Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/538

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NOTES AND QUERIES. cio a. v. jux* 9. 10*

ANGLO-SAXON NAMES AS SURNAMES.

MANY have pointed, with some pride, to the forms of their surnames as proving or suggesting that their families came over with the Conqueror. Surely it is even more in- teresting to observe that, in other instances, surnames are still in use that were already used as names before the Conqueror came to England at all.

I notice that, in Bardsley's 'Dictionary of Surnames,' many names are said to be of English origin, and yet the true Anglo- Saxon forms from which they have descended are but obscurely suggested. It is possible to be more exact.

By way of example, take the A.-S. name ^Ethelwine, formerly very common. In later A.-S. or in Norman, it becams yEgelwine (regularly), with the g sounded as y ; and this is the obvious origin of the modern sur- name Aylwin, with its variants Aylen, Aylin, and Ayling.

In exactly the same way the A.-S. ^Ethel- mser became ^Egelmser, and finally Aylmer ; and ^Ethelweard became ^Egelweard, and finally Ay 1 ward. It is rather sad to find that Miss Yonge, in her 4 History of Christian Names,' connects these forms beginning with Ayl- with the Norse Egils. It must suffice to say that her book goes back to the year 1884, when the notion of deriving words in accordance with historical forms and phonetic laws, especially in the case of names, was insufficiently regarded. None of her results can now be accepted without verification, though of course a large number are quite correct.

The A.-S. forms ^E the! wine and ^Elfwine, both common, could either of them have resulted in Alwyne or Elwin or Elvin ; but it is better to prefer ^Elfwine, as it pre- cludes the form Ayl- above. Here I think Miss Yonge made a wise choice. Similarly A.-S. vElfmser became Elmer ; and the A.-S. ./Elfweard became Allard and Ellard. This is much better than deriving them from ^Ethelweard, of which the regular repre- sentative (as above) is Aylward, and another representative was Adelard, which is the modern Adlard. But it should be understood that there is often some slight doubt as to the precise origin ; for example, the fairly common A.-S. Ealhheard might also result in Allard (but hardly in Ellard).

Similarly, the A.-S. ^Elfgod gave us Algood and Elgood ; and vElfgar gave us Algar and Elgar. The representation of the A.-S. JE by both A and E is worthy of notice.

The A.-S. ^Ethelwulf became, regularly,

Ailof and Ailuf in early times ; but probably Bardsley is wrong in regarding these as resulting in the modern Ayliffe. The change from u or o to a modern form i can hardly be admitted. Miss Yonge is also mistaken in deriving Ayliffe from ^Elfgifu. It is easy to see that Bardsley is right as to the prefix, and Miss Yonge is right as to the suffix. As a fact, the form ^Ethelgifu also appears as ^Eileva, and could only result in the form Ayliffe. WALTER W. SKEAT.

ROBERT GREENE'S PROSE WORKS.

(See 10 th S. iv. 1, 81, 162, 224, 483; v. 84, 202, 345

424.)

.GREENE'S indebtedness to Primaudaye is still my theme.

Primaudaye, chap, xxvi., * Of Feare, Cowardlines, and of Rashnesse,' p. 287 ; "Isadas the Lacedemonian, seeing Epami- nondas with the Thebane army at hand against the Spartanes, readie to force and take their Citie, unclothed hirnselfe starke

naked and taking a Partisane in one

hand and a sworde in the other, he went and

where he shewed great prowesse and

valure. For which behaviour, although he

had a crowne given him yet he was fined,

because he hazarded his life so rashly." Greene, ' Euphues, his Censure to Philautus ' (vi. 240-41), 1587: "For I remember that Isadas, a worthy Lacedemonian [here he-

varies his copy] the battaile ended, the

Senators gave him a Crowne of Laurell for the Victory ; but fined him in a some of money for his rashnesse." In the same piece, at p. 243, Greene gives us the example of Sergius, who fought so well with one hand, altered from Primaudaye, chap, xxv., p. 271.

Primaudaye, chap, xxxv., Of Idlenes, Sloth, and Gaming,' p. 370 : " Amongst the obscure precepts which Pythagoras gave to- his Disciples, this was one : Take heede that thou sit not upon a bushell : meaning that Idlenes and Sloth were especially to be eschewed." Greene, 'The Royall Exchange" (viii. 239), 1590: "Pythagoras among his

^Enigmaes, hath thys : Take heed, &c

especially to be eschewed." Word for word in omitted passage.

Primaudaye, chap, xxxv., p. 374 : " Chilon being sent from Lacedemonia to Corinth, to intreate of a league between those two peoples, & finding the rulers playing at dice, returned back again and would not speake- of his commission, saying that he would not staine the glory of the spartanes with so> great an ignominie as to joine them in society with dice-plaiers." Greene, 'Pery-