was afterwards promised the bishopric of St. Davids by the Kino-, but, being in Rome at the time when the vacancy occurred, and being desirous to be consecrated by the Pope, the Pope took the opportunity to appoint him by provision and ignore altogether the royal nomination, so that his appointment may be represented as due either to the King or to the Pope. On a subsequent occasion Chicheley was desirous of resigning some of his preferments. It happened, however, that they were held under a dispensation from the Pope, and therefore could only be resigned with his consent. A bull could easily be had, but to introduce it into England would subject him to the penalties of a Præmunire. Hence a royal mandate had to be obtained containing a non obstante clause with reference to the statute of Præmunire.
Chicheley also, according to the same authority, set the precedent of confiscating the property of the monasteries for the service of the State.[1] This was, however, in the case of alien priories, which had a natural tendency to raise international difficulties, and which obviously stood on a different footing from others.
It is unnecessary for my purpose to follow this subject to a later date. Even so stout a champion of Anglican independence as Dean Hook gives it up at this point. In commenting on the rebukes administered by Martin V. to Archbishop Chicheley he says: 'Henceforth the Church of England, to the time of the Reformation, was to be accounted only as a branch of the Church of Rome; and at the head of what had hitherto been the national Church was to be, not the Archbishop of Canterbury, but the Bishop of Rome.'[2] Coming from such a
