The Ninth Legion Returns

Whether I had assumed the long lost spirit of a Centurion from the Ninth Legion about 90 AD or I was gagging for the first strong coffee of the day I am not sure. 

It was early morning in the City of York and I was striding westwards on Lendal Bridge with a clear view ahead of me of the fortifications established by those all conquering Romans. 

Although utterly out of context and on a bridge opened in 1863 I had a sudden urge to shout something in Latin. 

It is at times like that when a few memorised phrases or sayings in that language would be perfect giving authenticity, serving as an homage to history and to anyone within earshot providing either a bit of a shock or a pleasurable experience. 

I have been the product of a Grammar School education, having attended at the oldest State School in England dating from 700 AD and before that at a relative newcomer founded in the 17^th Century. 

The reason for the two establishments was a family move about five sevenths into my senior years and not, as some of you may think as a result of exclusion or expulsion for crimes and misdemeanours.  

Yet for all of that time in the very heart of a traditional academic upbringing I was not compelled nor even had the option to take Latin as a subject. 

That is quite surprising given that an essential component of schooling for young boys over centuries was to instill a command and fluency in that discipline and with the Grammar Schools being the main method of delivering this. 

Although somewhat sidelined in the modern education curriculum and perhaps even in danger of being forgotten altogether it remains as a very important language and the foundation for modern languages across Western Europe. 

Some 30% of words in the English Dictionary are derived directly from Latin. A basic understanding helps in studying foreign languages such as Spanish, French and of course Italian. 

I can see that my forebears intending to enter the respected professions of Law, Medicine and in Academia required a depth and comprehension of Latin to get along in everyday use and other applications but somewhere amongst the great changes in employment, demographics and society, under the all encompassing term of Progress, the emphasis has now shifted more to practical and technical skills. 

As a consequence the beauty and expression in communication between humans is certainly worse off. 

Anyways, back to my bridge crossing in York and that urge express myself as a Roman. 

At the time I was frustrated because nothing at all came to mind and yet with a little bit of contemplative thought later on in my car on the drive away from York there was a sudden deluge, flood and torrent of Latin words and phrases including a few insults and bits and pieces of that classic Monty Python scene from The Life of Brian to which I provide a link at the bottom of this page. 

I obviously know a lot more Latin than I originally thought.

Individual words that came to mind included the likes of ad nauseum, alias , alibi, aqua vitae, bona fide, Carpe Diem, de facto, Invicta, ipso facto, mea culpa, subpoena, circa, audio, fac simile, versus and even et cetera. 

Of course they do not readily flow into a comprehensible sequence on their own and so I subsequently researched a few self contained sentences and have tried to commit them to memory for the next occasion of going to York. 

How about “Non torsii subligarium” which, and I place the source of this on trust, means don’t get your knickers in a twist , “Cibum amo”, I love food or to really impress any Geeks who happen to be around the City Walls, “Sit vis nobiscum” as in May the Force be with You.  

Can't wait....tempus donec non possum expectare* 

*Google Translate

Here is the educational bit....

Roman Grammar Lesson