[29] More, English Works, 1557, f. 154 E.
     [30] See F. Watson, Vives and the Renascence Education of
          Women, 1912.

It is evident that in England, for women as well as men, the seed of the Renaissance had fallen on good ground.  By the middle of the century the gates of the kingdom of knowledge were open, and the thoughtful were rejoicing in the infinite variety of their Paradise regained.  In 1547-8, Nicholas Udall, in a preface for Mary’s translation of Erasmus’ Paraphrase, writes with enthusiasm:  ’Neither is it now any strange thing to hear gentlewomen, instead of most vain communication about the moon shining in the water, to use grave and substantial talk in Greek or Latin with their husbands in godly matters.  It is now no news in England to see young damsels in noble houses and in the courts of princes, instead of cards and other instruments of vain trifling, to have continually in their hands either Psalms, “Omelies” and other devout meditations, or else Paul’s Epistles or some book of Holy Scripture matters, and as familiarly both to read and reason thereof in Greek, Latin, French or Italian as in English.  It is now a common thing to see young virgins so “nouzled” and trained in the study of letters that they willingly set all other vain pastimes at nought for learning’s sake.’  It is melancholy to reflect how soon the gates of the kingdom were to be closed again, and its trees guarded by the flaming sword of theological certainty mistaking itself for truth.

Besides marriage, almost the only vocation open to women in the fifteenth century was the monastic life.  It was not uncommon for several daughters in a family to embrace religion:  parents, apart from higher considerations, regarding it as a sure method of providing for girls who did not wish to marry, or for whom they could not find husbands.  As heads of religious houses women held positions of great dignity and influence, and discharged their duties worthily.  Within convent walls, too, it was possible for some women to become learned; though in later times the achievements of Diemudis were never rivalled.  She was a nun at Wessobrunn in Bavaria at the end of the eleventh century, and during her cloistered life her active pen wrote out 47 volumes, including two complete Bibles, one of which was given in exchange for an estate.

We also hear of women of means, usually widows, dispensing hospitality on a large scale to the needy and deserving.  Wessel of Groningen, as we saw, was adopted by a wealthy matron, who saw him shivering in the street on a winter’s day and fetched him into her house to warm.  Erasmus describes to us a Gouda lady, Berta de Heyen, whose kindness he repeatedly enjoyed in his early years; and in addition to her general charities mentions that she was wont to look out for promising boys in the town school who were designing to enter the Church, receive them into her family amongst her own children,