PART VI.-THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF 1. Relations between Monasteries and the Bishop of the Diocese. THE kindly relations between the diocesan bishops and monasteries depended much upon the prudence and temper of the former. At Durham, Hugh Pusar was beloved for his courtesy in giving the Benedictine prior his proper title of dom(inus); a late successor spent his days in a vain demand that novices should make profession before him. As a mark of sympathy and not of obligation, the abbots constantly attended at the consecration, enthronement, and funerals of bishops. The monasteries in the southern province had the following rules laid down in councils for their observance : 1. The injunctions of the Synod assembled by the bishop were to be observed by provosts of monasteries, who were regularly summoned. (Cuthbert's Canons, 747, c. 25). 2. The abbot was to be subject to episcopal supervision, and to attend the bishop's annual synod (Excerpts of Ecgbriht, 740, c. 62; Council of Orleans, 501, c. 19), and obey its injunctions (Can. of Cloveshoe, 747, c. 25). 3. The abbot might be deposed by the bishop and neighbouring abbots (Ibid. 63, 64). 4. The abbot was to be confirmed by the archbishop (Wihtred's Grant, 692, c. 3), or by the bishop (Counc. of Cealcythe, 787, c. 5), with the consent and advice of the family or convent (Wulfred's Canons, 816, c. 4). 5. Some abbots were laymen (Answ. of Ecgbriht, 734, a. xii.; Cuthbert's Canons, 747, c. 7). 6. Monasteries were subject to episcopal visitation (Cuthb. Canons, 747, c. 5; Exc. of Ecgbriht, 740, c. 64). Sometimes the resistance to visitation led to protracted feuds and appeals to 'the golden city,' with the inevitable result of heavy mulcts and costly litigation. On one occasion, in 1250, Archbishop Boniface of Savoy forced his way into St. Bartholomew's, Smithfield, although the convent protested that the diocesan was their proper visitor. The fiery Italian burst out into noisy oaths and abuse, calling them English traitors;' he tore the precious cope of procession from the back of the subprior, struck him violent blows on the face and chest, and dashed his grey hairs against the choir stalls. His breastplate was seen gleaming between the folds of his robes, and he wildly called for a sword to complete his deed of violence, whilst his foreign retainers made a furious onslaught on the convent, beating the canons down upon the floor and trampling upon them. No redress was given, either by the bishop or the king. Unless they had a special papal privilege or prescription of custom, all abbots and conventual (in distinction to claustral) priors who presided over a house, were required to have recourse to the bishop of the diocese in obtaining chrism, holy oil, the consecration of churches and the ordination of clergy, and also to receive his benediction, usually in his cathedral church, before entering on their office. But the exempt abbots were allowed to give the first tonsure to their monks or canons regular, and also letters dimissory to any bishop for their admission to holy orders. The exempt abbeys were: (Benedictine) Wearmouth (originally), Peterborough (subject to the primate), Westminster, St. Alban's, St. Edmund's Bury, Evesham, Battle, Bardney, and St. Augustine's Canterbury; and Waltham (Austin Canons) owning only the authority of the Pope. They were exempt from (1) visitation of the ordinary in the abbey and its dependent parishes, (2) attendance in his diocesan synod, (3) the payment of episcopal dues, (4) taking an oath of canonical obedience, or (5) necessity of confirmation after their election. They were compelled, however, to meet in the general chapters of the order, and, under certain conditions, to receive the visitors deputed by them. In 1352 the abbots of St. Augustine's were allowed to receive benediction from any bishop at will. Heavy fees, or a compulsory journey to Rome under penalty of a fine, for confirmation, dearly purchased the privilege of independence in persons, things, and jurisdiction, with decay in internal discipline and good order. The bishop, however, could punish a criminous monk if found offending outside the precinct; or the vicar of a church in the patronage of an abbey. ELECTION OF AN ABBOT OR CONVENTUAL PRIOR. There were two kinds of priors: (1) The conventual, who presided over a priory; and (2) the claustral, who in a cathedral was the virtual superior, but only second in rank in an abbey. The Benedictine abbot, who was said to be divinâ permissione, and the conventual prior, who adopted the modest form Dei patientia, after his election was conducted to the high altar, where 'Te Deum' was sung, and afterwards was presented in the rood-loft to the people. At Peterborough a very popular abbot was carried up in the arms of the monks. William of Malmesbury mentions that in the times of the English the right of electing abbots resided in the convent; but with the first Norman king other influences prevailed, and the crown, the bishop, or the descendants of the founder often exercised the power of nomination, or confirmation of the choice of the house. There were three kinds of election: (1) by compromission, where the delegates or commissioners, usually twelve, assembled in the church (at Peterborough) or a secret chamber (at Ely), whilst the convent prayed in chapter; (2) by scrutiny, where the bishop (at Rochester) took the votes in chapter; (3) by inspiration, or way of the Holy Ghost, when the election was made by unanimous acclamation. The Bishop of Worcester nominated one of seven candidates presented by the convent. In 1256 a less amicable arrangement at Winchester led to a fruitless appeal to Rome, and a burdensome debt of 7000 marks; so at Lincoln— where, in a long quarrel between the bishop and the chapter, the fabric was neglected, as an indignant canon one day called out, 'If we were silent the very stones would cry aloud' the quarrel was broken up by the thunderous fall of the central tower, and the immediate necessity of repairing the terrible loss. DISTINCTION OF ABBOTS EXEMPT, MITRED, AND PARLIAMENTARY.-As the Pope alone could give exemption from the jurisdiction of the ordinary and the privilege of wearing a mitre and pontifical ornaments, so the Crown only could confer the civil right of a seat in Parliament. A difference was made by Clement IV. in 1267 between the mitres of the exempt and not exempt. The precious mitres of the former had orphreys and ornaments of gold and silver; the latter were of white material. St. Augustine's, Canterbury (1158), Battle, and Westminster were the earliest exempt. abbeys. The abbot of Malmesbury before 1225 purchased the right from the bishops of Salisbury by the gift of a church and manor. The abbot of Battle had a special privilege of freeing a felon whom he met in the streets, which he exercised on one occasion when passing near the prison of the Marshalsea. The Benedictine abbots of St. Augustine's, Canterbury (1059, again in 1173), Evesham (1163, again 1230), Westminster (1167), Bury St. Edmund's (1190), Thorney (1200), Chester (1325), Battle (1370), Malmesbury (1380), Peterborough (1397), Gloucester (1400), Tavistock (1480), the Cistercian abbot of Jorvaulx, the Austin canons' abbots of Waltham (1191), Bristol (c. 1340), Wigmore (1380), Cirencester (1420), and Thornton (1418), and the claustral prior of Coventry, Winchester (1253), Durham (1370), Worcester (1350), Canterbury (1220 and 1378), and Ely (1413) received the mitre. At Bath in the sixteenth century the prior seems to have been mitred. The premier abbots were successively those of Glastonbury, St. Alban's (1154), and probably as guardian of the national regalia-Westminster (1400). Mitred abbots consecrated altars, gave the tonsure and benediction, and conferred minor orders upon their members. At Durham, a suffragan, gave holy orders in the sacristy. The sovereign issued summonses to Parliament, both to abbots and (at their pleasure) to priors. Edward III. fixed the number to certain abbots and the prior of St. John of Jerusalem. These abbots were those of St. Alban's, Abingdon, St. Augustine's Canterbury, Battle, Bardney, Colchester, Croyland, St. Edmund's Bury, Evesham, Glastonbury, Gloucester, Hyde, Hulme, Malmesbury, Peterborough, Ramsey, Reading, Selby, Shrewsbury, Thorney, Westminster, Winchcombe, and York (Benedictine); and Waltham (Austin Canons); Battle was specially summoned by writ. Tavistock received the right by grant (1513); the rest sat as barons of Parliament. The charters of such privileges, papal bulls, grants of land, and concessions by the Crown, were kept in the treasury and muniment room, which we can sometimes identify, but not generally with the same confidence as in secular cathedrals, for instance, even when placed above a chapel as at Exeter and Chichester. 2. Relation to Parish Churches. In The greater monasteries had churches standing in their close, or a collateral church. These churches were at first regarded as mere chapelries, served by a chaplain at an altar, which was considered to stand within the minster, as if included under its nave-roof, which was the case in some churches. the year 1200 the canons of Westminster forbade a monk to be placed alone in a parish church, and required him to keep within his cloister. In 1268 the legate imposed a restriction upon the appropriation of churches to a monastery or priory, and made an order that all religious exempt and not-exempt, Cistercians and others who held such churches, should present a resident vicar for institution by the diocesan, providing him with a sufficient portion out of the endowment, and a house with a garderobe and chimney after the French fashion. Usually the dependent vicar received a 'robe of a clerical suit,' and daily rations when near a convent. The Act 15 Rich. II., chap. 6, required both an allowance for the vicar and money for the relief of the poor. The Cistercians were made exempt by Pope Innocent IV. about 1260, and only attended the episcopal |