Comuel to Climent, June 1416

At a glanceExisting decipherment · complete

The letter: Pedro Comuel, of Benedict XIII’s circle, to Francesc Climent, Benedict XIII’s chamberlain and agent, 27 Jun 1416.
Where: Arxiu Capitular de Barcelona, the Schism papers Climent left to the chapter (Documentos inéditos del obispo Çapera no. 670), today the paper part of the series Cisma d’Occident. Not digitised.
How it was deciphered: By Sebastián Puig y Puig, canon of Barcelona, who printed it in 1920 in Pedro de Luna, appendix CXXXV, p. 578, with the deciphered passages in italics. His text was transcribed here from the Google Books page image on 23 October 2026.
What it says: The Pope’s encouragement to Climent at the court of Castile; in cipher, that Don Bartolomé is not fit to govern the church of Zaragoza, and that Don Gil [Sánchez Muñoz] at Barcelona “rouses the prelates who are asleep” (translation). Puig’s note cites another letter of Comuel, doc. 661, which he does not print.
Still open: The ciphertext: no image of the letter exists, so the cipher and its key are unknown. The original is in the Arxiu Capitular de Barcelona, not digitised.
Credit: The decipherment is Puig’s (1920).

01 The letter

Francesc Climent, called Çapera, was Benedict XIII’s chamberlain and treasurer and later bishop of Barcelona; he left his papers to the cathedral chapter. Among them Sebastián Puig y Puig found fourteen letters partly or wholly in cipher, deciphered them, and printed them in the appendix of Pedro de Luna, último papa de Aviñón (1920). This is one of them: Pedro Comuel to Climent, 27 Jun 1416 (appendix CXXXV, p. 578; Çapera no. 670). Of its 401 words Puig prints 85 in italics as his decipherment; the last deciphered clause is Catalan, not Latin. The reading audit of 22 October 2026 found no text of the letter in the repository; on 23 October Puig’s page was fetched as an image from Google Books and transcribed (texts/comuel1416_reading.md, with an English translation). The letter ends on p. 578; p. 579 is the next item. Puig’s note cites another letter of Comuel, doc. 661, which he does not print.

The originals are not digitised, and the archivist Josep Mas noted that Puig studied many of the Schism papers at home in 1920–30 and did not return them all. Puig’s print may be the only witness.

02 The cipher and its key

Puig never printed a key, and the only image of any of these ciphers is his facsimile of one page of Benedict XIII’s own letter of 22 June 1400. From that page the key of Benedict’s letters was rebuilt here: a plain substitution, one sign per letter. Puig writes of “la clave o claves”, the key or keys, he recovered, and nothing shows whether this letter, from another writer, used the same one. So it has its own entry. Benedict XIII’s letters are on Benedict XIII to Climent, 1399–1403 (a different or unverified cipher, with its own page); the other letters of his circle each have their own page for the same reason: Santa Cruz to Climent, 1399, Jafet to Climent, 1400, Exea to Climent, 1408, Comuel to Climent, December 1415.

03 What remains

The ciphertext. No image of the letter exists, so its cipher, its key and Puig’s reading cannot be checked. Blocker: needs the original in the Arxiu Capitular de Barcelona.
Another letter of Comuel, doc. 661, cited in Puig’s note 2 and not printed. Blocker: needs the original.

Full texts

The transcription and the decryption of every document on this page, so that the reading can be used and checked. Short files are shown here; all are in the repository.

Comuel to Climent, 27 Jun 1416

Pedro Comuel to Francesc Climent, 27 Jun 1416, in Benedict XIII's circle during the Schism: his coming to Aragon. Puig y Puig printed it in 1920 (appendix CXXXV, p. 578) with the deciphered passages in italics; his note 2 cites another Comuel letter, doc. 661, not printed.

Decryption

comuel1416_reading.md

# Pedro Comuel to Francesc Climent, 27 June 1416: reading

Rests on: Sebastián Puig y Puig, *Pedro de Luna, último papa de Aviñón* (Barcelona 1920), appendix CXXXV, p. 578,
from Arxiu Capitular de Barcelona, *Documentos inéditos del obispo Çapera* no. 670. Transcribed here from the
Google Books page image (id CuOlkxWnk-EC, PA578, fetched 23 Oct 2026 through the `jscmd=click3` endpoint) with Puig's
spelling, abbreviations and punctuation as printed. The letter ends on p. 578 (not pp. 578-579 as listed before;
p. 579 is the next item, CXXXVI). Puig prints the passages he deciphered in italics (p. 466 n. 2); they are in
`_italics_` below. No image of the cipher exists, so the decipherment is Puig's alone and was not checked against
figures. The last deciphered clause is Catalan, not Latin. Holes: none marked by Puig.

## Reading

Reverendissime pater et metuendissimo dno. debita recomendacione premissa post recessum Guillermi Ortolani scripsi p.
v. r. per petrum soriani qualiter dns nr. scripserat vobis quod videatis vos qui scitis negocia in quibus terminis
remanent in curia regis Castelle an debeatis illuc redire vel ad regnum istud venire qum ipse contentus de hoc quod p.
v. super hoc deliberabit; avisat vos de uno de quo ut videtur per litteras vestras estis jam satis avisatus quod vos
oportebit multa et magna pericula sustinere pro fide Xpi et servicio pape et forte maxima et duriora quam ipsi vobis
et vos sue Sanctitati scripseritis Ideo quod vos asseumetis armatura dei et vos disponatis prout non solum credit
ymo certus est facietis sustinere omnia quecumque et qualiacumque veniant seu possint evenire qum. dicit quod istud
est tempus in quo deus vult ut qui boni sunt manifesti fiant; scit enim quod modicum curatis de bonis tamporalibus
seu de honoribus mundi neque libenter illa communicaretis pro gloria paradisi neque fidelitatem vestram violaretis
pre periculo quo posset vobis evenire tocies monsenyor replicavit mi ista verba quod vix possum juxta mentem sue
Sanctitatis explicare et quamvis sciret quod vobis scripsisse volui iterato scribere, dicit etiam et mandavit quod
scriberam sequentia quod non incutiatis vobis etiam tantum terrorem quod vos eiciatis ad terram cum multi prelati
resisterunt fortiter in multis et panci concesserunt literas sup. fructibus camere levandos per comissarios et illi
postea habuerunt recursum ad Sanctitatem suam petendo absolucionem, abilitaciones, dispensaciones ymo novas
provisiones de suis dignitatibus et fui presens in aliquibus saltim duobus, confidit in dei unam quam facietis sicut
consuevistis semper bene facere et suplebitis defectus aliorum minus bene faciencium et corroborabitis debiles et
timidos et reportabitis coronam. Item quare non scripsi mandavit mo. scribere vobis _quod quamvis dns. bartolomeus
amisit bonus non tamen est ad regendam eccliam cesaraugustam; dicit etiam quod illos iuvenes de vera et alius
dimitatis redire ad studium et non turbetis eos item quod habeatis recommissum iohannes ugueti qui bonus est;
scribatis vel mitatis aliquem ut papa sit informatus de mente vestra et de statu negociorum et cetera,_ et dirigat
deus p. v. in agendis cui me recomendo _dominus egidius est barchinone pro epo. valentino et facit mirabilia ut
dicitur et excitat prelatos qui dormiunt e desengana los clarament veus que fa un hom que gos parlar._ Script. XXVII
junii P. servitorum vestrum. — Reverende in Xpo pri, et dno. meo metuendmo. dno. Archiepiscopo Cesaraugust.

## Notes

- Puig's footnotes: (2) the Pope's exhortations answer new complaints of Climent, who seems to have asked again to go
to Jerusalem; see Comuel's earlier letter, ACB doc. 661 (not printed). (3) Climent's journey to Aragon answered the
King's summons (ACB Cartas Reales nos. 55, 89, 111). (4) dominus egidius = Gil Sánchez Muñoz.
- The Catalan clause "e desengana los clarament veus que fa un hom que gos parlar" is as printed.

Reading

comuel1416_reading.md

# Pedro Comuel to Francesc Climent, 27 June 1416: reading

## Reading

## Notes

Translation

comuel1416_en.md

# Pedro Comuel to Francesc Climent, 27 June 1416: English

Translation of `comuel1416_reading.md` (Puig y Puig 1920, app. CXXXV). The passages Puig deciphered are in _italics_.
Names modernised here only. Holes: none.

## Translation

Most reverend father and most dread lord. With due commendation first made: after Guillem Ortolà left I wrote to Your
Reverend Paternity by Pedro Soriano how our lord had written to you that you, who know the business, should see in
what state things remain at the court of the King of Castile, whether you ought to go back there or come to this
kingdom, since he is content with what Your Paternity decides on it. He warns you of one thing, of which, it seems
from your letters, you are already well warned: that you will have to bear many great dangers for the faith of
Christ and the service of the Pope, perhaps greater and harder than he wrote to you and you to His Holiness.
Therefore put on the armour of God and prepare yourself, as he not only believes but is certain you will, to bear
whatever and whatsoever may come or befall. He says that this is the time in which God wills that those who are good
be made manifest; for he knows that you care little for temporal goods or the honours of the world, would not
willingly trade them for the glory of paradise, nor break your loyalty for any danger that might befall you.
Monsignor repeated these words to me so many times that I can hardly set out His Holiness's mind; and though he knew
that I had written to you, I wished to write again. He also said and ordered me to write what follows: that you
should not strike such terror into yourself that you throw yourself to the ground, since many prelates resisted
strongly in many things and few granted letters on the revenues of the Camera to be raised by commissaries, and those
afterwards had recourse to His Holiness asking absolution, rehabilitations, dispensations and even new provisions of
their dignities, and I was present at at least two of them. He trusts in God that you will act as you have always been
used to act well, will make up the failings of others who act less well, strengthen the weak and timid, and carry off
the crown. Item, because I had not written, he ordered me to write to you _that although Don Bartolomé lost [his]
goods, he is still not fit to govern the church of Zaragoza; he also says that you should let those young men of
Vera and the other return to their studies and not trouble them; item, that you keep Juan Ugueti, who is good,
commended; that you write or send someone so that the Pope is informed of your mind and of the state of affairs,
etc._ And may God direct Your Paternity in your doings, to whom I commend myself. _Don Gil [Sánchez Muñoz] is at
Barcelona for the bishop of Valencia and does wonders, they say, and rouses the prelates who are asleep, and
undeceives them plainly: you see what a man does who dares to speak._ Written 27 June. P., your servant. — To the
reverend father in Christ and my most dread lord, the lord Archbishop of Zaragoza.

04 Sources

S. Puig y Puig, Pedro de Luna, último papa de Aviñón (1387–1430), Barcelona 1920, appendix CXXXV, p. 578; p. 466 n. 2 on the italics. Full view on Google Books (CuOlkxWnk-EC).
J. Baucells i Reig, El fons Cisma d’Occident de l’Arxiu Capitular de la Catedral de Barcelona, Barcelona 1978, pp. 11–13.

Notes and profile: targets/comuel1416/; the list of all fourteen cipher items is in targets/benedict1399/NOTES.md.