it litra. The libra was divided intotwelve uncial or ounces, and the ounce into twenty-tour scruples.Tho divisions of the libra were, the nncia, one-twelfth; sextans,one-sixth; quadrans, one-fourth ; triens, one-third ; quincunx,five ounces; semis, the half pound or six ounces; seplunx, se-ven; lies, eight; dodrans, nine; dextrans, ten; deunx, eleven;lastly, the a. weighed twelve ounces or one libra. The Romanlibra was used in France for the proportion of their coin, till thetime of Charlemagne, or perhaps till that ot Philip I. in 1093,their sols being so proportioned, as that twenty of them wereequal to the libra. By degrees it became a term of account ;and every thing of the value of twenty sols was called a livre.Hence loo L. stands for pound Sterling, and lb. for a pound inweight.

Libra Pensa, in law-books, denotes a pound qf money inweight. It was anciently used not only to tell the money but toweigh it: because many cities, lords', and bishops, having theirmints, coined money, and often bad, or too light; for which rea-son, though the pound consisted of twenty shillings, they alwaysweighed it.

LIBRARIAN , [lihrarius, Lat.] 1. One who has the care ofa library. 2. One who transcribes or copies books.

LiBRARH, among the ancients, were a sort of copyists whotranscribed in beautiful or at least legible characters, what hajl beenwritten hv the notarii in notes and abbreviations.

LIBRARY , an edifice or, apartment destined for holding aconsiderable number of books placed regularly on shelves. Someauthors refer the origin of libraries to the Hebrews ; and observe,that the care they took to preserve their sacred books, and tl' 1 -'memory and actions of their ancestors, became an example toother nations, particularly to the Egyptians. Osymandyas, Kingof Egypt, is said to have taken the bint first; who, according 10Diodorus , had a library built in his palace, with this inscriptionover the door, 'i'YXHS iaxeeion. Nor were the Ptolemies , whoreigned in the same country, less curious and magnificent »*hooks. A library of the kings of Persia , called a house of the