Progress of religious sensibility—Women compared to the moon—Entrance of the sentimental spirit—Free enquiry at Rome and in Italy—Philosophic religion—Entrance on the scene of women as priests, as well as physicians—Religious traditions of women in France—Decay of faith—Roman liberalism—Situation of the French clergy—Alliance between women and the aesthetic clergy—Liberal principles of this alliance—The _bibliennes_—Aristocratic religion—Writings of the mystic women: Gabrielle de Bourbon, Catherine d’Amboise—The mystic writings of Margaret of France, her ideas—Her relations with the _palinods_—The mystics—The mysticism of divided application—Direct communion with God—Smiling character of the new mysticism—Spiritual petrarchism—Correggio—Vittoria Colonna—Vergerio. Pages 422-453 CHAPTER VI RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE (_Continued_) Scorners of mystic liberalism—The savants—Reproaches addressed to the liberal party: paganism, materialism—Women’s struggle against these tendencies—The monks: the monastic spirit—Struggle against the monks: the pros and cons—Rabelais—Folengo—The German monks—Rising of the lower clergy against liberalism and aestheticism: Luther, Calvin—Struggle of the Reformers against women and liberty of thought—Vittoria Colonna and Ochino—Direction of the liberal and aesthetic party in France—Margaret of France and her active rôle—Feminist theory of Postel—Replies of Luther, the Sorbonne, the theological parties. Pages 454-474 CONCLUSION Total want of success of the feminist movement—Disappointments of Margaret of France—Reaction against cosmopolitanism and intellectualism—The spirit of the Pléiade—Love of free air—Margaret of Savoy—Fall of the Roman spirit—Montaigne—Last effects of feminism—The triumph of Death—The mistakes of the Renaissance feminism—Disappearance of the aesthetic system—Sensualism of the 18th century—The naturalism of Ruskin. Pages 475-503 INDEX. Pages 504-510 PREAMBLE The woman question—what is more absorbing?