, or Alliacus, an eminent Romish ecclesiastic, and cardinal, was born at Compiegnein
, or Alliacus, an eminent Romish
ecclesiastic, and cardinal, was born at Compiegnein 1350, of
an obscure family. He eame very young to study at P.aris,
and was admitted into the college of Navarre in 1372. From
this time he began to distinguish himself by his writings in
philosophy, in which he fol lowed the principles of Occham,
and the Nominalists; and his reputation made him be
chosen to assist at the synod of Amiens, in which he made
a, discourse to the priest, although he was then only a subdeacon. He received the doctor’s degree at Paris, April
11, 1380, and next year he made a discourse in the presence of the duke of Anjou, in the name of the university,
to show that it was necessary to assemble a general council
in order to put an end to schism. That same year he was
made canon of Noyon, and continued there to the year 1384,
when he was recalled to Paris, to be superior of the college
of Navarre. Here he taught divinity, and acquired increased reputation by his lectures and sermons. From his
school came Gerson, Clemangis, and Giles D‘Eschamps,
the most famous divines of that time. The university of
Paris could not find any person more capable of maintaining her cause against Monteson, at pope Clement VIL’s
tribunal, than this learned doctor. She accordingly deputed him to Avignon, where he pleaded the cause of the
university with so much force, that the pope and cardinals
confirmed the judgment passed by that seminary. Having
returned from this mission, he was honoured, in 1389, with
three considerable dignities, that of chancellor of the
church and university, and almoner and confessor to king
Charles VI. In 1394 he was appointed treasurer of the
holy chapel at Paris, and was sent by the king to Benedict
XIII. to treat with him about the peace of the church. He
was afterwards successively elected to two bishoprics: that
of Puy, in Velay, in 1395, and that of Cam bray next year.
He took possession of the latter, and laid down his charge
of chancellor of the university in favour of John Gerson.
After this he employed his time in extinguishing schism,
as it was called, and assisted at the council of Pisa. At
length pope John XXIII. made him cardinal of Chrysogonus in 1411. He assisted in that quality at the general
council of Constance, and was one of those who took the
greatest share in its transactions, and composed several
sermons upon subjects handled there. He then returned
to Cambray, where he died in 1425. He wrote many
works, some of which were published after the invention
of printing; as his “Commentaries on the Master of Sentences,
” which are inserted in the appendix to the “Fasciculus rertim expetendarum,
” of Tracts
and Sermons,
” about the same time. He wrote also on
Astrology, in which he was a believer. His principal
works, however, confirm the opinion which the Roman
Catholic writers give of his learning and talents; and
learning so extraordinary is to be venerated in an age of
comparative darkness: but it is a great deduction from,
his character that, although he possessed superior understanding and liberality to many of his contemporaries, and
even is supposed to have leaned a little towards freedom
of opinion, he was an implacable persecutor of schism,
that is, the first beginnings of the Reformation; and was a
principal agent in bringing John Huss to the stake, and in
disturbing the ashes of Wickliffe.