192 



ENGLAND. 



easily to be remedied, unless the dignified clergy would adopt and 

 support the reforming scheme. The crown, as well as private per- 

 sons, has done much towards the augmentation of poor livings. 



The sovereigns of England, ever since the reign of Henry VIII, 

 have been called, in public writs, the supreme heads of the church ; 

 but this title conveys no spiritual meaning, as it only denotes the 

 regal power to prevent any ecclesiastical differences, or, in other 

 words, to substitute the king in place of the pope before the Refor- 

 mation, with regard to temporalities, and the internal economy of 

 the church. The kings of England never intermeddle in ecclesiasti- 

 cal disputes, unless by preventing the convocation from sitting to 

 agitate them, and are contented to give a sanction to the legal rights 

 of the clergy. 



To the church of England, under this description of the monarchi- 

 cal power over it, is governed by two archbishops, and twenty -four 

 bishops, besides the bishop of Sodor and Man, who, not being pos- 

 sessed of an English barony, does not sit in the house of peers.* 

 The two archbishops are those of Canterbuy and York, who are 

 dignified with the address of Your Grace. The former is the first 

 peer of the realm, as well as metropolitan of the English church. He 

 takes precedence, next to the royal family, of all dukes and officers of 

 state. He is enabled to hold ecclesiastical courts upon all affairs 

 that were formerly cognisable in the court of Rome, when not repug- 

 nant to the law of God, or the king's prerogative. He has the privi- 

 lege consequently of granting, in certain cases, licenses and dispen- 

 sations, together with the probate of wills, when the party dying is 

 worth upwards of five pounds. Besides his own diocese, he has 

 under him the bishops of London, Winchester, Ely, Lincoln, Roches- 

 ter, Litchfield and Coventry, Hereford, Worcester, Bath and Wells, 

 Salisbury, Exeter, Chichester, Norwich, Gloucester, Oxford, Peter- 

 borough, Bristol ; and, in Wales, St. David's, Landaff, St. Asaph, and 

 Bangor. 



* To the following list is subjoined the sum each see is charged in the king's 

 books, as also their estimated real value at present. 



\ 



ARCHBISHOPRICS. 









Charged. Value. 





Charged 



Value 





/ s. d. 1. 





/. *. 



d. 1. 



Canterbury, - 



- 26S2 12 2—8,000 



1 York, - - - 



- 1610 



0—7,000 





BISHOPRICS. 









/. 5. d. 1 





I. s. 



d. 1- 



"London, - - 



- 2000 0—6,200 



Chichester, - - 



. 677 1 



3—2,600 



Durham, - - 



- 1821 1 3—8,700 



St. Asaph, - - 



- 187 11 



8—1,500 



Winchester, * 



- 3124 12 8—7,400 



Salisbury, - - 



- 2385 5 



0—3,500 



These three bishoprics take preced- 



Bangor, . . - 



- 131 16 



3—1,200 



ency of all others in England : and 



Norwich, - - 



. 834 11 



7—3,000 



the others according to the seniority 



Gloucester, - - 



- 315 7 



3—2,000 



of their consecrations. 



Lincoln, - - - 



- 894 18 



1—3,200 





- 2134 18 6—4,000 



Landaff, - - - 



- 154 14 



2—1,600 



Bath and Wells, 



- 533 1 3—2,200 



Bristol, - - - 



- 294 11 



0—1,500 



Hereford, - - 



- 168 11 0—3,000 



Carlisle, * -. - 



- 531 4 



9—2,800 



Rochester, - - 



- 358 4 0—2,400 



Exeter, - . - 



- 500 



0—2,700 



Lichfield and ") 

 Coventry, 3 



- 559 17 3—2,800 



Peterborough, - 

 Oxford, - - - 



- 414 17 



- 381 11 



8—1,700 

 3—2,800 



Chester, - - - 



- 420 1 8-2,700 



St. David's, - - 



- 426 2 



1-1,400 



Worcester, . - 



- 929 13 3—3,400 









