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toffed and shipwrecked: But you have deftroyed my Security, and broken this Philofophic Courage. I have defpifed Riches; Honour and its Pageantries could never raife a weak Thought in me: Beauty alone has fired my Soul; happy if the who raised this Paffion, kindly receives the Declaration; but if it is an Offence- No, replied Heloise; fhe

muft be very ignorant of your Merit, who can be offended at your Paffion. But for my own Repose, I with either that you had not made this Declaration, or that I were at Liberty not to fufpect your Sincerity. Ah divine Heloife, faid I, flinging myself at her Feet, I fwear by yourself--I was going on to convince her of the Truth of my Paffion, but heard a Noife, and it was Fulbert: There was no avoiding it, but I muft do a Violence to my Defire, and change the Difcourfe to fome other Subject. After this, I found frequent Opportunities to free Heloife from thofe Sufpicions, which the gene. ral Infincerity of Men had raised in her; and fhe too much defired what I faid were Truth, not to believe it. Thus there was a moft happy Understanding between us. The fame House, the same Love, united our Perfons and our Defires. How many foft Moments did we país together? We took all Opportunities to exprefs to each other our mutual Af. fections, and were ingenious in contriving Incidents which might give us a plaufible Occafion of meeting. Pyramis and Thibe's Discovery of the Crack in the Wall, was but a flight Reprefentation of our

Love

Love and its Sagacity. In the Dead of Night, when Fulbert and his Domesticks were in a found Sleep, we improved the Time, proper to the sweet Thefts of Love: Not contenting ourselves, like thofe unfortunate Lovers, with giving infipid Kiffes to a Wall, we made ufe of all the Moments of our charming Interviews. In the Place where we met we had no Lions to fear, and the Study of Philofophy ferved us for a Blind. But I was fo far from making any Advances in the Sciences, that I lost all my Taste of them, and when I was obliged to go from the Sight of my dear Miftrefs to my philofophical Exercises, twas with the utmoft Regret and Melancholy. Love is incapable of being concealed; a Word, a Look, nay Silence fpeaks it. My Scholars difcovered it firft; they faw I had no longer that Vivacity of Thought to which all Things were eafy: I could now do nothing but write Verses to footh my Paffion I quitted Ariftotle and his dry Maxims, to practife the Precepts of the more ingenious Ovid. No Day passed in which I did not compose amorous Verses. Love was my infpiring Apollo. My Songs were spread abroad, and gained me frequent Applaufes. Those who were in Love as I was, took a Pride in learning them; and by luckily applying my Thoughts and Verfes, have obtained Favours, which perhaps they could not otherwife have gained: This gave our Amours fuch an Eclat, that the Loves of Heloife and Abelard were the Subject of all Converfations.

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The Town talk at laft reached Fulbert's Ears it was with great Difficulty he gave Credit to what ke heard, for he loved his Niece, and was prejudiced in my Favour; but upon closer Examination, he began to be less incredulous. He furprised us in one of our more foft Converfations. How fatal sometimes are the Confequences of Curiofity! The Anger af Fulbert feemed too moderate on this Occafion, and I feared in the End fome more heavy Revenge. It is impoffible to exprefs the Grief and Regret which filled my Soul, when I was obliged to leave the Canon's House and my dear Heloife. But this Separation of our Perfons the more firmly united our Minds; and the defperate Condition we were reduced to, made us capable of attempting any Thing.

My Intrigues gave me but little Shame, fo lovingly did I efteem the Occafion : Think what the gay young Divinities faid, when Vulcan caught Mars and the Goddess of Beauty in his Net, and impute it all to me. Fulbert furprised me with Heloife, and what Man that had a Soul in him would not have born any Ignominy on the fame Conditions? The next Day I provided myself of a private Lodging near the loved House, being refolved not to abandon my Prey. I continued fome Time without appearing publickly. Ah how long did those few Moments feem to me! When we fall from a State of Happinefs, with what Impatience do we bear our Misforcunes?

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It being impoffible that I could live without feeing Heloife, I endeavoured to engage her Servant, whose Name was Agaton, in my Intereft, she was brown, well shaped, of a Ferson fuperior to the ordinary Rank; her Features regular, and her Eyes. fparkling; fit to raise Love in any Man whofe Heart was not prepoffeffed by another Paffion. I met her alone, and intreated her to have Pity on a distressed Lover. She answered, fhe would undertake any Thing to ferve me, but there was a Reward- -at thefe Words I opened my Purse, and fhewed the fhining Metal, which lays afleep Guards, forces a Way through Rocks, and foftens the Hearts of the moft obdurate Fair. You are mistaken, faid fhe, fmiling and fhaking her Head-you do not know me; could Gold tempt me, a rich Abbot takes his nightly Station, and fings under my Window; he offers to fend me to his Abby, which, he fays, is fituate in the most pleasant Country in the World. A Courtier offers me a confiderable Sum, and affures me I need have no Apprehenfions; for if our A mours have Confequences, he will marry me to his Gentleman, and give him a hand fome Employment. To fay nothing of a young Officer, who patroles about here every Night, and makes his Attacks after all imaginable Forms. It must be Love only which could oblige him to follow me; for I have not, like your great Ladies, any Rings or Jewels to tempt him: Yet during all his Siege of Love, his Feather and his embroidered Coat have not made any Breach in my Hearts

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Heart: I fhall not quickly be brought to capitulate; I am too faithful to my firft Conqueror and then fhe looked earnestly on me. I answered, I did not understand her Difcourfe. She replied, For a Man of Senfe and Gallantry, you have a very flow Ap. prehenfion; I am in Love with you, Abelard; I know you adore Heloife, I do not blame you; I de fire only to enjoy the fecond Place in your Affections; I have a tender Heart, as well as my Mistress; you may without Difficulty make Returns to my Paffion; do not perplex yourself with unfafhionable Scruples: A prudent Man ought to love feveral at the fame Time; if one fhould fail, he is not then left unprovided.

You cannot imagine, Philintus, how much I was furprised at thefe Words; fo entirely did I love Heloife, that without reflecting whether Agaton spoke any Thing reasonable or not, I immediately left her. When I had gone a little Way from her, I looked back, and saw her biting her Nails in the Rage of Difappointment, which made me fear fome fatal Confequences. She haftened to Fulbert, and told him the Offer I had made her, but I fuppofe concealed the other Part of the Story. The Canon never forgave this Affront; I afterwards perceived he was more deeply concerned for his Niece, than I at first imagined. Let no Lover hereafter follow my Example: A Woman rejected is an outrageous Creature. Agaton was Day and Night at her Window, on purpofe to keep me at a Distance from her Miftrefs, and

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