york00orns

YORK.
three only were left to minister therein, without a
house of their own to shelter them, and without any
certain maintenance. Their fellows were either dead
or dispersed. But Thomas had all the energy
and determination, and all the love of organisation
which were such distinguishing characteristics of the
Norman, and he set to work vigorously to rebuild, to
re-organise, and to restore the waste places. The
minster was temporarily refitted for the performance of
divine offices, and was subsequently, to a great extent,
reconstructed. Portions of masonry, apparently belonging
to Archbisliop Thomas's period, are still in
existence in the crypt ; but Pro.^essor Willis inclines
to the supposition that he only rebuilt the Saxon
chancel, and left it to be rebuilt after his nave and
transepts were completed.^ He also rebuilt the refectory
and dormitory. He gathered together as many
of the canons as survived, and increased their number,
assigning to each a distinct prebe/ida, or separate
esUate, out of the lands of the church.
Heretofore, to
use Bishoj) Godwin's words, " they lived together
upon the common charges of the church, at one
table, much in like sort as fellowes of houses doe now
in the universities." He likewise altered the constitution
of the body. Under the Saxon archbishops,
one of the seven canons was the abbas, or superior,
another the viagister scholarum, and the third the
custos ciritatis. In the place of these the ruler whom
Thomas placed at the head of the canons was styled
Dean, a Chancellor represented the viagister scholarum,
and a Treasurer took the place of the custos
'
"Arch. History of York Cathedral," p. l6.