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Re: Possible alternate lines (Reintroducing myself)


I can also confirm from my experience (and numerical
results) that there are clear 'dialects' in the
different sections. Sometimes a single feature
like words ending in -ody as mentioned above can
be found. Remember further that Currier based
his A/B classification only on a subset of the MS.
He did not use the astro section and little
of the pharma (IIRC). These two actually bridge
the gap between the two. This gap can be illustrated
by words which 'belong' to each section, and which
show a typical transition in the language or
spelling or whatever:

chol -> cheol -> cheody -> chedy

I don't mean to imply that these words all mean the
same! These are simply words which can be found
particularly in specific parts of the MS.

I'm still unable to explain the strage distribution
of the word 'qokeey' in the stars section,
and on pp. 58r and 58v.

Note that Caterina Sforza's "Gli Experimenti" is (on balance) more a work of compilation than one of experimentation, with recipes written down in the form and language in which she (presumably) received them - there are recipes in Latin, in Italian, etc.

Even if you don't buy into the idea that the VMS contains (amongst other things) the Gli Experimenti (including the lost herbal part), the same drive to gather a multitude of relevant texts (from different sources, authors, languages, & dialects) that Caterina Sforza exhibited would seem to find a reflection in the heterogeneity.of the VMS' content.