Page:The spiritual venality of Rome.djvu/33

10 rilj be tinderstood to represent ane of original standing, and acted upon £rom very remote times. To this power of granting indulgence, theoi is to be assigned the power of pecuniary abso- lution, or the commutation of penance for money, which is the foundation of the Tane^ and constitutes thieir essence. Simply to enjoin penitence and penance, and to absolve the offender on the performance of them, may be considered as an exercise of ecclesiastic aatho* rity, emanating from the power of the keys: but to allow these to be conunuted, to be com- pounded for, or redeemed, by money^ is cer«* tainly the exercise of a farther prerogative— it is not an act of discipline, but of indulgence. And that such a prerogative was claimed by the church, with respect to all sins, of whatsoever enormity, is evident from many, perhaps the greater part, of the ancient Penitentiary Canons. This important subject will be elucidated by inquiring into a few of them. Theodorus, who was sent from Rome to be Archbishop of Canterbury, in the seventh cen- tury, was the first who introduced Penitentiary Canons from the East into the West. His PoDuitentiale is extant, and an excellent edition