7 OCTOBER 2000, Page 38

To thee and thou

From Mr Edmund Coxhead Sir: Peter Hitchens's article about the Church of England CO praise ye Delors', 16 September) made interesting and sensi- ble reading, although, as a Catholic, it is not perhaps for me to enter the debate.

I would, however, pick him up on his ref- erence to 'the formal and respectful use of "Thou" when God himself [should that not be 'Himself' ?] is addressed'. I have always been under the impression that 'thou' is the informal and familiar form of the second person; vide the north-country put-down `Don't thee "thou" me'.

Edmund Coxhead

Shrewsbury, Shropshire