H Y D 
Svo. publiihed in 175-9 by the univerfity of Oxford. It 
is only as an hiftorian that he is now known in a literary 
capacity, and his work on the civil war is regarded as a 
very valuable fource of information on the events of that 
unhappy period. Hume fays of it, that, “ except Whit- 
locke’s Memorials, it is the mod candid account of thofe 
times compofed by any cotemporary author.” Lord Cla¬ 
rendon writes like a man who has taken a decided part; 
and, in his moral eftimate of perfons and things, aflumes 
as principles the juftice of the fide to which he attached 
himlelf, and the criminality of the oppofite. But, with 
this allowance, his reprefentations are ufually fair and 
moderate. His ftyle is not without beauty, but the con- 
ftruftion of his fentences is often fomewhat perplexed. 
His peculiar excellence is in drawing charafters, and few 
have ever exceeded him in the truth and animation of 
his portraits. 
HYDE (Thomas), a learned Engliffi divine and Orien¬ 
tal fcholar, born at Bridgenorth in Shropffiire, in 1636. 
When fixteen years of age, he was entered of King’s 
college, in the univerfity of Cambridge; where he became 
acquainted with Mr. Abraham Wheelock, who was 
equally celebrated for his Ikill as a linguift. By him he 
was lent to London to the learned Mr. Brian Walter, 
afterwards biffiop of Chefter, as a perfon very capable of 
affifting him in preparing for publication the grand poly¬ 
glot Bible, on which he was then engaged. And Mr. 
Hyde certainly proved of very important fervice in that 
arduous undertaking: for he tranfcribed the Perfian Pen¬ 
tateuch out of the Hebrew characters, in which it was 
firft printed at Conftantinople, into the proper Perfian 
characters. This talk the learned Ulher thought would 
have proved impracticable even to a native Perfian, be- 
caufe one Hebrew character anfwered fometimes to one 
Perfian letter, and fometimes to another, which were 
difficult to be diftinguiihed. Of this Pentateuch Mr. Hyde 
alfo added a Latin tranilation ; and he further affilted in 
correcting different parts of Walton’s work, in the Ara¬ 
bic, Syriac, and Samaritan, languages; by which he merited 
the character that was given of him by the editor, that 
his Ikill in the oriental languages was fuch as greatly fur- 
puffed his years. In 1658, Mr. Hyde went to Oxford, 
where he was admitted of Queen’s college, and loon after¬ 
wards appointed Hebrew reader in that l'ociety. 
Not long after the reftoration of Charles II. Mr. 
Hyde was made under-keeper of the Bodleian library, 
■upon the ejection of the famous Henry Stubbe; which 
appointment furnilhed him with an opportunity of pro- 
fecuting his ftudies with lingular advantage. In this 
fituation he conducted himfelf with fuch propriety and 
diligence, that upon a vacancy taking place in the office 
of head-keeper, in 1665, he was eleCted to fill it, with 
the general approbation of the whole univerfity. Before 
this, however, he publiihed, in the fame year, Verfio Latina 
e Lingua Perfect, £3 Commentarii in Obfervationes Ulugh Bcigi, 
de Tabulis Longitudinis £3 Latitudinis Stdlarum fixarum , 4to. 
About this time, Mr. Hyde became acquainted with the 
celebrated Mr. Robert Boyle, to whom he was ufeful by 
communicating to him feveral remarkable paffages relating 
to chemillry, phyfic, and natural hiftory, in Oriental wri¬ 
ters. In 1666, he was promoted to a prebend in the 
cathedral church of Salilbury; and in the following year 
he publiihed, Quatuor Evangelia £3 Afla Apojlolorum, Lingua 
Malaicd, CharaEleribvs Europais, 4-to. printed at the expence 
of Mr. Boyle. In 1674, he publiihed, Catalogus imprtjforem 
Librorum Bibliotheca Bodleiana in Academia Oxon. folio; and 
in 1678, he was made archdeacon of Gloucefter. In 
3688, he publiihed, Epijlola de Menfuris £3 Ponderibus Serum 
Jive Senenfnim, Svo. printed at the end of Dr. Edward Ber¬ 
nard’s treatife De Menfuris £3 Ponderibus Antiquis, Libri 
ires ; and alfo, Epijlola N.F.D. de Mari ALneo Salomonis, 
annexed to the fame work. In 1691, he publiihed, Spe¬ 
cimen Libri More Nevockim Maimonidis ; Arabice and La- 
tine edendi, 4to. and upon the death of the learned Dr. 
Edward Pococke, in the fame year, he was eleCted Arabic 
H Y D 6 i 5 
profefior. Before this eleCHon he had publiihed, Iggereth 
Orckoth Olam ; id eft. Itinera Mundi, fic diCta, nempe Cof- 
mographia, Autore Abrahamo Peritfol, Latina Verfione 
donavit & Notas paffim adjecit Thomas Hyde S.T.D. See. 
4to. to fupply in fome meafure the Arabic Geography of 
Abulfeda, which, at the requeft of bifliop Fell, he had 
undertaken to publiffi with a Latin tranilation ; but, the 
death of his patron putting an end to that work, he fent 
this minor performance abroad, dedicated to the earl of 
Nottingham, then principal fecretary of ftate, with the 
hope that it might excite a ftronger curiofity in the 
learned refpeCting this branch of knowledge. 
Notwithftanding the lofs of his patron, Dr. Hyde ftili 
proceeded in fupplying new funds of information from 
Eaftern literature. In 1693, he publiihed, 8. De Ludis 
Orientalibus Libri duo,fcil. Mandragarias, feu Hifioria Scka-- 
liludii Latine, 8vo. 9. Hijloria Schaliludii, feu trias Judaorum 
de Ludo Schacorum Heb. Lat. 8vo. 3. Hijloria Nortliludii, £3 
reliquorum Ludorum Orientalium ubi Arabum, Perfarum, £3 
C/tinefum, Ludi varii, 8vo. 10. TraElatus Alberti Bobovii,. 
Turcarum Imp. Mohammedis lVti. olim Interpretis primarii, de 
Turcarum Liturgia, peregrinatione Meccana Circumcifwne, rEgro- 
torum Vifitatione, £ 3 c. nonnullas Annotatiunculas prout Occafo 
fe obtulit , pajfim adjecit Thomas ILyde, S.T.D. £ 3 c. 4to. This, 
though lliort, is a very curious and ufeful treatife. 
Annexed to it, is a reproof to Angelus of St. Jofeph, 
alias father de la Brofte, on account of his attack on the 
Perfian gofpels in the Engliffi polyglot, the principal de- 
fign of which was to raife the credit of the Paris polyglot. 
Dr. Hyde’s reproof produced an admirable effeft, as not 
only maintaining the credit of the Engliffi work, but 
fliowing alfo what lamentable critics the Carmelite monks 
were, notwithftanding the high efteem in which they 
ftood in their own country for Oriental learning. In 
1697, Dr. Hyde was appointed regius profeffor of Hebrew, 
and canon of Chrift-church. Three years after this he 
publiihed another excellent work, The Religion of the 
ancient Perfians, entitled, Hijloria Rcligionis He ter urn Per¬ 
farum, eorumque Magarum. Ubi eliam nova Abrahami, £3 
Mithra, £3 Vefa, £3 Manet/ns Hiforia, £ 3 c. accedunt leones, 
& Appendix variarum Differtationum, 1700,410. The whole 
work is divided into thirty-five chapters; to which is 
fubjoined a Latin tranilation of a book ufed by the magi, 
entitled. Sadder, containing the laws and precepts of Zo- 
roafter. See. 
In 1701, Dr. Hyde refigned the office of head-keeper 
of the Bodleian library, on account of his age and infir¬ 
mities. He had occupied the poft of interpreter and fe¬ 
cretary in the Oriental languages, during the reigns of 
Charles II. James II. and William III. He died in 1702, 
at his apartments in Chrift-church, in the fixty-feventh 
year of his age. 
HYDE, a maritime county of the American ftates, in 
Newbern diltrift, North Carolina; bounded eaft by the 
ocean, weft by Beaufort county, north by Tyrrel, and 
fouth by Carteret. It contains 4120 inhabitants, of whom 
1048 are (laves. 
HY'DEGELD, f. A ranfom or fine in lieu of a whip¬ 
ping. An old word. 
HY'DER-A'LI KHA'N, fultan of the Myfore, and a 
very celebrated warrior. The time of his birth is not 
known. He died in the year 1782. He was a for¬ 
midable enemy to the Engliffi in India, and . his fon 
Tippoo Saib inherited his dominions and his enmities. 
For his military exploits, fee the articles England, vol. 
vi. and Hindoostan, in.this volume.. We lliall here add 
a (ketch of his perfon and manners. Hyder-Ali was 
about five feet fix incites high, .very aclive, and capable 
of bearing fatigue as well on foot as on horfeback. His 
complexion was very brown, as is that of all. Indians 
who expofe themfelves to the air and the fun. His fea¬ 
tures were coarfe, his nofe final 1, his lower lip rather 
thick; and he wore very fmall whilkers, contrary to the 
cuftora of the Orientals, efpecially the Mahometans. His 
garments,, like thofe of all the natives of India, were of- 
white 
