Two sources from early modern Europe: A treatise on the nobility and excellency of women-Kind by Cornelius and Microcosmographia by Helkiah Crooke. Both sources dealt with the views of women in society. These two sources suggest a change in the views on women in early modern Europe towards treating women and men more equally, and not inherently created to be subjugated. However, they differ in their delivery of past and present, and use religion and morals to justify their claims. Both sources by Cornelius and Helkiah argue that men and women are equal beings and there are no differences between the sexes. Cornelius argues that men and women feel the same and therefore they are equals by using the following quote. “He hath given but one similitude
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society. In contrast, Helkiah uses morality as his main reason behind more equality. “For we think that nature as well intended the generation of a female as of a male: and therefore it is unworthily said that she is an error or a monster in nature” (Crooke, 1618, 55). This difference in reason for the treatment of women shows there were multiple different driving reasons behind this change in thinking for people in early modern Europe. Another difference in the messaging of the two sources is where they set the current views of women in society in early modern Europe. Cornelois’s arguments are against current beliefs on women in early modern Europe and use them as a baseline on how they are treated. We see this when Cornelius uses the current views of women in contrast to God's commandments. “breaking God’s commandment to establish their own traditions, they have pronounced openly that women otherwise in excellency of nature, dignity, and honour most noble, be in condition more vile than all men. And thus by these laws the women, being subdued as it were by force of arms, are constrained to give place to men and to obey their subduers, not by no natural, no divine necessity or reason, but by custom, education, fortune, and a certain tyrannical occasion.”(Agrippa, 1542, 259) Helkiah instead uses Aristotle's writings to compare his views of women in society by sharing and rebuking Aristotle's beliefs that women were
society. In contrast, Helkiah uses morality as his main reason behind more equality. “For we think that nature as well intended the generation of a female as of a male: and therefore it is unworthily said that she is an error or a monster in nature” (Crooke, 1618, 55). This difference in reason for the treatment of women shows there were multiple different driving reasons behind this change in thinking for people in early modern Europe. Another difference in the messaging of the two sources is where they set the current views of women in society in early modern Europe. Cornelois’s arguments are against current beliefs on women in early modern Europe and use them as a baseline on how they are treated. We see this when Cornelius uses the current views of women in contrast to God's commandments. “breaking God’s commandment to establish their own traditions, they have pronounced openly that women otherwise in excellency of nature, dignity, and honour most noble, be in condition more vile than all men. And thus by these laws the women, being subdued as it were by force of arms, are constrained to give place to men and to obey their subduers, not by no natural, no divine necessity or reason, but by custom, education, fortune, and a certain tyrannical occasion.”(Agrippa, 1542, 259) Helkiah instead uses Aristotle's writings to compare his views of women in society by sharing and rebuking Aristotle's beliefs that women were