The Bishop's Palace at Salisbury. 



fantastic design of Sir Robert Taylor." The windows are, however, 

 much better than the porch, and those on the north side of the 

 chapel, at any rate, seem to be old. What is clear, I think, is that 

 at some time or other the ceiling of the old dining-room was 

 raised, and with it the floor of the chapel, which is at present ap- 

 proached by seven very steep steps. The present windows of the 

 lower room are evidently much higher than the original ones, which 

 are now blocked up in the front, but which are shown open in the 

 eighteenth century plan. The chapel even then was approached by 

 steps, and apparently by as many as ten, so that it would not be 

 safe to assume that the ceiling was raised by Bishop Barington, 

 though he certainly blocked the front windows and put in the two 

 at the ends. I have said that the present chapel was probably the 

 chapel of the palace before its consecration by Bishop Henchman, 

 but that we can only trace ordinations in the palace back to the 

 beginning of Bishop Jewel's episcopate. It is, perhaps, reasonable 

 to suppose that the causes why ordinations were not held in it before 

 his time were because the bishops were so frequently absent from 

 Salisbury that they did not wish to neglect the Cathedral when 

 they were present, and also that the numbers to be ordained were 

 larger than with us, owing to the number of acolytes, and sub- 

 deacons, as well as monastic deacons and priests, who had to be 

 provided for. I do not feel sure, however, judging from the evidence 

 of our registers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that either 

 o£ these reasons is quite sufficient, and I incline to think that there 

 was some feeling on the subject, possibly some lack of sympathy 

 between the Bishop and the Chapter, possibly some disinclination to 

 interrupt the ordinary services of the Church by such a ceremony — 

 which led to the more frequent use of the private chapel after the 

 Reformation. No register of ordination is found between 26th May* 

 1548, when the suffragan Bishop of Marlborough ordained Walter 

 Bower, fellow of Magdalen College, in the Church of Fittleton, till 

 the first ordination by Thomas Lankaster, another Bishop of Marl- 

 borough, for Bishop Jewel, in our Cathedral, 13th April, 1560 — 

 that is, for nearly twelve years. The people were, therefore, un- 

 accustomed to the service, and some might think it too Popish, 



