Corderii Colloquiorum Centuria Selecta, or A Select Century of Corderius's Colloquies
by Mathurin Cordier
| Corderius's Colloquies | ||
 at the College of William & Mary. |
||
| Author | Mathurin Cordier | |
| Edition | Precise edition unknown | |
Mathurin Cordier (c. 1480–1564), also known as Corderius (a Latinized version of his name) was a French schoolmaster, theologian, teacher, humanist, and pedagogian born in Normandy.[1] He taught in Paris at the Collège de Sainte-Barbe,[2] before becoming the director of the School of Lausanne (now the University of Lausanne)[3] in Geneva, where he would remain until his death on September 8th, 1564.[4] One of Corderius's most famous students was John Calvin, who dedicated his commentary on the Thessalonians to him:
"Wishing to bear witness before posterity, so that it may know that all my later progress was derived from your teaching, and that if there are any merits in my writings, they come in part from you."[5]
Cordier’s Colloquia was published in 1564, while he was teaching at Lausanne.[6] Colloquia was designed to teach beginners how to speak Latin, [7]. The book indicts previous educational practices as useless, a highly confrontational approach for an educational material.[8] Instead, it contains dictionary translations, translation of common Latin phrases, and numerous dialogues on mundane, everyday topics. The glimpse into the daily lives of Corderius's students means that the Colloquia is also "the typical authority for child and boy life of the sixteenth century.”[9] Colloquia has continued to be used by schools for centuries after Corderius's death, with numerous editions.[10] John Clarke, the master of a grammar school in Hull, England, translated the Colloquia in the eighteenth century, where it was published in the U.S. and England.[11]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
The only evidence for Wythe's ownership of this title comes from the "Biographical Sketch of the Judges" in volume 4 of Daniel Call's Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Court of Appeals of Virginia:
As the widow and her son GEORGE were not left wealthy, she undertook his education herself; but only, taught him the Latin grammar, and to read the colloquies of Corderius very imperfectly, as he told me.[12]
No information exists to suggest which edition Wythe may have owned or whether he still owned it as an adult.
The Wolf Law Library has thus far been unable to purchase of copy of this title.
See also
References
- ↑ Hugh Chisholm, ed. (1911), "Corderius,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 7 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. p. 138.
- ↑ Geoffrey Treasure, “Calvin: THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE,” in The Huguenots, 75–83, 76, Yale University Press, 2013. [1]
- ↑ John Mark Ockerbloom, ed. “Mathurin Cordier,” The Online Books Page, University of Pennsylvania Libraries, accessed January 13th 2026. [2]
- ↑ Chisholm, "Corderius."
- ↑ Foster Watson, “Maturinus Corderius: Schoolmaster at Paris, Bordeaux, and Geneva, in the Sixteenth Century,” The School Review 12, no. 4 (1904), 281. [3]
- ↑ Watson Foster, “Maturinus Corderius: The Schoolmaster of Calvin. II,” The School Review 12, no. 7 (1904), 571. [4].
- ↑ Corderii Colloquiorum centuria selecta; or, a Select century of Cordery's colloquies: with an English translation ... By John Clarke (Google Books). [5]
- ↑ Google Books.
- ↑ Foster, "The Schoolmaster of Calvin. II," 575.
- ↑ Chisholm, "Corderius."
- ↑ Cordier, Mathurin, Corderii Colloquiorum centuria selecta: or, A select century of the colloquies of Corderius. With an English translation, as literal as possible. Designed for the use of beginners in the Latin tongue. By John Clarke, late master of the publick grammar school in Hull. Translated by John Clarke, By Isaiah Thomas and Company. Sold at their bookstore, no. 45, Newbury Street, and at said Thomas's bookstore in Worcester, Boston, United States (1789). Eighteenth Century Collections Online, accessed 4 Feb. 2026. [6] Other editions include ones from 1730 and 1740, printed at the Red-Lion in Pater-Noster-Row, at the Golden-Ball in St. Paul's Church-Yard and Duck-Lane, and London.
- ↑ "Biographical Sketch of the Judges," in Reports of Cases Argued and Decided in the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 2nd ed. (Richmond, VA: Robert I. Smith, 1833), 4:xi. The title of the second edition differs slightly from the first.