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H show any grasp of history, and for the most part he contented himself with seeing his manuscripts carefully through the press; but his accuracy is generally to be depended on, though his explanations of words are not always satisfactory. His prefaces do not give the information which would be expected of the contents of the volumes or even of the history and condition of the manuscripts from which he printed. His appendices contain all kinds of extraneous matter, having in most cases no connection with the author they follow. He was certainly wanting in power to distinguish the relative value of what fell in his way; it seemed to him enough that a document was old to induce him to publish it. Just before his death he had issued proposals for an edition of the chronicle known by the name of John Bevere (really a copy of the ‘Flores Historiarum’) [see ], from the Harl. MS. 641, and a few subscribers' names had been received.

But what he issued to the world was only a part of Hearne's literary work. He was in constant correspondence with very many of the antiquaries and literary men of his day, and their replies fill the greater part of ‘Rawl. Lett.’ vols. i–xxxvii., preserved in the Bodleian Library. Beginning from 1705 to within a few days of his death, he also kept an elaborate diary, giving lengthy extracts from the books he read or which came under his notice, remarks on his friends and enemies, upon public matters, university gossip and history, and indeed anything that interested him at the moment. This is contained in 145 volumes, left by him, with his other manuscripts and his collection of medals, to his friend W. Bedford, who sold them to Dr. Rawlinson, by whom they were bequeathed to the Bodleian Library. Some extracts from them were printed in 1817 by Dr. Bliss, but not published till 1857, in two octavo vols.; a second edition was issued with considerable additions in three vols. in London, 1869. But the whole diary, or at least all that is valuable in it, is being published under the auspices of the Oxford Historical Society, edited by Mr. C. E. Doble and others; eight vols., containing the ‘Collections’ from 1705 to 1725, have appeared (1885–1907). The diary gives Hearne's sentiments on things and persons in a very outspoken way; he has no tenderness for the Hanoverians or his personal opponents, and only commends the honest men, i.e. nonjurors and adherents of the exiled royal family. Thus he speaks of Bishop Trelawny (, i. 315) as ‘an illiterate, mean, silly, trifling, and impertinent fellow;’ ‘Dr. Kennett and some others of the trimming, diabolical principles’ (ii. 336); Mr. Trapp (poetry professor), ‘a most silly, rash, hott-headed fellow’ (iii. 56); Whalley, ‘a vain, proud, empty fellow’ (iii. 121); Charlett, ‘of a strange, unaccountable vanity’ (iii. 132); while Lancaster, provost of Queen's, he calls ‘old smooth boots,’ ‘the northern bear’ (iii. 28, 119, 121, 290, 349), ‘the worst vice-chancellor that ever was in Oxon.,’ who ‘raised to himself a pillar of infamy’ (iii. 60). Nor does he spare the wives of those he looked upon as enemies. Tanner's wife (ii. 9) is ‘remarkable for drinking of brandy;’ Kennett's wife ‘wears the breeches, and manages him as his haughty, insolent temper deserves’ (ib.) No doubt Hearne felt deeply the injustice with which he had been treated, and he was evidently at one time continually in fear of proceedings being taken against him. Thus he is afraid to write to his father openly, and conceals his name even in his diary (iii. 284, 361, 486). Had his diaries been examined, he would scarcely have been left undisturbed. And it must be allowed that he sometimes went out of his way to attack those in power, as may be seen in his remarks relating to the heads of colleges in his preface to Camden's ‘Elizabeth,’ i. xlvi (see them in Letters from the Bodleian, ii. 45).

The following is a list of his works, chiefly taken from his own manuscript copy, as given in Huddesford's ‘Life,’ i. 37–116, not including indexes to other works which he made, or separate letters on antiquities contained in his various volumes: 1. ‘Reliquiæ Bodleianæ,’ 1703. 2. ‘Plinii Epistolæ et Panegyricus,’ 1703. 3. ‘Eutropius, Messala Corvinus, Julius Obsequens,’ 1703. 4. ‘Ductor Historicus,’ 1704 (reprinted 1705, 1714, 1724). 5. ‘Justin,’ 1705. 6. ‘Livy,’ 1708. 7. Spelman's ‘Life of Alfred,’ 1709. 8. Leland's ‘Itinerary,’ 1710–12 (reprinted 1744–5, and again 1768–1770). 9. Dodwell's ‘De parma equestri Woodwardiana dissertatio,’ 1713. Some expressions in this offended the heads of houses in Oxford, and it was suppressed. See Hearne's ‘Catalogus Operum,’ p. 52. To this is added Thomas Neale's ‘Dialogue on the Buildings of the University of Oxford, with Views of the Colleges and the Schools.’ 10. Leland's ‘Collectanea,’ 1715 (reprinted 1774). 11. ‘Acta Apostolorum Græco-Latine, e codice Laudiano,’ 1715. 12. ‘Joannis Rossi Historia regum Angliæ,’ 1716. 13. ‘Titi Livii Foro-Juliensis Historia Henrici Quinti,’ 1716. 14. ‘Aluredi Beverlacensis Annales,’ 1716. 15. ‘W. Roperi Vita D. Thomæ Mori,’ 1716. 16. Camden's ‘Annales rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum regnante Elizabetha,’ 1717. 17. ‘W. Neubrigensis Historia,’ 1719. 18. ‘Thomæ Sprotti Chronica,’ 1719. This