Account of Six Malay Manuscripts of the Cambridge University Library

Abstract

Almost all the manuscripts of the famous Dutch scholar Erpe-nius are preserved in the Cambridge University Library. Among them are six Malay manuscripts. Through the kind offices of two well known Orientalists, I was enabled to read and examine the books as thoroughly as my purpose required. In the first place, I will explain how Malay manuscripts could come into the possession of Erpenius, secondly, how they found their way to Cambridge, thirdly, how they came into my hands. I do not believe it is generally known that the famous Ara-bist Erpenius had knowledge of the Malay language. In G. J. Vossius' funeral oration on Erpenius, delivered on Nov. 15th, 1624, and printed at Leyden in the following year ', I found a passage which made me conclude that Erpenius understood Malay. It runs as follows: " Itidem moliebatur apparatum in Alcoranum, in quo triplex foret dissertatio: una dicta Alfurcan, de Alcorani auctore, et auctoritate, argumento adhaec, distributione, stylo et interpretatione. Altera, cui nomen Prophetes, de Muhammedis vit&, item religione, et variis ejus sectis. Tertia, quae vocatur Imperator, de Chaliphis, qui Muhammedi successere; deque bel-licis eorum victoriis, quibus tot florentissimas gentes imperio Sa-racenico addiderunt. Huic quoque apparatui adiecisset triplicem Muhammedanorum confessionem: unam ex Africa,, Arabice et Latine: This oration, with the catalogue of Erpenius* library is very rare; I have bor-rowed it from Professor Fruin, to whom I am much obliged for his kindness. Now Prof Frnin has made a present of it to the Leydeu University Library.