MARYLAND'S OFFICIAL STATE SYMBOLS

GREAT SEAL OF MARYLAND

The Great Seal of Maryland is used by
the Governor and the Secretary of State to
authenticate the Acts of the Legislature
and for other official purposes. "The first
Great Seal was brought over during the
early days of the Colony. It remained in
use, although slightly altered, until the
Revolution. The State of Maryland adopted
a new seal similar in form and spirit to
those of the other States. After the passage
of a hundred years, Maryland readopted its
old seal (Joint Resolution No. 5, Legisla-
tive Session of 1876). Only the reverse of
this seal has ever been cut. The obverse is,
however, still considered as part of the seal
and is used, among other things, for deco-
rating public buildings.

The reverse consists of an escutcheon or
shield bearing the Calvert and Crossland
arms quartered. Above is an earl's coronet
and a full-faced helmet. The escutcheon is
supported on one side by a farmer and on
the other by a fisherman, symbolizing Lord
Baltimore's two estates of Maryland and
Avalon. The Calvert motto on the scroll is
"Fatti maschii parole femine," usually
translated "manly deeds, womanly words."
"The Latin legend on the border is translat-
ed "with favor wilt thou compass us as
with a shield," the last veise of Psalms 5 as
it appears in the Vulgate. The date, 1632,
refers to the year the charter was granted
to Cecilius Calvert, second Lord Baltimore.

"The obverse of the Seal shows Lord
Baltimore as a knight in full armor mount-
ed on a charger. The inscnption translated
is "Cecilius, Absolute Lord of Maryland
and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore." Avalon
was the name of Lord Baltimore's grant in
Newfoundland (Chapter 79, Acts of 1969;
Code 1957, Art. 41, sec. 74A).