Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem is a Latin passage and the official motto of the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The phrase is often loosely translated into English as "by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty". The literal translation, however, is "she seeks with the sword a quiet peace under liberty." The "she" in question is the state. The passage itself is an excerpt from a longer quotation "Manus haec inimica tyrannis ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem," which means "this hand, hostile to tyrants, seeks with the sword a quiet peace under liberty."

It was written c. 1659 by English soldier-statesman Algernon Sidney, an opponent of Charles II later executed for treason. The motto was first adopted by the Massachusetts General Court (i.e. the state legislature) and applied to the a temporary seal of Massachusetts in 1775. On December 13, 1780 the legislature approved its application to the current Great Seal of Massachusetts.

The motto evokes the values of a peace-loving people, but a people who value liberty more than peace.

See also

References

  • Crampton, William G. Webster's Concise Encyclopedia of Flags & Coats of Arms. Crescent Books: 1985. ISBN 0-517-49951-7.
  • Zieber, Eugene, Heraldry in America: The Civic Armorial Bearings of American States. Greenwich House: 1974.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem — /en se pe tit plah ki dahm soob lee berdd tah te kwee ay tem/; Eng. /en see pee tit plas i dam sub lib euhr tay tee kwuy ee tem/, Latin. by the sword she seeks quiet peace under liberty: motto of Massachusetts. * * * …   Universalium

  • ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem — /en se pe tit plah ki dahm soob lee berdd tah te kwee ay tem/; Eng. /en see pee tit plas i dam sub lib euhr tay tee kwuy ee tem/, Latin. by the sword she seeks quiet peace under liberty: motto of Massachusetts …   Useful english dictionary

  • ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem — foreign term Etymology: Latin with the sword she seeks calm repose under liberty ; by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty motto of Massachusetts …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Liste lateinischer Phrasen/E — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T U V Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eo ipso — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Errare humanum est — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Et tu, Brute — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Et tu, Brute! — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ex nihilo nihil fit — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Expressis verbis — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”