AUDIENCE

AUDIENCE. See HEARING, ATTENTION, and AUDITORY. The Word is form’d from the corrupt Latin, Audentia, of Audire, to hear. Audience is also used for the Ceremonies practiced in Courts, at the admission of Ambassadors, and public Ministers, to a hearing. See AMBASSADOR, etc. Such an Ambassador sent to demand Audience; took his Audience of Leave to depart, etc.



AUDIENCE is also the name of a Court of Justice, established by the Spaniards in the West Indies; answering in effect to the Parliaments in France. They judge without appeal, and have each a certain district, which ordinarily takes in several provinces, call’d also Audiences, from the names of the tribunals to which they belong. Hence Sanson divides Spain into as many of these Audiences as there are of those tribunals.—New Spain comprehends three Audiences; those of Guadalajara, Mexico, and Guatimala.

AUDIENCE is also the name of one of the Ecclesiastical Courts, which is, wherever the Archbishop calls a cause to his own hearing. See COURT and ARCHBISHOP. The Court of Audience is chiefly concerned in differences arising upon elections, consecrations, institutions, marriages, etc.

AUDIENCE