speaking official. Indeed, the seals of ecclesiastics constitute a remarkable division of the subject, in the year 1237, when heraldic seals were becoming general among the nobility, Cardinal Otto, the Papal legate in this country, thought it expedient to have some regulations made respecting them; and, accordingly, among divers other constitutions or canons passed at a synod held in London, over which he presided, was one whereby after mentioning that, since the use of notaries did not prevail in this kingdom, it was the more necessary to have recourse to authentic seals, in order that there might be a sufficiency of them the synod decreed that not only archbishops and bishops, but likewise their officials, and also abbots, priors, deans, archdeacons, and their officials, and also rural deans, and the chapters of cathedral churches, and other colleges and convents, either together with their rectors (or heads) or separately, according to their usage or statutes, should have seals; and that, for the sake of distinction, every one of them should have his or their own proper seal, on which should be engraved in plain characters the name of the dignity, office, or college, and also the name of the person who enjoyed any permanent dignity or office, and that such seals should be deemed authentic; and those respectively who undertook any temporary office, as rural deans and officials, should, at the termination of their office, resign their seal to him by whom they were appointed, and which seal should have engraved on it only the name of the office. Some directions then follow as to the custody of common seals of ecclesiastical bodies, and the dating of instruments, which, however, do not concern my present purpose.[1] I do not find any general canon of the Church to the like effect, and from the manner in which this constitution is mentioned by Heineccius and the Benedictines, I infer that there is none, though the seals of foreign ecclesiastics in regard to their legends are very similar to those of this country.
After all that has been said respecting these remains of medieval times, it is hardly possible to appreciate the interest which attends the prosecution of the subject, or the assistance in other branches of knowledge which is to be derived from it, without inspecting and comparing a considerable number of examples of various kinds; nor without such means at
- ↑ See Math. Paris de anno, 1237; and Wilkin's Concilia, I., pp. 647, 655.
