APPENDIX C.

SYNODAL ORDINANCES OF BISHOP RUSSELL, A.D.135O.

THESE are the additions made by the venerable father Lord William Russell, :Bishop of Sodor, together with the whole clergy of Man, in the one thousand three hundred and fiftieth year of the Lord, in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, on the twenty-third day of February:

It pertaineth to the pastoral office for a provident shepherd to exercise an ever watchful care over the state of the churches and the welfare of souls committed to his care, so as, having to give an account of the flock entrusted to him, he may without failing be able to return the gain on the talent committed to him. This is why, of those things which in former time were ordained by the ancient fathers, we recall to mind certain at these presents, adding to them a few (things) de novo, that we may not seem, by dissembling (which be it far from us), to neglect the rule committed to us. Since the government of souls is the art of arts, and to pray for the dead is a holy and wholesome work, having taken counsel of our clergy in the first place, we have caused it to be ordained that, as often as any rector, vicar, or chaplain of our Church of Man, or any other honourable person commended to the intercession of our prayers, and engaged and bound to us for a like assistance, shall haply depart this life, at the place and on the day of his interment, all who survive him, without any pretence or excuse, should assemble together and pay fitting honour to the body of the departed. And, if they should be able, should each celebrate mass, with the other prayers usual on such occasions. And from the day of his interment each of the aforementioned should, for himself or by another, without the loss of delay, cause thirty masses to be celebrated; and in the thirty days next ensuing, the office for the dead should be chanted by every survivor, with the nine lessons and the accustomed psalms, without interruption of the days consecutively, with befitting reverence. Our officers and deans being instructed that, our law being ordained, they should make diligent search lest any should be found negligent or remiss in the foregoing. And any (person) not discharging (this duty) after the enactment of any of our laws, within the space of sixty days from the day of interment, shall be fined in the penalty of half a mark by our said officers, without exception of persons, and with the same money shall cause to be celebrated the same number of masses, or more, if the bishop shall be absent, at the peril of their souls, being held responsible to the bishop, when they shall come to (render an account of) their office for each of the aforesaid.

Of the Duty of Chaplains, who are bound to expound the Catholic Faith to the People.

We have also ordained that all rectors, vicars, or chaplains appointed to ecclesiastical offices should, firmly and without ceasing, expound to their people the Word of God and the Catholic and Apostolic faith upon all Lord's days and festivals, and should diligently instruct those subjected to them in the articles of the faith, and should teach and instruct them to understand the Apostles' Creed in their mother tongue, and should expound the same faith to their children, and teach them the articles. We have also ordered that the holy rites of the Church be celebrated with devout reverence, under the set forms delivered to us in writing by the holy fathers, which forms, approved by the Catholic faith, let none dare to change for any novelty. Also, above all, being careful that the wine with which it is celebrated be not corrupt or turned to vinegar, and that it be red wine rather than white. Nevertheless, the sacrament is rightly administered in white wine, but not in vinegar. When into vinegar it is changing, all the substantial strength of the wine is lost, and water may be added in so moderate quantity that the wine may not be absorbed by the water, but (rather) the water by the wine. The host should be made of wheat, round and whole, pure and without blemish, since the Lamb was without spot, and not a bone of it was broken, whence the verse.

The host of Christ must be purely white, thin, small, round, not leavened-without admixture. It must be marked with a stamped impression. It must not be boiled in water, but baked with fire.

Let the host to be given to the sick be renewed upon each Lord's day, and let it be set in an honourable place, to wit, in a pyx appointed for this purpose, covered with a corporal, and let it never be laid by without a corporal covering. But it may be renewed upon other days in case of necessity. And inasmuch as several hosts are consecrated at once, the celebrant must direct his intention to them all, and not to one only. And on the priests themselves we strongly urge never to dare to consecrate, to their own damnation, whenever they feel themselves involved in any mortal sin.

Of the Repairs of the Chancel and Nave of the Church.

Moreover, we have ordained that parish churches and their cemeteries, according to the means of the parishioners, should, by the parishioners themselves, and the chancels by the rectors, be decently constructed in all needful particulars; and that the altars must be properly furnished with ornaments, books, lights, a chalice of silver or gold,-not of wood, or glass, nor brass, but only of silver or of gold, or, in case of necessity, of pure tin,-and other decorations, which must be consecrated by the bishop. But the church and all its ornaments, as well in books as vestments, and other needful things, must be kept clean and decent by the vicar of the church at his own expense, together with the baptismal font, the chrismatory, and the place of the altar in which the sacrament is reserved. Which vicar, indeed, must render an account to his lord the bishop and his ordinaries of all things which are done in the church and its district; also of the light of the purification of the blessed (Virgin) Mary where the rectors are non-resident, touching which light we desire that they be supplied decently to the churches for the celebration of mass, and that two candles of wax should be made for the elevation of the sacrament of the altar, and an Easter candle of wax, which we would by no means have wanting in any church of our diocese for that purpose upon festal days. And if that be not sufficient for this purpose, let the rector provide it, as is set forth in the statutes of our predecessors. We have also ordained that no church or oratory shall be built in our diocese without our consent, and that in any so built without our authority the divine rites (mass) be not by any temerity celebrated, or rather, according to the canons, profaned.

Of Building on Church Land.

Also (we have ordained), that every rector of a parish church should have near him a mansion decently constructed, in which the bishop, archdeacon, and their ordinaries can be received and entertained. And especially, in the cases of churches appropriated to houses exempted from the jurisdiction of the ordinaries, this must be done within a year from the day of the publication of these presents; the expense of the entertainment to be defrayed by the rectors and vicars conjointly, according to the proportion of their incomes. And after the expiration of the time specified, the rectors and vicars shall be compelled to this by sequestration of the revenues of their benefices.

Of Foreign Clergy, and those coming from other Dioceses.

We prohibit, firmly interdicting, under pain of excommunication and anathema, any priest of another diocese, coming into ours, from presuming to make his abode here, or to bind himself to any here to celebrate for the living or the dead, unless he shall first have come meetly and rightly to ourselves, or to our ordinaries in our absence, showing to us or to our deputies public instruments or proper proofs of the facts of his ordination and good character. And forasmuch as we are unwilling that ignorant men should be bound in the penalties of this statute, we have ordered priest-vicars on whom they may call to show to them the present statute, and to certify them, that they may not excuse themselves upon ignorance of the foregoing. This also we have ordained touching collectors of alms coming from elsewhere, that they should not be admitted, without our special letters recommendatory, into any part of our diocese, under penalty of a fine of ten shillings sterling. And if our vicars be found negligent in making public to the persons aforesaid our present decrees within eight days after they shall have reached them, (that) they be suspended from sacred functions until they shall have made meet satisfaction for their neglect and violation of our command. Adding to these, that the clergy especially ordained in holy orders, except on the occasion of travel or other pressing necessity, must not eat in taverns, nor take drink there oftener than once, and that standing, nor delay amongst public drinking parties or gatherings, or other merrymakings in public places. Which if they shall do, be it known to them henceforth that, by virtue of this ordinance, they will be suspended from entering the church, and from their sacred functions, for three months following, unless within that time they shall confess such transgression to us or our ordinaries, and perform suitable penance for it.

Of the Penalty of being absent from Church upon the Lord's Day.

Also, we have ordained that it should be announced to the parishioners in every parish church, that a man or woman from every house, or both of them, should come to church on each Lord's Day, to hear divine worship, and the teachings of the Church, unless they might be reasonably excused, which excuse unasked they are to show to the rector or his deputy on his first coming to the same place, as they desire to avoid the vengeance of the Catholic Church; and, notwithstanding, let a fine of three shillings and three pence be exacted for each transgression from every one who, by thus absenting himself, shall have withdrawn his resort from his proper sheepLold, that all good feeling may be promoted amongst those that are therein, as is set forth in the Council of Lyons, where it speaks of the precedence of rank in churches, chapter beginning, " Dominum tua decet sanctitudo."

Expliciunt additiones WILLELM RUSSELL.