Poggio theory as presented by Claudio Foti: more evidence

[-JKP-]

An interesting note in the Edinburgh Review...

"In that year [1422] his fellow-Tuscan, Piero Lamberteschi, made him an offer of employment which would bring him some 500 gold sequins in three years. Mr. Ross reckons this as equivalent in modern [1878] money of from 8,000l. to 10,000l. Poggio would have to go into Hungary: but  with what object is nowhere stated openly in the correspondence which passed on the subject between Poggio and his friends, Niccolo Niccoli and Piero Lamberteschi. It has been conjectured that the employment was to consist of a professorship. As, however, no university existed in Hungary before 1465, Mr. Ross denies that this could have been the proposed vocation. Mr. Ross supposes that he accepted the offer, whatever it may have been. In default of any better hypothesis, he assumes the contemplated task was the composition of a history. Writing to Niccoli from London [note that he wrote from London, not Hungary], in June 1422, Poggio says: 'Give me leisure for writing that history;' and again: 'When I reflect on the merit of the ancient writers of history, I recoil with fear from the undertaking.' He returned from England to Italy in the summer of 1422 [not enough time for him to have accepted a long project in Hungary], and accepted the post of principal secretary to the Pope. In the spring of the following year correspondence begins between him and Niccoli at Florence, on the subject of some literary enterprise he has on foot. He complains in October to Niccoli that 'what the ancients did pleasantly, quickly, and easily, was to him troublesome, tedious, and burdensome.' Such a remark Mr. Ross considers that Poggio clearly could not have made unless he were attempting something in the way of the ancients. In November he asks Niccoli to send him some map of Ptolemy's 'Geography,' Suetonius also, and other historians, and above all, Plutarch's 'Lives of Illustrious Men.' The borrowing of these works is, to Mr. Ross, conclusive that Poggio was commencing an historical work. His 'History of Florence' is the only history he ever wrote under his own name. and that could scarcely have been begun in 1423, as it carried down as late as the year 1455, Suetonius, and Plutarch, and Ptolemy's map would not have been of service in its composition."

So it seems Poggio wasn't particularly thrilled about writing histories and those investigating this in the 19th century thought the invitation to Hungary MAY have been to write a history or to interpret something historical.


All right, so here comes the interesting part...

"The work Poggio was meditating was, in short, a forgery of missing writings of Tacitus. Mr. Ross supposes the original intention was to continue the 'Histories,' as Tacitus had himself intimated his intention of continuing them, by narrating the reign of Nerva. But the materials were probably insufficient. Mr. Ross might also have suggested that, in fabricating a book which Tacitus had declared it his purpose some time or other to compose, there was the danger that a rival book-finder might light upon the genuine work and expose the fraud. In any case the final project was shaped into a  plot among these three learned persons, Poggio, Lamberteschi, and Niccoli, to forge the name of Tacitus to an earlier installment of Roman history..."

You can read the rest of it here:

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

page 232


So it seems that 19th-century researchers see the "secret project" differently from how it has been interpreted in relation to the Voynich manuscript, but...

Even if it turns out that Poggio was in no way connected with the creation of the VMS, I would still consider him a "person of interest" due to his
renown as a book collector and his connections with other translators, copyists, and book collectors.