120] ANNUAL REGISTER, 181?. 



affords a strong proof of the accu- 

 mulation of wealth in that class, 

 and of the necessity under w hich t he 

 state labours. It is of the follow- 

 ing tenor. 



" Pius, Bishop, Servant of the 

 Servants of God. 

 " The Roman Pontiffs, incited 

 by their paternal luve for the wliole 

 Catiiolic flock, have never suffered 

 the Ajjostolic benignity to be ac- 

 cused of having refused, in seasons 

 of distress, to furnish assisiance 

 to tlie necessities of the State, 

 even from the })atriniony of the 

 Church. 



"Our dearly beloved Son in Jesus 

 Christ, Ferdinand, Catholic King 

 of Spain, intimately united by the 

 bonds of love and veneration tons, 

 and the Holy Apostolic See, in his 

 present painful ciicumstauces ; 

 being well persuaded that God 

 has couimitted to the Clergy 

 alone, the care of managing the 

 property of the Church, as had 

 been clearly and unanimously pub- 

 lished in the decl.ai'ation of tlie Fa- 

 thers assembled in Roman Coim- 

 cU, under the Ptmtiff Symmachus ; 

 this Prince has solicited the neces- 

 sary power for the purpose of 

 meeting tlic necessities of his trta- 

 sury, occasioned by the general 

 agitation of affairs. And as the 

 means and fortunes of the laity 

 are alreaily oppressed with ciiarges, 

 by reason of which the said King 

 Ferdinaiut has not ventured to 

 make new demands, he has thought 

 proper to re(|i;ive an annual sum 

 of 30,000.0(<0 real,«, money of that 

 eolintry, on ecclesiastical property, 

 for only six years, i-i which time 

 the number of pensions will be 

 dim'tnished, and the value of the 

 revenues augmented. 



" In consequence, we, with the 



good-will wherewith we are ani- 

 mated in favour of the said King 

 Ferdinand, have admitted the sup- 

 plications he had addressed to us, 

 and which have been presented to 

 us by GUI' dear son the Chevalier 

 Antonio de Vargas y Laguna, his 

 Minister Plenipotentiary: yielding 

 to these supplications, and con- 

 sidei ing the enormous expenses at 

 the price of which we have had the 

 sati^faction of seeing an extiemely 

 g.oiious victory obtained, as well 

 for religicm as the monarchy, and 

 in regard to the calamity of the 

 times, we have resolved, for the 

 weighty causes now enumeiated, 

 to modify liie dispositions of the 

 Holy Canons. 



"Thus, from our certain know- 

 ledge, and after mature conside- 

 ration, making use of the ple- 

 nitude of the Apostolic power with 

 which we are invested, we giant 

 by these presents to the said King 

 Ferdinand an indulto, that validly, 

 freely, and lawfully, he may, dur- 

 ing the space of six years, exact, 

 but only for the purpose of suc- 

 couring the royal treasure, the ex- 

 traordinary subsidy of 30,000,000 

 reals from all the j)r operty, fruits, 

 rents, and products, of the Clergy, 

 as w el! regular as seculai-. 



" By these presents we commis- 

 sion and authorize otir dear Sons, 

 the Pielates, &c. &c. 



" Let no one dare then to oppose 

 the execution of our present act of 

 concession, power, indulto, com- 

 mission, mandate, establishment, 

 declaration, derogation, and will. 

 And if any one ha\e the temerity 

 toconnirit such an attempt, let him 

 know that he incurs the indigna- 

 tion of the All Mighty God, and of 

 the most blessed Saint Peter ^nd 

 Saint Paul, his apdgtles. 



" Done 



