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

1042 THEOI)ORETUS. TIIEODORICUS.
sitions maintained in them, namely, first, that God mentioned by Fabricius. (Bibl. Graec. vol. viii.
the Word is unchangeable (o-t &rTpeE7ros 6 Osbs), pp. 307, 308.) [P. S.]
secondly, that his union with the human nature is THEODORICUS or THEODERICUS I.,
without confusion ('TL &ab''YXVToS A 1 Ev0wos), king of the Visigoths from A. D. 418* to 451, was
and, thirdly, that the divine nature of the Saviour the successor of Wallia, but appears to have been
is incapable of suffering (ATE &raOwas X'roD:wrT'- the son of the great Alaric. (Gibbon, Decline and
poTr Aeo7-s). The work displays great learning Fall, c. xxxv. note 10.) Not content with the
and power, with a moderation which made it as limits of his dominions, Theodoric broke the peace
displeasing to the Nestorians as it was to the Eu- which existed between the Visigoths and the
tychians: (3) A work against heresies in general, Romans, took several places in Gaul, and laid siege
entitled AIpETreIS KlcaKOpvOIfaS ErWLTOt7H, or, Hae- to Arles in A. D. 425. He was, however, obliged
reticarum Fabularum Epitome, in five books, ad- to retire on the approach of Aetius, with whom he
dressed to Sporacius. In this work, which seems concluded a peace; and he then turned his arms
to have been written after the end of the Nesto- against the Vandals in Spain, upon receiving a
rian and Eutychian disputes, he not only uses, with sufficient subsidy from the Roman general. Theoe
regard to other heretics, the intolerant language doric however was only waiting for a favourable
which was common in that age, but he speaks of opportunity to attack the Romans again; and acNestorius in terms of bitterness which cannot be cordingly, while the Burgundians invaded the
defended, and which occur again in a special work Belgic provinces, Theodoric laid siege to Narbonne
against Nestorius, addressed to the same Spo- in A. nD. 436. Aetius displayed his usual activity;
racius. The warmest admirers of Theodoret must he defeated the Burgundians in battle, and sent
lament that, after the contest was over, he took such Litorius to oppose Theodoric. The inhabitants of
means to set himself right with his former oppo- Narbonne had resisted many months all the efforts
nents: (4) Twenty-seven books against various of Theodoric to take the town; but they were
propositions of the Eutychians (hAoyot Kt' irpbs reduced to the last extremities of famine, when
iapdpovs a'reeLs), an abstract of which is supplied Litorius, in the following year (A. D. 437) cut his
by Photius. (Bibl. Cod. 46.) way through the entrenchments of the besiegers.
IV. The chief of his remaining works are: (1) The siege was immediately raised; and A utius,
An apologetic treatise, intended to exhibit the con- who arrived shortly afterwards, defeated Theodoric
firmations of the truth of Christianity contained in with great slaughter, and obliged him to retire into
the Gentile philosophy, under the title of'EXAh Lv- his own dominions. The Gothic king was now
Kv~ lEapa7rEV1TLK7C 7rOaTkt eT' o, EvbaYeXhlKtjS axrh- obliged to act on the defensive; and Aetius, on his
Odeas e'EEANKj' rchooas p rAoyootras E7rLywes, Graeca- return to Italy, left Litorius at the head of an
rzune Ajffctionumn Czratio; sea, Evangelicae Veritatis army, chiefly consisting of Huns, to prosecute the
ex Gentilium Philosophia Cognitio: (2) Ten Orations wvar. Unable to resist the Romans in the field,
on Providence (7repl 7rpovoias hAyo t e'ca): (3) Va- Theodoric retired to Toulouse, where he was berious Orations, Homilies, and minor treatises: (4) sieged by Litorius in A. D. 439. Despairing of
One hundred and eighty-one letters, which are of success, Theodoric now endeavoured to obtain a
the greatest importance for the history of Theo- peace by the mediation of his Christian bishops;
doret and his times. but Litorius, confident of success, and relying upon
There are only two complete editions of the the predictions of the pagan augurs, that he should
works of Theodoret. both of very great excellence; enter the Gothic capital in triumph, refused all
but the later having the advantage of containing the proposals which were repeatedly made him.
all that is good, and correcting much that is faulty, The presumption of Litorins appears to have made
in its predecessor. The first is that edited by the him careless. The Goths availed themselves of a
Jesuits Jac. Sirmond and Jo. Garnier, in five vo- favourable opportunity, sallied out of their city,
lumes folio, Paris, 1642-1684: the first four and, after a long and obstinate battle, defeated tlhe
volumes, by Sirmond, contain the bulk of the Roman army, made their general prisoner, and
works of Theodoret in Greek and Latin; and the conducted him in triumph through the streets of
fifth, some minor works and fragments omitted by Toulouse. This victory turned the fortune of the
Sirmond, together with Garnier's five dissertations war; and the whole of the country as far as the
on (1) the History, (2) the Books, (3) the Faith Rhone lay exposed to the ravages of the barbarians.
of Theodoret, (4) on the fifth General Council, Avitus, who was then praefectus praetorio in Gaul,
(5) on the Cause of Theodoret and the Orientals. had no army to resist the Visigoths, and accordingly
The faults of these valuable treatises have been entered into negotiations with Theodoric, which
already mentioned. The other edition, founded ended in a peace, the terms of which are not related,
on the former, is that of Lud. Schulze and J. A. buit which must have been in favour of the barNoesselt, Halae Sax. 1769-1774, 5 vols. in 10 barians. This last peace between Theodoric and
parts 8vo. For an account of the editions of se- the Romans does not appear to have been interparate works, see Hoffmann, Lexicon Bibliogr. rupted. Theodoric had sought to strengthen his
Scriptorum Graecorum. power by giving one of his daughters in marriage
(Garnier, Dissertationes, in vol. 5 of Schulze's to the eldest son of Genseric, king of the Vandals
edition; Tillemont, Mem. vol. xiv.; Cave, Hist. in Africa; but Genseric, who suspected that his
Litt. s.a. 423, pp. 405, foll., ed. Basil.; Fabric. son's wife had conspired to poison him, ignoBibl. Grace. vol. vii. pp. 429, foll.,vol. viii. pp. 277, miniously deprived her of her nose and ears, and
foll.; Schulze, De Vita et Scriptis B. Theodoreti sent her back in this mutilated condition to her
Dissertatio, prefixed to vol. i. of his edition; father at Toulouse. To revenge this unpardonable
Neander, Geschichte der Clhristl. Relig. u. Kirche,
vol. ii. passim; Schrickh, C]ristliche Kircchenges- * His accession was not in A.D. 419, as is stated
chiCdete, vol. xviii. pp. 355, foell.) by Gibbon and most writers. See Clinlton, Fasti
A few insignificant ecclesiastics of the name are Rom. ad anil. 418.