Chapter and verse quotation-citation correspondence site

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Andrew Hamilton writes: “For research into the origins of a poem by Robert Frost, I am searching for any reference to Veritas, the Roman goddess of truth, that would support statements that she was thought to dwell at the bottom of a well. It occurs to me that there might have been a Harvard joke to the effect that she lived in the well under the College Pump, and that, if so, the joke may have found its way to Harvard Magazine. Of course, any other reference to Veritas living at the bottom of a well would be useful. Can you help me?” The magazine’s editors, having no information to offer themselves, hope our readers can do better.

More queries from the archives:

“Sir, every wise man would at the latter end of his life wish to have an interval between the fatigue of business and eternity.”

We are all the victims of each other’s façades.

Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via e-mail to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

Related topics

You might also like

The Year a Beat Poet Squatted at Harvard

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Tara Menon’s Debut Novel Combines Friendship, Grief, and Climate Disaster

The popular Harvard English professor published Under Water this spring.

In Searing New Memoir, Emilee Hackney Struggles to Find Home

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.  

Most popular

Crimson Football: Harvard 14, Brown 10

Xaden Benson’s “helmet trick” was the decisive factor in the Ivy opener.

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Smiling woman stands beside a large skull in a display cabinet.

From competing in youth gymnastics to studying tetrapods, the Harvard curator has always chased her curiosity.

A glowing bulb shape surrounded by colorful, swirling energy lines against a blue background.

Harvard researchers achieve medical breakthroughs in cancer therapy and infection control.

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.