harlemagne is usually considered as the translation of Carolus
Magnus. 'Challemaines si vaut autant comme grant challes.'
(_Chro. de St. Denis_, 1. i. c. 4.) Charlemagne is merely a
corruption of Carloman, Karlmann, the strong man. In the
above-cited chronicle itself, the words Challes and Challemaines
are used for Charles and Carloman (_maine_, a corruption of
_mann_, as _leine_ of _lana_). In the _Chronicle of Theophanes_ a
still more conclusive text is found: he calls Carloman [Greek:
Karoullomagnos]; _Scr. fr._ v. 187. The two brothers must have
borne the same name. In the 10th century, Charles the Bald was
dignified, though most undeservedly, with the same title of
Great, through the ignorance of the Latin monks.--_Epitaph. ap
Scrip. fr_. vii. 322.

... Nomen qui nomine duxit
De Magni Magnus, de Caroli Carolus.

A similar kind of blunder was made by the Greek
writers in the name Elagabal, which they transformed
into Heliogabal, from "[Greek: Helios], the sun."

With regard to Charles Martel, Michelet does not allude to M. Collin de
Plaucy's explanation, and adopts the old version--

"Son surnom paien de Marteau me ferait volontiers douter s'il
etait chretien. On sait que le marteau est l'attribut de Thor, le
signe de l'association paicune, celui de la propriete de la
conquete barbare."--Vide Michelet's _Origines du Droit Francais_.

Charles was notoriously at variance with the Church. I should consider
Michelet a much better authority than M. Collin de Plaucy, who, to judge
from his preface to another work, _Le Dictionnaire Infernal_, slavishly
submits his critical acuteness to the dicta of his Church.

J.B.D.

* * * * *

"FEAST" AND "FAST."

I am not going to take part in the game of _hockey_, started by LORD
BRAYBROOKE, and carried on with so much spirit by several of your
correspondents in No. 28.; but I have a word to say to one of the
hockey-players, C.B., who, _per fas et nefas_, has mixed up "feast and
fast" with the game.

C.B. asks, "Is not the derivation of 'feast' and 'fast' originally the
same? that which is appointed connected with 'fas,' and that from 'fari?'"
I should say no; and let me cite the familiar lines from the beginning of
Ovid's _Fasti_:--{12}

"Ne tamen ignores variorum jura dierum
Non habet officii Lucifer omnis idem.
Ille Nefastus erit per quem