the Offices both of Bifhop and Archdeacon, be very much eas'd, if thefe Rural Deans might divide the Burthen with them: I am fure for want of these, many things are left undone, which ought to be done. The Decretal therefore strictly enjoyns every Bishop to have his Archpresbyters, and fays, Altho' the Bishop be never fo well qualified for his Office, yet he ought to divide his Burthens. And that as he prefides in the Mother Church, fo fhould the Archpresbyters in their feveral Precincts, that the Ecclefiaftical Care may be faulty in nothing.

*

CHAP. XI.

Of Bishops Chancellors.

IR Thomas Ridley, in his View of the Civil Part 2. cap. 3. and Ecclefiaftical Law, fays, That Chan- §. 2. & cellors are near of as great Antiquity as the Bishops themselves: And that they are the fame which the Civil Law calls Ecclefiecdici, or Ecclefiarum Ecdici. Thefe Ecdici we do indeed find to have been of an ancient Original; however four hundred Years later than the first Inftitution of Bishops. For there is no mention of them before the Year of our Lord 411, when Honorius was Emperor of the Weft and Theodofius Junior of the East. At which time the Council of Carthage Decreed, That, because of the + Can. 78. frequent Vexations of the Poor, with whofe Troubles the Church was continually wearied, it feemed good to all to entreat the Emperors, that Defenders [Ecdici] might be chofen against the Tyranny of the Rich. And that thefe are the fame which Ju

ftinian

· Aunotat. ad

Chalced.

ftinian and Doctor Ridley call Ecclefiecdici, is plain from the Title of this Canon, where they are called Ecclefiarum Ecdici. And that they were not conftituted as Officers in Church Affairs before this time, is plain from the very Words of this Canon. For had it been an Office in the Church before, the Council needed not to have petitioned the Emperors for leave to constitute fuch an Officer, but would have ordered the Bishops to have done it according to ancient Custom: As Bishop BeCan 23. Concil. veridge has well obferved, who in his Annotations on the Council of Chalcedon has largely treated on the Power of this Officer. But as to what he says further, and endeavours to prove from Balfamon, Johannes Citninfis, and other Greek Canonifts, that thefe Ecdici were from the Beginning the fame with our present Chancellors is more than I believe can be made out. And tho' depending too much on the Authority of this great Man, I was once of this Opinion, and declared it in my former Edition of this Book, yet the Learned and Judicious Mr. Bingham has fully convinced me of my Mistake. He having evidently proved in Vol. 2. p. 62, his Antiquities of the Chriftian Church, that thefe Ecdici or Defenfors were not at firft appointed to do the Office of Judges, but of Advocates at Law, to defend the Rights of the Poor, and the Liberties of the Church, against all Aggreffors and Invaders. However it must be acknowledged, and fo much Bishop Beveridge has plainly proved, that in the latter Ages of the Greek Church, a Judicial Power was given to one of thefe Ecdici, who was therefore called Protecdicus, who appears to have had an Authority much like that of our Chancellors. For Codi

&c.

nus

ftan. cap.i. Num.

7.

Sa

nus a Conftantinopolitan, who made it his Bufinefs to enquire into the nature of all the Officers of that Church and State, and wrote of them (and fure he could not be deceived in this matter) (a) fays, that the Protecdicus was (4) De Offic. ConFudge in all controverfial Caufes and Complaints, and places him among the Exocatocali, who (as (b) Gretfter his Commentator fays, fuftain-() Com. in Coed much the fame place in the Church of Can- din. cap. 4.num. ftantinople, which the Cardinals have in the Church of Rome, and) were Principal Officers that fat at the Patriarch's Right Hand. There was also another Ecdicus in the Church of Conftantinople (for fo he is exprefly stiled by (c) Codi-(c)Cap. t. num.g? nus) called Chartophylax, because he had the Custody of all Writings and Records belonging to the Church. He had Jurifdiction and Authority to Judge in all Ecclefiaftical Causes as the Patriarch's Right Hand: And therefore preceded the Protecdicus. But it is probable that the fimple Ecdici themselves were yet no more than Advocates, fince as Bishop Beveridge has proved there were fometimes ten or twelve together in the Church of Conftanti nople.

How early a Judicial Authority was committed to the Protecdicus is not very eafie to be determi ned. And it is highly probable that at first hè did not hear and determine all Controverfial Caufes and Complaints,but only fuch Causes as related to the Poor, with whofe Troubles, the Council of Carthage complains that the Church was continually wearied. Neither does this Authority appear to have been given to him 'tillaconfiderable time after the Inftitution of the Ecdici For we do not meet with the name Protecdicus 'till a great while after. The Reafon why I conceive

9

the

num. 3.

the Protecdicus to have had no greater Authority at firft, is, because for many Ages after the Inftitution of Ecdici, he was reckoned to be no more than an Inferiour Officer. For as Lib 1.cap. 2. Gretfer has proved in his Comment on Codinus, the Protecdicus was not advanced to the Honour of fitting with the Exocatocœli 'till the time that George Xiphilinus was Patriarch of Conftantinople about the conclufion of the twelfth Century, and that before he was looked upon only as one of the Patriarch's inferiour Officers. The Chartophylax indeed feems to have been the Patriarch's Vicar-general, and as Gretfer fays preceded the very Bishops, but I cannot find the Antiquity of this Officer, or whether there was such an one in any other Church befide that of Conftantinople.

(a) Antiq of

p. 172.

The Ecdici were at first but Lay-Men; and there was no Reason at their Institution why they should be any other, whilst they were no more than Advocates to plead the Causes of the Poor. Yet afterwards when they came to be concerned in all Ecclefiaftical Causes, and one of them was advanced to the Honour and Dignity of Spiritual Jurifdiction, as both Bifhop Beveridge and Gretfer have already proved, they were always Clergy-Men. And I am confident no Church before the Reformation ever permitted Lay-Men to be Ecclefiaftical Judges.

There was another Officer in the Primitive Church fomething Elder than the Ecdici, these Christ, c. vol. I. were called Trai, Itinerant or visiting Presbyters. Which as (a) Mr. Bingham obferves were first appointed by the Council of Epit. & Cler. c. (b) Laodicea, An. 360. It does not plainly appear what this Office was; but tho' (c) Go

(6) Can. 57.

(c) Ad. c. de

omnem. §. Præ

terca.

thofred

thofred in his Annotations on Juftinian fays they were the fame with the Ecdici or Ecclefiecdici and were Aiders and Affifters to the Bishop in his Jurifdiction thro' the whole Diocefs, fupplying the abfence of the Bishop, it is certain they were dif ferent Officers. For the Periodeute or Vifitors were plainly Presbyters from the Beginning, whereas the Ecdici were at firft but LayMen. It is evident from the Words of the Canon that they were inftituted to supply the place of the Chorepifcopi, and in my Opinion feem to answer to our Rural Deans. But in this I fhall determine nothing, because I can yet find but very little account of them.

What was the Office of the Chancellors in the ancient Church, is alfo what I cannot yet find. That there were fome Officers of the Church called by that name as early as the beginning of the feventh Century is manifest from the Novel of Heraclius, (d) published by Leuncla- (d) Bibliother vins. It is certain they were not Ecdici, for Jur. Can. Tom.2, they are plainly diftinguifhed from them in the

Novel, neither were they Notaries as (e) Spell- (e) Glofs. Verb. man fays they were, fince the Novel alfo di- Cancellarius. ftinguishes as plainly between them. For the Emperor determining the number of Ecclefiaftical Officers that were to be allowed in the great Church of Conftantinople fays there should be, Two Syncelli, Twelve Chancellors, Ten Ecdici, Twelve Referendaries, Forty Notaries, &c. Calvin in his Lexicon fays they were Actuaries or Scribes. And it is plain from the number of them that they were Officers of the highest Truft, as Chancellors are now. As to the Syncelli, who being but two in that great Church may seem to have been of greater Power, I can fay nothing of them. Gretfer tells us,

0 2

that