LABORARIIS. An ancient writ against persons who refused to serve and do labor, and who had no means of living: or against such as, having served in the winter, refused to serve in the summer. Reg. Orig. 189.
LABORER. One who, as a means at livelihood, performs work and labor for those who employ him. Oliver v. Macon Hardware Co., 98 Ga. 249, 25 S. E. 403, 58 Am. St. Rep. 300; Blanchard v. Railway Co., 87 Me. 241, 32 Atl. 890, In re Ho King (D. C.) 14 Fed. 725; Coffin v. Reynolds, 37 N. Y. 646: Weymouth v. Sanborn, 43 N. H. 171, 80 Am. Dec. 144; Epps v. Epps, 17 Ill. App. 201. In English statutes, this term is generally understood to designate a servant employed in husbandry or manufactures, and not dwelling in the home of his employer. Wharton; Mozley & Whitley.
A laborer, as the word is used in the Pennsylvania act of 1872, giving a certain preference of lien, is one who performs, with his own hands, the contract which he makes with his employer. Appeal of Wentroth, 82 Pa. 469.
—Laborers, statutes of. In English law. These are the statutes 23 Edw. III., 12 Rich. II., 5 Eliz. c. 4, and 26 & 27 Vict. c. 125, making various regulations as to laborers, servants, apprentices, etc.
LAC, LAX. In Indian computation, 100,000. The value of a lac of rupees is about £10,000 sterling. Wharton.
LACE. A measure of land equal to one pole. This term is widely used in Cornwall.
LACERTA. In old English law. A fathom. Co. Litt. 4b.
LACHES. Negligence, consisting in the omission of something which a party might do, and might reasonably be expected to do, towards the vindication or enforcement of his rights. The word is generally the synonym of "remissness," "dilatoriness," "unreasonable or unexcused delay," the opposite of "vigilance," and means a want of activity and diligence in making a claim or moving for the enforcement of a right (particularly in equity) which will afford ground for presuming against it, or for refusing relief, where that is discretionary with the court. See Ring v Lawless, 190 Ill. 520, 60 N. E. 881; Wissler v. Craig, 80 Va. 30; Morse v. Seibold, 147 Ill. 318, 35 N. E. 369; Rahb v. Sullivan, 43 S. C. 436, 21 S. E. 277; Graff v. Portland, etc., Co., 12 Colo. App. 106, 54 Pac. 854; Coosaw Min. Co. v. Carolina Min. Co. (C. C.), 75 Fed. 868; Parker v. Betbel Hotel Co., 96 Tenn. 252, 31 S. W. 209, 31 L. R. A. 706; Chase v. Chase, 20 R. I. 202, 37 Atl. 804: Hellanis v. Prior, 64 S. C. 296, 42 S. E. 106; First Nat. Bank v. Nelson, 106 Ala. 535, 18 South. 154; Cole v. Ballard, 78 Va. 147; Selling v. Abitbol, 4 Mauls & S. 402.
LACTA. L. Lat. In old English law. Defect in the weight of money; lack of weight. This word and the verb "lactare" are used in an assise or statute of the sixth year of King John. Spelman.
LACUNA. In old records. A ditch or dyke; a furrow for a drain; a gap or blank in writing.
LACUS. In the civil law. A lake; a receptacle of water which is never dry. Dig. 43, 14, 1, 3.
In old English law. Allay or alloy of silver with base metal. Fleta, lib. 1, c 22, § 6.
LADA. In Saxon law. A purgation, or mode of trial by which one purged himself of an accusation; as by oath or ordeal. Spelman.
A water-course; a trench or canal for draining marshy grounds. In old English law, a lade or load. Spelman.
In old English law. A court of justice; a lade or lath. Cowell.
LADE, or LODE. The mouth of a river.
LADEN IN BULK. A term of maritime law, applied to a vessel which is freighted with a cargo which is neither in casks, boxes, baies, nor cases, but lies loose in the hold, being defended from wet or moisture by a number of mats and a quantity of dunnage. Cargoes of corn, salt, etc., are usually so shipped.
LADING, BILL OF. See Bill.
LADY. In English law. The title belonging to the wife of a peer, and (by courtesy) the wife of a baronet or knight, and also to any woman, married or sole, whose father was a nobleman of a rank not lower than that of earl.
—Lady-court. In English law. The court of a lady of the manor.—Lady day. The 25th of March, the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In parts of Ireland, however, they so designate the 15th of August, the festival of the Assumption of the Virgin.—Lady’s friend. The style of on officer of the English house of commons, whose duty was to secure a suitable provision for the wife, when her husband sought a divorce by special act of parliament. The net of 1837 abolished parliamentary divorces, and this office with them.
LÆSA MAJESTAS. Lat. Leze-majesty, or injured majesty; high treason. It is a phrase taken from the civil law, and anciently meant any offense against the king’s person or dignity.
LÆSIO ULTRA DIMIDIUM VEL ENORMIS. In Roman law. The injury sustained by one of the parties to an onerous contract when he had been overreached by the other to the extent of more than one-half of the value of the subject-matter; e.
