Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth CenturyMacray, William Dunn
History
Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth Century
Macray, William Dunn
Bodleian Library
11. Of the MSS. of Dr. Thomas Smith, the Non-juror, of Magd. Coll.,
Oxford, there are 139 volumes, which (with the exception of a few
bequeathed by Smith himself) came into Rawlinson's hands together with
the rest of Hearne's collections. They are noticed above, under the year
1735.
12. Besides the multitude of books, scattered throughout every class of
Rawlinson's library, which belonged to Hearne or were written by him,
there are about 150 small duodecimo volumes of Hearne's daily diary and
note-books, commencing in July, 1705, and ending on June 4, 1735, the
last actual entry being on June 1, and his decease occurring on June 10.
The character of this diary is well known from the two volumes of
Extracts published by Dr. Bliss in 1857, with the title, _Reliquiæ
Hearnianæ_. But it must not be supposed that these volumes comprehend
all that deserves publication; the diary throughout is full of like
curious personal history and anecdote, antiquarian gleanings and amusing
gossip, mixed, of course, with a good deal of occasional acrimony
against those with whom Hearne came in collision either from
differences in academic or literary matters, or from their being
friends of the 'Elector of Hanover.' There is scarcely a subject falling
within its writer's scope of observation on which this Diary may not be
consulted; and as it is written in his usual plain and neat hand, with
an index to each volume, it is fortunately easy for reference. Hearne
bequeathed all his MSS., and books with MSS. notes, to Mr. William
Bedford, son of the well-known bishop among the Non-jurors, Hilkiah
Bedford; the legatee died on July 11, 1747, and Rawlinson bought them of
his widow for £105. Hence it was that they came finally to the place
where Hearne would himself have rejoiced to see them deposited. The
autobiographical sketch of Hearne's own life, which Huddesford published
in 1772, in conjunction with the lives of Leland and Wood, is preserved
among the _Miscellaneous_ MSS. Of this Rawlinson says, in a letter dated
June 19, 1740[246]: 'Tom's own life was so low and poor a performance
that I recommended it to Bedford to burn.' On account, probably, of the
numerous reflections which the Diary contained on living persons,
Rawlinson ordered in his bequest that it should not be open to
inspection until after the lapse of seven years. He laid also the same
restraint upon the use of his own papers noticed in the next paragraph.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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