Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/436

 A V E R R O "& S. And as he foretold (fays Leo Africanus) it happened, for,/ w'uhin fifty years after, the Chriftians befieged this and feve~ Bibl.Theol.raI other cities. metkuefs. Once, when he was reading a lecture in the civil law, the fervant of one of his enemies came and whifpered fomething in his ear : Averroes changed countenance, and anfwered only, " Yes, yes." The next day the fame fervant returned, and publicly afked pardon, confefiing that he had faid a very rude thing to Averroes the day before, whtn he vhifpered him in the ear. " G d blefs you," replied Aver- roes, " for declaring that I an endued with patience." He gave him afterwards a fum of money, and bid him " not " do to others as he had done to him." Though Averroes was rich bo'.h by marriage and his pofts, he was always in debt, becaufe he was very liberal to n^en of letters in necef- fity, whether they were his friends or enemies. The former blaming him one day for his liberality to the latter ; " How 44 unhappy are you," faid he, " not to know that to (erve one's " relations and friends is not an at of liberality ; we are " led to that by natural affection. To be liberal is to com- " municate one's eftate to one's enemies ; and fince my r . ? * ; riches did not arife from myfelf, or from my anceftors -,274." having followed trade, or any art, or a military life, but " only the profc/Tion of virtue, is it not fit that I fhould dif- " pofe of them in a<fls of virtue ? I find that I have not " mifplaced them ; they have ferved to make thofe my " friends who were my enemies." He would not ton Cent to his youngeft fon's accepting of the honours offered him at the court of Morocco; and was fo far from flawing any peculiar fatisfaclion at the deference paid to this young man, '' which was intended to do a pleafure to his father, mat he was abfolutcly uneafy at it. " What a pity it was," fays Mr. Bayle, "that fo many virtues andexcellent qualities fhould not tle's doclrine of the unity of the intellect in fuch a m.-ir.ner, as to overturn the immortality of the foul, and confcquently future rewards and punifliment;. Obferving the people to eat the facrament they had ju(t worfhiped, *' Let my foul," faid he, " be with thofe of the philofophers, fince the u Christians woifhip what they eat [B]." His good quali- ties [B] Bayle mentions fevcral authors preat impiety, on account of his main- who rcprckftt Avertoes as a maa of taining the mortality of the foul. But Dr.
 * ' 2>:J ' Surprizing things are related of his patience, 'liberality, and
 * c have been attended v/ith orthodoxy, but, on the contrary, be
 * joined to the moft enormous errors !" He explained Anlto-