 "Ecerinis" displays an early humanist use of the classics, as he took aspects from classical works, without advocating for the absolute supremacy of the classics.Mussato's use of both classical metre, and the ancient genre of Senecan tragedy, as well the attempted invocation of moral lessons from the tragic genre foreshadow aspects of Petrarchan humanism, and are an example of the beginning of the Petrarchan humanist movement.Medieval universities focused on the metrical and rhetorical features of writing, and this allowed early humanists, like Mussato, to recognize and emulate the verbal patterns of ancient poets.