Lăbĕrius J. Decimus

, a Roman knight famous for his poetical talents in writing pantomimes. Julius Cæsar compelled him to act one of his characters on the stage. The poet consented with great reluctance, but he showed his resentment during the acting of the piece by throwing severe aspersions upon Julius Cæsar, by warning the audience against his tyranny, and by drawing upon him the eyes of the whole theatre. Cæsar, however, restored him to the rank of knight which he had lost by appearing on the stage; but to his mortification, when he went to take his seat among the knights, no one offered to make room for him, and even his friend Cicero said, Recepi em te nisi angustè sederem . Laberius was offended at the affectation and insolence of Cicero, and reflected upon his unsettled and pusillanimous behaviour during the civil wars of Cæsar and Pompey, by the reply of Mirum si angustè sedes, qui soles duabas sell is sedere . Laberius died 10 months after the murder of Julius Cæsar. Some fragments remain of his poetry. Macrobius , Saturnalia , bk. 2 , chs. 3 & 7.— Horace , bk. 1 , satire 10.— Seneca , de Con trovers iæ , bk. 7 , ch. 3 .— Suet on i us , Cæsar , ch. 39 .――Quintus Durus, a tribune of the soldiers in Cæsar’s legions, killed in Britain. Cæsar , Gallic War .