Most Holy Father,
The exaltation of Your Holiness to the chair of St. Peter has been an occasion of extraordinary rejoicing, shared by the whole Catholic world; but I do not know whether there has been anyone who has had greater consolation than I, in considering the excellent qualities of Your Beatitude—your learning, your prudence, your detachment from earthly things, and above all the piety and zeal that you have for our holy religion. Encouraged by this, I have taken the honor of laying humbly at your feet this book of mine, which I have wished, in these last years of my life (for I have already reached my seventy-third year), to bring to light, so as to make more fully known to all the truth and holiness of the dogmas of the Catholic Church, defined by the never sufficiently praised sacred Council of Trent against the errors of the pretended reformers, who, renewing the ancient heresies, have sought with their sophisms and false doctrines to destroy the faith of Jesus Christ, and to lead away with them, had they been able, all souls to eternal perdition.
I hope that the kindness of Your Holiness will be pleased to accept this small homage of the poor gift that I present to you; beseeching you to deign to bless this work, together with myself and all my companions, that we may usefully cooperate in the salvation of souls through the holy missions for the benefit of the country folk, who are the most destitute of spiritual help, according to the institute of the least congregation; while we, your humble sons, shall not fail to pray continually to the Lord, that He may preserve the life of Your Holiness through a long series of years, for the good of all the faithful and the increase of the holy faith. Prostrate, meanwhile, I humbly kiss your sacred foot,
Your most humble, most obedient, and most devoted servant and son,
ALPHONSUS M., Bishop of Sant’Agata de’ Goti.