The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-05-24
VOL. XU.-NO. SO.
An Old World Prophecy, and its APP
plicatiOn.

plication.
A few weeks ago, we copied from the
Philadelphia Press curious specimen of
Monkish-Latin verses, said to have been
written centuries ago, and which seemed
marvelously applicable to cur own country
and time. The learned gentleman who
contributed the prophetic verses, accompa.
MED them with a translation and explana.
tory notes, which, taken together, exhibited
great ingenuity. The translation, however,
is made the subject of criticism by Geor-
gian, who, in its treatment, exhibits so fine
taste, and shows such skill, that we pub
lish it for the amusement of our literary
friends. 1t seems odd, though, as the writer
hints, to receive such missive from such a
source, at such time. That those of our
readers who may wish to test the accuracy
of the different renderings, can have con-
venient opportunity for doing so, we repub>
lsh the prophecy, with its translation and
notes, before giving the letter of our Georgia
correspondent:
PROPHECY. .. rr. l1 9
Antequam Tres Decemque Conjuncti
Trplicata sint parte perfuncti
Acquila, belli fulgure strata,
Decidet c9lo dedecOrata. s
Quum SeXaginta initus crit
Unusque locum ej US Occupaverit,
Stimuli fratres, fratrbus Succensi,
Multum tribuent mutu8 OtfenS8,
Sed 81 alba alba ct ngra manent,
CoDjunct terum, faustique clarent,
Quanda inter stellas CruX apparebit,
Tu lus iras inter eos videbit.
TRANSLATION.
Before *Thirteen United
Shall be thrice what they are,
The Eagle shall be blighted
BY the lightnings OF war. o..
When fSixty is ended
And One takes its place, --
Then brothers offended,
Shall deal mutual disgrace.
If twhite remains white, s 4
And black be still black,
Once more they'll unite, 1lfG a.
And bring happiness back.
But whenever the SCross
Stands alOft 'mong the stars
They shall gain by their loss,
And thus end all their wars,
This undoubtedly refers the thirteen original
States of America.
t This must mean when the year 1860 terminates and
tThe meaning of this may be. certainly ohite Is
sehite aud cert1inly back is black, once more
Union feeling will PREVAIL and consequent happiness
This most assuredly means. if the Banner of the
Banner Or in other words if the Of the people
Ehroti ni1od fhon and than On1U hav
become a united. victorious and happy people.
AUGUSTA, Ca, May 9th, 1861.
To the Editors of the Pioneer and Democrat:
In these times of war, when our hands
are mutually raised to strike the death
dealing blow at each other, you will proba-
bly, be surprised at receiving a cOmmunica.
tiOn from so GOd.forsaken a land as you
doubtless suppose this to be, written by a
red hot-secessiOnist, as proclaim myself to
be. The immediate cause of this cOmmu-
nication is the enclosed MOnkish. Latin
verses, clipped from your paper of April
%. l admire the ingenuity of the transla-
tion of the prophecy, but would have had
higher opinion of his candOr had he given
US a correct translation. Let us compare
the original verse by verse with the trans
latlOn, aIQ tneD aDnOtate
Antequam Tres Decemque Conjuncti
Trpllcata sint parte perfuncti,
Aqua, belli fulgure strata,
Decidet c9lO dedecOrata.
Which the translator thus renders
Before Thirteen United
Shall be thrice what they are,
The Eagle shall be blighted
By the lightnings of war.
With the rendering of the first two lines
| have no quarrel. But in the translation
of the second two the meaning of the origi.
nal is widely departed from. Any school
boy knows that they must literally be ren
dered thus: he eagle Ouerttrown-n0t
blighted-(strato) by the lightning of war,
will fall from heaven (dec.det eQlo) disgraced,
or infamous (dedecorata.)
OF the translation OF the second verse l
do not specially complain, though l would
rather render the last lne Multum tr,buent
mutue ofense, by "Shall inhict upon each
other many evils giving rise to bitter ha-
treds."
But mark the third verse, pregnant as it
is with the whole origin OF this unhappy
quarrel:
Sed 81 alba alba, ct nigra manent,
OnJunctl, lterum, 1ausilque clarent,
Quanda inter stellas Crux apparebit,
Nullus iras inter eos videbit.
Which is translated as follows:
If white remains white, aa
And black be still black, M
Once more they'll unite,
And bring happiness back.
- III. t-seaas q IS
But whenever the Cross slf s ha
Stands aloft 'mong the stars,
They shall gain by their loss,
And thus end all their wars.
The translator thiuks this means that
as sure as white is white and black is
black, union feeling will again prevail, and