SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
877
I540, Atig. 23, Died, William Budeus, or Bode, whom Erasmus colls the prodigy of Fiance. He was born at Paris, in 1467, and kaiTing spent the principal part of his youth in dissipation, he began at the age of twenty-four to enteitun a lore of literature, and devoted IdinseU' to study with the greatest zeal, in par- ticular to belles lettres, to mathematics, and to Greek. He was so indefatigable at his studies, tbat even on his wedding-day, he spent three boars at his hooks. In 1522, he published his ex- cdlent treatise De Atteet Partibiu ijut,anA Com- wuittmriti on the Greek Language, which not only acquired him great celebrity during his life, hut innaortalized his memory. By his influence the college royal was founded. He had seren sons and four daughters, educated by himself and wife. She was one of those rare women, who, whilst they sedulously attend to domestic con- cerns, take every opportunity to cultivate their own minds. The same genius, the same incli- nalioas, and the same ardour for literature, emi- nently appeared in Budseus and his wife. He was aometimes so ahKorbed in his studies as even to neglect his own safety. Being one day in- tonaed, while in his library, that his house was omfire, he coolly said, "Tell my wife of it, for I •erer meddle with domestic afiairs."
Badseus gave strict orders that his funeral ifaould be celebrated without pomp. The ob- aerrance of this charge gave rise to the following epifcatn, in the way of quxtAomx and antfcert, m Melin de St Gelais:
Q. Whom now extinct do coontless foUowen moam t
A. Alas' BvDMvn, od the bier extended. Q. 'Wby an the &ne'9 knell- wafting sounds forborne)
A. On wider fllg;hts his ftdr fame is suspended. Q, On torcties vhy uo liberal sums expended.
As ciwtom bids, and holy funeral rite? A. T^A by the solemn Teil of night intended.
To mark the extinction sad of Gallia's li^ht.
After the decease of Budeeus, the President de S. Andre bought his library, and added it to his own. It subsequently passed into the hands of the Jesuits of the college of Clermont, who retained it till they quitted France. Afterwards the books which tbey had collected or possessed were entirely dispersed.
It has been remarked by Mr. Wotton, that no age was so productive of learned women as the sixteenth century. Speaking of the flourishing condition of learning in that century, he says, it was so modish, that the fair sex seemed to be- lieve that Greek and Latin added to their charms, and that Plato and Aristotle untranslated were fieqaent omunents of their closets. " One would think by the effects, that it was a proper way of educating them, since there are no accounts in history of so many gpreat women in any one age, as are to be found between the years fifteen and sixteen hundred." Erasmus, also, describing those times, says, "Scena rerum humanarum invertitnr: monarchi literas nesciunt, et foeminee libiis indnlgent. — Bellum est eum sexum ad piisca exempla sese postliminio recipere." "The scene of hunum affairs is changed: the monks
are ignorant of literature, and women are fond of books. — It is a pleasing circumstance, that the female sex should at length bare recourse to the ancient examples." Learning was then held in such high estimation, that several great men were desirous that their daughters should be possessed of it, as well as their sons. The ex- amples of King Henry VIII., in the education of the princesses Mary and Elizabeth, and of Sir Thomas More with regard to Mis. Roper, are thought to have chiefly contributed to the intro- di'ction of this custom. There can be no doubt but that the conduct of persons so iHustrious would have much effect upon the sentiments of our countrymen, and be productive of imitation. But, besides this, there was a concurrence of other causes; such as the recent origin of print- ing; the curiosity hence excited in the human mind; the admiration with which the ancient writers, so lately brought to light, were contem- plated; and the distinguished honour that arose from literary pursuits. In short, die general spirit of the age nourished the principle of training up women in learning. Nor was a slight degree of learning deemed sufiicient for them. They were rendered complete mistresses of the Greek and Latin, as well as of the modern languages. Their reading was not confined to the classic author8,but comprehended the fathers of the church. They could write Greek epistles, and compose Greek verses. It should be re- membered, however, that the literature of the women of this period extended but to a few persons, and those only of considerable rank, the generality of the female sex being in a state of ignorance. There was by no means that diffu- sion of knowledge, that cultivation of mind, that taste for books, which we now meet with in almost every company of ladies. Neither do we find that the learned women of the sixteenth century produced such works as hare continued to be read much by posterity. The most impor- tant production of any of Sir Anthony Cooke's daughters,* was lady Bacon's translation of bishop Jewel's apology ; and yet, who but an antiquary would now seek ^or it, or give him- self the trouble of perusing it. If we come down to later times, we shall be sensible that, independently of poetry, the learned women of the sixteenth century have been far exceeded by the ingenious ladies of the present age, both in the general and extensive utility of their writings, and in the elegancies of composition. We pretend not to enumerate all those whose works will be read and admired by succeeding generations ; but it is impossible, while we are treating on such a subject, to forget the names of Cockbum, Howe, Montagu, Carter, Chapone, More, Barbauld, Seward, Bumey, Williams, Smith, Baillie, Porter, Mitford,Martineau,Hal], Hemans, Howitt, Landon, Norton, Blessing^n,
- To the life of sir Anthony Cooke, preceptor to Mng
Edward VI., in the fourth volome of the Bfographia BrUan- nica. Dr. Kippis has added a note, in which he gives a particDlar account of sir Anthony's four celebrated dangh- ten.
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