The Manuscripts Saloon adjoins the King's Library on the south Cases in the middle of the room: CASE A. Greek papyri from Egypt, including the only extant manuscripts of Bacchylides, of Aristotle on the Constitution of Athens, and of the Mimes of Herodas; portions of Plato's Phï¾µdo, of the 3rd century B.C., the second oldest Greek manuscript known; fragments of the Sayings of Jesus (1st or early 2nd century A.D.) and of the Gospel of St. John (3rd century). B. Wax tablet, apparently a Greek schoolboy's copy-book; Greek manuscripts on vellum C, D. Representative Latin, Celtic, and other manuscripts (3rd-15th cent.), including (in C) the 'American Testimonial manuscript' (English verse of 15th century, on vellum). Early English manuscripts; Beowulf (unique manuscript; circa 1000 A.D.); Langland's Piers Plowman; the Canterbury Tales; Occleve's 'De Regimine Principum,' with the author's miniature Portrait of Chaucer; Mandeville's Travels; York and Coventry mystery plays. F. (central octagonal table-case). English chronicles: Bede, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (damaged by fire in 1731), Wace, William of Malmesbury, Matthew Paris, and others.
CASES G and I. Biblical Manuscripts. In G: Pentatench (9th century), probably the oldest extant Hebrew Manuscript of any considerable portion of the Bible; Codex Alexandrinus in Greek (5th century), next to the Codex Sinaiticus (in Petrograd) and the Codex Vaticanus (in Rome), the oldest extant manuscript of the Bible. In I: Earlier of the two versions of Wycliffe's English Bible; earliest English version of the Gospels (Wessex; end of 10th century); copies of the Latin Vulgate. We next inspect the cases flanking the entrance to the King's Library.
CASE IX (West side). Books written by or showing autographs of English Sovereigns from Henry VII. to Charles I.; prayer book used by Lady Jane Grey on the scaffold.
Cases X and XI contain Autograph Literary Works of extraordinary interest, including manuscripts by nearly all the greatest English authors.
CASE XII (East side) contains recent acquisitions. On the walls are frames with deeds and papyri: West side, Bull of Pope Leo X. conferring on Henry VIII. the title of 'Defender of the Faith'; East side, Proclamation offering a reward for the capture of the Young Pretender, and his counter-proclamation (1745).
Two cases flanking the door to the Newspaper Room contain impressions of seals of British sovereigns (from Edward the Confessor), archbishops, etc. On the pilaster by Case G is Nelson's draft of instructions for the battle of Trafalgar. Opposite, near Case I, Journals of Captain R. F. Scott, the Antarctic traveller (1910-12); below, two volumes of the 'South Polar Times.'
