Re: VMs: Ryland 228

[Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Gordon,

Thanks for your comments - lots of good observations, as normal. :-)

I suppose the #1 problem I have with your conception of the VMS-as-hoax is 
the large number of "it's fairly easy"-type statements that need to be true 
simultaneously in order for it to be consistent with the artefact as exists.

Really, all this comes down to is that I'm finding it hard to empathise 
with your hoaxer (especially if he's Edward Kelly), as that person would 
almost certainly be lazy, wanting to get "money for nothing" (the point of 
hoaxing, surely?). Yet in practice, the picture you seem to be painting 
seems to be closer to that of a top-end cryptographer - devious, iterative, 
desperate to obscure all trace of their methodology, well-informed about 
15th Century ciphers - with the result of the process not at all obvious 
alchemical, metaphoric or even vaguely fabulous (in fact, "prosaic" may be 
closer to describe most of it).

Certainly, the whole of the (starred paragraphs) end section would seem to 
be an interminably boring and unrewarding exercise for a hoaxer to go 
through. Surely some alembic stills or allegorical / qabbalistic imagery 
would be more fun to do, and worth more?

It's not that I have a wondrous proof that it's not a hoax: but I simply 
ask - why was it necessary to work so very hard to construct a one-off 
hoaxing methodology? I can comfortably conceive of a cryptographer (albeit 
one with too much time on his hands) devising a multi-layered system of 
great complexity - but not a hoaxer.

BTW, I do have a historical concern about the Kelly-as-hoaxer proposition: 
I'm fairly sure (having looked closely at Kelly's numbering at the BL) that 
it's the quire numbers that are in John Dee's hand (this probably came 
first), with the foliation in Kelly's hand (which probably came last).

So: Kelly - the lazy counterfeiter - spends ages hoaxing the VMS, & gives 
it to Dee to look at: Dee numbers the quires in his hasty, impatient hand. 
He then gives it back to Kelly, who randomly reorders some of the folios 
(certainly in the balneological section, and I suspect in several other 
places) *in the work in which he has invested so much effort already* 
before numbering them? ...I don't know about you, but that doesn't really 
work for me. :-(

OK, this in itself doesn't constitute a falsification - but it certainly 
needs resolution by yet another "it's fairly easy" rider. Lots of riders on 
this particular horse... :-/

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....


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