Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 4.djvu/334

314 of Norwich,' converted by Henry VIII. in 1538 to a chapter, were required, under pretence of some informality, to make a fresh surrender, and they were reincorporated only with a loss of manors and lands, worth 300 marks a year. The shrines and the altar-plate at York Cathedral were sent to the Mint, to be issued in base coin; and the example being contagious, parish vestries began to appropriate the chalices, jewels, bells, and ornaments in the country churches, and offer them publicly for sale. The carcase was cast out into the fields, and the vultures of all breeds and orders flocked to the banquet.