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Dear all (and especially Ottfried and John),

The clarification of the contextualized meanign for pignora and litteris in this context was hugely helpful.  What we've since worked out is the following.

For the need of the poor and at the advice of some of his counselors, he tolerated Jewish usury through pawning, and yet, beyond the perjuries and coerced employment of wicked usury through the borrowing notes of Christians, he did not permit that they themselves [Jews], or other public usurers, loan money by usury.

Iudeos vero fenerantes super pignora, etsi pro neccesitate humilis plebis ad persuasionem aliquorum de suo concilio tolerabat, tamen super litteris christianorum periuria et coactiva ministeria usurarie pravitatis, non permittebat eos ipsos nec alios publicos usurarios fenerari. Et ne huius litteras facerent compleri suis officialibus districtius prohibebat. 

we have taken as little liberty with what the ms says as is possible (though coativa is clearly permissible in the ms thought a creative understanding of a suspension). Anyone who wants to take a stab at improving this, I will be grateful to. Moreover, anyone who wants to tell me what it means (or how they interpret it), will also have my gratitude (as so often with the generosity of those on this list - You are all generous with your time and knowledge).

cecilia