[maro]

"Most Romans"? Perhaps the very elite, who had tutors, but the average legionary spoke lingua latina. That's why the French and Spanish and Roumanians speak Romance languages, not a Greek patois. "INRI" is a Latin abbreviation, by the way.

[ffusco]

Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
  Et in ille fundum habebat porces, EIEIO
  Cum oink oink hic, oink oink hoc
  Oink hic, oink hoc, ubique oink oink
  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO

  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
  Et in ille fundum habebat boves, EIEIO
  Cum moo moo hic, moo moo hoc
  Moo hic, moo hoc, ubique moo moo
  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO

  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
  Et in ille fundum habebat oves, EIEIO
  Cum baa baa hic, baa baa hoc
  Baa hic, baa hoc, ubique baa baa
  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO

  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
  Et in ille fundum habebat anates, EIEIO
  Cum quack quack hic, quack quack hoc
  Quack hic, quack hoc, ubique quack quack
  Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO

[Destro]

By most Romans I meant those Romans stationed east. Even the lowly Centurian needed to speak some Greek to communicate with the local hookers. Where Latin survived was in the non-Helenistic provinces where the not so connected went. Western European frontiers and Romania were hard tours of duty that were given to the middle and lower free class of Romans-those unable to afford a Greek education. Greece, Asia, Egypt and even Palestine (The Hellenistic east) were rich tax provinces (Rome made money from taxes-so the most populous areas were the most coveted assignments) where a Roman could get rich and build a reputation.

PS: The cross had three signs - one in the Latin, one in Greek and one in Hebrew (Aramaic?). The signs 3 languages was to explain the reason for execution to as wide an audiance as possible. And the words were written out not abbreviated.