April 16. 1850.
[Footnote 1: It occurs many times in the Moeso-Gothic version of
the Gospels for [Greek: ptochos]. From the Glossaries, it
appears that iungalauths is used three times for [Greek:
neaniskos], a young man; therefore lauths or lauds would signify
simply _man_; and the plural, laudeis, would be _people_. See
this established by the analogy of vairths, or O.H.G. virahi,
also signifying people. Grimm's _Deutsche Gram._ iii. 472.,
note. "Es konnte zwar _unlêds_ (pauper) aber auch _unlêths_
heissen."--_D. Gr._ 225.]
[Footnote 2: Sir F. Palgrave has given this extract in the
Appendix to his _Rise and Progress of the English Commonwealth_,
p. ccccvii., where, by an error of the press, or of
transcription, the word stands _lich_. It may be as well to
remark, that the corresponding word in Latin formulas of the
same kind is "catallis," _i.e. chattels_. A passage in Havelok,
v. 2515., will clearly demonstrate that _lith_ was at least one
kind of _chattel_, and equivalent to _fe_ (fee).
"Thanne he was ded that Sathanas
Sket was seysed al that his was,
In the King's hand il del,
_Lond_ and _lith_, and other _catel_,
And the King ful sone it yaf
Ubbe in the hond with a fayr staf,
And seyde, 'Her ich sayse the
In al the _lond_ in al the _fe_.'"]
[Footnote 3: The author of _Tripartita seu de Analogia
Linguacum_, under the words "Leute" and "Barn," says:--"Respice
Ebr. Id. Ebr. ledah, partus, proles est. Ebr. lad, led, gigno."
A remarkable coincidence at least with Grimm's derivation of
léôd from the Goth. liudan, crescere.]
[Footnote 4: Thus, Anthon, _Teutschen Landwirthschaft_, Th. i.
p. 61.:--"Das Land eines jeden Dorfes, einer jeden Germarkung
war wirklich getheilt und, wie es sehr wahrscheinlich, alsdan
verlost worden. Daher nannte man dasjenige, was zu einem
Grunstüke an Äkern, Wiesen gehörte, ein _Los_ (Sors). Das
Burgundische Gesetz redet ausfdrücklich vom Lande das man in
_Lose_ erhalten hat (Terra _sortis_ titulo acquisita, Tit. i. §
1.)" Schmeller, in his _Bayrishces Wort. B._ v. _Lud-aigen_,
also points to the connection of _Lud_ with hluz-hlut, sors,
portio; but he rather inclines to derive it from the Low-Latin,
ALLODIUM. It appears to me that the converse of this is most
likely to have been the case, and that this very word LEDS or
LÆDS is likely to furnish a more satisfactory etymology of
ALLODIUM than has hitherto been offered.]
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