O P P 
OPPEAN', a town of Italy : thirteen miles fouth of 
Verona. 
OPPE'DE, a town of France, in the county ofVenaifiin: 
fix miles eaft of Cavaillon. 
OP'PELN, a principality of Silefia, bounded on the 
north by Poland, and the principalities of Breflau, Oeis, 
and Bfieg; on the eaft by Poland ; on the fouth by the 
principalities of Ratibor, Jagerndorf, and Troppau ; and 
on the weft by the principalities of Neifle and Brieg. 
The foil is for the tnoft part fandy, and many parts co¬ 
vered with large heaths and forefts. It contains twenty- 
feven towns, and but few villages. 
OP'PELN, a city of Silefia, and capital of the above 
principality, on the Oiler ; the fee of a bilhop. It is for¬ 
tified after the ancient manner, and contains two con¬ 
vents, a collegiate church, and a college, which formerly 
belonged to the Jefuits. The principal part of the houfes 
are only wood ; and the inhabitants are Roman Catholics. 
It is forty-five miles fouth-eaft of Breflau, and feventy- 
five-north-eaft of Olmutz. Lat. 50.35. N. Ion. 17. 58. E. 
OP'PENAU, a town of the duchy of Baden : thirteen 
miles eaft of Strafburg, and eight north-eaft of Offenburg. 
OP'PENHEIM, late a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of Mont Tonnerre. At this place is a good growth 
of wine. It is nine miles fouth-eaft of Mentz, and thirty- 
fix north-weft of Heidelberg. Lat. 49. 51. N. Ion. 8. ao. E. 
OP'PENNITZ, a town of Auftria: four miles fouth of 
Bavarian Waidhoven. 
OP'PIA, a veftal virgin, buried alive for her inconti¬ 
nence. 
OP'PIA LEX', by C. Oppius, the tribune, A.U.C. 540. 
It required that no woman fhould wear above half an 
ounce of gold, have parti-coloured garments, or be car¬ 
ried in any city or town, or to any place within a mile’s 
diftance, unlels it were to celebrate fome facred feftivals 
or folemnities. This famous law, which was made while 
Hannibal was in Italy, and while Rome was in diftreffed 
circumftances, created difeontent; and, eighteen years 
after, the Roman ladies petitioned the aflembly of the 
people that it might be repealed. Catooppofed it llrongly, 
and made many fatirical reflexions upon the women for 
their appearing in public to folicit votes. The tribune 
Valerius, who had prefented their petition to the affem- 
bly, anfwered the objections of Cato ; and his eloquence 
had fuch an influence on the minds of the people, that 
the law was inftantly abrogated with the unanimous con- 
fent of all the comitia, Cato alone excepted. Livy. 
OP'PIAN, a Greek poet and grammarian, was a native 
of Anazarba in Cilicia, and flouriftied under the emperor 
Caracalla, in the beginning of the third century. To 
that pfince he prefented his two poems, Halieutica, on 
Fifhing, and Cynegetica, on Hunting; both which are 
extant. With the latter, in particular, the emperor was 
fo well pleafed, that he gave the author a piece of gold for 
each line, whence they obtained the name of his Golden 
Verfes. Tliefe works have been much efteemed by va¬ 
rious modern critics, as well for the force and elegance of 
the deferiptions, as for the ingenuity of the thoughts and 
fimiles. Gppiar. likewife compofed a work On Fowling, 
with fome other pieces, which are loft. He died of the 
(plague at the age of thirty; and was honoured by his 
townfmen with a ilatue and a highly-encomialtic inferip- 
tion. The belt editions of Oppian are thole of Ritterhu- 
fius, Lugd. B. 1597 ; of Schneider, Argent. 1776 ; and of 
Beilin de Baliu, 1785, 2 vols. 8vo. VoJJii Poet. Grccc. 
OPPICA'TION, J'. [oppico, Lat. to fmear with pitch.] 
The afit of covering over with pitch. Cole. 
OP'PIDAN, f. [oppidanus, Lat.] A townfman; an in¬ 
habitant of a town.—The oppidans, in the mean time, were 
not wanting to trouble us ; and particularly the baillives. 
A. Wood's Ann. Univ. Ox.— The local appellation of all 
the boys at Eton lchool that are not collegers. MaJ'on. 
OP'PIDAN, adj. Relating to a town.—Touching the 
temporal government of Rome, and oppidan affairs, there 
VOL. XVII. No. 1196. 
O P P 537 
is apretor, and fome choice citizens, who fit in the Ca¬ 
pitol. Howell. 
OP'PIDO, a town of Naples, in Calabria Ultra; the 
fee of a bilhop. This town was deftroyed by an earth¬ 
quake, in the year 1783. The prefent town is built three 
miles from the former, which contained about 3000 inha¬ 
bitants, out of which 1200 perilhed in this dreadful con- 
vulfion of nature. The lofs of the province by death, 
including thofe who were fwallowed up, buried under the 
ruins, or killed by difeafe, was eftirhated at 32,000 fouls. 
No town has fullered fo much, according to its population, 
as Oppido. See the article Earthquake, vol. vi. p. 213. 
Oppido is tvventy-feven miles north-eaft of Reggio, and 
eleven north-weft of Gieraec. Lat. 38. x8.N. Ion. 16. 23. E. 
OP'PIDO, a town of Naples, in Bafilicata : five miles 
fouth-eaft of Acerenza, and ten north-eaft of Potenza. 
OPPIDONE'ON SINA'AB, in ancient geography, a 
town and colony of Africa, in Mauritania Caefarienfis, 
where the emperor Claudius formed an eftjftftifhment of 
veterans. It was fituated on the ibuthern bank of the 
river Chinalap, north of the mountains denominated 
1.1 s 
OP'PIDUM NO'VUM, a town of Gallia Aquitanica, 
between Beneharnum and Aquae Convenarum.—Alfo, a 
town of Africa, in Mauritania Tingitana, between Tre- 
mulae and Ad Novas. Anton. Itin. 
OPPIE'TO, a town of the ifland of Corfica : eight 
miles north-north-eaft of Ajazzo. 
To OPPIG'NERATE, v. a. [oppignero , Lat.] To 
pledge ; to pawn. Not in ufe. —The duke of Guife was 
the greateft ulurer in France, for that he had turned all 
his eftate into obligations ; meaning that he had fold and 
oppignorated all his patrimony, to give large donatives to 
other men. Bacon. 
To OP'PILATE, v. a. [oppi/o. Lat. oppiler, Fr.] To 
heap up obltruCtion. Cocheram and Sherwood. 
OPPILA'TION, f. \_oppilation } Fr. from oppilatc. ] Ob- 
ftruCtion ; matter heaped together. — Nothing is~ worfe 
than to feed on many dilhes, or to protraCt the time of 
meats longer than ordinary ; from thence proceed our in¬ 
firmities : thence, faith Fernelius, come crudities, wind, 
oppilations. Burton’'s Anat. of Mel. 
OP'PILATIVE, adj. ObllruCtive. 
_ OP'PILATIVENESS, J‘. A tending to caufe obftruc- 
tions. 
OP'PIUS (Cains), a friend of Julius Caefar v celebrated 
for his Life of Scipio Africanus, and of Pompey the Great. 
In the latter, he paid not much regard to hiftoricai fafits ; 
and took every opportunity to defame Pompey, to extol 
the character of his patron Caefar. In the age of Sueto¬ 
nius, he was deemed the true author of the Alexandrian, 
African, and Spanilh, Wars, which fome attribute to 
Casfar, and others to Hirtius. Tacit. An. Suet, in Cad". 
OPPLE'TED, adj. [ oppletus , Lat.] Filled ; crowded. 
OPPLE'TION, J’. The ai 5 t of filling up; fullnefs, 
To OPPO'NE, v. a. [ oppono , Lat.] Tooppofe. Notinufe. 
What can you not do 
Againft lords fpiritual or temporal 
That fliall oppone you ? B. Jonfon's Alchemi/t. 
OPPO'NENCY, f. \_opponens, Lat.] The opening an 
academical deputation ; the propofition of objections to 
a tenet: an exercife for a degree. See the fecond mean¬ 
ing of Opponent, f. 
OPPO'NENT, adj. [ epponens , Lat.] Oppofite; adverfe: 
Ere the foundations of this earth were laid. 
It was opponent to our fearch ordain’d, 
That joy, ftill fought, fltould never be attain’d. Prior. 
OPPO'NENT, J". [opponens, Lat.] Antagonift; adver- 
fary.—One who begins the difipute by railing objections 
to a tenet, correlative to the defendant or reipondent.— 
Inafmuch as ye go about to deftroy a thing which is in 
force, and to draw in that which hath not as yet been 
6 X received, 
