Well, I intend never to watch The Life of Brian, which I never thought I'd regret even one little squinch, but I just saw this scene script from Brian in an article at The Economist:

TO SCARY music, a furtive Jewish nationalist of the first century paints on a wall the words Romanes Eunt Domus. A centurion enters:



Centurion: What's this, then? ? ‘People called Romanes they go the house?’

Nationalist: It—it says, ‘Romans, go home’.

Centurion: No, it doesn't. ‘Go home’? This is motion towards. Isn't it, boy?

Nationalist (being savagely beaten): Ah. Ah, dative, sir! Ahh! No, not dative! Not the dative, sir! No! Ah! Oh, the...accusative! Domum, sir! Ah! Oooh! Ah!

Centurion: Except that takes the...?

Nationalist: The locative, sir!

Comments