erest with the empress Eudoxia, glad of an opportunity to
mortify Pulcheria, who had a high esteem for our saint, they prevailed
with the emperor to order a council to be called at Ephesus, to
determine the dispute. Dioscorus was invited by the emperor to come and
preside in it, accompanied with ten metropolitans and other bishops,
together with the archimandrite, or abbot Barsumas, a man strongly
attached to Eutyches and Dioscorus. The like directions were sent to the
other patriarchs. St. Leo, who was invited, though late, sent legatee to
act {424} in his name, Julius, bishop of Puteoli, Renatus, a priest, who
died on the road, Hilarius, a deacon, and Dulcitius, a notary. He sent
by them a learned letter to St. Flavian, in which he taxes the ignorance
of Eutyches in the holy scriptures, and explains the Catholic doctrine
against that heresiarch, which he also did by other letters.

The false council of Ephesus, for the violences therein used commonly
called the Latrocinale, was opened on the 8th of August, in 449, and
consisted of one hundred and thirty bishops, or their deputies, from
Egypt and the East. Eutyches was there, and two officers from the
emperor, with a great number of soldiers. Every thing was carried on, by
violence and open faction, in favor of Eutyches, by those officers and
bishops who had espoused his party and formed a cabal. The pope's
legates were never suffered to read his letters to the council. The
final result of the proceedings was, to pronounce sentence of deposition
against St. Flavian and Eusebius. The pope's legates protested against
the sentence. Hilarius, the deacon, cried out aloud, "contradicitur,"
opposition is made; which Latin word was inserted in the Greek acts of
the synod. And Dioscorus no sooner began to read the sentence, but he
was interrupted by several of the bishops, who, prostrating themselves
before him, besought him, in the most submissive terms, to proceed no
further in so unwarrantable an affair. Upon this he starts up, and calls
aloud for the imperial commissioners, Elpidius and Eulogius, who,
without more ado, ordered the church doors to be set open; upon which
Proclus, the proconsul of Asia, entered, surrounded with a band of
soldiers, and followed by a confused multitude with chains, clubs, and
swords. This struck such a terror into the whole assembly, that, when
the bishops were required by Dioscorus and his creatures to subscribe,
few or none had the courage to