tears down the auction handbills

lĭbellus, i, m. dim. [3. liber].

The inner bark of a tree, used for writing-tablets: levis in aridulo malvae descripta libello (carmina), Cinna ap. Isid. Orig. 6, 12. —

Transf., a little book, pamphlet, esp. a book written in pages, and not in long rolls:

epistulae, quas primus videtur ad paginas et formam memorialis libelli convertisse (opp. transversa charta),

Suet. Caes. 56.

In gen.:

scripsi etiam illud quodam in libello,

Cic. de Or. 1, 21, 94:

in quodam joculari libello,

Quint. 8, 6, 73; 2, 13, 15:

quoi dono lepidum novum libellum,

Cat. 1, 1:

horribilis et sacer,

id. 14, 12:

quicquid hoc libelli est,

id. 1, 8:

libellis eum (Scipionem) palaestraeque operam dare,

to books, Liv. 29, 19 fin.:

nostri farrago libelli,

Juv. 1, 86.—Of a single satire, Hor. S. 1, 10, 92.—

In plur., poet., a bookseller's shop:

te (quaesivimus) in omnibus libellis,

Cat. 55, 4 (dub.; al. labellis); Mart. 5, 20, 8.—

In partic., a writing of any kind.

A memorandumbook, journal, diary:

si quid memoriae causā retulit in libellum,

Cic. Phil. 1, 8, 19:

in commentariolis et chirographis et libellis,

id. ib. 1, 7, 16; Quint. 12, 8, 5; cf. id. 10, 7, 31; 11, 3, 142; 6, 2, 5.—

A memorial:

non illi in libellis laudationum decreta miserunt,

Cic. Clu. 69, 197.—

A petition:

Atticus libellum composuit: eum mihi dedit, ut darem Caesari,

Cic. Att. 16, 16, A, 4:

libellum alicui porrigere,

Suet. Aug. 53:

supplices libelli,

Mart. 8, 31, 3:

vitem posce libello,

Juv. 14, 193: libellos signare, subnotare, to answer petitions:

libellos signare,

Suet. Aug. 50:

subnotare libellos,

Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 9; so,

ad libellum rescribere, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 3, 3, 5: libellos agere,

to have the charge of answering petitions, Dig. 20, 5, 12: a libellis, the officer charged with receiving petitions:

Epaphroditum a libellis capitali poena condemnavit,

Suet. Dom. 14; Inscr. Grut. 587, 9:

A LIBELLIS ADIVTOR,

ib. 587, 7.—

A note of invitation, to hear a lecture, see a play, etc., a notice, programme:

gladiatorum libellos venditare,

Cic. Phil. 2, 38, 97:

domum mutuatur et subsellia conducit et libellos dispergit,

Tac. Or. 9: munerarius, the programme of a festival, Treb. Claud. 5.—

A public notification, announcement, placard, handbill:

edere per libellos,

Suet. Caes. 41:

libellos Sex. Alfenus, procurator P. Quincti, deicit,

tears down the auction handbills, Cic. Quint. 6, 27:

suspensum amici bonis libellum,

Sen. Ben. 4, 12:

vestitur tota libellis porticus,

Juv. 12, 100.—

A letter:

(laetitias) in libello hoc opsignato quas tuli pausillulo,

Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 16 (cf. epistulam, id. ib. v. 26):

libellum ipsius habeo in quo, etc.,

Cic. Att. 6, 1, 5: ut ex libellis ejus animadverti, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 11, 1.—

A libel, lampoon, pasquinade (post-Aug.):

libellos aut carmina ad infamiam cujuspiam edere,

Suet. Aug. 55; id. Caes. 80; id. Vit. 14:

sparsos de se in Curia famosos libellos,

id. Aug. 55:

sive quis ad infamiam alicujus libellum aut carmen scripserit,

Gai. Inst. 3, 220:

injuriam patimur... famosis libellis,

Paul. Sent. 5, 4, 1.—

A written accusalion or complaint (post-Aug.):

componunt ipsae per se formantque libellos,

Juv. 6, 244; Dig. 48, 2, 3.—

A lawyer's brief:

quid causidicis praestent magno comites in fasce libelli?

Juv. 7, 107.—

An attestation, certificate:

significent id libello manu sua subscripto,

Dig. 39, 4, 4.