The Goddesfe of oportunitle, whose ymage is this deuised of Poets. She standeth on a tbling whele, with wings on hir feete, turning hir self rounde bery swiftly, on hir heade hauing al the haire before, and cleane balde behinde. By whych ymagination they signifye, that oportunitie is a thing, that soone passeth, and is cleane lost, vnlesse it be presently apprehended. *Post hæc occasio calua, A prouerbe. Take occasion when it commeth, for he that wil not when he may, when he wil hee shal haue nay. The tyde tarieth no man. *Occasio premenda, A prouerbe, when the sunne shineth, make hay: the tyde must be taken when it commeth.

I. In gen.: occasio est pars temporis, habens in se alicujus rei idoneam faciendi aut non faciendi opportunitatem ... in occasione, ad spatium temporis, faciendi quaedam opportunitas intellegitur adjuncta, Cic. Inv. 1, 27, 40: tempus actionis opportunum Graece eu)kairi/a, Latine appellatur occasio, id. Off. 1, 40, 142: occasio opportunitas temporis casu quodam provenientis est, Paul. ex Fest. p. 178 Müll.: dum datur mihi occasio Tempusque, Plaut. Men. 3, 3, 30; cf.: nunc occasio est et tempus, id. Ps. 4, 2, 3; Ter. Heaut. 2, 2, 4: an ego occasionem tantam, tam brevem, tam optatam, tam insperatam Amitterem? id. Eun. 3, 5, 56: minima, Suet. Calig. 14; cf. summa, Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 2 infra: occasionem nancisci, Afran. ap. Non. 308, 13: quem, si interficere voluisset, quantae quoties occasiones, quam praeclarae fuerunt, Cic. Mil. 14, 38: occasio opprimendi, id. ib. 15: inrumpendi in urbem, Curt. 4, 5, 16: resistendi, id. 7, 4, 4: majores occasiones ad opitulandum haberem, more opportunities, Planc up. Cic. Fam. 10, 8, 2: ut primum occasio data est rem publicam defendendi, as soon as an opportunity presented itself, Cic. Fam. 12, 242: occasionem sibi ad occupandam Asiam oblatam esse arbitratur, has presented itself, id. Imp. Pomp. 2, 4: amplam occasionem calumniae nactus, id. Verr. 2, 2, 25, 61: occasio mirifica, id. Att. 2, 14, 2: opportuna, Val. Max. 5, 4, 3: quo faciliorem occasionem Salvio praebuit perficiendi conata, Suet. Galb. 17: occasio minor opinione, id. Caes. 3: tam bona, Plaut. Most. 2, 2, 9: lepida, id. Mil. 4, 1, 30: bellissima, Petr. S. 25: occasionem amittere, to lose, let slip, Cic. Caecin. 5, 15: omittere, Suet. Cal. 14; so, praetermittere, Caes. B. C. 3, 25: capere, to seize, Plaut. Ps. 4, 3, 5: arripere, Liv. 35, 12, 17: occasiones quaerere, Sen. Ben. 3, 14, 4: rapere de die, Hor. Epod. 13, 4: amplecti, Plin. Ep. 2, 13, 1: sumere, Plin. 2, 1, 1, 3: occasione uti, Just. 38, 5, 1: non deesse occasioni, not to miss, to profit by, Caes. B. C. 3, 79: cunctationem hostium suam fore occasionem rati, Curt. 4, 6, 13: dum datur mihi occasio tempusque, Plaut. Men. 3, 3, 29: ne a fortunā datam occasionem liberandae Graeciae dimitterent, Nep. Milt. 3, 3; id. Alc. 8, 5: cujus (rei) se occasio dederit, Quint. 12, 2, 12: (paratus) depugnare, si occasio tulerit, mori, si casus inciderit, etc., Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 21, 6: occasionem aperire ad invadendum, Liv. 4, 53, 9: occasionem sibi ad occupandam Asiam oblatam esse, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 2, 4: occasione datā, should an opportunity offer, id. Phil. 7, 6, 18; cf.: occasione oblatā simultates deponere, Suet. Caes. 73: praebere, id. Galb. 17: offerre, id. Aug. 16: per occasionem, on a favorable opportunity, Liv. 30, 3: rem inmaturam nisi per occasionem aperire noluerat, id. 1, 5, 5; 1, 53, 7; 2, 11, 2; Sall. C. 51, 6: fratris memoriā per omnem occasionem celebratā, on every occasion, Suet. Claud. 11; id. Aug. 67: ad occasionem aurae evehi, the wind being fair, taking advantage of a fair wind, id. ib. 97: levia proelia ex occasione hujus aut illius partis oriebantur, Liv. 24, 3, 17: ex occasione, as occasion offered, Suet. Caes. 60: occasione omni, on every occasion, id. Claud. 42.—With inf.: nunc adest occasio Benefacta cumulare = occasio cumulandi, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 63: nunc est illa occasio inimicum ulcisci, id. Pers. 4, 7, 15: agere tuam rem occasio est, id. Poen. 3, 3, 46; 5, 4, 42; id. Curc. 1, 1, 60; cf.: summa eludendi occasio'st mihi nunc senes Et Phaedriae curam adimere, Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 45.—With ut and subj.: fuit occasio, si vellet, jam pridem argentum ut daret, Plaut. Ps. 1, 3, 51: quoniam occasio fuit Mea virtute parta ut quantum velles sumeres, id. Bacch. 4, 4, 22: rara haec occasio est, ut referri possint divini honores, Quint. 3, 7, 17.—

B. Personified: Occasio, Opportunity, as a goddess, Phaedr. 5, 8; Aus. Epigr. 12, 3.—

II. In partic.

1. Opportunity.

a. Facility or means of having a thing: solitudinis, Tac. A. 15, 50.—

b. A supply, stock (post-Aug.): oleae, Col. 9, 1: lapidum, Plin. 36, 26, 65, 191: vetusti olei, id. 23, 4, 40, 82.—

2. A pretext, plea, plausible explanation: hāc illi opus est occasione, ne illum talium precum pudeat, Quint. 3, 8, 47: occasiones et ex causis et ex dictis adversariorum oriuntur, id. 6, 1, 5; 12, 10, 13: quantulacunque adeo est occasio, sufficit irae, Juv. 13, 183.—

3. Occasion, motive, reason: non habeo ullam occasionem, ut apud te falsa fabuler, Plaut. Ep. 5, 1, 38.—

4. Milit. t. t., a dash, raid, surprise: occasionis esse rem, non proelii, they were undertaking a surprise, not a battle, Caes. B. G. 7, 45, 9: cujus (belli) maxima momenta in occasionibus sunt, Sen. Ira, 3, 21, 1: occasionibus imminere, Front. 2, 5, 22. —

5. A cause (late Lat.): cum calcis ictu mortis occasio praebita videatur, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 1, 10, 1.