ere anciently notable dignitaries both in church and state, whose business it was to look to the preservation of the public weal, to protect the poor and helpless, and to maintain the interests and causes of churches and religious houses. (See PROCTOR.) The council of Chalcedon (can. 2) calls the defender of a church Exclusus. Codin (De officiis aulae Const.) makes mention of defenders of the palace. There were also a defender of the kingdom, defensor regni; defenders of cities, defensores civitatis; defenders of the people, defensores plebis; defenders of the poor, fatherless, widows, &c.

About the year 420, each patriarchal church began to have its own defender; a custom which was afterwards introduced into other churches, and continued till later days under other names, as those of Advocate and Advocace. In the year 407, we find that the council of Carthage asked the emperor for defenders of the number of Scholastics, or advocates who were in office, and that it might be allowed them to enter and search the cabinets and papers of the judges and other civil magistrates, whenever it should be found necessary for the interest of the church.