Corderius or Mathurin Cordier?
The same man.
Mathurin Cordier is his French name; Maturinus Corderius, or just Corderius, is the Latin form scholars of his time used, and the name on his books. He was a schoolmaster of the sixteenth century, and the Colloquia Scholastica, his school conversations, first appeared in four books in 1564.
What the Colloquia Scholastica are like
Short scenes between schoolboys.
Each colloquium is a short scene between two boys, sometimes more. They talk about what boys talk about at school: the lesson they’re supposed to know, homework, getting up, chores at home, borrowing things, games, arguments, and advice. Most turns are a handful of words. Here is one complete exchange, titled You Invited Me, So Begin:
Corderius · Colloquia Scholastica, Book I · “You Invited Me, So Begin”
Tap a word — or reveal the translation.
In English: A: Do you want to go over the lesson with me? C: Yes. A: Do you know it? C: Not well enough, maybe. A: Come on, let’s test it. C: Then what are we waiting for? A: Start whenever you like. C: No, it’s for you to start. A: Why’s that? C: Because you invited me. A: Fair enough. Listen, then. C: I’m listening.
That is the whole skill Corderius trains: following a conversation in Latin at the speed it’s spoken.
How hard is Corderius?
The easiest real Latin in the library.
On Librorum Capsula’s 1–11 difficulty scale the four readers score 1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.3. The vocabulary is school and home, and the difficulty climbs gently from reader to reader, from greetings and errands to longer arguments and recitation. If you are in your first year of Latin, Corderius is something you can read now, not something to save for later.
The four Corderius readers
All from Book I of the Colloquia Scholastica.
Read them in this order. Each dialogue is a complete scene, so you can stop anywhere.
Corderius: First Exchanges
First greetings, breakfast and everyday errands.
Corderius: School and Daily Duties
School routines, chores and family life.
Corderius: Extended Conversations
Longer classroom dialogues of everyday conversation.
Corderius: Argument, Advice, and Recitation
Argument, advice and school recitation.
In the reader
Speakers labelled, every word defined.
The Latin text is the Colloquia Scholastica (Book I), with four passages corrected against an independent London edition of 1720, each correction cited. Long vowels are marked throughout, and every word has a definition, lemma and form. Speakers are labelled, so you always know who is talking.
Read next
Latin colloquia → · What to read after Familia Romana →
Colloquium Harleianum
A Roman schoolboy’s day, nearly two thousand years before Corderius.