SOME FAMOUS LATIN SAYINGS
ecce homo!
The words used by Pontius Pilate when Jesus appeared wearing the crown of thorns (John 19.5).
ego et meus rex
When writing to the kings of other countries Cardinal Wolsey started his letters with these words. This is the normal word order in Latin, so why did Henry VIII object to it?
non Angli, sed Angeli
Pope Gregory the Great is said to have used these words to describe the fair-haired English captives (Angles) who were being sold as slaves in Rome.
possunt quod posse videntur
These words from the Roman poet Virgil are used as the motto of Worcester College of the Blind,
non possumus
This was how Pope Clement replied to Henry VIII’s petition to be allowed to divorce Catherine of Aragon. The phrase is now used to mean "a refusal".
quod potui, feci
A family motto.