The Same Emperor to Stephen, Most Holy Archbishop of Constantinople, and Universal Patriarch.

Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, who exalted the brilliancy and majesty of the Imperial throne, thinking that it was not unworthy of his royal care and the glory of his illustrious deeds to provide for the burial of poor persons who did not, after their death, leave anything for their interment, devoted to this purpose the income from a certain number of shops attached to the Holy Church of this City. Then the emulation of the pious was exerted to obtain the benefits resulting from this decree, and although the rents were sufficient, their benevolence induced them to greatly increase the sums obtained. But, at present, this praiseworthy duty is not discharged with the diligence that this three and four times fortunate prince decided to be necessary, for We are aware that the Church, after it collects these rents, although it does not make use of them to defray the expenses of public worship, to which they were devoted in the beginning, applies them to other things; and, in consequence, We order that these sums should be used for the purpose for which they were destined by Constantine, and that they can never be used for anything else, but that the object of their disbursement shall remain unaltered and inviolate. All the shops whose rents are set apart as aforesaid are eleven hundred in number.