Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/300

 284 or priory of royal foundation. It is, I apprehend, now fallen into total diue; though ir Matthew Hale ays, that it is due of common right, and that no precription will dicharge it.

III. king alo (as was formerly oberved ) is entitled to all the tithes ariing in extraparochial places : though perhaps it may be doubted how far this article, as well as the lat, can be properly reckoned a part of the king's own royal revenue; ince a corody upports only his chaplains, and thee extraparochial tithes are held under an implied trut, that the king will ditribute them for the good of the clergy in general.

IV. next branch conits in the firt-fruits, and tenths, of all piritual preferments in the kingdom; both of which I hall conider together.

were originally a part of the papal uurpations over the clergy of this kingdom; firt introduced by Pandulph the pope's legate, during the reigns of king John and Henry the third, in the ee of Norwich; and afterwards attempted to be made univeral by the popes Clement V and John XXII, about the beginning of the fourteenth century. The firt-fruits, primitiae, or annates, were the firt year's whole profits of the piritual preferment, according to a rate or valor made under the direction of pope Innocent IV by Walter bihop of Norwich in 38 Hen. III, and afterwards advanced in value by commiion from pope Nicholas III. A. D. 1292, 20 Edw. I ; which valuation of pope Nicholas is till preerved in the exchequer. The tenths, or decimae, were the tenth part of the annual profit of each living by the ame valuation; which was alo claimed by the holy ee, under no better pretence than a trange miapplication of that precept of the Levitical law, which directs, "that the Levites hould offer the tenth part of their tithe as a heave-offering to Rh