Phrasing for a PR Person's Present Pen

June 15, 2009 12:14 PM

Latin Filter: As a present for someone in a PR-related field, I wanted to inscribe a variation of what Louis XIV would have inscribed in his cannons - "The Last Argument of Kings", implying that the pen is her weapon. What would you replace the word "last" with? Bonus points for helping out with the Latin.

I have a friend who works in a PR-related field in the military. Needless to say, while she does love the work, it does not pay so well. Her job is soon coming to an end and I would love to get her something to show my appreciation for working with her. I was originally going to go with a pen with the cliched "The Pen is Mightier..." but then came across the Louis XIV "The Last Argument of Kings" and realized that switching with word "last" with something else (first? civil? optimal?) could make for a clever, thoughtful present.

I would like to get the quote inscribed in Latin, so if you have a killer suggestion and know how to say the entire phrase in Latin, I will send you wave upon wave of good karma for the duration of the week.

posted by eytanb to writing & language (11 comments total)

Maybe turn it on its head: The First Argument of Revolutionaries?

Perhaps a paraphrase of Mao: "Truth flows from the barrel of a pen." It is not without precedent.
posted by jedicus at 12:41 PM on June 15

How about 'best'? I think that would be optume ratio regum, but it's been a very long time since I had to do any latin.
posted by IanMorr at 12:41 PM on June 15

'optima'
posted by grobstein at 1:25 PM on June 15

I would have gone with "argumentum ultimum regum," though that is more difficult to parse since the endings for the subject ("argumentum") and adjective ("ultimum") are the same as the ending for the genitive "of kings" ("regum"). I don't know a better way to say it, though.
posted by voltairemodern at 3:24 PM on June 15

(vm, the historical quotation is 'ultima ratio regum')
posted by grobstein at 4:01 PM on June 15

'Truth flows from the barrel of a pen' is 'Veritas fluit ex stilo'.
posted by kldickson at 4:15 PM on June 15

Also, why Latin? Why not Greek?
posted by kldickson at 4:16 PM on June 15

There's actually some good grim wit in kldickson's example, as a stilus can be either a writing utensil or a stake put into ditches in order to slow down enemy soldiers.

The pendant's objection would be, however, that a stilus was not like a pen; no ink actually flowed from it- rather, it was a solid thing used to inscribe wax tablets. Sort of like hornbooks, or chalkboards. Which could make the whole thing of truth written on something so impermanent another nice bit of grim humor.

You might be able to push it through with stilus' more abstract sense of composition, though "fluit" is most commonly used with liquid or secondarily with speech rather than writing. A bit more abstract might be "Emanat", to emanate from, so, maybe "Vertitas ex stilo emanat".
posted by IndigoJones at 5:20 PM on June 15

"Veritas Ex Stilo Emanat", I mean
posted by IndigoJones at 5:22 PM on June 15

Oh, Grobstein's right, I hadn't seen the original before. Ultima ratio regum it is.
posted by voltairemodern at 10:36 PM on June 15

Best answer is two answers? I feel - without closure.
posted by IndigoJones at 12:05 PM on June 16