t. Thomas began to
teach as licentiate; but a stop was put to his degrees for some
time, by a violent disagreement between the regulars, principally
Dominicans and Franciscans, and the university which had at first
admitted them into their body, and even given the Dominicans a
college. In these disputes St. Thomas was not spared, but he for a
long time had recourse to no other vindication of himself than that
of modesty and silence. On Palm Sunday he was preaching in the
Dominican's church of St. James, when a beadle coming in commanded
silence, and read a long written invective against him and his
colleagues. When he had done, the saint, without speaking one word
to justify himself or his Order, continued his sermon with the
greatest tranquillity and unconcern of mind. William de Saint-Amour,
the most violent among the secular doctors, published a book, On the
dangers of the latter Times, a bitter invective against the
mendicant Orders, which St. Louis sent to pope Alexander IV. SS.
Thomas and Bonaventure were sent into Italy to defend their Orders.
And to confute that book, St. Thomas published his nineteenth
Opusculum, with an Apology for the mendicant Orders, showing they
lay under no precept that all should apply themselves to manual
labor, and that spiritual occupations were even preferable. The
pope, upon this apology, condemned the book, and also another,
called the Eternal Gospel, in defence of the error of the abbot
Joachim. who had advanced that the church was to have an end, and be
succeeded by a new church which should be formed perfectly according
to the Spirit: this heresy, and the errors of certain other
fanatics, were refuted by our saint at Rome. In his return to Paris,
a violent storm terrified all the mariners and passengers; only
Thomas appeared without the least fear, and continued in quiet
prayer till the tempest had ceased. William de Saint-Amour being
banished Paris, peace was restored in the university.
7. Gul. Tocco.
8. Conclusum est contra Manichaeos.
9. The works of St. Thomas are partly philosophical, partly
theological; with some comments on the holy scriptures, and several
treatises of piety. The elegance of Plato gave his philosophy the
greater vogue among the Gentiles; and the most learned of the
Christian fathers were educated is the maxims or his s