Erasmus, in one of his discourses, gives us a glimpse of the view taken by the Church of female scholarship. He introduces a conversation between an abbot and a learned woman. The abbot contends that women would never be kept in subjection if they were learned. They would become wiser than men. “Therefore it is a wicked mischievous thing to revive the ancient custom of educating them.”[40] Taken in conjunction with a remark of Erasmus in one of his letters, it is doubtful whether after all he did not deem learning wasted on women. Describing Sir Thomas More, he says, “He is wise with the wise, and jests with fools--with women especially, and his wife among them.” A more liberal view was taken by Richard Mulcaster, the master of the school founded by the Merchant Taylors’ Company in 1561, in the parish of St. Lawrence Poultney. He says-- “I set not young maidens to public Grammar Scholes, a thing not used in my countrie, I send them not to the universities, having no president thereof in my countrie, I allow them learning with distinction in degrees, with difference of their calling, with respect to their endes wherefore they learne, wherin my countrie confirmeth my opinion. 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 denie that they may not compare even with our kinde 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 gentlewymen by late writers so wel liked: to the Italian ladies who dare write themselves and deserve fame for so doing? whose excellencie is so geason as they be rather wonders to gaze at then presidentes to follow. And is that to be called in question which we both dayly see in many and wonder at in some? I dare be bould, therefore, to admit yong maidens to learne, seeing my countrie gives me leave and her custome standes for me. Their natural towardnesse should make us see them well brought up.... Some Timon 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 learning well, we had some reason to alledge against wymen, but seeing misuse is commonly both the kinds, why blame we their infirmitie whence we free not ourselves.... And is not, think you, a young gentlewoman thoroughly furnished which