Girolamo Gondi to Duke of Nevers and Rethel, 15 May 1594 (BnF Français 4700)

01 The letter

Shelfmark	BnF Français 4700 · Gondi symbol cipher, ff9r–10r
Sender	Girolamo Gondi
Recipient	Duke of Nevers and Rethel
Date	15 May 1594
Language	Italian
Report status	5/6 pages transcribed; 1 more in part; 3/6 pages deciphered
Ciphertext	1,469 elements, 1,449 identified (98.6%)

02 The key

54 symbols: 42 letter signs, 4 doubled-letter signs, 8 in nomenclature

George Lasry’s reconstructed key table — George Lasry’s reconstruction of the key, as drawn in his report (p. 92). Image: George Lasry, BnF cipher research (10 Oct 2026); manuscript: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 4700, Gallica btv1b90582908 view 21.

03 The decipherment

Manuscript lines with the cipher, from George Lasry’s report — The manuscript lines of the excerpt (f9v, rows 10–13), from the report, p. 93. Image: George Lasry, BnF cipher research (10 Oct 2026); manuscript: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 4700, Gallica btv1b90582908 view 21.

f9v, rows 10–13

luogo di queste parti doppa la reductione di parigi non abbiamo auto qui alcuna lettere di monsieur di reuol ne daltri ne fatta alcuna dimostratione di ralegramento con noi et si ua dubitando che si sia stato fatto qualche cattiuo uffitio da

Translation. … place in these parts. Since the submission of Paris, we have received no letters here from Monsieur de Revol or anyone else, nor any expression of congratulations; and there is suspicion that someone has done us a disservice …

04 Plaintext and other sources

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

Interlinear plaintext: Historical Italian interlinear decipherments accompany the selected cipher lines on ff9r–10r / PDF21 and 23.

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/btv1b90582908/f21/pct:0,0,52,100/1400,/0/default.jpg
Folio matches the report: yes; cipher present: yes
What we checked: f9v rows 10-13 (canvas 21): contemporary Italian interlinear "luogo di queste parti doppo la reductione di Parigi non abbiamo auto qui alcuna lettere di Mr di Revol ne daltri ne fatta alcuna dimostratione di ralegramento con noi et si va dubitando..." = his excerpt
Verdict: confirmed (method key recovered based on adjacent plaintext, extent partial). The check is a sample, not a re-solution.
Notes: Only 3/6 pages deciphered though 98.6% of transcribed elements identified. f9r opens in clear to Nevers; Italian.

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. 92; his other items are listed on his contributor card.
image checked in the spot-check
The working folder: targets/gondi1594/ (his entry as extracted from the report, our spot-check, profile.json).