ices. Nevertheless, upon the reproach of Lucentius, all the
Bishops cried out that no one had been forced. They protested again
afterwards, both all in common, and the principal by themselves, that they
had signed it of their full consent. Anatolius also maintains to St. Leo,
that the Bishops took this resolution of their own accord.

"The Legates continued to oppose the Canon, and showed that they had an
express order of the Pope to do so. They alleged that the Canon was
contrary to the Council of Nicea, of which they read the sixth Canon, with
the celebrated heading--'The Roman Church has always had the primacy,'
which is also found added in the ancient Roman code. The same Canon was
afterwards read as it is in the original Greek, and the Canon of the second
Ecumenical Council, to which the Legates answered nothing.

"The magistrates having next begged the Bishops who had not signed the day
before, to give their opinion, Eusebius, of Ancyra, represented with much
gentleness and modesty, that it was better for the Church that ordinations
should be made upon the spot by the Council of the province. Thalassius
then spoke a single word, but I know not his meaning."

Thereupon "the magistrates[98] said,--'It appears, from the depositions,
first of all, that the primacy and precedency of honour ([Greek: ta
proteia, kai ten exaireton timen]) should be preserved according to the
Canons for the Archbishop of Old Rome, but that the Archbishop of
Constantinople ought to enjoy the same privileges, ([Greek: ton auton
presbeion tes times],) and that he has a right to ordain the Metropolitans
of the Dioceses of Asia, Pontus, and Thrace, in the manner following. In
each metropolis, the clergy, the proprietors of lands, and the gentry, with
all the Bishops of the province, or the greater part of them, shall issue a
decree for the election of one whom they shall deem worthy of being made a
Bishop of the metropolis. They shall all make a report of it to the
Archbishop of Constantinople, and it shall be at his option either to
enjoin the Bishop elect to come thither for ordination, or to allow him to
be ordained in the province. As to the Bishops of particular cities, they
shall be ordained by all, or the greater part, of the comprovincial
Bishops, under the authority of the Metropolitan, according to the Canons,
the Archbishop of Constantinople taking no part in such ordination. These
are our views, let the Council state theirs.' The Bi