I.that with which any thing is bound, a band, bond, rope, cord, fetter, tie (cf.: catena, manica, compes).
I. Lit.: “corpora constricta vinculis,” Cic. de Or. 1, 52, 226: “nodos et vincula rupit,” Verg. A. 5, 510: “hic fessas non vincula naves Ulla tenent,” id. ib. 1, 168: “Chio solvite vincla cado,” Tib. 2, 1, 28: “tunicarum vincla relaxat,” Ov. F. 2, 321: “quamvis Charta sit a vinclis non labefacta suis,” i. e. the seal, id. P. 3, 7, 6: “chartae sua vincula dempsi,” id. Tr. 4, 7, 7: “epistolae laxare,” Nep. Paus. 4, 1: “pennarum vincula,” Ov. M. 8, 226: “et Tyrrhena pedum circumdat vincula plantis,” Verg. A. 8, 458; “so of sandals,” Tib. 1, 5, 66; Ov. F. 1, 410; 2, 324; 3, 823.—
2. Esp. in the plur., of the fetters of prisoners, and hence sometimes to be rendered prison; and vincula publica, the state-prison: “mitto vincla, mitto carcerem, mitto verbera, mitto secures,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 24, § 59: “aliquem aeternis tenebris vinculisque mandare,” id. Cat. 4, 5, 10: “de convivio in vincla atque in tenebras abripi,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 10, § 24: in vincula conjectus, Caes. B. G, 3, 9; “4, 27: in vincula duci,” Liv. 3, 13, 4; 3, 49, 2; 3, 56, 4; 3, 57, 5; 5, 9, 4; 9, 34, 24; 38, 56, 9; Vell. 2, 7, 2 al.: “in vinculis et catenis,” Liv. 6, 16, 2; “ex vinculis causam dicere,” i. e. to plead in chains, Caes. B. G. 1, 4: “publica,” Nep. Milt. 7, 6; id. Paus. 2, 2; id. Cim. 1, 1; Paul. Sent. 5, 17, 3; 5, 26, 1.—
II. Trop., a bond, fetter, tie, band: “qui ex corporum vinculis tamquam e carcere evolaverunt,” Cic. Rep. 6, 14, 14: “vinculum ad astringendam fidem,” id. Off. 3, 31, 111; cf.: “victum ingens vinculum fidei,” Liv. 8, 28, 8: “vincula revellit non modo judiciorum, sed etiam utilitatis vitaeque communis,” Cic. Caecin. 25, 70: “vinculum ingens immodicae cupiditatis injectum est,” Liv. 10, 13, 14: quae (beneficium et gratia) sunt vincula concordiae, Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117: “vinculis et propinquitatis et affinitatis conjunctus,” id. Planc. 11, 27: “vincla summae conjunctionis,” id. Att. 6, 2, 1: “accedit maximum vinculum, quod ita rem publicam geris, ut, etc.,” id. Fam. 15, 11, 2: “quod vinclum, quaeso, deest nostrae conjunctioni,” id. ib. 5, 15, 2: “ne cui me vinclo vellem jugali,” Verg. A. 4, 16; cf. Ov. M. 9, 549: “excusare laborem et mercenaria vincla,” Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 67.
