A.D. 1274. LETTERS OE THE PRELATES OE OBEECE. into his own presence, the whole of the pontifical college, and afterwards other persons too, who mainly adhere to spiritual notions, and who are constantly exercising themselves in ecclesiastical studies ; men, with respect to whom it is a matter of notoriety how great their nightly and daily labours are. And he presses the matter on, as if he were utterly sleepless, inasmuch as he has been constantly practising himself, and always occupied in the work which he had undertaken, till he brought over the opinions of many to one and the same way, having been wrought upon by long and sometimes improper discourses, if we must needs lay the whole process before your highness. Nevertheless, some of us immediately met, and embraced those things which are of peace ; but some appeared more obstinate, showing in their minds an adherence to old fashions, and others opposing his propositions, as what were imposed on them under compulsion. But at last, the diligence of the emperor, crowned by God, prevailed ; and he has us now all unanimous in one union, by which unanimity We agree to assign the primacy to the ancient Apostolic See of Rome, which has been attributed to it from the most ancient times. And in this the grace of God has co-operated with him ; so that your apostolical highness has the opinion of our holiness acknowledging it, as we at once communicated to our magnificent emperor in a formal expression of opinion, which he listened to, and cheerfully approved of, and which we accept ; and we briefly indite this present letter, and transmit it to the conspicuous excellency of your highness. " Know ye, therefore, that we do will that the entire fulness of the Pontifical See, with all the venerable clergy, and with all officers, priests, deacons, and readers of the holy church of God, shall have assembled together, to attribute, without hesitation, all that honour to your holiness and to the Apostolic See which of right belongs to it, and pledging ourselves never to speak of any one else as the first and supreme pontiff of all the churches. But we have recognized the ancient appointment of mutual ambassadors, which our fathers have always respected from most ancient times, to this present age. On which account, we addressed our entreaties to our own patriarch, and subsequently to all the others as many as met together, begging them to unite in one mind, and to establish unanimity in the see. But he maintained, with great earnestness, that he sought to be acknowledged as the first per