Brothers of the same Name (Vol. viii., p. 338.).—It is not unusual in old pedigrees to find two brothers or two sisters with the same Christian name; but it is unusual to find more than two living at the same time with only one Christian name between them: this, however, occurs in the family of Gawdy of Gawdy Hall, Norfolk. Thos. Gawdy married three wives, and by each had a son Thomas. The eldest was a serjeant-at-law, and died in 1556. The second was a judge of the Queen's Bench, and died in November, 1587 or 1588. The third is known as Sir Francis Gawdy, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; but he also was baptized by the name of Thomas. Lord Coke, who succeeded him as Chief Justice, says (Co. Lit. 3. a.):
"If a man be baptized by the name of Thomas, and after at his confirmation by the bishop he is named John, he may purchase by his name of confirmation; and this was the case of Sir Francis Gawdie, late C. J. of C. B., whose name of baptism was Thomas, and his name of confirmation Francis; and that name of Francis, by the advice of all the judges in anno 36 Henry VIII. (1544-5), he did bear and after used in all his purchases and grants."
The opportunity afforded by the Roman Catholic Church of thus changing the baptismal name may help to account for this practice, which probably arose from a desire to continue the particular name in the family. If one of two sons with the same name of baptism died in childhood, the other continued the name: if both lived, one of them might change his name at confirmation. There is no name given at confirmation according to the form of the Church of England.
F. B.
High Dutch and Low Dutch (Vol. viii., p. 413.).—Considerable misapprehension appears to have arisen with regard to these expressions, from the fact of the German word Deutsch being sometimes erroneously understood to mean Dutch. But German scholars very well know that in Germany nothing is more common than to speak of Hoch Deutsch and Nieder Deutsch (High German and Low German), as applied respectively to that language when grammatically spoken and correctly pronounced, and to the bad grammar and worse pronunciation indulged in by many of the provincials, and also by the lower class of people in some of the towns where High German is supposed to prevail. Thus, for examples Dresden is regarded as the head-quarters of Hoch Deutsch, because there the language is spoken and pronounced with the most purity: Berlin, also, as regards the well-educated classes, boasts of the Hoch Deutsch; but the common people (das Volk) of the Prussian capital indulge in a dialect called Nieder Deutsch, and speak and pronounce the language as though they were natives of some remote province. Now, the instance of Berlin I take to be a striking illustration of the meaning of these expressions, as both examples are comprised in the case of this city.
The German word for "German" is Deutsch; for "Dutch" the German is Holländisch; and I presume it is from the similarity of Deutsch and Dutch that this common error is so frequently committed. For the future let it be remembered, that Dutch is a term which has no relation whatever to German; and that "High German" is that language spoken and written in its purity, "Low German" all the dialects and mispronunciations which do not come up to the standard of correctness.
James Spence Harry.
8. Arthur Street.
Translations of the Prayer Book into French (Vol. vii., p. 382.; Vol. viii., p. 343.).—Besides the editions already mentioned, a 4to. one was published at London in 1689, printed by R. Everingham, and sold by R. Bentley and M. Magnes. Prefixed to it is the placet of the king, dated 6th October, 1662, with the subsequent approbation of Stradling, chaplain to Gilbert (Sheldon), Bishop of London, dated 6th April, 1663.
It seems ("N. & Q.," Vol. vii., p. 92.) that a