BRIEF

(Lat. brevis, short.) A word applied originally to a small written scroll; but it is used at present in several significations. In modern German the word brief signifies a letter. 1. In Ecclesiastical Law, letters addre ed from the pope to temporal princes or communities on subjects of discipline or public affairs, are termed apostolical briefs. The name appears to have originated either in the concise formula with which they begin (" dilecto filio salutem et apostolic am benedictionem"), or in the difference that exists between this smaller kind of instrument and the ample bulla; (bulls) of the popes. Apostolical briefs are usually written upon paper, though sometimes parchment is used. They are sealed in red wax with the seal of the Fisherman (sub annulo Piscator is), which is a symbol of St. Peter casting a net into the sea. (.Ciampini, Di erlalio de Abbrev. Munere, cap. iii.) 2. In Law, the term brief is applied to an abridged narration of the facts of a case prepared for trial, with or without a reference to points of law involved in it drawn up for the preliminary instruction of an advocate. 170 [s. 184]