384 
PAT 
PA'TRIS, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of Au¬ 
rangabad : lix miles fouth-eaft of Aurungabad. 
PATRI'ZI, or Patricius (Francefco), a philofopher 
and man of letters, was born in 1529 in the ifland of 
Cherfo on the coaftof Dalmatia ; but he derived his ori¬ 
gin from the family of Patrizi in Sienna. At an early 
age he was fent for education to Padua, where he ftudied 
under fome of the mod eminent matters of the time. In 
1553 he began to'appear as an author in fome mifcella- 
neous Italian trafts. He finifhed his ftudies in the fol¬ 
lowing year ; and, after fome excurfions, returned to his 
own country. In 1557, with the view of obtaining the 
patronage of the duke of Ferrara, he publifhed a panegy¬ 
rical poem on the houfe of Efte, entitled, “ L’Eridano,” 
in a novel kind of heroic verfe of thirteen fyllables, not 
however of his own invention. For feveral fucceflive 
years he puffed an unfettled life, in which he twice vi- 
fited the ifle of Cyprus, which was his abode for feven 
years, and which he finally quitted on its reduftion by the 
Turks in 1570 or 1571. He alfo travelled into France 
and Spain, and fpent three years in the latter country, 
collefting a treafure of ancient Greek MSS. which he 
loft on his return to Italy. In 1578 he was invited to 
Ferrara by duke Alphonfo II. to teach philofophy in the 
univerfity of that city. He had remained there fourteen 
years, when, upon the acceflion of Clement VIII. to the 
popedom, he was appointed public profeffor of the Plato¬ 
nic philofophy at Rome, which office he filled with great 
applaufe till his death in 1597. 
Of the various branches of fcience and literature cul¬ 
tivated by this learned man, ancient philofophy was that 
by which he moft diftinguifhed himfelf. His work, enti¬ 
tled, “ Difcuffiones Peripatetics,” of which the firft part 
was printed at Venice in 1571, and was reprinted with 
three others at Bafil in 1581, is charafterifed asa learned, 
perfpicuous, and elegant, performance. After having 
commenced with a very particular account of the Arifto- 
telic philofophy and its author, coinpofed with lingular 
erudition, he becomes a violent oppugner of it, and un¬ 
dertakes entirely to fubvert it. In a fecond work, en¬ 
titled, “ Nova de Univerfis Philofophia,” he propofes a 
new fyftein, founded upon the Platonic philofophy, but 
with fucli additions and alterations as feemed requifite. 
It is, however, in reality, a compound of ufelefs fubtleties 
and chimaeras; and, like many other philofophers, he 
has fhown himfelf more happy in refuting error than in 
eftablifhing truth. Yet he deferves praifefor having been 
one of the firft moderns who attentively obferved the 
phenomena of nature ; and he made good ufe of the op¬ 
portunities afforded by his travels to colleft remarks 
concerning various points of aftronomy, meteorology, 
and natural hiftory. He was fuperior to vulgar preju¬ 
dices, and rejected the vain fcience of judicial aftrology, 
then fo much in vogue. It is remarkable that in one of 
his “ Dialogues on Rhetoric” he advances, under the 
fiftion of an Ethiopic tradition, a theory of the earth 
perfeftly fimilar to that afterwards propofed with fo 
much fancy and eloquence by Dr. Thomas Burnet. His 
propenfity to new ideas alfo appeared in what he wrote 
refpefting the mathematical fciences. In his “ Nova 
Geometria,” publifhed in 1587, he attempted to eftablifh 
certain rules better than thofe which had been hitherto 
adopted in geometrical proceffes ; but he appears to have 
made no converts to his fyftem. His “ Parelleli Mili- 
tari,” publifhed in 1594., though a work of ingenuity 
and erudition, drew upon him fome ridicule for his pro- 
jefts and {’peculations in an art of which he was fo prac¬ 
tically ignorant as that of military engineering. In his 
“ Dieci Dialoghi della Storia,” in which he treats at large 
on the art of writing hiftory, the fame fpirit has led him 
into frequent digreflions upon fpeculative topics, which 
are neither inftruftive nor amufing. Befides his original 
writings, he appeared as a learned editor in the following 
publication: “ Oracula Zoroaftris, Hermetis Trifmegifti, 
et aliorum ex fcriptis Platonicorum collegia, Greece et 
PAT 
Latine, praefixa Diflertatione HiftoricaFerrara, 1 car. 
Gen. Biog. 
To PATRO'CINATE, v.a. [patrocinor, Lat. patroci- 
ner, old French.] Topatronife; to proteft ; to defend, 
PATROCINA'TION, f. Countenance; fupport—- 
Thofe fhameful libels, thofe patrocinations of treafon. 
Bp. Hall. 
PATROCLEI'A, or Patroclea, one of the Grecian, 
iflands, called by various other names, as Gaitharonefe, 
AfTes’ Ifle, the ifland of Ebony, Gaidromefa, Gardiner’s, 
&c. which difference of names has caufed it to be multi¬ 
plied and reprefented as a clufter of iflands rather than 
as one ifland. It has been faid, that ebony grows upon 
this ifland ; but Dr. Clarke and his companions could 
not find a fingle fpecimen of the Ebenus. 
PATRO'CLUS, a Grecia'n chief at the Trojan war. 
He was the fon of Menoetius, by Sthenele, whom fome 
call Philomela or Polymela. The murder of Clyfonymus, 
the fon of Amphidamas, by accident, in the time of his 
youth, made him fly from Opus, where his father reigned. 
He went to the court of Peleus king of Phthia. He was 
cordially received, and contrafted the moft intimate 
friendfhip with Achilles, the king’s fon. When the 
Greeks went to the Trojan war, Patroclus went with 
them at the exprefs defire of his father, who had vifited 
the court of Peleus, and he accordingly embarked with 
ten fhips from Phthia. He was the conftant companion 
of Achilles ; lodged in the fame tent; and, when he re¬ 
filled to appear in the field of battle, becaufe he had been 
offended by Agamemnon, Patroclus imitated his example, 
and by his abfence was the caufe of much evil to the 
Greeks. At laft, however, Neftor prevailed upon him 
to return to the war, and Achilles permitted him to ap¬ 
pear in his armour. The bravery of Patroclus, together 
with the terror which the fight of the arms of Achilles 
infpired, foon routed the victorious armies of the Tro¬ 
jans, and obliged them to fly to the city for fafety. He 
would have broken down the walls; but Apollo, who 
interefted himfelf for the Trojans, oppofed him; and 
Heftor, at the inftigation of that god, difmounted from 
his chariot to attack him as he attempted to flrip one 
of the Trojans whom he had flain. This engagement was 
obftinate ; but Patroclus was at length overpowered by 
the valour of Heftor, and the interpofition of Apollo. 
His arms became the property of the conqueror, and 
Heftor would have fevered his head from his body had 
not Ajax and Menelaus prevented it. His body was at 
laft recovered, and carried to the Grecian camp, where 
Achilles received it with the loudeft lamentations. His 
funeral rites were obferved with the greateft folemnity. 
Achilles facrificed near the burning pile twelve young 
Trojans, four of his horfes, and two of his dogs ; and 
the whole was concluded by the exhibition of funeral 
games, in which the conquerors were liberally rewarded 
by Achilles. The death of Patroclus, as defcribed by 
Homer, (Iliad ix.) gave rife to new events. Achilles 
forgot his refentment againft Agamemnon, and entered 
the field to avenge the fall of his friend ; and his anger 
was gratified only by the flaughter of Heftor, Who had 
more powerfully kindled his wrath by appearing at the 
head of the Trojan armies in the armour which had 
been taken from the body of Patroclus. The patronymic 
of ASlorides is often applied to Patroclus, becaufe Aftor 
was father to Mencetius. 
PATRO'L, / [ patrouille , patouille, old Fr.] The aft 
of going the rounds in agarrifon, to obfertfe that orders 
are kept. Thofe that go the rounds: 
O thou ! by whofe almighty nod the fcale 
Of empire rifes, or alternate falls, 
Send forth the faving virtues round the land 
In bright patrol. Thonifon's Summer. 
To PATRO'L, v. n. [patrouiller , Fr.] To go the rounds 
in a camp or garrifon ; 
Thefe 
