What does the Latin inscription on the middle gable of Copley
Hall mean? This large inscription reads: Moribus Antiquis Res
Stat Loyolaea Virisque, which has been translated as: Loyola's
Fortune Still May Hope To Thrive, If Men and Mold Like Those of
Old Survive. Copley Hall, along with the White-Gravenor
Building, has been described as a "sermon in stone" because of
the Catholic and Jesuit symbolism of its external architectural
details. These details include, on the south gable, the family
crest of St. Ignatius Loyola (founder of the Society of Jesus),
the lily of the seal of the University of Paris where he was
educated, the seal of the Society of Jesus and, to the right of
the main entrance, a shield bearing the coat-of-arms of John
Carroll. The Hall is the namesake of Thomas Copley, S.]., who
embarked for Maryland in 1637 and hoped to found a college as
early as 1640.