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/59

 A B r r. A R D. 23 he was got into a quiet afylum ; but it loon npp.r-.rcd, tint he had only exchanged OM<- evil for aiioihor. lie ciKL-avoured to reform the corrupt manners nf the monks, and took the re- venties of the abbey out of tl-.cir ham's ; fo t:iat th-y were now obliged to mainnin tin i; car.ci. bines and their children at their own expence. This ftri& though huddle behaviour r.iifed a great fpirit agau.it him, and brought him into many dangers [cj. About this time the abbot of 6t. Dennis having expelled the nuns from Argenteuil, Abelard, in pity to Heloile thc ; r priorefs, made her a p-efeiu of the Paraclet ; where (he took up her relidence with fome of her filler nuns. After this he made feveral journeys from Britany to Champagne, to fettle Hcloife's affairs, and to relax himlclf from, the cares nnd un- eafmcls he met with in his abbey ; lo that, notwithftanding the horrid ufage he had received by means of Heloile's relation-, they frill Ipread malicious calumnies a^ainft him [H]. In 1 140, he was accufed of herefy before the archbifhop of Sens. He defucd he might be permitted to make his defence; and a council was accordingly fumrnoned for that purpole, atwhicb king Lewis the feventh was prefent, and St. Bernard appeared as his accufer. They began by reading in the aflcmbly feveral proportions extracted from the works of Abelard, which fo alarmed him, that he appealed to the pope. The council ne- verthelefs condemned the propofitions, but determined nothing in regard to his perfon ; and they fent an account of their pro- ceedings to pope Innocent II, praying him to confirm their de- termination. The pope complied with their requeft ; ordered Abelard to be confined, his book to be burnt, and that he fiiouid never teach again. ,H:s Holinefs, however, fome time after, foftened the rigour of this fentcnce, at the interccflion of Peter the Venerable ; f.-r Peter had not only received this heretic into his abbey of Clugni, but had even brought about a reconciliation betwixt him and St. Bernard, who had been the chief promoter of his perfecution in the council of Sens. In this fanftuary at Clugni, Abelard was treated with the ut- moft humanity and tendernefs ; here he gave lectures to the [c] The monks attempted feveral piupofe : for at laft he was more a fri 14 times to poitbn him ; but not being able of a dagger than of poifon j lo that he to effea that by his ordinary food (for ufed to compare himfelf to the nun, he was aware of their defign) they tried whom the Sicilian tyrant placed at table to poifon him with the facramental bread vth him under a drawn fword, lulpended and wine. One day be abftamed from a only by a thread. Abelard. Epift. p. 39. di/h which had been prepared for him, f n ] Thouth his enemies knew his and his companion who'eat it died in- incapacity, they yet affirmed that fome ftantly, Abelard excommunicated the remains of fenfual delight ftill engaged reb:llious of his monks ; but to no him to his roiftrcfs. mor.ks ;