In the mean time serious events were taking i)lace at Kome. In 452 the dreaded king of the Huns, Attila, invaded Italy, and, after sackuig and iihuulering Aqui- leia, Pavia, and Milan, he marched against Kome. A'a- lentinian, proving himself unfit for his high position, remained at Kavenna, and ^'Etius himself saw safety in flight onh\ The Koman senate assembled to deliberate on what should be done in this emergencj^, and resist- ance being considered impossible, Leo was chosen as a mediator and sent to Attila. What the arguments em- ployed b}' the eloquent suppliant may have been history has failed to record; but the Huns spared Kome, and, in consideration of a sum paid by the inhabitants, witli- drew from Italy and retired beyond the Danube. This action of Attila appeared so strange that it was consid- ered impossible to account for it except by a miracle. According to the legend, Attila confessed to liis oflicers that during the address of Leo a venerable old man ap- peared to him, holding a sword with which he threat- ened to slay him if he resisted the voice of God. When again in 455 Kome lay at the mercy of the Yandals, who, taking advantage oi' the disturbances «hich followed the death of Yalentinian, had invaded Italy, the senate had a second time recourse to Leo, and sent him to Genseric. But this time his eloquence did not prove so successful. Genseric consented onh' to promise not to burn the city, and to spare the life of the inhabitants, and from plunder three of the most important churches. The other jiarts of the town were abandoned to the sol- diers for a ibrtnight. The remainder of Leo's life passed without further disturbance. While engaged in his schemes of aggrandizement, he never neglected for a moment to pursue and repress heresy within tke states Avhere his authority was recognised. Having learned that there were still a large number of Maiiicha'ans in Rome, he caused them to be hunted up and punished. He acted ^vith as much severity against the Pelagians and the Priscillianists. Barbeyrac (Traite de la morale des Peres, c. 17, § 2) even accuses him of ha^•ing approved, and perhaj)S instigated, the violent measures taken against the heretics during his pontificate, and adduces in proof the letter of this pope to Turibius, bishop pri- mate of Spain, concerning the PriscDlianists. Beau- sobre (in his llistoire dii Manich., 1. 9, c. 9, t. 2, p. 75(5) goes further, and charges Leo with having falsely ac- cused the INIanichreans and Priscillianists of the mis- deeds for which they were condemned.
Leo is said to have been the originator of the fasts of Lent and Pentecost. An old legend, found in a num- ber of ancient writers, relates that in the latter part of his life Leo cut off one of his hands; some, Th. Kay- naud among them, give as the reason that a woman of great beauty having once, on Easter-day, been iicrmitted to kiss his hand, the pope felt unholy desires, and thus punished this rebellion of the flesh, and they add that it is from that time the custom of kissing the pope's loot was introduced. Sabellicus and others assert iliat the
LEO I
358
LEO II
pope only punished liimself for having conferred orders on a man who proved lunvorthy. All state that his liand was finally restored to him hy a miracle. He died April 11,461.
The works of Leo consist of discourses delivered on the f;rcat festivals of the Church, or on other solemn occasions, and of letters. I. Sekmoses. — Of these, the tirst by the Koman pontiffs which have come down to posterity, we possess 96. There are 5 De Natali ipsius, preached on anniversaries of his ordination, 6 De Col- L'ctis, 9 De Jejunio Decimi Mensis, 10 De Nativitate Domini, 8 In Epiphania Domini, 19 De Passione Domi- ni. 2 De ResurrecHone Domini, 2 De Ascemione Domini, 3 De Pentecoste, 4 De Jejunio Pentecosfes, 1 /« Natali Apnstolorum Petri et PauU, 1 In Natali S. Petri Apos- toli, 1 hi Octavis Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, 1 In Natali S. Lanrentii Maiiyris, 9 De Jejunio Septimi Mensis, 1 De Grarlibus Ascensionis ad Beatitudinem, 1 Tractatus con- tra ficeresim Eutychis. Milman {Hist. Lat. Christianity, i. 258 ) thus comments on these productions of Leo : ''His sermons singularly contrast with the florid, des- ultDry, and often imaginative and impassioned style of the (ircek preachers. They are brief, simple, severe ; •without fancy, without metaphysic subtlety, without passion ; it is th.e Koman censor animadverting with nervous majesty on the vices of the people; the Roman priBtor dictating the law, and delivering with authority the doctrine of the faith. They are singularly Chris- tian—Christian as dwelling almost exclusively on Christ, his birth, his passion, his resurrection ; only polemic so far as called upon by the prevailing controversies to as- sert with special emphasis the perfect deity and the perfect manhood of Christ." II. Epistol.e. — These, extending to the number of 173, are addressed to the reigning emperors and their consorts, to synods, to re- ligious communities, to bishops and other dignitaries, and to sundry influential personages connected with the ecclesiastical history of the times. Thjy afford an im- mense mass of most valuable information on the pre- vailing heresies, controversies, and doubts on matters of doctrine, discipline, and Church governmant. Besides the 96 Sermones and 173 Epistolce mentioned above, a considerable number of tracts have from time to time been ascribed to this pope, but their authenticity is either so doubtful or their spuriousness so evident that they are now universally set aside. A list of these, and an investigation of their origin, will be found in the edi- tion of the brothers Ballerini, more particularly described below. In consequence of the reputation deserv^edly gained by Leo, his writings have always been eagerly studied. But, although a vast number of MSS. are still in existence, none of these exhibit his works in a com- jilcte form, and no attempt seems to have been made to bring together any portion of them for many hundred years after his death. The Sermones were dispersed in the Lectionaria, or select discourses of distinguished di- vines, employed in places of public worship until the 11th century, when they first began to be picked out of these cumbrous storehouses and transcribed separately, while the Kpistolm were gradually gathered into imper- fect groups, or remained embodied in the general col- lections of papal constitutions aMd canons.