JOHN of SALISBURY Bishop of Chartres.
JOHN of Salisbury the intimate Friend of Thomas Becket Arch-bishop of Canterbury, and his * 1.1 Companion during his Exile, was at last made Bishop of Chartres, A. D. 1179. and died three Years after. He was one of the most ingenious, most polite and most learned Men of that Age, as is evident from his Book call'd P••licraticon; or, A Discovery of the Fopperies of the Lords of the Court. Justus Lipsius assures us, that many considerable pieces of Purple and Fragments of a better Age, are to be found in that Work: Peter of Blois in like man∣ner declares that he was even charm'd with it, having discover'd therein a well regulated sort of Learning and abundance of Things, the Variety of which renders them extremely de∣lightful. And indeed, 'tis an excellent Work, treating of the Employments, Occupations, Functions, Vertues and Vices of the Men of the World, but more especially of Princes, Po∣tentates and great Lords; in which is contain'd a vast Treasure of Moral Notions, Senten∣ces, fine Passages of Authors, Examples, Apologues, Extracts of History, common Pla∣ces, &c. 'Tis divided into Eight Books, and compos'd in a plain and concise Style.
But this Style is more proper for the numerous Letters which the same Author wrote to the Popes Adrian and Alexander; to the Kings of England and divers other Princes; to Thomas Becket Arch-bishop of Canterbury; to several English Bishops; and to many other Persons; either about general Occurrences and Transactions, as the Schism of Octavian the Antipope, and the Election of Alexander III. the contest between the Pope and the Emperor Frederick; and that between the King of England and the Arch-bishop of Canterbury; or relating to particular Affairs of the Churches of England; or to certain Points of Doctrine and Discipline: As the 172d Letter concerning the Number of Writers of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament; the 67th about the nullity of a second Marriage which a certain Woman had contracted after she was divorc'd from her former Husband who was a Priest; the 68th about the cohabitation of Women with Clerks; and the 69th about the Sums of Mony that were exacted of the Vicars of Churches. In these Letters he appears to be much addicted to the Interest of Thomas of Canterbury, whose conduct nevertheless he sometimes censures, and seems likewise to be much devoted to the Pope's Ser∣vice, although he does not always approve every thing that is done at Rome, and condemns the Vices of the Cardinals on certain Occasions. He openly approves the deposing of the Emperor Frederick, and the Proceedings of Pope Alexander against him. His Letters are full of Allusions to the Sacred History, and of Examples taken out of Holy Scrip∣ture; in which he also intermixes many Passages of Profane Authors. The number of these Letters amounts to 301. and they were printed at Paris, A. D. 1611. with the Life of Thomas Becket Arch-bishop of Canterbury, by the same Author; to whom are like∣wise attributed certain Commentaries on the Epistles of St. Paul, printed at Amsterdam in 1646.