and fo fill'd him with exceffive Vanity: He hints gently at another thing, which contributed not a little towards making him proud; namely, that the Women continually followed him, and gloried in drawing him into their Snares. This Misfortune therefore would cure him of his Pride, and free him from thofe Snares of Women which had reduced him even to Indigence, tho' his Profeffion got him a large Revenue; and now he would never impoverish himfelf by his Gallantries. Heloife herfelf in fome Paffages of her Letters fays, that there was neither Maid nor Wife *, who in Abelard's Abfence did not form Defires for him, and in his Prefence was not inflamed with Love : That Queens themselves and Ladies of the first Quality envied the Pleasures fhe enjoy'd with him. But we are not to take thefe Words of Heloife in a ftrict Sense; becaufe as fhe loved Abelard to Madnefs, fo fhe imagin'd every one else did. Befides that, Report to be fure hath added to the Truth. It is not at all probable that a Man of Abelard's Senfe, and who according to all Appearance paffionately loved his Wife, fhould not be able to contain himself in fome Bounds, but fhould fquander away all his Money upon Miftreffes, even to the not referving what was fufficient to provide for his * Quæ conjugata, quæ Virgo non concupifcebat abfentem, & non exardefcebat in præfentem? Quæ Regina, vel præpotens Feemina Gaudiis meis non invidebat vel Thalamis ? Neceffities. Foulques owns that he speaks only upon Hear-fay, and in that no doubt Envy and Jealoufy had their Part. Foulques tells him befides, that the Amputation. of a Part of his Body, of which he made fuch ill Ufe, would fupprefs at the fame time a great many troublesome Paffions, and procure him the Liberty of reflecting on himself, inftead of being hurried to and fro by his Paffions; His Meditations would be no more interrupted by the Emotions of the Flesh, and therefore he would be more fuccefsful in difcovering the Secrets of Nature. He reckons it as a great Advantage to him, that he would no more be the Terror of Husbands, and might now lodge any where without being fufpected. And forgets not to acquaint him, he might converfe with the finest Women without any fear of thofe Temptations which fometimes overpower even Age itself, upon the fight of fuch Objects. And laftiy, he would have the Happiness of being exempt from the Illufions of Sleep which Exemption, according to him, is a peculiar Bleffing. It was with Reafon that Foulques reckons all thefe as Advantages very extraordinary in the Life of an Ecclefiaftick; 'tis eafy to obferve that, to a Person who devotes himself to Continence, nothing can be more Happy than to be infenfible to Beauty and Love; for they who cannot maintain their Chaftity, but by continual Combats, are very unhappy: The Life of fuch Perfons is uneasy, their State State always doubtful. They but too much feel the Trouble of their Warfare, and if they come off victorious in an Engagement, 'tis often with a great many Wounds. Even fuch of them as in a retired Life are at the greatest Distance from Temptations, by continually struggling with their Inclinations, and fetting Barriers against the Irruptions of the Flesh, are in a miferable Condition. Their Entrenchments are often forced; and their Confcience fill'd with Sorrow and Anxiety. What Progrefs might one make in the Ways of Virtue, who is not obliged to fight an Enemy for every Foot of Ground? Had Abelard's Misfortune made him indeed fuch as Foulques fuppofed, we should fee him in his Letters exprefs his Motives of Comfort with a better Grace. But though he now was in a Condition not able to fatisfy a Paffion by which he had fuffered so much, yet was he not infenfible at the fight of thofe Objects which once gave him fo much Pleasure. This Difcourfe therefore of Foulques, far from comforting Abelard in his Affliction, feems capable of producing the contrary Effect; and it is aftonishing if Abelard did not take it 'fo, and think he rather infulted him, and confequently refent it. As to Dreams, St. Auftin informs us of the Advantage Foulques tells his Friend he had gain'd, St. Auflin implores the Grace of God to deliver him from this fort of Weakness, and fays he gave Confent to thofe things in his Sleep which he fhould abominate abominate awake, and lament exceedingly fo great a remaining Weakness. But let us go on with this charitable Friend's Letter; it hath too near a Relation to this History, to leave any part of it untouched. Matrimonial Functions (continues Foulques) and the Cares of a Family, will not now hinder your Application to pleafe God. And what a Happiness is it, not to be in a Capacity of Sinning? and then he brings the Examples of St. Origen, and other Martyrs, who rejoice now in Heaven, for their being upon Earth in the fame Condition Abelard laments. As if the Impoffibility of committing a Sin could fecure any one from defiring to do it. But one of his greateft Motives of Comfort, and one upon which he infifts the moft is, because his Misfortune is irreparable. This is indeed true in Fact, but the Confequence of his Reafoning is not fo certain, Afflict not yourself (fays he) because your Misfortune is of fuch a Nature as is never to be repaired. It must be owned that the general Topicks of Confolation have two Faces, and may therefore be confidered very differently, even fo as to seem Arguments for Sorrow. As for Inftance, one might argue very juftly, that a Mother should not yield too much to Grief upon the Lofs of a Son, because her Tears are unavailable, and tho' fhe fhould kill herself with Sorrow, fhe can never by thefe Means bring her Son to Life. Yet this very thing, that all the can do is ufelefs, is the main Occafion Occafion of her Grief; fhe could bear it patiently, could fhe any way retrieve her Lofs. When Solon * lamented the Death of his Son, and fome Friend by way of Comfort told him, his Tears were infignificant, that, faid he, is the very Reason why I weep. But Foulques argues much better afterwards; he fays, Abelard did not fuffer this in the Commiffion of any ill Act, but fleeping peaceably in his Bed. That is, he was not caught in any open Fact, fuch as has coft others the like Lofs. This is indeed a much better Topick than the former, though it must be allowed that Abelard had drawn this Misfortune on himself by a Crime as bad as Adultery; yet the Fault was over, and he had made all the Reparation which was in his Power, and when they maimed him he thought no harm to any Body. Abelard's Friend makes ufe likewife of other confolatory Reafons in his Letter, and reprefents to him after a very moving manner, the Part which the Bishop and Canon, and all the Ecclefiafticks of Paris, took in his Difgrace, and the Mourning there was among the Inhabitants, and especially the Women, upon this Occafion. But in this Article of Confolation how comes it to pafs that he makes no mention of Heloife? This ought not to appear ftrange; fhe was the most injured, Diog. Lacrt, and |