in a general sense, an appellation given to things on account of their pre-eminence. The word is formed of the Latin cardo, a hinge; it being on these fundamental points that all the rest of the same kind are supposed to turn. Thus, justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude, are called the four cardinal virtues, as being the basis of all the rest.

CARDINAL Flower. See LOBELIA, Botany Index.

CARDINAL Points, in Cosmography, are the four intersections of the horizon with the meridian, and the prime vertical circle. Of these, two, viz. the intersections of the horizon and meridian, are called North and South, with regard to the poles they are directed to. The other two, viz. the intersections of the horizon and first vertical, are called East and West.

The cardinal points, therefore, coincide with the four cardinal regions of the heavens; and are 90° distant from each other. The intermediate points are called collateral points.

CARDINAL Points, in Astrology, are the rising and setting of the sun, the zenith, and nadir.

CARDINAL Signs, in Astronomy, are Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn.

CARDINAL Winds are those that blow from the cardinal points.

CARDINAL Numbers, in Grammar, are the numbers one, two, three, &c. which are indeclinable; in opposition to the ordinal numbers, first, second, third, fourth, &c.

an ecclesiastical prince in the Romish church, being one who has a voice in the conclave at the election of a pope. Some say the cardinals were so called from the Latin incardinatio, which signifies the Cardinal. the adoption in any church made of a priest of a foreign church, driven thence by misfortune; and add, that the use of the word commenced at Rome and Ravenna; the revenues of the churches of which cities being very great, they became the common refuge of the unhappy priests of all other churches.

The cardinals compose the pope's council or senate: in the Vatican is a constitution of Pope John, which regulates the rights and titles of the cardinals; and which declares, that as the pope represents Moses, so the cardinals represent the seventy elders, who, under the pontifical authority, decide private and particular differences.

Cardinals, in their first institution, were only the principal priests, or incumbents of the parishes of Rome. In the primitive church, the chief priest of a parish, who immediately followed the bishop, was called presbyter cardinalis, to distinguish him from the other petty priests, who had no church nor preferment; the term was first applied to them in the year 150; others say, under Pope Silvester, in the year 300. These cardinal priests were alone allowed to baptize, and administer the eucharist. When the cardinal priests became bishops, their cardinalate became vacant; they being then supposed to be raised to a higher dignity.—Under Pope Gregory, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons, were only such priests and deacons as had a church or chapel under their particular care: and this was the original use of the word. Leo IV. in the council of Rome, held in 853, calls them presbyteros sui cardinalis; and their churches, parochias cardinalis.

The cardinals continued on this footing till the eleventh century: but as the grandeur and state of his holiness became then exceedingly augmented, he would have his council of cardinals make a better figure than the ancient priests had done. It is true, they still preserved their ancient title; but the thing expressed by it was no more. It was a good while, however, before they had the precedence over bishops, or got the election of the pope into their hands: but when they were once possessed of those privileges, they soon had the red hat and purple; and growing still in authority, they became at length superior to the bishops, by the sole quality of being cardinals.

Du Cange observes, that originally there were three kinds of churches: the first or genuine churches were properly called parishes; the second deanories, which were chapels joined to hospitals, and served by deacons; the third were simple oratories, where private masses were said, and were discharged by local and resident chaplains. He adds, that to distinguish the principal or parish churches from the chapels and oratories, the name cardinales was given to them. Accordingly, parish churches gave titles to cardinal priests; and some chapels also, at length, gave the title of cardinal deacons.

Others observe, that the term cardinal was given not only to priests, but also to bishops and deacons who were attached to certain churches, to distinguish them from those who only served them en paßant, and by commission. Titular churches, or benefices, were a kind of parishes, i.e., churches, assigned each to a cardinal priest; with some stated district depending on it, and a font for administering of baptism, in cases where the bishop himself could not administer it. These cardinals were subordinate to the bishops; and according, Cardinally, in councils, particularly that held at Rome in 868, subscribed after them.

It was not, however, only at Rome, that priests bore this name; for we find there were cardinal priests in France: thus, the curate of the parish of St John de Vignes is called in old charters the cardinal priest of that parish.

The title of cardinal is also given to some bishops, quatenus bishops; e.g., to those of Mentz and Milan; the archbishop of Bourges is also, in ancient writings, called cardinal; and the church of Bourges, a cardinal church. The abbot of Vendome calls himself cardinalis natus.

The cardinals are divided into three classes or orders; containing six bishops, fifty priests, and fourteen deacons; making in all seventy: which constitute what they call the sacred college. The cardinal bishops, who are, as it were, the pope's vicars, bear the titles of the bishoprics assigned to them; the rest take such titles as are given them: the number of cardinal bishops has been fixed; but that of cardinal priests and deacons, and consequently the sacred college itself, is always fluctuating. Till the year 1125, the college only consisted of fifty-two or fifty-three: the council of Constance reduced them to twenty-four; but Sixtus IV. without any regard to that restriction, raised them again to fifty-three, and Leo to sixty-five. Thus, as the number of cardinal priests was anciently fixed to twenty-eight, new titles were to be established, in proportion as new cardinals were created. As for the cardinal deacons, they were originally no more than seven for the fourteen quarters of Rome; but they were afterwards increased to nineteen, and after that were again diminished.

Accordingly to Onuphrius, it was Pope Pius IV. who first enacted, in 1562, that of the pope should be chosen only by the senate of cardinals; whereas, till that time, the election was by all the clergy of Rome. Some say, the election of the pope reposed in the cardinals, exclusive of the clergy, in the time of Alexander III. in 1160. Others go higher still, and say, that Nicholas II. having been elected at Sienna, in 1058, by the cardinals alone, occasioned the right of election to be taken from the clergy and people of Rome; only leaving them that of confirming him by their consent; which was at length, however, taken from them. See his decree for this purpose, issued in the Roman council of 1059, in Hardouin's Acta Conciliorum, tom. vi. pt. i. p. 1165. Whence it appears, that the cardinals who had the right of suffrage in the election of his successors, were divided by this pontiff into cardinal bishops and cardinal clerks: meaning by the former the seven bishops who belonged to the city and territory of Rome; and by the latter, the cardinal presbyters, or ministers of the twenty-eight Roman parishes, or principal churches. To these were added, in process of time, under Alexander III. and other pontiffs, new members, in order to appease the tumults occasioned by the edict of Nicholas II.

At the creation of a new cardinal, the pope performs the ceremony of opening and shutting his mouth; which is done in a private confessor. The shutting his mouth implies the depriving him of the liberty of giving his opinion in congregations; and the opening Cardinal his mouth, which is performed 15 days after, signifies the taking off his restraint. However, if the pope happens to die during the time a cardinal's mouth is shut, he can neither give his voice in the election of a new pope, nor be himself advanced to that dignity.

The dress of a cardinal is a red fountaine, a rocket, a short purple mantle, and a red hat.

The cardinals began to wear the red hat at the council of Lyons, in 1243. The decree of Pope Urban VIII, whereby it is appointed, that the cardinals be addressed under the title of eminence, is of the year 1630; till then, they were called illuftrifimi.

When cardinals are sent to the courts of princes, it is in quality of legates à latere; and when they are appointed governors of towns, their government is called by the name of legation.

Cardinal has also been applied to secular officers. Thus, the prime ministers in the court of the emperor Theodosius, are called cardinales. Cassiodorus, lib. vii. formul. 31, makes mention of the cardinal prince of the city of Rome; and in the list of officers of the duke of Bretagne, in 1447, we meet with one Raoul de Thorel, cardinal of Quillart, chancellor, and servant of the vicount de Rohan; which shows it to have been an inferior quality.