Continuing FLG's Continuing Defense Of Latin

Madame's Nightshirt

Mrs. Peperium

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Regular readers of Fear&LoathinginGeorgetown know that FLG believes Latin is necessary for the continuation of Western civilization. Indeed he believes this so strongly that  FLG's Continuing Defense of Latin has evolved into a regular feature. Recently, I stumbled across another excellent reason for knowing Latin to add to FLG's growing case,

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Professor Mainwaring came into the room waving a letter in his hand. He was elegantly dressed in a lightweight suit of American design and his beard was newly trimmed.

'What do you think about this?' he asked.

'What is it? Ah, I see, a letter from Minnie Foresight. Is she getting anxious about her money?'

'No, it isn't quite that. She has taken exception to an article Fairfax has written in one of the learned journals. I sent it to her because that number had an account of our little party in it.'

'Really?' Miss Clovis looked puzzled. 'I wonder which article it could have been? I can't remember anything that could have offended her.'

'Oh, it is nothing personal- it is just that she considers Fairfax's article obscene.'

'Obscene?' Miss Clovis spat out the word indignantly. 'But it's a perfectly straightforward article of the tribe he studied- the seclusion of the boys and girls in the bush- the coming forth- the dancing, and the licence allowed in certain forms of behavior, with a rough translation of the songs they sing.'

'Evidently Fairfax's translation was too rough,' chuckled Professor Mainwaring. 'We must remember that our patroness is not an anthropologist.'

'What does she say?'

Professor Mainwaring handed over the letter, and Miss Clovis read such phrases as 'deeply distressed', 'most shocking', 'unpleasant details'.

'Well, she obviously has no idea how important it is that every detail should be known,' said Miss Clovis bluntly.

'Quite, but I do feel that Fairfax has perhaps been a little over-zealous on this occasion. And what a pity he is such a poor Latinist!'

'There seem to be some Latin phrases here,' said Miss Clovis, turning the pages of the article.

'Yes, he knows ad hoc and even primus inter pares- that much he will have imbibed at his red brick university.' Here the Balliol man in the Professor could not help coming out and showing itself for a moment. 'He is not an Oxford man, you know, or even a Cambridge man. Everything that has offended poor Minnie, could have been put into Latin and she would have been quite satisfied. Some women have a great veneration for the classical tongues. Yes,' Professor Mainwaring plucked at his beard and paced round the room, 'the Latin of Petronius Arbiter or another of the great Silver Latin poets...' He gave an extravagant sigh, as if his thoughts were back in those elegant days of decadence. 'I could've turned this very prettily into Latin if only Fairfax had consulted me, but of course he did not. I'm afraid it would not have occurred to him to do so. Gervase is a dear boy, but humility is not one of his virtues.

'It does seem an odd use for Latin,' said Miss Clovis thoughtfully, 'to avoid giving offense to those who probably cannot understand it anyway...'

-Barbara Pym, Less Than Angels.

To avoid giving offense to those who probably cannot understand it anyway. If you think Barbara was wrong, Maximum Leader has proven she wasn't. Although the sentiment he was after is incredibly understandable. More than proving Barbara right, Maxy has proven something even better given the state of our economy : There's real money to be made in pursuing the study of Latin. Since we're all about making money here at PP rather than the government handing it to you, here's my suggestion for the tag line for the new campaign for the study of Latin,.

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Latin.

When it absolutely has to be said but

perhaps better if not understood.

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What's yours?

I'm especially curious to hear from the Latin Massers...

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Comments

[Father M.]

Latin. How you can damn people to hell in the language of the angels.

Old Petronius was actually quite a witty potty mouth. It would be fun to hear some of his phrases come out of Michelle's Mirror...

[Dewey From Detroit]

Father M,
Oh dear! Latin from MOTUS!
I did hear her call out once "audio,video,disco!" but I believe she was just testing the Big White's Ivy Leaguers. Since Lady M handed her an iPhone, I think it will be safe for her to speak in the tongue of Cicero from time to time.

Thought you might enjoy Christopher Buckley's take on Americans familiarity with the language from today's WSJ:

"We got a brief intermission from the long-running "Watergate—The Movie" in October 1973 when Vice President Spiro Agnew pleaded nolo contendere—greatly enlarging the Latin vocabulary of most Americans—to tax evasion and accepting $29,000 in bribes, as governor of Maryland. This was the first time many Americans learned that you had to pay tax on bribes."

Everything I know about Latin I learned from Perry Mason. And Sister Peter Verona.

WSJ link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704187204575101940298534452.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5

[MOTUS]

Mrs. P you have positively re-vitamized Team Obama.

We were getting our message out. Big Guy was reading TOTUS flawlessly, but why was there so much opposition. Then you gave us the answer: We said what had to be said, but the peeps understood it!

Duh, we coulda’ said it in Latin!

With the new Latin language packs on my hard drive, coupled with my world renowned powers to alter reality, it looks like I’m going to be busier than ever.

http://www.michellesmirror.com/2010/03/ut-is-absolutely-has-futurus-said-tamen.html

Father M, Thanks to Mrs. P’s post, it looks like your wish will come true.

No more time off for this mirror.

Nope.

Did I thank you for bringing this to our attention?

Gratiae nusquam,

M

[Mrs. Peperium]

MOTUS!!!!!!!!

Did you read this in the Hill this morning?

"Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare." - Rahm Emanuel.

[MOTUS]

Mrs. P:

Yes I did. And I think there are. I told him last week, "Toes, Cave Idus Martias".
M

[Mrs. Peperium]

Certamen bikini-suicidus-disci mox coepit? Si sic carpe cerevisi! Et solum sursum MOTUS!