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Enemies, who had resolved to Perfecute him to the laft, were careful not to let him enjoy the Ease of Retirement: They thought he was not fufficiently plagued with his Monks, and therefore brought a new Procefs of Herefy against him before the Archbishop of Sens. He defired he might have the Liberty of defending his Doctrine before a publick Affembly, and it was granted him. Upon this Account the Council of Sens was Affembled, in which Louis the VIIth affifted in Perfon, in the Year 1140. St. Bernard was the Accufer, and delivered to the Affembly fome Propofitions drawn from Abelard's Book, which were read in the Council. This Accufation gave Abelard fuch Fears, and was managed with fuch inveterate Malice by his Enemies, and with fuch great Unfairness in drawing Confequences he never thought of; that imagining he had Friends at Rame who would protect his Innocence, he made an Appeal to the Pope. The Council, notwithstanding his Appeal, condemn'd his Book, but did not meddle with his Perfon; and gave an Account of the whole Proceeding to Pope Innocent II; praying him to confirm their Sentence. St. Bernard had been fo early in prepoffeffing the Pontiff, that he got the Sentence confirmed before Abelard heard any thing of it, or had any Time to present himself before the Tribunal, to which he had appealed. His Holiness ordered befides, that Abelard's Books fhould be burnt,

himfelf

himfelf confined, and for ever prohibited from Teaching.

This Paffage of St. Bernard's Life is not much for the Honour of his Memory: And whether he took the Trouble himself to extract the condemn'd Propofitions from Abelard's Works, or intrufted it to another Hand, 'tis certain the Paper he gave in contain'd many things which Abelard never wrote, and others which he did not mean in the Senfe imputed to him.

When a few particular Expreffions are urged too rigidly, and unthought-of Confequences drawn from fome Affertions, and no Regard is had to the general Intent and Scope of an Author, it is no difficult Matter to find Errors in any Book. For this Reafon Beranger of Poitiers, Abelard's Scholar, defended his Mafter against St. Bernad, telling him, he ought not to Perfecute others, whofe own Writings were not exempt from Errors; demonftrating that he himself had advanced a Pofition, which he would not have fail'd to have inferted in his Extract as a monstrous Doctrine, if he had found it in the Writings of Abelard.

Some time after Abelard's Condemnation, the Pope was appeafed at the Sollicitation of the Abbot of Clugni, who received this unfortunate Gentleman in his Monaftery with great Humanity, reconcil'd him with St. Bernard, and admitted him to be a Religious of his Society.

This

This was Abelard's laft Retirement, in which he found all manner of Kindness; he read Lectures to the Monks, and was equally humble and laborious. At laft growing weak, and afflicted with a Complication of Diseases, he was fent to the Priory of St. Marcel upon the Saone, near Chalons, a very agreeable Place, where he died the 21st of April, 1142, in the 63d Year of his Age. His Corps was fent to the Chappel of the Paraclete, to Heloife, to be interred, according to her former Request of him, and to his own Defire. The Abbot of Clugni, when he fent the Body to Heloife, according to the Custom of thofe Times, fent with it an Abfolution to be fixed together with his Epitaph on his Gravestone, which Abfolution was as follows.

I Peter Abbot of Clugni, having received Father Abelard into the number of my Religious, and now given leave that his Body be privately convey'd to the Abby of the Paraclete, to be difpofed of by Heloife, Abbess of the fame Abbey; do by the Authority of God and all the Saints, abfolve the faid Abelard from all his Sins *.

Heloife, who furvived him twenty Years, had all the leifure that could be to effect the Cure of her

*Ego Petrus Cluniacenfis Abbas, qui Pet. Abælardum in Monacum Cluniacenfem recepi, & corpus ejus furtim dilatum Heloiffa Abbatiæ & Monialibus Paracleti conceffi, Authoritate omnipotentis Dei & omnium San&torum, abfolvatum pro officio ab omnibus peccatis fuis.

unhappy

unhappy Paffion. Alas! fhe was very long about it! She paft the reft of her Days like a Religious and devout Abbefs, frequent in Prayer, and entirely employed in the Regulation of her Society. She loved Study, and being a Mistress of the learned Languages, the Latin, Greek and Hebrew, the waś efteemed a Miracle of Learning. Abelard, in a Letter he wrote to the Religious of his new House, fays exprefly, that Heloife underflood thefe three Languages. The Abbot of Clugni likewife, in a Letter he wrote to her, tells her, fhe excell'd in Learning not only all her Sex, but the greateft part of Men *. And in the Calender of the House of the Paraclete, fhe is recorded in these words : Heloife, Mother and firft Abbess of this Place, famous for her Learning and Religion. I must not here pass by a Custom the Religious of the Paraclete now have to commemorate how learned their first Abbefs was in the Greek, which is, that every Year on the Day of Pentecoft they peform divine Service in the Greek Tongue. What a ridiculous Vanity!

Francis D'Amboije tells us, how fubtilly one Day fhe fatisfied St. Bernard, upon his afking 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

✦ Studio tuo & Mulieres omnes evicifti, & penè viros univerfos Superafi. Abel. Op.

Originals,

Originals, affirming we ought to follow the Greek Verfion of the Gospel St. Matthew wrote in He brew. Without doubt it was not a little furprising to St. Bernard, to hear a Woman pose him in a Controverfy, by citing a Greek Text. 'Tis true, some Authors say Abelard made this Answer 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 those times pafs for a Miracle;. and tho' fhe might not equal thofe Defcriptions which have been given of her, yet fhe may deferv edly be placed in the Rank of Women of the greateft Learning. Nor was fhe lefs remarkable for her Piety, Patience, and Refignation, during her Sickneffes in the latter part of her Life. 17th of May, 1163. "Tis faid fhe buried in the fame Tomb with her Abelard, tho”“ that probably was not executed. Francis D'Amboife fays, he faw at the Convent the Tombs of the Founder and Foundrefs near together. However, a Manuscript of Tours give us an Account 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 closely; tho' there were twenty good. Years pafs'd fince he died. But that is a small matter to a Writer of Miracles.

She died the defired to be

I shall conclude this History with an Epitaph on Abelard, which the Abbot of Clugni fent Heloife,

and

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