VMs: Re: Scotto, was Kelley's end

["Rafal T. Prinke" <rafalp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Rene Zandbergen wrote:

> I've recently seen that last character's name,
> but it was probably written either as Scottus
> or Scotus. This is rather tricky, because their
> are quite a few people known by that name.
> The one I'm thinking of also appeared at Rudolf's
> court (and disappeared for a few years to come
> back later with a different name).

His name is usually rectified as Alessandro Scotto - supposedly
a member of the noble family of that name in Italy (Perugia,
if I recall correctly).

The problem is that Seton was often also called Alexander the Scot
(ie. Scotus) - so no wonder that Wlodzimierz Hubicki suggested
they were one and the same person (The Mystery of Alexander 
Seton - Cosmopolite", [in] Proceedings of the 14th International
Congress of the History of Science, Tokyo-Kyoto, 1974,
Tokyo, 1974, pp.379-400). He intended to write a monograph
on Scotto - but it was never published.

> Are their any good sources for him? Is anything
> known about him apart from sketchy details?

I don't think so. All I have ever seen are short mentions.
Perhaps the most recent references are given by Evans, Rudolf II,
p. 210. And on p. 227 he contemplates the possibility that
he was really Kelley, as there is a mystical-alchemical MS in Vienna
written by one "Odoardus Scotus".

> I saw his name in a short article about
> 'Science at Rudolfine Prague' written by Zdenek
> Horsky, a reputable scholar in this field.
> This is one chapter in the book 'Prag um 1600'
> (see:  http://www.villahuegel.de/ , click on
>  "Publikationen").

This is the book I always wanted to see - but the Web page
says it is no longer available, right? Besides the article
by Horsky, is there anything else of interest to us?
(I mean alchemy, curiosities, etc.).

Best regards,

Rafal