O P I 
kim ; and he had no longer to complain of the unfeeling 
caprice of fafhion, for he enjoyed an uninterrupted foiirce 
of employment, in portraiture at leaf!:, till his death, and 
generally difpofed of the fancy-piCtures with which he 
chofe to interfperfe his labours. Thefe were very nume¬ 
rous, for he was exceedingly induftrious ; and his princi¬ 
pal delight was in the praCfice of his profeflion. It was 
laid of him by a brother of the profedion, “ Many artifts 
may be faid to paint to live, but he lived to paint;” and 
his progrefs correfponded with his diligence ; fo that it 
was remarked by an eminent painter, “ Others get for¬ 
ward by Jleps, but that man by f rides." 
Opie, having been admitted an ad'ociate of the Royal 
Academy in 1786, and an academician in the year follow¬ 
ing, upon the difmifl'al of Mr. Barry afpired to the ho¬ 
nour of being profedor of painting, but redgned his pre¬ 
tendons in favour of Mr. Fui'eli, who was chofen. When 
that gentleman was appointed to the Ration of keeper in 
1805, he again advanced his claim, and was unanimoudy 
received. He had previoudy tried his power in literary 
compodtion, with no dight degree of fuccefs ; firft, in the 
Life of Sir j. Reynolds, in Dr. Wolcot’s edition of Pil- 
kington’s Dictionary; and, again, in the publication of 
a plan for the formation of a national gallery, “ tending 
at once to exalt the arts of his country, and immortalize 
its glories.” His literary character, though fomewhat 
marked by original dedciency of education, bore the 
ftamp of a powerful mind. He had made himfelf mailer 
of French; and read Latin and Italian ; and he formed 
an Englidi ityle, mafculine, natural, and energetic. He 
gave leCtures at the Royal Inilitution, which contained 
valuable and inftruCtive matter, but were abrupt and im- 
jnethodic ; and, not fatisfying himfelf, he diicontinued 
them. After he was eleCted to the profefTorfhip of paint¬ 
ing at the Royal Academy, his literary improvement 
was manifefted in four leCtures, which he delivered, and 
which obtained great and jult applaufe. The fame manly, 
firm, and unaffected, character, appeared in his conver- 
fation, and in the commerce of life. With none of the 
artificial polifli derived from early introduction to good 
company, and a certain bluntnefs and roughnefs of man¬ 
ner, he had jult moral feelings. His remarks always dif- 
played ltrong fenfe, and fometimes humour and keen- 
nels ; but he was perfectly free from envy or malignity. 
He was unfortunate in his firft marriage ; but for his fe- 
cond partner obtained a lady diftinguilhed by her literary 
endowments, with whom he lived in undeviating har¬ 
mony. A fingular and lingering diforder brought his 
life to an early clofe, in April 1807, at the age of forty- 
fix ; and his remains were honoured with a funeral in 
St. Paul’s cathedral. His “ LeCtures on Painting at the 
Royal Academy” were published after his death by his 
widow, in 4-to. with a “ Memoir written by herfelf, and 
other accounts of his talents and character,” from which 
the prefent article is compiled. 
OPIF'EROUS, arlj. [from the Lat. opus, help, and fero, 
to bring.] Bringing help. Bailey. 
OP'IFICE, J\ [opificium, Lat.] Workmanfliip ; handy- 
work. 
OPIF'ICER, f. [opifex, Lat.] One that performs any 
work ; artift. A word not received. —Confidering the infi¬ 
nite diftance betwixt the poor mortal artift and the al¬ 
mighty Opifcer. Bentley's Sermons. 
OPIL'I A, f. in botany, a genus inftituted by Dr. Rox¬ 
burgh, and defcribed by him in his fplendid work on the 
Plants of the Coaft of Coromandel. It belongs to the 
clafs pentandria, order monogynia.— Eflential generic 
character. Calyx, below five-toothed; corolla five-pe- 
talled ; neCtarial bodies five, alternate with the ftamens ; 
ftyle none ; berry one-feeded. 
Opilia amentacea, or amentaceous, opilia, the only fpe- 
cies ; the bally-coma of the Telingas. Leaves alternate, 
two-faced, (hort-petioled, ovate or oblong, entire, fmooth, 
Ihining, fometimes very flightly ferrated ; about three 
inches long, and one and a half broad. Stipules none. 
Vol. XVII. No. 1195. 
O P i 533 
Raceme axillary, fmall, ereCt ; before the flowers open, it 
is every-.where clofely imbricated with fmall, three-flow¬ 
ered, targeted, kidney-form, pointed, ciliated, falling, 
braCtes. Mowers fmall, greenifli-white : calyx very fmall; 
petals five, fpreading, oblong; filaments five, fpreading, 
lhorter than the petals. Germen oblong ; ftigmas Angle; 
berry the (ize of a cherry; globular, juicy. This is a 
fmall tree, a native of the mountainous parts of the Cir- 
cars of the eaftern coaft of Hindooftan. See the annexed 
Engraving. 
OPIL'IUS, a grammarian, who flouriftied about ninety- 
four years before Chrift. He wrote a book called Libri 
Mufarum. 
OPIMATO'RES, f. Among the Romans, military: 
men, who had the direftion and management of the pro- 
vifions, and were to take care that the army wanted no¬ 
thing. Chambers. 
OP'IMOUS, ad), [opiums, Lat.] Fat; wealthy. Cole. 
OPINABIL'ITY, f. [from opinablei] The ftateorqua- 
lity of being opinable. Bailey. 
OPI'NABLE, adj. [opinor, Lat.] Which may be 
thought. 
OPINA'TION, f. Opinion; notion. 
OPI'NATIVE, adj. Stiff in a preconceived notion. 
We now fay, opinionalive. —Speak truth : be not opinative; 
maintain no faCtion. Burton's Anat. of Mel. 
OPINA'TOR, f. One who holds an opinion; one fond 
of his own notion.—Fond opinators inveft their beloved 
congregation with all the glorious privileges and titles, 
making angels of their own men. Glanville's Sermons. 
To OPI'NE, v. 71. [opinor, Lat.] To think; to judge; 
to be of opinion. It is moftly ufed, at prefent, in poetry. 
—It is furprifing that a man of Dr. Hallifax’s learning can 
opine, \that the character mult, of neceifity, be reftrained 
to Antiochus Epiphanes. NeictonontheProphecies, Dilf.xv. 
— In matters of mere [peculation, it is not material to the 
welfare of government, or theinfelves, whether they opine 
right or wrong, and whether they be philolophers or no. 
South. 
Fear is an ague, that forfakes 
And haunts by fits thofe whom it takes; 
And they’ll opine they feel the pain 
And blows they felt to-day, again. Hudibras, 
I, who think more highly of our kind, 
Opine, that nature, as in duty bound. 
Deep hid the fliining mifchief under ground. Pope. 
OPI'NER, / One who holds an opinion.—Weak and 
wilful opiners, but not j uft arbitrators. Bp. Taylor's Artif. 
Handjom. 
OPENING, f. Opinion; notion-—Very few examine 
the marrow and infide of things, but take them upon the 
credit of cuftomary opinings. Bp. Taylor's Artif. Hundfnn. 
OPINIAS'TER,yi [from opinion. 1 ] One fond of his own 
opinions.— Opiniajlers have a kindnels for all thofe whom 
they find to agree with themfelves in judgement. Butler's 
Chara&ers. 
OPINIAS'TRE, or Opiniastrous, adj. [opiniajlre, 
Fr.] Fond of one’s own opinion. Not in ije. See Qpi- 
NIATR.E. —Men are fo far in love with their own opiniajire 
conceits, as that they cannot patiently endure oppolition. 
Raleigh's Arts of Emp. —Next, in matters of death, the 
laws of England, whereof you have intruded to be an 
opiniajtrons lubadvocate, and are bound to defend them, 
conceive it not enjoined in Scripture, when, or for what 
caufe, they (hall be put to death, as in adultery, theft,-and 
the like. Milton's Colajierion. 
OPINIAS'TRIE, /'. An obftinate adherence to wrong- 
opinions.— Opiuiajirie is a fallen porter, and fhuts our, 
fometimes, better things than it lets in. Suckling. ■ 
To OPIN'IATE, v. a. [opiniutrer, Fr.] To maintain 
obftinately.—They did opinidte two principles, not dif- 
tinft only, but contrary the one to the other. Barrow's 
Sermons. 
OPIN'IATIVE, adj. [from opinion.'] Stiff in a precon- 
6 U ceived 
