Page:Historical Works of Venerable Bede vol. 2.djvu/352

 280 Attila, is put to death by Valentinian; with him fell the western empire, never more to rise. A.M. 4427 [476].

Leo reigned 17 years. He addressed circular letters to all the orthodox bishops throughout the whole world respecting the Decrees of the Council of Chalcedon, and requiring their opinion touching the said Decrees; their replies agreed so wonderfully as to the true incarnation of Christ, that they all might have been written at the same time, from the mouth of one person dictating. Theodoretus, bishop of a city named Cyrus, from its founder, the king of Persia, writes on the true incarnation of our Saviour and Lord, against Eutyches and Dioscorus, bishops of Alexandria, who deny that Christ took human flesh; he also wrote an Ecclesiastical History, continuing the account of Eusebius down to his own time, that is, victorius to the reign of Leo, in which he died. Victorius, at the Easter for command of Pope Hilary, framed a calendar of Easter for 532 years. A.M. 4444 [493].

Zeno reigned 17 years. The body of the Apostle Barnabas, and the Gospel of Matthew in his handwriting, are brought to light by revelation from himself, Odacer, king of the Goths, made himself master of Rome, which from that time continued to be governed for a season by kings of that people. On the death of Theodoric, son of Triarius, Theodoric surnamed Valamer, obtained the sovereignty of the Goths, and after depopulatiug Macedonia and Thessaly, and burning many towns nigh to the metropolis itself, he next invaded and made himself master of Italy. Honoric, king of the