Marci's memory

[-JKP-]

JKP: exactly, I see no reason to doubt that. But it also increases the odds that someone who may or may not have had memory issues already confused who exactly the owner was: Rudolph or someone close to him?

It might be hard to know. Emperors had everything done for them. Most of the kings and emperors were dressed by assistants, the chamber pot was brought and emptied by an assistant, they had messengers, cooks, housekeepers, accountants. If something was in someone's hands, it might belong to them, or it might belong to the Emperor.

Rudolph II was more reclusive than most, he may not have had as much hands-on personal attention as some, but whether the VMS was in his library or that of his herbalist or whether it went through both hands may never be known.

It was common for the names of heirs to be written on certain items in those days and even in recent days (and the name might or might not be honored by the executor or other heirs after the owner's death), but since it appears to be Jacobi's hand, more likely it was an ex libris rather than his name as heir (that doesn't discount the possibility that Rudolph owned it and gave it to Jacobi or that someone else gave it to Jacobi upon Rudolph's death). Regardless of Marci's memory problems in his last days, the signature on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. combined with Marci's testimony suggests the VMS was in or around Prague at that time.