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

Open Book: A New Nuclear Age

Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s latest book looks at the rising danger of a new arms race.

For Campus Speech, Civility is a Cultural Practice

A former Harvard College dean reviews Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber’s book Terms of Respect.

Books with Harvard Authors Winter 2025

From aphorisms to art heists to democracy’s necessary conditions 

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Explore More From Current Issue

Lawrence H. Summers, looking serious while speaking at a podium with a microphone.

Harvard in the News

Grade inflation, Epstein files fallout, University database breach 

An image depicting high carb ultra processed foods, those which are often associated with health risks

Is Ultraprocessed Food Really That Bad?

A Harvard professor challenges conventional wisdom. 

An axolotl with a pale body and pink frilly gills, looking directly at the viewer.

Regenerative Biology’s Baby Steps

What axolotl salamanders could teach us about limb regrowth