_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_.