The

injuries offered to them under any pretense whatsoever. The counsel indeed, which they shall intrust to me, by themselves, or by their messengers, or letters, I will not, to their harm, knowingly reveal to any one. Roman papacy and the royalties of St. Peter, I will help them to retain and defend, without prejudice to my order, against every man. The legate of the apostolic see in his going and returning, I will treat honorably and help in his necessities. The rights, honors, privileges, and authority of the holy Roman church, of our lord the pope, and of his aforesaid successors, I will take care to preserve, defend, increase, and promote. Nor will I be in any counsel, or deed, or working, in which any things may be contrived against our lord himself or the said Roman church, to the injury or prejudice of their persons, right, honor, state, and power. And, if I shall know such things to be taken in hand or managed by any whomsoever, I will hinder this as far as I can; and as soon as I shall be able, I will make it known to our said lord, or to some other one, by whom it may come to his knowledge. The rules of the holy Fathers, the decrees, ordinances, or dispositions, reservations, provisions, and mandates apostolical, I will observe with all my might and cause to be observed by others. Heretics, schismatics, and rebels against our said lord or his aforesaid successors I will, as far as I can, follow after' and fight against. When called to a synod, I will come, unless I shall be prevented by a canonical impediment. I will myself personally visit the thresholds of the apostles [i. e. Rome] every three years; and I will render to our lord and his aforesaid successors an account of my whole pastoral office and of all things in anywise pertaining to the state of my church, to the discipline of the clergy and people, finally to the salvation of the souls committed to my trust; and I will in turn humbly receive and with the utmost diligence perform the apostolic commands. But if I shall be detained by a lawful impediment, I will perform all the things aforesaid by a certain messenger specially authorized for this purpose, one of my chapter, or some other one placed in ecclesiastical dignity,

1 The Latin word here is persequar, from which comes our word "persecute," and which literally signifies "follow perseveringly," hence "pursue," "hunt after," "prosecute," or "persecute."

2 This period applies to those in Italy and its vicinity; once in 4 years is the rule for those in France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland, &c.; once in 5 years for those in remoter parts of Europe, in North Africa, &c.; once in 10 years for those in Asia, America, &c. Thus the Pontificale Romanum determines.

or else having a parsonage; or, if these are lacking to me, by a priest of the diocese; and, if the clergy are altogether lacking, by some other secular or regular presbyter, of tried honesty and piety, well-instructed in all the above named subjects. In respect to an impediment of this sort, however, I will give information by legitimate proofs, to be transmitted by the aforesaid messenger to the Cardinal proponent of the holy Roman church in the Congregation of the Sacred Council. Assuredly the possessions belonging to my table I will not sell, nor give away, nor pledge, nor infeoff anew, or in any way alienate, even with the consent of the chapter of my church, without consulting the Roman pontiff. And if I shall make any alienation, I desire by that very act to incuthe penalties set forth in a certain constitution published on this subject.

"So help me God and these holy Gospels of God."

The Roman Catholic priests, theological seminaries and ecelesiastical institutions, and ecclesiastical, clerical, or theological students in the archdioceses and dioceses in the United States are thus reported in Sadliers' Catholic Directory for 1870 and 1871 The archdioceses are marked "A."; the dioceses "D."; and vicariates apostolic "V. A.”

These statistics, imperfect, yet the best obtainable, show a gain in 1 year of 184 priests, and a loss of 134 ecclesiastical students for the same period, the number of seminaries remaining the same. Making allowance for 3 vicariates apostolic (Arizona, Montana, and the Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains) which are not reported in the Directory for 1871, we may estimate the present number of Roman Catholic priests in the United States at just about 4,000. If we suppose the ratio of priests and ecclesiastical students to be the same in the dioceses, &c., which do not report the latter as in those which report both, we shall obtain about 1400 as the whole number of Americans now studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood.

The following list of archbishops, bishop, and vicars apostolic is from Sadliers' Catholic Directory for 1870, with notes designating the changes made in that for 1871. In the 1st column "A." stands for