"Gracca Cum Est"

Parable of boar and book
from the Monterey County Herald, 5/19/07

Occasional sightings of wild animals in residential neighborhoods on the Monterey Peninsula have caused some local residents understandable concern. Sometimes, though rarely, clashes with nature occur, but different people have their own ways of handling such threats and good common sense usually assures a favorable outcome. The following example may provide some reassurance to chronic worriers.

A young classics student at Oxford was walking in a nearby forest when he was attacked by a wild boar. In the ensuing struggle, he thrust the volume of Aristotle, which he happened to be reading, down the creature's throat exclaiming "Gracca cum est" which translates roughly as "With the compliments of the Greeks." The boar expired, and the incident is commemorated in the window of a nearby church. Quite likely a less erudite text would have proved just as useful, but, at least in this instance, one could say that the pursuit of knowledge proved to be a lifesaver.

Peter Kirwan
Pebble Beach