964 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters . 
preferred to seem rather than to be philosophers and the pro¬ 
fessors of the arts began to promise that they would transmit to 
their hearers the whole of philosophy in a shorter time than two 
or three years. Overcome by the rush of the untrained multi¬ 
tude they gave way and as a result less time and care were 
devoted to the study of grammar. Thus it happens that those 
who profess all arts, liberal as well as mechanical, do not even 
know the first art, without which a person proceeds in vain te 
the rest. However, though the other studies make for learning, 
this one by a singular privilege is said to make a person liberally 
educated. Romulus, indeed, called this ‘literataram’ but Varre 
called it ‘literationem’ and its professor or asserter ‘literator.* 
The ancient man, however, was called a ‘literator’ as that say¬ 
ing of Catullus shows— 
‘Munus dat tibi Sylla litter ator.’ 
Whence it is probable that the despiser of grammar is not only 
not a grammarian (literator) but ought not even to be spoken 
of as a liberally educated man (literatus).” 1 
Thus the struggle with the classics was a very natural result 
of existing conditions. The arguments used against the old 
education in grammar and rhetoric were that these subjects 
taught as they were, from pagan sources, were detrimental to 
Christianity; that these subjects as taught were a waste of time; 
that eloquence, the object of these studies, could not be acquired, 
but was allotted to each individual by nature; and that wisdom, 
the aim of every learned man, was lessened proportionately as 
he studied grammar. 2 
The first objection was the eternal question of the Middle 
Ages in regard to the study of the classics and if it were accepted 
it would condemn this study without appeal. But John does 
not accept it. That he is only too conscious of the question is 
plainly apparent from the constant contrast of the terms “Gen- 
tilis auctor” and “Christianus auctor” in all of his works. It 
was evidently a question to which he had devoted not a little 
thought and throughout his Polycraticus and Metalogicus, 
he aims to reconcile the study of the pagan authors with 
Christianity. The ingenuity with which he carries out this 
1 Migne, pp. 856. 
2 Migne, pp.-825-856. 
