view. There the emperor knelt to be anointed by the consecrating prelate, who sat before him at the faldstool at the centre of the altar. In preparation for the anointing, a gremiale was extended over the consecrating prelate's lap by the altar servers, and the prelate, aided by the servers, removed his episcopal ring, the episcopal glove of the right hand, and then replaced the ring on the fourth finger of his bare right hand. The presiding archbishop or bishop then dipped his right thumb in the holy oil known as the Oil of Cathecumens, and anointed the emperor in two places, both anointings being made in the form of a cross: first the unction was performed in the emperor's right forearm, between the joint of the elbow and the joint of the fist; then the emperor reclined over the prelate and was anointed in his back, between the shoulders, starting at the base of the neck. For this anointing, silver buttons at the back of the emperor's garment were opened, being closed afterwards. While performing the holy anointing, the celebrating prelate, with a clear voice, addressed the emperor with the formula Deus, Dei Filius, that was repeated in a low voice by the other bishops, in the following words: God, the Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was anointed by the Father with the oil of gladness above his fellows, may He himself, by this present infusion of sacred anointing pour upon your head the blessing (here a sign of the cross was made over the emperor) of the Spirit Paraclete, so that He may penetrate into the innermost recesses of your heart, in order that you receive, by this visible and material oil, invisible gifts, and, finally, having performed the just government of this temporal empire, you may merit to reign eternally with Him who alone is the sinless King of Kings, Who lives and is glorified with God the Father in the unity of God the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. After the anointing and the recitation of the above-mentioned formula (that, with minor changes in wording, featured also in several other rites of consecration of Christian monarchs, such as old rite for the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor and the French, the English, and the Hungarian royal coronation rites), the gremiale was taken away by the altar servers and the presiding