No More Learning

well established, that he undertook to carry out
At Nicomedeia he was stopped by a son of Theo- his favourite design, the abolition of the worship of
dosius, who was defeated and taken prisoner. Lco images in the Catholic church. To this effect he
now marched upon Constantinople; and Theodo- issued a general cdict, which is one of the most
bius, despairing of success, resigned his crown important acts of legislation in the Eastern empire,
(March 718), and retired to a convent at Ephesus, and perhaps in the whole Christian world. The
where he lived peacefully during more than thirty question of the images was not only a matter of
ycars. Scarcely had Lco received the homage religion, but concerned as much the political state
of the people, when the khalif Soliman appeared of the empire. The abuse of the images on one
before Constantinople with a powerful army and a side, and the horror in which they were held by
numerous ficet. He considered the trick played the numerous Mohammedans and Jews in the East
Muslima at Armorium as a personal on the other, gave origin at last to the iconoclasts,
insult, and now came to take revenge. This siege or image-breakers. In declaring for them, Leo
of Constantinople, the third by the Arabs, and one certainly intended to purify the Catholic creed;
of the most memorable of all, lasted just two years, but there seems to be no doubt that by removing
from the 15th of August, 718, to the 15th of the the images from the churches, he hoped to make
same month in 720. Soliman died soon after its the Jews and Mohammedans more favourably in-
commencement, and was succeeded by the khalif clined to the Christians and a Christian govern-
Omar, who swore by his beard that he would take ment; and although the adherents of images were
revenge upon Leo. But Leo sallied out from the very numerous, it cannot be doubted that they
Golden Horn with his galleys, the Greek fire con- would have lost all power if Leo had succeeded in
sumed the Arabinn ships, and the emperor returned rallying the Iconoclasts, the Jews, the Moham-
laden with booty and captives. in two other medans, and the numerous worshippers of fire in
naval engagements the Arabs were beaten with Asia, round the throne of an energetic and en-
still greater losses ; and in the beginning of August, lightened emperor. Indeed it seems that the pro-
720, their land forces were routed in a pitched tectors of the Iconoclasts in those earlier times
battle, with a loss of 28,000 men. Unable to con- entertained some hope of making them the medium
tinue the siege any longer, the khalif raised it on through which the unbelievers would be led to
the 15th of August, but only a small portion of his Christ, and the Eastern empire restored to its
fleet—the third he had built for the conquest of ancient splendour; and this explains at once the
Constantinople-reached the harbours of Syria, the religious and the political importance of the ques-
greater portion having been destroyed by a storm. tion. In the West the question of the images
So close was the siege, so enormous the prepara- produced scarcely any effect upon the people,
tions of the Arabs, that even the splendid victories though more upon the Frankish clergy, and still
of Leo could not prevent the inhabitants of the more upon the conduct of the bishops of Rome, who,
provinces from thinking Constantinople was lost, by declaring in favour of the Iconoclasts, would
since the very news of those victories could not have been abandoned by the last of their followers.
reach them on account of the watchfulness of the In short, the question of the images, like so many
besiegers. The whole empire was in consterna- others connected with the domestic history of the
tion, and in the western kingdoms rumours were Byzantine empire, was at once religious and poli-
afloat that the khalif had ascended the throne tical; and while, among the modern writers, Le
of the Byzantine emperors. Among those who Beau is but too often influenced by religious opi-
beliered these rumours was Sergius, governor of nions, and Gibbon treats the history of that empire
Sicily, who took measures to make himself inde- too much as a philosopber and an orator, we are
pendent, and to that effect proclaimed his lieute entitled to hope that time will bring us another
nant, Basil, king of Sicily and Calabria. Basil historian wlio, starting from a mere historical and
accepted the dignity, and adopted the name of political point of view, will satisfactorily explain
Tiberius ; while Sergius took proper steps to secure the overwhelming influence of religious contro-
the crown for himself in case of complete success. versies upon the social development of the Eastern
Meanwhile, however, Leo had bettered his con- empire.
dition so much that he could despatch his general, The edict of Leo through which the images were
Paulus, with a few loyal veterans, to Sicily ; and condemned caused a general revolution throughout
through the exertions of this energetic man, the the whole empire, and was the immediate cause of
rebellion was soon quelled. Basil was taken the loss of Ravenna, Rome, and several other pos-
prisoner and lost his head ; but Sergius escaped to sessions of the Greeks in Italy, which were taken
the Lombards in Italy He was subsequently by the Lombards, and of the final separation of the
upon


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LEO.
737
LEO.
Latin from the Greek church. Germanus, patriarch | haste into Syria. In October, 740, an awful carth-
of Constantinople, Joannes Damascenus, and the quake cused great calamities throughout the em-
violent Joannes Chrysorrhoas, in the East, and pope pire. In Constantinople many of the principal
Gregory II. in the West, were the principal leaders buildings were levelled to the ground; the statues
of those who opposed that edict, either by words, of Constantine the Great, Theodosius the Great,
writings, or deeds. The pope became so trou- and Arcadius, were thrown from their pedestals ;
blesome, that Paulus, exarch of Ravenna, was or- and the wall along the Propontis, together with all
dered to make an expedition against Rome. But its towers, fell at once into the sea. Thrace was
the ardour of the Romans, who were assisted by covered with ruins. In Bithynia, Nicomedeia and
the Lombards of Spoleto and Tuscia, and the Prenetus were thrown down, and of the entire town
failure of a plot to assassinate the pope, compelled of Nicaea, only one building, a church, remained
Paulus to return to Ravenna, where he had trouble standing. In Egypt several towns disappeared, as
enough to maintain his authority over the inhabitants it were, with all their inhabitants. On the 18th
who worshipped images. In the East a rebellion of June, 741, the emperor Leo died, after long
broke out in the Peloponnesus and the Cyclades, sufferings, and was interred in the church of the
and the inhabitants besieged Constantinople by sca, Apostles: he was succeeded by his son Constan-
but Leo compelled them to sail back and to submittine V. , surnamed Copronymus.
to his government. A revolt in Constantinople Leo III. , the founder of the Isaurian dynasty,
was not so easily quelled, till, after much blood- may be charged with cruelty and obstinacy, and he
shed, Leo felt himself strong enough to depose and had only received a soldier's education ; but he
banish the patriarch Germanus, and to appoint the was prudent, active, energetic, just, and decidedly
iconoclast Anastasius in his place (730). The ma- the kind of king whom the corrupted Greeks re-
jority of the professors in the numerous schools and quired. Moreover, he acted upon principles, and
academies of Constantinople declared for the images, never bandoned one of them during the whole
which enraged Leo so much, that it is said he gave course of his life. The orthodox writers have out-
orders to burn the library of St. Sophia, hoping raged his name because he protected the Icono-
thereby to prevent the doctors from strengthening clasts, but we know too well the degree of impar-
their opinions by historical arguments. But this tiality which they can claim. (Theophan. p. 327,
is decidedly an idle story, invented by some ig. &c. ; Cedren. p. 450, &c. ; Niceph. p. 31, &c. ;
norant monk, and repeated by fanatics: the library, Glyc. , p. 130, &c. ; Zonar. vol. ii. p. 101, &c. ; Paul.
which contained 36,000 volumes, became probably Diacon. , De Gest. Long. vi. 47, &c. ) [W. P. )
the
prey of some conflagration. Upon this Gregory LEO IV. FLA’VIUS, surnamed CHAZA'RUS,
JII. , the successor of Gregory II. , assembled in emperor of Constantinople (A. D. 775—780), be-
731 a council at Rome, by which the Iconoclasts longed to the Isaurian dynasty, and was the eldest
were condemned ; and now the opposition against son of the emperor Constantine V. Copronymus,
the emperor became so great as to induce him to whom he succeeded on the 14th of September, 775.
send a powerful expedition against Italy, with a He was born on the 25th of January, 750, and
special command to reduce Ravenna (734). The received his surname Chazarus on account of his
expedition failed, and Ravenna and the exarchate mother Irene, who was a Chazarian princess. Leo,
fell into the hands of the Lombards, who, after being in weak health, had his infant son Constan-
having lost it and gained it again, kept it till 756, tine (VI. ) crowned in the year after his accession,
when king Aistulph was compelled by Pipin of and his five brothers, Nicephorus Caesar, Christo-
France to cede it to pope Stephen II. , and ever phorus Caesar, Nicetas, Anthemeus, and Eudoxas,
since that province has continued to belong to the took a sacred oath to acknowledge the young Au-
papal states. This check in Italy induced Leo to gustus as their future master. This oath, however,
detach Greece, Illyria, and Macedonia from the they broke repeatedly, formed conspiracies, and
spiritual authority of the popes, and to submit them were punished with mutilation and exile. After
to that of the patriarchs of Constantinople ; and some fruitless attempts at recovering freedom and
this is the real, effective cause of the fatal division power, they finally disappeared from the world at
of the Latin and Greek churches (734).
Athens, which was their last place of exile. In
During the seven following years the history of 777 Teleric, king of the Bulgarians, fled to Con-
Leo offers little more than the horrible details of a stantinople, in consequence of some domestic com-
protracted war with the Arabs. The khalif Hemotions, and was well received by Leo, although
sham endeavoured to produce an effect upon the he had behaved very treacherously against Leo's
ininds of the Syrians by supporting an adventurer, father. In 778 the Arabs invaded the empire. Leo
who pretended to be Tiberius, the son of Jus- sent against them an army of 100,000 men, com-
tinianus II. , and who was sent by the khalif to manded by Lachano Draco, who routed them, after
Jerusalem, where he made his entrance, in the they had gained various' successes in Syria, in
dress of a Roman emperor. But this was a mere 780: in this battle Othman, the son of the
farce. Things were more serious when, in 739, the khalif Mabadi or Modi, lost his life. When the
Arab general Soliman invaded the Roman terri- news of this victory arrived at Constantinople the
tories with an army of 90,000 men, who were emperor was no more among the living : his death
divided into three separate bodies. The first en. took place on the 8th of September, 780. He
tered Cappadocia, and ravaged it with fire and was succeeded by his infant son Constantine VI. ,
sword the second, commanded by Malek and who reigned under the guardianship of his mother
Batak, penetrated into Phrygia ; and the third, Irene. Leo IV. sas an honest man, much better
under Soliman, covered the rear. Leo, though than his profligate father, but weak in body and
surprised, had assembled sufficient forces, and his mind. (Theophan. p. 378, &c. ; Cedren. p. 468,
general Acroninus defeated the second body in &c. ; Const. Manass. p. 69 ; Zonar. vol. ii. p. 113,
Phrygin in a pitched battle, in which Malek and &c. ; Glycas, 285, in the Paris editions. ) [W. P. )
Batak were both killed. Soliman withdrew in LEO V. FLAVIUS ARME'NUS, emperor of
3 B
.
3
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738
LEO.
J,EO.
Constantinople (A. D. 813–820), succeeded Mi- | plunge it into thy heart, if thou refusest any longer
chael I. Rhangabe, on the 11th of July, 813: he to comply with the just wishes of thy comrades. '
was of noble Armenian descent, and the son of Upon this Leo threw off the mask, marched upon
the celebrated Bardas Patricius. Leo enjoyed Constantinople, and seated himself on the throne,
great renown as a skilful and intrepid general, and from which Michael descended without murmuring,
was highly esteemed by the emperor Nicephorus I. and retired into a convent, where he lived during
(802—811), whom he rewarded, however, with | upwards of thirty years.
treachery. He was punished with exile, from No sooner was Leo crowned than Crum appeared
which he was recalled in 81 by his friend Michael before Constantinople. He burnt its suburbs, with
1. , who succeeded Nicephorus in that year. Mi- all its magnificent buildings, withdrew to take
chael appointed him dux Orientis, and was served Adrianople, and send its inhabitants into slavery,
in the same way as his predecessor. The wife of appeared again near the capital, and continued his
Michael, Procopia, having obtained great influence devastations till Thrace was a desert. Having no
over her husband, was the cause of a wide-spread army, Leo showed the greatest activity in forming
disaffection of the army, and Leo arailed himself one, and his efforts were already crowned with
of this circumstance to seize the crown. There success, when Crum suddenly died in one of the
is a story of an old woman at Constantinople, a gardens of Constantinople (814), and was succeeded
prophetess, who predicted the speedy downfall of by king Deucom. Now Leo sallied out. At Me-
Michael and the elevation of Leo, who seems to sembrya he brought the Bulgarians to a stand, and
have turned the superstition of the Greeks to his took bloody revenge for the calamities they had
own advantage. While Leo carried on a successful brought upon Greece: the barbarian army was
war against the Arabs in Asia, the emperor fought annihilated. In 815 Deucom appeared again, and
with great disadvantage against Crum, king of the met with a similar fate, whereupon Leo invaded
Bulgarians, who in 812 took Mesembrya, and Bulgaria, defeated the barbarians wherever he met
threatened Constantinople. His defeats obliged them, and ravaged the country in a manner still
Michael to recall Leo from Asia, and in the spring worse than the Bulgarians had done in Thrace.
of 813 the emperor and Leo set out from Constan- Such was the consternation of the barbarians, that
tinople, at the head of one of the finest and most Mortagon, the successor of Deucom, deemed him-
numerous armies that the Greeks had ever seen. self fortunate in obtaining a peace for thirty years ;
Michael intended to harass the Bulgarians by and such was the impression made upon the minds
manoeuvres, avoiding any decisive conflict. His of his unruly subjects by the fierce onsets of Leo,
wise delay was secretly approved of by Leo and that they remained quiet during seventy-four years.
his confederates, but they persuaded the army that Thus Leo crushed the hereditary and most dan-
the emperor was a coward, who followed the ad- gerous enemy of the Byzantine empire.
vice of his wife rather than that of his generals, The empire now enjoyed peace, and Leo was
and the poor emperor was forsaken before he had active in restoring the happiness of his subjects.
any idea how and by whom. The Greeks met the He protected the Iconoclasts, and showed himself
Bulgarians in the environs of Adrianople ; but a firm, though often cruel, opponent of the wor-
Michael, seeing the strong position of the enemy, shippers of images; hence arose many conspiracies,
declined again to risk a pitched battle. Now Leo which he quelled with ease. He reformed the
and his friends urged him with all their might to whole system of administration. Before his reign
attack Crum ; and the Greek soldiers showed such all the civil and military offices were sold to the
violent anger at being again disappointed in coming highest bidder ; he, on the contrary, gave them to
to close quarters with the barbarians, that on the the worthiest, and punished severely all those that
22d of June the emperor gave orders for the attack. were found guilty of peculation. He often presided
The conflict took a favourable turn for the Greeks, in the courts of justice; and woe to those judges
and every body prognosticated a complete victory, who had acted unfairly or unjustly. In his punish-
when Leo, with his Cappadocians and Armenians, ments, however, he observed no just proportion ;
suddenly took to flight, and caused a total rout of decapitation, mutilation, or banishment, being as
the imperial army. Michael saved himself within often inflicted for slight offences as for capital
the walls of Adrianople, and in the evening Leo crimes. Pleasure was unknown to him, but that
arrived with his troops. Nobody ventured to ac- which arises from the satisfaction of having done
quaint the emperor with the real cause of Leo's one's duty. Day and night he was at work. Most of
flight; and the remnants of the army being too the provinces he visited, and his occasional visits had
much disorganised to risk a second battle, he fol- a still more beneficial effect, since he always arrived
lowed the council of the treacherous general, and without being announced. His conduct towards the
withdrew to Constantinople. There Joannes Hex- adorers of images, however, created him many
abulus, the honest governor of the capital, mentioned enemies; and at last his best friend became the
to him his suspicions of Leo, but mes with dis- cause of his ruin. Michael the Stammerer, though
belief, till Leo appeared with his troops under the a staunch adherent of Leo, could not help blaming
walls of Constantinople, and made his entrance him for many actions; and being no master of his
into the city, without meeting with any opposition. sharp tongue, his words produced more effect than
After the departure of Michael from Adrianople, he intended. This annoyed Leo, who ordered
the friends of Leo induced the soldiers to proclaim Michael to inspect the troops in Asia, as the best
as emperor the gallant Armenian, instead of the means of getting rid of him at court. Michael re-
coward who was still their master ; but Leo refused to comply with the order, and was soon sur-
fused to accept the crown till, with feigned indig-rounded by a crowd of the secret enemies of Leo,
nation, his friend and subsequent successor, Michael who persuaded him to enter into their plans. The
the Stammerer, rushed upon him with his drawn honest Hexabulus was informed of the plot, and
sword, crying with the accents of rage, “ With this Michael was seized, tried, and sentenced to be burnt
sword I will open the gates of Constantinople, or | alive in a furnace. It was just Christmas eve 820,
а


## p. 739 (#755) ############################################

LEO.
739
LEO.
3
and he was to be executed on the same day. Leo exposed the Bulgarian merchants to vexations and
left his palace to witness the exccution, and the ill-treatment. Thence arose a war with the Bul-
unhappy man, loaded with chains, was dragged garian king. Simeon, who mvaged Macedonia, and
along, when the empress besought her husband not routed the Greek army, commanded by Leo Cata-
to carry out his bloody verdict on that sacred day, calon and Theodosius, the latter of whom was
but to wait till after Christinas. Leo, moved by killed in the action, to the great regret of the na-
her entreaties, ordered Michael to be taken back to tion and the emperor. The credit of Stylianus
his prison. On the following day the emperor and ceased with the death of his daughter, the einpress ;
his whole court went in procession to church, and and his disgrace grieved him so much that he died
according to a custom established at the Byzantine of sorrow and disappointed ambition (894). Leo
court, the emperor himself began the sucred chant got rid of the Bulgarians by involving them,
This was the signal of his death. During the night through intrigues, in a war with the Hungarians.
the friends of Michael had resolved to risk every The following years were rendered remarkable by
thing in order to save his and their own lives; and several conspiracies. That of 895 proved ricarly
dressed in the garb of priests, with arms hid under fatal to the emperor, but it was discovered in time,
their floating garments, they entered the church and quelled by one Samonas, who, in reward, was
without creating any suspicion. At the moment created patricius, and soon rose to great wealth
they hcard Leo's voice they rushed upon him. and power. A few years afterwards Leo was
He escaped to the altar, and defended himself with attacked in a church during service by a ruffian,
the great cross ; but in vain-nobody came to his who felled him to the ground with a club; but on
rescue. Exhausted by an heroic resistance, he saw this occasion also the emperor escaped, and the
one of his murderers, of gigantic stature, aim a fatal assassin met with the fate he deserved. The inac-
blow at him. “Have mercy! ” cried the fainting tivity of Leo induced the Arabs and northern
emperor. “This is not the hour of mercy,'' replied neighbours of the empire to attack it at their con-
the giant, but the hour of revenge ! ” and with venience. The former once more invaded Sicily,
one blow he felled him to the ground. Michael and took Tauromenium ; and in 904 appeared with
was now dragged from his prison, and, as Gibbon a numerous fleet in the harbour of Thessalonica.
says, he was snatched from the fiery furnace to the This splendid city, the second in wenlth and popu-
sovereignty of an empire.
Leo left four sons, the lation after Constantinople, was ill fortified and
eldest of whom, Sarbatius or Symbatius, was still worse garrisoned, so that in spite of the efforts
crowned as his father's future successor shortly of the inhabitants, the Arabs soon made them-
after the deposition of Michael Rhangabe. They selves master of it. They destroyed a great portion
were all castrated by order of Michael the Stam- of it; and after having plundered it during ten
merer, and confined in a convent Sarbatius died days, left the harbour with their feet laden with
in consequence of the operation. (Theoph. p. 424, booty and captives. The history of this conquest
&c. ; Theoph. Contin. p. 428, &c. ; Cedren. p. 483, was described by Joannes Cameniata in his valu-
&c. ; Zonar. vol. ii. p. 127, &c. ; Leo Gram. p. 445, able work, The Capture of Thessalonica ('H Gwois
&c. ; Const. Manass. p. 94 ; Joel, p. 287; Glycas, tñs Degralovikns). [CAMENIATA. ] About this
P. 287, &c. ; Genesius, p. 2, &c. ) [W. P. ) time the last remains of the authority of the senate
LEO VI. , FLAVIUS, surnamed SA'PIENS were finally abolished by a constitution of Leo. In
and PHILOʻSOPHUS, emperor of Constantinople 910 Samonas was sentenced to perpetual imprison-
(A. D. 886-911), second son of Basil I. , the ment for having abused the confidence the emperors
Macedonian, by his second wife, Eudoxia, was had never ceased to bestow upon him since he
born in A. D. 865, and succeeded his father on the had crushed the conspiracy of 895. In 911 the
Ist of March, 386, after having previously been Arabs defeated the Greek fleet off Samos. In this
created Augustus. A short time before the death action the Greeks were commanded by Romanus
of Basil, young Leo narrowly escaped the punish- Lecapenus, who became emperor during the mino-
ment of a parricide, a crime, however, of which he rity of Constantine VII. Porphyrogenitus. Leo
was not guilty, but of which he was accused by died in the same year, 911, either on the 11th of
the minister, Santabaren, the knavish favourite of May or on the 11th of July, of a chronical dysen-
the emperor. As soon as Leo ascended the throne tery. His successor was his infant son, Constantine
he prepared for revenge. He began by deposing Porphyrogenitus, whom he had by his fourth wife,
the notorious patriarch Photius, who was the chief Zoe; and his younger brother, Alexander, who
support of Santabaren ; and having got rid of that had nominally reigned with Leo since the death of
dangerous intriguer, he had the minister arrested, their father, Basil, but who, preferring luxury and
deprived him of his eyes, and banished him to one idleness to business, had abandoned his share in
of the remotest corners of Asia Minor. The reign the government to his elder brother Leo. Leo was
of Leo presents an uninterrupted series of wars married four times ; in consequence of which he
and conspiracies. In 887 and 888 the Arabs in- was excluded from the communion with the faith-
vaded Asia Minor, landed in Italy and Sicily, and ful by the patriarch Nicolaus, as the Greek church
plundered Samos and other islands in the Archi- only tolerated a second marriage : it censured a
pelago: it was only in 891 that the emperor's third, and it condemned a fourth as an atrocious
authority was re-established in his Italian domi- sin. The first wife of Leo was Theophano, the
nions. Stylianus, Leo's father-in-law, and prime daughter of Constantinus Martinacius ; the second
minister, gave occasion to a bloody war with the Zoe, the widow of Theodorus Guniatzita, and the
Bulgarians. At that period these people were no daughter of the minister Stylianus, who, after the
longer so barbarous as in former centuries, and marriage of Zoe, received from his son-in-law the
they carried on a considerable trade with the unusual title of basileopator, or father of the en-
Byzantine empire, having their principal factories peror; the third was Eudoxia, a woman of rare
at Thessalonica, where they enjoyed great privi- beauty; and the fourth was Zoc Carbonopsina,
leges. These privileges Stylianus disregarded, and / who survived her husband.
;
:
3 8 2


## p. 740 (#756) ############################################

740
LEO.
LEO.
It is difficult to understand how the exalted , Civile, a Constantino Porphyrogenito in LX. libros
name of Philosophus could be given to a man like redactum, G. Herveto interprete. Accessit Liber
Leo, and one would feel inclined to take it ironi- LX. , Jacobo Cujiacio interprete. Cum Pracſatione
cally, were it not for the impudent flattery of the D. Gothofredi," Hanovine, 1606, fol. Previous to
later Greeks. Gibbon, with a few striking words, this edition, Joannes Leunclavius published, with
gives the following character of this emperor: - notes and commentary, “LX. Libri Baordinav, id
- The name of Leo VI. has been dignified with the est, Universi Juris Romani, &c. , Ecloga sive Syn-
title of philosopher ; and the union of the prince opsis ; accessit Novellarum antehac ineditarum
and the sage, of the active and speculative virtues, Liber," Basel, 1575, fol. All these are incomplete
would indeed constitute the perfection of human editions of Latin versions. The Greek text, with
nature. But the claims of Leo are far short of this a revised Latin version, of 36 complete, 6 incom-
ideal excellence. Did he reduce his passions and plete books, and fragments of the remaining 18
appetites under the dominion of reason? His life books, was first published by Fabrot, Paris, 1647,
was spent in the pomp of the palace, in the society | 7 vols. fol. Four of the deficient books, viz. 49–
of his wives and concubincs; and even the clemency 52, were afterwards discovered in MS. , and pub-
which he showed, and the peace which he strove lished, with a Latin version by G. O. Reitz, by the
to preserve, must be iinputed to the softness and Dutch jurist Meermann, in the 5th rol. of his
indolence of his character. Did he subdue his Nov. Thesaur. Juris Civ. et Can. A scparate re-
prejudices, and those of his subjects? His mind print of these four books was published in London
was tinged with the most puerile superstition ; the 1765, fol. , as a supplement to Fabrot's edition. As
influence of the clergy, and the errors of the people, long ago as 1830 the brothers lleimbach, in Ger-
were consecrated by his laws; and the oracles of many, began a new critical edition of the whole
Leo, which reveal in prophetic style the fates of collection, of which the first volume appeared in
the empire, are founded on the arts of astrology 1833, but which is not yet finished. The law of
and divination. If we still inquire the reason of the Basilica is by no means a mere matter of anti-
his sage appellation, it can only be replied, that the quity : it is the groundwork of the legislation of
son of Basil was less ignorant than the greater part the modern Greeks in Turkey as well as in the
of his contemporaries in church and state ; that his kingdom of Greece, and also that of the legislation
education had been directed by the learned Pho. of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ;
tius ; and that several books of profane and eccle- and a closer investigation of the laws of Russia
siastical science were composed by the pen, or in would perhaps trace the influence of the Basilica
the name of the imperial philosopher. ”
upon the history of the civilisation of that country
In speaking of Leo's literary merits, we must also. (Montreuil, Histoire du Droit Byzantin ;
first say a few words of his legislation.
C. W. E. Heimbach, De Basilicorum Origine, Leip-
In his time the Latin language had long since zig, 1825, 8vo. ; Haubold, Manuale Basilicorun,
ceased to be the official language of the Eastern Leipzig, 1819, 4to. )
empire, and bad gradually fallen into such disuse The principal works written, or supposed to be
as to be only known to a few scholars, merchants, written, by the emperor Leo VI. are: -
or navigators. The earlier laws being all written 1. Των εν πολέμοις τακτικών σύντομος παρά-
in Latin, opposed a serious obstacle to a fair and doors, commonly called “ Tactica,” an essay on the
quick administration of justice ; and the emperor art of warfare in the author's time, which is cele-
Basil I. , the father of Leo, formed and partly brated in military history. Leo perused freely the
executed the plan of issuing an authorised version works of earlier writers on the subject, but it would
of the Code and Digest. This plan was carried be unjust to charge him with plagiarism : there is
out by Leo, who was ably assisted by Sabathius, a great deal of his own in the work, especially on
the commander of the imperial lifeguards. The the policy to be observed in warfare, but it betrays
new Greek version is known under the title of no genius. The editio princeps, but only in a
Bacialal Alatáčets, or shortly, BaciAikal; in Latin version, is by Joannes Checus (John Cheke),
Latin, Busilica, which means “ Imperial Constitu- of Cambridge, and was published at Basel, 1554,
tions," or " Laws. " It is divided into sixty books, 12mo. : it is dedicated to king Henry VIII. , and
subdivided into titles, and contains the whole of was consequently composed previously to the death
Justinian's legislation, viz. , the Institutes, the of that king, in 1547. The Greek text, together
Digest, the Codex, and the Novellae ; as also such with the translation of Cheke, revised by Jo.
constitutions as were issued by the successors of Meursius, was first published at Leyden, 1612,
Justinian down to Leo VI. There are, however, 4to. ; the same in the 6th vol. of Meursii Opera,
many laws of the Digest omitted in the Basilica, edited by Lami, Florence, 1745, fol. ; the same,
which contain, on the other hand, a considerable together with Aelian's Tactica, Leyden, 1613, 4to.
number of laws or extracts from ancient jurists The importance of the work caused it to be trans-
which are not in the Digest. The Basilica like-lated into several modern languages. The best
wise give many early constitutions which are not version is the one in French, entitled, “ Institutions
contained in Justinian's Codex. They were after- Militaires de l'Empereur Léon le Philosophe,
wards revised by the son of Leo, Constantine Por- traduites du Grec par M. Joly de Mezeray,”
phyrogenitus. Editions : Hervet published a Paris, 1771, 2 vols. 8vo. , with engravings. The
Latin translation of the books 28-30, 45–48, best German translation is entitled “ Kaiser
Paris, 1557, fol. Cujacius, who made the Basilica Leo's des Philosophen Strategie und Taktik,
a special subject of his studies, and published the übersetzt von einem MS. in der Kaiserlichen
criminal part of them at Lyon, 1566, fol. , estimated Bibliothek zn Wien bei J. W. von Bourscheid,"
the translation of Hervet but little, and accordingly Vienna, 1771–1781, 5 vols. 8ro, with notes and
published a revised edition under the title “Libri engravings. The notes are very good, but the
VIII. Baoli Alatáčewv, id est, Imperialium version resembles much more the French trans-
Constitutionum in quibus continentur totum Jus lation by Mezeray than the Greek text.


## p. 741 (#757) ############################################

LEO.
741
LEO.
a
2. Navuaxıé. Some passages extracted from torem Leonem Sapientem quem ordinem hubeant
the Tactica, and given by Fabricius, led to the throni Ecclesiarum Patriarchuc Constantinopolitano
supposition that they are quotations from, and con- subjectarum, Greek and Latin, by J. Leunclavius,
sequently fragments of, a separate work of Leo on in Jus Graeco- Romanum ; by Jac. Goar, ad calcem
naval warfare.
Codini, Paris, 1648, fol.
3. XVII. Oracula, written in Greek iambic 10. Eis Td Movoue piou, In Spectaculum Unius
rerses, and accompanied by marginal drawings, on Dci, an epigram of little value, with notes by Bro-
the fate of the future emperors and patriarchs of daeus and Opsopaeus, in Epigrum. Libri 1'İl. , ed.
Constantinople, showing the superstition of Leo if Wechel, Frankfort, 1600. Among other produc-
lie believed in his divination, and that of the people tions ascribed to Leo, and of which the reader will
if they had faith in the absurd predictions. The find an account in the sources cited below, we
17th Oracle, on the Restoration of Constantinople, mention only two books on falconry, extant in
was published in Greek and Latin by Joan. Leun- MS. in a Munich MS. , which seems to be different
clavius ad Calcem Const. Manassic, Basel, 1573, from a Turin MS. entitled 'Opveod opIOTIKÒV, since
Bro. Janus Rutgersius edited the other sixteen, the first treats on falconry exclusively, and the
with a Latin version hy Georg. Dousa, Leyden, latter on various birds, though on falcons more than
1618, 4to. Other editions: · Espositione delli others: the first may be an extract of the second.
Oracoli di Leone iniperatore," by T. Patricius, (Zonar, vol. ii. p. 174, dc. ; Cedren. p. 591, &c. ;
Brixen, 1596 ; by Petrus Lambecius, with a re- Joel, p. 179; Manass. p. 108, &c. ; Glycas, p. 296,
vised text from an Amsterdam Codex, with notes &c. ; Genes. p. 61, &c. ; Codin. p. 63, &c. ; Fabric,
and a new translation, Paris, 1655, fol. ad Calcem Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 693, &c. ; Hamberger.
Codini. A German translation by John and Theo- Nachrichten von Gelehrlen Männern ; Cave, Hist.
dore de Bry appeared in “Vita, &c. Muhammedis," Lit. ; Hankius, Script. Byzant. ; Oudin, Com-
quoted above; and a Latin one by the same trans- ment, de SS. Eccl. , vol.