D Illuſtrem pͥncipeꝫ et Reuerendiſſimum in xp̄o pr̄em ⁊ dn̄m Aſchaniū Mariā Sfortiaꝫ vicecomi tem ſedis Apoſtolice ꝓthonotariū digniſſimum. Iohanniſantonij de ſancto Georgio prepoſiti eccl̓ie ſan cti Ambroſij ml̓i in cōmētū quarti libri decretaliū. p̄fatio Oſtra qͣꝫ dura ſit neceſſitas reueren diſſime pr̄ ac princeps illuſtris qͣꝫ rigida cenſura actōes noſtre examinētur et caſtigentur ex eo ſepenumero ꝯiecturā facio ꝙ vſu frequenti tritū eſſe videmꝰ. Probitas laudat̉ ⁊ alleget īmo innidoꝝ dentibꝰ opprimit īperitorū multitudine peſundat̉ ⁊ pauci admodū ſunt ꝗ per virtutis ſemitā ad decus ⁊ gloriā aīum attollant aut eo ſe ꝑuenire poſſe ꝯfidant. ¶ Idqꝫ ꝓpterea euenire au tumo qd̓ nō artifices d̓ ipſis artibꝰ vt Fabius optat ſapiē tes inqͣꝫ de ipſa ſapientia iudicant ſꝫ imperitoriū turba acignauum vulgus ſuperciliū quoddā ſeueritatis ⁊ doctrīe ſibi aſſumētes ⁊ bonoꝝ ſtudia carpunt eos ꝗ virtutis ſemitā ſibi delegerūt ſectandā dānantes ſub varia inſimula tōe a fortiter ceptis deterrere nitunt̉ atqꝫ vt deſiſtant ⁊ ſe cū ocio marceſcāt efficere ꝗbꝰ pn̄t dolis conāt̉. ¶ Quip pe ꝙ doleant ſi quiſquā ē ꝗ ſupra vulgarē eoꝝ ſenſum ſu pra obcecatuꝫ eoꝝ intuituꝫ irretitā illecearis mentē emolituꝫ delitijs robur aliꝗd audere videat̉. ¶ Quippe ꝙ in uideant ſi ꝗſqͣꝫ eſt ꝗ ipſis tacentibꝰ atqꝫ tum vano noīe tu meſcentibus tūqꝫ ſua arbitrātibꝰ tm̄. I. texerā ⁊ calculuꝫ ſupputantibꝰ aliꝗd meditatione dignuꝫ in medium efferc ſtatuat. Quippe qd̓ rumpant̉ ſi ꝗſquam ē ꝗ ꝑ inuſitatum iter arduum talem non detritam orbitam ſed multorun ignauia rariſſimā ad decus aliquod ꝯſcendere ⁊ ſuo exēplo alios excitare moliatur. Ego ꝗdē cum ſemper eos fe ceriꝫ maxīos eos p̄cipuos habuerī ꝗ poſteritati in his in ꝗbus verſati ſunt ſtudijs ꝓ ingenio ꝓ ellegātia ꝓ doctrīa ſua ꝯſulere ⁊ futuros ſibi ſucceſſores preparare ac ſurgen tes veluti virgulas germinare ellaborabūt illud duꝝ opꝰ eſſe virtutis potiſſimū ꝑ qd̓ noſtris ſeculis ⁊ futuris ꝓſpꝰ ceretur id ipſum aūt plus in bene ⁊ ſancte inſtitutis qͣꝫ in p̄clare geſtis cōſiſtere ſolonis ⁊ diacōis inſtituta q̄ oēm maiorū bellicā gloriā ſuperarūt ⁊ ad noſtrā vſqꝫ etatem ꝑuenerūt locupletiſſime teſtātur. ꝓinde eos optime de ſe culo meritos exiſtimo ꝗ eoꝝ inſtituta in decē tabulas ⁊ ꝗ poſt illa in tot libros digeſſerūt ꝗ digeſta īꝑialibꝰ codicibus ⁊ inſtitutionibꝰ aut cōfirmarūt aūt in meliꝰ reformarūt ꝗ ſanctoꝝ patrū decretis eadē ſanxerūt atqꝫ auxerūt. Non paruas etiam illis deberi gratias iudicio qui ſuis ſcriptis hec que dixi ſalubria inſtituta illuſtrarunt ⁊ nouo diſceptandi genere ſcolaſticorum ingenia perſpicatiora reddiderunt. Illos aut qui a maioribus noſtris tradita diligenti indagatione in vnū colligere ⁊ labenti memorie noſtre pleno aliquorum tractatuum cōpendio ſuccurere ſtuduerūt. Nemo profecto ſane mētis damnabit īmo cō mendabit ⁊ extollet plurimū non ꝙ de ſuo quicqͣꝫ attule rint ſed ꝙ in ſuis laboribus ꝑ dificilem ⁊ ſua mole grauē ac in varias ꝑtes diffuſam ſcientie ꝑtem aliquaꝫ in vnuꝫ colligerint atqꝫ maiorū ſcripta recenſendo iuxta comicū illud. Nihil dictū quin prius bene ⁊ appoſite diſeruerint Eos igitur damnādos ſoluꝫ reſtat qui ꝑ viam tp̄s vacuum abire ꝑmittunt brutorū more ſolū iugiter curando vē tri inuigilant aūt diuitijs cumulādis que ludibria ſūt fortune inhiāt. Nec enī aliud nos veritas euangelica admo net dū narrat dominū peregre ꝓfectuꝫ varia talēta in ſer nos diſtribuiſſe vni decē vni quinqꝫ vni duo vni vnū ⁊ re deuntem longe vberius qͣꝫ ſuꝑlucratus fuiſſet vnūquēqꝫ donaſſe. Illum aūt increpaſſe ꝗ talentū ſuū in terrā defo diſſet niſi ꝙ ꝓ gratia nobis a domino tradita inſudemꝰ ⁊ nobis ⁊ ꝓximo ⁊ poſteritati ſubueniamus. Senſi ſepe ⁊ plurimū. R. pater a multis meā ꝓfectionem accuſari ⁊ quaſi tranſfugā ex clero nota me affici ꝙ ab eccleſia mea vbi ſancta mihi ꝗes eſſe poterat diſceſciſſem hucqꝫ ad iuris paleſtrā me ꝯtuliſſeꝫ his obiurgatōibꝰ veluti ſtimulis incēſus ſum vt dū hͦ legēdi munere fungor aliꝗd laboribꝰ meis depromerem ꝑ qd̓ ⁊ iniūcto mūeri ſatiſfacerē ⁊ illiſ ſilentiū indicerē dū aꝑto cognoſcerēt quā iniuria me car pſiſſent. Si themiſtocles cū minꝰ ꝓbaret̉ a parētibꝰ ꝙ nihil circarē familiarē īſudaret publicis rebꝰ tm̄ intēdēs ac ob eā rē a pr̄e neocle exhe̓ſ eē iuſſus eēt ea ꝯtūelia magis ſe errexit ⁊ in ſnīa ꝑſtitit pluſqͣꝫ ſolito rei publice gub̓nāde amicis ſubleuāde fame cōperāde īcubuit ita vt nihil ī republica ſine illo gereret̉. Rep̄hēdunt in me ꝙ eoꝝ pace dixerī: nō bn̄ ītelligūt qd̓ enī vberius ociū qͣꝫ ī ſacris cano nibus explicādis dies nocteſqꝫ īmorari. Que excelſior ⁊ ſublimior mēdicatio qͣꝫ ſcripta ſanctoꝝ patrū tractare ꝙ tutius ⁊ ſanctius negociū qͣꝫ in tractādis moribꝰ in dictādo iuſtitie exercēde mō ⁊ ordīe occupari. He mee ſūt artes nō retro ego reſpexi ad aratrū aūt pedē retraxi: ꝗuim moꝓpius ad vineā dn̄i acceſſi diligēs quātū mea fragilitas fuit agricola in oꝑe faciēdo me exerceo. Bonos ſero ſurculos. Pono ordine vites ⁊ ſic vt fructū in tꝑe ꝓduce re poſſint. Nec ꝗdē teme̓: aut arrogāter a me ꝗſqͣꝫ factum putet ꝗ cū tot viri clariſſimi in iure pōtifico ſcripſerint cor nicula inter pauones aūt anſer inter olores me īſerere aut obſtreꝑe p̄ſumā. Nō ea mēte ad ſcribēdū me ꝯuerti ſꝫ ne inherte ducerē. Scio nō eē datū oībꝰ vt ſummū in ſua arte locū aūt honorē attinge̓ poſſint. Verū audēdū cenſui. Audētes fortuna iuuat. Si.n. qꝛ Uirgilio aūt Homero ī poetis: Cicerōi aūt Demoſteni in rethoricis: Ariſtoteli in phiſica: Socrati aūt Platoni in philoſophia: Paulc aut Uulpiano in legibus: Innocētio aut Grego. in cano nibus. Nemo eſt ꝗ equari aūt ꝓxime accede̓ poſſit. Propterea ſi reliꝗ quos poeſis rethoricoꝝ ſtudia phiſica phi loſophia ius ciuile aut pontificum delectarūt ſe aſcribendo in illis continuiſſent nō ꝓfecto tm̄ litterarum ſtudia co lebrarent̉. Pulchre Cicero inquit in oratore ad Brutuꝫ Par eſt hominis omnia experiri qui res magnas ⁊ magno oꝑe expetēdas concupiſcat. Quod ſi quem aūt natu ra ſua aut illa p̄ſtantis ingenij vis forte deficiet: aut minꝰ inſtructus erit magnarum artium diſciplinis: teneat tamē eum curſum quem poterit. Prima enim ſequentem hone ſtum eſt in ſecundis ⁊ tertijs conſiſtere. Uidebam ego ⁊ iudices ante oculos meos verſatur qͣꝫ aſperum certamen mihi īmineat ad huius certaminis preparationem multa temptāda molēdum vſqꝫ in p̄ſtinuꝫ nocturnis chartis im paleſcēdū totis iuribus litteris inherēdū putaui vt mihi ad īgenij exercitationē ad vite meritū aliꝗd accede̓ poſſivt ſcholaſtici mei habeāt ꝙ pro viatico ꝙ indies errogāt in foro meo mercentur. Quartum igitur hūc librum legēdi aſſumpſi tū propter rei dignitatem quando quidem de ſacrameto matrimonij tractet: tum ꝓpter materie vbertatem ⁊ frequētatū vſum. Perſonant enī iudicia cauſis ma trimonialibus: tum propter animarum ſalutem. Nouit nā qꝫ ſcrutator omnium decus qͣꝫ multi alienas vxores pro ſuis poſſident quot illicita matrimonia contrahant̉ nō nū qͣꝫ ⁊ licita ⁊ firma indebite diſſoluant̉. Innumeri greco il loprouerbio abutūtur amicoꝝ oīa cōia eā cōionē ad vxo res vſqꝫ prorogātes. Hoc aūt cōmētū ad te deſtinaui nō ꝙ arbiter me hoc munuſculo poſſe tuis erga me bn̄ficijs ſatiſfacere ſed vt ſub tuo noīe ad grauiſſimos quoſqꝫ viros deferri poſſit legi ac eorum iudicio comprobari. Accipe itaqꝫ multis collecta vigilijs ⁊ nō muneris dignitatē Neqꝫ enī amplitudini tue par eſſe pōt: ſed ſinceram erga te mentem ⁊ fidē integram intuere atqꝫ pro tua ſolita clementia cōplecte̓: Et qͦtiēs in manus tuas liber iſte incidet incidat aūt fac queſo ſepiſſime in mētem inducas tuā humilis ſeruuli tui hoc opus eſſe qd̓ deditā Reuerendiſſime dominationi tue omnem ſuam vitam teſtatur. Uale.
