The language employed is, in part, pure Italian, not antiquated, but exactly such as is spoken by persons of education at the present day; and if "S." would again examine the original MS., I make no doubt that he would find the line written Sovente mi sooviene (sovene), i.e. with the personal pronoun in the dative instead of the accusative case. The expression mi souviene is equivalent to mi ricordo, but is a more elegant form that the latter; and the meaning of the motto will be "I seldom forget,"—a pithy and suggestive sentence, implying as much the memory of a wrong to be avenged as of a favour to be required.
A. RICH, JUN.
Larig.—I am obliged by the suggestions of your correspondents "B.W." and "C.I.R." (No. 24. p. 387.), to which I beg leave to offer the following reply. The Dutch and Flemish (or Netherlandish, as they may be considered one language until the fifteenth century) Le'er and Le'ar are simply contractions of Leder, as Tenkate observes, euphonis gratia, by the omission of the d, which takes place in other similar words; and what is remarkable in Ledig, empty, which becomes Le'eg. Le'erig is of course leathery, or tough; but Lederen or Le'ersen, would be used for made of leather, and in A.-S., most probably [A-S: hydig]. We have no such contraction in A.-S.: it is always [A-S: Leðer] and [A-S: Leðern]. The epithet, leathery-shields, could hardly have been used where they are said to resound; and the instance of vaulted shields in Judith is, I think, conclusive. The root of Leder is possibly hlid-an, to cover HIDE? That of Leer possibly lieren, amittere, privari?
I should have noted the instances of the word from Junius and Schilter, which were not unknown to me, but for brevity's sake; and indeed I had not Urry's Chaucer at hand to verify the reference of Junius to the Tale of Beryn, the only valuable portion of Urry's book. I knew that a simple reference to the O.H.G. Lâri would be sufficient for Dr. Grimm.
Thorkelin, in his very incorrect edition of Beowulf, has followed Lye, in rendering Lind haebbende, Vexilla habens; and Haldorsen's explanation of Lind might have taught him better. Mr. Kemble has rendered it shield-bearers, and gives instances in his Glossary of similar combinations, as rond-haebbendra, bord-haebbende, scaro-haebbendra.
S.W. SINGER.
April 15. 1850.
Zenobia a Jewess? (No. 24. p. 383.)—
"To conclude what I have to say of this princess, I shall add here, after M. de Tillemont, that St. Athanasius took her to be a Jewess, meaning, without doubt, in respect of her religion; and that, according to Theodoret, it was to please her that Paul of Samosata, whom she patronised, professed opinions very like those of the Jews concerning the person of Jesus Christ, saying that he was only a mere man, who had nothing in his nature superior to other men, nor was distinguished from them any otherwise than by a more abundant participation of the divine grace."—Crevier, Hist. of Rom. Emperors, Book 27. "Aurelian," vol. ix. p. 174.