In a few years, Abelard was reconciled to his unhap py fate, and his literary ambition revived. In the mo nastery of St Dem s, to which he had retired, he began to comment on the Acts of the Apostles ; but the dis orderly monks, offended by the freedom with which he censured their irregularities, refused to listen to his lectures. With the consent of the abbot, he withdrew from this licentious fraternity, and established a school at 'l'hibaud, in Champagne. His fame attracted such numbers of scholars, not only from the remotest pro \ inees of France, but likewise from Rome, Spain, Eng land, and Germany, that they could neither be supplied ith lodgings, nor with food. Ilis fortune would soon have equalled his celebrity, but the active persecution of his enemies again involved him in calamity and dis grace. Alberic of Rheims, and Lotulf of Lombardy, whom he had offended while at Laon, and who were mortified to sec their schools deserted for Abelard's, pretended to discover heresy in a work of his, intitled, The Mystery of the Trinity. They prevailed with the archbishop to assemble a council at Soissons, and Abe lard, without being heard in his defence, was condemn ed to burn his book with his own hands, confine himself w ithin the convent of St Medard. So keenly did he feel the severity of this sentence, that he himself declares, the unhappy fate of his writings affected him more deeply than the cruelest of his sufferings.
After a short confinement in St Medard, he was or dered to return to St Denys. Here his restless fondness for disputation furnished the malice of his enemies with an additional accusation against -him. He had hinted, that Dionysius, the Areopagite, could not be the patron of their monastery ; as it was not probable lie had ever been in France. This blasphemous opinion was speedi ly reported to the archbishop, who threatened to de liver up to the secular power the audacious and impious offender, who had thus dared to reflect on the honour of his convent, and of the kingdom at large. Abelard, alarmed by his menaces, fled to the cloister of Troies, in Champagne, where he remained till the storm had blown over. On the death of the abbot, which happened soon after, he obtained permission to live where he pleased.
Tired, at last, of this perpetual conflict with prejudice and malignity, he wished to spend the remainder of his days in some peaceful retirement, where, with the so ciety of a few chosen friends, he might solace himself for the many injuries which he had sustained. With this view, he chose a solitude in the diocese of Troies ; and having there obtained a portion of ground, by per mission of the bishop, he built a small house and a chap el, which he dedicated to the Most Iloly Trinity. His reputation followed him even into this sequestered re treat. Scholars flocked to him from all quarters ; and, building little huts for themselves in the desert, were content to live on herbs and roots, that they might enjoy the instructions of this extraordinary man. As a memo rial of the happiness which he enjoyed in this solitude, he dedicated his chapel, which had been enlarged by the liberal contributions of his scholars, to the Holy Ghost, by the name of the Paraclete, or Comforter. But his tranquillity was soon disturbed by the envy of his former persecutors, Alberic and Lotulf, who pretended to discover heresy in the name which he had given to his chapel ; and alleged, that he thus artfully designed to insinuate the doctrines which he thirst not openly avow. Their persecution was the more formidable, as
they were joined by St Bernard and St Norbet, two popular zealots, who raised such a clamour against him, that even his best friends were either carried away by the general prejudice, or were afraid to show any dis position to favour him. So complete was his misery, that he often formed the resolution of forsaking Christendom, and seeking among heathens the security and peace which was denied him among Christians and monks.' The duke of Brittany, compassionating his misfor tunes, appointed him to the abbey of St Guildas, in the diocese of St Vannes. The monks had already chosen him as their superior, and he naturally hoped, that his new situation would prove a safe asylum from the rage of his enemies. But he had only exchanged one source of misery for another. The profligacy of the monks, and the tyranny of the nobleman, who was the superior of the abbey, and who had deprived it of the greater part of its revenues, gave him much vexation, and exposed him to many dangers. Poison was fre quently mingled in his food, and, when that failed, in the holy eucharist itself. In vain did he suspend over the mutinous the terrors of excommunication; he lived in perpetual fear of assassination, and compared his situation to that of Damocles, while, seated at the table of the Sicilian tyrant, with a naked sword suspended by a single hair over his head.
Whilst Abelard thus suffered in St Guildas, Heloise was equally unhappy at Argenteuil. The nuns, of whom she was prioress, had become so licentious, that Lugger, abbot of St Denys, taking advantage of their irregularities, deprived them of their monastery, and established monks of his own in their room. On leav ing Argenteuil, she applied to Abelard, who, by permis sion of the bishop of Troies, gave her the house and chapel of the Paraclete, and there founded a nunnery. Here she conducted herself with the greatest prudence, piety, and zeal. " The bishops loved her as their child, the abbesses as their sister, and the other religious as their mother." Abelard made frequent journeys from Brittany, to promote the interests of this rising house, and to escape from the vexations which he experienced in his own abbey. But finding, that, notwithstanding their misfortunes, the passion of Heloise was reviving in all its former ardour, he resolved to separate himself from her for ever. He reminded her, that, to make their retirement useful, and their penitence sincere, it was necessary that they should forget each other, and think foi. the future of God alone ; and, having given her directions for her own conduct, and the manage ment of the nuns, he bade her a last adieu, and return ed to his abbey. A long interval had elapsed since separation, when a letter of Abelard to his friend Philintus fell by chance into the hands of Heloise. It contained a long account of all his persecutions and mis fortunes ; and Heloise was so deeply affected by the perusal, that she could not avoid writing him in all the tenderness of passion, and reproaching him for his long silence. This was the origin of that celebrated cor respondence, which has been preserved in Abelard's works, and which Pope has immortalized by the har mony of his numbers.