Therefore, it confesses, along with Master Peter, that there is one certain thing that is truthfully the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and each person is that thing, namely the Trinity. Only Trinity, and not quaternity, is in God, because each of the three persons is one thing, namely, substance, essence, or divine nature, and that is not generating, nor generated, nor proceeding; but it is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, the Holy Spirit who proceeds from both, so that by this, distinction in persons and unity in nature may be denoted. And although it is said here, "The Father is one, the Son is another, the Holy Spirit is another," it is not, however, "something else" original: "non tamen aliud", but that which is the Father is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is entirely the same. Thus, the scripture itself proves this from that passage, "Although, etc.," up to the word "that."

And there it responds to the authority, "I wish, Father, that they may be one, etc.," saying that this name "one" is taken in one way for divine persons and in another for the faithful. It also takes "good" in various ways in the authority, "Be perfect with the perfection of grace, just as your Father is perfect with the perfection of nature." Saying that if anyone should wish to maintain or defend the opinion or doctrine of the aforementioned Joachim, let him be judged as a heretic and avoided by all. For this, however, no prejudice is generated for the Florentine monastery, of which this Joachim himself was the founder, since there both the regular institution and the observance are saving, especially since the same Joachim ordered all his writings to be corrected by the judgment of the Apostolic See, dictating a letter in which he firmly confesses himself to hold that faith which the Roman Church holds. He rejects the most childish sentence and doctrine of a certain heretic named Almaric, whose mind the father of lies, that is, the devil, so

When, therefore, etc.

blinded, that his doctrine ought to be judged not so much heretical as insane. ¶ Note that without any diminution, the Son by being born assumed the substance of the Father. ¶ And note that where there is similarity, there can be dissimilarity. ¶ Also note one general rule: that the offense of a person does not redound to the damage of the church. ¶ Also note that although a person may be rejected, his acts are not necessarily so; thus note that the rejection of an original does not reject what follows from it. ¶ Note that although someone may err in the faith, if nevertheless he is prepared to be corrected, he is not to be judged a heretic.

On constitutions

Case. The council of Melfi commands that the statutes of the canons be kept by all, and in actions or ecclesiastical judgments, let no one be led by his own sense, but let him judge according to the canons and laws. ¶ Note that canons ought to be observed by all. ¶ Note that in judgments, no one ought to be led by his own sense.

Of the canons

Case. First, a general rule is set down, namely that no one ought to be punished without guilt. Secondly, if any constitution is promulgated anew, it is extended to future things only, to be punished, which are omitted against that constitution, so that it may not punish past losses, lest they suffer harm before the prohibition, because it is worthy that they be sustained if he has neglected them afterward. ¶ Note the rule: "A thing that lacks guilt does not arrive at being called a damage." ¶ Note that laws give form to future business. ¶ Note that a decree does not bind those who are ignorant.

Knowing

Case. It is placed thus: certain heretics of the Holy Spirit were wanting vain things, that which he said to the letter

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