among the inferior officers of the Church, after readers and subdeacons147.  From an early period certain set formulæ, such as the Divine names, “The God of Abraham, and God of xxviii Isaac, and God of Jacob,” “The God of Israel,” “The God who drowned the king of Egypt and the Egyptians in the Red Sea,” were frequently invoked against demons and certain wicked persons148. Accordingly, when an exorcist was ordained the Bishop was directed to give him the book in which the exorcisms were written, with the words, “Receive thou these, and commit them to memory, and have thou power to lay hands upon the Energumens, whether they be baptized or only Catechumens149.”  Though this Canon speaks only of exorcising Ener- gumens, or such persons as were supposed to be possessed by evil spirits, we must remember that the power of such spirits was believed to extend to the whole world outside the Christian Church.  Thus all converts from Paganism and Judaism, and even the children of Christian parents were exorcised before being baptized.  The practice was closely connected with the doctrine of original sin, as we see in many passages of S. Augustine, and is declared by him to be very ancient and universal150.  In expounding the Creed to candidates for Baptism, he says:  “Therefore, as you have seen this day, and as you know, even little children are breathed on and exorcised, that the hostile power of the devil may be driven out of them, which deceived one man in order that he might get possession of all men151.” We find accordingly that Cyril enforces the duty of attending the Exorcisms on all the candidates alike, and from his use of the Plural (Exorcisms) we see that the ceremony was often repeated for each person.  Thus in the Clementine Homilies Peter is represented as saying, “Whoever of you wish to be baptized, begin from to-morrow to fast, and each day have hands laid upon you152,” the imposition of hands being one of the ceremonies used in exorcism153.  From expressions in the Introductory Lecture, “When ye have come in before the hour of the exorcisms154,” and again, “when your exorcism has been done, until the others who are to be exorcised have come155,” it seems that before each Catechizing the 147 Euseb. H. E. vi. 43; Syn. Antioch. in Encæniis, Can. 10:  Syn. Laod. Can. 24. 148 Origen, Contra Cels. iv. c. 34 (p. 184). 149 Fourth Council of Carthage, Can. 7 (a.d. 398). 150 De Nupt. et Concup. II. § 33:  de Pecc. Orig. § 45; contra aulian Pelag. VI. § 11; Op. Imperf. c. Julian. I. § 50; III. § 144, &c. 151 De Symbolo, § 2.  Cf. Cat. xx. (Myst. ii.) § 2. 152 Hom. iii. c. 73. 153 Orig. in Josu. xxiv. § 1:  “exorcistarum manus impositione.” 154 Procat. § 13. 155 Ib. § 14. 33 Special Preparation for Baptism.