Italy was not alone in developing schools of the New Learning in this century. The Human ities were the subject of profound attention in the Teutonic countries and such distinguished teachers as Rudolph Agricola, Reuchlin who was known as "the three-tongued wonder of Ger many," Jacob Wimpfeling to whom the title of °schoolmaster of Germany° has been given, did their works largely in this century. Erasmus was 35 years of age before the century closed and in its later •years exercised a deep influence on the classical scholarship of England during his stay there. The most important classical schools outside of Italy at this time were those of the Brothers of the Common Life. The best proof of their success as teachers is to be found in the names of such pupils as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa. Thomas a Kempis, Agricola, Alex ander Hegius, Erasmus, Wimpfeling, not to mention others scarcely less prominent in the intellectual life of the time. The main purpose of their teaching was to afford instruction to the poor and often they assisted those who were unable to pay their living expenses.
Their schools multiplied rapidly, as well in numbers as in attendance, and Deventer the most famous of them counted some two thou sand students about the time of the discovery of America. The period owed much to "those humble minded, patient teachers and thinkers whose devotion and fire of soul for a century and a half made the choice treasures of palaces and convents and universities a common pos session along the low-lying shores of the Netherlands.° (Hamilton Mabie). The greatest literary product of the brethren is the (Imitatio Christi,' now universally attributed to Thomas a Kempis. This has been declared "the most in fluential book that ever came from the hand of man, the Scriptures having come from the hand of God.° It has been popular all down the ages among all classes of ,people and has not lost its popularity in our time. When some years ago lists of the ten best books of the world were asked for from the most dis tinguished living writers, the 'Imitation' was almost invariably placed among the first five with the Bible, Shakespeare, Homer and Dante. It is a marvel of knowledge of the human mind and its motives. See article IMITATION OF CHRIST.
The most interesting feature of this revival of education in the 15th century was that women were admitted to it as well as men. Vittorino da Feltre made two conditions on his coming to teach at Mantua :— one was that poor students who showed ability should be allowed to enter his classes, and that women should also be students. Some of the young women were his favorite pupils. Cecilia Gonzaga began the study of Greek under his direction at the age of seven, could read Chrysostom at eight, and could write Greek with singular purity at the age of 12. Issotta Nogarola the favorite pupil of Guarino of Verona, the serious rival of Vit. torino da Feltre as a teacher, is scarcely less famous than Cecilia Gonzaga and there are many stories which reveal how deep was fem inine interest in education at this time. Sandys, in his Harvard lectures on 'The Revival of Learning,' notes that "the studious temper was often associated with habits of piety and strong religious feeling,* and names some of these learned young ladies who later entered religious orders. Most towns in Italy of any importance had their school of New Learning and with it opportunities of higher feminine education. It would seem that by the end of the century as many young women in proportion to the rather meagre population of the •time were enjoying the privilege of education as in our time.
The distinguished women of the Italian Renaissance include besides the Gonzagas and the d'Estes, such names as Vittoria Colonna of the great Roman family of that name, Lu crezia Tornabuoni, the mother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and such less well known names as Tullis d'Aragona, noted for her precocious ness, Olympia Morata, tlippolita Sforza, Bat tista Montefeltro, both famous for addresses delivered in Latin on important occasions, Leonora Cibo and Pellegrino Lascara who translated the lEneid of Virgil and the Odes of Horace, and others who might be mentioned.
These learned women of the Renaissance made erudition fashionable and study a social duty, but they are famous mainly for making their homes beautiful and devoting themselves to the beautification of their surroundings. These traits have only come to be properly appre ciated since we have paid more attention in recent years to the house and garden beautiful and have realized that the home and its sur roundings must reflect the owner's tastes. The models left by the Renaissance women are now an inspiration and exemplar.
Women of the century played an extremely important role in its political as well as its in tellectual life. The most important character of the first half was Joan of Arc. The greatest personage of the second part was Isabella of Castile, the greatest of women rulers and one of the greatest of all rulers. Joan's career ended at the stake but Isabella after the ex pulsion of the Moors and Columbus' discoveries, lived to be the ruler of one of the largest em pires the world has ever seen. Her character was equal to the occasion, hence her place in history. She and her husband were so poor on their marriage that they could not give the presents usual according to Spanish custom. She is said to have repaired one of her hus band's coats no less than seven times. Beau tiful specimens of her needle work are shown in many Spanish churches. Anxious to learn Latin, she shared her children's lessons. She made a magnificent collection of books, fos tered the universities, was a generous patron of Cardinal Ximenes who did so much for Spanish scholarship at this time, helped him to ,found the University of Alcali, invited prom inent scholars to Spain and made it clear in every way that she felt education to be the most important thing for her people. Under her reign, the Inquisition was established but nothing shows so well the original intention of the institution as a means to prevent internal dissension among her people as Isabella's well known tenderness of heart. In the midst of the almost continual wars of her early reign, she found time and means to organize camp hos pitals, the first it is said, in history. She was solicitous to spare captured enemies and insisted that wounded prisoners must be treated like their.own wounded. The poor were always her special care'and nothing so aroused her indigna bon and her prompt action for justice as to learn that a noble had been imposing on therm She often put herself to great personal incon venience to maintain their rights. When CC lumbus offered some of the Indians he had brought home with him to some of the Spanig nobles, the Queen indignantly demanded, *Wise gave permission to Columbus to parcel out iry subjects to any one?* Hearing that some of the Indians were held as slaves in Spain, she ordered that they should be returned to their own country at the expense of the person whc held them. She was a woman of mexhauvt ible energy. The mother of many children. she spent nights in the saddle when maternal duties might seem to make that impossible. She the very life of her soldiers in their struggie with the Moors. Her reign issued in a perkel of greatness for Spain which lasted for mane generations. She encouraged education for women so successfully that in the following century practically every university in Spain had women professors. Prescott compares her to Queen Elizabeth, but sets Isabella far above her English rival.