Quote:After all (and this is another form of 'Voynich MS' bias), the MS was not nearly as fascinating then, as it is now.
It was not obvious that it was 'uncrackable', and people would not have known that there exists no other book in this language or code.
Good point.
Quote:someone like Mnisowsky could quite well have convinced the Jesuits to give (or even sell) this book to him after T's death.
The book does not bear the inscription of the college, as other former Tepenecz's books do. That means that Mnišovský had to be fast as lightning - to be able to get the book before the jesuits take stock of the books signed away to them. Which renders this scheme not very likely - unless, of course, the jesuit inscription also has been there and has been erased. A more likely scheme is that (as Jan Hurych already suggested ten years ago) Mnišovský did acquire the VMS from de Tepenecz himself during the life of the latter. Then, de Tepenecz could tell him about 600 ducats and all that. But here additional complications arise in that the book ended up with Baresch, while was discussed with Marci (and not with Baresch). Mind that it was not like Marci got the book from Mnišovský and gave it to Baresch. It was legally Baresch's property, otherwise Baresch would not have signed it away to Marci in his will, but just would have "returned" the book to Marci. Of course, Baresch could just purchase the book from Mnišovský through the assistance of Marci acting as a "rendevouz-point" between the two men who did not now each other...
Quote:Follow-on: a timeline I have been composing over the years, with all sorts of details, many of which are quite possibly irrelevant.
Much appreciated!
Quote:1616
Dr.Raphael teaches the Bohemian language to the young archduke (and later emperor) Ferdinand III. [Pelzel]
By a coincidence, this morning I consulted the Pelzel's book (which is available on the net) about Mnišovský and spotted this very dating. It is a multi-volume book and Mnišovský is discussed in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. on page 50 onwards. I guess it is this book whence the portrait of Mnišovský is taken.
As a sidenote, I wonder why do we call the man "Mnishowsky" while in this XVIII c. reference he is called "Mishowsky"? What was his real name and would not more information be found about him if we perform old books search against "Mishowsky" (without the letter "n")?
Returning to the dating. Pelzel writes (p. 51):
Quote:Der Erzherzog Ferdinand , mit den treuen Diensten unsers Raphael zufrieden belohnte sie dadurch, dass er ihn zu seinem Hofe nahm. Er verlieh ihm die Stelle eines Regierungsraths in Steyermark, und weil er vorsah, dass sein Stamm eistens auf den böhmischen Thron gelangen würde , so trug er ihm auf seinen Sohn, der Erzherzog, welcher nachmals unter dem Namen Ferdinand III König in Böhmen und Rom. Kaiser wurde, in der böhmischen Sprache zu unterrichten. Dies war im Jahre 1616.
The dating of 1616 looks to me as more appropriate than 1627 onwards, because in 1616 Ferdinand III was 8 years old which is the approriate time to hire a language teacher for him, as opposed to doing that in the age of 19 or even later, unless Ferdinand III was strongly indisposed to foreign languages. But that would mean that Marci is wrong either in his "Regis tum Boemiae" or in his "in lingua boemica instructor". I would not venture to judge whether in 1665 he would sooner be wrong in his memories of who was King of Bohemia 50 years ago or in who was Mnishowsky when he discussed the VMS with him. Both things do not look OK, especially the former. We usually remember who was the ruler of our land 50 years ago. That's even more so for those earlier ages when presidents did not change that often.
Suppose that Marci is not wrong about "in lingua boemica instructor". This would mean that the Report took place around 1616-1620 - when de Tepenecz was still alive (!), Mnischowsky resided in Austria, and Marci resided in Bohemia, studying in Olomouc and then Prague. Something does not fit here.
Pelzel further writes (p. 51 - 52) that:
Quote:Wie hieraus der Erzherzog Ferdinand zum König vom Böhmen erwählt vurde, und nach der Schlacht auf dem weissenBerge bei Prag zum Besitze des Königreichs gelangte, nahm er unsern Mischowsky nach Prag, und ernannte ihn zum Rathe bei der Appelation auf dem Prager Schlosse.
The battle of White Mountain was in 1620, so it is not earlier than 1620 when Mnishowsky re-appears in Prague.