infinuated himfelf (b). The canon, whofe name was Fulbert, had a great paffion for money, and vehemently defired to have Heloife a woman of learning. Abelard forefaw he might make this difpofition of the uncle fubfervient to his defign. "Allow me (faid he to Fulbert) to board in your hofe, " and I will pay you whatever fum you demand in conf dera"tion thereof." The fimple uncle, thinking he should now furnish his niece with an able preceptor, who inftead of putting him to expence, would pay largely for his board, fell into the fnare, and requested Abelard to inftruct her day and night, and to ufe compulfion in cafe she should prove negligent (c). The preceptor gave himself no concern to fulfil the expectations of Fulbert; he foon spoke the language of love to his fair difciple, and inftead of explaining authors, amufed himself in kiffing and toying with his lovely pupil. "Under pretence of learning (fays he) we devoted ourselves Abelard. "wholly to love, and our ftudies furnished us with that pri- epift. p. 11. vacy and retirement which our paffion defired. We would “open our book, but love became the only leffon, and more "kiffes were exchanged than fentences explained. I put my "hand oftener to her bofom than the book, and our eyes "were more employed in gazing at each other, than look"ing at the volume. That we might be the lefs fufpected, "I fometimes beat her, not out of anger, but love, and "the ftripes were fweeter than the moft fragrant ointments." Having never tafted fuch joys before, they gave themfelves up to them with the greatest transport; so that Abelard now performed the functions of his public office with great remifness, for he wrote nothing but amorous verfes. His pupils perceiving his lectures much altered for the worse, quickly gueffed the caufe; but the fimple Fulbert was the laft perfon who difcovered Abelard's intrigue. He would not at first believe it; but his eyes being at

(b) Abelard had a good deal of vanity. Being handsome, and in the bloom of life, having a genius for poetry, and abounding in money, he flattered himself every woman he addreffed would receive him favourably. The following are his own words: 'Tanti quippe tunc nominis eram,

et juventutis, et formæ gratia præ'minebam; ut quamcunque feminarum noftro dignarer amore nul'lan vererer repulfam.' Abælardi opera, p 10.

(c) Abelard makes the following

reflection on the canon's fimplicity:

I was greatly furprized (fays he) "no less than if he had delivered up a tender lamb to a famished wolf. And as he not only defired me to teach her, but to use the most compulfive means, if neceffary, what was this but yielding her to my wishes, and giving us an opportunity, whether we would of not; fince he gave me a power to ufe threats, and even stripes, if 'gentleness failed,' lb. p. 11.

length opened, he obliged his boarder to quit the family. Soon
after, the niece, finding herfelf pregnant, wrote to her lover,who
advised her to leave Fubert. She complied with the advice of
Abelard, who sent her to his sister's house in Britany, where
she was delivered of a son, and in order to pacify the canon,
Abelard offered to marry Heloife privately. This propofal
pleased the uncle more than the niece, who, from a strange
fingularity in her paffion, chose rather to be the mistress than
the wife of Abelard (d). At length, however, she confented
to a private marriage; but even after this would, on fome
occafions, affirm with an oath that she was still unmarried.
Fulbert, being more defirous of divulging the marriage, to wipe
off the afperfion brought upon the family, than of keeping
his promise with Abelard not to mention it, often abused his
niece when the obftinately denied her being Abelard's wife.
Her husband thereupon fent her to the monaftery of Argen-
teuil, where, at his defire, fhe put on a religious habit, but
not a veil. Heloife's relations looking upon this as a fecond
piece of treachery in Abelard, were transported to fuch a de-
gree of refentment, that they hired ruffians, who forcing
into his chamber in the night, deprived him of his man-
hood (e). This infamous treatment made Abelard retire
to a cloyfter, there to conceal his confufion; fo that it was
fhame, and not devotion, which made him put on the ha
(d) Mr. Pope makes Eloife thus express herself in her letter to Abelard;

How oft, when prefs'd to marriage, have I said,
Curfe on all laws but those which love has made?
Should at my feet the world's great master fall,
Himself, his throne, his world, I'd fcorn them all
Not Cæfar's emprefs would I deign to prove;
No, make me mistress to the man I love.
If there be yet another name more free,
More fond than miftrefs, make me that to thee!
Oh! happy ftate! when fouls each other draw,
When love is liberty, and nature law.

(e) This cruel misfortune is alluded to in the following lines of the fame epiftle:

Alas, how chang'd! what fudden horrors rife !
A naked lover bound and bleeding lies!
Where, where was Eloife? her voice, her hand,
Her poynard had oppos'd the dire command.
Farbarian, ftay! that bloody ftroke restrain;
The crime was common, common be the pain.
I can no more, by fhame, by rage fupprefs'd,
Let tears and burning blufhes fpeak the reft----

Still on that breast enamour'd let me lie,
Still drink delicious poifon from thy eye,
l'ant on thy lip, and to thy heart be prefs'd,
Give all thou canf---and let me dream the reft,

bit in the abbey of St. Dennis. The diforders of this house, where the abbot exceeded the reft of the monks in impurity as well as in dignity, foon drove Abelard from thence; for having taken upon him to cenfure their behaviour, he thereby became fo obnoxious, that they defired to get rid of him. He retired next to the territories of the count of Champagne, where he gave public lectures, and drew together such a number of hearers, that the other profeffors, whofe pupils left them to go to Abelard, being ftung with envy, began to raise perfecutions against him. He had two formidable enemies in Laon, who perceiving the prejudices done to their schools in Rheims by his great reputation, fought an oppor tunity to ruin him, and they were at laft furnished with a handle by his treatife on the Trinity, where they pretended to have discovered a moft dreadful herefy (ƒ), and for this purpose they prevailed on their archbishop to call a council at Soiffons, in the year 1121. This council, without allowing Abelard to make his defence, fentenced him to throw the book into the flames, and to fhut himself up in the cloyster of St. Medard. Soon after he was ordered to return to the convent of St. Dennis. Here happening to fay, that he did not believe their St. Dennis was the Areopagite mentioned in fcripture, this expreffion was immediately laid hold of, and carried to the abbot, who was overjoyed at it, because it gave him an opportunity of blending a ftate crime with an accufation of falfe doctrine. The abbot immediately called a chapter, and declared that he was going to deliver up to the fecular power a man who had audaciously trampled on the glory and diadem of the kingdom. Abelard, knowing thefe menaces were not to be defpifed, fled by night into Champagne; after the abbot's death, he obtained leave to lead a monaftic life wherever he pleased. He now retired to a folitude in the diocefe of Troies; there he built an oratory, which he named the (Paroclet), where great numbers of pupils reforted to him. This revived that envy by which he had been so often perfecuted; and he now fell into the most dangerous hands, having drawn upon himself the fury and malice of St. Norbert and St. Bernard, who fet up for being reftorers of the ancient difcipline; enthufiafts whom the po

(ƒ) It was alledged that Abelard admitted three Gods, though it is certain he was, orthodox with regard to this mystery. The comparison he drew from logic, tends rather to make the divine perfons one, than to multiply the effence of God to three; and

yet he is not accused of Sabellianism, but of Tritheifm. This is his comparifon, As the three popofitions of a fyllogifm are but one and the fame truth; fo the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft are one and the fame effence.

C 4

pulace

Abelard.

pulace followed as new apoftles. They raifed fuch calumnies against him, as hurt him greatly with his principal friends, and those who ftill continued to esteem him durft not fhew him any outward marks of their friendship. His life became fo uneafy to him, that he was upon the point of flying to fome country where christianity was not profeffed; but fate determined otherways, and he was brought anew amongft Chriftians, and monks worfe than Turks. The epift, p. 32. monks of the abbey of Ruis, in the diocese of Vannes, having chofen him their fuperior, he now hoped he was got into a quiet afylum; but it foon appeared that he had only exchanged one evil for another. He endeavoured to reform the corrupt manners of the monks, and took the revenues of the abbey out of their hands, fo that they were now obliged to maintain their concubines and their children at their own expence. This ftrict though laudable behaviour raised a great Ipirit against him, and brought him into many dangers (g). About this time the abbot of St. Dennis having expelled the nuns from Argenteuil, Abelard, in pity to Heloife their prioress, made her a prefent of the Paraclet, where she took up her refidence with fome of her fifter nuns. After this he made feveral journeys from Britany to Champagne, to settle Heloife's affairs, and to relax himself from the cares and uneasiness he met with in his abbey; for notwithstanding the horrid ufage he had received by means of Heloife's relations, they ftill fpread malicious calumnies against him (b). In 1140, he was accused of herefy before the archbishop of Sens. He defired he might be permitted to make his defence, and a council was accordingly fummoned for that purpose, at which king Lewis the feventh was prefent, and St. Bernard appeared as his accufer. They began by reading in the affembly feveral propofitions extracted from the works of Abelard, which fo alarmed him, that he appealed to the pope. The council nevertheless condemned the propofitions, but determined nothing in regard to his perfon, and they fent an

(g) The monks attempted feveral times to poifon him; but not being able to effect that by his ordinary food (for he was aware of their defigns) they tried to poifon him with the facramental bread and wine. One day he abstained from a dish which had been prepared for him, and his companion who eat it, died inftantly. Abelard excommunicated the most rebellious of his monks; but to no purpose, for at last he was

more afraid of a dagger than of poifon; fo that he used to compare himself to the man whom the Sicilian tyrant placed at table with him under a drawn fword, fufpended only by a thread. Abelard. epift. p. 39.

(b) Though his enemles knew he was incapable of fatisfying a woman, they yet affirmed that fome remains of fenfual delight still engaged him to his mistress.

account

account of their proceedings to pope Innocent II. praying him to confirm their determination. The pope complied with their request, and ordered Abelard to be confined, his book to be burnt, and that he should never teach again. His holinefs, however, fome time after, foftened the rigour of this fentence, at the interceffion of Peter the Venerable, who had not only received this heretic into his abbey of Clugni, but had even brought about a reconciliation betwixt him and St. Bernard, who had been the chief promoter of his perfecution in the council of Sens. In this fanctuary at Clugni Abelard was treated with the utmoft humanity and tendernefs; here he gave lectures to the monks, and his whole behaviour fhewed the greatest humility and industry. At length, having become infirm, and being afflicted with the fcurvy, and many other diforders, he was removed to the priory of St. Marcellus, a very agreeable place on the Saon, near Chalons, where he died on the 21st of April, 1142, in the fixty-third year of his age. His corpfe was fent to Heloife, who deposited it in the Paroclet.

ABELLY (Lewis) bifhop and count of Rhodes. He was born at Paris, and for fome time rector of St. Joffe in that city. He wrote feveral pieces, and amongst the rest a treatise on divinity, intitled Medulla Theologica; whence Boileau gave him the epithet of Moëlleux. The principles and tenets laid down in this performance differ greatly from thofe of the Janfenifts (a). He wrote alfo The life of Vincent de Paul, founder and firft fuperior-general of the congregation of the Miffion; a book on The principles of Christian morality; one on Herefies; and another on The tradition of the church with regard to the worship of the virgin Mary. This laft piece, a fecond edition of which was printed at Paris in 1675, gave great pleasure to the Proteftants, becaufe it furnished them with a weapon against those who endeavoured to perfuade them, that if any thing was overstrained in this kind of worship, it arose wholly from the extravagant conceits of the monks, which abuse the bifhops were daily reforming. It ferved alfo as an excellent handle against a piece published by the bishop of Condom: and indeed Mr. Abelly became the protector, as it were, of the most extravagant notions relating to the devotion of the virgin Mary, fo that he quite defeated the efforts of this bifhop, and of those

(a) Abbé le Camus, a strong Janfenift, fpeaking of this piece, fays, that the moon was in the wane

when Abelly wrote it.' Menagiana, p. 65. ift Dutch edition.

per