() is the motto of the Kingdom of Scotland and was the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland from at least the reign of James VI when it appeared on the reverse side of merk coins minted in 1578 and 1580. It is the adopted motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army. The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in the version of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. It has been loosely rendered in Scots as (in Scottish Gaelic , ). It is also alternatively translated into English as 'No one can harm me unpunished'.
Possible origin of the motto
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" (see Scotch thistle) played a vital part in Alexander III, King of Scots' defence of the Kingdom of Scotland against a night-time raiding party of Vikings under King Haakon IV of Norway, prior to the Battle of Largs (1263): one or more raiders let out a yell of pain when stepping on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scots. In the motto "No one harasses me with impunity" (Latin: ), "me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish regiments which have adopted it.
The modern form of the motto was used by Francesco I, Duke of Milan and had been used in Britain on the colours of the Scottish Royalist officer John Urry during the English Civil War. It was also used by the Parliamentarian propagandist Marchamont Nedham as the motto for his newsletters.
Another traditional source appears in the form of a Scots proverb, "Ye maunna tramp on the Scotch thistle, laddie", this being immortalised in marble by Glasgow monumental sculptors James Gibson & Co. for the Kelvingrove International Exhibition of 1888. The phrase "Wha daur meddle wi' me?" also appears in a traditional border ballad entitled "Little Jock Elliot", which recalls the exploits of a 16th-century Border Reiver ("John Elliot of the Park"), with particular reference to an infamous encounter in the summer of 1566 with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The French city of Nancy has a similar motto, Non inultus premor ("I cannot be touched unavenged"), also a reference to the thistle, which is the symbol of the region of Lorraine.
Present and historical use of the motto
In the British Isles and Commonwealth
The motto of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the Scottish chivalrous order, is also that of the British Army regiments The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. It was also the motto of several former units of the British Army, including the Royal Scots, Royal Scots Greys, Royal Highland Fusiliers and Black Watch, some of which went on to be amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. The motto is also that of the Royal Company of Archers and has been displayed upon the unit's second standard since 1713, following the grant of a Royal charter by Queen Anne.
During the reign of Charles II, the motto, appearing on a scroll under the shield and overlying the compartment, was added to the Royal coat of arms of Scotland, as displayed in relief above the entrance to Holyrood Palace. Since 1707 it has appeared in the Scottish version of the arms of British Monarchs, including the present Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. The motto appears in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, which is placed around the shield. (The collar of the order appears in earlier versions of the Royal coat of arms of Scotland, but without the order motto.)
The motto of the Order of the Thistle () should not be confused with the motto of the Royal arms (In Defens), which appears on an escroll above the crest in the tradition of Scottish heraldry (In Defens being an abbreviated form of the full motto In My Defens God Me Defend). is displayed prominently above the Gatehouse entrance added to Edinburgh Castle in 1888.