[Modus legendi abbreviaturas]

On the division of the Decretals

the Decretals, and he established them. And this book, called "of the Decretals", is divided into five partial books, each of which is further subdivided into many titles or rubrics, and the titles into chapters, the chapters into paragraphs, and these sometimes into sections. The first partial book of the Decretals treats of ecclesiastical persons and ministers of the church and of their offices and how such are to be created and ordained. And it contains 48 titles. The second book of the Decretals is about judgments and those who rule in judgment, and it has 30 titles. The third is about the life and honesty of the clergy, about their property and the property of the churches, and it has 50 titles. The fourth is about betrothals and marriages and other things annexed to these, and it contains 26 titles. The fifth and last partial book of the Decretals is about accusations, about crimes, and about the various penalties to be inflicted for them. And it contains 40 titles. Having counted everything, the total book of the Decretals has titles or rubrics totaling two hundred minus fifteen, that is, 185. Concerning the aforesaid, note these verses: "The first part creates offices and ministers of the church; the second gives witnesses and other matters of judgments; the third [teaches] about property and the life of priests; the fourth teaches what are the rites of the married; the fifth treats of vices and their penalties." Or thus more briefly: "Judge, judgment, clergy, betrothals, crime; these designate for you what the five volumes signify."

Concerning the number of titles, note the following verses: "Twice seven taken away from two hundred." Which titles are placed below, prosaically and metrically.

In citations of the Decretals

Now let examples be taken from the Decretals where it is cited thus: "On the Supreme Trinity and the Catholic Faith", [chapter] "Damnamus". This is usually abbreviated thus: de sum. tri. et fi. ka. damnamus. Another example: "On election and the power of the elected", [chapter] "Cum in cunctis". This is usually abbreviated thus: de elec. cum in cunctis, that is, in the book of the Decretals, under the title "On election", etc., in the chapter which begins "Cum in cunctis". Another example: de fo. compe. Si diligenti, another "On the life and honesty of the clergy", ut clericorum, another "Who may accuse", [chapter] "ma contra pel.", [chapter] "Consuluit", another "On penalties and restitution", Dmnis utrausque. These examples, abbreviated in this way, are to be explained in their own manner, like the first example, and so on for the others.

On the edition of the Sext

The third book, which is called the Sext, was composed by Pope Boniface VIII, in which he recollected the decretal letters of his predecessors, namely Gregory IX, Innocent IV, Clement IV, and others, together with his own letters, into one book, which he called the Sext. Not here because that one, together with the other five partial books of the Decretals, is counted in one volume as the Sext, but because it is a special book after...