Francis d'Amboife tells us how fubtilely one day the fatisfied St. Bernard, upon asking her, why in her abbey, when they recited the Lord's Prayer, they did not fay, Give us this day our DAILY bread, but Give us this day our SUPERSUBSTANTIAL bread, by an argument drawn from the originals, affirming we ought to follow the Greek verfion of the gospel of St. Matthew wrote in Hebrew. Without doubt, it was not a little fupprifing to St. Bernard, to hear a woman oppofe him in a controverfy, by citing a Greek text. 'Tis true, fome authors fay, Abelard made this anfwer to St. Bernard, after hearing from Heloife that objections were made to that form of prayer. However the cafe was, a woman with a fmall competency of learning might in thofe time pafs for a miracle; and though the might not equal thofe defcriptions which have been given of her, yet he may defervedly be placed in the rank of women of the greatest learning. Nor was the lefs remarkable for her piety, patience, and refignation, during her fickneffes in the latter part of her life. She died the 17th of May 1163. 'Tis faid fhe defired to be buried in the fame tomb with her Abelard, though that probably was not executed. Francis d'Amboife fays, he faw at the convent the tombs of the founder and foundrels near together. However a manufcript of Tours gives us an acconnt of an extraordinary miracle which happened when Abelard's grave was opened for Heloife's body, namely that Abelard stretched out his arms to receive her, and embraced her clofely, though there were twenty good years paffed fince he died. But that is a small matter to a writer of miracles. I fhall conclude this history with an epitaph on Abelard, which the Abbot of Clugni fent Heloife, and which is now to be read on his tomb; it hath nothing in it delicate either for thought or language, and will, fcarcely bear a tranflation. It is only added here for the fake of the curious, and as an initance of the re and one fpect paid to the memory of fo great a man, whom envy had loaded with the greatest defama tions. 66 ETRUS in hac petra latitat, quem mundus PETR ་་ Clamabat, fed jam fidera fidus habent. "Sol erat hic Gallis, fed eum jam fata tulerunt: 66 Ergo caret Regio Gallica fole fuo. "Ille forens quid quid fuit ulli scibile, vicit .' Gallorum Socrates, Plato maximus Hefperiarum "Nofter Ariftoteles, Logicis (quicumque fuerunt) "In qua longaevae bene complens ultima vitae, LE T It may be proper to acquaint the reader, that the following Letter was written by Abelard to a fiend, to comfort him under fome afflictions which had befallen him, by a recital of his own fufferings, which had been much heavier. It contains a particular account of his amour with Heloife, and the unhappy confequences of it. This Letter was written feveral years after Abelard's feparation from Heloife. THE laft time we were together, Philintus, you gave me a melancholy account of your misfortunes. I was fenfibly touched with the relation, and, like a true friend, bore a fhare in your griefs. What did I not fay to stop your tears? I laid before you all the reafons Philofophy could furnish, which I thought might any ways foften the ftrokes of Fortune: butall endeavours have proved ufelefs: grief I perceive, has wholly feized your fpirits: and your prudence, far from affifting, feems quite to have forfaken you. But G 2 my my skilful friendship has found out an expedicnt to relieve you. Attend to me a moment; hear but the ftory of my misfortunes, and your's, Philintus, will be nothing, if you compare them with thofe of the loving and unhappy Abelard. Obferve, I beseech you, at what expence I endeavour to ferve you: and think this no fmall mark of my affection; for I am going to prefent you with the relation of fuch particulars, as it is impoffible for me to recollect without piercing my heart with the most fenfible affliction. You know the place where I was born, but not perhaps that I was born with thofe complexional faults which ftrangers charge upon our nation, an extreme lightnefs of temper, and great inconftancy. I frankly own it, and shall be as free to acquaint you with those good qualities which were obferved in me. I had a natural vivacity and aptnefs for all the polite arts. My father was a gentleman, and a man of good parts; he loved the wars, but differed in his fentiments from many who followed that profeffion. He thought it no praife to be illiterate, but in the camp he knew how to converfe at the fame time with the Mufes and Bellona. He was the fame in the management of his family, and took equal care to form his children to the ftudy of polite learning as to their military exercises. As I was his eldeft, and confequently his favourite fon, he took more than ordinary care of my education. I had a natural genius to ftudy, and made an extraordinary progrefs in it. Smitten with the love of books. and the praifes which on all fides were beftowed upon me, I afpired to no reputation but what proceeded from learning. To my brothers I left the glory of battles, and the pomp of triumphs; nay more, I yielded them up my birthright and patrimony. I knew neceffity was the great fpur to ftudy, and was afraid. I fhould not merit the title of Learned, if I diftinguished myfelf from others by nothing but a more plentiful forOf all the fciences, Logic was the most to my tafte. Such were the arms I chose to profefs. Furnished tune. nished with the weapons of reasoning, I took pleafure in going to public difputations to win trophies; and wherever I heard that this art flourished, I ranged like another Alexander, from province to province, to feek new adversaries, with whom I might try my ftrength. The ambition I had to become formidable in logic led me at last to Paris, the centre of politeness, and where the fcience I was fo fmitten with had ufually been in the greateft perfection. I put myself under the direction of one Champeaux a profeffor, who had acquired the character of the most skilful philofopher of his age, by negative excellencies only, by being the leaft ignorant. He received me with great demonftrations of kindnefs, but I was not fo happy as to please him long: I was too knowing in the fubjects he difcourfed upon. I often confuted his notions: often in our difputations I pufhed a good argument fo home, that all his fubtilty was not able to elude its force. It was impoffible he fhould fee himself furpaffed by his fcholar without refentment. It is fometimes dangerous to have too much merit. Envy increased against me proportionably to my reputation. My enemies endeavoured to interrupt my progrefs. but their malice only provoked my courage; and measuring my abilities by the jealoufy I had raifed, I thought I had no farther occafion for Champeaux's lectures, but rather that I was fufficiently qualified to read to others. I ftood for a place which was vacant at Melun. My mafter used all his artifice to defeat my hopes, but in vain; and on this occafion I triumphed over his cunning, as before I had done over his learning. My lectures were always crouded, and beginnings fo fortunate, that I entirely obfcured the renown of my famous mafter. Flushed with thete happy conquests, I removed to Corbeil to attack the mafters there, and fo establish my character of the ableft Logician. The violence of travelling threw me into a dangerous diftemper, and not being able to re Cover |