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 CORONATION

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CORONATION

cas in 602, and although our records of procedure are somewhat defective, no doubt can be felt that from this time forth the whole ceremonial assumed a formal and religious character. The rite is contained in the "Euchologium", the earliest extant manuscript, dat- ing from about 795. There is a partial clothing with the Insignia m the metatorium before the ceremony begins, but the ritual centres in the conferring of the chlamys and crown. Before each of these is imposed the patriarch reads in silence an impressive prayer closely analogous in spirit to what we find in the West- ern orders at a later date. For example the prayer over the chlamys begins thus: " O Lord, our God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who through Sam- uel the prophet didst choose David Thy servant to be king over Thy people Israel ; do Thou now also hear the supplication of us unworthy and behold from Thy dwelling place Thy faithful servant N. whom Thou hast been pleased to set as king over Thy holy nation, which Thou didst purchase with the precious blood of Thine only-l)egotten Son: vouchsafe to anoint him with the oil of gladness, endue him with power from on high, put upon his head a crown of pure gold, grant him long life," etc. After the crowning the people cry out, "Holy, holy, holy" and "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace", three times. Then Holy Communion is given to the emperor from the reserved Sacrament, or perhaps even the Mass of the Presanctified is celebrated. After which all the standards and halberds are dipped and raised again, and the senators and clergy prostrate in adoration.

One cannot help suspecting that the choice of this particular moment, when the emperor has just re- ceived the Sacred Host, for the act of adoration may have been motived by some foresight of possible con- scientious objections about performing such adoration merely to the emperor's person. The rite of prostra- tion, though introduced by C'onstantine, was probably not unaffected by lingering memories of the pagan apotheosis of the Caesars. Finally, after the adoration came the Imides (see Acclamations) or acta as they were called in the East (aKToXoyc'iy was the technical word). The cantors cried "Glory be to God in the highest. . . . This is the great day of the Lord. This is the day of the life of the Romans", and so on for many verses, the people repeating each once or thrice. After which "Many, many, many". R. "Many years, for many years". " Long years to you, N. and N., auto- crats of the Romans", ft. "Many years to you" and so forth with much repetition. Finally, the emperor leaves the church wearing his crown and going to the metatorium seats himself upon his throne while the dignitaries (a^iu^ara) come and do homage by kissing his knees. Although the prayer over the chlamys begs God to " anoint him with the oil of gladness" the early euchologia contain no mention of any rite of unction, and it seems tolerably certain that this was not mtro- duced in the East until the twelfth centm-y (Bright- man, loc. cit., .383-386). Even when adopted, the unction was confined to making the sign of the cross with chrism upon the monarch's head. The introduc- tion of this new feature seems to have been accom- panied with other changes which are found in the later Byzantine coronations. The investiture with the pur- ple chlamys altogether disappears, but two distinct prayers or blessings are retained, between which are inserted both the unction and the crowning. Finally, we may notice thai the emjieror is to some extent treated as an ecclesiastic, for he wears a mandi/ns, or cope, and discharges the functions of a deputatus, which is, or was, the Greek equivalent of one of our minor orders.

II. VisiGoTHic AND Cei.tic Klkments. — Tunuug now to the inauguration rite of early kingships in tlie West the first traces of a coronation order weui to bo found in Spain and in Great Britain. Some of the

Spanish councils speak copiously, though vaguely, of the election of kings (Migne, P. L., LXXXIV, 385, 396, 426), and while in the first half of the seventh century there is no mention of vmction but only of a profession of faith and promise of just govenunent on the part of the king with a corresponding oath of fealty on the part of his subjects, towards the close of the same cen- tury we have the clearest evidence that the Visigothic kings on their accession were solemnly anointed by the Bishop of Toledo. When in 672 the oil was poured upon the head of the kneeling King Wamba a cloud of vapour arose (evaporatio qutrdam jumo similis in mndum columnce, Julian, Historia, c. iv; Migne, P. L., XC'Vl, 766) which was regarded by those present as a supernatural portent. For the rest we know little of this early Spanish coronation rite beyond the fact that it was a religious ceremony ami that the king under- took certain obligations towards his people. It is chiefly interesting as supplying the earliest known ex- amples of the unction. \^'hether this ceremony wa-s instituted by the S]Kinish bishops in imitation of what they read in the Old Testament concerning the unction of Saul, David, and Solomon (I Kings, x and xvi; III Kings, i) or whether they themselves derived it from some early Christian tradition it seems impossible now to decide.

In view of what has been written of late about the close liturgical relations between Spain and England, via Celtic, i. e. probably Irish, channels (see Bishop in Journ. of Theol. Stud.. VIII, 278), it is natural to pass from Spain to the earliest coronations in the British Isles. The statement of Giidas (c. 530?) cannot be ig- nored, when, speaking of the desolation and corruption of manners in Britain, he says: " ungebantur reges non per Deimi, sed qui ceteris crudeliores exstarent, et paulo post ab unctoribus non pro veri examinatione trucidabantur, aliis electis trucioribus" (De Excidio, ch. xxi ; Mommsen, 37). Again, in his commentary on the First Book of Kings (x, 1) St. Gregory the Great certair.ly seems to speak as if the rite of the unction of kings was practised in his time (Migne, P. L., LXXIX, 278). "LTngatur caput regis", he says, "quiaspirituali gratia mens est replenda doctoris ". It may conceiva- bly be that these passages are only metaphorical, but they at least show a familiarity with the conception which might at any moment find expression in actual practice. .\t the same time no record exists of the use of unction in the earliest Scottish coronations. Gath- ering up scattered traditions, the Marquess of Bute gives the following ceremonial as representing in all probability the rite of "ordination" of a Celtic king, say the Lord of th,; Isles, in the seventh and eighth centuries. There was a gathering of the principal people of the nation including, if possible, seven priests. The new ruler was elected unless a tanut (a lieutenant w-ith right of succession) had been elected already. The king was clad in white and Mass was celebrated down to the Gospel. After the Gospel the king was maile to set his right foot in the foot-print of Fergus Mor Mac Erca, the impression of which was cut in stone ; there he took an oath to preserve all the ancient customs of the country and to leave the suc- cession to the tanist. His father's sword or some other sword was then placed in one of his hands and a white rod in the other, with suitable exhortations. .\fter this a bard or herald rehearsed his genealogy. Re-entering the chiu-ch seven prayers were recited over him by, if possible, as many priests, one at least of these prayers being called the Benediction, during which he who offered it laid his hand upon the king's head. The Mass was then finished and the king j)rob- ably Commvmicated. At the conclusion of the whole he gave a feast and ilistriliutetl a largess (Bute, Scottish Coronations, 34). It will be noticed that here, as in thcearlier Spanish ritual, there is no mention of a crown or diadem, and though the unction which is so prominent a feature in the Spanish ceremony is ap-