OTLOH WRITE?

Sir,--In Dr. Maitland's able vindication of the _Dark Ages_ (p. 419. 1st
ed.), he concludes his interesting extract from the scribe Otloh's
account of himself by saying:--"One would like to know what books they
were which Otlohnus thus multiplied; but this, perhaps, is now
impossible." I have it accidentally in my power to identify two at least
of the number; and if it was his universal practice to subscribe his
name, as he does in these instances, a search into the principal
repositories of MSS. would, no doubt, give a large list. A valuable MS.
volume in my possession has been thus described by a learned
Benedictine: "Codex Membranaceus constans foliis 223 numerando; saeculis
ix. desinente, x. et xi. incipiente, variis manibus scriptus, per partes
qui in unum collectus, ex scriptis variis natidae scripturae carlovingicae,
varia continens: 1 deg. Vita et Passio, seu Martirium S. Dionisii; scripta
fuit ab Hilduino Abbate Coenobii S. Dionisii in Francia sub Ludovico
Pio." It is said that Hilduinus was the first writer who gave the
marvellous story of the saint carrying his own head in his hand for
nearly two miles after his decapitation. But he tells us that he
abridged his narration _ex Graecam et Latinorum Historiis_.

2 deg. Revelatio facta S. Stephano Papae de consecratione altaris SS. Petri
et Pauli ante Sepulchrum S. Martirii Dionisii quae consecratio facta fuit
v. kal. Aug. 754. This part of the MS. is remarkable for containing in
one place the date written in Roman ciphers, thus--dccLiiii. v. kl.
aug.; a circumstance so rare in MSS. of this age, as to have astonished
the learned diplomatists Papebroch and Germon.

3 deg. Historia S. Simeonis Trevirensis Solitarii. Of whom it is recorded
that he lived _sub Poppone Episcopo Trevirense, in quaedam cellula ad
portam nigram sita_. At fol. 36. an interesting account of the death of
the saint is given by the author, who was present, and with the
assistance of two other monks, piously performed his obsequies. It
appears that the abbey of S. Maximin was about 120 paces from the cell
of the saint at Treves, and it is therefore most probable that the
writer was a monk of the Benedictine order then belonging to that
foundation; but he puts his name out of doubt by the following couplet,
inscribed at the end of the narrative:--

"Presbiter et monachus OTLOH quidam vocitatus
Sancte tibi librum BONIFACII tradidit istum."

This dedication of his labours to