By Canon W. H. Jones. 329 



that has taken place between the Bishop and the Mother Church ; 

 which nevertheless derives its very name from the '' cathedra " of 

 the Bishop being in it. It is true, that, throughout the " Consue- 

 tudinary," the leading part in all the services is assigned to the 

 Bishop — even when the Dean is directed to perform certain functions, 

 it is almost invariably added " unless the Bishop be present " — 

 nevertheless, as is expressed in the statutes of 1319 — where the 

 Dean is called the "immediate ordinary^' — his authority in the 

 cathedral, and over its members, " in regimine animarum et morum 

 correctione," was supreme. All causes relating to the chapter were 

 to be heard by him and to be determined by him, with the advice 

 of assessors from the capitular body ; the various " canons," though 

 they received " institution " from the Bishop, obtained "possession " 

 from the Dean ; he assigning them their " place in choir " and their 

 " voice in chapter." The vicars, moreover, were especially under 

 his jurisdiction ; he admitting them on the nomination of the several 

 canons whose vicars they might be, or, failing such nomination, 

 appointing them himself. This independent authority of the Dean 

 was reflected on his canons, for each of them held similar authority 

 in their several prebends, many of them enjoying " archidiaconal " 

 jurisdiction in them. Moreover there is a most important privilege 

 secured to them in the Consuetudinary, which is thus expressed : — 

 " Quod canonici in nullo episcopo respondeant nisi in capitulo, et 

 judicio capituli tantum pareant." Putting all these things together, 

 even though in formularies and other documents a clear line seems 

 to be drawn, defining their several powers and privileges, one can 

 easily see how, without taking into account the almost natural en- 

 croachments of successive centuries, the authority of the bishop 

 over his cathedral came to be regarded as less and less, till, as Bishop 

 Denison remarked, though he had "extraordinary jurisdiction as 

 visitor he really seemed to have no ordinary jurisdiction as bishop." 

 Of course our concern is not to argue the matter, but simply to 

 give the reasons for such a state of things having come to pass. 

 One fact, that of the bishop being a canon of the cathedral — more 

 than one of them speaks of himself as " con-canonicus " — is every- 

 where apparent. He was always possessed of a distinct " prebend "— 



