Complete Works of Pope Leo the Great

THE LIFE OF SAINT LEO

...swallowed the spoils of such things; he consumed Concordia with fire, utterly overturned Aquileia, and cut down the royal cities of Ticinum Modern-day Pavia. and Milan. From here, with the other cities of Italy partly plundered and burned, and partly surrendered in fear, he began to wander widely between the Adda and the Adige rivers. There, besides the cities already mentioned, he afflicted Mantua, Brescia, Cremona, Bergamo, and Ravenna with equal disaster. And now, with so many and such great cities devastated on all sides, the Huns—as if the floodgates had been burst—hastened under the leadership of Attila to break into Rome.

What then must have been Leo's state of mind? What could he do in such a situation and time? For the path of cowardice was driving even the bravest into flight and hiding places, while the wickedness and fury of the enemy forced them toward despair; finally, the cry of the people foretold a most cruel and mournful end, so that every neighboring sign portended the burning of the city, the slaughter of the citizens, the desolation of Italy, and indeed the destruction of the entire Christian Republic The "Christian Republic" refers to the collective body of Christendom, viewed here as a political and spiritual entity..

Certainly, when the enemy was already almost in sight, preparing to cross his forces where the Mincio flows into the Po, Leo, that most holy man, went to meet him—wondrous to tell!—having pitied the calamity of both Italy and the city of Rome. About to give proof of a "Lion-like" mind A pun on his name, Leo, which is Latin for "Lion." that would never perish, he went out, I say—now advanced in age—together with one of the Consuls and a significant portion of the Roman Senate. This old man of innocent simplicity, venerable for his many white hairs and his majestic appearance, met the tyrant who was depopulating everything; he was a man who had long desired, even without being asked, to spend himself entirely for the sake of saving his sheep. And there, near the Mincio River, he is said to have addressed the savage king in this way:

"The Senate and the Roman people, once the victors of the world but now truly vanquished, humbly beg for mercy and safety from you, Attila, King of Kings. Nothing could happen to you in such a glory of deeds—nothing more beautiful for your present honor or more memorable for posterity—than that this people should lie as suppliants at your feet, before whom all nations and kings once lay as suppliants. Indeed, Attila, you have subdued the entire world, and it is your tribute to have subdued the Romans, who were once the victors over all nations. Now we only pray that you conquer yourself, you who conquer all other things. Nor is there a way—since you have now transcended every height of human achievement—in which you can be more like the immortal God than by wishing for as many to be saved through you as you have conquered. The wicked have felt your scourge; let the suppliants now feel your mercy, either because they confess themselves defeated or because they are ready to do what is commanded of their own accord."

The unconquered LEO had spoken these things with a good conscience. While Attila stood silent, appearing to deliberate while contemplating Leo’s appearance and venerable aspect, behold! Two men suddenly appeared to him on his right and left—namely the Apostles Peter and Paul. They not only stood by the Pontiff PontiffA title for the Pope, derived from the Latin 'Pontifex,' meaning bridge-builder. in majestic attire, but also held drawn swords above Attila's head and aimed them at him, threatening him with death unless he obeyed the word of the Pope. Wherefore, as Eutropius is the authority,