[B-Greek] Latin Motto in Greek

James Ernest jdemail at charter.net
Fri Mar 12 18:04:50 EST 2004


> I'm reminded of two such mottoes. 

Alas, my lower-minded self was reminded only of a reply from someone on this
list (I bet a nickel it was Nichael Cramer) some years back to a request for
help constructing a Latin motto for (si memoria richtig funktionert) a
police department. He suggested SEMPER UBI SUB UBI--the idea being, as I
recall, not to suggest that the cops have any more dire need than the rest
of us to "always wear underwear" but to deflate the pomposity of decorating
with Latin and Greek mottoes the seals of organizations whose constituents
and clients don't read or write Latin or Greek.

I guess the other and probably nobler way to look at it is that we're
preserving, with hope of protreptic effect, some vestiges of the late,
lamented classical tradition. 

--------------------------------
James D. Ernest, Ph.D., Editor
Baker Academic
jernest at bakerbooks.com
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