Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	abbot_n	norman_a	pension_n	24	3	14.6802	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65589	A defence of pluralities, or, Holding two benefices with cure of souls as now practised in the Church of England.	Wharton, Henry, 1664-1695.	1692 (1692)	Wing W1561; ESTC R8846	81,283	204

Incumbent and were allowed to do it These pensions were not very grievous during the times of the Saxons and the Church thereby found no great inconvenience before the Norman Conquest After the Conquest the Norman Princes generally bestowed the Bishopricks and Abbies of England to those of their own Nation who according to the Spirit of that time oppressed without mercy the poor inferiour English Clergy as the Norman Noblemen did the English Laity The Abbots then began to exact larger Pensions from the Incumbents possessing the Benefices of their donation And what the Norman Abbots began even the English Abbots were forced to follow to support themselves at that time when the Norman Kings continually exacted great Sums of money from them and scarce nominated any but in virtue of a Simoniacal bargain Both these reasons induced the Abbots to increase from time to time the Pensions of their Clerks and to procure to themselves more Advowsons that they might increase the number as well as the value of their Pensions Against these innovations it was decreed in the Council of London in the year 1102. That the Monks should neither obtain any new Advowsons without the leave of the Bishop nor impoverish their Churches by exorbitant Pensions Can. 20. Ne Monachi Ecclesias nisi per Episcopos accipiant neque sibi datas ita spolient suis redditibus ut Presbyteri ibi servientes in aliquo penuriam patiantur This Constitution was renewed in the Council of Westminster in the year 1126. Can. 4. Nullus Abbas Prior Monachus vel Clericus Ecclesiam sive Decimam seu quaelibet Beneficia Ecclesiastica de dono Laici sine proprii Episcopi assensu suscipiat In the mean time most of the Prebends were founded in Cathedral Churches of the old Foundation as we now distinguish them viz. in those which were then held by Secular Canons Of these many were endowed with Tithes or portion of the Tithes of some Benefice the Advowson of which belonged to the Bishop or some other Founder of the Prebends In this case it was lawful to such a Prebendary to serve the cure of the Benefice personally if it could consist with his attendance required at the Cathedral Church or to supply it by a Curate who in time became a Vicar or which was the most ordinary way to reserve to himself a certain Pension appointed by the Bishop and not to be altered without his leave permitting the remaining profits to the Incumbent In all which cases such prudence and moderation was used that I find no complaints of this kind made against the Secular Canons But the oppression and covetousness of the Monks became intolerable notwithstanding all the Decrees made against them they continued their corrupt practice herein and used several artifices to impoverish their Churches and draw the profits of them to themselves Sometimes they would treat with mercenary Priests and hire them from year to year to supply the cure of their vacant Benefices that so none being in real possession of them might be able to claim the profits which they in the mean time usurped to themselves Against this abuse was a Canon made in the Council held at Auranches in Normandy by the Popes Legates in the year 1173 which obliged all the Subjects of the King of England Vt Ecclesiae Vicariis annuis non comittantur that Churches should not be committed to yearly Curates And the Council of Lateran held at that time under Alexander III. directed That if a Clerk were not presented within a certain time the right of Presentation should devolve to the Bishop At other times they obliged the Clerks whom they presented to their Benefices to pay such large Pensions to them as rendred it impossible to their Clerks to subsist with honesty and decency Against this the forementioned Council of Auranches provided That besides the Oblations at least a third part of the Tithes should remain to the Priest who should serve the Church De tertiâ parte Decimarum nihil Presbytero qui servit Ecclesiae auferatur The Popes also of this time published several severe Decrees against this oppression Thus Alexander III. writes to the Monks of the Diocess of York in the year 1170. Intelleximus quod in Ecclesiis vestris de quibus certas portiones consuevistis percipere portiones antiquos reditus minorastis quos Clerici Ecclesiarum istarum habuisse noscuntur Ideoque mandamus quatenus si quas portiones vel antiquos reditus Clericorum sine consensu Archiepiscopi vestri minuere praesumpsisiis ad integritatem pristinam revocetis The same Pope soon after wrote thus to the Bishop of Worcester De Monachis qui Vicarios Ecclesiarum parochialium ita grava●●●t hospitalitatem tenere non possint eam providentiam habeas quòd ad praesentionem eorum nullum recipias nisi tantum ei de proventibus Ecclesiae coram te fuerit assignatum ●●de jura Episcopalia possint persolvere congruam sustentationem habere To the same purpose a Canon was published by this Pope in the Council of Lateran in the year 1179 which may be found Extr. de Praebend cap. Extirpandae Ten years after this Pope Clement made a famous Decree which at last effectually overthrew this artifice of the Monks in these words Cùm Monachi quidam Ecclesias quae ad Praesentationem eorum pertinent propriis usibus deputare nituntur nec volunt ad eas cùm vacaverint vocare personas admissos ita Pensionibus onerantes Mandamus ut nisi praedictae personae intra tempus à Lateranensi Concilio statutum ad vacantes Ecclesias personas idoneas praesentaverint ex tunc liceat Episcopis Diocesanis appellatione remotâ ordinare Rectores qui iis praeesse noverint prodesse The Monks being driven from all these artifices at last sell upon that mischievous design of Appropriation which gave the greatest blow to the Secular Clergy they ever received since the first dotation of the Church By the power of money they obtained of the Court of Rome that the profits of certain Churches whose Advowson belonged to them should be appropriated to themselves and their successors for ever Herein they first began with a few then finding their money to prevail in that corrupt Court proceeded further and at last put no bounds to their covetousness When they first gained these Bulls of Appropriation they pretended the Discipline of their Order to be so far relaxed in virtue of them that they might personally serve the cure of their appropriated Churches and this for some while they took upon them to do converting thereby the entire profits of them to their own use But here the Bishops interposed and since they could do no more applied themselves to reduce the Monks within the bounds of their Cloisters and by several Constitutions forbad them to serve their Churches personally One of these Constitutions made by an unknown Bishop in the reign of Henry