Now we find in the
thologie
; Lobeck, Aglaophamus, and Ritschl, in
Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopädie.
Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopädie.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - c
iv.
p.
probaue. (Strab. xv. p. 691 ; Plin. H. N. vi. 24. ) 485. )
(P. S. )
He is said to have imitated Xenophon in his style, ONEʻTOR ('Ovhtwp), the name of two mythical
though he fell short of him as a copy does of the personages, one a priest of Zeus on Mount Ida
original. (Diog. Laërt. vi. 84; Suid. s. v. 'Ovnoixpo- (Hom. Il. xvi. 605), and the other the father of
tos. ) Some authors have held that besides this Phrontis, the steersman of Menelaus. (Paus. x.
general history, Onesicritus had composed a sepa- 25. & 2. )
(L. S. ]
rate Paraplus, or narrative of the voyage, in which ONOMACLES ('Ovouakañs), an Athenian,
he bore so prominent a part : but Geier has shown was joined with Phrynichus and Scironides, B. C.
that there is no foundation for such a supposition: 412, in the command of an Athenian and Argive
and it seems certain that Pliny, whose words force, which, after a battle with the Milesians, who
might lead to such an inference (H. N. vi. 23 were supported by Chalcideus and Tissaphernes,
(26) ), had in fact used only an extract from the prepared to besiege Miletus, but on the arrival of a
work of Onesicritus, abridged or translated by Peloponnesian and Sicilian fleet, sailed away to
Juba Still less reason is there to infer (with Samos, by the advice of Phrynichus. Shortly
Meier in Ersch and Gruber, Encycl. sect. iii. pt. iii. after, in the same year, when the Athenians at
p. 457) that he wrote a history of the early kings Samos had been reinforced, Onomacles was sent
of Persia, because we find him cited by Lucian with part of the armament, and with Strombichides
(Macrob. 14) concerning the age of Cyrus. and Euctemon for his colleagues, to act against
(All the facts known concerning Onesicritus are Chios (Thuc. viii. 25-27, 30, 33, 34, 38, 40, 55,
fully discussed, and the passages quoted from his 61). It was probably the same Onomacles who
writings by various authors collected together by was afterwards one of the thirty tyrants, in B. C.
Geier, Alexandri Historiar. Scriptores, lib. iii. 404 (Xen. Hell. ii. 3. & 2). We find mention
p. 74—108. See also Vossius, de Historicis Graecis, made also of another Onomacles, who, together with
p. 94, ed Westermann ; Ste Croix, Examen Critique, Archeptolemus, was involved in the condernnation
p. 38, &c. ; and Meier, l. c. ) (E. H. B. ] of ANTIPHON ( Anon. Vit. Thuc. ). A Spartan of
ONE'SILUS ('Orno. dos), of Salamis in Cyprus, the same name is recorded by Xenophon (Hell. ij.
the son of Chersis, grandson of Siromus, and great- 3. & 10) as ephor é tuvumos, in the eighth year of
grandson of Evelthon. He had frequently urged the Peloponnesian war.
(E. E. )
his brother Gorgus, who was king of Salamis in ONOMA'CRITU'S ('Ovoud Kpitos), an Athe-
Cyprus, to desert from the Persians ; but as he was nian, who occupies an interesting position in the
unable to persuade him to do so, he finally drove history of the early Greek religious poetry. He-
him from the city, and set up the standard of revolt rodotus calls him xenouológov te kad Valénu
with the lonians, in B. c. 499. Gorgus fled to the xpnouân Twv Movo alov, and informs us that he
Persiana ; Onesilus became king of Salamis, and had enjoyed the patronage of Ilipparchus, until he
persuaded all the other cities in Cyprus, with the was detected by Lasus of Herinione (the dithy-
exception of Amathus, to renounce their allegiance I rambic poet) in making an interpolation in ao
;
## p. 30 (#46) ##############################################
80
ONOMACRITUS.
ONOMARCHUS.
oracle of Musaeus, for which Hipparchus banished fifty-ninth Orphic Hymn the Graces addressed
him. He seems to have gone into Persia, where thus :-
the Peisistratide, after their expulsion from Athens, Θυγατέρες Ζηνός τε και Ευνομίης βαθυκόλπου,
took him again into favour, and employed him to
'Αγλαΐη τε, Θάλεια, και Ευφροσύνη πολύολβε.
persuade Xerxes to engage in his expedition against
Greece, by reciting to him all the ancient oracles Some writers have hastily taken this as a proof
which seemed to favour the attempt, and suppress that the true author of the still extant Orphic
ing those of a contrary tendency. (Herod. vii. 6. ) hymns was Onomacritus, or else, as others more
It has been amply proved by Lobeck (Aglaoph. cautiously put it, that Onomacritus was one of the
p. 332) and Nitzsch (Hist. Hom. p. 163), that the authors of them, and that this hymn at least is to
words of Herodotus, quoted above, mean that Ono be ascribed to him. It proves, if anything, the
macritus was an utterer of ancient oracles, how- direct contrary of this ; for, had the hymn in ques-
ever preserved, and that he had made a collection tion borne the name of Orpheus in the time of
and arrangement of the oracles ascribed to Musaeus. Pausanias, he would have so qunted it to say
And this is quite in keeping with the literary cha- nothing of the difference between the name Eury-
racter of the age of the Peisistratidae, and with nome in Pausanias and Eunomia in the hymn.
other traditions respecting Onomacritus himself, as, The truth is that the date of the extant Orphic
for example, that he made interpolations in Homer hymns is centuries later than the time of Onoma-
as well as in Musaeus (Schol
. in Hom. Od. xi. critus (ORPHEUS). That Onomacritus, however,
604*), and that he was the real author of some of did publish poems under the name of Orpheus, as
the poems which went under the name of Orpheus. well as of Musaeus, is probable from several testi-
The account of Herodotus fixes the date of Ono monies, among which is that of Aristotle, who
macritus to about B. c. 520—485, and shows the held that there never was such a poet as Orpheus,
error of those ancient writers who placed him as and that the poems known under his name were
early as the fiftieth Olympiad, B. c. 580. (Clem. fabricated partly by Cercops, and partly by Ono-
Alex. Strom. i. p. 143, Sylb. ; Tatian. adv. Graec. macritus. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1-38; Philopon, ad
62, p. 38, Worth. ). The account of Herodotus, Aristot. de Anim. i. 5; Suid. s. e. 'Oporós; Schol.
respecting the forgeries of Onomacritus, is confirmed ad Aristeid. Panath. p. 165 ; Sext. Empir. Pyrika
by Pausanias, who speaks of certain verses (enn), Hypotyp. iii. 4 ; Euseb. Praep. Evan. 1. 4; Tatian.
which were ascribed to Musaeus, but which, in his adv. Graec. 62. )
opinion, were composed by Onomacritus, for that From these statements it appears that the literary
there was nothing which could be ascribed with character of Onomacritus must be regarded as quite
certainty to Musaeus, except the hymn to Demeter subordinate to his religious position ; that he was
which he composed for the Lycomidae. (Paus. i. not a poet who cultivated the art for its own sake,
22. 8 7 ; comp. iv. 1. $6. ) In three other pas- but a priest, who availed himself of the ancient
sages Pausanias cites the poems of Onomacritus religious poems for the support of the worship to
(év toîs étreni), but without any intimation that which he was attached. Of what character that
they were or pretended to be any others than his worship was, may be seen from the statement of
own (viii. 31. 83, 37. § 4. s. 5,' ix. 35. & 1. s. 5). Pausanias, that * Onomacritus, taking from Homer
That Pausanias does not refer in these last pas- the name of the Titans, composed (or, established,
sages to poems which went under the names of the ouvéonkev) orgies to Dionysus, and represented
old mythological bards, but were in reality com- in his poems (eroinger) the Titans as the authors
posed by Onomacritus, is rendered probable by the of the sufferings of Dionysus. " (Paus, vii. 37. $ 4.
manner in which he generally refers to such sup- 6. 5. ) Here we have, in fact, the great Orphic
posititious works, as in the passage first quoted myth of Dionysus Zagreus, whose worship it thus
(i. 22. 8 7; comp. i. 14. 83, el 07) Movoalou kal seems was either established or re-arranged by
Tallra, and i. 37. & 4, rd Kaloóueva 'Oppiká): and, Onomacritus, who must therefore be regarded as
moreover, in two of the three passages he quotes one of the chief leaders of the Orphic theology,
Onomacritus in comparison with Homer and He- and the Orphic societies. [ORPHEUS) Some mo-
siod. But if, for these reasons, the poems 10 dern writers, as Ulrici, think it probable that
quoted must be regarded as having been ascribed Onomacritus was the real author of the Orphic
to Onomacritus in the time of Pausanias, it does Theoyony, to which others again assign a still
not follow that they were, in any proper sense, the earlier date. (Grote, History of Greece, vol. i. pp.
original compositions of Onomacritus ; but it rather 25, 29. )
seems probable that they were remnants of ancient There is an obscure reference in Aristotle (Polit.
hymns, the authors of which were unknown, and ii. 9) to “ Onomacritus, a Locrian," the first dis
that the labours of Onomacritus consisted simply in tinguished legislator, who practised gymnastic ex-
editing them, no doubt with interpolations of his ercises in Crete, and travelled abroad on account of
the art of divination, and who was a contemporary
The last of the three passages quoted from Pau- of Thales. (See Hoeckh, Creta, vol. iii. pp. 318,
Banias gives rise to a curious question. Pausanias &c. )
quotes Hesiod as saying that the Graces were the For further remarks on the literary and religious
daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, and that their position of Onomacritus, see the Histories of Greek
names were Euphrosyne and Aglaïa and Thalia, Literature by Müller, Bernhardy, Ulrici, and Bode ;
and then adds that the same account is given in Müller, Proleg. zu einer Wissenschaftlichen My
the poems of Onomacritus.
Now we find in the thologie ; Lobeck, Aglaophamus, and Ritschl, in
Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopädie. [P. S. )
For an elaborate discussion of the relation of ONOMARCHUS ('Ovópapxos), general of the
Onomacritus to the literary history of the Pumeric Phocians in the Sacred War, was brother of Philo-
poems, see Nitzsch, Erklärende Anmerkungen zu melus and son of Theotiinus (Diod. xvi. 56, 61;
Ilomer's Odyssee, vol. iii. pp. 336, &c.
Paus. x. 2. $ ? ; but see Arist. Pol. r. 4. and
own.
1
## p. 31 (#47) ##############################################
ONOMASTUS.
31
OPELIUS.
Thirlwall's Greece, vol. v. p. 275, not. ). He com- | the government of the sea-coast of Thrace, and
manded a division of the Phocian army under Phi- whose instrument he was, together with CASKAN-
Jomelus, in the action at Tithorea, in which the DER (No. 4), in the massacre of the Maronites.
latter perished ; and after the battle gathered to- Appius Claudius, and the other Roman coinmis-
gether the remains of the Phocian army, with sioners, required that Philip should send Onomastus
which he effected his retreat to Delphi. An and Cassander to Rome to be examined about the
assembly of the people was now held, in which Ono- massacre ; whereupon the king despatched Cas-
marchus strongly urged the prosecution of the war, sander, and had him poisoned on the way, but
in opposition to the counsels of the more moderate persisted in declaring that Onomastus bad not been
party, and succeeded in obtaining his own nomi- in or near Maroneia at the time ; the fact being
nation to the chief command in the place of Philo-(as Polybius and Livy tell us) that he was too
melus, B. c. 353. He was, however, far from deep in the royal secrets to be trusted at Rome.
imitating the moderation of his predecessor: he we hear again of Onomastus as one of the two
confiscated the property of all those who were assessors of Philip at the private trial of De-
opposed to him, and squandered without scruple the METKIUS, for the alleged attempt on the life of his
sacred treasures of Delphi. The latter enabled brother Perseus, B. c. 182. (Polyb. xxiii. 13, 14 ;
him not only to assemble and maintain a large Liv. xxxix. 34, xl. 8. )
(E. E. )
body of mercenary troops, but to spend large sums ONOSANDER ('Ovóoavāpos), the author of a
in bribing many of the leading persons in the hos- celebrated work on military tactics, entitled Etpa-
tile states ; by which means he succeeded in pre- angids bos, which is still extant. All sub-
railing on the Thessalians to abandon their allies, sequent Greek and Roman writers on the same
and take up a neutral position. Thus freed from subject made this work their text-book (the en-
his most formidable antagonists, he was more than perors Mauricius and Leon did little more than
a match for his remaining foes. He now invaded express in the corrupt style of their age what they
Locris, took the town of Thronium, and compelled found in Onosander, whom Leon calls Onesander),
that of Amphissa to submit ; ravaged the Dorian and it is even still held in considerable estimation.
Tetrapolis, and then turned his arms against Count Moritz of Saxony professed to have derived
Boeotia, where he took Orchomenus and laid siege great benefit from the perusal of a translation of it.
to Chaeroneia, but was compelled to retreat with Onosander appears to have lived about the middle
out effecting anything more. His assistance was of the first century after Christ. His work is dedi-
dow requested by Lycophron, tyrant of Pherae, cated to Q. Veranius, who is generally supposed to
who was attacked by Philip, king of Macedonia ; be identical with the Q. Veranius Nepos who was
and he at first sent his brother Phayllus into consul in a. D. 49. Onosander also remarks in his
Thessaly with an army of 7000 men. But Phayllus preface that his work was written in time of peace.
baving been defeated by Philip, Onomarchus It might very well have been written, therefore,
marched with his whole forces to the support of between A. D. 49 and A. D. 59. If the consul of
Lycophron, defeated Philip in two successive A. D. 49 was the person to whom the work was de-
battles, and drove him out of Thessaly. He next dicated, it would agree very well with all the other
turned his arms a second time against the Boeotians, data, that this Veranius accompanied Didius Gallus
whom he defeated in a battle, and took the city of into Britain, and died before the expiration of a
Coroneia, when he was recalled once more to the year.
assistance of Lycophron, against Philip, who had Onosander was a disciple of the Platonic school
again invaded Thessaly. Onomarchus hastened to of philosophy, and, according to Suidas, besides his
support his ally with an army of 20,000 foot and work on tactics, wrote one Niep. otpatnymuátwv
500 borse, but was met by Philip at the head of (unless, as some suppose, the words Taktid repl
a force still more numerous, and a pitched battle otpatmuatw in Suidas are a description of one
ensued, in which the superiority of the Thessalian and the same work, the one still extant), and a
cavalry decided the victory in favour of the king. commentary on the Republic of Plato. The two latter
Onomarchus himself, with many of the fugitives, have perished. In his style he imitated Xenophon
plunged into the sea in hopes to reach by swim- with some success. Nothing further is known of
ming the Athenian ships under Chares, which were his personal history. It is conjectured that he must
lying off the shore, but perished in the waves, or, himself have been engaged in military service.
according to Pausanias, by the darts of his own Onosander's work appeared first in a Latin
soldiers. His body fell into the hands of Philip, translation by Nicolaus Saguntinus, Rome, 1494.
who caused it to be crucified, as a punishment for a French translation by Jehan Charrier appeared
his sacrilege. His death took place in B. c. 352 at Paris in 1546 ; an Italian translation by Fabio
(Diod. xvi. 31-33, 35, 56, 61 ; Paus. x. 2. & 5; Cotta, Venice, 1546 ; and another Latin translation
Justin. viii. 1, 2; Polyaen. ii. 38 ; Ephorus, fr. by Joachim Camerarius, in 1595. It was not till
153, ed. Didot ; Oros. iii. 12; Wesseling, ad 1599 that the Greek text was published, together
Diod. xvi. 35 ; Dem. de Pals. Leg. p. 443). We with the énitudevua of Urbicius, published by Nic.
are told that Onomnarchus was a man of luxu. Rigaltius, Paris, 1599. The best edition is that
rious habits, and that he made use of the sacred by Nic. Schwebel, Nürnberg, 1761, folio. This
treasures, not only for the purposes of the state, edition contains the French translation by M. le
but to minister to his own pleasures (Theopomp. ap. Baron de Zur-Lauben. In this edition the editor
Athen. xiii. p. 605); but it is difficult to know what availed himself of the manuscript notes by Jos.
value to attach to such statements ; the religious Scaliger and Is. Vossius, which are preserved in
character assumed by the enemies of the Phocians the library at Leyden. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv,
having led them to load with obloquy the memory p. 336, &c. ; Schöll
, Geschichte der Griech. Lit. vol. ii.
of all the leaders of that people. (E. H. B. ) p. 712, &c. ; Hoffmann, Lex. BiH. ) (C. P. M. ]
ONOMASTUS ('Ovómaotos), a confidential OPE'LIUS DIADUMENIANUS. (Dravila
officer of Philip V. of Macedon, for whom he held /MENIANUS. )
## p. 32 (#48) ##############################################
32
OPHELLAS.
OPILIUS.
OPE'LIUS MACRI'NUS. (MACRINUS. ) year, which was suppressed by Agis, the general of
OPHE’LION ('npeniwr). 1. An Athenian Ptolemy. Yet it could not have been long after
comic poet, probably of the Middle Comedy, of that he availed himself of the continued disaffection
whom Suidas says that Athenaeus, in his second of that people towards Egypt to assume the govern-
book, mentions the following as being his plays : - ment of Cyrene as an independent state. The
Δευκαλίων, Κάλλαισχρος, Κένταυρος, Σάτυροι, Μού- continual wars in which Ptolemy was engaged
cai, Movó porol, or rather, according to the emen- against Antigonus, and the natural difficulties of
dation of Toup, Movót ponos. The last three of assailing Cyrene, secured him against invasion ;
these titles are elsewhere assigned by Suidas to and he appears to have continued in undisputed
Phrynichus. In the second book of Athenaeus, possession of the country for near five years.
which Suidas quotes, none of the titles are men- (Paus i. 6. $ 8; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. pp.
tioned, but Ophelion is thrice quoted, without the 414, 417. ) The power to which Ophellas had
name of the play referred to (Athen. ii. pp. 43, f. thus attained, and the strong mercenary force
66, d. 67, a. ); and, in the third book, Athenaeus which he was able to bring into the field, caused
quotes the Callaeschrus, and also another play, Agathocles, during his expedition in Africa (B. C.
which Suidas does not mention (iii. p. 106, a. ). | 308) to turn his attention towards the new ruler
The reasons for assigning him to the Middle of Cyrene as likely to prove an useful ally against
Comedy are, the reference to Plato in Athen. ii. the Carthaginians. In order to gain him over he
p. 66, d. , and the statement that he used some promised to cede to him whatever conquests their
verses which were also found in Eubulus (Athen. ii. combined forces might make in Africa, reserving
p. 43, f. , where the name of Ophelion is rightly to himself only the possession of Sicily. The am-
substituted by Porson for that of Philetas). Who bition of Ophellas was thus aroused: he put him-
may have been the Callaeschrus, whose name self at the head of a powerful army, and not with.
formed the title of one of his plays, we cannot standing all the natural obstacles which presented
tell ; but if he was the same as the Callaeschrus, themselves on his route, succeeded in reaching the
who formed the subject of one of the plays of Carthaginian territories after a toilsome and perilous
Theopompus, the date of Ophelion would be fixed march of more than two months' duration. He was
before the 100th Olympiad, B. c. 380. There is, received by his new ally with every demonstration
perhaps, one more reference to Ophelion, again of friendship, and the two armies encamped near
corrupted into Philetas, in Hesychius, s. v. 'lous. each other : but not many days had elapsed when
(Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. vol. i. p. 415, vol. Agathocles took an opportunity treacherously to
iii. p. 380; Praef. ad Menand.
probaue. (Strab. xv. p. 691 ; Plin. H. N. vi. 24. ) 485. )
(P. S. )
He is said to have imitated Xenophon in his style, ONEʻTOR ('Ovhtwp), the name of two mythical
though he fell short of him as a copy does of the personages, one a priest of Zeus on Mount Ida
original. (Diog. Laërt. vi. 84; Suid. s. v. 'Ovnoixpo- (Hom. Il. xvi. 605), and the other the father of
tos. ) Some authors have held that besides this Phrontis, the steersman of Menelaus. (Paus. x.
general history, Onesicritus had composed a sepa- 25. & 2. )
(L. S. ]
rate Paraplus, or narrative of the voyage, in which ONOMACLES ('Ovouakañs), an Athenian,
he bore so prominent a part : but Geier has shown was joined with Phrynichus and Scironides, B. C.
that there is no foundation for such a supposition: 412, in the command of an Athenian and Argive
and it seems certain that Pliny, whose words force, which, after a battle with the Milesians, who
might lead to such an inference (H. N. vi. 23 were supported by Chalcideus and Tissaphernes,
(26) ), had in fact used only an extract from the prepared to besiege Miletus, but on the arrival of a
work of Onesicritus, abridged or translated by Peloponnesian and Sicilian fleet, sailed away to
Juba Still less reason is there to infer (with Samos, by the advice of Phrynichus. Shortly
Meier in Ersch and Gruber, Encycl. sect. iii. pt. iii. after, in the same year, when the Athenians at
p. 457) that he wrote a history of the early kings Samos had been reinforced, Onomacles was sent
of Persia, because we find him cited by Lucian with part of the armament, and with Strombichides
(Macrob. 14) concerning the age of Cyrus. and Euctemon for his colleagues, to act against
(All the facts known concerning Onesicritus are Chios (Thuc. viii. 25-27, 30, 33, 34, 38, 40, 55,
fully discussed, and the passages quoted from his 61). It was probably the same Onomacles who
writings by various authors collected together by was afterwards one of the thirty tyrants, in B. C.
Geier, Alexandri Historiar. Scriptores, lib. iii. 404 (Xen. Hell. ii. 3. & 2). We find mention
p. 74—108. See also Vossius, de Historicis Graecis, made also of another Onomacles, who, together with
p. 94, ed Westermann ; Ste Croix, Examen Critique, Archeptolemus, was involved in the condernnation
p. 38, &c. ; and Meier, l. c. ) (E. H. B. ] of ANTIPHON ( Anon. Vit. Thuc. ). A Spartan of
ONE'SILUS ('Orno. dos), of Salamis in Cyprus, the same name is recorded by Xenophon (Hell. ij.
the son of Chersis, grandson of Siromus, and great- 3. & 10) as ephor é tuvumos, in the eighth year of
grandson of Evelthon. He had frequently urged the Peloponnesian war.
(E. E. )
his brother Gorgus, who was king of Salamis in ONOMA'CRITU'S ('Ovoud Kpitos), an Athe-
Cyprus, to desert from the Persians ; but as he was nian, who occupies an interesting position in the
unable to persuade him to do so, he finally drove history of the early Greek religious poetry. He-
him from the city, and set up the standard of revolt rodotus calls him xenouológov te kad Valénu
with the lonians, in B. c. 499. Gorgus fled to the xpnouân Twv Movo alov, and informs us that he
Persiana ; Onesilus became king of Salamis, and had enjoyed the patronage of Ilipparchus, until he
persuaded all the other cities in Cyprus, with the was detected by Lasus of Herinione (the dithy-
exception of Amathus, to renounce their allegiance I rambic poet) in making an interpolation in ao
;
## p. 30 (#46) ##############################################
80
ONOMACRITUS.
ONOMARCHUS.
oracle of Musaeus, for which Hipparchus banished fifty-ninth Orphic Hymn the Graces addressed
him. He seems to have gone into Persia, where thus :-
the Peisistratide, after their expulsion from Athens, Θυγατέρες Ζηνός τε και Ευνομίης βαθυκόλπου,
took him again into favour, and employed him to
'Αγλαΐη τε, Θάλεια, και Ευφροσύνη πολύολβε.
persuade Xerxes to engage in his expedition against
Greece, by reciting to him all the ancient oracles Some writers have hastily taken this as a proof
which seemed to favour the attempt, and suppress that the true author of the still extant Orphic
ing those of a contrary tendency. (Herod. vii. 6. ) hymns was Onomacritus, or else, as others more
It has been amply proved by Lobeck (Aglaoph. cautiously put it, that Onomacritus was one of the
p. 332) and Nitzsch (Hist. Hom. p. 163), that the authors of them, and that this hymn at least is to
words of Herodotus, quoted above, mean that Ono be ascribed to him. It proves, if anything, the
macritus was an utterer of ancient oracles, how- direct contrary of this ; for, had the hymn in ques-
ever preserved, and that he had made a collection tion borne the name of Orpheus in the time of
and arrangement of the oracles ascribed to Musaeus. Pausanias, he would have so qunted it to say
And this is quite in keeping with the literary cha- nothing of the difference between the name Eury-
racter of the age of the Peisistratidae, and with nome in Pausanias and Eunomia in the hymn.
other traditions respecting Onomacritus himself, as, The truth is that the date of the extant Orphic
for example, that he made interpolations in Homer hymns is centuries later than the time of Onoma-
as well as in Musaeus (Schol
. in Hom. Od. xi. critus (ORPHEUS). That Onomacritus, however,
604*), and that he was the real author of some of did publish poems under the name of Orpheus, as
the poems which went under the name of Orpheus. well as of Musaeus, is probable from several testi-
The account of Herodotus fixes the date of Ono monies, among which is that of Aristotle, who
macritus to about B. c. 520—485, and shows the held that there never was such a poet as Orpheus,
error of those ancient writers who placed him as and that the poems known under his name were
early as the fiftieth Olympiad, B. c. 580. (Clem. fabricated partly by Cercops, and partly by Ono-
Alex. Strom. i. p. 143, Sylb. ; Tatian. adv. Graec. macritus. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1-38; Philopon, ad
62, p. 38, Worth. ). The account of Herodotus, Aristot. de Anim. i. 5; Suid. s. e. 'Oporós; Schol.
respecting the forgeries of Onomacritus, is confirmed ad Aristeid. Panath. p. 165 ; Sext. Empir. Pyrika
by Pausanias, who speaks of certain verses (enn), Hypotyp. iii. 4 ; Euseb. Praep. Evan. 1. 4; Tatian.
which were ascribed to Musaeus, but which, in his adv. Graec. 62. )
opinion, were composed by Onomacritus, for that From these statements it appears that the literary
there was nothing which could be ascribed with character of Onomacritus must be regarded as quite
certainty to Musaeus, except the hymn to Demeter subordinate to his religious position ; that he was
which he composed for the Lycomidae. (Paus. i. not a poet who cultivated the art for its own sake,
22. 8 7 ; comp. iv. 1. $6. ) In three other pas- but a priest, who availed himself of the ancient
sages Pausanias cites the poems of Onomacritus religious poems for the support of the worship to
(év toîs étreni), but without any intimation that which he was attached. Of what character that
they were or pretended to be any others than his worship was, may be seen from the statement of
own (viii. 31. 83, 37. § 4. s. 5,' ix. 35. & 1. s. 5). Pausanias, that * Onomacritus, taking from Homer
That Pausanias does not refer in these last pas- the name of the Titans, composed (or, established,
sages to poems which went under the names of the ouvéonkev) orgies to Dionysus, and represented
old mythological bards, but were in reality com- in his poems (eroinger) the Titans as the authors
posed by Onomacritus, is rendered probable by the of the sufferings of Dionysus. " (Paus, vii. 37. $ 4.
manner in which he generally refers to such sup- 6. 5. ) Here we have, in fact, the great Orphic
posititious works, as in the passage first quoted myth of Dionysus Zagreus, whose worship it thus
(i. 22. 8 7; comp. i. 14. 83, el 07) Movoalou kal seems was either established or re-arranged by
Tallra, and i. 37. & 4, rd Kaloóueva 'Oppiká): and, Onomacritus, who must therefore be regarded as
moreover, in two of the three passages he quotes one of the chief leaders of the Orphic theology,
Onomacritus in comparison with Homer and He- and the Orphic societies. [ORPHEUS) Some mo-
siod. But if, for these reasons, the poems 10 dern writers, as Ulrici, think it probable that
quoted must be regarded as having been ascribed Onomacritus was the real author of the Orphic
to Onomacritus in the time of Pausanias, it does Theoyony, to which others again assign a still
not follow that they were, in any proper sense, the earlier date. (Grote, History of Greece, vol. i. pp.
original compositions of Onomacritus ; but it rather 25, 29. )
seems probable that they were remnants of ancient There is an obscure reference in Aristotle (Polit.
hymns, the authors of which were unknown, and ii. 9) to “ Onomacritus, a Locrian," the first dis
that the labours of Onomacritus consisted simply in tinguished legislator, who practised gymnastic ex-
editing them, no doubt with interpolations of his ercises in Crete, and travelled abroad on account of
the art of divination, and who was a contemporary
The last of the three passages quoted from Pau- of Thales. (See Hoeckh, Creta, vol. iii. pp. 318,
Banias gives rise to a curious question. Pausanias &c. )
quotes Hesiod as saying that the Graces were the For further remarks on the literary and religious
daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, and that their position of Onomacritus, see the Histories of Greek
names were Euphrosyne and Aglaïa and Thalia, Literature by Müller, Bernhardy, Ulrici, and Bode ;
and then adds that the same account is given in Müller, Proleg. zu einer Wissenschaftlichen My
the poems of Onomacritus.
Now we find in the thologie ; Lobeck, Aglaophamus, and Ritschl, in
Ersch and Gruber's Encyklopädie. [P. S. )
For an elaborate discussion of the relation of ONOMARCHUS ('Ovópapxos), general of the
Onomacritus to the literary history of the Pumeric Phocians in the Sacred War, was brother of Philo-
poems, see Nitzsch, Erklärende Anmerkungen zu melus and son of Theotiinus (Diod. xvi. 56, 61;
Ilomer's Odyssee, vol. iii. pp. 336, &c.
Paus. x. 2. $ ? ; but see Arist. Pol. r. 4. and
own.
1
## p. 31 (#47) ##############################################
ONOMASTUS.
31
OPELIUS.
Thirlwall's Greece, vol. v. p. 275, not. ). He com- | the government of the sea-coast of Thrace, and
manded a division of the Phocian army under Phi- whose instrument he was, together with CASKAN-
Jomelus, in the action at Tithorea, in which the DER (No. 4), in the massacre of the Maronites.
latter perished ; and after the battle gathered to- Appius Claudius, and the other Roman coinmis-
gether the remains of the Phocian army, with sioners, required that Philip should send Onomastus
which he effected his retreat to Delphi. An and Cassander to Rome to be examined about the
assembly of the people was now held, in which Ono- massacre ; whereupon the king despatched Cas-
marchus strongly urged the prosecution of the war, sander, and had him poisoned on the way, but
in opposition to the counsels of the more moderate persisted in declaring that Onomastus bad not been
party, and succeeded in obtaining his own nomi- in or near Maroneia at the time ; the fact being
nation to the chief command in the place of Philo-(as Polybius and Livy tell us) that he was too
melus, B. c. 353. He was, however, far from deep in the royal secrets to be trusted at Rome.
imitating the moderation of his predecessor: he we hear again of Onomastus as one of the two
confiscated the property of all those who were assessors of Philip at the private trial of De-
opposed to him, and squandered without scruple the METKIUS, for the alleged attempt on the life of his
sacred treasures of Delphi. The latter enabled brother Perseus, B. c. 182. (Polyb. xxiii. 13, 14 ;
him not only to assemble and maintain a large Liv. xxxix. 34, xl. 8. )
(E. E. )
body of mercenary troops, but to spend large sums ONOSANDER ('Ovóoavāpos), the author of a
in bribing many of the leading persons in the hos- celebrated work on military tactics, entitled Etpa-
tile states ; by which means he succeeded in pre- angids bos, which is still extant. All sub-
railing on the Thessalians to abandon their allies, sequent Greek and Roman writers on the same
and take up a neutral position. Thus freed from subject made this work their text-book (the en-
his most formidable antagonists, he was more than perors Mauricius and Leon did little more than
a match for his remaining foes. He now invaded express in the corrupt style of their age what they
Locris, took the town of Thronium, and compelled found in Onosander, whom Leon calls Onesander),
that of Amphissa to submit ; ravaged the Dorian and it is even still held in considerable estimation.
Tetrapolis, and then turned his arms against Count Moritz of Saxony professed to have derived
Boeotia, where he took Orchomenus and laid siege great benefit from the perusal of a translation of it.
to Chaeroneia, but was compelled to retreat with Onosander appears to have lived about the middle
out effecting anything more. His assistance was of the first century after Christ. His work is dedi-
dow requested by Lycophron, tyrant of Pherae, cated to Q. Veranius, who is generally supposed to
who was attacked by Philip, king of Macedonia ; be identical with the Q. Veranius Nepos who was
and he at first sent his brother Phayllus into consul in a. D. 49. Onosander also remarks in his
Thessaly with an army of 7000 men. But Phayllus preface that his work was written in time of peace.
baving been defeated by Philip, Onomarchus It might very well have been written, therefore,
marched with his whole forces to the support of between A. D. 49 and A. D. 59. If the consul of
Lycophron, defeated Philip in two successive A. D. 49 was the person to whom the work was de-
battles, and drove him out of Thessaly. He next dicated, it would agree very well with all the other
turned his arms a second time against the Boeotians, data, that this Veranius accompanied Didius Gallus
whom he defeated in a battle, and took the city of into Britain, and died before the expiration of a
Coroneia, when he was recalled once more to the year.
assistance of Lycophron, against Philip, who had Onosander was a disciple of the Platonic school
again invaded Thessaly. Onomarchus hastened to of philosophy, and, according to Suidas, besides his
support his ally with an army of 20,000 foot and work on tactics, wrote one Niep. otpatnymuátwv
500 borse, but was met by Philip at the head of (unless, as some suppose, the words Taktid repl
a force still more numerous, and a pitched battle otpatmuatw in Suidas are a description of one
ensued, in which the superiority of the Thessalian and the same work, the one still extant), and a
cavalry decided the victory in favour of the king. commentary on the Republic of Plato. The two latter
Onomarchus himself, with many of the fugitives, have perished. In his style he imitated Xenophon
plunged into the sea in hopes to reach by swim- with some success. Nothing further is known of
ming the Athenian ships under Chares, which were his personal history. It is conjectured that he must
lying off the shore, but perished in the waves, or, himself have been engaged in military service.
according to Pausanias, by the darts of his own Onosander's work appeared first in a Latin
soldiers. His body fell into the hands of Philip, translation by Nicolaus Saguntinus, Rome, 1494.
who caused it to be crucified, as a punishment for a French translation by Jehan Charrier appeared
his sacrilege. His death took place in B. c. 352 at Paris in 1546 ; an Italian translation by Fabio
(Diod. xvi. 31-33, 35, 56, 61 ; Paus. x. 2. & 5; Cotta, Venice, 1546 ; and another Latin translation
Justin. viii. 1, 2; Polyaen. ii. 38 ; Ephorus, fr. by Joachim Camerarius, in 1595. It was not till
153, ed. Didot ; Oros. iii. 12; Wesseling, ad 1599 that the Greek text was published, together
Diod. xvi. 35 ; Dem. de Pals. Leg. p. 443). We with the énitudevua of Urbicius, published by Nic.
are told that Onomnarchus was a man of luxu. Rigaltius, Paris, 1599. The best edition is that
rious habits, and that he made use of the sacred by Nic. Schwebel, Nürnberg, 1761, folio. This
treasures, not only for the purposes of the state, edition contains the French translation by M. le
but to minister to his own pleasures (Theopomp. ap. Baron de Zur-Lauben. In this edition the editor
Athen. xiii. p. 605); but it is difficult to know what availed himself of the manuscript notes by Jos.
value to attach to such statements ; the religious Scaliger and Is. Vossius, which are preserved in
character assumed by the enemies of the Phocians the library at Leyden. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv,
having led them to load with obloquy the memory p. 336, &c. ; Schöll
, Geschichte der Griech. Lit. vol. ii.
of all the leaders of that people. (E. H. B. ) p. 712, &c. ; Hoffmann, Lex. BiH. ) (C. P. M. ]
ONOMASTUS ('Ovómaotos), a confidential OPE'LIUS DIADUMENIANUS. (Dravila
officer of Philip V. of Macedon, for whom he held /MENIANUS. )
## p. 32 (#48) ##############################################
32
OPHELLAS.
OPILIUS.
OPE'LIUS MACRI'NUS. (MACRINUS. ) year, which was suppressed by Agis, the general of
OPHE’LION ('npeniwr). 1. An Athenian Ptolemy. Yet it could not have been long after
comic poet, probably of the Middle Comedy, of that he availed himself of the continued disaffection
whom Suidas says that Athenaeus, in his second of that people towards Egypt to assume the govern-
book, mentions the following as being his plays : - ment of Cyrene as an independent state. The
Δευκαλίων, Κάλλαισχρος, Κένταυρος, Σάτυροι, Μού- continual wars in which Ptolemy was engaged
cai, Movó porol, or rather, according to the emen- against Antigonus, and the natural difficulties of
dation of Toup, Movót ponos. The last three of assailing Cyrene, secured him against invasion ;
these titles are elsewhere assigned by Suidas to and he appears to have continued in undisputed
Phrynichus. In the second book of Athenaeus, possession of the country for near five years.
which Suidas quotes, none of the titles are men- (Paus i. 6. $ 8; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. pp.
tioned, but Ophelion is thrice quoted, without the 414, 417. ) The power to which Ophellas had
name of the play referred to (Athen. ii. pp. 43, f. thus attained, and the strong mercenary force
66, d. 67, a. ); and, in the third book, Athenaeus which he was able to bring into the field, caused
quotes the Callaeschrus, and also another play, Agathocles, during his expedition in Africa (B. C.
which Suidas does not mention (iii. p. 106, a. ). | 308) to turn his attention towards the new ruler
The reasons for assigning him to the Middle of Cyrene as likely to prove an useful ally against
Comedy are, the reference to Plato in Athen. ii. the Carthaginians. In order to gain him over he
p. 66, d. , and the statement that he used some promised to cede to him whatever conquests their
verses which were also found in Eubulus (Athen. ii. combined forces might make in Africa, reserving
p. 43, f. , where the name of Ophelion is rightly to himself only the possession of Sicily. The am-
substituted by Porson for that of Philetas). Who bition of Ophellas was thus aroused: he put him-
may have been the Callaeschrus, whose name self at the head of a powerful army, and not with.
formed the title of one of his plays, we cannot standing all the natural obstacles which presented
tell ; but if he was the same as the Callaeschrus, themselves on his route, succeeded in reaching the
who formed the subject of one of the plays of Carthaginian territories after a toilsome and perilous
Theopompus, the date of Ophelion would be fixed march of more than two months' duration. He was
before the 100th Olympiad, B. c. 380. There is, received by his new ally with every demonstration
perhaps, one more reference to Ophelion, again of friendship, and the two armies encamped near
corrupted into Philetas, in Hesychius, s. v. 'lous. each other : but not many days had elapsed when
(Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. vol. i. p. 415, vol. Agathocles took an opportunity treacherously to
iii. p. 380; Praef. ad Menand.
