(27-04-2016, 09:15 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Based on that alone, I would give the Rudolph case a generous 50% chance. Other factors, of course, like Rudolph's interests, increase those chances.
"Rudolf's case" being the suggestion that he actually acquired it, not specifically the amount involved?
In that case this is a personal preference.
What Marci writes (translation of Phiip Neal):
Quote:This book was left to me by a close friend in his will
this is confirmed by a statement in his 1662 book "Philosophia Vetus Restituta".
Quote:The then possessor of the book once sent you letters seeking your judgment
One of these letters has been found, of the other a reply from Kircher has been found.
Quote:about a part of it which he wrote down and sent to you
these writtten down parts are confirmed by Barschius' letter of 1639.
Quote:Doctor Raphael, the Czech language tutor of King Ferdinand III
Raphael Mnisowski was hired by Ferdinand II to tutor his son who would later become Ferdinand III. The latter is a person whom Kircher knows very well. There was a plan that Kircher would visit the emperor (he had dedicated several parts of his books to him) but the visit never materialised.
Marci is an accurate reporter of facts, which gives great support to the various other items in his letter that could not be checked so far, but none of which are in any way controversial.
The bit about Rudolf's acquisition is reported speech by Marci, and we have very good confidence that his report is accurate. This says three things:
- the book was bought by Rudolf (entirely credible though not confirmed by evidence)
- the amount paid was 600 ducats (completely in the range of what Rudolf tended to pay, as already shown in another post)
- the opinion of that Raphael that the MS was from Roger Bacon.
We now basically know that this belief of Raphael (and whoever else at that time) was wrong. However, the status which Bacon had at the times of Rudolf as one of the first great alchemists, has been clearly shown by Rafal Prinke.
In the end even Marci doubts whether this belief is correct.
One can learn much more about Marci's character from his other letters, his books, and reports by others. He was the personal physician of two emperors, a very high status.
On the face of the evidence, the probability that Rudolf bought the book is very good. It can only be a qualitative one.
There can at best be a "small remaining doubt" from the fact that there is no record.
EDIT: all of the above is from a whole range of verifiable sources which are given in the printed publications and on my web site. Anyone more interested in this topic can find them there.
By the way, the whereabouts of the MS between 1622 (death of Tepenec) and 1636 (first time we know that it was on Barschius' bookshelf) is also unclear. It may already have left Tepenec' hands before his death, which would explain why the book did not end up in the Clementinum, as the majority of his other books did, judging from the ones we know about.
It is a matter of historical interest. It is not likely to clear up much of the mystery of what happened before, but then, one never knows.