Latin proverb. Translates to "
Nobody ridicules me unpunished". According to
Edgar Allan Poe the
motto of a rich
aristocratic family in
Venice during the
Renaissance.
Poe describes how a young member of said family is jokingly insulted by his best friend during
Carnival. Acting according to his ancient family motto, he lures his friend into the
wine cellar, gets him
drunk, and then locks the door from the outside and erects a wall in front of it.
The motto is also found on the side of a third of all
British One
Pound coins.