RELIGIOUS HOUSES and dismissing it."* It may be concluded that a non-resident dean was not a member of the ordinary chapter : and, therefore, that the existence of a dean who was not also a resident canon was a thing exceptional. A vacancy in the deanery was announced by the chapter to the bishop ; but the canons, without episcopal licence, chose a candidate for the office, whom the bishop was obliged to confirm in the absence of canonical impediment.^" The new dean swore that he would give canonical obedience to the bishop, and, further, took an oath of office which bound him to sit in his place according to ap- proved customs of the church, to guard the rights and liberties of the cathedral, to keep its possessions, and recover such of them as had been alienated. He received oaths of canonical obedience from major and minor canons in his own name and that of the chapter. In the presence of the resident brothers he installed the canons.^ He nominated all who were to be ordained to benefices and dignities of the church, in the name of St. Paul he summoned the chan- cellor to his place. ^'^ He ruled over the souls of the ministers and beneficed clergy of the church ; he alone could expel vicars from the choir, and might temporarily suspend the attendance of minor canons. ^^* He presided over the chapter.^^' On lesser feasts he or his deputy said the office.2'» There were thirty major canons in St. Paul's.^ On their admission they swore to be faithful to the church, to render obedience to the dean and chapter, and, in so far as was legal, to guard the secrets of the chapter.^'^ To each five psalms were allotted, which he must say every day in the church, and thus the whole psalter was daily recited. Every canon in succession served at the altar for one week, and then held the office of ebdomarius.^'^ A prebend belonged to each, and, in addition, he received a daily allowance of bread and ale from the bakehouse and brewery of the cathedral, a pittance from the chamber,^'* and a proportion of the offerings at services. The thirty canons with the dean at their head formed the chapter.^ Such was evidently their theoretical position. But there came early into existence a regular body of non-resident canons who received the fruits of prebends almost as sinecurists. The practice was facilitated by the circumstance that each major canon had originally a vicar, who, in his absence, sat in his stall and took his part in the services of the church.^* The cathedral '«* Reg. S. Paul: (ed. W. S. Simpson), 390. '"Ibid. 14. '^Ibid. 15. '" Ibid. 16. '^Ibid. 18, 19. "'Ibid. 16. "Mbid. 17. »" Ibid. 23. '"Mbid. 26, 31. "Mbid. 48, 24,25. "« Dom. Bk. of St. Paul's (ed. W. Hale), 1 70. '" Reg. S. Fault (ed. W. S. Simpson), 23. » Ibid. 67. endeavoured to enforce the performance of their duties on canons who were professedly resident, and to confine to them all participation in the offerings in the church. It became necessary to distinguish between resident and non-resident canons, and therefore to define the conditions of residence. In the constitutions of Ralph de Diceto it is enacted that a canon who wishes to reside must profess such willingness before the dean and resident brothers in the quinzaine of certain feasts. With two clerks who are in holy orders, or about to enter them, and who have no other benefice, he must then take his place in the choir, and he must be present at canonical hours by day and by night. He may be absent for six days in the first quarter of the year, and, if he obtain the dean's leave, for three weeks and six days in the remaining three quarters. Longer absence disqualifies him for residence.^ When William de St. Mere I'Eglise was bishop, it was further ordained that offerings made at processions should be distributed among brothers actually present at them,* and certain benefactors to the canons made a share in their favours con- ditional on personal attendance at services.*^' An extensive and costly hospitality was in- cumbent on a canon in his first year of residence. He was obliged to entertain daily a number of the ministers and servants of the church ; to make two great banquets to which he must in- vite the bishop, the major canons, the mayor, sheriffs, aldermen, and justices, and the great men of the court ; and on the morrow of these to feast all the lesser clergy of the church.*'" Such hospitality was intended not only as a means of adding to the sustenance of the poorer servants of St. Paul's, and of preserving good feeling among the cathedral clergy, and between the cathedral, the City, and the court, but also for purposes of inspection.'" The expense it in- volved came to be so disproportionate to the income of a major canon that its effect was to discourage residence. A dwelling near the cathedral in which he was compelled to live was assigned to each resi- dent canon. '*' Questions among them were decided by elected arbitrators."*' There were statutes to regulate their conduct, their manners, their habit, and their tonsure.'* That the abuse of giving prebends to secular persons and children existed, is shown by an ordinance in the compilation of Baldock, that none shall for long be a canon, or have a voice in the elections, who is not in holy orders ; "*^ and by an appeal of Richard de Belmeis in 1136.'*^ A canon did not invariably hold a prebend, for a J77 Ibid. 125 "Ibid. 125-9, »3 '«' Ibid. 126,128. »»* Ibid. 28. 986 278 Ibid. 183. '"Ibid. 35. "" Ibid. 126. "Mbid. 31. '^ Ibid. 19. R. de Diceto, Hist. (Rolls Ser.), i, 250. 421
