5. Archbishoprics, and bishoprics, may become void by death, deprivation for any very gross and notorious crime, and also by resignation. All resignations must be made to some superior. Therefore, a bishop must resign to his metropolitan ; but the archbishop can resign to none but the king himself.
6 A dean and chapter are the council of the bishop, to assist him with their advice in affairs of religion, and also in the temporal concerns of his see. The bishop is their ordinary and immediate superior ; and has, generally speak ing, the power of visiting them, and correcting their ex cesses and enormities. Deaneries and prebends may be come void, like a bishopric, by death, by deprivation, or by resignation to either the king or the bishop.
7. A parson, persona ecclesix, is one that has full posses sion of all the rights of a parochial church. He is called parson, persona, because, by his person, the church, which is an invisible body, is represented ; and he is in himself a body corporate, in order to protect and defend the rights of the church, (which he personates) by a perpetual succes sion. A parson has, during his life, the freehold in him self of the parsonage house, the glebe, the tithes, and other' dues.
8. The method of becoming a parson or vicar is much the same. To both there are four requisites necessary ; holy orders, presentation, institution, and induction. The method of conferring the holy orders of deacon and priest is according to the liturgy and canons.
9. One may cease to be a parson or vicar: 1 By death, 2. By cession, in taking another benefice. S. Byconseera lion; for, as was mentioned before, when a clerk is promot ed to a bishopric, all his other preferments are void the In-' stant that he is consecrated. 4. By resignation. 5. By de privation.
10. A curate is the lowest degree in the church ; being in the same state that a vicar was formerly, an officiating temporary minister, instead of the proper incumbent.
11. Church-wardens arc the guardians or keepers of the church, and representatives of the body of the parish. They are sometimes appointed by the minister, sometimes by the parish, sometimes by both together as custom di directs. Thei• (Ace also is to repair the church, and make rates and levies for that purpose; but these are recoverable only in the ecclesiastical court. They are also joined with the overseers in the care and maintenance of the poor.
There are a multitude of other petty parochial powers com mitted to their charge by divers acts of parliament.
12. The military state is constituted of the whole sol diery of the country. That part which is called the militia, cam of be sent out of the United Kingdom.
13. Officers, soldiers, and mariners, who have been in his Majesty's service, are enabled, at the close of the war, to use any trade or occupation they are fit for, in any town in the kingdom, notwithstanding any custom or statute to the contrary. Soldiers or mariners actual service, may snake nuncupative wills, and dispose of their personal chat tels, without the usual forms that are at other times requir ed : The military of the country are governed by martial law 14. The maritime state consists of all officers and sea men employed in his Majesty's navy, who are impressed or volunteer into the service ; neither soldier nor mariner can be arrested for a less sum than L.20 ; and if a seaman, after IA debt is discharged, the sheriff is bound to return him safe to sonic officer empowered to receive sailors; upon the sheriff's failing so to do, he is liable in a penalty of L.100.
15. The law recognises marriage simply as a civil con tract ; the spiritual courts take notice of all incestuous or unscriptural marriages. By this union the husband and wife become one person in law ; so that, if an estate be granted to an husband and wife, and another person, the husband and wife take but one half.
16. Marriage is voidable, when solemnized without li cense or publication of banns in the church of the parish where the parties dwell, in the time of divine service, three several Sundays, or holy days, and if the ceremony be per formed before a less number of witnesses than two, besides the minister ; it is also voidable, where the parties are a boy under fourteen years of age, or a girl under twelve years of age ; by a pre-contract, if accompanied with bodi ly knowledge ; consanguinity ; affinity by marriage ; and some corporeal infirmities. The common law will not al low these disabilities after either of the parties is dead. When parties contract to marry, one above the age of twenty-one years, and the other under, the one of full age is bound, hut the minor is not.