“Metus improbos compescit, non clementia,” translated means, “Fear, not kindness, restrains the wicked.”
This is probably more appropriate for warding off demons than “E pluribus unum” (One from many).
Vlad, of course, didn’t suffer through the four years of Latin that I did. Actually, I didn’t suffer really. I actually enjoyed that class. My teacher, Mr. Kirkpatrick, was a language genius with a wealth of knowledge about Roman history. He was also one of the biggest supporters of my cartooning back when I was drawing Wabbit Hutch.
I won’t forget the diagnostic test I took at the end of my senior year. (I had a reputation of being a bit of a whiz at translating.) I flunked that test so bad, Mr. K was shocked that I was even able to translate! To this day I can’t decline a noun to save my sorry butt. However, I can pick through a translation just because I “get it” for some reason. I must have been a Roman in a past life.
One of the more exciting Latin things I was shown was a comic book that was the rage in Europe at the time (1970s – later cretaceous period). It was written in Latin because most people over there still understood it, as it was a required part ofschool curriculum, much like English is today… The cartoonist opted for the wider audience Latin provided. It didn’t hurt that the subject was Romans and Gauls etc… The comic was called Asterisk.
It is in the spirit of this cartoon that I have included Vlad’s unintelligible Latin incantations. While I could have made him a Latin whiz-bang, it was far funnier to make him ignorant. Sorry, Vlad. We love you anyway.
Enjoy this little bit-o “Roman” history.
Eat Cookies!
Tj
