m a remarkable combination of attractive qualities.

It must be remembered that though, in a sense, he was an ecclesiastic,
he had not yet been ordained to the priesthood, but was rather a
canon--a person who did not belong to any religious order, though he
was supposed to live according to a definite set of religious rules and
as a member of a religious community. Abelard, however, made rather
light of his churchly associations. He was at once an accomplished man
of the world and a profound scholar. There was nothing of the recluse
about him. He mingled with his fellow men, whom he dominated by the
charm of his personality. He was eloquent, ardent, and persuasive. He
could turn a delicate compliment as skilfully as he could elaborate a
syllogism. His rich voice had in it a seductive quality which was never
without its effect.

Handsome and well formed, he possessed as much vigor of body as of
mind. Nor were his accomplishments entirely those of the scholar. He
wrote dainty verses, which he also set to music, and which he sang
himself with a rare skill. Some have called him "the first of the
troubadours," and many who cared nothing for his skill in logic admired
him for his gifts as a musician and a poet. Altogether, he was one to
attract attention wherever he went, for none could fail to recognize
his power.

It was soon after his thirty-fifth year that he returned to Paris,
where he was welcomed by thousands. With much tact he reconciled
himself to his enemies, so that his life now seemed to be full of
promise and of sunshine.

It was at this time that he became acquainted with a very beautiful
young girl named Heloise. She was only eighteen years of age, yet
already she possessed not only beauty, but many accomplishments which
were then quite rare in women, since she both wrote and spoke a number
of languages, and, like Abelard, was a lover of music and poetry.
Heloise was the illegitimate daughter of a canon of patrician blood; so
that she is said to have been a worthy representative of the noble
house of the Montmorencys--famous throughout French history for
chivalry and charm.

Up to this time we do not know precisely what sort of life Abelard had
lived in private. His enemies declared that he had squandered his
substance in vicious ways. His friends denied this, and represented him
as strict and chaste. The truth probably lies between these two
assertions. He was naturally a pleasure-loving man of the world