A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ONOMASTUS. OPELIUS.i 31
Thirlwall's Greece, vol. v. p. 275, not.). He cornm- the government of the sea-coast of Thrace, and
manded a division of the Phocian army under Phi- whose instrument he was, together with CASSANlomelus, 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 comnmisgether 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 Casmarchus strongly urged the prosecution of the war, sander, and had him poisoned oil the way, but
in opposition to the counsels of the more moderate persisted in declaring that Onomastus had 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 DEopposed to him, and squandered without scruple the METRIUS, 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 ('Ovdoav8pos), the author of a
in bribing many of the leading persons in the hos- celebrated work on military tactics, entitled ->rpatile states; by which means he succeeded in pre- r)yLKuos A:oyos, which is still extant. All subvailing 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 emhis 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 dedinow 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. Dn. 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.
having 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 debattles, 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 IEpl eorpa-'7r?/-ci-ocv,
500 horse, but was met by Philip at the head of (unless, as some suppose, the words raKcLKa repl
a force still more numerous, and a pitched battle orpaT7yrl7pYL'rwyv 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. 3.5; Dem. de Fals. Leg. p. 443). We with the 7rrT71jsevua of Urbicius, published by Nic.
are told that Onomarchus 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, Niirnberg, 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.; Schiill, Geschichte der Griech. Lit. vol. ii.
of all the leaders of that people. [E. H. B.] p. 712, &c.; Hoffmann, Lex. Bibl.) [C. P. M.]
ONOMASTUS ('OY4laCTr0os), a confidential OPE'LIUS DIADUMENIA'NUS. [DIAD-.
officer of Philip V. of Macedon, for whom he held MENIANUS.]