From this year until 1700, Humphrey Wanley was an assistant in the
Library, at an annual salary of £12. He had also £10 at the end of this
year 'extraordinary, for his paines already past,' and £15, at the
beginning of 1700, 'for his pains about Dr. Bernard's books.' Possibly
this grant may have been in consequence of the interposition of Bishop
Lloyd of Worcester, who, in a letter to Wanley of Jan. 6, in that year,
promises to speak to the Bishop of Oxford to see whether he can get his
place in the Library made better for him[151]. Wanley was no favourite
with Hearne. The following passage from the _MS. Diary_ of the
latter[152] is a specimen of the censure which he on several occasions
passes on him: 'Humphrey Wanley appears from several passages to be a
very illiterate silly fellow. He committed strange and almost incredible
blunders when he was employed by Dr. Charlett and some others in
printing the catalogue of the MSS. of England and Ireland, which work
was committed first to the care of Dr. Bernard; but he being then very
weak and otherwise employed, he could not take so much pains about it as
he would, had he not been thus hindered.' The very accurate index,
however, to this Catalogue was Bernard's own work, made from the
proof-sheets, and written with his own hand, 'uti ab illo accepi,' says
Dr. T. Smith in his Life (1704, p. 48). He prepared also another index,
which included besides the contents of eight of the great foreign
libraries, but not the Royal Library at Paris, the catalogue of which he
was unable to obtain.
[151] Walker's _Letters by Eminent Persons_, i. 102. It is pleasant to
find that Wanley in more prosperous days evinced his gratitude for the
help he had received in the Library, by giving, in the year 1721, £7
7_s._, together with a MS. Latin Bible.
[152] 1714, vol. li. p. 193.