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viii of license he has permitted himself in the translation of the prayers.

First, then, with regard to the historical portion, printed in this translation in smaller type, and in the Roman original in italics. This is made up of quotations from Papal Briefs, Rescripts, and Decrees of various Sacred Congregations, and is the voucher for the genuineness of the grants. In perusing these grants, it will be observed that many, having been made in favour of certain devotional exercises or good works, have no particular form of prayer attached to them; the Sovereign Pontiffs who conferred them, although always prescribing prayers to be offered up according to their own intention, having in these cases left the words to be used to the option of the faithful themselves. In other grants, the recital of one or more Pater noster, Ave Maria, and Gloria Patri, has been enjoined, and nothing further. In others the prayers are specified, and given afterwards at full length.

In translating these authentic notices, the Translator's chief, or rather only duty, was to render the original word for word, being especially careful neither to omit nor to alter any of the conditions prescribed. But as he had imposed upon himself another duty, viz. to bring into common use with all classes a book which, in addition to what has been already said of it, has been recommended by word of mouth to his fellow-countrymen by the condescension of the Holy Father himself, and which is now presented for the first time entire to the English-speaking Catholic world, he was desirous of giving this portion of the work a more simple, and at the same time, if he may use such an expression, a more inviting appearance than it seems to him to have in the Italian original. Accordingly his first thought was to have simplified the wording of the grants, by merely stating the conditions under which they have been conferred,—one, two, or three, as the case might be,—omitting long formulas, which are almost invariably the same. But as he was advised that in a matter of so much importance as recording the authentic documents of the Church's Sacred Congregations, where fidelity to the very words of the document is of such paramount importance, such a proceeding might be called in question, he