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De mortuis nil nisi bonum

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139: 344: 322: 402: 301:, after the main character has spoken ill of his recently deceased boss, his wife tells him "Nil nisi bonum", then explaining to her bamboozled husband that it comes from the classic cartoon "Bambi". It might be used to suggest the confusion of cultural references in this story's world set in approximately 2075. 22: 138: 263:, McNally the narrator uses the phrase when a married with a step-daughter playboy George is found murdered. George's reputation was well known in West palm beach Florida and many including his wife would've argued that he got what he deserved. 356:(1915), Sigmund Freud denounced the cultural stupidity that was the First World War (1914–18); yet, in the essay "Our Attitude Towards Death", recognised the humanity of the participants, and the respect owed them in the mortuary phrase 225:, the phrase is used by the narrator after describing individuals "with nothing to lose anyway, men who had fallen into disfavor one way or another, who knew they had received their last invitation" to the Meadows. 176:
as a proverb "founded in humbug" that only need be followed in public and is unable to bring himself to adopt "the namby-pamby every-day decency of speaking well of one of whom he had ever thought ill."
274:, when the hero, Stevenson, confronts the plot mastermind, Ormsby, and consequently Ormby realises that his game is up and his only way out is suicide, quoting the phrase. 386:; two men, a clergyman and a soldier, Colonel Brighton, are observing a bust of the dead "Lawrence of Arabia", and commune in silent mourning. The clergyman asks: "Well, 126:, in the 4th century AD. The Latin version of the Greek mortuary phrase dates from the translation of the book by Diogenes Laërtius, by the humanist monk 312:, after the demise of his friend/project, EPICAC, the supercomputer, the protagonist states the phrase in a memoir of someone who has done great for him. 288:, after an unwitting cuckold is accidentally informed of his wife's infidelities, he plans an opportunistic revenge; the titular phrase, 118: 95:
function as the English aphorisms: "Speak no ill of the dead," "Of the dead, speak no evil," and "Do not speak ill of the dead."
479:), which may be translated into: "After the death, say 'they were holy'". The expression is formed by names of three consecutive 80:
indicating that it is socially inappropriate for the living to speak ill of the dead who cannot defend or justify themselves.
558: 242:, Father Handy thinks of the phrase in reference to millions of people killed by nerve gas. He then subverts the phrase to 212:, and then some," in response to the fact that no one they've met has had anything positive to say about the murder victim. 426: 285: 162: 600: 456:, when he says: "The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones..." 374: 392:. But did he really deserve . . . a place in here?" Colonel Brighton's reply is a pregnant silence. 383: 553:. Translated by Stephen Mulrine. London: Nick Hern Books Ltd. pp. Introduction, p. xvii. 343: 548: 200: 103: 480: 442: 334:, the mortuary phrase is the penultimate line of the eighth, and final, stanza of the poem. 321: 305: 217: 123: 8: 574: 516: 447: 331: 127: 106:, the aphoristic recommendation about not speaking ill of the dead was first recorded in 421: 578: 554: 205: 431:("About taste there is no disputing"), which results in the mixed mortuary opinion: 256: 167: 99: 189:, after destroying the villain, Andrew Lumley, the hero, Sir Edward Leithen, says 181: 107: 520: 48: 605: 379: 298: 235: 465:
Other languages have expressions that have a similar meaning. For example, in
594: 544: 522:
Laertii Diogenis vitae et sententiae eorvm qvi in philosophia probati fvervnt
417: 309: 260: 239: 222: 401: 57: 60: 54: 488: 412: 271: 186: 499:, and has been taken to mean that one should not speak ill of the dead. 195:, an abbreviated version of the phrase, in reference to the dead Lumley. 170:, after the sudden death of the Bishop's wife, the Archdeacon describes 91:, "Of the dead, nothing but good."; whereas free translations from the 63: 51: 248:
in blaming them for complacently voting in the politicians responsible.
45: 484: 230: 525:(in Latin). Venice: Impressum Venetiis per Nicolaum Ienson gallicum 492: 450:, Mark Antony uses what is possibly a perverted form of the phrase 77: 21: 420:, a character mangles the mortuary phrase, conflating it with the 116:("Of the dead do not speak ill."), in chapter 70 of Book 1 of the 466: 83:
The full Latin sentence usually is abbreviated into the phrase
68:, "Of the dead nothing but good is to be said." — abbreviated 111: 92: 26: 496: 325:
The bush poet and balladeer Adam Lindsay Gordon, Melbourne.
330:
In "Sunlight on the Sea" (The Philosophy of a Feast), by
378:(1962), the phrase is cautiously used at the funeral of 437:("Let nothing be said of taste, but what is good"). 592: 143:The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers 470: 294:, implies the murderous ending of the story. 451: 432: 424: 387: 357: 289: 243: 190: 171: 85: 70: 43: 515: 119:Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers 400: 342: 320: 137: 20: 573: 543: 354:Thoughts for the Times on War and Death 31:— "Of the dead man do not speak ill". ( 593: 297:In "What the Dead Men Say" (1964), by 460: 519:(1432). Benedictus Brognolus (ed.). 471: 25:Chilon of Sparta coined the phrase 13: 14: 617: 278: 434:De gustibus aut bene, aut nihil 427:De gustibus non est disputandum 567: 537: 509: 1: 502: 405:The playwright Anton Chekhov. 338: 145:, by Diogenes Laërtius (1594) 87:(De) Mortuis nihil nisi bonum 32: 163:The Last Chronicle of Barset 7: 284:In "De Mortuis" (1942), by 245:"de mortuis nil nisi malum" 149: 113:τὸν τεθνηκóτα μὴ κακολογεῖν 28:τὸν τεθνηκóτα μὴ κακολογεῖν 10: 622: 396: 372:In the war–adventure film 208:, Lord Peter Wimsey says " 112: 27: 453:De mortuis nil nisi bonum 366: 316: 154: 133: 359:De mortuis nil nisi bene 477:Aḥare mot k'doshim emor 452: 433: 425: 406: 388: 358: 348: 326: 290: 244: 191: 172: 146: 86: 71: 44: 39: 404: 346: 324: 192:"De mortuis & c." 141: 104:Seven Sages of Greece 102:, who was one of the 24: 575:Shakespeare, William 517:Traversari, Ambrogio 472:אחרי מות קדושים אמור 448:William Shakespeare 384:St Paul's Cathedral 332:Adam Lindsay Gordon 128:Ambrogio Traversari 461:In other languages 407: 375:Lawrence of Arabia 349: 327: 201:Busman's Honeymoon 147: 42:The Latin phrase 40: 560:978-1-85459-193-7 253:McNally's Dilemma 206:Dorothy L. Sayers 124:Diogenes Laërtius 613: 601:Latin quotations 585: 584: 571: 565: 564: 541: 535: 534: 532: 530: 513: 474: 473: 469:, one might use 455: 436: 430: 391: 382:, officiated at 361: 293: 257:Lawrence Sanders 247: 194: 175: 168:Anthony Trollope 115: 114: 100:Chilon of Sparta 89: 76:— is a mortuary 74: 67: 37: 34: 30: 29: 621: 620: 616: 615: 614: 612: 611: 610: 591: 590: 589: 588: 572: 568: 561: 542: 538: 528: 526: 514: 510: 505: 463: 399: 369: 341: 319: 281: 182:The Power-House 157: 152: 136: 108:Classical Greek 35: 17: 12: 11: 5: 619: 609: 608: 603: 587: 586: 566: 559: 545:Chekhov, Anton 536: 507: 506: 504: 501: 462: 459: 458: 457: 438: 398: 395: 394: 393: 389:nil nisi bonum 380:T. E. Lawrence 368: 365: 364: 363: 340: 337: 336: 335: 318: 315: 314: 313: 302: 299:Philip K. Dick 295: 280: 277: 276: 275: 264: 249: 236:Philip K. Dick 226: 213: 196: 177: 156: 153: 151: 148: 135: 132: 98:Attributed to 72:Nil nisi bonum 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 618: 607: 604: 602: 599: 598: 596: 582: 581: 580:Julius Caesar 576: 570: 562: 556: 552: 551: 546: 540: 524: 523: 518: 512: 508: 500: 498: 494: 490: 486: 482: 478: 468: 454: 449: 445: 444: 443:Julius Caesar 439: 435: 429: 428: 423: 419: 418:Anton Chekhov 415: 414: 409: 408: 403: 390: 385: 381: 377: 376: 371: 370: 360: 355: 351: 350: 347:Sigmund Freud 345: 333: 329: 328: 323: 311: 310:Kurt Vonnegut 307: 303: 300: 296: 292: 287: 283: 282: 279:Short stories 273: 269: 265: 262: 261:Vincent Lardo 258: 254: 250: 246: 241: 240:Roger Zelazny 237: 233: 232: 227: 224: 223:Kurt Vonnegut 220: 219: 214: 211: 207: 203: 202: 197: 193: 188: 184: 183: 178: 174: 169: 165: 164: 159: 158: 144: 140: 131: 129: 125: 121: 120: 109: 105: 101: 96: 94: 90: 88: 81: 79: 75: 73: 66: 65: 62: 59: 56: 53: 50: 47: 36: 600 BC 23: 19: 579: 569: 549: 539: 527:. Retrieved 521: 511: 476: 464: 441: 411: 373: 353: 286:John Collier 267: 252: 229: 218:Player Piano 216: 209: 199: 180: 161: 142: 117: 97: 84: 82: 69: 41: 18: 16:Latin phrase 550:The Seagull 489:Acharei Mot 416:(1896), by 413:The Seagull 272:Nevil Shute 268:Lonely Road 234:(1976), by 221:(1952), by 204:(1937), by 187:John Buchan 185:(1916), by 166:(1867), by 595:Categories 503:References 446:(1599) by 339:Philosophy 291:de mortuis 270:(1932) by 255:(1999) by 210:De mortuis 173:De mortuis 485:Leviticus 231:Deus Irae 130:in 1443. 547:(1997). 493:Kedoshim 150:Literary 78:aphorism 61:dicendum 397:Theatre 49:mortuis 557:  529:12 May 481:sedras 467:Hebrew 367:Cinema 317:Poetry 308:", by 306:EPICAC 155:Novels 134:Usages 110:, as: 606:Death 422:maxim 122:, by 93:Latin 58:bonum 555:ISBN 531:2013 497:Emor 495:and 304:In " 259:and 238:and 55:nisi 483:in 440:In 410:In 352:In 266:In 251:In 228:In 215:In 198:In 179:In 160:In 64:est 52:nil 597:: 577:. 491:, 487:: 46:De 33:c. 583:. 563:. 533:. 475:( 362:. 38:)

Index


De
mortuis
nil
nisi
bonum
dicendum
est
aphorism
Latin
Chilon of Sparta
Seven Sages of Greece
Classical Greek
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Diogenes Laërtius
Ambrogio Traversari

The Last Chronicle of Barset
Anthony Trollope
The Power-House
John Buchan
Busman's Honeymoon
Dorothy L. Sayers
Player Piano
Kurt Vonnegut
Deus Irae
Philip K. Dick
Roger Zelazny
Lawrence Sanders
Vincent Lardo

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