He wrote books of travel, of popular biography, or of historical or political discussion, &c., from time to time; but his principal literary achievements were editions, between 1868 and 1888, of Franklin's autobiography and autobiographical writings, copiously annotated; and of the complete works of Franklin, in ten octavo volumes (New York, 1887-1889).
In 1555 he published a new edition of Conrad Gesner's Epitome of his Bibliotheca universalis (a list of all authors who had written in Greek, Latin or Hebrew), in 1574 a new edition of the Bibliotheca itself, and in 1575 an annotated edition of the Antonine Itinerary.
Here he soon gained a position of prominence at the bar, and published an annotated edition, which long remained standard, of the laws of Ohio.
He also made a catalogue of the manuscripts at Anchin and annotated many of them.
His best work lies in his annotated editions of the older chroniclers.