Letter Combinations
When King Stanislaus of Poland, then a young man, came back from a
journey, the whole Lescinskian House gathered together at Lissa to
receive him. The schoolmaster, Jablowsky, prepared a festival in
commemoration of the event, and had it end with a ballet performed by
thirteen students, dressed as cavaliers. Each had a shield, upon which
one of the letters of the words Domus Lescinia (The Lescinskian House)
was written in gold. After the first dance, they stood in such a manner
that their shields read Domus Lescinia; after the second dance, they
changed order, making it read, Ades incolumnis (Unharmed art thou
here); after the third. Mane sidus loci (Continue the star of this
place); after the fourth, Sis coumna Dei (Be a pillar of God); and
finally, I! scade solium! (Go! ascend the throne). Indeed, these two
words allow of 1,556,755,200 transpositions; yet that five of them
convey independent and appropriate meanings is certainly very curious.