Abelard

(or Abailard), Pierre, a monk of the order of St. Benedict. equally famous for his learning and his pa ion for Heloise; born in 1079, near Nantes, in the little village of Pallet, which was the property of his father Berenger. His inclination led him to prefer a literary life; and in order to devote himself fully to philosophy he ceded his patrimony to his brothers. He studied poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, jurisprudence, and theology, the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin languages; but scholastic philosophy chiefly engaged his attention. Having learned all that Britt any could teach hin i, he went to Paris, the university of which attracted students from all parts of Europe. Guillaume de Champeaux, a follower of Anselm and an extreme Realist, was the most skillful disputant of his time, and Abelard, profiting by his instructions, was often victorious over his master in contests of wit and logical acumen. ‘The friendship of Champeaux was soon succeeded by enmity; and Abelard, who had not yet completed his 22d year, removed to Melun, whither he was soon followed by a multitude of young men, attracted from Paris by his great reputation.