12:13 Aug 15, 2008 |
Latin to English translations [PRO] Law (general) | |||||||
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| Selected response from: Stephen C. Farrand United States Local time: 09:48 | ||||||
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He who pursues Lady Justice Explanation: Have you tried Google? There is some discussion as to exactly how to translate this maxim related to the administration of justice. |
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Who pursues justice for a mistress Explanation: 'Iustitia' (the classical spelling; j for consonantal i is Mediaeval) is pretty certainly a typo for acc. 'iustitiam', otherwise the whole is gibberish. The preposition 'pro' sometimes has the force of a comparative particle, meaning 'for, as, the same as, just as'. Cf., e.g., Plautus, Stichus, 3.1.65: sese ducit pro adulescentulo; Cicero, ad Atticum, 2.5.1: Cato ille noster qui mihi unus est pro centum milibus; Pliny, Epistulae, 1.12.3: summa ratio, quae sapientibus pro necessitate est. For other examples of this nuance, see Lewis & Short and the Oxford Latin Dictionary s.v. pro. |
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He who takes legal action on behalf of Lady Justice. Explanation: I think what the Department of Justice web site has to say about this is completely clear (see http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm), although people do advance different interpretations with more or less grammatical rigor. There's a well-attested use of the expression before Queen Elizabeth I. Domina and iustitia (the j is a Late Latin/Medieval spelling) are both ablative after pro. I suspect, however, that the expression is not classical without lis as a direct object of sequor. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 8 hrs (2008-08-15 20:57:34 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Before here = 'in the presence of', not 'earlier than'. Reference: http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ls/dojseal.htm |
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Qui pro domina justitia sequitur Explanation: "He who prosecutes on behalf/in the name of Lady Justice" |
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