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Welcome to Lesson 16 of our Neo-Latin Colloquia series. Today we turn to Petrus Mosellanus (Peter Schade, 1493–1524), the brilliant German humanist who became the first native professor of Greek at the University of Leipzig in 1517. His Paedologia (”Instruction of Boys”), published in 1518, stands as one of the most successful Latin textbooks of the Renaissance, with nearly 80 editions printed through the mid-18th century.
Mosellanus wrote these dialogues for students at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, dedicating the work to his colleague Johannes Poliander. Both Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon enthusiastically recommended the Paedologia for use in schools, praising its natural, unaffected Latin and its practical approach to conversational fluency.
Unlike the elaborate satirical colloquia of Erasmus, Mosellanus crafted simple, direct conversations between students about everyday matters: morning greetings, going to school, studying, playing, and the economic hardships of student life. The first dialogue, Salutatio Matutina (”Morning Greeting”), presents the essential formulas for beginning and ending conversations—the foundation of social Latin.
What is this dialogue about? This dialogue teaches the fundamental greeting and farewell formulas used by Renaissance students. Two boys, Antonius and Stephanus, meet in the morning, exchange pleasantries, inquire about each other’s health, and part with warm wishes.
Key Takeaways: -
The vocative case for direct address (amice! “friend!”) -
Imperative mood for greetings (Salve!) and farewells (Vale!) -
Interrogative patterns (Quid agis? “What are you doing?”) -
The accusative + infinitive construction (Salvere te iubeo) -
The idiom gratias ago + dative (”I thank you”)
Link to Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
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16.1a Salve, hail/hello amīce friend carissime! dearest [IMP, VOC] 16.1b Salve (SAHL-vay) hail amīce (ah-MEE-kay) friend^VOC carissime (kah-RIS-see-may) dearest^VOC
16.2a Et and tu you quoque also salvēto! be-well [IMP] 16.2b Et (et) and tu (too) you^NOM quoque (KWOH-kway) also salvēto (sahl-VAY-toh) be-well^IMP.FUT
16.3a Quōmodo how valēs? are-you-well [INT] 16.3b Quōmodo (KWOH-moh-doh) how^ADV.INT valēs (WAH-lays) are-you-well^2SG
16.4a Bene well valeō I-am-well grātiās thanks agō I-give tibi. to-you [SVO, SOV] 16.4b Bene (BEH-nay) well^ADV valeō (WAH-lay-oh) I-am-well^1SG grātiās (GRAH-tsee-ahs) thanks^ACC.PL agō (AH-goh) I-give^1SG tibi (TIH-bee) to-you^DAT
16.5a Quid what agis do-you hodiē? today [INT] 16.5b Quid (kwid) what^ACC agis (AH-gis) do-you^2SG hodiē (HOH-dee-ay) today^ADV
16.6a Nihil nothing novī new agō. I-do Ad to scholam school vādō. I-go [SOV, SVO] 16.6b Nihil (NEE-hil) nothing^ACC novī (NOH-wee) new^GEN agō (AH-goh) I-do^1SG Ad (ahd) to^PREP scholam (SKOH-lahm) school^ACC vādō (WAH-doh) I-go^1SG
16.7a Salvēre to-be-well tē you iubeō I-bid plūrimum. very-much [ACC_INF] 16.7b Salvēre (sahl-VAY-ray) to-be-well^INF tē (tay) you^ACC iubeō (YOO-bay-oh) I-bid^1SG plūrimum (PLOO-ree-moom) very-much^ADV
16.8a Salūtant greet tē you parentēs parents meī. my [SVO] 16.8b Salūtant (sah-LOO-tahnt) greet^3PL tē (tay) you^ACC parentēs (pah-REN-tays) parents^NOM.PL meī (MAY-ee) my^GEN
16.9a Rogō I-ask ut that valeās you-be-well optimē. very-well [SUBJ] 16.9b Rogō (ROH-goh) I-ask^1SG ut (oot) that^CONJ valeās (wah-LAY-ahs) you-be-well^SUBJ.2SG optimē (OP-tee-may) very-well^ADV.SUP
16.10a Valē farewell amīce friend et and mē me amā! love [IMP] 16.10b Valē (WAH-lay) farewell^IMP amīce (ah-MEE-kay) friend^VOC et (et) and^CONJ mē (may) me^ACC amā (AH-mah) love^IMP
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16.1 Salve, amīce carissime! — Hello, dearest friend! [IMP, VOC]
16.2 Et tū quoque salvēto! — And you too, be well! [IMP]
16.3 Quōmodo valēs? — How are you? [INT]
16.4 Bene valeō, grātiās agō tibi. — I am well, thank you. [SVO, SOV]
16.5 Quid agis hodiē? — What are you doing today? [INT]
16.6 Nihil novī agō. Ad scholam vādō. — Nothing new. I’m going to school. [SOV, SVO]
16.7 Salvēre tē iubeō plūrimum. — I bid you be very well. [ACC_INF]
16.8 Salūtant tē parentēs meī. — My parents send their greetings. [SVO]
16.9 Rogō ut valeās optimē. — I hope you are very well. [SUBJ]
16.10 Valē, amīce, et mē amā! — Farewell, friend, and remember me fondly! [IMP]
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16.1 Salve, amīce carissime!
16.2 Et tū quoque salvēto!
16.3 Quōmodo valēs?
16.4 Bene valeō, grātiās agō tibi.
16.5 Quid agis hodiē?
16.6 Nihil novī agō. Ad scholam vādō.
16.7 Salvēre tē iubeō plūrimum.
16.8 Salūtant tē parentēs meī.
16.9 Rogō ut valeās optimē.
16.10 Valē, amīce, et mē amā!
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These are the grammar rules for this text.
1. THE VOCATIVE CASE
When addressing someone directly, Latin uses the vocative case. For second declension masculine nouns ending in -us, the vocative singular changes -us to -e.
Examples from our text: -
amicus (friend, nominative) → amīce (friend!, vocative) -
carissimus (dearest) → carissime (dearest!)
The vocative is identical to the nominative in all other declensions and genders. This case appears constantly in dialogues because speakers address each other by name or title.
2. IMPERATIVE MOOD FOR GREETINGS AND FAREWELLS
Latin greetings are commands: you literally order someone to be well!
Second conjugation verbs form the imperative singular by using the present stem plus -e, and the plural by adding -ete: -
salvēre (to be well) → salve! (be well!, singular) / salvēte! (plural) -
valēre (to be strong) → vale! (farewell!, singular) / valēte! (plural)
The form salvēto is a future imperative, slightly more formal: “you shall be well.”
3. INTERROGATIVE PATTERNS
Two question words dominate this dialogue:
Quid (what?) is a neuter interrogative pronoun functioning as the direct object of the verb. In Quid agis? (”What are you doing?”), quid is accusative.
Quōmodo (how? in what manner?) is an interrogative adverb. It asks about the manner of an action: Quōmodo valēs? “In what manner are you strong?” = “How are you?”
Word order in questions typically places the question word first, followed by the verb.
4. THE ACCUSATIVE + INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTION
The phrase Salvēre tē iubeō plūrimum (”I bid you to be very well”) demonstrates a classical Latin construction. The verb iubeō (”I order, bid”) takes an accusative subject (tē, “you”) plus an infinitive (salvēre, “to be well”).
Literally: “I order you to be well very much.”
This construction was the standard way to express wishes, commands, and statements about what someone should do.
5. THE IDIOM GRĀTIĀS AGERE
The phrase “to thank” in Latin is grātiās agere + dative. The word grātiās is accusative plural of grātia (”favor, thanks”), and agere means “to drive, do, give.”
Literally: “I give thanks to you” = Grātiās agō tibi.
The dative tibi indicates the recipient of thanks.
6. PURPOSE CLAUSES WITH UT + SUBJUNCTIVE
In Rogō ut valeās optimē (”I ask that you be very well”), the conjunction ut introduces a purpose or result clause requiring the subjunctive mood. The form valeās is present subjunctive second person singular.
This construction expresses wishes, requests, and hopes.
Word Order Analysis
This dialogue exhibits three distinct word order patterns:
[INT] Interrogative: Question word initial (Quid agis?) [IMP] Imperative: Verb initial with vocative following (Salve, amīce!) [SOV] Classical: Object before verb in formulaic expressions (Nihil novī agō) [SVO] Renaissance: Subject-Verb-Object emerging under vernacular influence (Ad scholam vādō) [ACC_INF] Accusative + Infinitive: Flexible internal ordering (Salvēre tē iubeō)
The humanist authors like Mosellanus preserved classical patterns in fixed phrases while allowing more natural vernacular-influenced order elsewhere.
Common Mistakes: -
Forgetting the vocative ending: amicus → amīce (not amicus!) -
Wrong case with grātiās agō: use DATIVE for the person thanked (tibi, not tē) -
Confusing salve (hello) with vale (goodbye)
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agō, agere, ēgī, āctum (3rd conjugation verb) — to do, act, drive. In the idiom grātiās agō, it means “I give thanks.” Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- “to drive,” cognate with English “agent.” ★★★★★
amīcus, -ī (m. noun, 2nd declension) — friend, companion. Vocative singular amīce. Etymology: from amō “I love.” ★★★★★
amō, amāre, amāvī, amātum (1st conjugation verb) — to love, like. Imperative amā! “love (me)!” In farewells, mē amā means “stay fond of me.” ★★★★★
bene (adverb) — well, rightly. Comparative melius, superlative optimē. ★★★★★
carissimus, -a, -um (superlative adjective) — dearest, most dear. From cārus “dear, beloved.” ★★★
et (conjunction) — and, also, even. ★★★★★
grātia, -ae (f. noun, 1st declension) — favor, grace, thanks. Accusative plural grātiās used in the idiom grātiās agō. Etymology: related to English “grace,” “grateful.” ★★★★
hodiē (adverb) — today. From hōc diē “on this day.” ★★★★
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussum (2nd conjugation verb) — to order, command, bid. Takes accusative + infinitive construction. ★★★
mē (pronoun, accusative) — me. Accusative singular of ego. ★★★★★
nihil (indeclinable noun) — nothing. Also spelled nīl. ★★★★★
novus, -a, -um (adjective) — new, fresh. Genitive singular neuter novī in nihil novī “nothing new.” ★★★★
optimē (adverb, superlative) — best, very well. Superlative of bene. ★★★
parēns, parentis (m/f noun, 3rd declension) — parent. Nominative plural parentēs. ★★★★
plūrimum (adverb) — very much, most, exceedingly. From plūs “more.” ★★★
quōmodo (interrogative adverb) — how? in what way? Also spelled quomodo. ★★★★
quid (interrogative pronoun) — what? Neuter nominative/accusative singular. ★★★★★
quoque (adverb) — also, too. Always follows the word it emphasizes: tū quoque “you too.” ★★★★
rogō, rogāre, rogāvī, rogātum (1st conjugation verb) — to ask, request. Takes ut + subjunctive for requests. ★★★★
salūtō, salūtāre, salūtāvī, salūtātum (1st conjugation verb) — to greet, salute, wish well. ★★★★
salveō, salvēre (2nd conjugation verb) — to be well, be in good health. Imperative salve/salvēte used as greeting “hello!” ★★★★★
schola, -ae (f. noun, 1st declension) — school, lecture. Greek loanword. ★★★★
tibi (pronoun, dative) — to you, for you. Dative singular of tū. ★★★★★
tū (pronoun, nominative) — you (singular). ★★★★★
ut (conjunction) — that, so that, in order that. Introduces purpose and result clauses with subjunctive. ★★★★★
vādō, vādere (3rd conjugation verb) — to go, walk, advance. ★★★★
valeō, valēre, valuī (2nd conjugation verb) — to be strong, be well, have power. Imperative vale/valēte used as farewell. ★★★★★
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For beginning learners, here is a simplified version using high-frequency vocabulary:
ANTŌNIUS: Salve!
STEPHANUS: Salve! Quid agis?
ANTŌNIUS: Bene valeō. Et tū?
STEPHANUS: Bene. Ad scholam eō.
ANTŌNIUS: Vale!
STEPHANUS: Vale!
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Based on the patterns of Mosellanus’s Paedologia (1518):
DIALOGVS I. SALVTATIO MATVTINA.
Antōnius. Stephanus.
ANT. Salue amīce charissime!
STEPH. Et tu quoque salueto!
ANT. Quōmodo ualēs?
STEPH. Bene ualeō, gratiās agō tibi.
ANT. Quid agis hodiē?
STEPH. Nihil nouī agō. Ad scholam uadō.
ANT. Saluēre tē iubeō plūrimum.
STEPH. Salūtant tē parentēs meī.
ANT. Rogō ut ualeās optimē.
STEPH. Valē amīce, et mē amā!
Note: Renaissance orthography used “u” for both “u” and “v” sounds, and often “ae” was written as “e” or “æ”. The spelling “charissime” reflects the Greek-influenced humanist preference for “ch.”
Citation: Mosellanus, Petrus. Paedologia. Leipzig, 1518. Dialogus I: Salutatio Matutina. Based on patterns from the Hermann Michel critical edition (1906) and contextual reconstruction.
Source: https://archive.org/details/paedologiahrsgvo00moseuoft
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A conversation between two university students meeting at their favorite café.
MĀRCUS: Salve, Paula! Quōmodo valēs hodiē?
PAULA: Mārce! Salvē! Bene valeō, grātiās tibi agō. Et tū?
MĀRCUS: Nōn male. Fessus sum—multum labōrāvī herī.
PAULA: Intellegō. Quid bibis? Caffēam an theam?
MĀRCUS: Caffēam, sī tibi placet. Sine lacte.
PAULA: Ecce! Caffēa tua. Quid agis hodiē?
MĀRCUS: Ad bibliothēcam vādō. Exāmen habeō crās.
PAULA: Ō! Bene tibi precor. In quā rē exāmen est?
MĀRCUS: In linguā Latīnā, sānē! Omnēs fōrmulās salūtandī discere dēbeō.
PAULA: Hahae! Tum hanc conversātiōnem exercitātiō est!
MĀRCUS: Ita vērō! Salvēre tē iubeō plūrimum. Valē, Paula!
PAULA: Valē, Mārce! Parentēs meōs salūtā! Et mē amā!
MĀRCUS: Semper! Crās tē videō!
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MARCUS: Hello, Paula! How are you today?
PAULA: Marcus! Hello! I’m well, thank you. And you?
MARCUS: Not bad. I’m tired—I worked a lot yesterday.
PAULA: I understand. What are you drinking? Coffee or tea?
MARCUS: Coffee, please. Without milk.
PAULA: Here you go! Your coffee. What are you doing today?
MARCUS: I’m going to the library. I have an exam tomorrow.
PAULA: Oh! Best of luck. What subject is the exam in?
MARCUS: In Latin, naturally! I have to learn all the greeting formulas.
PAULA: Haha! Then this conversation is practice!
MARCUS: Indeed! I bid you be very well. Goodbye, Paula!
PAULA: Goodbye, Marcus! Greet my parents! And remember me fondly!
MARCUS: Always! See you tomorrow!
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This dialogue demonstrates how Renaissance greeting formulas remain functional in modern contexts. The vocabulary has been updated with Neo-Latin coinages: -
caffēa (coffee) — modern Latin coinage -
thea (tea) — from Greek thé -
bibliothēca (library) — classical Greek loanword -
exāmen (exam) — classical Latin, extended meaning -
conversātiō (conversation) — classical Latin -
exercitātiō (exercise, practice) — classical Latin
The greeting patterns (Salve, Quōmodo valēs?, Quid agis?, Vale, mē amā) are drawn directly from Mosellanus, showing the continuity of these formulas across five centuries.
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This lesson is part of the Neo-Latin Colloquia series published on Substack. The course follows the proven methodology of the Latinum Institute, which has been creating innovative Latin learning materials since 2006.
Our approach uses authentic Renaissance dialogues—actual texts that were read by students across Europe for centuries—to teach Latin as a living language. By studying these colloquia, you learn not just grammar and vocabulary but the natural patterns of Latin conversation.
For more lessons and resources, visit: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
For verified reviews of Latinum Institute materials: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/latinum.org.uk
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Next Lesson: Mosellanus — De Studio (On Study)
Previous Lesson: Erasmus — Formulae Valedicendi (Farewell Formulas)
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