The Modern Forgery Hypothesis

[Jorge_Stolfi]

Strictly speaking, the ownership by Tepenec does not depend on any of the people above him, so his probability does not have to be less than theirs.

Mostly true.  

But if MS 408 is BookB=BookA (the one mentioned by Baresch and Marci on their letters) then MS 408 was in Prague during Barchius's life, so it having been owned by Jacobus before him is not suspicious.  

On the other hand, if MS 408 is not BookA, then it having been in Prague at that time and being owned by another person of Rudolf's court would be a suspicious coincidence, increasing my prob that the signature is fake.

That is, the low probability for MS 408 being BookA=BookB does contribute to my assignment of a low prob of it having ever belonged to Jacobus.

But that prob is so low mainly because I find Wiflrid's behavior quite suspicious --- in general, and on that "enhancement" attempt in particular.  And I still find it strange that neither Baresch nor Marci mentioned Jacobus, or bothered to cancel his ex-libris. 

By the way, the Jacobus's "signatures" on the two books in the Strahov library, with the same distinct form of his name, could have been written by the librarian, of by someone who arranged the transfer of his books there.  No?

All the best, --stolfi