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veritas



Looking for the original Latin of the quotation that has appeared
on this list from time to time, I found it:

 Forte est vinu.
 Fortior est rex.
 Fortiores sunt Mulieres:
 sup om vincit veritas

This appears to be a slight abbreviation of phrases from the Vulgate
text of 1 Esdras:

 Fortius est vinum.
 Fortior est rex.
 Fortiores sunt mulieres,
 super omnia autem vincit veritas.

These phrases occur in the story in 1 Esdras in which King Darius awards
Zerubabbel rights to rebuild the Temple for his part in a philosophical
debate.  In English they become:

 Wine is strong,
 the king is stronger,
 women are strongest,
 but truth conquers all.

Apparently this saying is popular among Masons.  It is also used by
some in another Craft; merry meet and merry part.

One place I found the Latin was in
 http://www.geocities.com/guide2freemasonry/Home/STONEM_1/ROSSLYN/body_rosslyn.HTM

This is an interesting site with many pictures of carvings at Rosslyn.
The accompanying interpretational text is rather idiosyncratic, for
example in its interpretation of the vine, but the pictures are worth
a visit.

Here's another one:
 http://www.mascot-finearts.co.uk/Roslin%20Chapel%20_page_2.htm

It reliably crashes my Netscape, but works with Opera.
It has a painting rendering the carving of Gluttony
from Rosslyn Chapel.

John S. Quarterman <jsq@quarterman.org>
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