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LEARNING AND EDUCATION 539
by men of scholarly Influence like John Whethamstede, abbot
of St. Albans: but more fruitful were the visits ofthe fortunate
few to study in Italian universities and in the school ofGuarino
da Verona at Ferrara. John Tiptoft (d. 1443), earl ofWorces^
ter, and John Free, his literary assistant, were, each in his own
way, masters of the new cult: Tiptoft, the English nobleman
who came nearest to the Italian princely patron of the renais^
sance and Free *the first Englishman to become a professional
humanist and reach the standard of the Italians'.
By the second halfofthe fifteenth century humanistic studies
were beginning to win interest in Oxford, under the stimulus of
Thomas Chaundler, warden of New College and chancellor
(PL no&). John Farley and William Grocin, both fellows
of the college, when acting as registrars of the university left
memorials oftheir newly won accomplishment by writing their
names in Greek characters in the margins of official letter^
books. Stefano Surigone, a Milanese scholar, had given courses
on Latin eloquence at Oxford by 1470. The seal of Chaund'
ler's fostering interest was set when as an old man he came up
from Hereford where he was dean to reply to a Latin oration
delivered by another Italian scholar, Cornelio Vitelli. The
range of neo-classical literature in Oxford was enlarged by the
benefactions of two distinguished Oxford scholars who had
studied in Italy: William Grey, bishop of Ely (d. 1478) to
Balliol College, and Robert Fleming, dean of Lincoln
(d. 1483) to Lincoln College. Christ Church, Canterbury,
introduced to humanism by its monks studying at Canterbury
College, became a noted centre of the revival where the study
of Greek was encouraged under the direction of its acconv
plished prior, William Selling (d. 1494). Reading abbey is
associated with the activities of the Greek scribe, John Serbo^
poulos, in the transcription of Greek books for academic
clients. The verdict that *a utilitarian conception ofthe human'
ities is the main feature of humanism in England during the
fifteenth century' is borne out in the careers of a succession of
ambassadors and high officials such as Thomas Bekynton
(d. 1465), bishop ofBath and Wells, Andrew Holes (d. 1470)