(APium PETROSELINUM, Lin.)** Parsley, a plant which is commonly cultivated for culinary purposes. See BOTANY and GARDENING Index.

**PETTEIA,** in the ancient music, a term to which we have no one corresponding in our language.

The melopeia, or the art of arranging sounds in succession so as to make melody, is divided into three parts, which the Greeks call lepsis, mixis, and chresis; the Latins sumptio, mixio, and usus; and the Italians presa, mescolamento, and uso. The last of these is called by the Greeks arithmos, and by the Italians pettia; which therefore means the art of making a just discernment of all the manners of ranging or combining sounds among themselves, so as they may produce their effect, i.e., may express the several passions intended to be raised. Thus it shows what sounds are to be used, and what not; how often they are severally to be repeated; with which to begin, and with which to end; whether with a grave sound to rise, or an acute one to fall, &c. The petteia constitutes the manners of the music; chooses out this or that passion, this or that motion of the soul, to be awakened; and determines whether it be proper to excite it on this or that occasion. The petteia, therefore, is in music much what the manners are in poetry.

It is not easy to discover whence the denomination should have been taken by the Greeks, unless from arithmos, their game of chess, the musical petteia being a sort of combination and arrangement of sounds, as chess is of pieces called arithmos, cadentia or "chess-men."