Use And Misuse Of Latin.

USE AND MISUSE OF LATIN .

PERHAPS one of the saddest instances of delusion , caused by the misinterpretation of a Latin phrase , is contained in the following storv :

About the time of the Reformation , a " religieux " was interred in the church of St . Hilary , at Poictiers , the epitaph on his tomb commencing with the words " Vermibus hie ponor , " implying that he was there for the good of the worms . Bufc the Poicfcevins , imagining that the word-s denoted a specific for a complaint common in children , sciaped the tomb , and the powder thus

obtained was supplied to the infantile community in consequence . Spain once held both sides of the Mediterranean at the Straits of Gibraltar . So highly did she value her possessions that sho stamped on her coin the two pillars of Hercules ( as the promontories of rock were called ); and on the scroll thrown over these

were the words , " Ne plus ultra , " —( No more beyond ) . But one day a bold spirit sailed far beyond these pillars , and discovered a new world of beauty . Then Spain , wisely convinced of ignorance , altered the form of the legend by striking out the word " ne " from

the coin , and leaving " plus ultra , "—( more beyond ) . Dr . Isaac Barrow , tho clover preacher and learned author of that witty sermon " Against Foolish Talking and Jesting , " was the son of Charles I ' s linendraper , but having a predilection

for the church devoted his studies in that direction . When he presented himself for ordination , the examining chaplain proceeded to question him : " Quid est fides ? " ( What is faith ?) , Barrow instantly replied , " Quod non vides , " ( What you don't see ) . " Quid est sties ? " ( What is hope ? ) interrogated the chaplain .

" Magna res" ( A great thing ) , replied Barrow . " Quid est charitas ? ( What is charity ?) " Magna raritas " ( A great rarity ) , answered the candidate . When tho examining chaplain went into the Bishop ' s room , he

reported to the Archbishop of Canterbury that he had had a youth before him who returned rhyming rejoinders in Latin to all his questions . The prelate , who knew tho worth of the youth , replied , " Ask him no more questions . He is better qualified to examine us than we him . He shall have his letters of orders . "

Bridgman , Bishop of Chester ( 1619-52 ) introduced a pretty conceit in the decoration of his house , which had formerly belonged to the families * of Lever and Ashton . This edifice Bridgman restored and beautified , and he placed a painted window in the great hall which served for both history and sermon . There was

the coat of arms of the Levers , with an inscription by the Bishop , " Olim " ( formerly ) . Under tho shield of the Ashtons was the work " Heri" ( yesterday ); then came the Bishop's arms with the motto " Hodv" ( to-day ); and next to this a blank shield , beneath which was to be read , " Cras nescio cujus" ( to-morrow , I know not 1

wnose . In the reign of King William tho Third , it happened that tho king had either chosen , or actually taken , th ' s motto for his statecoach in Ireland : — Non rapui , sed recepi ;

( I did not steal , but I received ) alluding to his being called to the throne by the people , and to clear himself from the imputation of violence . This was industriously reported to Swift by one of his court emissaries : " And what , " said

he to the Dean , " do you think the Prince of Orange has chosen for his state-motto on his coach ? " " Dutch cheese , " said the Dean , with a reluctant smile . "No , " replied the gentleman , but " Non rapui sed recipi . " " Ay , " retorted Swift , " but there is on old saying and a true one , * The receiver is as bad as the thief . ' " George I . having given a handsome sum towards repairing the

Use And Misuse Of Latin.

Coventry Town Hall , it was observed that tho inscription over the centre doorway read " Anno Domini . " The Corporation , considering the fact that Queen Anne had been dead for some time , suggested an alteration which was unanimously adopted , viz ., tc replace it by " Georgio Domini , " which was considered to be more appropriate .

Richard Shiel was riding in a London omnibus which was very crowded . A friend remarking to him the inconvenience of a crowded omnibus , he answered " Omnibus hoc vitium est" ( to all this is a vice ) . Dr . William Maginn , once bantering Miss Martineau on her

" preventive check , " said , " Between you and me , Harriett , your philosophy is all in my eye Betty Martin oh I " A tobacconist who had retired from business , wishing to set up his carriage , applied to a learned friend for a suitable motto for his coat of arms , and was furnished with the words , " Quid rides . "

Nihil , the celebrated London tailor , was on a like occasion supplied with the motto , " Ex Nihilo nihil fit" ( out of nothing , nothing is made ) . Tbe above stories remind me of an incident in the life of Sydney

Smith . A lady once asked the Rev . gentleman to supply her with a motto for her dog " Spot , " which was not the most exemplary of canine pets . Smith ' s immediate answer was , " Out damned Spot t "

At a card party one evening , the game went so provokingly against one of the company that he lost patience , and said , " Were it not that ladies are present , I should be tempted to uso some very strong epitaphs . " This sally provoked a burst of laughter at his expense , and ho good humouredly rejoined , "I know very well

what you are laughing at ; it was only a penmn liugure . I should havo said epiteth . " In spite of himself he could not get epithet , and in trying to express his meaning ho had jumbled the two terms " lapsus pennse , " and " lapsus linguie . "

Mr . Chute , a friend of Walpole , in passing the door of Mrs . Edwards , a lady who had been addicted to drams , and whose death was supposed to havo been caused thereby , saw the motto which the undertakers had placed to her escutcheon , " Mors janua vitae , " he said it ought to have been " Mors aqua vita . "

The rector of a certain parish going to law with his parishoners about paving the church , quoted this authority from St . Peter , " Paveant illi , non paveam ego , " which he construed , " They are to pave the church , not I . " This was allowed to be good law by the judge , himself an ecclesiastic .

Two rival shoemakers , who lived directly opposite each other in one of the streets near the west end of London , carried on a very keen war of advertisements and placards in their windows , till at last one of them , who had a son at college , became provided with XT - ^ --li . 1 TIT ~ / "I—— *~ T » Ll tl /_ •_ J •*•_ . ¦» it > iv the motto Conscia Recti mind conscious of ri with

.... _ , " Mens " ( a ght ) , which he immediately adorned his doorway . The rival bootmaker , who imagined that the advertisement meant something special in tho line of business , was not to be outdone . Next day , accordingly , he got his doorway ornamented with the following improved reading of the apothegm , " Men's and Women's Conscia Recti . "

" Book of Rarities , " by Edward Roberts , P . M .

We are requested to state that the weekly meetings of the Westbourne Lodge of Instruction , No . 733 , afc fche Prince Alfred Hotel , 112 Queens Eoad , Bayswater , are suspended for the summer season till fche third Wednesday in September .

Next Week.

NEXT WEEK .

Monday . 4 Royal Somerset House and Inverness , Freemasons-hall 183 Unity , Ship and Turtle 1615 Bayard , 33 Golden Square 1632 Stuart , Surrey Masonic Hall 1745 Farringdon Without , Viaduct Hotel 1823 Shepherd's Bush , Bush Hotel , W .

43 St . Paul , Birmingham 48 Industry , Gateshead 148 Lights , Warrington 353 Eoyal Sussex , Winshill 1218 Prince Alfred , Ashton-under-Lyne 1258 Kennard , Pontypool

lcWo Stanley , Liverpool 1688 Buxton , Buxton 1752 Ogmore , Bridgend 1753 Obedience , Okehampton 1991 Agricola , York 2068 Portsmouth Temperance , Landport 2229 Lathom , Southport

2257 Powell , Bristol 2309 George Gardner , Eton 2363 Minnehaha Minstrel , Manchester 2429 Eesearch , Leicester

Tuesday . 310 Union , Carlisle 335 Rectitude , Corsham 357 Apollo University , Oxford

Next Week.

1358 Torbay , Paignton-1479 Halsey , St . Albans 1636 St . Cecilia , Brighton 1650 Rose of Eaby , Staindrop 1779 Ivanhoe , Sheffield 1942 Minerva , Fenton

Wednesday . 76 Economy , Winchester 163 Integrity , Manchester 304 Philanthropic , Leeds

1219 Strangeways , Manchester 1283 Rybum , Sowerby Bridge 1714 Albert Edward , York Town , Surrey 1775 Leopold , Church , Nr . Accrington 1989 Stirling , Cleator Moor 2064 Smith Child , Tunstall 2186 Striguil , Chepstow

Thursday . 39 St . John tho Baptist , Exeter 111 Eestoration , Darlington 129 Union , Kendal 1313 Fermor , Southport 1322 Waverley , Ashton-under-Lvno

1492 Alma Mater , Cambridge 1519 Albert Edward , Clayton-le-Moors 1578 Merlin , Pontypridd 1884 Chine , Shanklin 1957 Grove , Hazel Grove 2269 Peace , Wigan 2418 Hedworth , S . Shields

Next Week.

Friday . 1275 Star , Greenwich 1489 Marquess of Ripon , Highbury 44 Friendship , Manchester 242 St . George , Doncaster

291 Rural Philanthropic , Highbridgo 1230 Barnard , Barnard Castle 1375 Architect , Chorlton-cum-Hardy 1561 Morecambe , Morecambe 1648 Prince of Wales , Bradford 1664 Gosforth , Gosforth 1754 Windsor , Penarth 1838 Tudor Lodge of Rifle Volunteers , Wolverhampton

1993 Wolseley , Manchester 2433 Minerva , Birkenhead 2491 Whito Rose of York , Sheffield

Saturday . 1622 Rose , Surrey Masonic Hall 1223 Amherst , Riverhead 1362 Royal Albert Edward , Redhill 1453 Truth , Manchester 1550 Prudence . Plymouth

1567 Elliot , Feltham 1929 Mozart , Croydon 2054 Wilson lies , Eickmansworth 2148 Walsingham , Wilmington 2205 Pegasus , Gravesend , 2331 Eavenscroft , Barnet 2442 St . Clement , Leigh 2473 Molesey , E . Molesey