Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Apology in Latin


A century ago, this was the Pembina River at Pembina...

- From a postcard, posted on October 18, 1908, which read on the other side:
Ethel -

Verite, dabo consensum. Mea culpa erit. Omnia bona bonis! Pax vobiscum.

Lovingly,
Mae H.
It was addressed to a Miss Ethel Benson, Goheen Hall, Hamline University, Hamline, Minn.

Roughly (very roughly) translated, it means "Truthfulness , blot out agreement. My fault will be. Omnia good qualities bavis! Peace unto you." I'm guessing Mae was apologizing to Ethel, one student to another, in a very collegiate manner.

Please feel free, anyone, to correct my Latin translation! I give you the handwriting below, which may or may not be correct Latin. Who knows, maybe Mae didn't spell it right in the first place. But anyone knowing Latin well might be able to figure it out despite that...

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