copy of an older, barely legible manuscript?

[Jorge_Stolfi]

A more plausible scenario is that the writers, [...] presented it as a rare piece from a distant land where they used a strange alphabet and where they knew about the secret sciences, and hoped to find a buyer for it. [...] Each piece being on a different topic. [...] When eventually it was over someone bound all the sections together for the convenience of having all works in the unknown writing in one manuscript.  In effect the manuscript is not one manuscript but a collection of individual pieces of work. [...] But after each piece the authors paused. [...]

I actually agree with most of these statements ... except that the Author did not have to pretend -- it was indeed "a rare piece from a distant land where they used a strange alphabet and where they knew about the secret sciences".  

All the best, --stolfi