01 The letter
| Shelfmark | BnF Français 3321 |
|---|---|
| Sender | Signed DC |
| Recipient | Not established |
| Date | 20 May; year not established |
| Language | French |
| Report status | Transcribed; Deciphered |
| Ciphertext | 49 elements, 46 identified (93.9%); 2 ?, 1 unidentified |
02 The key
32 symbols, 25 letter signs, 5 in nomenclature, 1 null ?, 1 unidentified
03 The decipherment
f103r, first four lines
Les affaires sont en tel termes qu'infalliblement la Ruyne de Espernon s'en ensuivra, ou de cest estat. Car l'union est si forte qu'elle peult mieux donner la loy que la recepvoir. Demain la req[ueste] s'en doibt partir, vous en aurez Incontinent la coppie Comme on vous envoye du reste.
Translation. Affairs have reached such a point that Épernon’s ruin, or the ruin of this state, will inevitably follow. The union is so strong that it can dictate the law rather than receive it. The petition is to be sent tomorrow; you will immediately receive a copy, as the other material is being sent to you.
04 Plaintext and other sources
Where a decipherment or clear copy already existed, as George Lasry gives it:
- Interlinear plaintext
- Interlinear plaintext on the same page, f103r.
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://openapi.bnf.fr/iiif/image/v3/ark:/12148/btv1b9060212v/f105/full/1600,/0/default.jpg
- Folio matches the report: yes; cipher present: yes
- What we checked: f103r l.2 after "Car": l u n i o n [est] s i f o r t (14 signs incl. est code) = "lunion est si fort"; also Espernon code after "Ruyne de"; matches excerpt and interlinear
- Verdict: confirmed (method key recovered based on adjacent plaintext, extent partial). The check is a sample, not a re-solution.
- Notes: Only 49 cipher elements; 93.9% identified (<95%). Signed with monogram, "xxme may". Ligue context (union vs Epernon) suggests 1588.
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. 80; his other items are listed on his contributor card.
- image checked in the spot-check
- The working folder:
targets/fr3321dc/(his entry as extracted from the report, our spot-check,profile.json).