thanksgiving to Mary for the victories won by the Spaniards over
the Dutch in 1646 (see our VOL. XXXV), which were attributed by the
people to her miraculous aid. That fiesta of eight days was apparently
instituted in 1637, to celebrate the dissolution of Collado's new
congregation in Filipinas (see Santa Cruz, ut supra, p. 4; and our
VOL. XXIX, pp. 25-27).

[84] "The bishop of Troya, knowing well that the true spiritual
jurisdiction resided in himself by the appointment of the archbishop,
sent a Dominican religious to the convents to inform on his part their
superiors that he gave, to those confessors whom the said superiors
should choose, his own authority and right, so that they could absolve
those persons who by command or compulsion had taken part in the
arrest of the archbishop from the excommunication which they might
have thus incurred--excepting the principal offenders--until he should
be restored to liberty and they should perform public penance and
give juratory security, as is ordained by the sacred canons." (Diaz,
Conquistas, p. 764.)

[85] The interdict was not only an ecclesiastical censure, but a
penalty, entailing usually privation of certain sacraments (save in
cases of strict necessity), of all the divine offices, and of church
burial. All solemnities and public festivals were suspended, except on
the five great feasts of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, the Assumption
of our Lady, and Corpus Christi. The churches remained closed, the
crucifix and statues veiled, the bells and organ mute. This penalty
might be general, over the whole city, kingdom, or country; or merely
particular, indicted on a named corporation, see, church, or the like;
again, it might be either local or personal as to its effects. It might
be imposed not only by a pope, but by any competent church prelate,
even by a bishop; and could apply to any secular or ecclesiastical
ruler (except of course the pope), to a university or college, or
to any body of clergy, regular or secular. The earliest mention of
a church interdict apparently is Ferraris's allusion to one in the
fourth century, of which, however, no details are available. In
Frankish chronicles, interdicts date from the sixth century, the
first of these being at Rouen, in 588; Bishop Praetextatus having been
murdered, by order of Queen Fredegonda, while officiating in his own
church, the senior suffragan of that province, Leudovald of Bayeux,
after consultation with his fello