Bishop Burnet's "History of My Own Time." Part I. Edited
by Osmund Airy, M.A. Vol. I. (The Clarendon Press.)—Dr. Routh, President of Magdalen College, brought out an edition of this work for the Clarendon Press in 1823. He had before him notes made by the first Earl of Dartmouth, by Speaker Onslow, the Earl of Hardwicke, and Dean Swift. The first and last of these four were bitterly hostile to the Bishop, the second and third friendly. It must be allowed that prima facie the authority of the friends outweighs that of the enemies, so far as sobriety of judgment and a general disposition to equity are concerned. Mr. Osmund Airy has now revised Dr. Routh's edition, made a selection of the earlier notes, and added some of his own. His judgment on the value of Bishop Burnet's work is eminently satisfactory :—" I am satisfied that as far as regards the reign of Charles II., with which alone I am concerned, he is, with but few exceptions, both as to events and persons, conspicuously and honourably fair in tone, even though frequently inaccurate in detail." He had his faults ; he was impetuous and credulous ; but there is, notwithstanding these faults, "little to detract from the value of Burnet's great work." The Bishop has been so savagely attacked by writers of hestile parties from his own time down to this, that this vindication of his character is especially welcome. Instances of his hasty judgments are easily collected. It is hardly likely, for instance, that the date of the Declaration of Conformity in 1662 was fixed for August 24th (St. Bartholomew) in order to deprive the nonconforming clergy of the September tithe, The law must have given, then as now, the proportion up to the date of resignation. But his general desire to be fair is manifest. He is one of the writers who are condemned without being read.
Previous page
