Having looked at the sites given, I have discovered nothing that tells me why the motto of Maryland, rather than the legend, is written in Italian rather than in, say, Latin. Does anyone known why, please?

McGruff

'Fatti Maschii, Parole Femini (Manly Deeds, Womanly Words),' this is a modification of the Italian I fatti son maschi e le parole son femini (Deeds are masculine, words are feminine). http://www.worldtourist.com/na/us/md/aboutmd.htm In 1622 when this Italian motto was added to the Calvert family coat of arms, its English translation was in common use, and was most generally expressed as 'Deeds are Men, Words are Women.' We can never know for certain what was in the mind of George Calvert in 1622 when he chose the Italian motto Fatti Maschii Parole Femine. How many of us have difficulty even comprehending what is in the mind of our parents, or in the minds our children today? We can, however, speculate on the basis of the surviving evidence that George Calvert may have been influenced by the scholarly minority that was striving to change the popular meaning of the phrase. George Calvert was a much maligned but thoroughly dedicated diplomat in the service of King James I who prided himself on the use of words to calm the stormy world of court politics and international intrigue on behalf of his sovereign. He seems to have first chosen the saying Fatti Maschii Parole Femine in 1622 when it is first found penned into the margin of the document granting him the right to use such heraldic symbols as the familiar black and gold shield. It next appears closely linked to Calvert's colonial ventures in Newfoundland and Maryland. http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/bulldog/bull93/html/bull93.html Jun 08 02, 11:35 AM

Challengegirl

THank you McG! It was such an interesting motto to have in Maryland, I thought. Jun 08 02, 11:47 AM