Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-06-20
No. XXI.
AbeInrd aud EIeloise.

tie and village of Palais. Beranger exercised.
like all the gentlemen of his day, the noble trade
of war. His son was brought up TO arms; but Il e
piety of his race, atesied BY the religious babt
which Beranger, his wife and daughters. assumed
in their old age, associated with the military edu-
cation of the youthful Abelard the study of letters
philosophy, and theology. The Leading and only
intellectual profession of that period, the Church,
attracted to her ranks all the young men who felt
within themselves the seeds Of poetry eloquence,
the love Of fame, and the ambition of mental su-
premacy. Abelard was more happily endowed
than any other individual of his time. lie dis
dained the rude life of 4 mere warrior, and re-
signed to his brothers his rights Of primogeniture
over the domains and yassals Of the house. lie
quilted the paternal mansion, and went from
school to school, from master to master, gathering
all those buried treasures of Greek and Roman
literature which France and Italy had began 10
disinter from manuscripts, to restore TO light, and
to worship as the profane mysteries Of human &C.
MUS. His warm heart and fervid imagination
were not satisfied with The dead languages: he
wrote and spoke in Greek and Latin, but he sang
in French.
1.-The verses, for which he composed the music
himself, that the passion by which they were in-
spired should convey its full effect TO the soul by
two senses at time. became The manual Of all
poets They spread with the rapidity Of an echo
which mutpes lis own sound they formed the
conversation of men of letters, the delight of wo-
men, the secret language Of lovers, the interpre-
ters of undeclared sentiments, the popular songs
of cities, castles, cottages; they carried the name
of the young musician and familiar poet through
out the provinces of France. He enjoyed per-
sonal fame during the spring of life in the secret
souls of all who loved, dreamed, sighed, or sang.
A melodious voice, which gave animation 10 Ian
guage and music a youth precocous In celebf-
ty; a Grecan regularity of features, tall and
graceful figure, noble bearing, natural modes
ty, in which the bashfulness OF early years blush
ed for the maturity of talent-all these qualities
combined in Abelard attraction with renown. lie
was ever present to the eyes, the ears, the hearts
of the women who had seen him, or had even
heard his name pronounced. II was thus That
HeIose recalled his image to her heart long after
the ruin of her illusions and her love-"
"There dwelt in Paris a rich and powerful
canon of the Cathedral, Fulbert, who resided in
the learned quarter of the city. He had niece
living with him (some say she was his daughter)
whom he loved with paternal affection. This
niece. aged eighteen, and consequently twenty
years Younger than Abelard, was already much
nOtlcGU III GdIlS lUI HcI ucootJ oLu e"'tJ 6~"'Ns
Her uncle. the canon, had treated her with all
those blind indugences which, while they adorn
chosen nature with every gilt of intelligence and
education. he saw not in the weakness of age,
would prepare more signal victory for seduction.
love. and misfortune. Her name was Helose.-
The medalions and the statue which perpetuate
her, according to contemporary traditions, and the
ass taken after death in her sepuchre, represent
young female tall in stature, and exqulsltely
formed. An oval head, slightly depressed to-
wards the temples by the conflict Of thought;
high and smooth forehead, where intelligence
revelled without impediment. like ray OF light
unchecked by an obstructing angle, on the smooth
surface of marble slab; eyes deeply set within
their arch, and the balls of which reflected the a.
zure tint of heaven a small nose, slightly raised
towards the nostris, such as sculpture models from
nature in the statues of women lmmortallzed by
the feelings of the heart; mouth where breath-
ed. between brilliant teeth, the smiles of genius
and the tenderness Of sympathy; short chin;
slightly dimpled in The middle, as if BY the finger
of reflection often placed upon the lips, long
flexible neck, which carried the head as the lotus
bears the flower, while unduatng, with the mo-
ton of the wave; falling shoulders, gracefully
moulded. and blending into the same line with
the arms; slender fingers, flowing curls, delicate
anatomical articulations, The feet Of goddess up
on her pedestal-such is the statue, by which We
NAV iudoe of the woman! Let the life, the com-
plexion, the look. the attitude, the youth, the
ianquor, the paeness. the blush, the thought, the
feeling, the accent, the smile, the tears be re-
stored to the skeleton Of this other lnez de Caslrc
and we shall again look on Helose. Her fea-
lures, according to the historians Of the time aud
Abelard himself, were less striking to the eye
from beauty than from expression-that graceful
physiognomy of the heart, which draws, invites,
and compes reciprocation OF the love 1t offers
supreme beauty, tar superior to the charms which
command admiration only"
"Abelard after lamentable hesitation, could
neither determine to accept this suicide OF He
loise, nor openly to declare his passion before the
world. He still continued to reside under tho
roof of Fulbert. Dastardly at the same time to-
ward affection and virtue, he foated between two
weaknesses, and evinced neither the courage OF
love nor that Of glory. In this Instance, as in all
others. the heart of the woman was manly, the
heart of the man feminine. But his infatuations,
meanwhile, nourished itself upon these agonles.-
Fubert. Justly rritated by a silence which re-
sembled contempt, and which rendered his hospl-
talty suspcious, closed his doors against the Of
fender. This separation tore the heart OF Helolse,
and humilated that Of Abelard. Neither the
master nor the scholar could rehounce life in
which the looks, the conversation, the studies, the
songs. the thoughts Of both, had blended two into
single soa. They contrived secret meetings.
mysterious intercourse with which ful5eft was
deeply enraged. Abelard carried HelOlse away,
and conducted her with al respect to Nantes, 10
his Maternal mansion, where he conhded her as
his wife TO the affection Of his own sister. Re-
turning Immediately to Paris, he threw himself
at the feet of Fubert, implored his forgiveness,
and obtained BY contrItion the hand OF his niece.
Heoise, pardoned, and restored at once to her un-
Gle and her lover, became secretly the spouse of
Abelard. after night passed in prayer says
he 81, one of the churches in Paris, on the fol-
low inc morning we received the Duptual blessings
in presence of the uncle of Heolse and Of several
mutual friends. We then retired, without obser-
walton or noise, that this union, known only to
God and few intiinates, should bring neither
shame nor prejudice to my renown.'"
The WHrG PARTY NOT DEAD.-A man by the
name of ellis. as we learn from the Dayton En-
pire. lately brought suit against some gentlemen
in Dayton, Ohio. for buggy hire. The deien-
dants were the Wing Central Committee in Mont
gomery county in 1853 and 1854, and the convey
ances were for the use of that party. All Of the
defendants made default except one MIR. Smith
Davidson, ~ who appeared and filed motion TO
dismiss the suit on the ground that the Whig
partv was the proper defendant-that the said
party was dead, and no administrator had been
appointed. The court held that the" "Whig party"
was not dead, or, at least, that the evidence OF.
fered was insufficient to prove the fact
EXTRAORDINARY FEAr.-A Mr.. j. Thomas,
who advertised himself as the "Salopian Pedes-
trian," at Ormskirk, Scotland, went through the
following performances in an hour: He walked
one mile, ran coach wheel one mile, walked
backwards one mile, ran one mile, picked up for
ty stones placed one yard apart in straight line.