I began this collection of "letters" in 2003 and my purpose has been to gather under one cover relevant documentation published in places hard to find outside Italy. Since 2003, in the selection process, the focus has narrowed down from the Capuchin reform in general (in the first edition) to Bernardino Ochino and the relationship between the Capuchin Reform and Italian Reform prior to the Council of Trent. Most of the letters date between October 1534 (letter number 2) to June 1544 (letter number 86), one decade up to the beginning of the Council of Trent. I have narrowed the focus to gather material to help situate and understand the Capuchin Reform within the broader context of Church Reform in Italy on the eve of the Council of Trent.

The reader ought see this compilation as supplementary to such collections currently available under other titles, especially Costanzo Cargnoni, I Frati Cappuccini Documenti e testimonianze del primo secolo, 5 vol. in 6 tomes, Perugia, Edizioni Frate Indovino, 1988-1993 and

Vincenzo Criscuolo, I Cappuccini. Fonti documentarie e narrative del primo secolo (1525-1619), Curia Generale dei Cappuccini, Roma, 1994. (The latter volume is currently out of print. Cargnoni's monumental work is available from the Capuchin Historical Institute.

The bibliography at the beginning of this Collection is in two parts. The first part presents the works from which I have transcribed the letters. The second part refers to other works more readily available containing documents not transcribed here.