To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 09:24:12 -0500
Subject: [WSFA] Re: honi soit qui mal y pense
From: ronkean at juno.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

> I believe that the motto of the
>  > British Order of the Garter -- that nation's highest honor --
>  > translates as "Evil to he who thinks evil."
>
> It's 'Honi soit qui mal y pense', which I think more literally
> translates as 'ashamed be (he) who thinks ill thereof'.

>
> Wrong." Evil to those who think evil thereof."
>

I have a 1902 American Alamac which translates it as 'evil be to him who
evil thinks', and a small French-English dictionary about 100 years old
which does not have a listing for the word 'honi', but which does
helpfully offer a translation of the motto, as 'evil be to him who evil
thinks', just the same as the Almanac, so there is plenty of support for
your translation.

Apparently the word 'honi' no longer exists in French, or at least it is
not listed in small dictionaries, nor have I been able to find it defined
on the more popular internet translators.  The motto dates from 1344.  I
was thinking that 'honi' may have meant 'ashamed', because there is a
word in modern French dictionaries, 'honte', which means 'shame' or
'disgrace'.

Ron Kean

.

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