Speaking of patronage... when people say "messenger" in relation to the VMS, I originally pictured a messenger boy (they did exist), but when I was reading about Dee and Kelley and many of the other people associated with Rudolph's court, I learned that messages of any importance were rarely passed on by messenger boys, they were taken by people with patronage or who were seeking patronage. The Latin word in the provenanced letter that appears to refer to the VMS can be interpreted as "bearer" and that is a pretty general word for anyone who might have a message or parcel.
If there was a book (let's say the VMS) that was thought to have some value, from what I have read so far... it is extremely unlikely that a messenger in the lower stratum of society would have taken it to the emperor. The most important messages (or assets, whatever they might be) were typically brought to the ruler by those who had the most access, those in the inner circle.
In fact, the impression I got from reading about it, was that they vied with each other for the opportunity to take something to the emperor or to anyone high up in the court. Especially Emperor Rudolph, who was not a particularly social person.
I also learned from reading correspondence (mostly post-VMS, but not too much later) that they frequently asked each other for favors (like asking a colleague to bring back unusual insect specimens if he was traveling to Africa or the Middle East for a few years).
If there was a book (let's say the VMS) that was thought to have some value, from what I have read so far... it is extremely unlikely that a messenger in the lower stratum of society would have taken it to the emperor. The most important messages (or assets, whatever they might be) were typically brought to the ruler by those who had the most access, those in the inner circle.
In fact, the impression I got from reading about it, was that they vied with each other for the opportunity to take something to the emperor or to anyone high up in the court. Especially Emperor Rudolph, who was not a particularly social person.
I also learned from reading correspondence (mostly post-VMS, but not too much later) that they frequently asked each other for favors (like asking a colleague to bring back unusual insect specimens if he was traveling to Africa or the Middle East for a few years).