, French, or Italian as
in English. It was now a common thing to see young virgins so trained
in the study of good letters that they willingly set all other vain
pastimes at nought for learning's sake. It was now no news at all
to see Queens and ladies of most high estate and progeny, instead
of courtly dalliance, to embrace virtuous exercises of reading and
writing, and with most earnest study both early and late to apply
themselves to the acquiring of knowledge, as well in all other liberal
artes and disciplines, as also most especially of God and His holy
word."

The doubts as to the utility of higher education for women in general
which trouble some minds at the present day were not altogether
unknown in the age of Elizabeth. Ecclesiastics especially, even
the more liberal, were most prone to entertain doubts as to the
advisability of permitting women to have a free range through the
avenues of knowledge. It is probable that the middle classes, to whom
the opportunities of education were not so general, felt the value of
schools too highly to speculate upon the utility of that which was not
readily within their grasp. Richard Mulcaster, who was the master of
a school founded by the Merchant Taylors Company in the parish of St.
Lawrence, Pultney, says: "We see young maidens be taught to read and
write, and can do both with praise; we have them sing and playe: and
both passing well, we know that they learne the best and finest of our
learned languages, to the admiration of all men. For the daiely spoken
tongues and of best reputation in our time who so shall deny that they
may not compare even with our kinde even in the best degree ... Nay,
do we not see in our country some of that sex so excellently well
trained and so rarely qualified either for the tongues themselves
or for the matter in the tongues: as they may be opposed by way of
comparison, if not preferred as beyond comparison, even to the best
Romaine or Greekish paragones, be they never so much praised to the
Germaine or French gentle-wymen by late writers so well liked: to
the Italian ladies who dare write themselves and deserve fame for
so doing?... I dare be bould, therefore, to admit young maidens to
learne, seeing my countrie gives me leave and her costume standes for
me.... Some Rimon will say, what should wymend with learning? Such a
churlish carper will never picke out the best, but be alway ready to
blame the worst. If all men used all pointes of l