tody," to the following wail--

"What a touch of grossness in our race, what an original shortcoming
in the more delicate spiritual perceptions, is shown by the natural
growth amongst us of such hideous names-Higginbottom, Stiggins, Bugg!"

But this is the poet's point of view. Though there may have been "no
Wragg by the Ilissus," it is not a bad name, for, in its original form
Ragg, it is the first element of the heroic Ragnar, and probably
unrelated to Raggett, which is the medieval le ragged. Bugg, which
one family exchanged for Norfolk Howard, is the Anglo-Saxon Bucgo, a
name no doubt borne by many a valiant warrior. Stiggins, as we have
seen (Chapter XIII), goes back to a name great in history, and
Higginbottom (Chapter XII) is purely geographical.

CHAPTER VIII. PALADINS AND HEROES

"Morz est Rollanz, Deus en ad l'anme es ciels.
Li Emperere en Rencesvals parvient...
Carles escriet: 'U estes vus, bels nies?
U l'Arcevesques e li quens Oliviers?
U est Gerins e sis cumpainz Geriers?
Otes u est e Ii quens Berengiers?
Ives e Ivories que j'aveie tant chiers?
Qu'est devenuz li Guascuinz Engeliers,
Sansun li dux e Anseis li fiers?
U est Gerarz de Russillun li vielz,
Li duze per que j'aveie laissiet?'"

(Chanson de Roland, 1. 2397.)

[Footnote: "Dead is Roland, God has his soul in heaven. The Emperor
arrives at Roncevaux... Charles cries: 'Where are you, fair nephew?
Where the archbishop (Turpin) and Count Oliver? Where is Gerin and
his comrade Gerier? Where is Odo and count Berenger? Ivo and Ivory
whom I held so dear? What has become of the Gascon Engelier? Samson
the duke and Anseis the proud? Where is Gerard of Roussillon the old,
the twelve peers whom I had left?' "]

It is natural that many favourite names should be taken from those of
heroes of romance whose exploits were sung all over Europe by
wandering minstrels. Such names, including those taken from the Round
Table legends, usually came to us through French, though a few names
of the British heroes are Welsh, e.g. Cradock from Caradoc
(Caractacus) and Maddox from Madoc.

THE ROUND TABLE

But the Round Table stories were versified much later than the true
Old French Chansons de Geste, which had a basis in the national
history, and not many of Arthur's knights are immortalized as
surnames. We have Tristram, Lancelot, whence Lance, Percival, Gawain
in Gavin, and Kay. But the last named is, like Key, more usually from