THE closing century has been a century of Dictionaries of all kinds. Many of these works comprise several large volumes - and are quite expensive. Very few can afford to make an outlay of fifty or one hundred dollars in order to procure an Encyclopedia. Hence, it has been the object of the author of the present ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY to furnish, in concise form, information upon ecclesiastical, biblical, archaeological, and historical subjects, and bring the work within reach of everybody by making a small outlay of money. The more than three thousand articles, contained in our Dictionary, have been culled from various standard and up-to-date works. In order not to render the work too bulky, by always giving credit to the au- thors and their works throughout the text of the book, it was deemed best to confine them to a separate list, as can be seen on page v. The quotations of Scripture are mostly made from the Latin Vulgate. As it was later decided to make the size of the pages somewhat longer and wider, in order to give the book a nicer form, the total number of pages has not quite reached the original number as advertised. The subjects treated in the ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY, may be classified under the three following heads: - MIXED THEOLOGY HISTORIC THEOLOGY PURR THEOLOGY Mixed Theology answers especially to the wants of our time. It consists of articles whose characteristics are philosophical, scientific, artistic, and literary. This class of articles has for object to urge our contemporary adversaries, with the help of demonstrative resources that are offered by philosophy, the sciences, arts, and belles-lettres, to admit the great truths, continually attacked by them. They address themselves to all kinds of readers, and, by studying them carefully, may they put into practice the declared proposition of Pope Pius IX., before it was taken up again and embodied into the decrees of the Vatican Council: "The use of reason precedes faith and leads man to it with the help of revelation and grace". If some of the articles appear to have been given too much space, then the importance of the subjects makes up for this. Historical Theology has for its object, as the name implies, Theologico-Historic Generalities and Varieties. It comprises Popes, Councils, Particular Churches, Religious Orders, Famous Schools, Biographies and Bibliographies. Religious Sects. Ecclesiastical Dignities. etc. Finally, Pure Theology consists of Theological and Exegetical Generalities and Varieties; God and the Creation; Christ and all that is directly connected with Our Lord; the Church and the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy; Grace and the Sacraments; Ecclesiastical Morals and Precepts, etc. These are. in great outlines, the subjects treated in the ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY. We shaH be judged in the future. For to-day, our only ambition is to be appreciated in the simple exposition of the subjects contained in our work; and we trust that the book will find many readers, who are solely animated by the love of truth.