e, he first visited the relics of the Apostles and Martyrs. Next he
waited on St. Leo; and having paid him the greatest respect, he besought
him very humbly to please to order what respected the state of the Churches
according to immemorial practice. Persons were seen attending at Rome on
the holy altar who had been juridically and justly deposed in Gaul: he was
obliged to address to him his complaints of this; and, if they were found
correct, besought the Pope at least to stop by a secret order this
violation of the Canons. If not, he would not trouble him further, not
being come to Rome to bring an action, and make accusations, but to pay to
him his respects, to declare to him the state of things, and to beseech him
to maintain the rules of discipline. There is reason to believe that St.
Hilary maintained that St. Leo had no right at all to take cognizance of
this cause as judge, meaning, doubtless, that the Church of France was in
the same condition as that of Africa, and had the same power to terminate
causes which arose there, without an appeal elsewhere being allowed. St.
Leo even sufficiently assures us that this was St. Hilary's view; and he
takes occasion from it to accuse him of unwillingness to be subject to St.
Peter, and to recognise the Primacy of the Roman Church: which would prove
that all the holy Bishops of Africa did not recognise it, and give heretics
a great advantage. St. Leo, on the other hand, maintained not only that the
Churches of the Gauls had often consulted that of Rome in various
difficulties--which had nothing to do with the matter in question--but,
also, that they had often appealed to the Holy See, which had either
altered or confirmed judgments pronounced by them. If we may be allowed to
regard the depositions of St. Leo and St. Hilary as the claims of different
parties, and to examine the matter to the bottom, according to the light
which history sheds on it, we may say that we do not find that the Gallican
Church had hitherto admitted, up to that time, any appeal to the Holy See;
and that Zosimus, having wished to claim the right of judging Proculus,
Bishop of Marseilles, Proculus always maintained himself, in spite of all
the efforts of this Pope. Meanwhile, as St. Leo, sufficiently jealous of
the greatness of his See, found himself opposed by St. Hilary in a point of
this importance, it is not surprising that he was susceptible of the bad
impression given him of the conduct of this gre