(Titus), a great critic and polite writer of antiquity, the favourite of Nero, sup- posed to be the same mentioned by Tacitus in the 16th book of his Annals. He was proconsul of Bithynia, and afterwards consul, and appeared capable of the greatest employments. He was, nevertheless, extremely voluptuous; for he spent the greatest part of the day in sleep, and the night in pleasure and business. He was one of Nero's principal confidants, and in a manner the superintendent of his pleasures; for that prince thought nothing agreeable or delightful but what was approved by Petronius. The great favour shewn him drew upon him the envy of Tigellinus, another of Ne- ro's favourites, who accused him of being concerned in a conspiracy against the emperor; on which Petronius was seized, and being sentenced to die, he from time to time caused his veins to be opened and closed again, entertaining himself the while in discoursing on poetry with his friends. He afterwards sent to Nero a book sealed up with his own hand, in which he described the debaucheries of that prince under borrowed names, and died in the year 65 or 66. There are still extant a satire, and some other of his pieces, well written in Latin, but filled with indecencies; which occasioned Pet- roniuss's being called Autor purissime impuritatis. There was found in the last century a fragment of his works at Traou, in Dalmatia. It is a folio manuscript two fingers thick, in which is contained Trimalcio's supper; it made much noise among the learned, and occasioned many disputes for and against its authenticity.