I am not convinced by the provenance history of the VMS

[nablator]

Voynich himself noted the (faded) signature of Jacobus Tepenecz on the front page of the VMS. Yet nobody in the entire known history of the VMS mentioned anything about Tepenecz. For Baresch, Marci, Kircher and others, it would have been obvious that there is a famous signature on the front page. These were not laymen. These were experts. Yet nobody, for some reason, mentions that the personal herbalist of the mighty Holy Roman Emperor himself, Rudolf II, visibly signed the manuscript on the front page.

Famous? The Sinapius name might have been recognized because of aqua sinapis, but Tepenecz?

Kircher's letter to Moretus in 1639 says that: "I can let you know that the other sheet which appeared to be written in the same unknown script is printed in the Illyrian language in the script commonly called St Jerome's".

This translation by Philip Neal is wrong. It's not "the same". "ipsi" does not mean "the same". Check it yourself:

himself/herself/itself; the very/real/actual one; in person; themselves (pl.);

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Alterum denique folium quod ipsi ignoto characteri genere scriptum videbatur illyrico idiomate, charactere quem D. Hieronymi vulgo vocant, impressum sciat; utunturque eodem charactere hic Romae in missalibus aliisque sacris libris illyrico sermone imprimendis.

Translation by David Jackson (I can't find the link):
Finally the other leaf upon which are written types of unknown characters I observe are in the Illyric language, characters the printing of which I know are commonly called D. Hieronymi; characters used here in Rome in various Holy Books and Illyrician printed sermons.

Translation by ChatGPT4:
Furthermore, let it be known that the other leaf which seemed to be written in an unknown character type, is actually in the Illyrian idiom, printed in the character commonly called St. Jerome's; this character is also used here in Rome for printing missals and other sacred books in the Illyrian.

Funny factoid: the word "même" in French means "the same" and also is used in the meaning of "himself/herself/itself, this very..." so it is easy to make the mistake if you use a Latin-French dictionary. "Ipsi" here is an intensifier that can't be translated word-for-word.