THE TERM " PRESIDENCY" AMBIGUOUS. 253 thing, and no peculiarity in right or usage annexed to the pope, nor altogether depended on his grant or representation, to which Mem- non had no title. The pope himself and his legates are divers times in theActs said duvElp 6Ely, " to sit together," with the bishops; which considence* [consession] does not well comport with his special right to presi- dency.' Yea, it is observable that the oriental bishops, who, with John of Antioch, opposed the Cyrillian party in that synod, charged on Cyril that " he (as if he lived in a time of anarchy) proceeded to all irregularity;" a and that, " snatching to himself the authority, which neither was givenhim by the canons nor by the emperor's sanc- tion, he rushed on to all kinds of disorder and illegality:"9 whence it is evident that, in the judgment of those bishops, among whom were divers worthy and excellent persons,' the pope had no right to any authoritative presidency. This word " presidency," indeed, has an ambiguity apt to impose on those who do not observe it; for it may be taken for a privilege of precedence, or for authority to govern things. The first kind of presidence the pope, without dispute, when present at a synod, would have had among the bishops, as being the " bishop of the first see," as the sixth synod calls him,' and "the first of priests," as Justinian calls him;" and in his absence his legates might take up his chair, for in general synods each see had its chair assigned to it, according to its order of dignity by custom. And according to this sense, the patriarchs and chief metropolitans are also often, singly or con- junctly, said to preside, as sitting in one of the first chairs. But the other kind of presidency was (as those bishops in their complaint against Cyril imply, and as we shall see in practice) dis- posed by the emperor as he saw reason, although usually it was con- ferred on him who, among those present, in dignity preceded the rest. This is that authority, aiAevria, which the Syrian bishops com- plained against Cyril for assuming to himself without the emperor's ° This word considence, used to express sitting together, as judges in a court of session, has been uniformly printed confidence in the late editions. En. SúvAas, ero 1psótr xai ó ms3s pcs á).es 'Própaas &pxisaíezovroe Relat. ad Imp. p. 422. 2v4suaávawv &aró mqC ioarípas, &c. Act. ii. p. 322. Tdv 49r0070Xrxóv apóvov euv6S,6ú0v744 iipc7,. Act. iv. p. 340. 2 `SES iv &ßaovXsúmars zarpo7s xdps7 vrpñs ,ratrav 9rapav000Ìav, x m X. 3 'Aprrgoas éaumrw 'Ay ai46vm;av mi7v ,a4m6 91.44p& wv xavÓvdv dn. Mapvívav, ¡cams &vró mwv Úpa6m6pdv Seovr o'p+amdv, óp¡cm 9rpá; 9rmv snnas &ma ;as xai vrapavopa;as.Relat. ad Imper., Act. mph. p. 380. 4 The bishops of Syria, being then the most learned in the world, as John of Antioch implies, p. 377. 5 ïipwmágpvvos gig ixxxae;as. Syn. vi. p. 285. Tw, 76 ovvppóvwv aimñ Fs."' aúrrr &yrar- mrímdv 9r447prapy:Zv. I bid, p. 297. 6 Dpdrve 16pidv.Justin., Cad. tit. i. L
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