He received 100l. on his original bargain, and 50l. for his additional pains. Fell also provided and paid for the translation into Latin, by Richard Peers [q. v.] of Christ Church, and Richard Reeve [q. v.] of Magdalen College school. In the biographical notices Wood received very large help from John Aubrey [q. v.]
The disagreeable side of Wood's nature now became predominant. The severity of his studies had given him exaggerated ideas of his own importance; his increasing deafness cut him off from social intercourse, and he became ill-natured, foolishly obstinate in his own opinion, and violently jealous of his own dignity. He quarrelled with his own family; he quarrelled with the fellows of Merton. He quarrelled with his good friend Bathurst, with his patron Fell, with every one who sought either to help him or to shun him. It was said of him, not untruly, that he ‘never spake well of any man.’ Of John Aubrey, the chief contributor to his fame, whose biographical notes he annexed page by page, his language is ungenerous and most ungrateful. He shut himself up more and more in his study, very busy but very unhappy, the antitype of the alchemist's dragon, killing itself in its prison by its own venom.
Wood's book appeared in July 1674, in two great folios with engraved title and numerous head-pieces. It was entitled ‘Historia et Antiquitates Univ. Oxon.;’ vol. i. contains the annals of the university, and vol. ii. gives accounts of university buildings and institutions, historical notices of the colleges and their famous men, and ‘Fasti Oxonienses,’ that is, lists of the chancellors, vice-chancellors, and proctors. Fell distributed copies broadcast, often with the addition of David Loggan's ‘Oxonia Illustrata,’ Oxford, 1675.
Wood, professing himself thoroughly dissatisfied with the form his book had taken, set himself to rewrite it in English. This version was most faithfully published from his manuscripts by John Gutch [q. v.] (see below).
The later years of Wood's life were occupied by the development of Fell's idea, the composition of a biographical dictionary of Oxford writers and bishops. Towards this he unwearyingly searched university and college registers, booksellers' shops, the Wills Office and Heralds' Office in London, public and private libraries, auction catalogues, and newspapers, and he sent letters of inquiry, from 1681 onwards, all over England and even abroad. He received also immense help, very imperfectly acknowledged by him, from Andrew Allam [q. v.] and from John Aubrey.
Wood had in the meantime formed the acquaintance of Ralph Sheldon [see under Sheldon, Edward], at whose house at Weston Park, near Long Compton in Warwickshire, he yearly (1674–81) paid visits of several weeks' duration till the Sheldons were heartily tired of him and his petulant ways. Sheldon, in return for Wood's work in cataloguing his books and manuscripts at Weston, promised Wood help towards the printing of his ‘Athenæ.’ Wood afterwards had several disputes with him about the amount, but received 30l. from Sheldon in his lifetime, 40l. in 1684 under his will, and 50l. in 1690 from his heir.
Wood was ready for press about the beginning of 1690, but found the undertaking costly. It swallowed up not only the money he received from the Sheldons, but 30l. which he received in October 1690 from the university for twenty-five manuscripts sold to the Bodleian. Afterwards, in view of the second volume appearing, he twice tried to sell a further portion of his library. He at last came to terms with Thomas Bennet of London, and the book was published in two folio volumes, vol. i. in June 1691, and vol. ii. in June 1692. In each case Wood had added to the biographical portion proper, i.e. the ‘Athenæ Oxonienses,’ a new draft of his ‘Fasti Oxonienses,’ as a convenient way of bringing in some of his surplus material. Volume i. contained 634 columns of ‘Athenæ’ and 270 columns of ‘Fasti,’ and brought the lives down to 1640. Volume ii., ‘compleating the whole work,’ had 686 columns of ‘Athenæ’ and 220 columns of ‘Fasti,’ and came down to 1690.
The book not unnaturally excited very bitter feelings. Wood was himself fond of severe reflections, and all through his work had adopted reckless charges and criticisms from spiteful correspondents. In November 1692 Henry Hyde, second earl of Clarendon [q. v.], caused Wood to be prosecuted in the vice-chancellor's court at Oxford for libelling his father Edward, the first earl, Wood having printed a statement by John Aubrey accusing the lord chancellor of selling offices at the Restoration. In July 1693 Wood was found guilty, condemned in costs, and expelled the university. The offending pages were publicly burned.
This touched the old antiquary to the quick. But he still laboured at a continuation of his Oxford biographies, to be published as an ‘appendix’ to the ‘Athenæ.’ Among his friends at this time were Arthur Charlett, master of University College, White
