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July 12. Anagni. Pope Alexander IV writes to the prior of St Michael, the cantor of Tripoli (Tripolitanus), and the canon Master Johannes of Tripoli (Tripolitanus), relating that he has heard that Bishop [William IV] and the chapter of Tortosa (Anteradenses), before Archdeacon Ricardus of Tortosa (Anteradensis), the chaplain of Cardinal-Priest J[ohannes of Toledo] of San Lorenzo in Lucina, received his canonry or archdeaconate of Tortosa (Anteradensis), established the number of twelve canons in that church, including the existing ones, of which there were then seven, in such a way that, with the canons or persons who had thitherto been received enjoying the full incomes of their prebends as long as they lived, in the end the casalia, lands, possessions, and other goods that constituted these prebends, after the death of those persons and canons, would successively be applied to the uses of the episcopal manse, and future canons and persons would each receive annually a certain amount in the name of the prebend from the bishop and his successors. The bishop also promulgated a sentence of excommunication against transgressors of this statute on his ordinary authority. When the late Archdeacon Philippus of Tortosa (Anteradensis) died, the aforesaid bishop unduly occupied the tithes, lands, possessions, and other goods of the archdeaconate of Tortosa (Anteradensis) by virtue of that statute, strengthened by oath, on account of which the incomes of the archdeaconate have been greatly reduced. Because the pope wishes to support churches and ecclesiastical dignities that have been cut down, he orders the addressees, if it is so (the abbreviated clauses at the end suggest that they are to investigate), to recall all tithes, lands, possessions, and other aforesaid things that belonged to the archdeaconate to the right and property of the same archdeaconate, having the same archdeacon shown due satisfaction from the revenues received from them in the meantime, various obstacles notwithstanding, including the fact that the statute was confirmed by the late Patriarch [Alberto Roberti] of Antioch when he was papal legate in those parts.