Hilarius, also known asHilary the Englishman[1] (fl. 1125), was aLatin poet who is supposed to have been an Englishman.
He was one of the pupils ofPierre Abélard at hisoratory of the Paraclete, and addressed to him a copy of verses with its refrain in thevulgar tongue, "Tort avers vos li mestre", Abelard having threatened to discontinue his teaching because of certain reports made by his servant about the conduct of the scholars.[2]
Later Hilarius may have made his way toAngers. His poems are contained in manuscript supp. lat. 1008 of theBibliothèque Nationale, Paris, purchased in 1837 at the sale of M. de Rosny. Quotations from this manuscript had appeared before, but in 1838 it was edited by Champollion Figeac asHilarii versus et ludi.[2]
After 1125 there is no certain trace of him; he may be the same person as the Hilary who taught classical literature atOrléans, mentioned byWilliam of Tyre andArnulf of Orléans c. 1150, but it is unknown whether Hilarius of Orléans and Hilarius the playwright are separate people, nor if either of them are the same person as the Hilarius who taught at Angers.[citation needed]
His works consist chiefly of light verses of thegoliardic type. There are verses addressed to an English nun named Eva, lines to Rosa, "Ave splendor puellarum, generosa domina", and another poem describes the beauties of the priory ofChaloutre la Petite, in thediocese of Sens, of which the writer was then an inmate. One copy of satirical verses seems to aim at the pope himself.[2] Two other poems, originally translated byJohn Boswell and published inChristianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (1980), express his love for a 'Boy of Anjou' and 'An English boy'.
He also wrote three miracle plays in rhymed Latin with an ad-mixture of French. Two of them,Suscitatio Lazari andHistoria de Daniel repraesentanda, are of purely liturgical type. At the end ofLazarus is a stage direction to the effect that if the performance has been given at matins,Lazarus should proceed with theTe Deum, if atvespers, with theMagnificat.[2]
The third,Ludus super iconic Sancti Nicholai, is founded on a sufficiently foolish legend.Petit de Julleville sees in the play a satiric intention and a veiled incredulity that put the piece outside the category ofliturgical drama.[2]
A rhymed Latin account of a dispute in which the nuns ofRonceray at Angers were concerned, contained in acartulary of Ronceray, is also ascribed to the poet, who there calls himselfHilarius Canonicus. The poem is printed in theBibliothèque de l'Ecole des Chartes (vol. xxxvu. 1876), and was dated byPaul Marchegay from 1121.[2]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hilarius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 459.