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Show TWO NAMES WERE THE LIMIT la the Sixteenth Century It Was Illegal Ille-gal In England to Have Mora Than One Cognomen. It la an exception nowadays to coma across a person with only one Christian name, London Answers observes. ob-serves. High or low can hare a string of middle names If they so da-aire, da-aire, although tha majority slick to but two Christian names. In tha sixteenth century, however, middle names were Illegal In England, and. In accordance with the strictness of that period, no Infraction of tha law waa admitted. Royalty were tha only privileged persons In this respect If they really wished to possess a middle name the law relaxed Ita severity and granted thulr rcqiifst; but woe to tba ordinary commoner who exercised his own authority au-thority and gave unto himself mora than two appellations. Tha whipping post waa bis punishment punish-ment for the first offense. And should bis boastfulness exceed his temerity more lasting punishment corrected his si-cond lapse the mediaeval custom cus-tom of re noval of hla thumbs or ears. Undoubtedly full nomenclature haa been of great use In tba legal world. "John Jones" abounds by tha bun-reds, bun-reds, but John "Slegmund" Jones, for Instance, stands a better chance or correct Identification and of establishing establish-ing Lis Identity. |