 Young Calvin was particularly precocious . However , by age 12 , he was employed by the bishop as a clerk and received the tonsure , cutting his hair to symbolise his dedication to the Church . He also won the patronage of an influential family , the <unk> . Through their assistance , Calvin was able to attend the Collège de la Marche , Paris , where he learned Latin from one of its greatest teachers , Mathurin Cordier . Once he completed the course , he entered the Collège de Montaigu as a philosophy student . 
