- A woman named Cloelia was once taken prisoner by a foreign king. But she eventually used her cunning and cleverness to escape and to her help friends make it back home.
- When Lady Reason completes this story, she mentions that the stone foundations of the City of Ladies are finally finished. And not a moment too soon.
- Even though Christine has heard many stories about women's strength and courage, the thing she's most interested in hearing about is whether any women have risen to the top of the world of knowledge. Education matters more to her than anything else.
- Lady Reason insists that if women were given the same educations as men, they would accomplish just as many great feats in the arts and sciences. The only reason women don't know as much as men is because they aren't given the same opportunities.
- Now it's time to listen to examples of women who have gained a lot of great knowledge…
- Lady Reason gives several examples of women in history who've had the privilege of a great education. Even the great Italian poet Boccaccio agrees that women's education is a good thing.
- In this chapter, Lady Reason tells us about Proba the Roman, who had a great mind and an even greater education. She even knew all of the poems of the great poet Virgil by heart.
- This woman went on to write some of the greatest poetry of her time because she had such a great amount of learning.
- Lady Reason mentions the greatest female poet of them all, Sappho, to support her argument about how women with good educations tend to do great things. Even the great philosopher Plato had a copy of Sappho's poems under his pillow when he was found dead.