ee, or canon, or council; that if any attempt should be made by
any bishop or other ecclesiastic to employ the spiritual weapons of
the church to extort restitution, such act or acts were declared vain
and of none effect. The dispensation was pronounced, nor could the
legate's protests avail to prevent it from appearing in the act. He
was permitted, only in consideration of the sacrifice, to interweave
amidst the legal technicalities some portion of his own feeling. The
impious detainers of holy things, while permitted to maintain their
iniquity, were reminded of the fate of Belshazzar, and were urged to
restore {p.184} the patines, chalices, and ornaments of the altars.
The impropriators of benefices were implored, in the mercy of Christ,
to remember the souls of the people, and provide for the decent
performance of the services of the churches.[426]

[Footnote 425: "Albeit, by the laws of the Church,
the bishops and clergy were the defenders and
protectors of all ecclesiastical rights, and would
therefore in nature be bound to use their best
endeavours for the recovery of the lands and goods
lost to the Church during the late schism, they,
nevertheless, perceiving the tenures of those lands
and goods were now complicated beyond power of
extrication, and that the attempt to recover them
might promote disaffection in the realm, and cause
the overthrow of the present happy settlement of
religion, preferring public peace to private
commodity, and the salvation of souls to worldly
possessions, did consent that the present
disposition of those lands and goods should remain
undisturbed. They besought their Majesties to
intercede with the legate for his consent, and, for
themselves, they requested, in return, that the
lawful jurisdiction of the Church might be
restored."--1 and 2 Philip and Mary, cap. 8, sec.
31.]

[Footnote 426: "Et licet omnes res mobiles
ecclesiarum indistincte iis qui eas tenent
relaxaverimus, eos tamen admonitos esse volumus ut
ante ocu