19 JANUARY 1918, Page 12

"PLAY THE GAME."

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In your issue of November 24th "Kismet" asks for a Latin translation of "Play the game." There is no Latin translation possible, I think, for the reason that the metaphor is not Roman: is not serious enough for the Roman mind. But a paraphrase or adaptation is possible; Hookham Frere paraphrased Aristophanes' dirromaaes,:` fish-wives," arguing that the paraphrase was truer in spirit than a literal translation owing to changed circum-

stances. suggest the following line, written for Canadian under. graduates of the University of Toronto at the Flanders front on the eve of our General Election here :—

" rem gerite ut gessistis : et hie not voce geremus."