I have been informed that an interesting article upon the question of the authorship has recently appeared in a very recent number of a Roman Catholic Review; I believe Brownson's American Quarterly.
H. P.
Lincoln's Inn.
H. P. wishes for some other quotations from De Imitatione Christi, in order to test the claims to originality of that extraordinary work; I therefore now supply another—"Of two evils we ought always to choose the least,"—because I strongly suspect that it is even some centuries older than the time of the author, Thomas à Kempis. It will be found in b. III. ch. xii. of the English translation.
A. B. C.
Roman Catholic Patriarchs (Vol. viii., p. 317.).—The following, with the signature W. Fraser, appeared in "N. & Q.":
"Has any bishop of the Western Church held the title of patriarch, besides the Patriarch of Venice? And what peculiar authority or privileges has he?"
The Archbishop of Lisbon has the title of Patriarch of the Indies; but it does not appear that he has any defined jurisdiction, being only an inferior patriarch, and with a title little more than honorary. His grand vicars, however, are archbishops; and his seal has, like those of other patriarchs, the tiara encircled with two crowns only. This patriarchate was created by Pope Clement XI., by his constitution In supremo Apostolatus. Afterwards, in the year 1720, the same Pope conferred upon the Patriarch of Lisbon the exclusive right of anointing the Kings of Portugal at their coronation on the right arm, which had previously been the privilege of the Archbishop of Braga.
F. C. H.
The primate of Portugal has the style of "patriarch," but I do not know of any privileges or authority that he has beyond those appertaining to the rank of archbishop or cardinal, when he happens to be one, as at present.