B E R 



prodigious number for the time, when the prejudice agair.ft 

 handling or diilurbing the dead was fo ftrong. To that cir- 

 cun-.ftance, aided by his known antipathy to the Spaniards, 

 perhaps may be attributed the ftory of his having diffeded 

 two of the natives of that countiy aUve, with the view of fee- 

 ing the motion of the bowels, and of his being on that ac- 

 count obliged to fly his country. A fimilar ftory had been 

 told of Herophilus, and was afterwards told of VefaHus. That 

 this, however, had been done by fomc anatomifts, or that 

 he was accufed of it, feems probable by his fpeaking of 

 fuch a practice in his commentary on the works of Mun- 

 dinus, with difguft and horror. He is with more reafon faid 

 10 have offended the minflters of religion by the levity a;id 

 indecency of his converfation on the fubjecl of his diffections, 

 and by the profligacy of his hft ; and on that account to 

 have been obliged to quit Bononia. 



By his numerous dilleftions, he was enabled to correct 

 many erroneous opinions as to the ftrufture of the interior 

 pans of the body, which prevailed to his time, and thence 

 to pave the way for the further improvements made by Vefa- 

 lius, his immediate fucceffor. If he was not the inventor, 

 as Douglas calls him, he was one of the firll who ufed mer- 

 curial frittions in curing the venereal difeafe, by which he is 

 faid to have acquired a large fortune, which he left, at his 

 death, to the duke of Ferrara, to whofe territory he retired, 

 and where he dii-.l, about the year 1527. His works are, 

 " Commentaria, cum ampliffimis additionibus, fupra anato- 

 miam Mundini, cum textu ejus in priilinum nitorem re- 

 dafto," Bononia, 1521,410., containing, befides numerous 

 correftions of Mundinus, a prodigious number of anato- 

 mical facls, which bear abundant teftimwiy to his diligence 

 and ingenuity. " Ea omnia enarrare, qux retie videt (Hal- 

 ler fays), infinitum foret ;" and further on, " Invenio apud 

 hunc virum, tellimonium in-efragabile pro antiquo more, quo 

 cardinales teftes pontificis, nuper eledti, contredlarunt." 

 There are feveral rude engravings of the mufcles of the ab- 

 domen, and of other parts, in this volume. " IfagogK bre- 

 ves, perlucids et uberrimx in anatomiam humani corporis ad 

 fuoi-um fcholafticorum preces in lucem edits," Bonon. 1522, 

 4to. alfo with plates. Both thefe works have paflcd through 

 numerous editions. In 1 664, it was publilhcd in London, 

 with the title, " A Defcription of the Body of Man, being 

 a praftical Anatomy." He alfo publilhcd, in 1 5 1 8, 410. 

 Venet, " De Cranii Fraftura." Douglas. Bib. Anat. 

 Haller. Biblioth. Chirurg. 



Berengeh, Berengarius, an eminent logician and 

 controverfialift, was a native of Tours in the eleventh 

 century, and having ftudied under Fulbert at Chartres, 

 he returned to Tours, where he was made principal of 

 the fchool of St. Martin, and treafurer of the church. From 

 Tours he removed to Angers, and became archdeacon of 

 that city. Diftinguifhed by his acute and fubtil genius, by 

 his extenfive learning, and by his pecuhar talents for contro- 

 verfy, as well as by the exemplary fanftity of his life and 

 manners, he was held in very high eftimation. At length, 

 however, he found reafon to deviate from the doftrines of 

 the church concerning the eucharift ; and in 1 045, he began 

 to maintain pubhcly the dotlrine of Scotus, in oppofition 

 to the opinions of Radbert ; and he periilled in teaching 

 that the bread and wine were not changed into the body and 

 blood of Chrill in the eucharift, but preferved their natural 

 and eflential qualities, and were merely figures and external 

 fymbols of the body and blood of our Saviour. Although 

 the church of Rome had not, in this century, adopted any 

 fettled and decided opinion concerning the nature and manner 

 ©f Chrift'sprefence in the eucharift, the doftrine of Berenger 

 was not only oppofed by feveral doiSors in France and Gtr- 

 Vol. IV. 



B E 11 



many, but attacked with peculiar vehemence and fun,- by 

 the Roman pontiff Leo IX. who, in 1050, convened two 

 councils, one at Rome, and the other at Vercelli, in which 

 it was folemnly condemned ; and the book of Sccf.ss, from 

 which it was deduced, was committed to the flames. The 

 council of Paris, fummoned in the fame year by Henrj- I., 

 concurred in its condemnation, and menaced Berenger, and 

 his numerous adherents, with all forts of evils, both fpiritual 

 and temporal. The herefiarch was deprived by Henry of all 

 his revenues ; but he continued for fjme time afterwards firm 

 and reiolutc in i.is adherence to the doftrine he had embraced, 

 and enjoyed unmolefted tranquilhty. The prevalence of his 

 dodtriue, notwithftanding the oppofition with which it en- 

 countered from the writings of its antagonifts, and particu- 

 larly from thofe of Anfclm and Lanfranc, arclibirfiops of 

 Canterbuiy, alarmed the church ; and two councils were 

 fummoned by Vidlor II. at Tours, in 1054, to exan>iiie 

 anew this dangerous doftrine. In one of thefe councils, 

 Hildebrand, afterwards pope Gregory VII. appeared as the 

 pope's legate, and took the lead in oppofing this new he- 

 refy. Berenger, who was prefent, was at length overpow- 

 ered by threats, and not only abandoned his opinions, but 

 folemnly abjured them, and made his peace with tiic church. 

 1 his abj'.'. ration, hovi-ever, was only an acl of timidity and 

 diflimulation ; for he foon after taui;ht the opinions he had 

 formerly profeflfed, though the dread of danger rendered hini 

 more circumfpei5l and cautious. As foon as Berenger's per- 

 fidy was announced to Nicholas II., the cxafperated pontifl" 

 fummoned him to Rome in 1 058, and in a council held there 

 the following year, he was fo terrified, that he declared hi» 

 readinefs to embrace and adhere to the doftrines which that 

 venerable affembly fiiould think proper to enjoin. Accord- 

 ingly, Humbert was employed by the pope and council to 

 draw up a confclTion of faith, which Berenger publicly 

 figned, and to which, by a folemn oath, he avowed his adhe- 

 rence. As foon as Berenger returned to France, and found 

 himfelf countenanced and protefted by his ancient patrons, 

 he exprefli;d his deteftation of the doftrines which he had 

 been obhged to profels at Rome, abjured them folemnly both 

 in his difcourfes and writings, and zealoufly inculcated his 

 former opinion. Pope Alexander II. attempted by footh- 

 ing and friendly expollulations to regain the apoftate ; but 

 his remonftrances were ineffcftual ; the controverfy was 

 prolonged for many years, and the followers of Berenger 

 continually increafed. As foon as Hildebrand was advanced 

 to the papal chair, he undertook to terminate the contro- 

 verfy j and with this view required Berenger, in 1078, to 

 repair to Rome. Towards the conclufion of this year, a 

 council was held in this city, and Berenger was permitted 

 to draw up a new confcffion of his faith, and to renounce 

 that which had been compofed by Humbert, and approved 

 by Nicholas II. and a Roman council. On this occafion 

 the perfecuted prelate made a declaration, confirmed by an 

 oath, that he would for the future adhere to the following 

 propofition : viz. " that the bread laid on the altar became, 

 after confecration, the true body of Chrift, which was born 

 of the Virgin, fuffered on the crofs, and now fits at the 

 right hand of the father ; and that the wine placed upon 

 the altar became, after confecration, the true blood whicB 

 flowed from the fide of Chriil." This declaration fatislied 

 the pontiff^, but was thought by the enemies of Berenger 

 to be too vague and equivocal. Gregory yielded to their 

 clamours; and at a council held at Rome, in 1079, a new 

 confcflSon of faith was drawn up, to which Berenger, after 

 reading and fubfcribing it, declared his affent by a folemn 

 oath. This confeffion cxprelfed his belief, " that the bread 

 and wine were, by the myfterious influence of the holy 

 E e prayer, 



