Bald his brother, is a decisive proof of the general use of the Romance
by the whole French nation at that time, and of their little knowledge
of the Teutonic, which being the native tongue of Lewis, would certainly
have been used by him, in this oath, had it been understood by the
French to whom he addressed himself. But Nithardus,[AP] a contemporary
writer and near relation to the contracting parties, informs us, that
Lewis took the oath in the Romance language, in order that it might be
understood by the French nobility who were the subjects of Charles; and
that they, in their turn, entered into reciprocal engagements in _their
own language_, which the same author again declares to have been the
Romance, and not the Teutonic; although one would imagine that, had they
at all understood this latter tongue, they could not but have used it
upon this occasion, in return for the condescension of Lewis.

As a comparison between this language and the Romansh of the Grisons
cannot be considered as a mere object of curiosity, but may also serve
to corroborate the proofs I have above alleged of the antiquity of the
latter, I have annexed in the appendix,[AQ] a translation of this oath
into the language of Engadine, which approaches nearest to it; although
I must observe, that there are in the other dialect some words which
have a still greater affinity with the language of the oath, as appears
by another translation I have procured, in which both dialects are
indifferently used. To prevent any doubts concerning the veracity of
these translations, I must here declare, that I am indebted for them,
and for several anecdotes concerning that language, to a man of letters,
who is a native and has long been an inhabitant of the Grisons, and is
lately come to reside in London. I have added to this comparative view
of those two languages, the Latin words from which both seem to have
been derived; and, as a proof of the existence of the Gallic Romance in
France down to the twelfth century, I have also subjoined the words used