218 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 149. 



The sight of "Rubertus," in the passage of Ul- 

 ricus Molitor quoted in " N. & Q." (Vol. yi., 

 p, 158.), reminded me of some old Notes which 

 have lain by for many years, of use to nobody, not 

 even the owner. Perhaps the list which I in- 

 close, and which I had made from them, may not 

 be capable of being turned to any use, as indeed 

 it was not made with a view to any specific pur- 

 pose, but grew up casually and incidentally; never- 

 theless, as it does exist, and is from mere accu- 

 mulation rather curious in its way, some readers 

 may be amused by looking over it. The history 

 of it is simply, that some years ago I was a good 

 deal engaged with documents belonging to the 

 ninth and three following centuries, and could not 

 help remarking that the name " Robert " every 

 now and then presented itself in new forms of 

 spelling so different from that which we (only 

 from its being the survivor, I suppose) consider 

 the real and proper one, that, until I had become 

 familiar with a good many varieties, I sometimes 

 met with specimens which I did not at first re- 

 cognise. Probably (if the places still exist) the 

 reader might be taken to HruorprehetesJiusen, in 

 the diocese of Saltzburg, or Heribrahteshusun, in 

 that of Fulda, without being even aware of the 

 intention with which those pleasing names were 

 originally given. He might come away not merely 

 knowing nothing about any individual " Robert," 

 commemorated by the " housen," but without even 

 thinking of the name. We must remember (as the 

 schoolboy did when told to heat his master's cho- 

 colate) that " H" is no letter, but a mere aspirate.* 

 At the same time it is so important a feature in 

 this case that it must not be omitted, especially as 

 it not only presents its own essential variety, but 

 furnishes several modes of spelling of which no 

 other examples happen to have occurred to me, 

 though there is little doubt they and many beside 

 might be found, if they were worth looking for. 



* I feel that no apology is necessary for supposing 

 that this hint may be necessary for some of the readers 

 of your popular and widely-circulated work, when I 

 find so learned a man as the Jesuit Gretser puzzled by 

 the prefixed H, and suggesting that perhaps it was 

 put to signify the Latin Herus, or the German Herr, 

 put as we moderns put D. for doctor. He edited a 

 work of Rabanus Maurus, who, by the way, was abbot 

 of Fulda, and a party to some of the deeds from which 

 the above specimens are taken. Finding his author 

 called Hrabanus in some ancient copies, he kept the 

 name and put this marginal note: " Quanquam H liters 

 hoc loco ociosa videtur, tamen exemplaria Vetera earn 

 sic habent, et apparet usum ejus apud veteres eum 

 fuisse ut aut herum Latine, aut herrn Teutonice sig- 

 naret quemadmodum apud nos hodie D." — Auct. Bib. 

 Pat., p. 559., ed. Par. 1624. He might easily have 

 met with Hlucdowic, &c., Hroudiric, &c,, Hrodger, &c., 

 Hroadgoer, &c. 



I believe I could give an authority for every word 

 in the list ; but the matter is unimportant, and 

 you would grudge the space. Those readers who 

 would take any interest in such references will 

 know where to look for sufficient specimens in the 

 works of Schannat, and the collections of Pez, 

 D'Achery, Martene, &c. 



As to the arrangement under which the names 

 appear in this list, it is perfectly arbitrary, except 

 that I have endeavoured (not very laboriously) to 

 group them into families. To do that exactly 

 would probably be impossible, and to attempt 

 anything like it would ensure one more trouble 

 than profit ; but I hope that enough is done to 

 exhibit in some degree the gradual process of 

 change, and the links by which varieties so differ- 

 ent are united to each other, and to the common 

 origin, whatever that may have been. I have put 

 Robert first, because, as I have said, he has sur- 

 vived all the others (except perhaps Rupert, who 

 is, however, seldom to be met with) ; but that he 

 has no right to play the Praspositus in this genea- 

 logy of names seems very clear. 



Robert, Hrobert, Robertes, Rhobert, Rhrobert, Roh- 

 bert, Ropert, Raubert, Raubett. 



RuoBERT, Ruobbert, Ruobbraht, Rubbracht, Ruohbcrt, 

 Ruohtpert, Ruopreht, Ruopreth, Ruoprech. 



RuoDBERT, Hruodbert, Rhuodbert, Hruoadbert, Read- 

 bert, Ruodpert, Ruodepert, Ruodpret, Ruodbraht, 

 Hruodbraht, Ruodpraht, Hruodpraht, Ruodpreht, 

 Ruodperaht, Hruodperaht, Hruodperath. 



RuoTBERT, Hruotbert, Ruotpert, Ruotperd, Routpert, 

 Ruotpreht, Routpret, Ruotprat, Ruotperaht, 

 Ruotbraht, Ruotbrahte, Hruotbrahte. 



RoDBERT, Hrodbert, Hrodberet, Roadbert, Chrode- 

 bercth, Rodobert, Chrodobert, Chrodobard, Rode- 

 bert, Rodelbert, Hrodpert, Rodperht, Hrodperht, 

 Rodperth, Rhodprecht, Hruodprath, Hruotpraht, 

 Rodpot. 



RoTBERT, Rotpert, Rotpreth, Crotperth, Crotpereth, 

 Heraotpreht, Rothbert, Rothpert. 



Robert, Rubret, Rupet, Rupert, Rudepert, Rudobert, 

 Ruopert, Ruacpert, Rupreth, Rupreht, Rupraht, 

 Rupracht, Ruprecht, Rucprecht, lliipprecht, Rou- 

 preht, 



RoDBERT, Rhudbert, Rudpert, Rudpreht, Rudpreth, 

 Ruedprecht, Rutbert, Rutbreht, Rutbrecht, Rut- 

 pert, Rutpreht, Rutpreth, Iloutprecht, Ruadbert, 

 Ruadpert, Ruaddpert, Hruadbert, Ruadpret, 

 Ruadpraht, Ruadperaht. 



Rabbert, Ratbert, Hratbert, Radbert, Rathercht, Rat- 

 pert, Ratpreht, Ratpraht, Ratberat, Ratperaht, 

 Ratperath. 



Rapraht, Rahpraht, Rahtpraht, Rabraht, Ratbraht, 

 Ratprath, Radpreht, Hradupraht, Rantbraht, 

 Rantpraht, Ruadbrant. 



Rambert, Rambret, Rampert, Rampret, Relmprecht, 

 Reimpot, Romprecht, Reumbert, Ruumbert, 

 Roghembert. 



Rapert, Radopert, Chradopert, Radepert, Rapot, Ra- 

 pato, Rapoto, Rapodo, Rapotho, Rapottc, Ratpo, 

 Ratpod, Rathpod, Hrappod, Ratbod, Ratbot, 



