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

.746 LEO. LEO.
emperor and the caliph Al-Mamoun; and, falling which name'the subject of the present article, who
into the handsi of the Moslems, or treacherously appears to have practised astrology (Theoph. Contin.
deserting to. them, at the fall of Amorium (A. D. iv. 28, v. 14), is probably meant (Fabricius, Bibl..839), became known to the caliph, who was a Graec. vol. iv. p. 148, Graec. De Marci Biblioth. p..liberal patron of science. The young man, though 153; Catalog. Codd. MStorum Bibl. Regiae, Paris,
*he excited the admiration of the caliph and his fol. 1740, vol. ii. pp. 499, 500): but the M6ooors
court, by his geometrical attainments, professed 7rpoyvwocrTK4, Metihodus Prognostica or instructions
himself to be " not a master, but only a learner," and for divining by the Gospel or the Psalter, by Leo
so highly extolled the knowledge of Leo, that he Sapiens, in the Medicean library at Florence (Balwas forthwith despatched to Constantinople, with dini, Catalog. Codd. Laur. Medic. vol. iii. p. 339), is
a letter to him, inviting him to leave that city and perhaps by another Leo. Combdfis was disposed to
resort to Bagdad. Fearful of being suspected of a claim for Leo of Thessalonica the authorship of the
treasonable correspondence with the enemy, Leo celebrated Xppluof, Oracula, which are commonly
showed the letter to the logothete Theoctistus, by ascribed to the emperor Leo VI. Sapiens, or the wise,
whom the matter was reported to the emperor. and have been repeatedly published. But Leo of
Leo was thus made known to Theophilus. The Thessalonica is generally designated in the Byzanemperor first appointed him public teacher or pro- tine writers the philosopher (I4,xaoqpos), not the
fessor, assigning him the church of the Forty wise(ohpos), and if the published Oraculn are a part
Martyrs as a school, and soon after ordered the of the series mentioned by Zonaras (xv. 21), they
patriarch Joannes, who appears hitherto to have must be older than either the emperor or Leo of
neglected his learned kinsman, to ordain him arch- Thessalonica. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iv. pp. 148,
bishop of Thessalonica (Theoph. Continuat. iv. 27; 158, vol. vii. p. 697, vol. xi. p. 665; Allatius, De
comp. Symeon Magister, De Theophilo. c. 18-20; Psellis, c. 3-6; Labbe, DeByzant. Histor. ScripGeorg. Monach. De Theophilo. c. 22, 23;'Cedrenus, torib. Iporpe7r'rlKcv, pars secunda, p. 45.) [J.C.M.]
Compendium, l.c.; Zonar. xvi. 4). After three years, LEO, Latin ecclesiastics. 1. The first of that
when Theophilus died (A. D. 342), and the govern- name who occupied the papal throne, is usually
ment came into the hands of his widow Theodora, as styled the GREAT. He was a native of Rome,
the guardian of her son Michael, the iconoclastic and must have been born towards the close of the
party was overthrown, and Leo and Joannes were fourth century, although the precise year is
deposed from their sees: but Leo, whose worth unknown. Nothing has been recorded conappears to have secured respect, escaped the suffer- cerning his parents, except that his father was.
ings which fell to his kinsman's lot (Theoph. Cont. called Quintianus, nor with regard to his early
iv. 9, 26; Sym. Mag. De Theoph. c. 20, De Mi- training; but when we remark the erudition and
chaele, c. 1); and when the Caesar Bardas, anxious polished accuracy displayed in his writings, and
for the revival of learning, established the Mathema- the early age at which he rose to offices of high
tical school at the palace of Magnaura, in Constan- trust, it becomes manifest that his great natural
tinople, Leo was placed at its head, with one, if not talents must have been cultivated with uncommon
more of his former pupils for his fellow-teachers. assiduity and skill. While yet an acolyte he was
(Theoph,. Contin. iv. 26; Cedrenus and Zo- despatched, in A. D. 418, to Carthage, for the purnaras, 1l. cc.) Leo was faithful to the interests of pose of conveying to Aurelius and the other African
Bardas, whom he warned of the insidious designs bishops the sentiments of Zosimus concerning the
of Basilius the Macedonian, afterwards emperor Pelagian doctrines of Coelestius. [COELESTIUS.]
(Sym. Mag. De Michaele et Theodora, c. 40; Georg. Under Coelestinus [CORLESTINUS] he discharged
Monach. De Mich. et Theodora, c. 25, 26). An the duties of a deacon; and the reputation even
anecdote recorded both by Symeon (De Basilio then (431) enjoyed by him is clearly indicated by
Maced. c. 5) and George (De Basil. Maced. c. 4), the terms of the epistle prefixed to the seven books,
shews that Leo was living in A. D. 869: how much De Incarnatione C(/risti, of Cassianus, who at his
later is not known. request had undertaken this work against the
Symeon (De Mich. et Theodora, c. 46) has de- Nestorian heresy. Having obtained the full conscribed a remarkable method of telegraphic com- fidence of Sixtus III., to whom he rendered much
munication, invented by Leo, and practised in the good service, he attracted the notice of Valentinian
reigns of Theophilus and his son Michael. Fires III., and by the orders of the emperor undertook a
kindled at certain hours of the day conveyed intel- mission to Gaul, in order to soothe the formidable
ligence of hostile incursions, battles, conflagrations, dissensions of A/itius and Albinus. [AETIUS.]
and the other incidents of war, from the confines of While Leo was engaged in this delicate negotiation,
Syria to Constantinople; the hour of kindling in- which was conducted with singular prudence and
dicating the nature of the incident, according to an perfect success, the chief pontiff died, and by the
arranged plan, marked on the dial plate of a clock unanimous voice of the clergy and laity the absent
kept in the castle of Lulus, near Tarsus, and of a deacon was chosen to fill the vacant seat, and on
corresponding one in the palace at Constantinople. his return was solemnly installed, A. D. 440.
Leo Allatius, in his Excerpta Varia Graecor. From the earliest ages until this epoch no man
Sophistarsun, has given (p. 398) Ae'oVros o0r,IAo- who combined lofty ambition with commanding
Uo-opov KaprYotl, Versuts Carcini Leonis Philosophi, intellect and political dexterity had presided over
i. e. verses which may be read either backward or the Roman see:. and although its influence had
forward. They are probably the same which are gradually increased, and many popes had sought to
in some MSS. or catalogues ascribed to Leo Gram- extend and confirm that influence, yet they had
maticus [see above, No. 15], but may be more pro- merely availed themselves of accidental circumbably ascribed to our Leo,. among whose early stances to augment their own personal authority,
studies poetry is mentioned. Several astrological without acting upon any distinct and well devised
collectanea extant in MS. in different European scheme. But Leo, while he sedulously watched
libraries, contain portions by Leo Philosophus, by aver the purity of his own -peculiar flock, concen