610 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1049-1294.
During the first half of the twelfth century, Peter Abselard, 1079—1142, was one of the most conspicuous characters of Europe. His fame was derived from the brilliance of his intellect. He differed widely from Anselm. The latter was a constructive theologian ; Abaelard, a critic. Anselm was deliberate, Abrelard, impulsive and rash. Anselm preferred seclusion ; Abcelard sought publicity. Among teachers ex ercising the spell of magnetism over their hearers, Abselard stands in the front rank and probably has not been excelled in France. In some of his theological speculations he was in advance of his age. His personal misfortunes give to his biography a flavor of romance which belongs to no other Schoolman. A man of daring thought and restless disposition, he was unstable in his mental beliefs and morally unreliable. Our main authority for his career is the Story of Misfortunes, Historia calamitatum, written by his own hand, (Migne, 178. 113-180,) in the form of a letter.
The eldest son of a knight, Abselard was born at the village of Palais or le Pallet, a few miles from Nantes. His original name was Pierre de Palais. Both his parents entered convents. Abtelard had for his first teacher Roscellinus. He listened to William of Champeaux, then at the head of the cathedral school at Paris, and soon began with confi dence to refute William's positions.1 He then established independent schools at Melun and Corbeil. After a period of sickness, spent under his father's roof, he returned to Paris. He again listened to William on rhetoric, but openly an nounced himself as an antagonist of his views, and taught on Mt. Genevieve, then covered with vineyards. Abrelard rep resents himself as having drawn almost the last scholar away from the cathedral school to Genevieve. We next find him under Anselm of Laon, who, with his brother Radulf, had made the school of Laon famous. Again Abtelard set him-
1 From this point and the enmity of William, he dates his misfortunes. Ilinc calamitatum mearum quce mine perseverant coeperunt exordia at quo amplius fama extendebatur nostra, aliena in me succensa est invidia, Migne, p. 116.
§ 99. PETER AB^ELARD. 611
self up against his teacher, describing him as having a won derful flow of words, but no thoughts. When he lit a fire, he filled the whole house with smoke.1 He was like the barren fig tree with the promise of leaves and nothing more. Ab^lard started at Laon counter lectures on Ezekiel.
Now the opportunity of his life came and he was called to preside over the cathedral school at Paris. William of Champeaux had retired to St. Victor and then had been made bishop. The years that immediately followed were the most brilliant in Aboelard's career. All the world seemed about to do him homage. Scholars from all parts thronged to hear him. He lectured on philosophy and theology. He was well read in classical and widely read in sacred litera ture. His dialectic powers were ripe and, where arguments failed, the teacher's imagination and rhetoric came to the rescue. His books were read not only in the schools and convents, but in castles and guildhouses. William of Thierry said 2 they crossed the seas and overleaped the Alps. When he visited towns, the people crowded the streets and strained their necks to catch a glimpse of him. His remarkable in fluence over men and women must be explained not by his intellectual depth so much as by a certain daring and lit erary art and brilliance. He was attractive of person, and Bernard may have had this in mind when he says, Abselard was outwardly a John though he had the heart of a Herod.3 His statements were clear. He used apt analogies and quoted frequently from Horace, Ovid, and other Latin poets. To these qualities he added a gay cheerfulness which expressed itself in compositions of song and in singing, which made him acceptable to women, as in later years Heloise re minded him.4
In the midst of this popularity came the fell tragedy of his life, his connection with Heloise, whom Remusat has called
1 Verborum usum habebat mirabilem, sed sensu contemptibilem et ratione vacuum, Migne, p. 123.
2 Ep., 326; St. Bernard's Works, Migne, 182. 531.
3 Remusat gives an attractive picture of his appearance, I. 43 sq. *^p., II.; Migne, 178. 188.