G74 O P U 
OP'TIMACY, f. [estimates, Lat.] Nobility; body of 
nobles; men of the higheft rank.—In this high court of 
parliament there is a rare co-ordination of power, a 
wholefome mixture betwixt monarchy, optimacy, and de¬ 
mocracy. Howell. —The government of every city in time 
becomes corrupt: principality changeth into tyranny; 
the optimucy is made the government of the people ; and 
the popular edate turns to licentious diforder. Raleigh's 
Arts <>f limp. ch. 26. 
OP'TIMATES, f. in antiquity, one of the divifions of 
the Roman people, oppofed to populares. 
According to Tully’s defeription, the optimates were 
the belt citizens, or thofe who defired their addons might 
be approved by the better fort; and the populares thofe, 
who, out of a third of vain-glory, did not fo much confi- 
der what was right, as what would pleafe the populace, 
and get an intered in them. Others rather make the op¬ 
timates to-be the vigorous aflertors of the dignity of the 
chief magidrate, and the (ticklers for the grandeur of the 
date, who cared not if the inferior members fuifered, fo it 
■were for the advancement of the commanding powers; 
and the populares, thofe who courted the favour of the 
populace, and encouraged them to demand larger privi¬ 
leges, to bring matters nearer to a level. In this view of 
the fubjeft, we may conlider the optimates as the minif- 
terialijis, and the populares as the oppofition. 
OP'TIMISM, f. [optimus , Lat.] The doftrine that 
every thing in nature is ordered for the bell.—Voltaire 
lias, in many parts of his works, befides his Candide and 
his Pliilofophical Dictionary, exerted the utmod efforts of 
his wit and argument to depreciate and dedroy the doc¬ 
trine of optimifm, and the idea that “ The eternal art 
educes good from ill.” Warton on Pope. 
OPTIM'ITY, f The (late of being bed. Not ufed. 
OP'TI O, f. [from opto, Lat. to choofe.] Among the 
Romans, an affiflant or lieutenant belonging to every 
centurion. They were called optiones, becaufe it was in 
the option of the centurion to choofe whom he pleafed 
for this employment; though at fird it was otherwife, the 
optio being chofen by the tribune or chief commander of 
the legion. The optiones were not peculiar to the camp, 
hut w ere ufed alfo in many other offices of life. 
OP'TION, f. [optio, Lat.] Choice ; election ; power of 
choofing.—Tranfplantation mud proceed from the option 
of the people, elfe it founds like an exile ; fo the colonies 
mud be raifed by the leave of the king, and not by his 
command. Bacon. —Willi.—I ffiall conclude this epidie 
with a pathetick option, O that men were wife. Layman's 
Defence of Chri/lianity. —A choice of preferment belong¬ 
ing to the patronage of fudragans, made by the archbi- 
lliogs of Canterbury and York, on the promotion of the 
perlon to a bidiopric.—The archbiffiop of Canterbury hath 
a right, upon the promotion of every bidiop in his grace’s 
province, [and fo has the archbidiop of York, except with 
regard to the fee of Durham,] to choofe any one eccleli- 
adical preferment, prebend, or benefice, in the gift of 
fucli bilhop, which is called the archbidiop’s option; which 
is even at the difpofal of the executors of the archbiffiop, 
■“if the bilhop that is promoted doth not die before the op¬ 
tion becometh vacant. Ne If on's Life of Bp. Bull. 
OP'TIONAL, adj. Leaving fomewhat to choice.—Ori¬ 
ginal writs are either optional or peremptory. Blachjlone. 
OP'TO-KILTEKA'I, a town of Chinefe Tartary, in 
lat. 44. 8. N, Ion. 92. 54. E. 
OPUA'GO, a town of the date of New-York : fifteen 
miles north-wed of New-York. 
OP'ULENCE, or Opulency, f. [opulence, Fr. opulen- 
tia, Lat.] Wealth; riches; affluence.—After eight years 
fpent in outward opulency and inward murmur, that it 
was not greater; after vad Aims of money and great 
wealth gotten, he died unlamented. Clarendon. 
There in full opulence a banker dwelt, 
Who all the joys and pangs of riches felt; 
His fide-board glitter’d with imagin’d plate, 
And his proud fancy held a vad edate. Swift. 
O R 
OP'ULENT, adj. Rich; wealthy; affluent.-—To begin 
with the fuppofed policy of gratifying only the rich and 
opulent. Does our wife man think that the grandee whom 
he courts does not fee through all the little plots of his 
courtlhip ? South. 
OP'ULENTLY, adv. Richly; with fplendour. 
OP'ULENTNESS, J’. Opulence; wealth. Scott. 
OP'ULUS, f The guelder-role. See Viburnum.-— 
Althea, opulus, and virgin’s bower. Anonym. 
OPUNC'TLY, adv. [feems to be a mere corruption of 
dialed! for] Opportunely.—And you ffiall march a whole 
day, till you come opunttly to your midrefs. Green's Tu. 
qnoque. 
OPCJN'TIA, f. in botany. See Cactus. 
O'PUS, an ifland of Dalmatia, at the mouth of the 
Narenza. This bland receives from the floods of the 
Narenza an acceffion of foil, which has made a difterence 
in height of ten feet, between the Roman times and the 
prefent; wdiich was proved by an excavation made in the 
garden of fome ladies at this place. The diflerent dratifi- 
cations that have fucceflively covered the old earth, ap¬ 
peared ; in which, at ten feet depth, were found pieces of 
broken glafs, and of Roman kitchen-utenlils. Yet the 
ifland, notwithdanding its being thus raifed, is not cul¬ 
tivable every-where; many places remaining marffly, 
though they might be drained and rendered ufeful with¬ 
out much difficulty. Herbage of all forts, Indian corn, 
wheat, and olives, in particular, fucceed to a wonderful 
degree; mulberry-trees rife to a furpriling luxuriance, 
and the filk-worms that feed on them makevery fine filk. 
The vines alone do not thrive well; and indeed it is a won¬ 
der they grow at all, as they remain every year fo long 
under water, elpecially in the plain between this river 
and the Norin, oppofite Mercovich, a village well inha¬ 
bited by healthy labourers and brave people. 
OP'USCLE, f. [from the Lat. opuJ'culum.~\ Afmallwork. 
OPU'TO, a town of New Navarre: 210 miles fouth- 
fouth-ead of Cafa Grande. 
OQUEN'DO, a town of Spain, in the province of Alava: 
five miles fouth-ead of Orduna. 
OR', conj. [o'Sep, Sax.] A disjunctive particle, mark¬ 
ing dillribution, and fometimes oppofition.—By intenfe 
fludy, or application to bufinefs that requires little ac¬ 
tion, the digellion of foods will foon proceed more (lowly, 
and With more uneafinefs. Blackmore .—Every thing that 
can be divided by the mind into two or more ideas, is 
called complex. Watts's Logich. 
He my mufe’s homage fflould receive, 
If I could write, or Holies could forgive. Garth. 
It correfponds to either: He mud either fall or fly.—At 
Venice you may go to any houfe either by land or water. 
A'ddifm. —It fometimes, but rather inelegantly, dands for 
either: 
For thy vad bounties are fo numberlefs. 
That them or to conceal, or elfe to tell, 
Is equally impoffible. Cowley. 
Sometimes for whether, or whether it be: 
Whatever draws me. 
Or fympathy, or fome connatural force. Milton's P. L. 
Or is fometimes redundant, but is then more properly 
omitted.—How great foever the fins of any unreformed 
perfon are, Chrid died for him, becaufe he died for all; 
only he mud reform and forfake his fins, or elfe he ffiall 
never receive benefit of his death. Hammond. 
OR', adv. [op, or tepe, Sax.] Before. Or and ere were 
formerly indiferiminatejy ufed ; then or ever, or e'er, com¬ 
bined ; a form not yet difufed, though Dr. Johnfon has 
pronounced it obfolete.-— Or we go to the declaration of 
this pfalm, it (hall be convenient to drew who did write 
this pfalm. Bp. Fijher. —Learn before thou fpeak, and ufe 
phyfic or ever thou be lick. JSccles. xviii. 19. 
The dead man’s knell 
Is there fcarce alk’d for whom, and good men’s lives 
Expire 
