to the respect with which the senate had beentreated by the Roman princes who adopted thepolicy of Augustus . Within the space of fiftyyears, a philosophic spectator of the vicissitudesof human affairs, might have contemplated Ta-citus in the senate of Rome, and Constantine inthe council of Nice. The fathers of the capitol,and those of the church, had alike degeneratedfrom the virtues of their founders; but as thebishops were more deeply rooted in the publicopinion, they sustained their dignity with moredecent pride, and sometimes opposed, with amanly spirit, the wishes of their sovereign. Theprogress of time and superstition, erased thememory of the weakness, the passion, the igno-rance, which disgraced these ecclesiastical sy-nods ; and the catholic world has unanimouslysubmitted 0 to the infallible decrees of the gene-ral councils. p
• Sancimus igitur vicem Iegum obtinere, quse a quatuor Sanctis
Conciliis.expositse sunt aut firmatae. Praedictarum enim quatuor
synodorum dogmata sicut sanctas scripturas et regulas sicut leges ob-servamus. Justinian. Novel, exxxi . Beveridge (ad Pandect, proleg.p. 2) remarks, that the emperors never made new laws in ecclesiasticalmatters ; and Girnnone observes, in a very different spirit, that theygave a legal sanction to the canons of councils. Istoria Civile de Na-poli, tom. i, p 136.
p See the article CnHcile in the Encyclopedia, tom . iii, p. 668-679,edition de Lucques. The author, M. le docteur Bonchatid, has dis-cussed, according to the principles of the Gallican church, the principalquestions which relate to the form and constitution of general, national,and provincial councils. The editors (see Preface, p. xvi) have reasonto be proud of thin article. Those who consult their immense compi-lation, seldom depart so well satisfied.
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