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Sowers of Difcord, Backbiters and Whilperers, that arebelow the Degree of a Canon. And that there be nodefeCl of Government, when the Dean has Occafion tobe abfent above Eight Days, he {hall appoint One ofthe Canon Relidents for his Deputy, in whofe abfencehe has the Title of Lieutenant, and on all Occafions tocxercife his Office j for the Statutes allow him SixtyDays in a Year for Non-refidence 5 which fpace theRoyal Vifitation, 155a. enlarg’d to One Hundred andTen Days ; and the Lord Chancellor Hyde granted himLiberty of Six Weeks abfence. Butin the Vacancy ofthe Cuftos, the Chapter has all his Power conferr’d onthem 5 which Chapter ought, within Two Days afterthe Vacancy made known, ele£t one of the RelidentCanons, under the Title of Prefident, to govern theCollege until they be provided of another Cuftos.

CANONS.

The Canons, by the Letters Patent of the firft Ere-ction, were appointed to be Twenty Four, includingthe Cuftos ; but upon the Inftitution of the College bythe Bifhop of Winton, there was ordain’d, as afore-no-ted, One Cuftos, Twelve Secular Canons, and Thir-teen Priefts or Vicars, in all Twenty Six, compleatlythe Number of T he Knights of the Garter : And for a ful-ler DiftinCtion between theie Canons Secular and thePriefts, the firft Twelve are, in a Bull of Pope Inno-cent VIII. nam’d Majores Canonici, the others Minor es , orPetty-Canons. To theie Twelve Seculars were affign’dfo many Prebendlhips in the Chapel of St. George (asaJfo Stalls in the Choir and Place in the Chapter) to-gether with that held by the Cuftos, whence they arefrequently ftyl’d Prebends, and have a facerdotal Pow-er ; for if they are not in full Orders before they areinftal’d, they muft, within a Year after they have en-joy’d theirPrebendlhip, be ordain’d a Priell, or quit theBenefice.

Bv the Bull of Pope Cl merit VI. the Right of pre-fenting the Canons, Priefts, Clerks, Alms-Knights andother Minifters, were referv’d to the Founder and hisSucceflors 5 yet we find the firft Canons were prefentedto the Cuftos, by the Founders of The Order of the Gar-

ter ,