EDMUND,

king against the legate's coming: but his highness refused Abp. Cant. to alter his resolution. The cardinal, therefore, held on his voyage with a numerous and splendid retinue. The prelates and dignified clergy received him at his debarking, and made him large presents. The king likewise paid him the ceremony of a visit on the coast, and travelled with him towards London. He was complimented upon the road, with processions, ringing of bells, and all the imaginable signs of a profound respect. He managed with address and temper, and refused a great part of what was presented, contrary to the custom of the court of Rome: by this conduct he removed the general aversion, and made the clergy and laity have a better opinion of him. To give him his due; he did some good offices at his first coming: he reconciled several noblemen, whose misunderstandings were carried so high, that they were ready to break out into a civil war.

He reconciles the

great men.

Paris, p. 442, 443.

The legate, having made the great men friends, wrote to all the bishops to meet him at London, upon the octaves of St. Martin; letting them know that he designed to hold a council there for discipline and reformation of manners.

Before the council was convened, the king summoned a parliament to York: and here, the king of Scotland and the legate had an interview. The legate acquainted him with his design of going into Scotland. The king of Scotland replied, that there had been no legate in the kingdom in his time, neither did he think it necessary to invite any person of that character. That, God be thanked, the business of the Church was in a good posture. And that, since no legate had been seen in Scotland for a long time, he should never give way to such unusual methods. But if his eminence was resolved to venture, he bid him have a care no misfortune happened. "For," says the king, "you will be in danger of meeting with fierce and sanguinary people upon the road: neither is it in my power to check their sallies, if they fall upon you. And I suppose you may have heard these men have been so hardy as to attack the crown, and attempt to drive me out of my kingdom." When the legate heard this, he changed his purpose of going into Scotland, and returned to London with king Henry.

The council was held at St. Paul's in London, and a

pompous preparation made to set off the legate's character.

III.

He wrote to all the bishops, abbots, and priors, to appear HENRY either in person or by proxies, and that the respective con- K. of Eng. vents and chapters should authorise their bishops, abbots, Ibid. or priors, by an instrument, or indenture, to transact for them in council.

439.

The council met at the time appointed. And here the legate, to secure himself, had prevailed with the king to provide him a guard of two hundred men, who were planted privately about the cathedral. It seems he was afraid of being outraged by those of the clergy who were pluralists, or illegitimate. For it was given out, he designed to be severe against those men: neither was this suspicion altogether ill founded. For when a canon of the late council of Lateran against pluralists was read in the The bishop synod, Walter de Cantelupe, bishop of Worcester, standing of Worces up, and pulling off his mitre, addressed the legate thus. to the "Holy father," says he, "we have a great many persons of legate. blood and quality pluralists, who, as yet, have no dispensations to secure their promotions. Some of these gentlemen are advanced in years; have made all along a very creditable figure, kept open house, in a manner, for strangers, and been charitable to the extent of their fortunes. Now it would be a great hardship such men should be stripped of their estates, and reduced to poverty and contémpt. On the other hand, some of our pluralists are young gentlemen of courage and spirit, and are likely to run the utmost hazards, rather than suffer themselves to be reduced to a single benefice: and to deal clearly, I was formerly somewhat of this temper myself; we intreat you therefore to consult his holiness upon the affair, to think of moderation, and not carry things to the utmost rigour of discipline."

The legate replied, he would write to the pope about this business, provided all the bishops would sign the letter.

Id. p. 448.

It seems, some members of the synod had a scruple about 4 scruple the validity of the decrees, and suspected the force of them removed. would cease upon the pope's recalling the legate's commission. To remove this objection, one Mr. Atho, a clergyman in the cardinal's retinue, stood up, and read a decretal epistle out of the pope's register, by which it appeared, that the canons of the present council would be no temporary provisions, but perpetually binding upon the Church.

EDMUND,

Abp. Cant.

This obstacle being removed, the legate began his sermon. The words of his text were these, "In the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts, full Rev. 4. 6. of eyes before and behind."

The legate

preaches.

Paris, p.

448.

From these words, he took occasion to put them in mind, that the prelates ought to resemble the qualities of these animals, to retrospect, and look forward; to be uniform in their management, and prudent in their conduct, both with respect to this world and the other.

When the sermon was ended, the legate ordered the canons to be read; whence, it appears, they were prepared and drawn up before the sitting of the council. However, it is pretty plain they were not published as a law, but proposed by way of bill; for the legate declares in his preliminary discourse, that the authority of these canons was to be completed by the votes and consent of the council.

The first canon relates to the consecration of churches; and decrees that all cathedral, conventual, and parochial churches, should be consecrated by the bishop of the diocese, or his order, within two years after they were finished; and that no abbots or rectors of parishes should presume to pull down any old consecrated churches, upon pretence of enlarging or beautifying the fabrick, without leave from the bishop of the diocese.

The second states the number of the sacraments, and reckons them seven, i. e., baptism, confirmation, penance, the holy eucharist, extreme unction, matrimony, and orders. This canon enjoins the clergy should be examined upon these heads at their ordination; and that the archdeacons, in their visitations, should direct the parochial clergy in the administration of the sacraments.

The next canon mentions the eves of Easter and WhitSundays as the most solemn and customary times for the administration of baptism. Now it seems some people had an odd scruple against baptizing their children on these days; this superstitious fancy is condemned, and the people enjoined to bring their children to the font upon the festivals above mentioned.

The sixth canon concerns the ordination of priests, and provides that those who offer themselves to holy orders may pass a proper test; and that none who lie under any blemish

III.

or defect, with respect to their birth, their learning, or HENRY their morals, may be suffered to enter upon the sacerdotal K. of Eng. function.

The twenty-second puts the bishops in mind of the duty of their character; exhorts them to live a considerable part of the year at their cathedrals; to officiate there upon the principal festivals, and upon Sundays in Lent and Advent; to visit their dioceses; to exert their authority in discipline, to consecrate churches, and preach to the people. And that they may be the better awakened and recalled to the performance of these functions, the engagement they made at their consecration is ordered to be read to them twice a year.

By the twenty-fourth, those who have a cause depending in a court Christian, are obliged to take an oath that they do not commence the suit out of a troublesome litigious humour.

And,

By the twenty-eighth, those who undertake the employment of an advocate are obliged to swear before the bishop of the diocese to act fairly; to be true to justice and their client; not to spin out a good cause to unreasonable lengths, nor flourish upon a bad one. And that the spiritual courts may be under the better direction, and their conformity to general councils more easily examined; the judges are enjoined to keep an original record of the process of the court; and give the parties concerned a copy upon demand; and that a copy of the process should be exposed to public view, that if there happens to be any mistake in the clerk, it may be corrected, and the process Vid. Conand matter of fact, be certainly known. I have omitted the greatest part of these canons to avoid Comment. repetition. The reader who desires to be farther informed, 36. may find them at the end of Linwood's Provincial Constitu- 440. tions, with Atho's commentary upon them.

stitut. Othon.cum.

Athon. fol.

Paris, p. 449. et

Linwood,

1505.

However, it may not be improper to mention a word or deinc. Protwo concerning the constituent members of a provincial vincial. council. And here the famous Atho lays it down for a rule, edit. Oxon. that only the bishops of the province are to be summoned; as for the rest, though they may be invited, they are to be left to their liberty. Cæteri subditi invitandi non cogendi. To this Linwood agrees, and tells us, that there was no

VOL. II.

I i

ED

MUND,

necessity, that any others, besides bishops, should appear Abp. Cant. at a provincial council. His words are, verum est quod ad Provinciale concilium vocandi sunt episcopi, et non alii de necessitate.

Atho in

Hence it appears, that the ecclesiastick legislature was Constitut. complete in the bishops, without any farther supplemental Othon. p. 5. Linwood authority; and that the decrees of a provincial council were Provincial. valid and binding, though not so much as one abbot or presbyter had assisted in them.

154.

Edit. Ox.

The death

of Richard

Poer, bishop of Durham.

Godwin in

Episc. Sarisbur. et Dunelm.

This year, Richard Poer, bishop of Durham, departed this life. He was consecrated bishop of Chichester in the year 1215. Then, after two years, translated to Salisbury; and thence removed to Durham in the year 1228. He was a great benefactor to the see of Salisbury; persuaded the clergy and townsmen to remove from Old Sarum to a better situation, and, in consequence of this scheme, the new city and cathedral were built about a mile distant from the former. This cathedral, though begun, and encouraged by the bishop, was not finished untill thirty years after his quitting the diocese, which, indeed, was not long, considering the beauty and magnificence of the structure. He founded a nunnery at Tarrent, in Dorsetshire, and an hospital at Salisbury; and cleared a great debt upon the see of Durham, contracted by his predecessor.

This prelate, when bishop of Sarum, drew up a body of constitutions at a diocesan synod. They are divided into eighty-seven articles or canons. I shall mention some few

of them.

The fifteenth forbids priests selling of masses, or charging themselves with more than they are able to perform in their own persons.

By the thirty-fourth, it appears plainly the laity received the holy eucharist in both kinds; for, notwithstanding the article affirms transubstantiation, the priests are directed to instruct the people that they are not to question the reality of Christ's body and blood in this holy sacrament. "For (without doubt, as the words are) they," i. e., "the laity, receive that under the species of bread which hung upon the cross for us; and they receive in the cup that which streamed from the side of our Saviour. Hoc bibunt, ut dicit Augustinus, credentes, quod prius fuderunt sævientes.”