enotes the dignity or office of an apostle of Christ; but it is also used, in ancient writers, for the office of a bishop. In this sense we meet with several letters, petitions, requests, &c. directed to bishops under the title of your apostolate, or apostolatus vester. But as the title apostolicus had been appropriated to the pope, so that of apostolate became at length restricted to the sole dignity of the popedom. Every bishop's fee was anciently dignified with the title of sedes apostolica, an apostolical Apostolic see, which is now the peculiar denomination of the see of Rome.