CHAPTER XIV RELATIONS WITH CHURCH AND STATE

“As to other hospitals, which he of another foundation and patronage than of the King, the Ordinaries shall enquire of the manner of the foundation, estate and governance of the same . . . and make thereof correction and reformation according to the laws of Holy Church, as to them belongeth.”

(Parliament of Leicester.)

ATTENTION having been already called to the internal cons­ti­tu­tion of hos­pi­tals, we must now con­sider their rela­tion to those in author­ity. The position of such a house was neces­sarily com­pli­cated; there arose a dif­ficul­ty in recon­ciling its subord­inate, yet partly indepen­dent char­acter. We must see, first, how its welfare de­pended to a cer­tain extent on king and bishop; secondly, its posi­tion with regard to the parochial system; and thirdly, how far it was af­fected by monas­ticism.