scandal went so far that the Senate twice forbade this un-
becoming traffic. ¹ It did not succeed; for it was three years
after its last edict that the appointment of Silverius was
made. Moreover, money was not the only cause of the
difficulty. After the death of Anastasius II. ( 498) the
electoral corps was divided into two parties, and two popes,
Symmachus and Laurentius, were elected. The schism lasted
more than six years, and did not come to an end until the
day when Theodoric the king, deferring to the wishes of
Symmachus, drove Laurentius from Rome ² ( 505).

To prevent these evils, Symmachus devised an ingenious
plan; this was to authorize the Pope himself to appoint his
own successor. The rule established by Symmachus did not
remain a dead letter. It was utilized for the first time by
Felix IV. ( 530), who, knowing that he was at the point of
death, transmitted his office to the archdeacon Boniface, gave
him the pallium as the sign of investiture, and by means of
a prœceptum posted on the doors of the churches at Rome,
commanded the electors on pain of excommunication to
submit to his will. ³ It was utilized a second time ( 531) by
Boniface II., who gave the succession to the archdeacon Vigilius,
and solemnly announced this constitution to all the clergy,
in the basilica of St. Peter. ⁴ But neither Felix nor Boniface
could ensure the success of their plan. In 530 the electors,
without giving heed to the edict of the dead Pope, rejected
the archdeacon Boniface and granted the pontifical chair to
the Alexandrian deacon Dioscorus. Invested by a great
majority of the Roman clergy and by the Senate, Dioscorus
was consequently the lawful Pope; but only for a short
time, as he died at the end of twenty-three days. Then in
its confusion the Roman Church consented to recognize
Boniface as its chief, who from being anti-Pope, by a lucky
chance became lawful Pope, who, thanks to the support of
the Gothic king, even succeeded in having his predecessor

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