french to english

erin · Post by **erin** » 06 May 2003 04:28

what does "dieu et mon droit" and
"Honi soit qui mal y pense" mean? They are on a british WWI medal

didine · Post by **didine** » 06 May 2003 11:17

"Honi soit qui mal y pense" -> Evil unto him who evil thinks.

serenita · Post by **serenita** » 06 May 2003 12:56

"Dieu et mon droit": God and my right
"Honni soit qui mal y pense" was said to be pronounced by Henry VIII, after that something like the suspender of a lady dancing at a royal ball fell on the floor.While everybody was staring at her, he said that famous sentence and created afterwards an order named so: "L'ordre de la Jarretière" or "the order of the Garter"!

ka · Post by ka » 06 May 2003 22:56

In my version of the story, the king was not Henry VIII but Edward III.

According to tradition , the Order of the Garter was founded by King Edward III, who is said to have picked up a garter dropped by the Countess of Salisbury and tied it up around his own knee saying the famous sentence "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (shame on him who thinks evil of it).

Karine

serenita · Post by **serenita** » 06 May 2003 23:35

Sorry, it was in fact Edward III, who said that "honni etc..".

I'm quite obsessed by this Henry VIII, knowing all the strange things he's done...that one wasn't part of it (sorry Henry!And thanks Karine!

)