GLASS CASE NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE LIBRARY.

1. A Telugu MS. on palm-leaves, brought from India by Sir Thos. Strange, formerly Chief Justice of Madras, together with a style employed for writings of this kind, and a pocket-knife. Given by Sir T. Strange's daughter, Mrs. Edmund Foulkes, in 1864.

2. Drawings and engravings of Buddhist idols; brought from a Joss-house in a Llama monastery in Pekin, in 1862, and given to the Library by Lieut.-Col. Gibbes Rigaud, of the 60th Rifles.

3. Autograph book of distinguished visitors.

This book commences at the year 1820. Among the autographs which it contains may be mentioned the following in particular:—

Until the year 1861 it was also the custom for all graduates of Cambridge and Dublin who were admitted ad eundem to enter their names in this book; it is to this custom that we owe possession of the signature of the ex-Metropolitan of New Zealand[374].

4. New Testament, said to be bound in a piece of a waistcoat of King Charles I. See p. [53].

5. Another, bound by the Sisters of Little Gidding. See p. [53].

6. Xiphilini Epitome Dionis Nicæi; Gr. 4to. Par. printed by Rob. Stephens, 1551. Bound in a handsomely tooled and gilt calf binding, in the Grolier style, with the badge of Dudley, Earl of Leicester, viz. the Bear and Ragged Staff, in the centre. Bequeathed by Selden.

7. Bacon's Essays; in a worked binding. See p. [51].

8. Specimen of the early Block-books, or books printed from engraved blocks before the invention of moveable types; being the Apocalypse, represented in a series of rudely-engraved scenes, with short explanatory descriptions.

This is a copy of the edition called by Mr. S. Leigh Sotheby, in his Principia Typographica, the Second; it belonged to Mr. Douce, who bought it for thirty-one guineas at Mr. Inglis' sale[375].

9. The first book printed from moveable types; being a very fine copy, of the grand Latin Bible, printed by Gutenberg at Mentz about 1455. See p. [202].

A copy was sold at the auction of the library of the Duke of Sussex, in 1844, for the moderate sum of £190; when the same copy, however, was re-sold at the auction of the library of Dr. Daly, Bishop of Cashel, in 1858, it produced no less than £596.

10. A copy of the first book printed in the English language, being The Recuyell of the Histories of Troy, printed by Caxton, most probably at Bruges, about 1472.

This copy wants three leaves; it was given to the Library in 1750, by James Bowen, a painter of Shrewsbury, well known as a local antiquarian. A second copy, which wants seven leaves, is also in the Library. A copy, wanting forty-four leaves, was sold at Utterson's sale in 1852 to the Earl of Ashburnham for £155.

11. The English Bible, translated by Myles Coverdale from the Vulgate, and printed abroad in 1535.

This copy of the first complete Bible printed in our language, is one of the largest and soundest known to be in existence, although, like almost all other copies, it wants the title. It was formerly in the possession of Selden. A facsimile title, engraved by Mr. Fry, of Bristol, from the Marq. of Northampton's copy, accompanies it, together with another leaf in facsimile, from the Earl of Leicester's copy. Another and more imperfect copy came to the Library among the books

bequeathed by Mrs. Denyer. In 1854 a copy nearly perfect, having only two leaves in facsimile by Mr. Harris, was sold at Mr. Dunn Gardner's sale for the large sum of £364; and a very imperfect copy was sold for £190 in 1857.

12. Hieronymus (rectius, Rufinus) de Symbolo Apostolorum; printed at Oxford in 1468. See p. [111].

13. Latin verses in the autograph of Milton. See p. [45].

14. The original MS. of Addison's Letter (in verse) from Italy to Lord Halifax.

A Rawlinson MS.

15. Letter from Alex. Pope to H. Cromwell, Esq.; dated July 15, 1711.

The same volume contains various other letters from the same to the same, which were printed by Curll in 1727; one by Dryden, three by J. Norris of Bemerton, three short notes from Young, and several letters by Ladies Hester Pakington and Mary Chudleigh. It belongs to the Rawlinson collection of MSS.

16. Letter from Archbp. Laud to Sir W. Boswell, the English Resident at the Hague; dated from Lambeth, Nov. 26, 1638.

It refers to libels printed in Holland, and particularly to one against Laud, supposed to be then printing at Amsterdam, entitled, The Beast is Wounded. 'I thanke God I trouble not myselfe much with these things; but am very sorry for the Publicke, which suffers much by them.' Bought in 1863 at a sale at the Hague for £7 17s., together with a letter on diplomatic business signed by Sir Thomas Bodley, and dated at the Hague, April 11, 1589, which is now bound in the same volume.

17. Archbp. Laud's formal Letter of resignation of his office as Chancellor of the University, signed by himself, and dated from the Tower, June 22, 1641. In Latin; on parchment.

Endorsed by Ant. à Wood with this memorandum: 'Given to me by Rob. Whorwood, of Oxon, Gent., 29 Feb., 1679[376].'

18. Lord Clarendon's Letter, resigning the same office upon his going into exile; written in a secretary's hand, but signed by himself. Very touching and beautiful. It runs as follows:—

'For Mr. Vicechancellor of Oxford.
'Good Mr. Vicechancellor,

'Having found it necessary to transport myselfe out of England, and not knowing when it will please God that I shall returne againe; it becomes me to take care that the University may not be without the service of a person better able to be of use to them, then I am like to be; and I doe therefore hereby surrender the office of Chancellor into the hands of the said University, to the end that they make choyce of some other person better qualifyed to assist and protect them then I am, I am sure he can never be more affectionate to it. I desire you, as the last suite I am like to make to you, to believe that I doe not fly my Country for guilt, and how passionately soever I am pursued, that I have not done any thing to make the University ashamed of me, or to repent the good opinion they had once of me, and though I must have noe farther mention in your publique devotions (which I have alwayes exceedingly valued) I hope I shall be alwayes remembred in your private prayers as

'Good Mr. Vicechancellor,
'Your affectionate servant,
'CLARENDON.
'Calice, this 7/17 Dec. 1667.'

19. A volume of the Papers of W. Bridgeman, Under-secretary of State to James II (bequeathed to the Library by Dr. R. Rawlinson; see p. [173]), open at a leaf containing the original declaration written and signed by the Duke of Monmouth, on the day of his execution, of the nullity of his claim to the Crown.

The following is a copy:—

'I declare yt ye title of King was forct upon mee, & yt it was very much contrary to my opinion when I was proclam'd. For ye satisfaction of the world I doe declare that ye late King told mee that Hee was never married to my Mother.

'Haveing declar'd this I hope yt the King who is now will not let my Children suffer on this Account. And to this I put my hand this fifteenth day of July, 1685.

'MONMOUTH.
'Declar'd by Himselfe, & sign'd in the presence of us.
'Fran. Elien. [Turner].
'Tho. Bath & Wells [Ken].
'Tho. Tenison.
'George Hooper.'

Beside it is placed the Proclamation of James II, ordering the apprehension of all persons dispersing the Declaration issued by Monmouth upon his landing in England; dated but one short month previously, June 15, 1685.

The same volume contains two letters from Monmouth to the King, begging for his life, and one to the Queen. These have been frequently printed.

20. A Sanscrit roll, written at the end of the last century, containing

extracts from the Bhagavadgita; with paintings representing the incarnations of Vishnu, &c.

In a wooden case. One of the Frazer MSS.

21. A magnificent folio volume, containing a series of illustrations of Scripture History from Genesis to Job; written about the beginning of the fourteenth century.

Each page contains, in double columns, four pairs of miniatures painted, in medallion-form, upon a gorgeous ground of gold; the first of each pair represents some historical scene, which the second treats allegorically, and applies to the condition of the Church or of individual Christians. Two other volumes are to be found in the British Museum, and in the Imperial Library at Paris.

22. A small oaken platter, bearing the following inscription: 'This Salver is part of that Oak in which his Majesty K. Charles the 2d, Concealed himself from the Rebells, and was given to this University by Mrs. Lætitia Lane.'

The donor was the daughter of Col. John Lane, the chief agent in the King's escape from Worcester; she died in 1709[377].

23. Specimen of Javanese writing, being a letter from a Javanese Chief to the Resident of Soorabaya. The seal bears the date of 1780.

24. Small specimen of an Arabic MS.

25. A fragment in large Persian characters.

26. A specimen of Malabaric writing, upon a palm-leaf, three feet in length. 'Aug. 9, 1630. Ex dono Jo. Trefusis, generosi Cornubiensis, e Coll. Exon.'

27. A Russian painting upon a shell, representing a female saint called S. Parasceve, ἡ ἁγια Παρασκευη, who is found in the Greek Menology, but whose history is believed by the Bollandists to be a pious fiction.

28. A Hebrew Bible, beautifully written in the fourteenth century; in triple columns, with the Masoretic commentary written in very minute characters, and frequently in fantastic figures, round each page.

One of the Oppenheimer MSS.

29. Horæ. An illuminated MS. of the middle of the fifteenth century, in 4to., probably by a French scribe and artist.

From the Canonici collection.

30. Another MS. of the Hours, in folio, of the fifteenth century, beautifully illuminated, with many miniatures varying in the treatment of some of the scenes which they represent from the common type.

Traditionally said, but on what evidence does not appear, to have belonged to Henry VIII.

31. A third fifteenth-century MS. of the Hours, in 8vo.

From the Rawlinson collection.

32. A fourth MS. of the Hours, very early in the fifteenth century, or about the close of the fourteenth.

Also from the Rawlinson collection. All these copies of the Horæ appear to be of French execution.

33. A pair of long white leather gloves, worked with gold thread, which were worn by Queen Elizabeth when she visited the University in 1566[378].

34. A Latin exercise book, in 4to., which appears to have been filled up by Edward VI and his sister Elizabeth, jointly.

Sentences written by the former are dated from Jan. 1548-9 to Aug. 1549. The boy-monarch has written his own name in several parts of the book. It came to the Bodleian 'ex dono doctissimi viri P. Junii, Bibliothecarii Regii, A.D. 1639.' Patrick Young also gave another book in Edward's handwriting in folio, containing Greek and Latin phrases, written very neatly in 1551-1552[379].

35. Mexican Hieroglyphics; painted on a long skin of leather.

36. The Book of Proverbs, written by Mrs. Esther Inglis. See p. [48].

37. Two Runic Primstaves, or wooden Clog-Almanacks: one in the form of a walking stick; the other, an oblong block, with a handle. See pp. [105], [161].

An engraving of the second may be found in the Anglican Church Calendar illustrated, published by Messrs. Parker. And a description of these primitive Calendars is given by Plot in his Natural History of Staffordshire, 1686, pp. 418-432, where there is an engraving of a Clog which was still in use in Staffordshire at that time.

38. Eight small wooden tablets, apparently a pocket-edition of a Clog-Almanack, with very quaint figures.

Given by Archbp. Laud.

39. The Book of Enoch, in Æthiopic. See p. [267].

40. A Persian poem, by Jami, on the history of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Written A.D. 1569, and decorated with some very good paintings and arabesque borders[380].

One of Greaves' MSS.

41. A specimen of Telugu writing on palm-leaves; being an almanack for the year 1630.

Given by Archbp. Laud.

42. A French panegyrical poem, presented to Queen Elizabeth, in 1586, by Georges de la Motthe, a French refugee; with a prefatory address in prose.

Enriched with an exquisite portrait of the Queen, in all the grandeur of her wide circumference, and with golden hair of very prononcée hue; and with a great variety of beautifully-executed monograms, symbols, &c. around each page. The binding is richly tooled and covered with designs; while in the centre on either side, protected by glass, are brilliant bosses, said to be composed of humming-birds' feathers.

'Ex dono ornatissimi, simul ac optimæ spei, juvenis D. Johannis Cope, armigeri, equitis aurati, baronetti f. natu maximi, olim Reginensis Oxon, Almæ Matris ergô. 4 Cal. Jan. 1626.'

On a fly-leaf at the end is attached a fragment from some English theological treatise, in wonderfully minute, although clear, handwriting.

43. The Koran, on a long and narrow roll, very elegantly written in minute characters.

Given by Archbp. Laud.

44. A Syriac fragment, on three leaves of paper.

45. A specimen of Chinese printing, on rice-paper.

46. A specimen of the Papyrus-plant, in its natural state.

47. A fine MS. of the Koran, from the library of Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatam.

Given by the East India Company in 1806; see p. [208].

48. A small Egyptian mummy-figure, of baked clay.

Given by Archbp. Laud.

49. A Burmese MS., written in large black characters on thirty-nine gilded palm-leaves.

'Taken from a priest's chest in an idol-house of the deserted village of Myanoung, on the Irawaddy, thirty-five miles below Prome, April 17, 1825.' Given by Rev. Joseph Dornford, Oriel College, Nov. 8, 1830.