The Once and Future Witches

by Alix E. Harrow

“I translated that inscription, by the way. The one on the door: Maleficae quondam, maleficaeque futurae.” She ignores Juniper’s softly muttered, Jesus, Bell. “In English it’s ‘witches once and witches in the future.’”

King Arthur's tomb was supposedly inscribed with the Latin phrase: Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus. which means: "here lies Arthur, King Once, and King in the Future." TH White apparently found that too clunky, and translated it to "The Once and Future King."