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THINKING LIKE A HISTORIAN

Humanist Peter Paul Vergerius, letter to Ubertinus Leonardo Bruni, letter to Lady Baptista
Learning 1 of Padua, 1392. The Venetian scholar 2 Malatesta, ca. 1405. The Florentine
humanist and city official Leonardo Bruni
and church official Vergerius (1370–1445)
advises the son of the ruler of Padua about advises the daughter of the duke of Urbino
Renaissance humanists the proper education for men. about the proper education for women.
wrote often and forcefully We call those studies liberal which are There are certain subjects in which, whilst
about education, and worthy of a free man; those studies by which we a modest proficiency is on all accounts to be
attain and practise virtue and wisdom; that edu- desired, a minute knowledge and excessive devo-
learning was also a subject cation which calls forth, trains and develops those tion seem to be a vain display. For instance, sub-
of artistic works shaped by highest gifts of body and of mind which ennoble tleties of Arithmetic and Geometry are not worthy
to absorb a cultivated mind, and the same must
men, and which are rightly judged to rank next
humanist ideas. What did in dignity to virtue only. . . . Amongst these I be said of Astrology. You will be surprised to find
humanists see as the best accord the first place to History, on grounds me suggesting (though with much more hesita-
both of its attractiveness and of its utility, qual- tion) that the great and complex art of Rhetoric
course of study and the ities which appeal equally to the scholar and to should be placed in the same category. My chief
purpose of education, and the statesman. Next in importance ranks Moral reason is the obvious one, that I have in view
Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Philosophy, which indeed is, in a peculiar sense, the cultivation most fitting to a woman. To her
how were these different a “Liberal Art,” in that its purpose is to teach men neither the intricacies of debate nor the oratori-
for men and women? the secret of true freedom. History, then, gives us cal artifices of action and delivery are of the least
practical use, if indeed they are not positively
the concrete examples of the precepts inculcated subject peculiarly her own, the whole field of reli- this sample.
by philosophy. The one shews what men should unbecoming. Rhetoric in all its forms — public
do, the other what men have said and done in discussion, forensic argument, logical fence, and
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.
the past, and what practical lessons we may draw the like — lies absolutely outside the province of
therefrom for the present day. I would indicate as woman. What Disciplines then are properly open
the third main branch of study, Eloquence, which to her? In the first place she has before her, as a
Uncorrected proofs have been used in
indeed holds a place of distinction amongst the on any account be neglected by one who aspires Worth Publishers.
refined Arts. By philosophy we learn the essential gion and morals. The literature of the Church will
truth of things, which by eloquence we so exhibit thus claim her earnest study. . . . Moreover, the
in orderly adornment as to bring conviction to cultivated Christian lady has no need in the study
differing minds. And history provides the light of this weighty subject to confine herself to eccle-
of experience — a cumulative wisdom fit to sup- siastical writers. Morals, indeed, have been treated
plement the force of reason and the persuasion of of by the noblest intellects of Greece and Rome.
eloquence. For we allow that soundness of judg- [Then] I place History: a subject which must not
by Bedford, Freeman &
ment, wisdom of speech, integrity of conduct are
the marks of a truly liberal temper. to true cultivation. For it is our duty to under- uc a della Robbia, Gr ammar ,
stand the origins of our own history and its devel-
opment; and the achievements of Peoples and of
Luca della Robbia, Grammar,
L
Kings.
In this hexagonal
3 1437–1439. In this hexagonal
panel made for the bell tower of
panel made for the bell tower of
the cathedral of Florence, Luca
the cathedral of Florence, Luca
della Robbia conveys ideas about
della Robbia conveys ideas about
the course and goals of learning
the course and goals of learning
with the open classical door in
with the open classical door in
the background.
,
e
I
taly/
enc
a
del
useo
Oper
D
F
lor
uomo
,
(M
Agostini/Getty Images)
ANALYZING THE EVIDENCE (Museo Opera del Duomo, Florence, Italy/De

1. According to these sources, what should people learn? Why should they learn?
Copyright ©

2. Renaissance humanism has sometimes been viewed as opposed to religion, especially to
the teachings of the Catholic Church at the time. Do these sources support this idea?
3. How are the programs of study recommended for men and women similar? How and why ir andola, “ O r a tion on Cassandra Fedele, “Oration on Learning,” 1487. The Venetian Cassandra

ic
v
o della M
Gio
anni P
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, “Oration on
are they different? 4 the Dignity of Man,” 1486. Pico, the brilliant 5 Fedele (1465–1558), the best-known female scholar of her time, gave an
Pico, the brilliant
Distributed
4. How does the gender of the author shape his or her ideas about the human capacity for oration in Latin at the University of Padua in honor of her (male) cousin’s

son of an Italian count and protégé of Lorenzo
son of an Italian count and protégé of Lorenzo
54 reason and learning? Oh unsurpassed generosity of God the Father, Oh Oh unsurpassed generosity of God the Father, Oh I shall speak very briefly on the study of the liberal arts, which for humans is
de’ Medici, wrote an impassioned summary of
graduation.
de’ Medici, wrote an impassioned summary of
human capacities for learning that ends with this
human capacities for learning that ends with this
selection.
useful and honorable, pleasurable and enlightening since everyone, not only philos-
ophers but also the most ignorant man, knows and admits that it is by reason that

wondrous and unsurpassable felicity of man, to whom it
wondrous and unsurpassable felicity of man, to whom it
and the ignorant? What so enlarges and enlightens men’s minds the way that an
is granted to have what he chooses, to be what he wills
education in and knowledge of literature and the liberal arts do? . . . But erudite
to be! The brutes, from the moment of their birth, bring
men who are filled with the knowledge of divine and human things turn all their
with them, as Lucilius [a classical Roman author] says,
thoughts and considerations toward reason as though toward a target, and free their
“from their mother’s womb” all that they will ever pos- man is separated from beasts. For what is it that so greatly helps both the learned
sess. The highest spiritual beings were, from the very minds from all pain, though plagued by many anxieties. These men are scarcely
moment of creation, or soon thereafter, fixed in the mode subjected to fortune’s innumerable arrows and they prepare themselves to live well
of being which would be theirs through measureless eter- and in happiness. They follow reason as their leader in all things; nor do they con-
nities. But upon man, at the moment of his creation, sider themselves only, but they are also accustomed to assisting others with their
God bestowed seeds pregnant with all possibilities, the energy and advice in matters public and private. . . . The study of literature refines
germs of every form of life. Whichever of these a man men’s minds, forms and makes bright the power of reason, and washes away all
shall cultivate, the same will mature and bear fruit in stains from the mind, or at any rate, greatly cleanses it. . . . States, however, and
Practice for the Document-Based him. If vegetative, he will become a plant; if sensual, he their princes who foster and cultivate these studies become more humane, more
will become brutish; if rational, he will reveal himself a
gracious, and more noble. . . . But enough on the utility of literature since it pro-
heavenly being; if intellectual, he will be an angel and the duces not only an outcome that is rich, precious, and sublime, but also provides one
Question with the AP® Thinking Like a son of God. And if, dissatisfied with the lot of all crea- with advantages that are extremely pleasurable, fruitful, and lasting — benefits that I
tures, he should recollect himself into the center of his myself have enjoyed. And when I meditate on the idea of marching forth in life with
Historian feature, which groups four or own unity, he will there become one spirit with God, in the lowly and execrable weapons of the little woman — the needle and the distaff
[the rod onto which yarn is wound after spinning] — even if the study of literature
the solitary darkness of the Father, Who is set above all
more sources around a central topic. things, himself transcend all creatures. Who then will not offers women no rewards or honors, I believe women must nonetheless pursue and
embrace such studies alone for the pleasure and enjoyment they contain.
look with awe upon this our chameleon, or who, at least,
will look with greater admiration on any other being?
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Using the sources above, along with what you have learned in class and in this chapter,
write a short essay that analyzes humanist learning. What were the goals and purposes of
humanist education, and how were these different for men and women? How did these
differences reflect Renaissance society more generally?
Sources: (1, 2) W. H. Woodward, ed. and trans., Vittorino da Feltre and Other Humanist Educators (London: Cambridge University Press, 1897), pp. 102, 106–
107, 126–127; (4) ebooks, University of Adelaide, https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/pico_della_mirandola/giovanni/dignity /; (5) Cassandra Fedele, Letters
and Orations , ed. and trans. Diana Robin (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000). 55
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