B I S 
as two-fold, viz. vvliat belongs to his order, And what be¬ 
longs to his jm ifdiction. To the epilcopal order belong 
the ceremonies of dedication, confirmation, and ordina¬ 
tion ; to the epifcopal jurifdiftion, by the (tatute law, be¬ 
long the licenling of phyficians, furgeons, and fchoolmaf- 
ters, the uniting fmall panflies (though this laft privilege 
is now peculiar to the bilhop of Norwich), alTiiiing the 
civil magiflrate in the execution of ftatutes relating to ec- 
clefiaftical matters, and compelling the payment of tenths 
and fubfidies due from the clergy. By the common law, 
the billiop is to certify the judges, touching legitimate and 
illegitimate births and marriages; and by that and the ec- 
clefiaftica'l law, he is to take care of the probate of wills 
and granting adminiftration's j to collate to benefices, grant 
infiitutions on the prefentation of other patrons, command 
induction, order the collecting and preferving the profits 
of vacant benefices for the ufe of the fuccelfors, defend 
the liberties of the church, and vifit his diocefe once in 
three years. To the bifhop alfo belong fufpenlion, de¬ 
privation, depofition, degradation, and excommunication. 
All bifhops of England are peers of the realm, except 
the bilhop of Man ; and, as fuch, fit and vote in the houfe 
of lords : they are barons in a threefold manner, viz. 
feudal, in regard to the temporalities annexed to their bi- 
finoprics ; by writ, as being fummoned by writ to parlia¬ 
ment ; and lafily, by patent and creation : accordingly 
they have the precedence of all other barons, and vote as 
barons and bifhops. They have the title of Lords and 
Right Reverend Fathers in God. Befides two archbilhops, 
there are twenty-four bifhops in England, exclufive of 
the bifhop of Sodor and Man. The bifhops of London, 
Durham, and Winchefler, fake place from the other bi¬ 
fhops, who are to rank after them according to their fe- 
niority of confecration. There is now alfo a bifhop in our 
fettlement of Nova Scotia. In Scotland, before the Pref- 
byterian eftablifhment, there were two archbifhoprics and 
twelve bifhoprics. 
The king may not feize into his hands the temporalities 
of bifhops but upon juft caufe, and not for a contempt, 
which is only finable. Bifhops are allowed four years for 
payment of their firft fruits, by flat. 6 Anne, c. 27 ; and 
every bifhop may retain four chaplains. By flat. 24: Geo. 
III. the bifhop of London, or any bifhop by him appoint¬ 
ed, may admit to the order of deacon or prieft, fnbjebts of 
countries out of his majefty’s dominions, without requiring 
the oath of obedience ; but no perfon fit all be thereby en¬ 
abled to cxercife fuch offices within his majefty’s domi¬ 
nions. By (fat. 26 Geo. III. the archbilhops of Canter¬ 
bury or York, with fuch other bifhops as they (hall cal! 
10 their alTi’ftance, may confecrate fubjetts of countries 
out of his majefty’s dominions to be bifhops, without re¬ 
quiring the ufual oaths ; purfuing the forms preferibed by 
the adt. But no fuch bifhops or their fuccelfors, or per- 
fons ordained by them, fhall exercife their functions within 
his majefty’s dominions. The right of’being tried by the 
lords of parliament, as their peers, it is (aid, does not ex¬ 
tend to bifhops ; who though they are lords of parlia¬ 
ment, and lit there by virtue of their baronies, which 
they noid jure ecclejia, yet are not ennobled, in blood, and 
conlequently not peers with the nobility, 3 Inft. 30. 1. 
4 Comm. 264. Nor can they fit in the houfe upon any tri¬ 
als in cafes of blood, being prohibited by the canons of the 
church to be judges of life and death. Thefe, and other re¬ 
markable incidents relative to the bifhops, happened in the 
following order of time. They were made barons'by Wil¬ 
liam 1 . A. D. 1072. Inconjunction with the pope’s legate 
they prefumed to difpofe of the crown, by proclaiming the 
emprefs Maud queen of England, in the reign of Stephen, 
1141. The precedency contefted between the archbilhops 
of Canterbury and York, was fettled in favour of Canter¬ 
bury by a fynod, in 1072. The precedency of the other 
bifhops was ( adjufted in 1075, according to their ordina¬ 
tion, except Wincheftter and London, to which peculiar 
privileges belong. They were deprived of the privilege 
of fitting as judges upon trials for capital crimes^ 11 
3 
BIS 67 
Kich.TI. in j 3S8. They were to be elected by the king’s 
conge d’dire, by act of parliament, 26 Henry VIII. 1535; 
and were excluded from voting in the houfe of peers on 
temporal concerns, 15 Charles I. 1640. Twelve were 
committed for high treafon, in protefling againft the le¬ 
gality of all acts of parliament pafled while they remain 
deprived of their votes, in 1641. Seven were fent to the 
Tower, for refilling to publifh a declaration by James II. 
for liberty of conference, contrived to bring the Papifts 
into ecclefiaftical and civil employments, in 1688. The 
archbifhop of Canterbury and five bifhops were fufpended 
for refufirig to take the oaths to William and Mary, in 
1689, and deprived in 1690. The bifhops of Scotland 
were deprived of their bilhoprics, and epifcopacy was 
abolifhed there, in 1689. 
Archbifhoprics and bifhoprics may become void by 
deprivation for any very grofs and notorious crime, and 
alfo by refignation. All refignations muff be made to fome 
fuperior ; therefore a bifhop mu ft refign to his metropoli¬ 
tan, but the archbifhop can refign to none but the king 
himfelf, 1 Comm. 382. Mr. Chriftian, in his notes on 1 
Comm. 380, fays, that the fuppofed arifwer of a bifhop on 
his confecration, Nolo epifeopari, is a vtilgar error. 
Bl'S'HOP, f. a cant word for a mixture of wine, 
oranges, and fugar. 
BISHOP and his CLERKS, a clufter of dangerous 
rocks, on the coaft of Pembrokefhire, in South' Wales, at 
the entrance of St. George’s channel : four miles Weft of 
St. David’s. Lat. 51. 54. N. Ion. 5. 20. W. Greenwich. 
Suffragan BISHOP, or Titular Bishop, one who is 
fubordinate or afliftant to a bilhop, orone who has the title 
and ftyle of a bifhop, and is confecrated by the archbifhop 
of the province to execute fuch power, jurifdidlion, and 
authority, and to receive fuch profits, as are fpecified in 
his commiffion. 
BI'SHOPING, a term among horfe-dealers, to denote 
the fophiftications ufed to make an old horfe appear young, 
a bad one good. See. 
BPSHOPRIC, the diftrift over which a bifhop’s jurif- 
diction extends, otherwife called a diocefe. In England 
there are two archbifhoprics and twenty-four bifhoprics, 
befides that of Sodor and Man ; in Scotland, none at all; 
in Ireland, four archbifhoprics and 18 bifhoprics. Thofe 
in England are as follows ; to which is fubjoined the funr 
that each is charged in the king’s books ; and, though thefe 
firms are far from being the annual value, yet they will 
aftift in forming a comparative eftimate between the re¬ 
venues of one fee and thofe of another : 
Archbifhopric of Canterbury, 
Ditto of York, — 
Bilhopric of London, — 
Bilhopric of Durham, — 
Bilhopric of Winchefler, — 
Bilhopric of Ely, — 
' Bilhopric of Bath and Wells, 
Bilhopric of Hereford, ,•— 
Bilhopric Of Rocheftcr, — 
’Bilhopric-Of ‘Litchfield and Coventry, 
Bilhopric of Cheftcr, — 
Biftlopric of Worcefter, — 
Bilhopric of Chidhefter, — 
'Bilhopricof St. 'Afcaph, -— 
Bilhopric of Saliibury, •— 
Bifh'opric Of ^Bangor, •— 
Bilhopric of Norwich, — 
Bilhopric of GlonCefter, •— 
Bilhopric of Landatf, — 
Bilhopric of Lincoln, •—• 
Bilhopric of Bri-ftol, —■ — 
Bilhopric of GafMe, •— 
Bilhopric Of Exeter, — —• 
Bilhopric Of Peterborough, 
Bilhopric of Oxford, — 
-'Bilhopric of St. David’s, 
— 
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426 
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