Once upon a time, Norman kings of England studied the learning of the Arabs. A strange story, largely forgotten. At that time the “English” were subjects of their Normans rulers. And Norman cousins also ruled in another island to the south. Before they arrived it had been called the Emirate of Sicily. The hero of our story is Abelard of Bath (1080s-1150s): an English scholar monk greatly learned in ancient and foreign tongues. The secret languages of science he acquired: Greek, Latin and Arabic. Born in England, and likely an Anglo-saxon himself, Abelard travelled widely. His life took him on long journeys – France, Southern Italy, Sicily, Greece, Syria and Palestine. As Bilbo…