I.nom. plur. TABELAI, S. C. de Bacch. Corp. I. R. 196). f. dim. tabula.
I. In gen., a small board, a little table or tablet (rare and mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “liminis,” i. e. the door-sill, Cat. 32, 5: “tabella aerea,” a brass plate, Plin. 33, 1, 6, § 19: hos (libellos) eme, quos artat brevibus membrana tabellis, little tablets, i. e. small pages, Mart. 1, 3, 3: “parva tabella capit ternos utrimque lapillos,” small gamingboards, Ov. A. A. 3, 365; id. Tr. 2. 481: “pistor multiplices struit tabellas,” i. e. thin cakes, Mart. 11, 31, 9.—Of the basket or cradle in which Romulus and Remus were exposed: “heu quantum fati parva tabella vehit,” the little bark, Ov. F. 2, 408.—
II. In partic. (class.).
A. A writing-tablet: “tabellis pro chartis utebantur antiqui, quibus ultro citro, sive privatim sive publice opus erat, certiores absentes faciebant, unde adhuc tabellarii dicuntur: et tabellae missae ab imperatoribus,” Fest. p. 359 Müll.: “tabellae Imponere manus,” Ov. P. 4, 2, 27: “abiegnae,” id. A. A. 3, 469: “litteras tabellae insculpere,” Quint. 1, 1, 27: “fecit et Libyn puerum tenentem tabellam,” Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 59.—
2. Hence, transf., in plur., a writing, written composition, letter, contract, will, etc.: “tabellas proferri jussimus ... Recitatae sunt tabellae in eandem fere sententiam,” Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 10: “allatae sunt tabellae ad eam a Stratippocle, eum argentum sumpsisse,” Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 68: “ex tabellis jam faxo scies,” id. Ps. 1, 1, 47: “tabellas consignare,” id. Curc. 2, 3, 86: “tu quidem tabellis obsignatis agis mecum,” with sealed writings, Cic. Tusc. 5, 11, 33: “publicae Heracleensium,” public records, id. Arch. 4, 9; cf. Liv. 43, 16, 13: “tabellae quaestionis plures proferuntur,” minutes of evidence, Cic. Clu. 65, 184: “cur totiens video mitti recipique tabellas?” Ov. Am. 3, 14, 31: “rasae,” id. A. A. 1, 437: “nuptiis tabellas dotis ipse consignavit,” the marriage contract, Suet. Claud. 29: “falsas signare tabellas,” forged wills, Juv. 8, 142: “laureatae,” a letter announcing a victory, Liv. 45, 1, 8.—Sing. (rare): “testimonium per tabellam dare,” in writing, Tac. Or. 36: ex tabellā pronuntiare sententiam, Suet. Claud. 15.—
B. A tablet for voting, a ballot.
1. In the comitia, used in electing a magistrate or deciding upon the acceptance of a proposed law: in the former case the elector wrote down the name of a candidate; in the latter, each voter received two tablets, on one of which were the letters U. R., i. e. uti rogas, denoting approval; “on the other, A., i. e. antiquo (for the old law), denoting rejection: me universa civitas non prius tabellā quam voce priorem consulem declaravit,” Cic. Pis. 1, 3: “an ego exspectem, dum de te quinque et septuaginta tabellae dirimantur?” id. ib. 40, 96: “tabella modo detur nobis, sicut populo data est,” id. Phil. 11, 8, 19; cf.: “si populo grata est tabella, quae frontis aperit hominum,” id. Planc. 6, 16. —
2. In courts of justice; here each judge usually received three tablets; one of which, inscribed A., i. e. absolvo, denoted acquittal; another, with C., i. e. condemno, written on it, denoted condemnation; “and the third, with N. L., i. e. non liquet (it is not clear), left the case undecided: cum tabella vobis dabitur, judices, non de Flacco dabitur solum: dabitur de bonis omnibus,” Cic. Fl. 39, 99: “huic judicialis tabella committetur?” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 79: “de quibusdam etiam imperitus judex dimittere tabellam potest,” give his vote, Sen. Ben. 3, 7, 5: “quamlibet austeras de me ferat urna tabellas,” Prop. 4 (5), 11, 49. Caes. B. C. 3, 83; cf. Suet. Aug. 33. —
C. A painted tablet, a small picture or painting: “ea (exhedria) volebam tabellis ornare,” Cic. Fam. 7, 23, 3: “priscis sparsa tabellis Porticus,” Ov. A. A. 1, 71: “inveniat plures nulla tabella modos,” id. ib. 2, 680: “comicae tabellae,” Plin. 35, 10, 37, § 114; cf.: “cubicula tabellis adornavit,” Suet. Tib. 43: “Tyrrhena sigilla, tabellas, Sunt qui non habeant,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 180: “Pausiaca,” id. S. 2, 7, 95.—
D. A votive tablet, hung up in a temple, and on which one acknowledged by writing or painting the favor or aid he had received from a deity: “nunc, dea, nunc succurre mihi, nam posse mederi, Picta docet templis multa tabella tuis,” Tib. 1, 3, 28: “et posita est meritae multa tabella deae,” Ov. F. 3, 268: “votiva,” Hor. S. 2, 1, 33; so Juv. 12, 27: “memores,” Ov. M. 8, 744. —
