QVem modo miratur ... mea sorte sua.

J. Barrie Hall

The famous Berengarius whom the world now admires and will always admire, has died never to die: while he possessed the highest eminence in the holy faith, the final day, daring an outrage, finally carried him off. A day of ruin and treason to the world was that day on which there was grief and the uttermost ruin of things; on which the estate of the church, the hope and the glory of the clergy, the cultivator of justice was brought down with the bringing down of justice. Whatsoever philosophers, whatsoever poets have sung, has been surpassed by his intellect and his eloquence. A more holy and a greater wisdom, undertaking a greater scheme, filled his hallowed breast and mouth with God. His heart desired wisdom, his voice brought it forth, and his action put it into effect: thus each separate thing lent its support to its Maker. A man of holiness and wisdom, whose fame grows by the hour: whoever is the greatest of men is less than he. He who made wealth held on to few honours: to him the pauper was preferable to the rich man, and justice preferable to gain. To him ample circumstances did not impart sloth or luxury; many high honours did not make him proud. He turned his eyes neither to silver nor to gold, but grieved whenever he lacked someone to give these things to. He did not cease to lend support to the resourceless in their ruin, until he himself by giving was poor also. His care was to follow nature, to make use of the laws, and to deny his mind to vices and his mouth to deceits, to set virtues before wealth, truth before falsehood, to say and do nothing empty of sense, to harm no one, to do good to everyone, to drive away from mind and hand favour and popular gain. His clothes were of rough weave, he took no drink before he was thirsty, no food before he was hungry. Chastity made her abode in him, and, as lust conquers the impure, so he conquered lust. Our parent nature, he said, has pitted chastity against the world, and, while others degenerate from it, it is born to me. Justice, which used to wander and had almost abandoned the world, he enclosed in his holy breast. A man holy from boyhood, he as much surpassed his own fame as fame surpasses the world. His fame is less than his merits, and, though it fly through all the world and though it always increase, it will yet not equal them. A man pious and serious, a man so modest in both that envy could gnaw at him in neither. For envy bewails him whom it had previously carped at, and it did not so carp at and hate him as it now praises and loves him. As previously it groaned for his life, so now it groans for his death, and complains that his days have quickly departed. A man truly wise, and blessed in every respect, who enriches heaven with his soul and the earth with his body. May I after death, I pray, live and take my rest with him, and my portion could not be more blessed than his portion.