# Velis me sequi



## Patricius Arbiter

Salvete omnes. I am new to this forum, so I hope that this is a proper query. Although I read Classics at university many years ago, my Latin is extremely rusty nowadays and I would appreciate any advice that you could give me with regard to the translation of a short tag.

I am editing a short story in the horror genre, which includes the motto 'Be prepared to follow me'. The context is, basically, that a sequence of people have been compelled to kill themselves in a noble and altruistic spirit in order to prevent an unspeakable evil from becoming reincarnate in the world. 

Since 'be prepared' in this context means 'be willing', the best I have come up with is 'velis me sequi', i.e. 'may you be willing to follow me'. I initially considered using the verb 'paro' (paratus es/esto? parare?) but I think that this would mean something more like 'be properly equipped', i.e. make sure you the means of suicide close at hand. 

Does my translation work, or can anyone suggest better? Gratias vobis ago.


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## Patricius Arbiter

One concern I had with 'velis me sequi' was that it might mean 'may you be willing for me to follow', based on the standard accusative and infinitive construction. I don't mind too much if this is another possible meaning, so long as 'may you be willing to follow me' works as well. But if I could avoid ambiguity by using 'ut' plus the subjunctive, that might be better: can 'volo' be followed by such a construction? I suppose it would be 'velis ut sequaris' or, in the plural, 'velitis ut sequamini'.


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## Grugno

May I suggest the phrase "Esto paratus me sequi" ? It is based on two very similar Gospel's sentences which are _Et vos estote parati quia qua nescitis hora, Filius hominis venturus est (Mt 24, 44) _and _Et vos estote parati, quia qua hora non putatis, Filius hominis venit (Lc 12, 40). _Moreover this is Scout's motto, used by Baden Powell - if I correctly understand - not to say that scouts should be physically or technically prepared (or at least not only), but that they should be prepared especially in a moral way (to be ready, available to go wherever in the world). It would be interesting to use it a completely different context like yours. It's just an opinion, bye...


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## Scholiast

salvete! And welcome, Patricius - who has not forgotten his Classics as much as he fears, for his instinctive rejection of _paratus es_ is entirely right and for the right reason.

_velis me sequi_ is indeed grammatical for "May you be willing/please be willing to follow me" (and of course the plural _velitis_ likewise). But any form of _velle_ with _ut_ and subjunctive would be distinctly odd, if not a howler.

One alternative to throw in for consideration would be to use an adverb(-ial clause) or a participle with the subjunctive of _sequor_:

_libenter me sequamini_, or _volentes me sequamini_ could work, as could _bonis animis me sequamini.
_
I look forward to seeing other suggestions.


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## Patricius Arbiter

I foolishly sold my Greek and Latin lexicons after completing my degree more than twenty years ago, and I do not know which online sources can to be trusted (although I confess that I have not yet read through the resources thread on this forum). So it is good to know that about 'volo'. 

Grugno, I would not normally consider biblical Latin a good model to follow, to be honest, but that is an interesting suggestion.

Scholiast, on reflection, I think that the alternatives you have suggested are slightly long-winded for my purposes; I need something lapidary that could appear on a coat of arms, for instance. So I think I will stick with 'velis me sequi' since it is not ungrammatical.

Thank you both very much for your help.


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## Grugno

A new idea! Why don't "Me secuturus es!", meaning in this way something like "You are going to follow me / you are destinated to follow me" ?


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## Patricius Arbiter

That is a quite different sense. If the person being addressed were destined to follow, surely the exhortation would be redundant?


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## Scholiast

salvete iterum!


> I foolishly sold my Greek and Latin lexicons...


 vae tibi!


> I do not know which online sources can to be trusted


For either Latin or Greek, Perseus is absolutely fine and (cross-gendered) a regular handmaiden of mine and many others'. It gives both L&Ss, incidentally, complete.

To go back to the original enquiry, with the restriction that the phrase should be able to figure in an epigrammatic motto, why then not simply _me sequamini_? In this kind of context it can be a "polite" imperative (one preceded by "please"). Those who then comply or follow the bidding obviously do so willingly. _sequimini_ is the imperative, but would need adverbial toning for politesse.

Σ


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## Patricius Arbiter

Thank you for that recommendation, Scholiast; I shall bookmark it forthwith. It's not often that I have recourse to my Latin, still less my Greek, but it is good to know where to turn when occasion demands.


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