Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2014 September 19

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September 19

Latin caption of a 1669 engraving of Edward Coke

1669 engraving of Sir Edward Coke

The Latin caption of the engraving states: "Vera Effigies Viri Clariss EDOARDI COKE Equitis aurati nuper Capitalis Iusticiarij ad Placita coram Rege tenenda assignati". I translated it into English as: "True portrait from life of the illustrious EDWARD COKE, knight, recently Chief Justice assigned to hold pleas before the King". Did I get it right? Sir Edward Coke was Chief Justice of the Common Pleas between 1606 and 1613, and then Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1613 to 1616. — SMUconlaw (talk) 16:48, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Nearly. "Tenenda" is gerundive, not gerund, and agrees with "placita". "Recently appointed Chief Justice for Pleas to be held before the King". --ColinFine (talk) 22:59, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

On a legal point, the coram rege is the Court of King's Bench rather than the Court of Common Pleas (de banco). Coke held both offices, and the caption refers specifically to his appointment to the King's Bench. I would recommend making this explicit in the translation - "recently appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench". Tevildo (talk) 08:35, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

Thanks very much! — SMUconlaw (talk) 14:02, 20 September 2014 (UTC)