Fifty pounds were paid for some 'Tibetan MSS.' of Capt. Samuel Turner,
E.I.C.S., who had been sent by Warren Hastings, on a mission to the
Grand Llama, in 1785. Of this mission he published an account, in a
quarto volume, in 1800. His MSS. consist chiefly of nine bundles of
papers and letters in the Persian and Tartar languages, written in the
last century, together with a few Chinese printed books. Capt. Turner
died Jan. 2, 1802; but as one of his sisters was married to Prof. White,
it was probably through him that the papers were now purchased.
A beautiful copy of the _Koran_ which had been in the library of Tippoo
Sahib (now exhibited in the glass case near the door) was presented,
together with another MS. from the same collection, by the East India
Company. Dibdin speaks of it as a work 'upon which caligraphy seems to
have exhausted all its powers of intricacy and splendour,' and adds the
following description:--
'The preservation of it is perfect, and the beauty of the binding,
especially of the interior ornaments, is quite surprising. The first
few leaves of the text are highly ornamented, without figures,
chiefly in red and blue. The latter leaves are more ornamental; they
are even gorgeous, curious and minute. The generality of the leaves
have two star-like ornaments in the margin, out of the border. Upon
the whole this is an exquisite treasure, in its way[272].'
The _Catholicon_ of J. de Janua, printed at Mentz, in 1460, was bought
for £63.
The following singular memorandum, relating to this year, is preserved
on a small paper:--
'Oxford, Aug. 29, 1806. Borrowed this day, of the Rev. the Bodleian
Librarian, the picture given to the Library by Mr. Peters, which I
promise to return upon demand.
'JOSEPH WHITE.
'_Mem._ Not returned, June 24, 1807.
'Nor as yet, Oct., 1808. J. P. (_i.e._ J. Price).
'And never to be ret^d.' (added at some later period.)
This picture must have been the portrait of Professor White himself,
which was painted and presented by Rev. Will. Peters, R.A., in
1785[273]. It has never been restored.
On the morning of Saturday, April 19, probably but little after nine
o'clock, the statutable time for the opening of the Library, some
zealous student stood at the door, but could get no further. No one
appeared to give him entrance; the Librarian himself never came on a
Saturday, and probably his Assistants were not scrupulous in
punctuality; at any rate, the expectant student stood and expected in
vain. But ere he departed, he denounced a 'Woe' which perpetuates to
this day the memory of his vain expectancy; he affixed to the door the
following text, which doubtless seemed to him naturally suggested:
'Ουαι ὑμιν, ὁτι ηρατε την κλειδα της γνωσεως; αυτοι ουκ εισηλθετε, και
τους εισερχομενους εκωλυσατε.' The paper is now preserved over the door
of one of the Sub-librarians' studies, with this note added: 'Affixed to
the outer door of the Library by some _scavant inconnu_, April 19,
1806.'
[272] _Bibliogr. Decam._ iii. 472.
[273] Gutch's _Wood_, II. ii. 979.