Friday, January 30, 2009

Nec nominetur

While reading Ephesians v at Matins to-day, I came across the words Fornicatio autem, et omnis immunditia, aut avaritia nec nominetur in vobis, sicut decet sanctos: aut turpitudo, aut stultiloquium, aut scurrilitas, quæ ad rem non pertinet; sed magis gratiarum actio.  I smiled as I read the words nec nominetur, since I know a very senior religious (one of the patres graviores) who uses this very phrase whenever a brother mentions something indecorous: Nec nominetur, frater, let it not be so much as named!  Of course, hearing this, friends and myself came up with a whole series of frivolous jussive subjunctives: Nec audetur, let it not be heard; Nec videtur, let it not be seen; Nec manducetur, let it not be eaten!

It reminds me of that other classic phrase that religious like to quote: Solus cum sola non præsumitur recitare Rosarium!

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