A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

738g ~ LEO. LEtO.
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 8 I by his friend Michael before Constantinople. He burnt its suburbs, with
I., 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 availed 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 MeMichael 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 Deucomn, 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 danthe 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 worMichael, 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 punishwhen 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 armnny. 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 met 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 recoward who was still their master; but Leo- re- fused to comply with the order, and was soon surfused 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 Stanimmerer, 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,