LAYMEN

laymen, houses of, deliberative assemblies of the laity of the church of england, one for the province of canterbury, and the other for the province of york. that of canterbury was formed in 1886, and that of york shortly afterwards. they are merely consultative bodies, and the primary intention of their foundation was to associate the laity in the deliberations of convocation. they have no legal status. the members are elected by the various diocesan conferences, which are in turn elected by the laity of their respective parishes or rural deaneries. ten members are appointed for the diocese of london, six for each of the dioceses of winchester, rochester, lichfield and worcester; and four for each of the remaining dioceses. the president of each house has the discretionary power of appointing additional laymen, not exceeding ten in number. laynez (or lainez), diego (1512-1565), the second general of the society of jesus, was born in castile, and after studying at alcala joined ignatius of loyola in paris, being one of the six who with loyola in august 1534 took the vow of missionary work in palestine in the montmartre church. this plan fell through, and laynez became professor of scholastic theology at sapienza. after the order had been definitely established (1540) laynez was sent to germany. he was one of the pope's theologians at the council of trent (q.v.), where he played a weighty and decisive part. when loyola died in 1556 laynez acted as vicar of the society, and two years later became general. before his death at rome, on the 19th of january 1565, he had immensely strengthened the despotic constitution of the order and developed its educational activities (see jesuits). his _disputationes tridentinae_ were published in 2 volumes in 1886. lives by michel d'esne (douai, 1597) and pet. ribadeneira (madrid, 1592; lat. trans. by a. schott, antwerp, 1598). see also h. muller, _les origines de la compagnie de jesus: ignace et lainez_ (1898).