Dei_, which became general in the 9th
century, and thenceforth was invariable.

The second period of papal documents extends from Leo IX. to the
accession of Innocent III., A.D. 1048-1198. At the beginning of the
period formulae tended to take more definite shape and to become fixed.
In the superscription of bulls a distinction arose: those which
conferred lasting privileges employing the words _in perpetuum_ to close
this clause; those whose benefaction was of a transitory character using
the form of salutation, _salutem et apostolicam benedictionem_. But it
was under Urban II., A.D. 1088-1099, that the principal formulae became
stereotyped. Then the distinction between documents of lasting, and
those of transitory, value became more exactly defined; the former class
being known as greater bulls, _bullae majores_ (also called
_privilegia_), the latter lesser bulls, _bullae minores_. The leading
characteristics of the greater bulls were these: The first line
containing the superscription and closing with the words _in perpetuum_
(or, sometimes, _ad perpetuam_, or _aeternam_, _rei memoriam_) was
written in tall and slender ornamental letters, close packed; the final
clauses of the text develop with tendency to fixity; the pope's
subscription is accompanied with the _rota_ on the left and the
_benevalete_ monogram on the right; and certain elaborate forms of
dating are punctiliously observed. The introduction of subscriptions of
cardinals as witnesses had gradually become a practice. Under Victor
II., A.D. 1055-1057, the practice became more confirmed, and after the
time of Innocent II., A.D. 1130-1145, the subscriptions of the three
orders were arranged according to rank, those of the cardinal bishops
being placed in the centre under the papal subscription, those of the
priests under the _rota_ on the left, and those of the deacons under the
_benevalete_ on the right. In the lesser bulls simpler forms were
employed; there was no introductory line of stilted letters; the
salutation, _salutem et apostolicam benedictionem_, closed the
superscription; the final clauses were shortened; there was neither
papal subscription, nor _rota_, nor _benevalete_; the date was simple.

From the time of Adrian I., A.D. 772-795, the system of double dating
was followed in the larger bulls. The first date was written by the
scribe of the document, _scriptum per manum N._ with the month (rarely
the day of the month) and year of the indictio