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The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

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414<br />

HISTORY OF THE POPES.<br />

With <strong>the</strong> exception <strong>of</strong> certain fragments belonging to an<br />

earlier time, <strong>the</strong> archives <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Secretariate <strong>of</strong> Secret Briefs<br />

contain nothing but acta <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> Pius V. down to<br />

that <strong>of</strong> Pius IX., 1566-1846. <strong>The</strong>y are divided into six<br />

series, comprising about 7,000 volumes. <strong>The</strong> first and princi-<br />

pal series contains, toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> secret briefs, consis-<br />

torial documents and marriage dispensations, amounting in<br />

all to 5,074 volumes. <strong>The</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r series contain briefs con-<br />

cerning indulgences, honours granted to corporations, to<br />

ecclesiastics and laymen, dispensations <strong>from</strong> canonical pre-<br />

scriptions, grants <strong>of</strong> privileged altars, etc.^ A catalogue has<br />

been begun, ^ but it has not yet been completed. Many<br />

will be glad to have a short account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first series in so far<br />

as it relates to Pius V. For this purpose I have made use<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> notes <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>. Dr. Hans Hirsch, who, as a member<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Austrian Historical Institute in 1903, made a detailed<br />

study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> collection, principally for <strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> his<br />

edition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nuntiaturberichte. <strong>The</strong> codices have a tw<strong>of</strong>old<br />

signature ; one is written upon <strong>the</strong> volumes in ink, and<br />

is given below in Column I., and alongside it a second numera-<br />

tion in pencil, which is later than <strong>the</strong> first since it gives <strong>the</strong><br />

same numeration to <strong>the</strong> volumes <strong>of</strong> minutes and to <strong>the</strong> copies,<br />

adding in <strong>the</strong> latter case an "a." This second enumeration<br />

is given below in Column II. Finally, <strong>the</strong> codices which<br />

are bound in red lea<strong>the</strong>r have a title in gold lettering, and on<br />

<strong>the</strong> back <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> volumes in v/hite vellum a sign is written<br />

in ink. <strong>The</strong> note " fait " which is borne by many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

volumes, means that those volumes were taken to Paris<br />

in <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> Napoleon. <strong>The</strong> volumes are not all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same<br />

character ; with some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> volumes <strong>of</strong> minutes <strong>the</strong>re are<br />

also volumes <strong>of</strong> later copies, as well as volumes <strong>of</strong> registers<br />

<strong>of</strong> briefs, similar to <strong>the</strong> collection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Papal Secret Archives.<br />

If WiRZ (Quellen zur schweiz. Gesch. XXL, xxvii.) only found<br />

two volumes to his purpose in <strong>the</strong> Archives <strong>of</strong> Briefs, th's<br />

nmst not lead us to <strong>the</strong> conclusion that those archives are<br />

wanting in importance ; on <strong>the</strong> contrary, <strong>the</strong>y contain much<br />

valuable material, especially as regards <strong>the</strong> internal affars<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Church.^<br />

» See Cc.rrierc d' Italia, 27 August, 190S,<br />

» See MKRGKNTiiEiM, Die quinQuennalfakultaten pro foro externo, I., 88,<br />

Stuttgart, 1908.<br />

' See Catalogue <strong>of</strong> tlie available Archives.

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