S3 



I'KNAI, LAWS 



PENANCE 



-tly imported fnun Hirminghani. In the stylo- 

 graph, ur fountain pen, the niti is dkMMtd with, 

 finely tapered |>mt connecting with tlic barrel 

 containing l! "' i"k : ''" nrsl fountain pen wax 

 brought oat in 1848. See Bonce's Jtainh Mason 

 ( IH80), which ronUint a sketch of the history of 

 the tel pen trade. 



I'rnal Law*. See CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION, 

 IRELAND. 



_ Hrrvilllde U a sentence for criminal 

 which has been introduced in lieu of the 

 of transportation beyond the seas. See 

 PRISONS. 



FfiUMrr ( Lat. pamitentia ), in Roman Catholic 

 theology, means both the sorrow for sin and also 

 the sacrament by which absolution U conveyed. 

 It mean* aim the voluntary or accepted self-inflicted 

 punishment by wliirli a repentant sinner manifests 

 ni Borrow for sin, and seeks to atone for the sin, 

 and to invert tin- punishment which, even after the 

 guilt ha* been remitted, may still remain due to 

 thr offence reliance is bWMV*d in tin 1 Roman 

 Catholic Church to he one of the sacrament* of the 

 New Law. It will be necessary to explain it 

 briefly Uith under itM relations as a Hacrament and 

 an a private personal exercise, 



Penance as a sUtc of mind is simply sorrow for 

 evil -doing. arcom|Minied with a purpose of amend- 

 ment. IVnance in the fruit or the manifestation 

 of this Borrow, and it is commonly accompanied 

 or epr<minl bv some of those external acts which 

 an- tin- natural manifestations of any deep sorrow, 

 either negative, as the neglect of ordinary attention 

 to dress, to the care of the person, to the use of fixxl. 

 or |iMtivr. M the dinvt act* of personal mortilica- 

 tion and nelf-inllicted iiain, such as fasting, wearing 

 liairrloth, strewing tin- head with ashes, watch- 

 ing of nights, sleeping on hard hoards, vVc. Such 

 mauifmtation of sorrow. \\hctln>r from motives of 

 religion or from merely natural caii-e-. are common 

 among the Ka-t<-rn race*, and are frequently alluded 

 to in thi- Scripture". In the jM-rsoiial practice of 

 the early < lui-tian jM-imnc-e found a prominent 

 place, and the chief and acknowledged object of 

 the stated Ka>U(q.v.), and other works of niorti- 

 cation which prevailed, was that of |>enit<-ntial 

 correction, or of the manifestation of sorrow for 

 in 



A "till more (Inking use of jiennnce. however, 

 in the early church, was the disciplinary one- ; 

 and tin-, in the Koman Catholic view, i- connected 

 with the sacramental character of p.-n.nn-.- Any 

 dUcnwion uf thii> purely theological i|iie;iion would 

 he oat of place here, ami it will IK- enough to state 

 briefly that Roman Catholics iiumU-i |M-nance 

 among UM Seven HacramenU, and believe it to 

 be of direct divine in.tiiution i Matt, \viii. ]S; 

 John . XI I In- nuillr, -of I his sacra - 



in their >iew, of the thn-e :. 



th* peaiteat eontriUon, or heartfelt sorrow for 

 in. a* heinjr an oflvnce again -i i..l : e.,i 

 or oetaiM arruKation of one. .|f t a piie-t 

 approved fw thf prir]w ; and satisfaction. 01 tin- 

 incr nn.l accmpli>liiiient <if rertain |x-ni- 

 initial work*, in atonement of thr nin confessed. 

 T!M- form of thr wrameiit IK the 

 .ii-..luti<m fmm rin pronoun..^! liy tin- prie-t \\lio 

 ha* rwHrnl the mnfewinn, nml "hs* l.-n satis. 

 6fd al the pnit<-ntil di*p<iition of the w If accus- 

 ing sinner. In all thi^> |.nni., of cour~-. they 

 dilbr ftotn I 1 ,.,!.-.!..,!,!. K>en in the 



UKMM the prartice |,t.-vil,-,l of i-xrludini; iMTsons 

 of pandal-i- lifr fmm the pintnal fi-llow.hip 

 of the Tiritin niiiiniunit\ < Kxc"MMCMc.\- 

 . awl. iihout attempting to fix the date. 

 it mar I- Matml an certain, from the snthoritv of 

 Tertollisn and other writer*, that from a very 



early time the persons so excluded were subjected 

 to certain penitential regulations. The clatw of 

 ollendcrs so treated were those who had IM-CII 

 notoriously guilty of the grievous crimes of idol 

 atry or apostasy, murder, adultery 1 , and other 

 scandalous offences. The period of penitential 

 probation differed in different times and places, 

 hut in general was graduated according to tin- 

 enormity of the sin, ime goini; so far in their 

 rigour (see NoVATIAN) as, contrary to the clearly 

 expressed sense of the church, to carry it even 

 lieyond the grave. In the earlier ages iiim-li 

 depended upon the spirit of each particular church 

 or country ; but about the 4th century the public 

 penitential discipline assumed a settled form, 

 which, especially as established in the (lieek 

 Clnirc-h, is so curious that it deserves to IK- briefly 

 descrilied. Sinners of the classes already n-fened 

 to had their names enrolled, and were (in some 

 churches, after having made a preliminary con- 

 fession to a priest appointed for the purpose) 

 admitted, with a blessing and other ceremonial, 

 by the bishop to the rank of penitents. This 

 enrolment appears to have commonly taken 

 place on the first day of Lent. The penitents so 

 enrolled were arranged in four grades, called I. 

 ((!r. prosklaiontes, Lat. flentes) 'Weepers;' 2. 

 (Gr. akrodmenoi, Lat. audientet) ' Hearers ; ' 3. (Gr. 

 fiyjxmiptontes, Lat. prasternentes) ' I'rostraters ;' 

 4. (Gr. systiintes, Lnt. i-mixistrnta) 'Slanders.' Of 

 these classes the first were obliged to remain out- 

 side of the church at the time of public worship, 

 and to ask the prayers of the faithful as they 

 entered. The second' were permitted to outer and 

 to remain in the place and during the time 

 appointed for the Catechumens (q.v. ), but, like 

 them, were required to depart before the com 

 mencement of the solemn part of the Liturgv 

 (q.v.). The third were permitted to pray witli 

 the rest, but kneeling or prostrate, and for them 

 were prescribed many other act* of mortification. 

 The fourth wore permitted to pray with the rest in 

 a standing posture, although apparently in a ilis 

 tinct part of the church ; but they were excluded 

 from making otic-rings with the rest, and still more 

 from receiving the communion. The time to lie 

 spent in each of these grades at first diuVred very 

 much according to times and circumstance^, but 

 was afterwards regulated by elalxirate laws, called 

 |>cnitential canons. Still it was in the power of 

 the bishop to abridge or to prolong it; a |>ower 

 tlie exercise of which is connected with the- histori- 

 cal origin of the practice of Indulgence- (q.v.). Of 

 thc-e four grades the- first two hardly appear in 

 the \Vestorn Church. It is a subject of contro- 

 versy whether, and how far, this discipline was 

 extended to other than iniblic sinners ; hut it seems 

 certain that individuals, not publicly known as 

 sinners, wftmtori/y enrolled themselves among the 

 l-enitents. All four grades wore a distinguishing 

 penitential dress, in which they appeared on all 

 occasions of public worship, and were obliged to 

 observe certain rules of life, to renounce certain 

 indulgences and luxuries, and to practise certain 

 au-teritii-s. In some churches they were employed 

 in. tin- care of the sick, the burial of the dead, iind 

 other of tin- mini- laUirions works of charity. The 

 |H-nilent. in ordinary cases, could only he restored to 

 communion by the bishop who had excluded him, 

 and tlii-onlvat the expiration of the ap|K>inted time, 

 mile the bishop himself had shortened it; but 

 in case of dangerous illness he might IK- restored, 

 with the condition, however, that if he recoveied 

 from i be illness the whole course of |-nance 

 should 1- completed. The reconciliation of peni- 

 tent- took phu ommonly in Holy \\eck, and 



wan publicly (KM formed by the bishop in the 

 church, with prayer and Imposition of hands. It 



