“I am just now deep in old MSS., correcting all that part of the Harleian catalogue which was left unfinished by Humphrey Wanley, and very imperfectly executed by Mr. Casley.”

The work done by Nares was supplemented by Stebbing Shaw, and Douce.  The Rev. T. Hartwell Horne added a series of indexes, and published the catalogue in 1812.*

* Nichol’s Literary Illustrations, vol. vii., p. 591.

On the death of Edward, Earl of Oxford, in 1741, his widow,* who is described as a “dull, worthy woman,” cared to retain few of her husband’s treasures.  His various curiosities were sold by auction; his printed books, pamphlets, and engravings were disposed of to Thomas Osborne, a bookseller of Gray’s Inn, for 13,000 pounds—­several thousand pounds less than the cost of their bindings.  A selection of scarce pamphlets found in the library was made by Oldys, and printed in 8 volumes, in 1746, under the title of the “Harleian Miscellany.”  Dr. Samuel Johnson wrote a preface to this work.  The best edition of the “Harleian Miscellany” is that of Thomas Park, in 10 volumes, published between 1808-13.

* She was Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles, only daughter of John, fourth Earl of Clare, created Duke of Newcastle.

There still remained the precious manuscripts, and it had been the wish of Lord Oxford that books so carefully collected might not be dispersed.  In accordance with this wish, Lady Oxford sold them to the nation in 1753 for the inconsiderable sum of 10,000 pounds.  They then consisted of 7639 volumes, besides 14,236 original rolls, charters, deeds, and other documents, and these were removed to the British Museum, where they found a safe and suitable resting-place.

But although fortunately the Harleian MSS. have been preserved from the fate of so many choice volumes in the Cottonian library, they have suffered to some extent from the carelessness or dishonesty of borrowers.  The second Lord Oxford was generous to a fault in lending, with the inevitable result.  Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the only one of his literary friends whom Lady Oxford tolerated,* wrote the following letter to her husband from Avignon in 1745, at the time when probably, the MSS. having been removed to the British Museum, attention was directed to the fact that some were missing:—­

“I perfectly remember carrying back the manuscript you mention, and delivering it to Lord Oxford.  I never failed returning to himself all the books he lent me.  It is true I showed it to the Duchess of Montague, but we read it together, and I did not even leave it with her.  I am not surprised in that vast quantity of manuscripts, some should be lost or mislaid, particularly knowing Lord Oxford to be careless of them, easily lending and as easily forgetting he had done it.  I remember I carried him once one very finely illuminated that when I delivered he did not recollect he had lent it to me, though it was but a few days before.  Wherever this is, I think you had need be in no pain about it."**