Hormisdas, a name which some of the Persian kings bore in the reign of the Roman emperors.
Horesti, a people of Britain, supposed to be the inhabitants of Eskdale, now in Scotland. Tacitus, Agricola, ch. 38.
Horratus, a Macedonian soldier, who fought with another private soldier in the sight of the whole army of Alexander. Curtius, bk. 9, ch. 7.
Hortensia, a celebrated Roman lady, daughter of the orator Hortensius, whose eloquence she had inherited in the most eminent degree. When the triumvirs had obliged 14,000 women to give upon oath an account of their possessions, to defray the expenses of the state, [♦]Hortensia undertook to plead their cause, and was so successful in her attempt, that 1000 of her female fellow-sufferers escaped from the avarice of the triumvirate. Valerius Maximus, bk. 8, ch. 3.
[♦] ‘Hortensa’ replaced with ‘Hortensia’
Hortensia lex, by Quintus Hortensius the dictator, A.U.C. 697. It ordered the whole body of the Roman people to pay implicit obedience to whatever was enacted by the commons. The nobility, before this law was enacted, had claimed an absolute exemption.
Horta, a divinity among the Romans, who presided over youth, and patronized all exhortations to virtue and honourable deeds. She is the same as Hersilia.
Horta, or Hortinum, a town of the Sabines, on the confluence of the Nar and the Tiber. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 7, li. 716.
Quintus Hortensius, a celebrated orator, who began to distinguish himself by his eloquence, in the Roman forum, at the age of 19. His friend and successor Cicero speaks with great eulogium of his oratorical powers, and mentions the uncommon extent of his memory. The affected actions of Hortensius at the bar procured him the ridiculous surname of Dionysia, a celebrated stage-dancer at the time. He was pretor and consul, and died 50 years before Christ, in his 63rd year. His orations are not extant. Quintilian mentions them as undeserving the great commendations which Cicero had so liberally bestowed upon them. Hortensius was very rich, and not less than 10,000 casks of Arvisian wine were found in his cellar after his death. He had written pieces of amorous poetry, and annals, all lost. Cicero, Brutus; Letters to Atticus; On Oratory, &c.—Varro, de Re Rustica, bk. 3, ch. 5.——Corbio, a grandson of the orator of the same name, famous for his lasciviousness.——A rich Roman, who asked the elder Cato his wife, to procreate children. Cato gave his wife to his friend, and took her again after his death. This behaviour of Cato was highly censured at Rome, and it was observed, that Cato’s wife had entered the house of Hortensius very poor, but that she returned to the bed of Cato in the greatest opulence. Plutarch, Cato.——A Roman, slain by Antony on his brother’s tomb. Plutarch.——A pretor, who gave up Macedonia to Brutus. Plutarch.——One of Sylla’s lieutenants. Plutarch.——A Roman, the first who introduced the eating of peacocks at Rome. This was at the feast which he gave when he was created augur.
Hortōna, a town of Italy, on the confines of the Æqui. Livy, bk. 3, ch. 30.