He did not, as Mr.Pollard happily puts it in the Dictionary of National Biography, "respect the sanctity of inverted commas." They ought to imply textual quotation, Froude used them for his abridgments, openly proclaiming the fact that he had abridged, and therefore deceiving no one.

Freeman's comment upon this irregularity is extremely characteristic.

"Now we will not call this dishonest; we do not believe that Mr.Froude is intentionally dishonest in this or any other matter; but then it is because he does not know what literary honesty and dishonesty are." There is no such thing as literary honesty, or scientific honesty, or political honesty.

There is only one kind of honesty, and an honest man does not misrepresent an opponent, as Freeman misrepresented Froude.

To call a man a liar is an insult.