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Atticus, aPlatonicphilofopher, lived under tVie emperor 

 M.Aiii-clius, and took pains inafcertaining the precife differ- 

 ence between the doctrines of Plato and thofe of Arillotle. 

 Eufcbiiis has preferved feveral fragments of his works, in 

 ^vhich he argues agaiidt Ariftotle, concerning the ultimate 

 end of man, providence, the origin of things, the immor- 

 talil V of the foul, and other topics. Plotinus of the Eclectic 

 fcho'ol, held tlic writings of Atticus in high ellimation, and 

 recommended them as very ufcful for obtaining an acccurate 

 knowledge of the Platonic fyftem* Atticus pronounced it 

 ir.ipoffible for thofe who had imbibed the Peripatetic notions, 

 to elevate their minds to a capacity of underftanding and re- 

 Hfliiiig the fublime conceptions of Plato. Eufeb. Chron. 

 fub. Aurel. A. 179. Pi-sep. 1. xv. c. 4, &c. Fab. Bib. 

 Grxc. v.ii. p. 54. 



Atticus, a patriarch of Conftantinople in the fifth cen- 

 tury, was a native of Sebaftia in Armenia, and having re- 

 ceived his education among the Macedonian monks, became 

 firft prelhyter, and afterwards, viz. in 406, patriarch of the 

 church of Conftansinople. But having fcized tiiis fee while 

 John Chryfoftom was living, he was excommunicated by 

 pope Innocent I. and the weftern bilhops. However, on 

 the deatii of Chryfoftom he was again reilored, on condition 

 of replacing his name in ih.s diptychs, or Hll of the arch- 

 bifhops of Conftantinople, whofe names were recited at the 

 altar, as having died in the communion of the church. At- 

 ticus is extolled for his learning, prudence, and piety; for 

 the gentlcnefs of his temper and manners; for liis zeal 

 atrainll the Ncftorians; and for his charity to the poor, 

 without difcrimination of religious party and profeffion. 

 He died in the year 427. Wliilft he was prefbyter, he 

 committed his fermons to memory; but when he became a 

 billiop he preached extempore. Of his writings there are 

 extant " A Letter to Cyril of Alexandria," on the reftora- 

 tion of the name of Chryfoftom in the diptychs (apud Nice- 

 phor. Hift. Ecch 1. xiv. c. 26.); " A Letter to Calliopus, 

 preftiyter of the church at Nice," accompanying 300 crowns 

 fent to the poor of that city (Socrat. 1. vii. c. 25.); and 

 another (in Nicephor. ubi fupra) addrefl'cd to the deacons of 

 the church of Alexandria, concerning the means of reftor- 

 ing peace to the church. He alfo wrote a book " On 

 Faith and Virginity," dedicated to the daughters of Ar- 

 cadius, and cited by Cyril in his book to the cmpreftes. 

 Socrat. H. E. 1. vi'.. c. 2. Sozom. H. E. 1. viii. c. 27. Cave, 

 H. L. vol. i. p. 384. 



ATTIDIUM, now Attigio, in Anaent Gengrnphy, a 

 city of Umbria, fuuated between Sentinum, Camerinum, 

 and Matilica, near the fources of the river ^iis. Pliny calls 

 the inhabitants Altidiates. Several ancient infcriptions have 

 been found in the vicinity of Attigio. 



ATTIGNY, in Geography., a town of France, and feat of 

 a tribunal, in the department of Ardennes ; two leagues 

 north-weft of Vouzieres, and fix fouth of Mezieres. 



ATTHjA, in Biography and Htfiory, king of the Huns, 

 and by the modern Hungarians denominated " Tiie Scourge 

 of God," was the fon of Mundzuk, and deduced his deicent 

 from the ancient Huns, who had formerly contended with 

 tlie monarehs of China. Indeed the modern Hungarians 

 nave traced his genealogy upwards, in the thiity-fifth degree, 

 to Ham, the fou of Noah. At the death of Rngilas, A. D. 

 4'33, his two nephews, Attila and Bleda, fucceeded to the 

 throne of their anceftors. Having concluded an humi- 

 liating peace with the emperor Theodofius II., tliey ex- 

 tended their arms towards the north with fo much fuccefs, 

 as to reduce all tl;e nations between the Danube and the 

 Euxine under tlieir dominion. Under pretence of an offence 

 given them by tUc Jlomans, they made an irruption iiito the 



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eaftern empire, took feveral towns on the fouth of t^ie 

 Danube by ftorm, defeated feveral imperial armies, and laid 

 wafte the whole adjacent country with fire and fword. 

 Theodolius, thinking himfelf infecure at Conftantinople, 

 retired into Afia, and was glad to purchafc an inglorious 

 peace. At this time the two nephews of Rngilas fliared 

 the government of the Huns; but Attila, wliofc ambiticin 

 admitted of no partnerfliip in power, caufed Bleda to refign 

 both his fceptre and his life, and acquired tlie fole fovercignty 

 ai the nation and its dependent territories. The extent of 

 his empire affords the only evidence of the number and im- 

 •portanee of his victories. If a line of fcparntion were drawn 

 between the civilized and the favnge climates of the globe; 

 between the inhabitants of cities, who cultivated the earth, 

 and the huntei-s and flupherds who dwelt in tents ; Auila 

 might afpire to the title of fupreme and fole monarch of the 

 Barbarians. He alone, among the conquerors of ancient 

 and modern times, united the two mighty kingdoms of Ger- 

 many and Scythia, in their moft ample latitude; Thuringia, 

 extending to the Danube, was in the number of his pro- 

 vinces; he interpofed with the authority of a powerful 

 neighbour, in the domeflic affairs of the Franks; and one 

 of his lieutenants challifed, and nlmoil exterminated, the 

 Burgundians of the Rhine. He fubdued the iflands of the 

 ocean, the kingdoms of Scandinavia, encompalfed and di- 

 vided by the waters of the Baltic ; towards the eafl 

 his dominion extended over the Scythian dtferts to the 

 banks of the \'olga; and he fent ambaffadors to negotiate 

 an equal alliance with the empire of China. He alio 

 reckoned among his fubjefts the numerous and warlike 

 tribes of tlie Gepidae and Ollrogoths. " The crowd of 

 vulgar kings, the leaders of io many martial tribes, who 

 ferved under the ftandard of Attila, were ranged in the 

 fubmifilve order of guards and domeftics, round the pcrfon 

 of tiieir matter. They watched his nod; they trembled at 

 his frown ; and, at the firft fignal of his will, they executed, 

 without murmur or hefitation, his ftern and absolute com- 

 mands. In time of peace, the dependent princes, with 

 their national troops, attended the royal camp in regular 

 fncceffion ; but when Attila collected his military force, 

 he was able to bring into the field an army of five, or, 

 according to another account, of 700,000 Barbarians." The 

 portrait of Attila, fays Jornandes, a Gothic hiftorian, ex- 

 hibits the genuine deformity of a modern Calmuck ; with a 

 large head, a fwarthy complexion, fmall deep-feated eyes, a 

 flat nofe, a few hairs in the place of a beard, broad fhoulders, 

 and a fhort fquare body, of nervous ftrength, though of a 

 difpropOrtioned form. His haughty ftep and demeanour 

 exprcffed confcious fuperiority; and by fiercely rolling his 

 evci, he feemed to enjoy the terror which he infpired. Never- 

 thelefs, this favage hero was not inaccefTible to pity; his fup- 

 pliant enemies might confide in the affurance of pardon and 

 peace; and Attila was regarded by his fubjefts as a iufl 

 and indulgent matter. His delight was war, and he indulged 

 his paffion for it to the deflniftion of myriads. Ap- 

 prized of the influence of fupcrftition over ignorant and 

 favage minds, he availed himfelf of it, as a collateral and 

 ufeful inflrument for the acconiplifhment of liis purpofes. 

 Accordingly he pretended to have difcovcred, by means of 

 a fhepherd, the famous fword of the Scythian Mars ; and 

 being in poffeffion of this, he afferted his divine and inde- 

 feafible claim to the dominion of the earth. As the fa- 

 vourite of Mars, whom he propitiated by bloody rites and 

 facrifices, Attila foon acquired a facred charafter, which 

 rendered his conquefts more eafy and more permanent ; and 

 the Barbarian princes confeffed, in the language of devo- 

 tion or of flattery, that they could not prefume to gaze, 



with 



