judicious. But there is no reason why a biographer of
Froude should follow his example. On the contrary, it is absolutely
essential that he should not; for Freeman's assiduous efforts, first
in The Saturday, and afterwards in The Contemporary, Review, did
ultimately produce an impression, never yet fully dispelled, that
Froude was an habitual garbler of facts and constitutionally reckless
of the truth. But, before I come to details, let me say one word more
about Freeman's qualifications for the task which he so lightly and
eagerly undertook. Freeman, with all his self-assertion, was not
incapable of candour. He was staunch in friendship, and spoke openly
to his friends. To one of them, the excellent Dean Hook, famous for
his Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury, he wrote, on the 27th of
April, 1857 [1867?], "You have found me out about the sixteenth
century. I fancy that, from endlessly belabouring Froude, I get
credit for knowing more of those times than I do. But one can
belabour Froude on a very small amount of knowledge, and you are
quite right when you say that I have 'never thrown the whole force of
my mind on that portion of history.'"* These words pour a flood of
light on the temper and knowledge with which Freeman must have
entered on what he really seemed to consider a crusade. His object
was to belabour Froude. His own acquaintance with the subject was, as
he says, "very small," but sufficient for enabling him to dispose
satisfactorily of an historian who had spent years of patient toil in
thorough and exhaustive research. On another occasion, also writing
to Hook, whom he could not deceive, he said, "I find I have a
reputation with some people for knowing the sixteenth century, of
which I am profoundly ignorant."+

--
* Life and Letters of E. A. Freeman, vol. i. p. 381.
+ ibid. p. 382.
--

It does not appear to have struck him that he had done his best in
The Saturday Review to make people think that, as Froude's critic, he
deserved the reputation which he thus frankly and in private
disclaims.

Another curious piece of evidence has come to light. After Freeman's
death his library was transferred to Owens College, Manchester, and
there, among his other books, is his copy of Froude's History. He
once said himself, in reference to his criticism of Froude, "In truth
there is no kind of temper in the case, but a strong sense of
amusement in bowling down one thing after another." Let us see. Here
are so