The inscription pictured here may be found on property of Merton College, Oxford. I came upon it by striking out eastwards through the Parks from Keble College environs, reaching the river at about the erstwhile Parson's Pleasure. Turning right, I stayed as close to the river as possible until I was quite thoroughly lost in a region from which my only reasonable escape was to clamber across a gated bridge into the Magdalen purlieus, going by the island where the deer go to reside when not in the main college area. The bench appeared while I was still close to the river and before I was thoroughly lost. No better description is possible. Presented here are first, a view of the whole bench, then closeups of the left-hand side of the bench and then of the right-hand side.
As the photos make clear, the text reads:
ORE STABIT FORTIS ARARE PLACET ORE STAT
I am grateful to counselor at law John F. Adams for bringing this text to my attention more than twenty years ago.
JO'D
