=Labe´rius, J. Dec´imus.= A Roman knight famous for his skill in writing pantomimes. Cæsar made him appear on the stage in one of his plays, which he resented by throwing out aspersions on Cæsar during the performance, and by warning the audience against tyranny. =Lach´esis.= One of the Parcæ, or Fates. She presided over futurity, and was represented as spinning the thread of life, or, according to some, as holding the spindle. =Laer´tes.= A king of Ithaca who married Anticlea, daughter of Autolycus. Ulysses was their son, and succeeded him on the throne, Laertes retiring to the country, and devoting his time to gardening, in which employment he was found by Ulysses on his return from the Trojan war, after twenty years´ absence. =La´gus.= A Macedonian of mean extraction, who married Arsinoe, daughter of Meleager. On the birth of a child it was exposed in the woods by Lagus, but an eagle preserved its life by feeding and sheltering it with her wings. The infant was afterwards known as King Ptolemy the First of Egypt. =La´is.= A woman of immoral character, daughter of Timandra and Alcibiades. Diogenes, the Cynic, was one of her admirers, and gained her heart. She went to Thessaly, where the women, jealous of her charms, assassinated her. =Laoc´oon.= A priest of Apollo who in the Trojan war was opposed to the admission of the wooden horse to the city. For this, as a punishment, two enormous serpents were sent to attack him, which they did whilst, accompanied by his two sons, he was offering a sacrifice to Neptune. The serpents coiled round him and his sons, and crushed them to death. =Laom´edon.= Son of Ilus, and king of Troy. He married Strymo, called by some Placia or Leucippe. Podarces, afterwards known as Priam, was their son. Laomedon built the walls of Troy, in which he was assisted by Apollo and Neptune. =Lap´ithus.= A son of Apollo and Stilbe. He married Orsinome, Phorbas and Periphas being their children, to whose numerous descendants was given the name Lapithæ, a number of whom attended the nuptials of Pirithous with Hippodamia, the daughter of Adrastus, king of Argos. The Centaurs also attended the festivity, and quarrelled with the Lapithæ, which resulted in blows and slaughter. Many of the Centaurs were slain, and they were at last obliged to retire. =La´res.= Gods of inferior power at Rome, who presided over houses and families. They were two in number, sons of Mercury and Lara. =Lati´nus.= A son of Faunus and Marica, king of the Aborigines in Italy, who from him were called Latini. =Lato´na.= A daughter of Coeus, the Titan, and Phoebe. She was admired for her beauty by Jupiter. Juno made Latona the object of her vengeance, and sent the serpent Python to persecute her.