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

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 Praefatione
cally, were it not for the impudent flattery of the D. Gothofredi," Hanoviae, 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 BaoLAuLK6v, id
" The name of Leo VI. has been dignified with the est, Universi Juris Romani, &c., Ecloga sive Syntitle 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 incomideal 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. 49of his wives and concubines; and even the clemency 52, were afterwards discovered in MS., and pubwhich he showed, and the peace which he strove lished, with a Latin version by G. 0. Reitz, by the
to preserve, must be imputed to the softness and Dutch jurist Meermann, in the 5th vol. of his
indolence of his character. Did he subdue his Nov. Thesaur. Juris Civ. et Can. A separate reprejudices, 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 Heimbach, in Gerwere 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 antihis 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 dzc Droit Byzantin;
first say a few words of his legislation. C. W. E. Heimbach, De Basilicorum Origine, LeipIn his time the Latin language had long since zig, 1825, 8vo.; Haubold, Manuale Basilicorum,
ceased to be the official language of the Eastern Leipzig, 1819, 4to.).empire, and had 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. Tcav ev 7roAXEuos Cracltcwv c'0vropos 7rapa-in Latin, opposed a serious obstacle to a fair and aooLs, 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
BarLALcaO OlatadeeLs,: or shortly, BacrLAtcal; in Latin version, is by Joannes Checus (John Cheke),
Latin, Basilica, 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 1'Empereur Leon 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, 177], 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 iibersetzt von einem MS. in der Kaiserlichen
criminal part of them at Lyon, 1566, fol., estimated Bibliothek zu Wien bei J. W. von Bourscheid,"
the translation of Hervet but little, and accordingly Vienna, 1771-1781, 5 vols. 8vo. with notes and
published a revised' edition under the title'"Libri engravings. The notes are very good, but the
VIII. BaoLXLicaKv -ALradewv, id est, Imperialium version resembles much more the French transConstitutionum in quibus' continentur totum Jus Iation by Mezeray than. the Greek text.