Institution of the College of Abbreviators In the pontificate of Pope Pius II, their number, which had been fixed at twenty-four, had overgrown to such an extent as to diminish considerably the individual remuneration, and, as a consequence, competent men no longer sought the office, and hence the old style of writing and expediting the bulls was no longer used, to the great injury of justice, the interested parties, and the dignity of the Apostolic See. To remedy this and to restore the old established chancery style, the Pope selected out of the many then living Abbreviators seventy, and formed them into a college of prelates denominated the "College of Abbreviators", and decreed that their office should be perpetual, that certain remunerations should be attached to it, and granted certain privileges to the possessors of the same. He ordained further that some should be called "Abbreviators of the Upper Bar" (Abbreviatores de Parco Majori; the name derived from a place in the Chancery that was surrounded by a grating, in which the officials sat, which is called higher or lower (major or minor) according to the proximity of the seats to that of the Vice Chancellor), the others of the Lower Bar (Abbreviatores de Parco Minori); that the former should sit upon a slightly raised portion of the chamber, separated from the rest of the chamber by lattice work, assist the Cardinal Vice-Chancellor, subscribe the letters and have the principal part in examining, revising, and expediting the Apostolic letters to be issued with the leaden seal; that the latter, however, should sit among the Apostolic writers upon benches in the lower part of the chamber, and their duty was to carry the signed schedules or supplications to the prelates of the Upper Bar. Then one of the prelates of the Upper Bar made an abstract, and another prelate of the same bar revised it. Prelates of the Upper Bar formed a quasi-tribunal, in which as a college they decided all doubts that might arise about the form and quality of the letters, of the clauses and decrees to be adjoined to the Apostolic letters, and sometimes about the payment of the remunerations and other contingencies. Their opinion about questions concerning Chancery business was held in the highest estimation by all the Roman tribunals.
Institution of the College of Abbreviators In the pontificate of Pope Pius II their number which had been fixed at twenty-four had overgrown to such an extent as to diminish considerably the individual remuneration and as a consequence competent men no longer sought the office and hence the old style of writing and expediting the bulls was no longer used to the great injury of justice the interested parties and the dignity of the Apostolic See To remedy this and to restore the old established chancery style the Pope selected out of the many then living Abbreviators seventy and formed them into a college of prelates denominated the "College of Abbreviators" and decreed that their office should be perpetual that certain remunerations should be attached to it and granted cer?tain privileges to the possessors of the same He ordained furth?er that some should be called "Abbreviators of the Upper Bar" (Abbreviatores de Parco Majori; the name derived from a place in the Chancery that was surrounded by a grating in which the officials sat which is called higher or lower (major or minor) according to the proximity of the seats to that of the Vice Chancellor) the others of the Lower Bar (Abbreviatores de Parco Minori); that the former should sit upon a slightly raised portion of the chamber separated from the rest of the chamber by lattice work assist the Cardinal Vice-Chancellor subscribe the letters and have the principal part in examining revising and expediting the Apostolic letters to be issued with the leaden seal; that the latter however should sit among the Apostolic writers upon benches in the lower part of the chamber and their duty was to carry the signed schedules or supplications to the prelates of the Upper Bar Then one of the prelates of the Upper Bar made an abstract and another prela!te of the same bar revised it Prelates of the Upper Bar formed a quasi-tribunal in which as a college they decide.d all doubts that might arise about the form and quality of the letters of the clauses and decrees to be adjoined to the Apostolic letters and sometimes about the payment of the remunerations and other contingencies Their opinion about questions concerning Chancery business was held in the highest estimation by all the Roman tribunals