Could someone please tell me what this Latin phrase means in English?

Question

"Valeant benefici, poenas dent malefici"

Thankyou!!!

Answer 1

I have no idea, but was intrigued to find the phase on a variety of 'chat' sites, including one in, I think, Spanish. Be honest, are you "Free to enslave" on one chat site or Dr Hellsing on another? Very impressed if you can speak two languages.

One site came up with this - http://forum.koohii.com/viewtopic.php?pid=7185

""Let/may those who do good be strong;
let/may those who do evil pay the penalty.

Or, a little more colloquially,

May the good guys do well,
May the rest go to h***.""

second reference
http://www.psicofxp.com/forums/idiomas.452/317020-donde-estudiar-links-y-practica-2.html

Answer 2

Both verbs (valeant, dent) are present subjunctive - and this 'dent' has nothing to do with teeth.

'May the kind/generous prevail; may the scurrilous/slanderous pay the penalties'.

Answer 3

"diabolus ianuam (foramen???) ecclesiae latet" : 'devil lurks on the church door establishing" (In medieval circumstances the door on the north facet of a church became ordinary as "the devil’s Door". It became believed that evil spirits lurked to the sunless facet of the church and this go out became merely utilized by ability of pallbearers leaving a funeral service carrying a coffin. in an prolonged time, it became consumer-friendly to inter dissenters on the north facet of the church.)

Answer 4

Bid farewell kindness , pain teeth wicked.

I think! used the translation engine below