I have not seen this book, but apparently he differs from P. Fita as to the genuineness of certain portions, and especially of the epistle of Innocent II. The fourth book contains the original story of the conquest of Spain by Charlemagne, the chief fountain of the Chanson de Roland, and other Carolingias romances in prose and verse. The fifth and last book, Varia, is the only one which concerns our present purpose.
« The writer, probably Aymeric gives therein a descriptive itinerary of all the roads which lead to Compostella from all parts of Europe. In chap. vii : « de nominibus terrarum et qualitalibus gentium, que in itinere Sancti Jacobi habentur », the Basque words occur. « Deum vocant urcia ; Dei genitricem, andrea Maria ; panem, orgui ; vinum, ardum ; carnem, aragui ; piscem, araign ; domum, echea ; dominum domus, iaona ; dominam, andrea ; ecclesiam, elicera ; presbiterum, belatera, quod interpretatur pulcra terra ; triticum, gari ; aquam, uric ; regem, ereguia ; sanctum jacobum, iaona domne iacue » ; in other passages « duo jacula, aut tria, que auconas vocat, ex more manibus tulit[1] », « sotularibus, quos lavarcas vocant », « palliolis vero laneis, quas vocant saias utuntur ». The modern form of these words is, omitting the suffixed article a : Andre, lady ; ogi, bread ; ardo, wine ; aragi, flesh ; arrain, fish ; etche, house ; Iaun or Yaun, Sir, Mr. ; Eliza, church (era in elicera may be a locative) ; gari, wheat ; ur, water (ik in uric may be a genitive « de l’eau ») ; errege, king ; Auconas, the spanish azcona ; Lavarcas, the Navarese « abarka », a hide sandal ;
- ↑ Cf. Giraldus Cambrensis, Top. Hib. Dist., iij, 10.
