IT looks like we can't rely on Jacob Rees-Mogg for Latin lessons, despite a Tory plan to offer the language to thousands of state school pupils to make it less “elitist”.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the £4 million Latin Excellence Programme would ensure the subject was not “for the privileged few”.
The initiative will be led by a “centre of excellence”, which will work with up to 40 state schools in England to develop training resources and lesson materials for teaching the ancient language to 11 to 16-year-olds.
But in a radio quiz, Rees-Mogg only got one out of the three questions correct, which was the Eton school motto. He did not know the Latin for "through fire nature is reborn whole or “don’t get your knickers in a twist”.
READ MORE: The ties that bind: Latin link shows how Scottish poems looked to Europe, not England
When asked if he is a fan of Latin, Rees-Mogg said: "I am but I'm afraid my knowledge is not as good as yours. I think good classical knowledge is a very high level of intellect but I'm afraid it's not one I reach."
He went on: "Do you remember a few weeks ago there was some woke statement about how people shouldn't use Latin quips because it discriminated. That's completely the wrong way around. What you want to do is make sure people are comfortable with Latin quips because you've given them such a good education. Thta's what levelling up is all about.
"It's not about stopping difficult things. It's making opportunity available to everybody."
Social media users mocked Rees-Mogg for not knowing much about Latin.
1.
Jacob Rees-Mogg agrees to be interviewed on LBC about the benefits of learning Latin at school.
— Karen Th 🇪🇺 🇬🇧🐝 #3.5% #GTTO #BLM (@KarenStopHate) August 1, 2021
Fails to understand some simple Latin phrases presented to him (except for the Eton moto).
Admits his knowledge of Latin is limit to the Dictionary of Quotations🤦♀️
2.
That @LBC audio of Jacob Rees Mogg being quizzed on #Latin and knowing only the Eton motto is divine.
— Dearbhail McDonald (@DearbhailDibs) August 2, 2021
READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg sorry after use of 'casual racist' term in the Commons
3.
Mogg's Latin was tested on LBC. He got 1/3 questions right, correctly translating his school motto. There's a very big difference between memorising reactionary Latin tags for the glee of your peers and learning Latin.
— Frédéric Moreau 🚎 (@goodclimate) August 1, 2021
4.
If you're wondering why Jacob Rees Mogg couldn't translate some basic Latin on LBC the answer lies in this 2012 interview. pic.twitter.com/KTixWB8wum
— Otto English (@Otto_English) August 2, 2021
5.
Jacob Rees-Mogg seen in W H Smiths buying 'Latin for Dummies'. https://t.co/csXcm90KUI
— Jim Fraser MSM #FBPA (@JimFraserz) August 2, 2021
6.
Roman sculpture responds to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s attempts at Latin pic.twitter.com/PhBelD4qgB
— Roger Luckhurst (@TheProfRog) August 2, 2021
It seems Rees-Mogg could have used a copy of the first Ecce Romani...
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