Correspondence between Voynich and the Bohemian State archives in 1921

Contents

Introduction

This page presents the correspondence exchanged between Voynich and the Bohemian state archives in Prague, that was part of Voynich's research of the history of the Voynich MS. When he first contacted the archives, he had already planned a presentation on the history of the MS in Philadelphia. Furtunately, he received a very detailed answer just in time for his talk.

Voynich's first request, 9 Feb. 1921

Foreword

This letter was addressed to the Director of the National State Archives of Bohemia in Prague. A carbon copy has been preserved in the Beinecke library, Box 408E (1).

Transcription

February 9, 1921
The Director of the National State Archives of Bohemia, Prague, Czecho Slovakia.

Dear Sir:
I should be very much obliged to you if you could give me some information about a man who lived in Bohemia in the 17th century. His name appears on the first leaf of a very important manuscript in my possession, which he apparently owned at some time during the 17th century. As nearly as I can read the name it is Jacobij a Tspenecz or Topenecz, and I am enclosing photograph of it.

Through indirect evidence I gather that he was a friend of the celebrated Prague professor, Joh. Marcus Marci, but although I have looked in every possible book in the British Museum and in the New York libraries I can find no reference to him. I also think he was personally acquainted with or at the court of Ferdinand III, King of Bohemia, and that he knew a certain Dr. Raphael who taught Bohemian to the children of Ferdinand III. Incidentally I should be very grateful if you could give me some information about this Dr. Raphael, apart from Jacobij a Tspenecz.

I am sorry to trouble you in this matter, but I am to read a paper on the MS. on April 20th and naturally would like to be able to give as much of the history of this MS. as I can ascertain.
Yours sincerely,

Comments

Shortly after sending this letter, Voynich (from the USA) also instructed his employee Herbert Garland (in the UK) to research the same names. The 'children of Ferdinand III' was a mistake from Voynich. The Marci letter refers to Ferdinand III himself.

Answer from Prague, 16 March 1921

Introduction

Voynich received a very long and detailed answer to his request. It was written by Dr. Ladislav Klicman, director of the archives. Not only the letter, but also the envelope in which the answer was sent to Voynich has been preserved and this is shown below (2). All material is preserved in the Beinecke library, Box 408E (see note 1).

Before receiving this answer, Voynich had already received considerable information about Tepenec from his employee Herbert Garland. Some information about this research by Garland is provided here.

Part 1: General answer

Foreword

The introductory letter in French comes with four annexes, and concentrates mainly on Tepenec.

Transcription

ARCHIVES D ETAT AU MINISTRE DE L INTERIEUR
DE LA REPUBLIQUE TCHECHOSLOVAQUE
Prague 158 III, Valdšt nsk 16.
Prague, le 16. Mars 1921

Monsieur
Wilfrid M. Voynich
Aeolian Hall
33 West 42nd street
NEW YORK.

En r ponse votre estim e lettre du 9 f vrier /: parvenue le 28 f vrier:/ je prends la libert de vous communiquer: Le nom sur la photographie que vous m'avez envoy doit se lire ainsi: Jacobj Tepenecz = Jacobi de Tepenecz. Cet homme tait tch que de naissance et s appelait Jacques Horčick de Tepenec. Suivant l usage de son temps il a latinis son nom de famille tch que de Horčick en Synapius. Il fut un adepte et un grand ami et bienfaiteur des J suites de Prague. A cause de a leur grand historiographe, le j suite Jean Schmidl, lui a d di dans son ouvrage c l bre Historia Societatis Jesu provinciae Bohemiae au III-i me tome page 386-388 un assez grand article, dont la copie suit. A l aide de Schmidl le professeur Joseph V vra crit en 1895 le court article suivant: "Jacques Horčick de Tepenec" dans le programme de l cole tch que de Prague et un extrait de cet article dans le dictionnaire encyclop dique tch que de Otto , volume XI /: 1897 :/.

Francois Martin Pelzel dans son livre "Abbildungen böhmischer und mährischer Gelehrten und Künstler nebst kurzen Nachrichten von ihrem Leben und Wirken" /: Portraits des savants et des artistes de la Boh me et de la Moravie et des courtes descriptions de leur vie et actions :/ Prague 1773-1782, tome III page 93 99 dans l article "Jacob Horcziczky von Tepenec sonst Synapius genannt", bas aussi sur Schmidl, a apport n anmoins des renseignements nouveaux, avec un portrait de Horčick , comme aussi Louis B hm dans le livre "Kr lovsk věnn město Měln k" /: la ville royale de Měln k:/, Měln k 1892, page 325 327.

Nous joignons la traduction francaise de l article de V vra dans l encyclop die Otto , compl t l aide des livres cit s, et la reproduction photographique du portrait, qui se trouve chez Pelzel. Ensuite nous joignons la copie du dipl me du 20 octobre 1608, par lequel l empereur Rodolphe II leva Horčick a l tat de noblesse.

Horčick ne pouvait avoir rien de commun avec Ferdinand III et sa cour, parce que Ferdinand III est n le 13 juillet 1608, tandis que Horčick mort le 25 Septembre 1622. Ferdinand en question, dont les enfants le docteur Rapha l apprenait le tch que, ne pouvait tre que le fameux ami des j suites, Ferdinand II /: p re de Ferdinand III:/, n le 9 juillet 1578, roi de Boh me apr s la mort de Mathias /: mort le 20 mars 1619 :/, devenu tristement c l bre apr s la bataille de la Montagne Blanche par les immenses confiscations des biens de nobles et la recatolisation brutale de la populations du royaume de Boh me.

Ce docteur Rapha l est identique avec le docteur Rapha l Soběhrd Mnišovsk de Sebuzin et de Horstein, qui lui aussi fut lev par les J suites et fut un juriste c l bre.

Tout ce que j ai pu apprendre le concernant en h te dans des divers crits et documents, je le joins dans la pi ce ajout e. Je m int resserait beaucoup des nouvelles plus exactes du manuscrit que vous allez lire, c est pour a que je vous prie de vouloir m envoyer votre discours, s il sera publi , ventuellement des indications par crit concernant cette question, vu que ce manuscrit semble tre assez int ressant pour l histoire de notre pays.

Veuillez agr er l expression de mon estime et l assurance de mon empressement.
Conseiller minist riel
et directeur des archives d tat :
D. Lad. Klicman

Comment

The picture of a portrait of Jacobus de Tepenec that is mentioned in the letter is still preserved in the Beinecke library. A portrait of Dr. Rafael was equally included.

Part 2: Information about Jacobus de Tepenec

Foreword

The information about Jacobus de Tepenec that was provided by dr. Klicman is a French translation of an article in the Otto Encyclopedia (3).

Transcription

ARCHIVES D'ETAT AU MINISTERE DE L' INTERIEUR
DE LA REPUBLIQUE TCHECOSLOVAQUE
Prague 158 III, Valdšt nsk 16.

Ottův Slovn k Naučn
/: Dictionnaire encyclop dique Otto :/
Tome XI Prague 1897 page 569 570.

Traduction de I 'article du prof. V vra, augment .

Horčick de Tepenec /: Synapius :/ Jacques.

/: Le nom Horčick vient du nom tch que : hořčice = s nev , cela signifie en botanique "synapis" ; c'est de l que vient son nom latinis Synapius :/.

N en 1575 de perents pauvres dans un endroit du domaine de Krumlov /: dans le Sud de la Boh me :/, il est mort en 1622 Prague. Pendant quelque temps il fut au service des J suites du coll ge de Krumlov en qualit de marmiton; mais le recteur Bernard Koch qui a d couvert son talent l'a admis dans le s minaire pour les tudiants pauvres de Krumlov. L il a fr quent pendant cinq ans le lyc e et puis il a t adjoint au fr re Martin Schaffner, pharmacien du coll ge de Krumlov et m decin fameux qui tait tr s instruit dans la m decine et dans la botanique. Son ma tre ayant une client le nombreuse, au temps o Krumlov et les environs il n'y avait pas de m decin capable, Horčick fut un observateur et tudiant assidu et par l il a cr son bonheur f tur.

En 1598 peu pr s il s'est rendu au coll ge des J suites de Ct. Cl ment Prague pour y tudier la philosophie et y fut accept comme s minariste. Outre les tudes empress es d' Aristote il servait aux confr res en qualit de dispensateur dans Ie r fectoire, et pendant les heures libres il cueillait des plantes, en faisait des rem des et les vendait avec permission du recteur aux portes du jardin des j suites de l'autre c t de la Vltava. II avait un si grand d bit sans r clame charlatane qu'il avait de la peine satisfaire tout le monde.

Comme il avait aussi des connaissances extraordinaires dans l' conomie rurale, on l'envoya en 1600 en qualit de proviseur dans le nouveau coll ge Jindřichův Hradec /: dans le Sud de la Boh me :/, d'o il fut demand par l abbesse du couvent de b n dictines de St. George :/ a Prague comme intendant des biens de son couvent . En cette qualit il s'occupait pendant son loisir dans son laboratoire chimique et gr ce son int lligence il a fait des nouvelles d couvertes.

L'empereur Rodolphe II en ayant entendu l'a fait venir sa cour et l'occupait dans son laboratoire chimique c t des autres savants de profession. Il tait tr s aimable avec lui, le combla de cadeaux et en 1608, le 20 octobre, il le nomma chevalier avec le titre "de Tepenec . En ce temps Horčicky gu rit l empereur d'une grave maladie, contre laquelle les autres m decins ne savaient aucun rem de; cala augmenta son estime la cour. Mais cette chance ne l'a pes rendu orgueilleux, il resta modeste, franc et aimable dans ses relations avec tout le monde. Envers les j suites il est rest un l ve reconnaissant et envoyait souvent des cadeaux leur coll ge et s minaire de St. Cl ment.

Apr s la mort de Rodolphe II en 1612 il est devenu intendant du domaine royale de Měln k et depuis 1616 le domaine lui fut donn en gage. Horčicki tait un catholique z l . Lorsque en 1609 les nobles tch ques protestants r clamaient la libert de la confession tch que /: utraquiste :/ il publia et d dia au chancelier Lobkovic le livre /: crit en tch que :/ : "La confession catholique ou la description de la vraie r ligion chr tienne g n rale, concernant l'esp rence, l'amour chr tinenne et la justice , qu'il a crit d j en 1606 l'aide de quelque docteur du coll ge de St. Cl ment /: 1. d. en 1609, 2. d. en 1677, 3. d. en 1782 :/.

Au domaine de Měln k il propagea la r formation catholique avec z le. Par cons quent il fut d test par le parti utraquiste ou protestant. Apr s la d fenestration de Prague /: le 23 mai 1618 :/ il fut pendant un certain temps emprisonn en 1618 et chass de la Boh me en 1619 pour toujours. Apr s la bataille de la Montagne Blanche il retourna dans son domaine de Měln k, mais seulement pour peu de temps, car en 1621 il tomba du cheval, se blessa, fut malade toute une ann e et mourut le 25 septembre 1622 dans le coll ge de St. Cl ment Prague, ou il se fit transporter de Měln k deux jours avant sa mort.

Il fut enterr a l' glise du Saint Sauveur dans le m me coll ge. L' h ritier principal fut le coll ge sus-dit auquel il l ga ses droits de gage sur Měln k et 50.000 florins. Sur le marbre qui couvrait son s pulcre tait l'inscription suivante:

AVDI VIATOR ! MARMOR HOC, CINERES TEGIT
HORCZICZKY, QVEM MINIMVM EXTVLIT
ALTE RVDOLPHVS.
SED MAGE VIRTUS ET FIDES.
QVOD SORTE IN ISTA EST INFREQVENS.
HONORVM, OPVMQVE PONDERA IN TESTEM TVLIT.
POTVIT SINAPIS HOC FIDES.
SVB CVIVS VMBRA SAEPE SE ANIMATVM MEMOR
PONEBAT OPTIMO PATRI
A . MDCXXII COLLEGIVM SOCIETATIS IESV .

Selon indication de Fran ois Martin Pelzel dans son livre "Abbildungen b hmischer und m hrischer Gelehrten und Kunstler nebst kurzen Nachrichten von ihrem Leben und Wirken" /: Portraits des savants et artistes de la Boh me et de la Moravie et des courtes descriptions de leur vie et actions : / - tome III, Prague 1777, page 99- existaient vers l an 1777 quelques crits de Jacques Horčick de Tepenec sur la chimie et sur la botanique en manuscrit. Le tableau ci-joint est la photographie du tableau dans l'ouvrage justement mentionn de Pelzel et selon son indication il se trouvait an 1777 en possession de L opold Schernik, ma tre de rh torique a Těšin.

Comment

Most of this has been incorporated into the biography of Tepenec.

Part 3: The Nobilitatio of Jacobus de Tepenec

Foreword

This document is a transcription of the official elevation of Jacobus Horcicky to the noble ranks, dated 20 Oct. 1608. It follows a request he sent to the emperor earlier in the same month. For details, see Smolka and Purš (2014) (4). His choice of the predicate De Tepenec is discussed in more detail here.

Transcription

ARCHIV MINISTERSTVA VNITRA
Praha 158 - III. Vald t nsk 16.

NOBILITATIO
f r den Hauptmann des St.Georg-Klosters in dem Prager Schlosze
Jakob Horžiczky mit dem Praedicat "von Tepenecz".
Prag, den 20. Octobris 1608.

RUDOLPHUS.

Ad perpetuam rei memoriam etc.
Ad fastigium et apicem Imperialis dignitatis mediante gratia, et benignitate dei optimi maximi evecti, istud non solum Majestati nostrae convenire, verum etiam justitiam a Nobis requirere censuimus, ut eis, quos placuit eidem supremo Monarchae virtute, suisque donis ornare, vestigiis Divorum Romanorum Imperatorum et serenissimorum Hungariae, et Bohemiae regum, tum etiam Austriae Archiducum Praedecessorum Nostrorum exemplo, et testimonium praebeamus, et eosdem universis honorandos proponamus, quatenus, qui aliis virtute antecellunt, eminentia etiam praerogativarum caeteros praecedant, et qui recta voluntate, promptitudine atque facultate de Nobis bene mereri studeant, a Nobis quoque gratiis specialibus abundantius exornentur.

Cum itaque Majestati Nostrae honestus JACOBUS HORCZICZKY Aulicus Noster, et Capitaneus Monasterij Sancti Georgij in arce Pragensi fidelis Nobis dilectus authenticis documentis et sufficienti testimonio virorum fide dignorum comprobasset, se legitimis parentibus natum semper hactenus non tantum honestam et inculpatam vitam duxisse, sed etiam in id, ut Nobis servitia fidelia, et grata exhibere posset, diligenter, ac sedulo incubuisse, petiisetque ut eum gratia Nostra Caesarea prosequi, et in argumentum munificentiae erga ipsum Nostrae insigniis Nobilitatis, quo in futurum promptior ad obsequia Nobis praestanda redderetur coornare dignaremur, dignum existimavimus, qui tum ob eximiae animi, et ingenii dotes, tum etiam quod opera eius in quibusdam honestis, ac Nobis acceptis negotiis usi simus, ac etiamnum utamur, petitione sua potiatur, et in ordinem Nobilium evectus liberalitatem Nostram expediatur.

Quapropter re prius bene deliberata, sane accedente consilio fidelium Nostrorum, de plenitudine Sacrae Caesareae, regiaeque potestatis, eidem Jacobo Horcziczky arma seu Insignia Nobilitatis tenore praesentium clementer impertimur, eaque ipsi liberis eius utriusque sexus ac eorum descendentibus ex legitimo matrimonio nascituris perpetuis temporibus utenda, fruenda benignissime conferrimus.

Scutum videlicet flavum seu aureum, in quo brachium dextrum armatum gestans in manu candidum seu argenteum signum Mercurij conjunctum cum Marte apparet. Scuto incumbentem galeam apertam seu clatratam corona aurea Regia ornat, unde binae alae aquilinae exsurgunt, quarum dextra in extremitatibus colore nigro, in medio vero flavo tribus punctis nigris distincto figuratur; Sinistra in extremitatibus rubeum in medio album seu argenteum tribus item punctis nigris distinctum ostentat. In medio vero alarum supra coronam, crescentis lunae cornua sursum versus una cum sole flavo seu aureo conspiciuntur. Ipsum denique Scutum phalerae sive laciniae a dextro latere nigrae et croceae, a sinistro autem rubea et candida mixtim circumvolitant; Prout haec omnia in gremio Diplomatis Nostri manu pictoris acuratis elaborata, et genuinis suis coloribus expressa, et ob oculos posita visuntur. Volentes, et potestate Imperatoria tanquam Rex Bohemiae etc. decernentes, ut supra dictus Jacobus Horcziczky et liberi ejus utriusque Sexus legitime nati, et nascituri, eorundemque posteri omnes proscriptis armorum insignibus eisdem a Nobis donatis et concessis perpetuo domi, militiaeque, et ubivis gentium, et locorum in certaminibus, et pugnis pro arbitrio desiderij, voluntatisque suae uti, ea gestare ac deferre nec non vexillis, tentoriis, scutis, monumentis, sepulchris, caenotaphiis, parietibus, fenestris laquearibus, tapetibus, annulis, signatoriis, aedificiis, ostijs et tabulis liberrime insculpere, affigere, appingere, apprimere, eac intexere, et seque nomine sive agnatione gentili cum universa suorum progenie HORCZICZKY de TEPENECZ expresse scribere apellare nominare, et nuncupare possint, et pro nobilibus hominibus agnoscantur, habeantur, admittantur et teneantur, ac denique omnibus privilegiis, libertatibus, juribus, quibus caeteri Nobiles et armigeri insigniti sunt, plenaria cum libertate potiantur, utantur, fruantur.

Quapropter mandamus serio omnibus et singulis fidelibus Imperij ac Regnorum Nostrorum subditis, cujuscunque status, ordinis, gradus aut conditionis existant, ut praenominatum JACOBUM HORCZICZKY de TEPENECZ una cum posteritate ejus condescendente ejusmodi armorum praerogativa absque ullo impedimento gaudere sinant, neve ullo modo utentes molestari
[praesumant, aut ab aliis molestari praesumant, aut ab aliis molestari]
patiantur sub Indignatione Nostra et poena viginti quinque Marcarum auri puri, cujus medietas ut fisco Nostro debeatur, reliqua vero pars ut caedat in usum eorum, qui injuriam pertulerint, irremissibiliter decernimus.

In quorum omnium fidem, ac evidens testimonium haec praesentes fieri, Regalisque Nostri Sigilli appensione jussimus communiri.

Datae in Regali Nostra Praga 20ma Octobris Anno 1608.

Concordat cum copia registri nobilitationum N. 12 fol.931 -934, quod Pragae in archivo ministerii rerum internarum reipublicae Tchecoslovacae asservatur.

Pragae , die 8. Martii anno 1921.

Consiliarius ministerii:
D. Lad. Klicman

Comments

The text has also been published in Smolka and Purš (2014) (see note 4), and for the few minor discrepancies I followed the letter from Prague. Only the short phrase in square brackets [ ] has been added, since this is clearly an omission in the 1921 letter. Smolka and Purš provide the document reference: Prague National archive, Salbuch 12 b, fol. 931r 934v.

In addition, they publish the request from Jacobus Horcicky to the Emperor, which is a short letter in Czech, preserved in the Prague National archive, Star Manipulace, Sig. S 209, h 187

Part 4: Schmidl about Jacobus de Tepenec

Foreword

In this part Dr. Klicman transcribed the original Latin text in Schmidl (5), about Jacobus de Tepenec.

Transcription

ARCHIVUM MINISTERII RERUM INTERNARUM
Pragae 158 - III. Vald insk 16.

HISTORIAE SOCIETATIS JESU PROVINCIAE BOHEMIAE
pars III.
ab anno Christi MDCXVI ad annum MDCXXXII .
Authore
Joanne SCHMIDL,
societatis eiusderm sacerdote.
Pragae 1754.

Pagina 386 388.

Collegii Pragensis patronum locupletissimum hoc quoque anno /: 1622 :/ caelum sibi vendicavit, JACOBUM inquam HORCZICZKY, latinis postea dictum SINAPIUM. Hunc virum fortuna pedetentim per varios gyros ex imis provexit ad sublimia eique constanti / quod rarum / vultu arrisit. Fortunae vero suae is ipsus / deo conatus promovente/ dexterrimus faber existit, unaque ostendit, quid possit humanum ingenium: si modo, qua in re excellere possit, ips met animadvertas , e que culturam et industriam conferas. Itaque JACOBUS obscuro loco natus, in coquina Collegii Crumloviensis coco primum lixarum operam diutinam puer addixit. Quia vero ingeniosior apparebat, quam ferendum censerent nostri, ut inter fumos obsolesceret; e culina extractus, et ad musas traductus est. Literis mansuetioribus utcunque perceptis, pharmacopaeo ejusdem collegii, fratri nostro Martino SCHAFFNER, ab arte medica, sed ea praesertim, quam botanicam, chymicamque vocant, long lat que celebratissimo /:1:/ additus est: cujus dum artem omnem docili ingenio, attent sque et oculis, et auribus, assidue haurit sedulo tyro; sensim et ipse long ultra ejusdem artis rudimenta promovit. Cujus porro excolendae subsidia a philosophia petiturus Pragam abivit, ib que in nostrum receptus alumnorum seminarium, domi promum condum, seu peni dispen-

---------
/:1:/ Vide parte II.L.4.n.140

satorem egit, in scholis Aristoteli operam dedit: neque tamen interea desistebat combibitam CRUMLOVII artem identidem experiri, medicas ex herbis aliisque rebus aquas succosque eliquando; quas aquas diebus, quibus feriantur musae, prope horti nostri Transmuldani ostia, qu trajectus est, bona rectoris venia divendebat. Nec hedera opus fuit; aquarum quippe efficaciam fugati morbi proclamavere : j mque plus aquae Sinapianae sitiebatur, quam coqueretur. Sed sub haec fortuna JACOBUM ali divertere, aliudque ei ostium aperire visa fuit. Cum enim esset ingenio ad plura penetranda capaci, rei quoque oeconomicae tractandae rationes condidicerat : nam et ad an. 1600 legitur praeafectus, seu ut autumo, provisor seminarii NOVODOMENSIS; tum rogatu SANCTIMONIALIUM AD DIVI GEORGII RPAGAE , earum bona sub annum 1606. Capitanei, id est PRAEFECTI nomine, adminsitranda suscepit : quo tempore, uptote religiones catholicae, quoad vixit, perstu- diosus, quo patrii homines erudirentur exactius mysteriis romanis ; CONFESSIONEM CATHOLICAM, in divinis literis, Conciliis, et patribus fundatam /: sine dubio nostri cujusdam patris opera adjutus:/ scripsit, quam postea an. 1609. typis mandatam, cancellario et optimatibus regni dedicavit. Verum inter h c /: solet enim se animus identem ad id referre, quod semel didicisse placuit:/ JACOBUS noster chymicam suam nunquam non exercebat ; eo profectu, ut ipse quoque multa et rara in ea arte su pte ingenio reperiret, et alchimiam etiam felici tractare sucessu. Non potuit ea res diu latere imperatorem RUDOLPHUM, ejuscemodi artium curiosissimum, et maximum amatorem. Ergo JACOBUM ad se evocat, atque commorari in aula sua jubet. Erat autem RUDOLPHI aula viris doctissimis, ex omnibus Europae regionibus maximis praemiis Pragam attractis, et copi se ac laute habitis, refertissima: abundabat artificibus, et qui in gemmis, auro, aliisque metallis operarentur, pr stantissimis: pictoribus item, statuariis, et aliis ; cum nihil esset artium et scientiarum, maxim ex quibus certa utilitas in publicum colligitur, cujus peritos homines non haberet : in iisque chorum duxere TYCHO BRAHE DANUS, mathematicus, siquis unam alius, insignis ; ANSELMUS de BOOT BRUGENSIS, gemmarius ; JACOBUS TYPOTIUS inter viros eruditos nominatissimus : turba denique chymicorum deletabatur IMPERATOR, quibus ipse plerumque collaborabat: /1/ et huic quidem potissimum operi vacanti sibi, SINAPIUM esse ad manum volebat ; quod ille obsequium IMPERATORI multis annis praestitit. Nihil ante tum erat facilius, quam sub munificentissimo PRINCIPE, et in probatos artifices profuso, ditescere. Itaque cum in SINAPII inventis et effectis mire sibi CAESAR complacuisset ; tantis ille /praeter nobilitatem EQUESTRIS ORDINIS, et perpetui aulici sibi an. 1608.collatam/ crevit opibus, ut IMPERATORI, bellis subinde presso, aere posset succurrere. /2/ Amplius ver apud RUDOLPHUM gratia crevit ; postquam Is, quantum arte JACOBUS valeret, proprio experimento didicit, suamque aegrotantis jamjam fugituram animam, caetera medicorum turba CAESARIS salutem in disperatis habente, ab illo ad officium revocatam sensit. /3/ Verum quantumcunque fortuna elevaret hominem, nom ipsum variavit; sed qualem moribus invenit, talem reliquit: modestum, probum, omnibus affabilem : fidem catholicam cunctis opibus promovere satagebat ; idcirco, quos ad sacerdotium aspirare comperit studiosos, peculiari semper liberalitate fovit. Paucos in BOHEMIA discipulos JACOBO societas pares habuit ; qui aeque luculensis ampl sque testimoniis gratum anumim ei affirmassent. In omnibus COLLEGII PRAGENSIS necessitatibus asylum ipse, ac perpetuus benefactor. /4/ Suprema viri fata accelerasse videtur lapsus ex equo ; inde ab Anno altero lente moriebatur; biduo ante mortem MELNICO PRAGAM se deportari fecit, ubi in manibus P. ADAMI KRAWARSKY, cujus apostolicas virtutes et industrias unice admirabatur, et magni faciebat, pientissime diem clausit, qui fuit 25 Septembris ; postquam fortunarum facultatumque suarum /5/ societatem Pragensem instituisset haeredem. Cadaver splendidissimo, ut tanto benefactor dignum erat, funere, pridie calendas octobres, in templum Salvatoris illatum, et prope aram VIRGINIS AB ANGELO SALUTAE conditum est, ut n quid deforet societati de TOTO SINAPIO. Defunctum celebrata sua facundia

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/1/ Haec, et alia de Rudolpho vide in Balbino, Miscell.Dec.I.L.7 pag 255. /2/Balbinus Miscell.Dec.I.L.9 nondum edito, Tract.2. /3/ Ita liber cui titulus: Domus pietatis et literar.seu: Seminarium S.Wencesl. Colum.IV. /4/ Crugerius ad diem 18.Septembris. /5/ Crugerius cit. Diarium rectoris Prag.ad diem 25.Septemb.hujus anni.

P. GEORGIUS FERUS ad frequentissimam concionem dilaudavit: sepulchrum ad memoriam instratum marmore ; effigies in collegio inter ceteros evergetas locum habet, cum hac epigraphe: JACOBUS HORCZICZKY DE TEPENCZE, IN AULA RUDOLPHI II. CAESARIS CHYMICUS: VIRTUTE, FORTUNIS, FAVORE EJUSDEM CAESARIS, ET INSIGNI IN COLLEGIUM SO- CIETATIS JESU VETERO-PRAGAE AD S.CLEMENTEM LIBERALITATE ILLUSTRIS.

Concordat cum libro citato.
Pragae, die 11. mensis Maii anno 1921.
Consiliarius ministerii
et director archivi :
D. Lad. Klicman

Comment

Most of the information about Tepenec is found in Part III of Schmidl (see note 5). The volume is now >>available digitally on-line.

The first footnote (1) refers to an earlier volume (Pars II), which has a short section (Liber 4, No.140) related to Martinus Schaffner, that says the following:

The additional footnote given here is still to be followed up.

The other footnotes in book III refer to other sources used by Schmidl: Balb n - Miscellanea (which does not provide much new information), Domus Pietatis (6), which seems to provide contradictory information about the early life of Tepenec, and and unknown source: Crugerius. The last two points require further study.

In 1999 I visisted the Clementinum library with (a.o.) Jorge Stolfi, who took a close look at these volumes, and also transcribed considerable parts of it. The section following the one quoted by Dr. Klicman should say more about Tepenec's possessions left to the Jesuits after his death, but nothing about his books.

Part 5: Information about Dr. Raphael

Foreword

The following information about Dr. Raphael was new to Wilfrid Voynich.

Transcription

ARCHIVES D'ETAT AU MINISTERE DE L' INTERIEUR
DE LA REPUBLIQUE TCHECOSLOVAQUE
Prague 158-III, Valdšt nsk 16.

Dr. Rapha l Soběhrd - Mnišovsk de Sebuz n et de Horstein.

/: Extrait des ouvrages suivants :
Joseph Jireček, Rukověť k dějin m literatury česk do konce XVIII. věku - Manuel de l'histoire de la litt rature tch que jusqu' la fin du XVIII i me si cle - Prague 1875, page 235-236.
Fran ois Martin Pelzel, Abbildungen b hmischer und m hrischer Gelehrten und K nstler nebst kurzen Nachrichten von ihrem Leben und Wirken - Portraits des savants et des artistes de la Boh me et de la Moravie, et des courtes descriptions de leur vie et actions Tome IV Prague 1782, page 50-54, avec le portrait.
J. C. comte d' Auersperg , Geschichte des k niglich b hmischen Appellationsgerichtes - L'histoire de la cour royale d'appel du royaume de Boh me - Prague 1805, page 198-200.
Riegrův Slovn k Naučn - Le dictionnaire encyclop dique "Rieger" - Tome V. Prague 1866, page 370 371.
Ottův Slovn k Naučn - Le dictionnaire encyclop dique "Otto" - Tome XXIII. Prague 1905, page 556.
Thomas V. B lek, Dějiny konfiskac v Čech ch po r. 1618 - L'histoire des confiscations en Boh me apr s l'an 1618, - Prague 1882, en plusieurs endroits.
Beschreibung der bisher bekannten b hmischen Privatm nzen und Medaillen. Herausgegeban von dem Vereine f r Nunismatik zu Prag - Description des monnaies tch ques priv es et des m dailles connues jusqu ce temps. Publi e par la soci t de numismatique Prague - Prague 1852, page 359-360, /: avec la reproduction d'une m daille du docteur Rapha l Mni ovsk . :/

Docteur en droit Rapha l Soběhrd - Mnišovsk de Sebuz n et de Horstein, juriste et crivain tch que, est n en 1580 a Horšův T n dans la Boh me occidentale. II a tudi Prague chez les J suites. A cet poque ayant 20 ans il fit la connaissance de Barth lemi Paprock de Hlohol et de Paprock Vůle, crivain polonais exil , auquel il aida dans la composition du texte tch que de son ouvrage "Diadochus, c'est dire la succession des princes et des rois de Boh me" /: paru a Prague en 1602 :/, qu'il a compl t lui m me par une dissertation concernant les clo tres et les abb es du royaume de Boh me. Puis il a continu ses tudes Paris et Rome, et il est devenu docteur en droit a l' tranger. C'est alors qu 'il a chang son nom "Soběhrd" en "Mnišovsk ".

Apr s son retour il fut nomm secr taire royal du fameux diplomate et politique, cardinal Melchior Klesl, qui tait en ce temps l gouverneur en Autriche. En cette qualit il rendait des services importants comme agent politique pendant la guerre que Ferdinand II. alors duc de Styrie avait avec les V n tiens. En r compense de ses services il fut nomm conseiller au gouvernement de Styrie. II tait charg en m me temps d' instruire le jeune archiduc qui plus tard est devenu l'empereur Ferdinand III, dans la langue tch que. Il crivait probablement pour lui l'ouvrage latin : "Constructio seu strues Tritemiana. Qui nullum unquem idiomatis bohemici calluit verbum, per eam in momento scribet convenienter bohemice quantum volet" /: le manuscrit dans la biblioth que de l'universit d Upsale o il fut transport par les Su dois dans la guerre de trente ans :/.

Pendant les troubles de 1618 1620 il fut employ par Ferdinand II pour les affaries d' tat. Le 1 janvier 1621 il a obtenu le titre sus-dit "de Sebuzin", le 2 mai 1622 il fit install comme conseiller de la cour royale d'appel Prague "au banc des docteurs". Il fut aussi envoy en qualit de commissaire de la reformation dans diverses villes en Moravie et dans le comt de Glatz pour forcer la population protestante devenir catholique. En r compense l empereur lui donna 4000 florins de la chambre royale pour quelle somme lui fut donn le domaine Bulikov pr s de Dačice en Moravie qui a t confisqu a Jean Dvořeck de Olbramovice.

En 1628 il fut nomm secr taire la chancellerie royale aulique de Boh me o il traduisait en tch que les ordonances, les lois et les patentes concernant le royaunme de Boh me et les terres incorpor es, et en 1635 il est devenu procureur royal.

Quand l invasion saxonne a t repouss e il fut nomm par le g n ralissime imp rial Albert de Wallenstein, duc de Friedland, membre de la "commission Friedlandaise de confiscation", qui fut charg en 1632 - 1634 de juger et de punir les migrants et les nobles tch ques qui accompagnaient et aidaient les Saxons dans leur exp dition en Boh me. Lorsque le 25 f vrier 1634 Albert de Wallenstein duc de Friedland et son g n ral Adame Erdman Trčka comte de L pa furent tu s a Cheb /: Eger :/, comme suspects de haute trahison, Rapha l Soběhrd-Mnišovsk fut charg de faire le proc s criminel tous les deux pour justifier la confiscation de leurs biens. En 1637 il fut nomm conseiller la cour royale d 'appel Prague "au banc des nobles" et en 1640 il est devenu vicechambellan du cadastre des terres nobles du royaume de Boh me.

Soběhrd-Mnišovsk tait un po te prompt latin qui a compos 540 po mes latins, surtout des pigramnes. Peu de temps avant sa mort il a compos lui m me un po me fun bre - "Funebria Raphaelis-Mnissovsk de Sebuzin, quae sibi vivens adhuc valensque fecit - et l a fait imprimer avec l'ordre de le distribuer son enterrement.

Outre Bul kov il tenait Lochkov, qu'il a achet de la part de Venceslas Michna en 1637, deux maisons Prague, des vignes pr s de Prague et de Litoměřice, et puis une ferme Vršovice. Tout ceci a h rit sa femme Rozina de Hiršov et deux filles, dont une tait mari e avec Daniel Pachta de R jov.

II est mort le 21 novembre 1644 et fut enterr l glise du St. Sauveur au coll ge des J suites au St. Cl ment Prague.

Comment

Most of this has been incorporated into the biography of Raphael. Some excerpts of his book Funebria (etc) may be found here.

Further request from Voynich

Foreword

Voynich sent a thank-you letter, and had some further questions. A copy is preserved in the Beinecke library, Box 408E (see note 1).

Transcription

[Top: RECEIPT FOR REGISTERED ARTICLE] May 27th, 1921
Dr. L.Klicman,
Conseiller ministerial et directeur des archives d etat, Prague, Czecho Slovakia,

Dear Sir:
Please accept my apology for delay in acknowledging your very kind letter of March 16th. I feel under great obligation to you for sending me the information anout Horcicky and Raphael Missowski, and also for the trouble you took to send me photographs of these men.

I am glad to say that all the material which you sent to me arrived in time for my paper before the College of Physicians, Philadelphia, in connection with the history of a Roger Bacon MS. in cipher which I possess.

You are quite right in supposing that the MS. is in connection with Bohemian history for t all practical purposes this remarkable MS. is preserved to the world thanks to the keen interest in it manifested by several seventeenth century Bohemian scholars.

I pointed out in my lecture that my MS. came into the possession of Emperor Rudolph II somewhere about 1584-1588 from John Dee, the man about whom Bohemian historians have written so much. It them passed into the hands of Horcicky after 1608, and he, as you will remember, placed his autograph in the MS. in the form of Jacobus de Tepenecz. I then face a gap of about 22 years in the history of the MS. and I have hopes that also on this point you may be able to help me. Horcicky died in 1622 and the letter attached to the MS. by Marcus Marci, addressed to Athanasius Kircher, shows that Marci received the MS. from a friend who had willed it to him. I have come to the conclusion that Marci received it about 1644. Now I have no definite information but it is possible that Marci got the MS. at the same time that he inherited the alchemical library of Georgius Barschius, some time after 1622. I can find nothing here about Georgius Barschius. Perhaps Bohemian archives contain something about him and his connection with Marcus Marci and what connection, if any, existed between Horcicky and Barschius.

In 1665 (or 1666) (the date of the letter attached to my MS. is a little obscure) Marcus Marci gave this MS. to Kircher. The letter of Marci in my MS. gives this information. So you see for over one hundred years this MS. was in Bohemia in the hands of very prominent people.

I hope you will pardon my trespassing so much on your time, by asking for more information from you. I have seen notice that there exists in the archives of Bohemia a catalogue of the collection of Emperor Rudolph s Museum 1601. I wonder if this is true and if in this catalogue is enumerated a mysterious MS. in cipher with illustrations of plants, astrological diagrams, etc. and perhaps attributed to Roger Bacon.

I see in biographies references to the fact that Horcicky left his property to the Jesuits in Prague. I wonder if this property included his library and if this library was disbursed or given away by him when he was expelled from Bohemia in 1619. Perhaps research in that direction will reveal to whom he gave my MS.

The work on my MS. was and is being done on two lines - one in tracing the history and peregrinations of the MS., which is what I have tried to do, and the other, much more complicated and important, is the decipherment of the text by Professor W.Romaine Newbold of the Unversity of Pennsyvania, who has discovered the key to the cipher in which the MS. is written. In all probability it will take several years before the work is entirely finished and you quite understand that both Professor Newbold and I would like to have as complete a picture as possible of the translation and history of the MS.,. as the subject is so important and of the utmost scientific and historical interest.

The lectures which he and I delivered on April 20-21 in Philadelphia before the College of Physicians and the American Philosophical Society will be published by these institutions and as soon as this is done I shall be pleased to send you copies. Meanwhile to give you some idea as to what the MS. looks like and as to what researches are being made in connection with it I am enclosing copy of a popular magazine article which has just appeared in Hearst s Magazine for June. This, as you will note, is merely a popular article and not an authorised version, but as it contains illustrations and some facts I am sending it. Other articles in more scientific magazines will appear in the near future, which I shall take pleasure in sending you as they appear.

Again thanking you for your very valuable collaboration in this work, I am,

Yours sincerely

Comment

Robert Brumbaugh saw this letter in the Beinecke library, and wrote about it in his book (7).

Doubts of ELV

Foreword

No further response was ever received from Prague. The following is a three-page handwritten note by ELV, which was clearly not conceived as a letter to anyone. It is apparently driven by her question why there was no further response from Prague. In the upper left corner of the first page there is a comment in the hand of Anne Nill, saying: "ELV s comments on the Prague correspondence. To keep for the present."

Transcription

Notes: reading of March 24

1) I do not find anything to blame in Wilfrid s first letter. It is true that he asserts that the MS is "Very important", but in view of Newbold s reputation and of that opinion of the MS: I do not find that this was without justification.

2) the documents: Should we not have returned these (of course after having them photostated), as they appear to be originals? Did they form part of the Ministry Library?

3) Wilfrid s second letter troubles me:

[in left margin:] Sorry, I did not see the envelope containing the photographs at first,

[following is crossed out:] Par. I. Did the director really enclose photographs of Tepenecz and Meassowski, and were they returned to him? Or have we got them? In any case the photographs could only have been of portraits, not of the men themselves, who died long before the invention of photography [end of crossed out section]

(Anyhow, the omission seems to be fully accounted for by desperate trouble at the time.)

4) How did Marcus Marci get the impression that the MS was: 1) in the emperor s library; 2) by Bacon

5) How did Wilfrid get hold of the idea that the MS which Dee brought from Elisabeth to the Emperor was really from[?] Bacon, or really this one?

6) If this MS was really the one brought from England by Dee, would Elisabeth not have sent a letter with it?

7) How did Wilfrid first get the idea that the MS had ever gone to England and come back?

8) Has no index of so famous a collection as that of the Emperor Rudolph ever been found?

9) Was Barschius ever followed up?

10) Wilfrid s second letter troubles me; he makes so many assertions with no proof! Also, why, since the MS was obviously at one time (to 1622) in the possession of a man closely in touch with the Jesuits, what would be more natural than that the Jesuit College should ultimately get hold of it?

11) Is there no inventory of the Barschius library?

- - -
March 25, 33
1) Did Schmidl s article promised in the director s letter ( [illeg] underlined in green) ever reach us?

2) Did we ever send to the director the copy of Wilfrid s lecture for which he asks on the last page of his reply? If not, why should he answer Wilfrid s second letter?

3) (Biography of Tepenec, par. 5) May not our MS have been given to Tepenec by Rudolph as a thanks offering for the cure?

Comment

Notes

1

See also description of the archive holdings.

2

Shown with the kind permission of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript library of Yale University, New Haven (CT).

3

See Ottův slovník naucný (1900).

4

See Smolka and Purš (2014).

5

See Schmidl (1754).

6

See Jantsch (1680).

7

See Brumbaugh (1978), pp.135-136.

Copyright René Zandbergen, 2018
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Latest update: 08/05/2018