When in Rome, do as the Romans do. But wait, what did the Romans do, anyway, and where does that phrase come from? It pops up at least as early as the late 4th century in St. Augustine’s writings, when he moved from Rome to Milan and inquired of a bishop as to whether he should keep his old routines. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello, this is Janelle calling from Rockford, Michigan.
Hi, Janelle, how are you doing?
I am good, how are you?
Well, fantastic, thanks for asking. Welcome to the show.
What can we do for you?
Well, I have always been curious about the phrase, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
And the meaning and usage is self-explanatory, but I’ve always been curious to learn how the phrase originated.
Basically, what was it that the Romans did that we must do?
Well, as far as we know, the idea may go back all the way to the 4th century.
Really?
Yeah, I would have thought that it went all the way back to the ancient Greeks.
Maybe the Greeks were just like, when you’re in Rome, do as the Romans do, we’re better.
But we do see references to it as early as the late 4th century A.D. in the writings of St. Augustine.
Because in the early Christian church, there was some inconsistency about the practice of fasting on Sundays.
In some cities, people in the Christian church did it.
In some places, they didn’t.
And he moved from Rome to Milan.
And he asked the bishop of Milan whether he should fast on Saturdays because he did in Rome, but nobody did in Milan.
And the bishop said, when I go to Rome, I fast on Saturday.
But here in Milan, I don’t.
And so you get that kind of idea.
And then you see it again and again in various writings.
And so these writings are closely studied by scholars for centuries, right?
Because some people look to his work as a source of inspiration or a source of understanding about theology and philosophy, right?
Yeah, yeah. So I think it would have been influential.
And any scholar for the centuries following that probably would have had that as part of their coursework, right?
Yeah, you would think. You would think.
But you may be pleased to learn, Janelle, that also we first see it in English, as far as I know, the expression do as the Romans do in the letters of a pope from the late 18th century.
And in that case, the translation of his letters says do as the Romans do.
And in that case, they’re talking about taking naps in the middle of the afternoon.
Nice.
Oh, well, I’ll go with that one.
Me too.
I like that.
Does it say hammocks and hot cocoa also?
No, no, it says red wine and pasta.
Oh, okay, we each have our own.
Was that any place close to what you were thinking about, Janelle?
I actually just had no idea.
You know, you tend to use that, or I use that expression whenever I travel somewhere, and just to partake in, like, local customs or activities or what have you.
But I was just curious as to where it originated, but I had no idea that it would have anything to do with any, you know, theological philosophies or dealing with early Christian church and things like that.
So that’s just fascinating.
What really appeals to me about it is how accurate it still is.
It’s still the best advice when you’re traveling.
Don’t read your guidebook.
Read the local newspaper if you can, and you’re going to have a much better time of it.
The locals don’t read guidebooks, so don’t read the guidebook, right?
Right.
Yeah, and take a nap in the afternoon.
Yeah, the philosophy still stands true today.
Yes, it does.
Janelle, thank you for calling.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
Well, when in doubt about a linguistic matter, call us 877-929-9673 or send an email to words@waywordradio.org.
