rtin's-le-Grand, and was secretary
and keeper of the seals, receiving a pound of pepper for each deed
sealed. The thirty PREBENDARIES (or rather twenty-nine when the dean
was one) could only hold one stall each at St. Paul's, but any number
of benefices elsewhere like the higher dignitaries; and it is by no
means certain that in the thirteenth century John Mansell did not hold
three stalls at St. Paul's simultaneously among his innumerable
benefices which together, according to Matthew Paris, amounted to
4,000 merks per annum.[17] Of the prebendaries a varying minority in
residence, stagiaries (_stagiarii_, perhaps a corruption of the more
classical _stationarii_),[18] not only divided amongst themselves the
balance of the common fund, but were not above partaking of a share of
the capitular bakehouse and brewhouse. The dean, the three higher
dignitaries, and the prebendaries constituted the Chapter, in certain
matters the non-residentiaries having no jurisdiction, and, as
recorded in their Visitations, exercised a very great authority over
their various manors. Below the Chapter came the twelve PETTY CANONS,
officers peculiar to St. Paul's and Hereford;[19] and there were over
fifty CHANTRY PRIESTS when suppressed. Besides their appointed daily
masses they would divide amongst them the annual masses called
_obits_, which amounted to about a hundred, and were expected to
assist the Petty Canons. They spent their extensive leisure after the
proverbial manner of idle and ignorant men. The VICARS CHORAL had
dwindled down to six by Colet's time, were no longer in priests'
orders, and eventually became laymen pure and simple. Space would fail
us to enumerate the remaining official and semi-official officers.
Among the latter were the twelve scribes, who sat in the nave for the
service of the illiterate public, and were sworn to do nothing
detrimental to the interests of the Chapter.

The Apostle's mass was sung the first thing in the morning, in earlier
days by a Vicar Choral, and subsequently by a Petty Canon; and next
came the two masses named after the Virgin and the Chapter, the
Cardinals taking the latter. The other daily services were the usual
Nocturns or Matins and the rest, ending with a combined evensong of
Vespers and Compline. We do not know how the old Use of St. Paul's
differed from that of Sarum. Besides the Conversion and Commemoration
of St. Paul, the Deposition (April 30th) and the Translation (November
14