Crux sacra sit mihi lux / Non draco sit mihi dux Vade retro satana / Nunquam suade mihi vana Sunt mala quae libas / Ipse venena bibas
The shorter phrase “vade retro” (simply "go back") appears as far back as the Roman playwright Terence in his work Phormio . The Exorcism Formula
The phrase became a cornerstone of Catholic tradition as part of a Medieval exorcism formula. In 1415, a manuscript was discovered at Metten Abbey in Bavaria that contained the full poetic prayer associated with the phrase:
