This, then, was the argument for reforming the church by general councils that William Durant the Younger presented in the first part of his treatise. It pretended to rest on a coherent vision of law and order – but we have already suggested that beneath this placid surface there was a veritable abyss of doubts. The nature of those doubts still needs to be identified, and the broader programme of reform that was contained in the second part of the Tractatus Maior, as well as its relationship to the conciliar proposal, still need to be considered. These are the tasks to which the following three chapters are dedicated.

Part of the reason why so much uncertainty has beset the study of Durant's intentions is that he never took the time to specify his purpose in any systematic way. He did say that he aimed at a ‘healthy regime for the human race’ and that according to St Paul the powers that be are ordained by God and therefore ought to conform to God's commands. He also made numerous suggestions how to improve this or that aspect of the world.