JEPPE. Goodness, Peer! That language is long-winded. What is coarse bread in Latin?
PEER. That's panis gravis; and fine bread is panis finis.
JEPPE. Why, that's half Danish!
PEER. True. There are many Latin words that were originally Danish. I'll tell you why: there was once an old rector at the school in Copenhagen, called Saxo Grammatica, who improved Latin in this country, and wrote a Latin grammar, and that's why he was called Saxo Grammatica. This same Saxo greatly enriched the Latin language with Danish words, for in his day Latin was so poor that a man couldn't write one sentence which people could understand.
JEPPE. But what does that word "Grammatica" mean?
PEER. The same as "Donat." When it is bound in a Turkish cover it is called "Donat," but when it's in white parchment it's called "Grammatica," and declined just like ala.
NILLE. I never shall see how people can keep so much in their head.
My head swims just from hearing them talk about it.
JEPPE. That's why learned folk usually aren't quite right in their heads.
NILLE. What nonsense! Do you think our son Rasmus Berg isn't quite right?
JEPPE. It only seems a little queer, mother, that he should write a
Latin letter to me.