On a Courthouse in Sydney are written these words- 'Altra regin quam pura nites'.

I am guessing that 'regin' is something to do with the Queen, but the rest of it has me stumped.

Edited to correct spelling.

Tabby Tom will know.

An online translator came up with...

as soon as possible.
just as.
(adv. and conj.) how, than, as ... as possible.
(fem. sing. acc.) (the church), WHICH the Lord loved.
as many as possible.
wherefore? why? for which reason.
differently from, otherwise than.
as ... as possible.

Yes, 'quam' was the only word I could recognise in the whole thing. 'quam' is usually coupled with other words to mean as - as possible. The other words are not what I know as Latin ones.Over to you TT.

There is possibly a spelling mistake - because the sentance doesn't make sense.
The closest I am able to translate is refering to a queen beginning to shine.
The sentance as it stands has nothing to do with church or God.

"nites" means either to shine, or to grow fat - it's one of those latin words that has no direct translation in English.

I’ve found that the motto of New South Wales is “Orta recens, quam pura nites”, i.e. “Newly risen, how pure (or how brightly) you shine!”. The crest of the coat of arms is a rising sun.

If the inscription is worn or obscured, could the words possibly be these? A public building like a courthouse might well have the state motto on it (just as French public buildings are invariably adorned with “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”).

I agree that “altra” and “regin” don’t make any sense as they stand. If the inscription is an adaptation of the motto, I can only suggest that it might be “Alta regina” (“Lofty queen”).

That's what I was thinking Tom.

Could alta regina also perhaps mean "Elder or higher queen" translating perhaps as Matriarch?

Thanks, all - the eyes are not what they used to be, and I read it a bit wrong.

Sustain the Queen which the Lord loves and free of stain to flourish.

Forgot - that's from the University of Notre Dame Latin translations. Sandy

Have a go at this one:

Sedere vile, sedem go
Fortibuses inaro.
o nobile deis trux
votis inem?
causan dux

Ah, yes - and also

Caesar adsum jam forte;
Brutus et erat.
Caesar sic in omnibus;
Brutus sic in at.

LOL!!! I googled it to find the translation.....

Haha! Took me a second until I said them out loud as they looked very strange! What can I say? Little sleep and too much going on, but it's all good. Sandy

I have forgotten almost all the Latin I did in school except for a part of a passage in a book about some horses frightened by a trumpet -Teriti tuba - with a note saying it was the ablative of the instrument.