Holy Orders

In ecclesiastical law. The orders or dignities of the church. Those within holy orders are archbishops, bishops, priests and deacons. The form of ordination must be according to the form in the book of Common Prayer. Besides these orders, the church of Rome had five others, viz., subdeacons, acolyths, exorcists, readers, and ostiaries. 2 Bum, Ecc. Law, 39, 40. HOMAGE (anciently hominium, from homo). A mere acknowledgment of tenure made by a tenant by knight service upon investiture, in the following form: The tenant in fee or fee tail that holds by homage shall kneel upon both his knees, ungirded, and the lord shall sit and hold both the hands of his tenant between his hands, and the tenant shall say, "I become your man (homo) from this day forward of life and member, of earthly honor, and to you shall be faithful and true, and shall bear to you faith for the lands that I claim to hold of you, saving that faith that I owe to our lord the king"; and then the lord so sitting shall kiss him. The kiss is indispensable, except sometimes in the case of a woman. Du Cange. After this the oath of fealty is taken; but this may be taken by the steward, homage only by the lord. Termes de la Ley. This species of homage was called homagium planum or simplex (1 Sharswood, Bl. Comm. 367), to distinguish it 'from homagium ligium, or liege homage, which included fealty and the services incident. Du Cange; Spelman. Liege homage was that homage in which allegiance was sworn without any reservation, and was therefore due only to the sovereign; and, as it came in time to be exacted without any actual holding from him, it sunk into the oath of allegiance. Termes de la Ley. The obligation of homage is mutual, binding the lord to protection of the vassal, as well as the vassal to fidelity. Fleta, lib. 3, c. 16.

In ecclesiastical law. The orders of bishops, (including archbishops,) priests, and deacons in the Church of England. The Roman canonists had the orders of bishop, (in which the pope and archbishops were included,) priest, deacon, subdeacon, psulmist, acolyte, exorcist, reader, ostiarius. & Steph. Comm, 55, and note a.