Friar Rush appears in all the versions of his printed history (Danish, Swedish, German, English) as a malignant fiend who, under the disguise of a friar, brought a religious house to dire confusion. Yet it seems to be the received opinion that he was also known to the English (either under his full name or simply as “the Friar”) in quite another character,—that of harmless and serviceable house-spirit. In this rôle he was, it is held, to all intents and purposes identical with the domestic manifestation of Robin Goodfellow: that is, he worked at night for the servants, expecting no other payment than #x201C;the cream bowl duly set,” but, if that were denied him, showing his displeasure by all manner of petty mischief. The sole foundation for this opinion is a famous passage in Harsnet's Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures, 1603, in which “the Frier” is mentioned in some sort of connection with Robin Goodfellow

The subject of the gender of substantives has in recent years occupied the attention of many scholars, and various theories dealing mostly with the origin of gender have been proposed. Benjamin Ide Wheeler in the Journal of Germanic Philology, Vol. II, 4, states plainly the fundamental points of the leading theories. The literature on the subject is also to be found there. A reference to this article will suffice. Victor Michels [Zum Wechsel des Nominalgeschlechts im Deutschen, Strassburg, 1889) discusses the main principles which are at work in bringing about gender-change in German. C. Bojunga in a Leipzig dissertation, in developing the principles which underly the shiftings in the substantive declension, reaches about the same results as Michel's, however in not so full or concise a manner. These treatises deal with the changes from the OHG. and MHG. to the NHG. period. Only occasional references are made to Luther's language.