jurisdiction, under his hand and seal, having respect to the greatness of the cure and meetness of the party.

By the statute 57 Geo. III. c. 99, a power is given to the bishop to require the incumbent, if not resident, or the duty is inadequately performed, to appoint a curate, and upon his neglect, to appoint one himself, with certain allowances, in proportion to the value and population of the parish. And where the rector or vicar does not reside four months in the year, the bishop may allot, if he shall think fit, for the residence of the curate, the rectory or vicarage-house, with the garden, &c. during the time of his serving the cure, or during the non-residence of the incumbent.

D.

DALMATIA, a sacerdotal vestment, which was so called from its having been at first woven in Dalmatia.

Bingham calls this Tunica manicata et talaris, or a long coat with sleeves, and distinguishes it from the collobium, or short coat, without long sleeves. He thinks, however, that these were not peculiar to the bishops or presbyters in the primitive ages, and that they wore no habit in distinction from the laity.-Orig. Eccl. lib. vi. c. 4, s. 20; and see article Collobium.

DAMIANISTS, a denomination of Christians in the sixth century, who took their name from their leader, Peter Damian, Bishop of Alexandria, and were a sect of the Severites. They disowned any difference of persons in the Godhead, admitting only one nature, which they held to be incapable of distinction. They called God, however, "the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." -See article Severites, and Mosh. Eccl. Hist. Cent. VI.

DANCERS, a sect of Christians which first arose at Aix-la-Chapelle, in the year 1373, and soon spread themselves throughout Flanders. They took their appellation from their practice of dancing at the time of worship, and which they performed with so much violence, as frequently to fall down breathless and exhausted with their exertions. They were accustomed to wander about the country, and to assemble together in secret, holding the priesthood and the public rites and worship of the church in the greatest contempt. They seem to have been the precursors of the Convulsionists among the French, and the Jumpers of Wales.-See Mosh. Eccl. Hist. Cent. XIV.

In the United States of America there is also a sect of Christians called Shakers, whose principal part of worship consists in dancing, which they look upon as expressive of joy and thanksgiving. But with these it is never carried to excess, or attended with unseemly violence.

By the council of Trullo the public dancing of women was forbidden, as being the occasion of much harm and ruin, and as having being invented and observed in honour of the gods of the heathens.-See Bing. Orig. Eccl. b. xvi. c. 11, s. 15.

DAVIDISTS, or DAVID GEORGIANS, a sect of heretics, the adherents of David George, a native of Delft, who, in the year 1525, pretended to be the true Messiah, and that he was sent to earth for the purpose of filling heaven, which was empty through the want of people deserving to be called there. Many errors are imputed to him and his followers, some of which, however, are inconsistent with others. Upon his death he declared to his disciples, that he would rise again after the end of three years, a prophecy which is stated to have been fulfilled, from his body having at that period been ordered to be dug up and burnt, together with his writings, by the magistrates of the city. There are said to be some remains of this sect still. existing in Holstein, Friesland, and other countries.-See Mosh. Eccl. Hist. Cent. XVI.

DEACON, from a Greek word signifying a minister or servant, a person in the first or lowest degree of holy orders. Deacons are first mentioned in the Acts, c. vi., where we find seven, by the direction of the Apostles, were chosen by the people, and whom the Apostles afterwards ordained. "When they had prayed they laid their hands on them." Their principal, or at least, original office, seems to have been the care of the poor, although from their having been solemnly ordained by the Apostles, as well as from the example of Philip, one of the seven, they had also authority to preach and baptize. They also assisted at the agapæ, or love feasts, and in the distribution of the bread and wine to the communicants. In the English church the form of ordaining deacons declares, that it is their office to assist the priest in the administration of the holy communion; in which, however, agreeably to the practice of the ancient church, they can only administer the cup to the communicants. He is capable of being ordained in the twenty-third year of his age, but according to the present practice ordination is never conferred upon any who has not completed his twenty-third year. He is not capable of holding any ecclesiastical benefice, but may be a curate to a beneficed clergyman, a chaplain in a family, or lecturer to a parish church. According to the more generally received opinion, and now universal practice, he is not empowered to read the absolution, which, by the rubric, is directed to be pronounced by the priest alone. There appears, however, to be some doubt whether the word "alone" applies to the priest, or was designed as a direction to the people not to repeat the words after the minister. And some, looking upon the absolution as only a declaration of the conditions on which God is willing

to pardon sinners, have contended that this may be properly read by deacons. See Wheatly on the Common Prayer, c. iii. s. 4.

In the Romish church many minute offices are given to the deacons, which principally consist in attending the officiating prelate or priest. In the church of Scotland the office of the deacon is confined to the charge and care of the poor. For a more particular account of the office and duties of deacons in the primitive church, see Bingham's Orig. Eccl. b. ii. c. 20, and b. xix. c. 3, s. 3.

DEACONESS, a female deacon, an order of women, who had their distinct offices in the primitive church. This office appears to be as ancient as the apostolical age, for St. Paul calls Phæbe a servant or deaconess of the church of Cenchrea.-Rom. xvi. 1. Some however suppose, that the Apostle merely meant to represent her as a person who hospitably entertained poor Christians. In the Apostolical Constitutions mention is made of the ordination of a deaconess, and of the form of prayer used on that occasion.-Lib. viii. c. 19, 20. Pliny, also, in his celebrated epistle to Trajan, is supposed to refer to deaconesses, when, in speaking of two female Christians, he says, quæ ministra dicebantur." Their principal business was to assist at the baptizing of women, to instruct and prepare the female catechumens, to visit and attend the sick, to administer to martyrs, and to perform some of the inferior offices of the church. Tertullian calls them viduæ, from their being usually chosen out of the widows of the church; and from Epiphanius and the council of Laodicea we learn, that none but elderly women were ordinarily admitted into the office.-See Tim. v. 9. Bingham informs us, that their office and service were of great use in the primitive church.-Orig. Eccl. b. ii. c. 22, s. 1. We hear nothing, however, of this order later than the twelfth century.

DEACONRY, or DEACONATE, the order or ministry of a deacon or deaconess. See articles Deacon and Deaconess.

DEAN, an ecclesiastical dignitary in cathedral and collegiate churches, and the chief of the canons or prebendaries, who are styled the chapter. The dean and chapter are the council of the bishop, to assist him with their advice in affairs of religion, as wel! as in the temporal concerns of his see. When by the operation of the law of King Edgar, denter omnes decimæ primariæ ecclesiæ, ad quam parochia pertinet, the clergy in general were distributed among the several parishes of the kingdom, those constituting the dean and chapter were reserved for the administration of divine service in

the cathedral of the bishop; and the chief of these, being originally appointed to superintend ten canons, or prebendaries, obtained the name of decanus, or deans.

All ancient deans are elected by the chapter by conge d'estire from the king, and letters missive of recommendation; but in those chapters, which were founded by Henry VIII. out of the spoils of the dissolved monasteries, the deanery is donative, and the installation merely by the king's letterspatent.-See Black. Comm. b. 1, c. 11.

Deans not having the cure of souls may be admitted to their deaneries without subscribing the thirty-nine articles before the ordinary; nor are they called upon to read or declare their assent to the same, as those who are admitted to benefices are required to do by the statute 13 Eliz. c. 12.Godol. 200; Wats. c. 2.

DEAN-RURAL, a very ancient officer of the church, but now almost grown out of use. Originally the rural-dean exercised a certain jurisdiction over ten churches in the country, and thence acquired the appellation. According to Blackstone they seem to have been deputies of the bishops planted in different parts of his diocese, the better to inspect the conduct of the parochial clergy, and were armed for that purpose with an inferior degree of judicial and coercive authority.-B. i. c. 11.—See Burn, Eccl. Law.

DEAN AND CHAPTER, the council of the bishop, as mentioned under the article Dean, and nominally his electors. The bishop is their ordinary and immediate superior, and for the most part has the power of visiting them. At common law they had also a check upon the bishop; for until the statute 32 Henry VIII. c. 28, his grant or lease would not have been binding upon his successors unless confirmed by the dean and chapter.

DEAN OF A MONASTERY, was an officer immediately under the abbot to assist him in presiding over ten monks.

DEANERY, the office of a dean. A deanery may become void by death, by deprivation, or by resignation either to the king or bishop. If a dean be made a bishop, all his other preferments, as well as his deanery, become void, and the king may present to them in right of his royal prerogative. They are not void however by the election, but only upon his consecration.-Black. Com. b. i. c. 11.

Deaneries, also, over which the rural-deans had jurisdiction, are still existing as an ecclesiastical division of the diocese.