LEO. 4Sjr 
their fees all the bilhops of the patriarchate of Alexan¬ 
dria who refufed to abjure the faith of Chalcedon, and in 
their room took care to place fuch as had diftinguifhed 
themfelves by their zeal for the Eutychian doCtrine. 
Notwithftanding the notorious crimes by which Aslurus 
had thus pofTelTed himfelf of the bilhopric of Alexandria, 
he had friends at the court of the emperor Leo, the fuc- 
ceffor of Marcian, who had fufficient interelf, not only to 
fcreen him from the punifhment which he deferved, but 
even to maintain him for fotne years in the undifturbed 
poffefiion of his fee. Thefe friends had fuch influence 
with the emperor, that by their importunity they led him 
to intimate his defign of aflembling a new oecumenical 
council, to re-examine the points which had been deter¬ 
mined at the council of Chalcedon. Pope Leo was no 
fooner acquainted with this defign, than he exerted all 
his credit, intereft, and authority, to divert him from it. 
With this view he wrote repeated letters to the emperor 
and the men in power, which were leconded by the me¬ 
tropolitans and bifhops of moll note in the eall; whofe 
united efforts occafioned that defign to be relinquilhed. 
In the year 458, the emperor invited Leo to Conftanti- 
nople, that he might converfe with him in perfon on the 
fubjefts of the decree of Chalcedon, and the intrufion of 
Aslurus. To this invitation Leo replied in two letters ; 
one containing his excufes for not undertaking fuch a 
journey, and the other intended to explain, and confirm 
with the teftimony of the fathers, the doftrine of two na¬ 
tures. The laft-mentioned letter became very famous 
with the orthodox, and was often quoted by the writers 
of that and of the fucceeding ages. A copy of it being 
tranfmitted by the emperor to ALlurus, the latter took 
that opportunity of writing to the emperor; and, in his 
letter, cenfured, with great fmartnefs and freedom, both 
Leo’s letter and the council of Chalcedon. At the fame 
time, ZElurus entreated that he would allow a difpute to 
be held in his prefence, between the difciples of Euty- 
ches and any of whom Leo Ihould name or appoint. 
This propofal met with the approbation of the emperor ; 
who wrote to Leo, acquainting him with it, and defiring 
him to fend into the eall fuch perfons as he Ihould think 
bell qualified to enter the lilts with the Eutychians. But 
Leo abfolutely refufed to comply with the propofal, al¬ 
leging, what he had urged in all his letters, that it was 
both dangerous and unneceflary to examine anew’, or to 
queltion, what had been already examined and defined by 
an oecumenical council. 
From this time Leo continued his efforts, with unabated 
zeal, in defence of the catholic caufe, and omitted no op¬ 
portunity of endeavouring to imprefs the emperor’s mind 
with a fenfe of the heinoufnefs and enormity of ALlurus’s 
crime. At length, in the year 460, the bilhops of the 
eall, and particularly Gennadius, the new bifliop of Con- 
llantinople, united in the fame caufe with fo much ar¬ 
dour, that an order was obtained from the emperor, com¬ 
manding the expulfion and banilhment of ASlurus; which 
was carried into execution accordingly. This event was 
immediately followed by the election of a catholic bilhop 
to the fee of Alexandria, and the reltoration of thofe pre¬ 
lates who had been difplaced for their adherence to the 
council of Chalcedon. The tidings of this change afford¬ 
ed the highell fatisfa&ion to Leo ; but he did not long 
enjoy it, as he died towards the clofe of the year 461, af¬ 
ter having prefided over the Roman church twenty-one 
years, and between one and two months. 
Leo was, unqueltionably, a man of confiderable learn¬ 
ing, and of very eminent abilities, greatly fuperior to thofe 
of any of his predeceffors in the government of the Ro¬ 
man church, and fcarcely equalled by thofe of the moll 
celebrated of his fucceffors; but his ambition was un¬ 
bounded, and with him every object, every confideration, 
was made to yield to his predominant palfion for aggran¬ 
dizing his fee, or, in other words, for extending his own 
power and authority. This defign was purfued by him 
during a long courfe of years., with fuch Ikill, addrels, and 
Vol. XII. No. 846, 
intrepidity, that he is to be claffed among the principal 
founders of the exorbitant power of the papal church. 
His works confift of one hundred and forty-one Letters, 
and ninety-fix Sermons ; the fubjefls of which may he 
feen in Dupin. Their ftyle is frequently energetic, and 
always elegant, though fometimes too highly polilhed ; 
and they abound in beautiful and well-chofsn epithets, 
and happy antithefes, which are, perhaps, too often intro¬ 
duced. The bell edition of this pope’s works was pub- 
lilhed at Paris, in 1675, by father Quefnel, a priell of the 
congregation of the oratory, in z vols. 4to. which was re¬ 
printed at Lyons, in 1700, in folio. Platina de Vit. Pont . 
Cave's Hiji. Lit. Dvpin. Lardncr's Cred. 
LEO II. (Pope), a Sicilian by birth, and raifed to the 
papal dignity on the death of Agatho, in the year 68 z. 
With the decree confirming his election, he received 
a letter from the emperor Conllantine Pogonatus, ac¬ 
quainting him with the proceedings of the fixth general 
council, held at Conllantinople in the two preceding 
years, by which pope Honorius I. was anathematized as 
a monothelite. In anfwer to this letter, Leo wrote, that 
he received this council as he received the five preceding 
general councils, and anathematized all whom the coun¬ 
cil had anathematized ; and, among others, lie particu- 
larifes Honorius, who, he acknowledges, “ had not adorned 
the apoltolical church with the doflrine of apoltolical 
tradition, but had treacheroully endeavoured to fubvert 
the catholic faith. Leo alfo fent letters to the metropo¬ 
litans of the different provinces of the well, acquainting 
them with the proceedings of this council, and requiring 
them to receive it, as well as to caufe it to be received by 
the bilhops in their refpedllve jurifdictions. By this con¬ 
duct he acquired fo much intereft at court, that he found 
the opportunity favourable for extending the power of 
the papal fee, and procured an imperial edift, fubjefling 
for ever the independent fee of Ravenna to that of Rome. 
He died in 683, after a pontificate of only ten months 
and feventeen days. Five of his Letters are inferted in. 
the fixth volume of the Colled. Concil. 
LEO III. (Pope), a native of Rome, of which church 
he became prefbyter; and, upon the death of Adrian in 
the year 795, he was elected to the papal fee, by the una¬ 
nimous voice of the nobility, clergy, and people. Soon 
after his ordination he wrote to Charlemagne, acquainting 
him with his promotion ; fending him, at the fame time, 
the keys of the tomb of St. Peter, and the ltandard of the 
city of Rome, with other prefents; and requeuing him to 
fend fome lord of his court to Rome, to receive the oath 
of allegiance from the Roman people. Upon this Charle¬ 
magne directed the abbot Angilbert, one of his principal 
favourites, to repair to that city; who carried a letter to 
the new pope, which, befides complimentary expreflions 
of fatisfaClion at his promotion, contained exhortations to 
his holinefs to edify the church by his good example, and 
a ftriCt obfervance of the canons, and alfo promifes of 
protection to the catholic church and apoftolical fee. 
This letter Charlemagne accompanied with immenfe trea- 
fures, from the fpoils of the Huns, to be employed by 
Leo in repairing and adorning the churches of Rome, el- 
pecially that of St. Peter. In the year 796, on the propo¬ 
fal of Renulph king of Mercia, he rellored the fee of Can¬ 
terbury to that jurildiCtion over all the churches of Eng¬ 
land which had been curtailed by Offa, who had appoint¬ 
ed Lichfield, the metropolis of the kingdom of Mercia, an 
archbiihopric, fubjeCling to it, as fuffragans, the bilhops 
of the kingdoms of Mercia and the Eaft Angles. In the 
year 799, a confpiracy was formed againft Leo by two ne¬ 
phews of the late pope Adrian, to whom Leo had been 
indebted for his election. This circumftance led them to 
flatter themfelves, that, out of gratitude, he would fuffer 
them to exercife the fame unlimited power under him 
which they had enjoyed under their uncle. Being dif- 
appointed in this, they formed the defign of murdering 
Leo, and of procuring the election of fome other perfon, 
who would be guided by their councils. They made their 
6 H attempt 
