"For sophistry, such as you may call corrupt and vain," says Wood, in
the first volume of his Annals, "which we had derived from the
Parisians, Oxford hath in ancient time been very famous, especially
when many thousands of students were in her, equalling, if not
exceeding, that university from whence they had it; a token of which,
with its evil consequences, did lately remain,--I mean the
quadragesimall exercises, which were seldom performed, or at least
_finished without the help of Mars_. In the reign of Henry the Third,
and before, the schools were much polluted with it, and became so
notorious, that it corrupted other arts; and so would it afterwards
have continued, had it not been corrected by public authority for the
present, though in following times it increased much again, that it
could not be rooted out. Some there were that wrote, others that
preached against it, demonstrating the evil consequences thereof, and
the sad end of those that delighted in it. Jacobus Januensis reports
that one Mr. Silo, a Master of the University of Paris, and Professor
of Logic, had a scholar there, with whom he was very familiar: and
being excellent in the art of sophistry, spared not all occasions,
whether festival or other day, to study it. This sophister being sick,
and almost brought to death's door, Master Silo earnestly desired him,
that after his death he would return to him and give him information
concerning his state, and how it fared with him. The sophister dying,
returned according to promise, with his hood stuffed with notes of
sophistry, and the inside lined with flaming fire, telling him, that
that was the reward which he had bestowed upon him for the renown he
had before for sophistry; but Mr. Silo esteeming it a small
punishment, stretched out his hand towards him, on which a drop or
spark of the said fire falling, was very soon pierced through with
terrible pain; which accident the defunct or ghost beholding, told
Silo, that he need not wonder at that small matter, for he was burning
in that manner all over. Is it so? (saith Silo) well, well, I know
what I have to do. Whereupon, resolving to leave the world, and enter
himself into religion, called his scholars about him, took his leave
of, and dismissed them with these metres:--
'Linquo coax[3] ranis, cras[4] corvis, vanaque[5] vanis,
Ad Logicam pergo, que mortis non timet[6] ergo.'
Which said story coming to the knowledge of certain Oxonians, about
the year 1173 (as an obscure note which I have seen tells me,) it fell
out, that as one of them was answering for his degree in his school,
which he had hired, the opponent dealt so maliciously with him, that
he stood up and spake before the auditory thus: 'Profectò, profectò,
&c.' 'Truly, truly, sir sophister, if you proceed thus, I protest
before this assembly I will not answer; pray, sir, remember Mr. Silo's
scholar at Paris,'--intimating thereby, that if he did not cease from
vain babblings, purgatory, or a greater punishment, should be his end.
Had such examples been often tendered to them (adds Wood, with real
bowels of compassion,) as they were to the Parisians, especially that
which happened to one Simon Churney, or Thurney, or Tourney (Fuller
says, Thurway, a Cornish man,) an English Theologist there (who was
suddenly struck dumb, because he vainly gloried that he, in his
disputations, could be equally for or against the Divine truth,) it
might have worked more on their affections; but this being a single
relation, it could not long be wondered at." After these _logical
marvels_, Anthony gives us the following instance of
[3] Luxuriam scil. luxuriosis, vel potius rixas sophistis.
[4] Avaritiam scil. avaris.
[5] Superbiam pomposis.
[6] Religionem ubi bene viventi non timetur stimulus mortis.