Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, NIC-PAR

PAL L 703 ] PAL
.latine Palatine Games, in Roman antiquity, games insti-
encia m llonour °f Augustus by bis v^ife Livia, after he
1 had been enrolled among the gods. They were cele¬
brated in the palace, from whence the name, and were
confirmed by the succeeding emperors.
Some authors say that these games were instituted
in honour of Julius Caesar, and others again confound
them with the Ludi Augustales; but neither of these
opinions seems to be well supported. See AuGu-
STALF.S.
I* A L AT I XUS mon*s, or Palatiuni, the first moun¬
tain of Rome occupied by Romulus, and where he
fixed his residence and kept his court, as did Tullus
TIostilius, Augustus, and all the succeeding emperors ;
and hence it is that the residence of princes is galled
palatium. The reason of the name is variously assign¬
ed } some say it is derived from the goddess Pales, or
from the Palatini, who originally inhabited the place,
or from balare av pal are, the bleatings of sheep, which
were frequent there j or perhaps from the we.vApalantes,
wandering, because Evander, when he came to settle in
Italy, gathered all the inhabitants, and made them all
one society. To the east it has Mount Coelius, to the
south the Aventine, to the west the Capitoline, and to
the north the Forum.—Palatinus, the surname of Apol¬
lo from this place j where Augustus built a temple to
that god, adorned with porticoes and a library, valuable
for the various collections of Greek and Latin manu¬
scripts which it contained.
PALATIUM, in Ancient Geography, a place in the
territory of Reate, distant from it 25 stadia. Dionysius
Halicarnasseus reckons it one of the first towms of the
Aborigines 5 and from it Varro accounts for the name of
the Mons Palatinus; namely, that a colony from Pala¬
tium settled there.
Palatium (T>\\ny'),Pa!lantiinn (Pausanias),Pr/&r«-
teurn (Livy) j Pallantewri (Solinus). This last is the
true waiting $ the great grandfather of Evander, from
whom it took its name, being called Pallas, not Pa/as;
A town of Arcadia, which concurred to form Megalo¬
polis (Pausanias). From. it the Palatium, or Mons
Palatinus, takes also its name, according to Virgil and
Pliny.
Palatium Dioclesiani; the villa of Dioclesian, near
Salonae, where he died, (Eusebius). Afterwards call¬
ed Spdlatum; which rose to a considerable city from
the ruins of Salonae $ situated in Dalmatia on the Adri¬
atic. Now Spallato, or Spalatro.
Palatium Luculli (Plutarch), or Villa Luculli; a
place between Misenum and Bairn in Campania, of
wonderful structure. Now in ruins, and called Piscina
\ Mirabile.
PALATO-SALFiNGiEus, 7 See Anatomy, Table
PALAToStaphylinus. 3 of the Muscles.
PALE, a little pointed stake or piece of wood used
in making enclosures, separations, &c. The pale was
an instrument of punishment and execution among the
ancient Romans, and still continues so among the Turks.
Hence empaling, the passing a sharp pale up the fun¬
dament through the body.
Pale, in Heraldry. See Heraldry.
PALENCIA, a town of Spain, in the kingdom of
Leon, with a rich archbishop’s see. It had an univer¬
sity, but it was removed to Salamanca. It is seated in
a fertile Soil, on the river Carion, on the frontiers of Palencia,
Castile, in W. Long. 3. 7. N. Lat. 42. 10. Palermo,
PALERMO, a city of Sicily, in the Val-di-Mazara, V"1
with an archbishop’s see and a large harbour. “ This
city (says Mr Hill *), which is the capital of Sicily, is * Travels
of great antiquity and if a conjecture may be formed through Su
from its ancient name Panormus, which signifies an uni-^J^””^
versal harbour, it was formerly in a very flourishing con¬
dition. By whom it was founded is uncertain, nor have
we any authentic accounts of its inhabitants till it be¬
came a colony of the Phoenicians, after which it passed
into the hands of the various nations that became masters
of this island. The present city principally consists of
two wide, uniform, and well built streets, each about a
mile in length, mossing each other at right angles in the
centre, where there is a small octagon space, ornament¬
ed with four statues.” Most of the cities of Sicily have
surnames : Palermo is denominated the happy. It has
gained this epithet, no doubt, on account of the advan¬
tages of its situation. It has two harbours : in the one,
which is very large* and in which there is a mole 13OO
paces in length, ships lie at anchor j in the other their
cargoes are laden and unladen. Both the harbours open
to the west: there is also a superb quay which extends
a mile from weSt to east, in a rectilinear direction, and
is called La Marine. The prospect is, on the one side,
lost in the wide expanse of the ocean, and on the other
confined by the walls of the city j the walls appear
adorned with pilasters, and crowned with a row of bal-
lustrades through which the eye discovers a long range
of palaces. These objects altogether form a delightful
spectacle. Indeed nothing can be more picturesque
than the bay of Palermo. It forms a large amphithea¬
tre, with the capital of Sicily in the centre $ surrounded
for some miles by a most delightful country, and enclos¬
ed by romantic rocks and mountains. The town was
formerly surrounded by a strong wall j but the fortifica-> ■
tions are now entirely neglected, except towards the
sea, where there are still a few weak works. The quay
is the principal public walk here. Palermo is embellish¬
ed all around with avenues of trees, and has four princi¬
pal entrances, facing the four cardinal points, which
are at the extremities of the two spacious streets which
cross each other. The most frequented of these two ^
streets is called Cassero. It begins where the quay ends,
with the north gate called Porta Felice, the happy gate;
and terminates on the south, at the new gate, which
opens on the road toMontreale. Near the last of these
gates, this city, which so well merits the attention of a
lover of the arts, exhibits a large square, round which
stand some extensive monasteries, the palace of the arch¬
bishop, and the palace of the viceroy. Directly oppo- -
site to the palace of the viceroy stands, on a pedestal
richly ornamented with a variety of figures, a statue of
Philip TV. The statue, the pedestal, and the ornaments
are all of marble.
Palermo is quite filled with public monuments,
churches, monasteries, palaces, fountains, statues, and
columns. These are not all eminently beautiful 5 for
they have not been all erected under the reign of good
taste; but every one of them shows that the nation is
fond of the arts, and possesses a genius for decoration.
Spring waters are very copious in this city. Not a
quarter in Palermo but is liberally supplied with foun¬
tains,