PAT 
and famous for a temple of Apollo, faid to have been 
equal to that of Delphos for its oracle, magnificence, and 
rithes; and that god is faid to have divided his prefence 
between them, being fix fummer months at Delphos, and 
the fix winter months at Patara. Ptolemy Philadelphus 
directed it to be called Arfinoe, but it recovered its former 
name, and is celebrated for the martyrdom of St. Leo and 
St. Gregory. It was once the fee of a bifiiop, but is now 
a mean place. 
St. Paul, in his paffage from Philippi to Jerufalem, 
came to Miletus, hence to Coos, then to Rhodes, and 
from Rhodes toPatara-, where having found a fhip that was 
bound for Phoenicia, he went on-board and arrived at Je¬ 
rufalem, to be at the feaft of Pentecoft. Adis xxi. i. 
PATER'CULUS (Caius Velleius), an ancient Roman 
hiftorian, who flouriihed in the reign of Tiberius Cselar, 
was born in the year of Rome 735. His anceftors were 
illuftrious for their merit and their offices. Plis grand¬ 
father efpoufed the party of Tiberius Nero, the emperor’s 
father ; but, being old and infirm, and not able to ac¬ 
company Nero when he retired from Naples, he ran him- 
felf through with his fword. His father was a foldier of 
rank, and fo was Paterculus himfelf. He was a military 
tribune when Caius Csefar, a grandfon of Augultus, had 
an interview with the king of the Parthians, in an ifland 
of the river Euphrates, in the year 753 of Rome. He 
commanded the cavalry in Germany under Tiberius ; 
and accompanied that prince for nine years fucceffively 
in all his expeditions. He received honourable rewards 
from him ; after having been quseftor, he was preferred 
to the higher dignity of the praetorfhip, A. D. 30. The 
praifes he bellows upon Sejanus give probability to the 
conjeiture, that he was looked upon as a friend of this 
favourite, and confequently was involved in his ruin. 
His death is placed by Mr. Dodwell in the year of Rome 
784, when he was in his 50th year. 
He wrote an Abridgement of the Roman Hiltory in 
two books, which is very curious. His purpofe was only 
to deduce things from the foundation of Rome to the 
time wherein he lived ; but he began his work with things 
previous to that memorable era : for, though the begin¬ 
ning of his firlt bookis wanting, we yet find,in what remains 
of it, an account of many cities more ancient than Rome. 
He promifed a larger hiltory; and no doubt would have 
executed it well; for, during his military expeditions, he 
had feen, as he tells us, the provinces of Thrace, Mace¬ 
donia, Achaia, Alia Minor, and other more ealterly re¬ 
gions, efpecially upon the Ihores of the Euxine Sea, which 
had furniffied his mind with much entertaining and ufe- 
ful knowledge. In the Abridgement which we have, 
many particulars are related that are no-where elfe to 
be found : and this makes it the more valuable. The 
flyle of Paterculus, though miferably difguifed through 
the carelefinefs of tranfcribers, and impoffible to be re¬ 
stored to purity for want of manufcripts, is yet manifeltly 
worthy of his age, which was the time of pure I.atinity. 
The greateft excellence of this hiftorian lies in his man¬ 
ner of commendingand blaming thofe he fpeaks of; which 
he does in the fineil terms and moll delicate expreffions. 
He is, however, condemned, and indeed with the greateft 
reafon, for his partiality to the houfeof Augultus; and 
for making the moll extravagant eulogies, not only upon 
Tiberius, but even upon his favourite Sejanus ; whom, 
though a vile and cruel monfter, Paterculus celebrates as 
one of the moll excellent perfons the Roman common¬ 
wealth had produced. Liplius, though he praifes Mm in 
other refpefts, yet cenfures him molt feverely for his in- 
lincerity and partiality. “Velleius Paterculus (fays he) 
raifes my indignation : he reprefents Sejanus as endowed 
with all good qualities. The impudence of this hifto¬ 
rian ! But we know that he was born, and died, to the 
deftru&ion of mankind. After many commendations, 
he concludes, that Livia was a woman more refembling 
the gods than men : and, as to Tiberius, he thinks it a 
PAT 7S3 
crime to fpeak olherwife of him than as of an immortal 
Jove. What fincere and honeft mind can bear this? On 
the other hand, how artfully does he every-whereconceal 
the great qualities of Caefar Germanicus ! how obliquely 
does he ruin the reputation of Agrippa and others, whom 
Tiberius was thought to hate ! In ffiort, he is nothing 
but a court-proftitute. You will fay, perhaps, it was un- 
fafeto fpeak the truth at thofe times : I grant it; but, if 
he could not write the truth, he ought not to have writ¬ 
ten lies : none are called fo account for filence.” La 
Mothe le Vayer has made a very juft remark upon this 
occafion : “The fame fault (fays he) may be obferved in 
many others, who have written the hiftory of their own 
times, with a delign to be publiftied while they lived.” 
It is ftrange, that a work fo elegant and worthy to be 
preferved, and of which, by reafon of its lhortnefs, copies 
might be fo eafily taken, fhould have been fo near being 
loft. One manufcript only has had the luck to be found, 
as well of this author among the Latins as of Hefychius 
among the Greeks: in which, fays a great critic of our 
own nation, “the faults of the fcribes are found fo nu¬ 
merous, and the defeats fo beyond all redrefs, that not- 
vvithftanding the pains of the learned and mod acute cri¬ 
tics for two whole centuries, thefe books Hill are, and are 
likely' to continue, a mere heap of errors.” No ancient 
author but Prifcian makes mention of Paterculus : the 
moderns have done him infinitely more juftice, and have 
illuftrated him with notes and commentaries. He was 
firft publiftied, from the manufcript of Morbac, by Rhe- 
nanus, at Bafil in 1520 ; afterwards by Liplius at Leyden 
in 1581; then by Gerard Voffins in 1639; next by Boe- 
clerus at Stralburg in 1642. Of the numerous later edi¬ 
tions, thofe of Burmann, Lugd. Bat. 1719, 1744, and of 
Ruhnken, 1779, are moll efteemed. 
PATERE'RO. See Padrero. 
PATER'NA, a town of Spain, in New Caftile : three 
miles eaftof Alcaraz. 
PATER'NAL, acj. [ paternus , from pater, Lat.] Father¬ 
ly; having the relation of a father; pertaining to a father. 
—Grace fignifies the paternal favour of God to his ele6l 
children. Hammond. 
Here I difclaim all my paternal care. 
Propinquity and property of blood, 
And hold thee ftranger to my heart and me. Shukefpeure , 
They fpend their day's in joy unblam’d ; and dwell 
Long time in peace, by families and tribes, 
Under paternal rule. Miltons P. L. 
Hereditary ; received in fucceffion from one’s father.— 
He held his paternal eftate from the bounty of the con¬ 
queror. ldryden. 
Men plough with oxen of their own 
Their fmall paternal field of corn. Dryden. 
PATER'NITY, f. Fatherffiip ; the relation of a fa¬ 
ther.—The world,'while it had fcarcity of people, un¬ 
derwent no other dominion than paternity and elderffiip. 
Ralegh. —A young heir, kept ffiort by his father, might 
be known by his countenance ; in this cafe, the paternity 
and filiation leave very fenfible impreffions. Arbuthnot. 
PATER'NO, a town of Sicily, in the Valley of Demo¬ 
ns, built on the ruins of Hybla, fo celebrated for its 
honey : fifteen miles well of Catania. 
PATER'NO, a town of Naples, in Principato Ultra : 
three miles north of Monte Marano. 
PAT'ERSON (Samuel), an eminent bibliographer, well 
known among literary men for his rare talents in the ar¬ 
duous talk of compofing fcientific and claffical catalogues 
of public and private libraries of books and manufcripts 
in the ancient and modern languages. His Catalogues, 
forming many volumes, are now become fcarce, and of 
themfelves form valuable articles in good libraries. Mr. 
Paterfon alfo wrote many little works, having for their 
object public utility, found policy, and moral admoni¬ 
tion j 
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