Theodoricus, in Jornandes Theodericus. Those who, with Grimm {p3},
admit a transition of Low into High-German, and deny that the change
of Gothic Th into High-German D took place before the sixth or
seventh century, will find it difficult to account, in the first
century, for the name of Deudorix, a German captive, the nephew of
Melo the Sigambrian, mentioned by Strabo {p4}. In the oldest German
poem in which the name of Dietrich occurs, the song of Hildebrand and
Hadebrand, written down in the beginning of the ninth century {p5},
we find both forms, the Low-German Theotrih, and the High-German
Deotrih, used side by side.

Very soon, however, when High-German became the more prevalent
language in Germany, German historians knew both of the old legendary
hero and of the Ost-gothic king, by one and the same name, the High-
German Dietrich.

If therefore Johannes von Muller spoke of Theodoric of Verona as
Dietrich von Bern, he simply intended to carry on the historical
tradition. He meant to remind his readers of the popular name which
they all knew, and to tell them,--This Dietrich with whom you are all
acquainted from your childhood, this Dietrich of whom so much is said
and sung in your legendary stories and poems, the famous Dietrich of
Bern, this is really the Theoderic, the first German who ruled Italy
for thirty-three years, more gloriously than any Roman Emperor before
or after. I see no harm in this, as long as it is done on purpose,
and as long as the purpose which Johannes von Muller had in his mind,
was attained.

No doubt the best plan for an historian to follow is to call every
man by the name by which he called himself. Theodoric, we know,