Jakub Horcicky was born in or near Krumlov, S. Bohemia, in 1575 as son of lower-class parents. He served with Krumlov's Jesuits as a scullion for some time, but the rector Bernard Koch found out his capabilities and young Horczicky was admitted to the Krumlov Seminary of poor students in 1590.
Here, he spent most of his time in Krumlov's college pharmacy, which was managed at the time by a lay father who was very well versed in chemistry and pharmacy: Martin Schaffner (born in Olomouc around 1564, died in Krumlov in 1608), who not only cured the members and students of the college with the medicine he prepared , but also had a flourishing practice in the city and its surroundings. Under the guidance of this experienced man, after having graduated from the Krumlov Gymnasium, Horczicky completed his training in the art of pharmacy in two years.
Note by Jean: Born in Olomouc?
http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/mesto/histor/t_alchym.htmJakub Hořčický
z Tepence, also well known under his Latin name Sinapius. He was born in 1575 in Český Krumlov. As a boy, he was engaged as a scullion to the newly founded local Jesuit College.Because of his capabilities, he was recommended to follow higher studies; he graduated at the local Latin gymnasium and later practiced under the local pharmacist Martin Schafner where he learned how to carry out different chemical processes, especially distillations.
After leaving Český Krumlov, he studied logic and physics at Prague University (1598 ? 1600), then went for some time to practice in Jindřichův Hradec as manager of the local botanical garden belonging to a religious order. Hořčický took advantage of the
practical knowledge he gained in the pharmacy laboratory in Český Krumlov http://www.voynich.nu/extra/schmidl.htmlCollegii Pragensis locupletissimum hoc quoque anno Caelum sibi vendicavit, /Jacobum/ inquam /Horcziczky/, Latinis postea dictum /Sinapium/. Hunc Virum Fortuna pedentim per varios gyros ex imis provexit ad sublimia eíque constanti ( quod rarum ) vultum arrisit. Fortunæ verò suæis ipsus ( DEO conatus promevente ) dexterrimus faber existit, unáque ostendit, quid possit humanum ingenium ; si modò, qua in re excellere possit, ipsémet animadvertas , eóque culturam & industriam conferas.
Itaque /Jacobus/ obscuro loquo natus, in coquina Collegii Crumloviensis Coco primùm lixarum operam diutinam puer addixit. Quia verò ingeniosor apparebat, quàm ferendum censerem Nostri, ut inter fumos obsolesceret ; è culina extractus, & ad Musas traductus est. Literis mansuetioribus utcunque perceptis, Pharmacopaeo ejusdem Collegii, Fratri nostro /Martino Schaffner/, ab Arte Medica, sed eâ praesertim, quam /Botanicam/, /Chymiquamque/ vocant, longè latéque celebratissimo, additus est : cujus dum artem omnem docili ingenio, attentísque & oculis, & auribus, assiduè hauris sedulo tyro ; sensim & ipse longè ultra ejusdem artis rudimenta promovit.
Note by Jean: This whole excerpt and the associated paragraph could be worth a translation.
http://216.109.124.98/search/cache?p=SCHAFFNER+JESUIT&ei=UTF-8&fl=1&meta=vl%3D&vl=&pstart=1&b=81&u=m3.easyspace.com/hurontaria/VM/e3.htm&w=schaffner+jesuit&d=A99AE8D1A9&icp=1&.intl=fr http://hurontaria.baf.cz/VM/e3.htm http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/ohlas/VM/e3.htmIt is also probable that the manuscript didn't leave Prague with Horczicky (1618) - considering Barsch was living in Prague, too - and stayed there all the time until Marci sent it to Italy (1666). Before Horczicky left Prague, he could have given it to his successor or student, together with the secret how to read the script, in order to carry on or just to finish the manuscript. That could explain the mysterious "second" author.
The other possibility is that the book was originally written by Horczicky's tutor and apothecary Martin Schaffner while the former was still a student in Jesuit monastery. Schaffner was famous for his healing abilities and Horczicky learned a lot from him. Later, he might inherited the book from him and added his own observations.
Note by Jean: Schaffner was famous?
http://www.voynich.net/Arch/2002/01/msg00117.html
He was still a teenage student and "lab assistant" at the Jesuit college in Cesky Krumlov. Now we only need to find out where his pharmacy teacher Martin Schaffner did his missionary work
http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1589_Cruml.htm1589
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schaffner
adversa valetudine laborathttp://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1595_Cruml.htm
1595
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schafner
infirmarius.http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1596_Cruml.htm
1596
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schafner
infirmarius et cellae vinariae praefectus.http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1597_Cruml.htm
1597
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schaffner
infirmarius et cellae vinariae praefectus.http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1599_Cruml.htm
1599
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schafner
, infirmarius, cellae vinariae praefectus.http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/SI/extenso/1600_Cruml.htm
1600
- ČESKÝ KRUMLOVMartinus Schaffner
infirmarius, praefectus sanitatis et cellae vinariaehttp://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/mesto/histor/i_jezkni.htm
The first Jesuits came to Český
Krumlov in March of 1584. Four years later in May 16th, 1588 new Jesuit College was opened in town (Horní No. 154). The library had always been a part of Jesuit educate and preaching activity. Wilhelm von Rosenberg donated to it in the very beginning, and more books, money and maps arrived in 1591.On April 30th of 1777, a council in Op
ařany that cared for the former Jesuitical property administration issued an order for the Commercial Office in Římov to transport the Library to Prague and hand it over against a receipt to a University Library administrator P. Charuel.Not even three wee
ks passed when the council requested of the office in Římov whether or not the transportation of books to Prague would be worth the price. The office in Římov then answered, immediately after the first order in May 19th, that they had put the books into 45 cases and arranged their transportation to Prague for a daily carriage price of 1 ducat. The price of the books had been estimated at 2000 ducats and the catalog was left with Count Morzino. The reception of 44 cases of books, thoroughly put under seal, was confirmed on a separate receipt by the university librarian Karel Charuel.