WOMAN'S LONG STRUGGLE 69 



having a profound knowledge of music, philosophy, divin- 

 ity and jurisprudence, was the mistress of fourteen lan- 

 guages; Juana de la Cruz, the famous Mexican nun whose 

 poetry of superior merit, as well as her exceptional attain- 

 ments in many branches of knowledge, won for her the 

 epithet of the " Tenth Muse"; Luisa Sigea, who besides 

 being a poet was a mistress of the classical and several 

 oriental languages, including Hebrew and Syro-Chaldaic, 

 and other learned women whom * ' no one was astonished to 

 see taking by main force the first rank in the spheres of 

 literature, philosophy and theology." 



So profoundly had the Renaissance affected the women 

 of a limited circle in England, that Erasmus could declare 

 without exaggeration: "It is charming to see the female 

 sex demand classical instruction. The queen is remarkably 

 learned and her daughter writes good Latin. The home 

 of More is truly the abode of the Muses." 



The queen of whom Erasmus speaks is Catherine of Ara- 

 gon, who was educated in Spain, who was a pupil of Vives, 

 and who, besides having a thorough knowledge of Latin 

 and Greek, was well acquainted with several modern lan- 

 guages. The daughters of Sir Thomas More were among 

 the most learned women of their time and were, indeed, 

 worthy of dwelling in "the home of the Muses." 



Lady Jane Grey read Plato in the original at the age of 

 thirteen. 1 Anne, Margaret and Jane Seymour were like- 

 wise celebrated for their knowledge of the classics, as were 

 Anne Boleyn and Mary Stuart, who both received their 

 education in France, and especially Queen Elizabeth, who 



iThe famous Hellenist, Eoger Ascham, tells of his astonishment 

 on finding Lady Jane Grey, when she was only fourteen years of age, 

 reading Plato's Phaedo in Greek, when all the other members of 

 the family were amusing themselves in the park. On his inquiry why 

 she did not join the others in their pastime, she smilingly replied: 

 "I wit all their sport in the park is but a shadow to that pleasure 

 I find in Plato. Alas, good folk, they never knew what true pleasure 

 meant. ' ' 



