Paetus

Paetus, i, m.,

• a surname.
• • • 1 Q. Aelius Paetus, consul with M. Junius Pennus, A. U. C. 587.—
    • 2 P. Aelius Paetus, an augur, Liv. 27, 36.—
    • 3 L. Papirius Paetus, a friend of Cicero, Cic. Att. 1, 20, 7; 2, 1, 12. To him are addressed the letters of Cicero, ad Fam. 9, 15-26.

2 Pætus, (10) ī, m. , surnom dʼun grand nombre de personnages : Cic. Att. 1, 20, 7 ; 2, 1, 12 ; Liv. , Prop. , Tac. || Pétus Cæcina, époux dʼArria condamné à mort sous Claude : Mart. 1, 13, 1 ; Tac. Ann. 16, 34 ; Plin. Min. Ep. 3, 16, 3.

Paetus

a cognomen in many Roman gentes, was indicative, like many other Roman cognomens, of a bodily defect or peculiarity; as for instance, Capilto, Fronto, Naso, Varus, &c. It signified a person who had a slight cast in the eye, and is ac cordingly classed by Pliny with the word Strabo H. N. 11.7. s. 55); but that it did not indicate such a complete distortion of vision as the latter word is clear from Horace, who describes a father calling a son that was Strabo by the name of Paetus, when he wished to extenuate the defect (Sat. 1.3. 45). Indeed, the slight cast implied in the word Paetus was considered attractive rather than otherwise, and we accordingly find it given as an epithet to Venus. (Ov. Ar. Am. 2.659; Auctor, Priapeia, 36).

Paetus , Ae'lius

The Paeti were the most ancient family of the Aelia gens, and some of them were celebrated for their knowledge of the Itoman law. See below.

Paetus , Ae'lius

1. P. Aelius Paetus, consul B. C. 337, with C. Sulpicius Longus, and magister equitum 32], to the dictator Q. Fabius Ambustus. He was one of the first plebeian augurs, B. C. 300. (Liv. 8.15, 9.7, 10.9.)

Paetus , Ae'lius

2. P. Aelius Paetus, plebeian aedile B. C. 296. (Liv. 10.23.)

Paetus , Ae'lius

3. C. Aelius Paetus, consul B. C. 286, with M. Valerius Maximus Potitus (Fasti).

Paetus , Ae'lius

4. Q. Aelius Paetus, a pontifex who fell in the battle of Cannae, B. C. 216. He had been a candidate for the consulship for this year. (Liv. 113.21, comp. 22.35.)

Paetus , Ae'lius

5. P. Aelius Paetus, consul B. C. 201, a purist. See below.

Paetus , Ae'lius

6. SEX. AELIUS PAETUS CATUS, consul B. C. 198, a jurist. See below.

Paetus , Ae'lius

7. Q. Aelius Paetus, P. F. Q. N. (Fasti Capit.), son apparently of No. 5, and grandson of No. 4. He was elected augur B. C. 174, in place of his father P. Aelius Paetus (Liv. 41.21), and was consul B. C. 167, with M. Junius Pennus. He obtained Gallia as his province, and his colleague Pisae, but the two consuls performed nothing of importance, and returned to Rome after laying waste the territory of the Ligurians. (Liv. 45.16, 44; Cic. Brut. 28.) This is the Aelius of whom it is related by Valerius Maximus (4.3.7) and Pliny (Plin. Nat. 33.11, s. 50), that the Aetolians sent him in his consulship magnificent presents of silver plate, since they had in a former embassy found him eating out of earthenware, and that he refused their gift. Valerits calls him Q. Aelius fubero Catus, and Pliny Catus Aelius; they both seem to have confounded him with other persons of the same name, and Pliny commits the further error of calling him the son in-law of L. Aemilius Paullus, the conqueror of Macedonia. [Tubero.]

Paetus , Ae'lius

8. Aelius Paetus Tubero. [Tubero.]

The annexed coin belongs to P. Aelius Paetus, but it is uncertain to which person of the name. It bears on the obverse the head of Pallas, and on the reverse the Dioscuri.

Paetus , Ae'lius

jurists.

1. P. Aelius Paetus, was probably the son of Q. Aelius Paetus, a pontifex, who fell in the battle of Cannae. (Liv. 23.21.) Publius was plebeian aedile B. C. 204, oraetor B. C. 203 (Liv. 29.38), magister equitum B. C. 202, and consul with C. Cornelius Lentulus B. C. 201. Paetus held the urbana jurisdictio during his year of office as praetor, in which capacity he published an edict for a supplicatio at Rome to commemorate the defeat of Syphax. (Liv. 30.17.) On the departure of Hannibal from Italy in the same year, Paetus made the motion for a five days' supplicatio. The year of the election of Paetus to the consulship was memorable for the defeat of Hannibal by P. Cornelius Scipio at the battle of Zama. (Liv. 30.40.) Paetus during his consulship had Italy for his province; he had a conflict with the Boii, and made a treaty with the Ingauni Ligures. He was also in the same year appointed a decemvir for the distribution of lands among the veteran soldiers of Scipio, who had fought in Africa. (Liv. 31.4.) He was afterwards appointed a commissioner triumvir) with his brother Sextus and Cn. Cornelius Lentulus to settle the affairs of Narnia, the people of which place complained that there was not the proper number of colonists (coloni), and that certain persons, who were not coloni, were passing themselves off as such. (Liv. 32.2.) In B. C. 199, he was censor with P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus. He afterwards became an augur, and died B. C. 174, during a pestilence at Rome. (Liv. 41.26.) Paetus is mentioned by Pomponius (Dig. 1. tit. 1. s. 2.37) as one of those who professed the law (maximam scientiam in profitendo habuerunt), in the Roman sense of that period.

Paetus , Ae'lius

2. Sex. Aelius Paetus, the brother of Publius, was curule aedile B. C. 200, consul B. C. 198, with T. Quinctius Flamininus (Liv. 32.7), and censor B. C. 193 with Cn. Cornelius Cethegus. (Liv. 34.44, 35.9.) During their censorship, the censors gave orders to the curule aediles to appoint distinct seats at the Ludi Romani for the senators, who up to that time had sat promiscuously with others. The Atrium of Libertas and the Villa Publica were also repaired and enlarged by the censors. Sextus had a reputation as a jurist and a prudent man, whence he got the cognomen Catus.

Egregie cordatus homo Catus Aelius Sextus

(Cic. de Orat. 1.45), which is a line of Ennius.

Sextus was a jurist of eminence, and also a ready speaker. (Cic. Brut. 100.20.) He is enumerated among the old Jurists who collected or arranged the matter of law (juris antiqui eonditor; Cod. 7. tit. 7. s. 1), which he did in a work entitled Tripartita or Jus Aelianum. This was a work on the Twelve Tables, which contained the original text, an interpretation, and the Legis actio subjoined. It still existed in the time of Pomponius (Dig. 1, tit. 2. s. 2.38); and was probably the first commentary written on the Twelve Tables. Cicero (de Or. 1.56) speaks of his Commentarii, which may or may not be a different work from the Tripartita. Gellius (4.1) quotes Servius Sulpicius, as citing an opinion of Catus Aelius (or Sextus Aelius) on the meaning of the word Penus. The same passage is quoted by Ulpian, De Penu legate (33. tit. 9. s. 3.9), where the common reading is Sextus Caecilius, which, as Grotius contends, ought to be Sextus Aelius. He is also cited by Celsus (Dig. 19. tit. 1. s. 38), as the text stands. The Aelius quoted by Cicero (Top. 100.2) as authority for the meaning of "assiduus," is probably Sextus Aelius.

Zimlmern takes the Aelius mentioned in Cicero's Brutus (100.46) to be the jurist, but this is obviously a mistake. (Brutus, ed. Meyer, 100.20, 46.) Meyer also denies that the whole work of Sextus on the Twelve Tables was called Jus Aelianum; he limits the name to that part which contained the Actiones. Pomponius speaks of three other "libri" as attributed to Sextus, but some denied that they were his. Cicero (de Or. 3.33) refers to Sextus as one of those who were consulted after the old fashion.

(Grotius, Vitae Jurisconsultorum; Zimmern, Geschichte des [G.L]

Paetus , Sex. Articuleius

consul A. D. 101 with the emperor Trajan (Fasti).

Paetus , Autro'nius

1. P. Autronius Paetus, was elected consul for B. C. 65 with P. Cornelius Sulla; but before he and Sulla entered upon their office, they were accused of bribery by L. Aurelius Cotta and L. Manlius Torquatus, and condemned. Their election was accordingly declared void: and their accusers were chosen consuls in their stead. Enraged at his disappointment Paetus conspired with Catiline to murder the consuls Cotta and Torquatus; and this design is said to have been frustrated solely by the impatience of Catiline, who gave the signal prematurely before the whole of the conspirators had assembled. (Sal. Cat. 18; D. C. 36.27; Ascon. in Cornel. p. 74, ed. Orelli; Suet. Jul. 9; Liv. Epit. 101.) [Catilina, p. 629b.] Paetus afterwards took an active part in the Catilinarian conspiracy, which broke out in Cicero's consulship. After the suppression of the conspiracy Paetus was brought to trial for the share he had had in it; he entreated Cicero with many tears to undertake his defence, pleading their early friendship, and their having been colleagues in the quaestorship, but this the orator refused (Cic. pro Sull. 6), and all his former friends in like manner withdrew from him their support. He was accordingly condemned, and went into exile at Epeirus, where he was living when Cicero himself went into banishment in B. C. 58. Cicero was then much alarmed lest Paetus should make an attempt upon his life (Sal. Cat. 17, 47; D. C. 37.25; Cic. pro Sull. passim; Cic. Att. 3.2, 7.) Autronius Paetus has a place in the list of orators in the Brutus of Cicero, who however dismisses him with the character, "voce peracuta, atque magna, nec alia re nlla probabilis" (100.68).

Paetus , Autro'nius

2. P. Autronius Paetus, consul suffectus B. C. 33 in place of Augustus, who resigned his office immediately after entering upon it on the Kalends of January. (Fasti; Appian, App. Ill. 28; comp. D. C. 49.43; Suet. Aug. 26.)

Paetus , Autro'nius

3. L. Autronius Paetus, L. F. L. N. is stated in the Capitoline Fasti to have obtained a triumph as proconsul from Africa in the month of August, B. C. 29.

Paetus , Caecina

[Caecina, No. 5.]

Paetus , C. Caese'nnius

sometimes called CAESO'NIUS, was consul A.D. 61 with C. Petronius Turpilianus. He was sent by Nero in A. D. 63 to the assistance of Domitius Corbulo [Corbulo], in order to defend Armenia against the attacks of Vologeses, king of Parthia. Arrogant by nature, and confident of success, he thought himself superior to the veteran Corbulo, and crossed the Taurus, boldly asserting that he would recover Tigranocerta, which Corbulo had been obliged to leave to its fate. This, however, he was unable to accomplish; but he took a few fortified places, acquired some booty, and then, as the year was far advanced, led back his army into winter-quarters, and sent to Nero a magnificent account of his exploits. But as Vologeses shortly after appeared with a large force, Paetus marched forth against him (according to Dio Cassius, with the view of relieving Tigranocerta), but after losing a few troops he hastily withdrew across mount Taurus, leaving 3000 soldiers to defend the passes of the mountain. These troops, however, Vologeses cut to pieces, and then proceeded to lay siege to the town of Rhandeia or Arsamosata on the river Arsanias, in which Paetus had taken refuge. The place was well supplied with provisions, and Corbulo was at no great distance; but such was the pusillanimity of Paetus that he was afraid to wait for the assistance of Corbulo, and purchased peace from the Parthians on the most disgraceful terms. In consequence of this conduct Paetus was deprived of his command and expected severe punishment on his return to Rome, but Nero dismissed him uninjured with a few insulting words (Tac. Ann. 15.6, 8-15, 17, 25; D. C. 62.21, 22; Suet. Ner 39.) After the accession of Vespasian, Caesennilus Paetus was appointed governor of Syria, and deprived Antioclius IV., king of Commagene, of his kingdom. (Joseph. B. J. 7.7.) [See Vol. I. p. 194b.]

The name of Caesennius Paetus, proconsul, occurs on the coins of Ephesus and Smyrna, struck in the reign of Domitian. This Caesennius Paetus may have been a son of the preceding Paetus; for Tacitus makes mention of one of his sons who was with his father in Armenia (Ann. 15.10), and also of a son, apparently a different one, who was serving as tribune of the soldiers under Corbulo (Ann. 15.28).

Paetus , L. Castri'nius

mentioned by Caelius in a letter to Cicero (Cic. Fam. 8.2) in B. C. 51, may perhaps be the same person as the L. Castronius Paetus, the leading man in the municipiurn of Luca, whom Cicero recommended to Brutus in B. C. 46 (ad Fam. 13.13).

Paetus , C. Consi'dius

known only from coins, a specimen of which is annexed. The obverse represents the head of Venus, and the reverse a sella curulis.

Paetus , L. Papi'rius

a friend of Cicero, to whom the latter has addressed several letters (ad Fanz. 9.15-26). From these letters it appears that Papirius Paetus belonged to the Epicurean school, and that he was a man of learning and intelligence. He is mentioned once or twice in Cicero's letters to Atticus (ad Att. 1.20.7, 2.1.12).

Paetus Thra'sea

[Thrasea.]

Paetus , Valeria'nus

put to death by Elagabalus. (D. C. 79.4.)

Paetus

A cognomen in many Roman gentes; it signified a person who had a slight cast in the eye. This was regarded by the Romans as giving piquancy to beauty, and was ascribed by them to Venus, as in the line from the Priapea: “Minerva flavo lumine est, Venus paeto”

which explains the passage in Horace (Sat. i. 3, 45), where the fond father calls his squinting son paetus, i.e. “Venus-eyed.”