[François ?] d'Entragues to Comte de Saint-Aignan, auprès du duc d’Anjou, 1581–1582

01 The letter

02 The key

28 symbols: 20 in nomenclature, 8 unidentified

Key in the same volume

Original name key in the same volume, f761r.

03 The decipherment

f759v

S'il m'y est? je verray mons. d'Entragues que je fay me parler franchement, et me dira l'estat des affaires de Le duc de Lenox. Sur ce dessus je pourray bastir quelque chose de bon. Vous sçavez quel est aisé de faire une revolte en Angleterre, combien il y a de malcontens tout plains pour la religion qu'aultres malcontents estans dans le pays. l'Escosse favorisera une entreprise. Je voy cela facile pour le peu de distance que a de vous l'Angleterre; doubtez? n'est il vous sera facile, luy direz vous, de faire que le Roy d'Espagne mette ses forces et moyens es mains de quelque prince françois, ou bien s'il ne le veult faire, ne fauldra rien contre luy, s'il le faut ainsi. Et je vous asseure que ne vous veult tromper; un prince françois fera la descente s'il y fault, fors? vous la pourrez faire; il sera battu? à ses despens. Et si Dieu permet que ceste conqueste se face, ledict Roy d'Espagne souhaitera que ce soit pour vous, et par ce que vous en serez investi vous n'auriez rien à craindre; et puis les nopces de sa fille avec vous se feront estant de retour du pays où que les places se rendront qu'aurez mises en depost. Voila ce qu'il semble à mons. d'Entragues que vous pourriez dire, mais ne vous descouvrez pas davantage, car je craindrois que Monsieur mesme ne fit semblant d'y entendre pour perdre ceux que vous sçavez, que je crains ne se voudront fier à cause de ce malheureux de Morres?. Si tost que mons. d'Entragues sera à la court, je travailleray à bastir quelque bonne chose attendant de voz nouvelles, et si l'on vous despeschoit pour venir de deçà, advertissez m'en de bonne heure. Si l'on vous dit à quel homme le Roy d'Espagne voudroit bailler ceste charge, dites Monsieur du Maine, [?], Mons. d'Espernon, [?], La Royne d'Escosse, et ne nommez Mons. de Guise pour sçavoir s'il ne vous nommeront point; et si d'aventure il est nommé, respondrez souldain : je ne sçay si Le Roy ne vous le voudroit, par le moien

Translation. If he is there? I shall see Monsieur d'Entragues, whom I shall get to speak frankly, and he will tell me the state of the Duke of Lennox's affairs. On that basis I can build something worthwhile. You know how easy it is to cause a revolt in England, how many people are discontented over religion and how many other malcontents live there. Scotland will favour an undertaking. I see this as easy because England is so near you; [?] you can readily tell him to have the King of Spain place his forces and resources in the hands of some French prince. If he will not, nothing must be done against him, if that is necessary. I assure you he does not wish to deceive you. A French prince will make the landing if necessary; [?] you can make it, and he will be beaten? at his own expense. If God allows this conquest, the King of Spain will wish it to be for you; once you are invested with it, you would have nothing to fear. The marriage to his daughter will follow on your return, when the places you deposited are handed back. That is what Monsieur d'Entragues thinks you could say. Do not reveal more, for I fear Monsieur himself might pretend to agree in order to ruin those you know, who I fear will not trust him because of that wretch Morres?. As soon as Monsieur d'Entragues reaches court, I shall work at arranging something useful while awaiting your news. If they send you here, let me know in good time. If they ask to whom the King of Spain would entrust this charge, name Monsieur du Maine, [?], Monsieur d’Espernon, [?], the Queen of Scotland. Do not name Monsieur de Guise, to see whether they name you; if he is named, answer immediately: I do not know whether the King would want him for you, by means of

04 Plaintext and other sources

Where a decipherment or clear copy already existed, as George Lasry gives it:

Plaintext in the margin or below

Literal names in the margins beside the corresponding signs, ff759r–760v and ff780r–781v.

05 Our check

This result is George Lasry’s. This project did not re-solve the cipher: it checked one sample against the Gallica image and recorded what it found.

• Batch B. Image checked: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9064322t (volume link only; folio not fetched, checked on his crops of f759v and f761r)
• Folio matches the report: unclear; cipher present: yes
• What we checked: Clear letter with name signs only. In his f759v crop: "je verray [3]" and "revolte en [X]", "[E] favorisera"; the f761r key ("Copia d una cifra trovata...") gives 3 = Mons. d Entragues, X = l Angleterre, E (variant) = l Escosse = his reading
• Verdict: partly confirmed (method read with known key, extent partial). The check is a sample, not a re-solution.
• Notes: Only ~87 cipher elements (names) in otherwise clear text; key is in the same volume (f761r), so little cryptanalysis involved. 89.7% identified; 8 signs unknown. Several ? in his clear-text transcription.

06 Sources

• George Lasry, with ChatGPT Astra 6 and Anthropic Opus 5.5, BnF cipher research, 10 October 2026 (sent to Daniel Bourdeau on 13 October 2026 for publication here), p. 120; his other items are listed on his contributor card.
• image checked in the spot-check
• The working folder: targets/entragues1581/ (his entry as extracted from the report, our spot-check, profile.json).