Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

122 REVIEW OF
offerings were made either in money or n kind.
In process of time they became usual, so that whoever
went to Sunday mass took his offering as a
matter of course. Tithes originated in the same
way from informal beginnings. It was only after
Alfred's time that they obtained consistency as
a national institution. Tithe, whether voluntary
or compulsory, was employed only for the maintenance
of Divine service and in works of charity.
First-fruits, called kirk-shot, were to be paid every
Martinmas by the householder. The other church
dues were plough-alms, leot-shot, and soul-shot. i J
The right of sanctuary is older than Saxon times.
The Jews had their "cities of refuge," and these
cities in Catholic times were churches with certain
restrictions, as to time and guilt. Not all criminals
could find shelter in sanctuary, and the time was
limited to a few days. Certain churches had special
privileges. Among these were York, Beverley,
Kipon, Kamsey, Westminster, and the abbey of
Croyland.2
As pagans, the Saxons had practised trials by
ordeal. The housel represented their One Sacrifice
as opposed
-
to the busies or pagan sacrifices, and
they transferred to the true God the judgment they
had been wont to refer to Odin. During six centuries
these trials were maintained in spite of protest
from the Holy See. There were four kinds of
Lingard, ii. 254
Ibid., ii. 125.