At a glanceKey from adjacent plaintext · partial (91% of the cipher)
- The letters
- Six letters of João IV to Vasco Luís da Gama, marquês de Nisa, his ambassador in France, copied into the embassy’s letter-book, December 1642 to September 1644.
- Where
- Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, Manuscritos da Livraria n.º 1017, letters 9, 13, 44, 49, 56 and 153, scans on DigitArq. Catalogue no. 380.
- The cipher
- Letter-for-letter substitution written as pseudo-words with the word breaks kept, a symbol for Castile and a code word for the King of France. In 1644 the alphabet changes to signs shaped like Greek letters.
- How it was deciphered
- The 1642 alphabet from three letters copied in clear beside their cipher; the 1644 alphabet from a leaf near the end of the volume that gives two later passages in clear.
- What it says
- The release of the Infante D. Duarte, held by Spain; Richelieu’s death and French ships for Madagascar; and in 1644 the marriages of Prince Teodósio and the Infantas, to be kept from everyone.
- Still open
- Short cipher runs in three 1643 letters that the 1060-pixel scans cannot resolve, and five words at the end of the 1644 passage.
- Credit
- Brice Dudout had rebuilt the 1642 key from the same clear copies earlier the same day and pointed out that letter 153 was the unread piece.
01 The letter-book and its ciphers
Manuscritos da Livraria 1017 is the second volume of the copies of João IV’s letters to the marquês de Nisa (conde da Vidigueira), sent to Paris in 1642 to win French support for the Restoration of 1640: 284 letters, 1642–45. Torre do Tombo catalogues each letter separately and marks six as written “in great part in cipher”. Those six make up catalogue no. 380. The flags are incomplete: letter 8 (25 October 1642) is mostly in cipher, and so are passages in letters of December 1643, January 1644 and January–February 1645.
Two systems are used. Until 1644 the cipher is written in ordinary cursive letters, so that a run such as o pagetfofc fu aEℓinc fuz fxotnc looks like a foreign language inside the Portuguese. Each plain letter has one cipher letter, two have two (s is r or v; u/v is x or z). Names are spelled out; Castile is a crossed circle ⊕, and the King of France is the two-letter code ft. From September 1644 a second alphabet appears whose signs look like Greek letters (ε, η, ρ, χ, β, ν).
02 Two keys from the book itself
The 1642 alphabet. The letter-book copies some letters twice. Below letter 8 a “papel junto” covers the same matters in clear (ecinarcinu = sentimento, fxotnc = Duarte, atrou = irmão, etcfanur = créditos); letter 9 is copied in clear on the next leaf; letter 13 is followed by a “Carta inclusa” giving the whole letter in clear (paecico = licença, iozeur = navios, Eurcinox = fomentava). Aligning them gives the alphabet:
| plain | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cipher | o | g | e | f | c | E | d | b | a | p | z | i | u | g | s | t | r v | n | x | x z | l |
The October and November 1643 letters use it unchanged. A statistical check of 1,164 cipher letters from letters 9 and 13 against a Portuguese letter model passes (the reading scores far above random keys and above keys fitted to shuffled text).
The 1644 alphabet. Letter 153 (21 September 1644) has four lines in the Greek-shaped signs. The 1642 alphabet does not read them, nor does any shift of it, and three solver runs on a Portuguese model found nothing: 148 letters is too little. A sweep of all 289 scans found the same alphabet in letters of 14 January and 7 February 1645 (Cartas 187 and 212), and a leaf before the index (m0276) that lists the volume’s cipher passages in clear, those two among them. The leaf’s “Do Pr.e sobre todos meu m.to amado, e prez.do f.o” against the cipher infeqtix bxv nEqmx oEuEn bvfoEp bpuEx imxt puE zfacE gives most of the alphabet (E = o, b = m, e = n, f = i, i = p, m = r, n = s, p = a, x = e, z = f, q = c, a = l, c = h, o = t).
03 The reading
Letter 9, 28 December 1642 (149 of 158 cipher words). The cipher carries the business of “a liberdade do Infante Dom Duarte meu muito amado e prezado irmão”, the king’s brother, held by the Spanish since 1641. The French king’s letters to Prince Thomas and the Duke of Longueville were to have the troops escorting him to Milan intercepted. Spanish prisoners of rank were to be got from France to exchange for him. Any attempt by force or flight would be “mui arriscado para a vida do Infante”, since his guards had orders to kill him if anyone tried to take him on the road, and secrecy was “o ponto mais essencial deste negócio”.
Letter 13, 31 December 1642 (199 of 207 legible words). The French king had licensed his vassal Rigão and others to send ships to the island of São Lourenço (Madagascar), trade there and build forts, which Portugal claimed. The cardinal-duke of Richelieu was reported dead. He was held to be the man who most fomented the wars with Castile, and on his account offers of a cessation of arms had been refused; if the report was true, Castile might now succeed. Nisa was to penetrate “com recato e segredo” the secrets of Castile and the mind of the French king and his ministers.
Letters of 9 October and 20 November 1643 (24 of 42 transcribed words). These are short runs: the congress of Münster, news of the Infante from Genoa, and the instructions of France and Castile for the general peace.
Letter 153, 21 September 1644 (26 of 31 words). Nisa was to leave the business he had in hand to the marquês de Cascais, except one matter:
… visto se não entende tão no[s] dos casamentos do Príncipe meu sobre todos muito amado e prezado filho e das Infantas, sobre que vos mandei escrever: porque estes não comunicareis nem confiareis ao Marquês nem a outra alguma[?] pessoa, mais que […] mandado […].
“… since it does not extend to the marriages of the Prince, my son beloved above all, and of the Infantas, about which I had you written: for you shall neither tell nor entrust these to the Marquis nor to any other person, except […] ordered […].” Cipher in italics.
Prince Teodósio was ten. The February 1645 passage in the same alphabet says the same: “porque este negócio não quero que saiba mais que vós e Luís Pereira”.
04 How it was done
- The 289 DigitArq scans were downloaded through the archive’s open API. They are 1,060 pixels wide, the only size served.
- Letter 8’s cipher and its papel junto, then letter 13 and its Carta inclusa, were aligned word by word to rebuild the first alphabet (
key.py). Letters 9 and 13 were transcribed and checked against their clear copies, and the 1643 letters were located and transcribed. - Letter 153 was transcribed. The 1642 key and its shifts were tried, then a homophonic hill climb and two simulated annealers on a Portuguese n-gram model: all failed.
- A sweep of the whole volume found the two 1645 passages and the list on m0276. Aligned, they gave the second alphabet, which was then extended from letter 153’s own context.
05 What remains
- The cipher runs of the 1643 letters (44, 49, 56) and five faint lines of letter 13 (m0025) are rubbed or show-through at the scan resolution. Better images from Torre do Tombo would close them; letter 13’s text is known from its clear copy.
- Letter 153: pn Evcv Eno nE before “mandado” and purzmofm after it are unread. “alguma” is grade C. The values of d, g and r in the 1644 alphabet rest on one or two occurrences.
- In letter 9, a duke’s name (Duque de O[..]a) is blotted.
- P. M. Laranjo Coelho’s edition of these letters (1940–42) was not seen. It may print the clear copies; whether it prints letter 153 is unknown.
Full texts
The transcription and the decryption of every document on this page, so that the reading can be used and checked. Short files are shown here; all are in the repository.
Letter 9, 28 Dec 1642 read in part
The release of the Infante D. Duarte: the French king's letters to Prince Thomas and Longueville to intercept his escort to Milan, Spanish prisoners of rank to be exchanged for him, force or flight too dangerous for his life, secrecy essential.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (94% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
# transcription_l09.txt: NORMALISED cipher lines (letters 9/13), code ft and symbol (+) kept as words o pagetfofc fu aEℓinc fuz fxotnc zcx zxanu ozofu c gtclofu atzoz eotnor fc ft goto u gtaieage nbuzor c fxsxc fc puidoxapbo zoifotoz cieuintot ov ntugor sxc gorrorcz ou aEℓinc o zappoz o pdxir crgoibucr gtalauicatu fc ft gcrruoz fc euinu goto cz rcx ntueu nct u aEℓinc pagetfofc euzu voz ur fc ntu|eu ux Exdafo gut urfc xaupcieao euzu ur sxc gtcncifcrncr aincinot euz ov eotnor fc ft rctoz zxa ottarcofur goto oxafo fu aEℓinc | gut rc nct oxalu sxc u gorrotoz fc opczoibo o zapoz pcxoxoz utfcz fc pbc natot oxafo iu eolu fc rc pbc sxctct nuzot iu eozaibu | eotnor rc ioz gufao euirctxot u rcdtcfu sxc bc u guinu zoar crrciaop fcrnc icdueau | cz eornepo rc gutaoz zoautcr xadaor c Eotaoz zoautcr ogctnur o gcrruo fu aEℓinc c gtuextot ofaoinopu cz Eoxut fo pagetfofc fu aEℓinc gut zc|au fo ntueo sxc naibcar aincinofu euz u Eapbu fu fxsxc fc u[..]o c fc uxntur gtalauicatur fc euinu
Decipherment of the time
# Letter 9: the clear copy of the same letter in the letter-book (m0021), the passages matching the cipher runs (as transcribed in transcription_l09.txt). 1. a liberd.e do Inf.e D. Duarte meu m.to amado e prezado irmão | cartas de ElRei Christ.mo e mo(?) P.e Tomas e Duq. de Longavile mandarem encontrar as tropas q passasem o Inf.e a Milão | alguns Hespanhois prision.ros de ElRei Christ.mo pessoas de conta, p.a em seu troco ter o Inf.e liberd.e 2. como são os de troco ou da fugida, q os da viol.a, como os q pertendeis intentar com as cartas de ElRei de Fr.a, serão mui arriscados p.a a vida do Inf.e | por se ter aviso q os q o passarão de Alem.a a Milão levavão ordem de lhe tirarem a vida no caso de se lho quererem tomar no caminho
Decryption
# Letter 9, 28 Dec 1642 (m0020): the three cipher runs deciphered with key.py, normalised against the clear copy on m0021. # [..] unread, [?] doubtful. Clear words of the letter in round brackets. 1. (... com q trataveis e procuraveis) a liberdade do Infante Dom Duarte meu muito amado e prezado irmão, (e como tinheis procurado) cartas de ElRei Christianíssimo para o Príncipe Thomas e Duque de Longavilha mandaram encontrar as tropas que passassem ao Infante a Milão, (e como tão bem procurasteis q se vos desem) alguns Espanhóis prisioneiros de ElRei Christianíssimo, pessoas de conta, para em seu troco ter o Infante liberdade. 2. ... como são os de troco ou fugida, por[?] os de violência, como os que pretendestes intentar com as cartas de ElRei Christianíssimo, serão mui arriscados para a vida do Infante, por se ter aviso que os que o passaram de Alemanha a Milão levavam ordem de lhe tirar a vida no caso de se lhe querer tomar no caminho; [e com as] cartas se não podia conservar o segredo, que é o ponto mais essencial deste negócio, e em Castela se poriam maiores [guardas]. 3. ... e procurar adiantá-lo em favor da liberdade do Infante por meio do troco que tínheis intentado com o filho do Duque de O[..]a e de outros prisioneiros de conta.
Translation
# Letter 9, 28 Dec 1642: English translation of reading_l09.txt, same holes. 1. (... with which you were handling and seeking) the release of the Infante Dom Duarte, my most beloved and esteemed brother, (and how you had sought) letters from the Most Christian King by which Prince Thomas and the Duke of Longueville were to intercept the troops escorting the Infante to Milan, (and how you also sought to be given) some Spanish prisoners of the Most Christian King, persons of rank, so as to obtain the Infante's freedom in exchange for them. 2. ... such as those of exchange or escape, rather than[?] those of force, like the ones you intended to attempt with the Most Christian King's letters, would be very dangerous for the Infante's life, since it is reported that those who moved him from Germany to Milan carried orders to kill him should anyone try to take him on the road; [and with the] letters the secret could not be kept, which is the most essential point of this business, and in Castile they would set greater [guards]. 3. ... and to try to advance it in favour of the Infante's freedom by means of the exchange you had attempted with the son of the Duke of O[..]a and other prisoners of rank.
Letter 13, 31 Dec 1642 read in part
French ships licensed for Madagascar; Richelieu reported dead, the man who most fomented the war with Castile; Nisa to penetrate the secrets of Castile and of the French court.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (96% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
# transcription_l13.txt word lists A-D (legible cipher words of letter 13, in order) sxc ft euiecfao o rcx xorroppo tadou c o uxntur goto zofotcz ioxaur rcxr c dcinc o apbo fc roz puxtcieu ogtat euzctcau c Eolct Eutnolpolor xur sxc zu zoar Euzcinoxo or dxcttor c fareutfeor euz (+) c sxc o rcx tcrgcanu rc ioz ofzanatoz zxanor xclcr or gtonaeor sxc rc uEEctceaoz fc euzgulaeoz c ecrroeoz fc otzor cs iu eolu fc xat o rct ectno o Eopno fu eotfcop rc gufc tcecot sxc (+) euinaixc or zcrzor gtonaeor c ncibo zcpbut rxeecrru rugtc or zoar euxlor sxc ncifcr o eotdu sxc gtuextcar euz tceonu c rcdtcfu sxc euixcz gcicatot ur rcdtcfur fc (+) c u oiazu fc ft c rcxr zaiarntur goto zc ofxctnatfcr fcppc gurraxcp crnutxopu zc atcar fofu opeoieor cicinfcpfcr cfxt cxzcucpbcfour zoar gotcect sxc fcxcor Eolct Eceobu goto cxrc ioz zc oxalot cz nufor or ueolaucr sxc nctfc zc eoxrc iot zc xc oxalot gtcrcinc xur fcxc rct xoctcc gut orra euixat goto nxfu o ro puxtcieu bc fo eutuo fcrno eutuo c ixieo cto patdofo gut cppo euzu ur Etoiecrcr zc foz o cincifct eora ioz gufcz cppcr icz uxntor crntoidcatur euzgtot ixtu fcppo euzctcat ot ic ntonot rcz zcx euircinazcinu paecieo goto u Eolctcz euz icibxz eorotcz Eutnopclor gut crnor tolucr
Decipherment of the time
# Letter 13: the 'Carta inclusa' (m0025-m0026), the clear copy of the same letter, as transcribed in transcription_l13.txt. e da licenca q ElRei Christ.mo concedia a seu vassalo Rigao, ea outros p.a mandarem Navios, e g.te a ilha de S.to L.co abrir com.co e fazer fortalezas vos quis avisar logo q se tinha por sem duvida q o Card.al era o q mais fomentava as guerras e dissensoens com ElRei de Cast.a, e q a seu resp.to senao admitirao m.tas vezes as praticas q se offereciao de composicao [e cessacao] de armas, e q no caso de vir a ser certa a falta do Card.al se pode recear ElRei de Cast.a continue as mesmas praticas, e tenha melhor sucesso nellas, pelo q vos encomendo o cuidado sobre as mais couzas, e sendo a cargo q procureis com recato e segredo q convem, penetrar os segredos de Cast.a e o animo de ElRei Christ.mo e seus Minis.os p.a me haver delle avizo, e q procureis tao bem p.a ver for possivel estorvalo, me ireis dando p.ar conta dos alcances, e entenderdes p.a conforme a esto eu estar prevenido, e com o tempo ordenar o q mais parecer q devais fazer dam.a p.ter e por esto neg.o ser o de mor importancia, me avisareis em todas as embarcacoens q desta parte vierem por assi convir p.a tudo. Prez.te vos deve ser q a Ilha de S.to L.co he da Coroa desta Coroa, e nunca era largada por ella, como os Fran.ses dao a entender, casi nao podem elles, nem outras estrangeiras comerciar nella sem meu consentim.to e licenca, p.a o fazerem, e convem nenhum caso fazer fortalezas por estas razoens,
Decryption
# Letter 13, 31 Dec 1642 (m0024-m0025): the cipher runs deciphered with key.py, checked against the Carta inclusa (m0025-m0026). # [..] unread (faint lines of m0025; their text is known from the clear copy). Clear words in round brackets. A. (... e da licença) que ElRei Christianíssimo concedia a seu vassalo Rigão e a outros para mandarem navios seus e gente à ilha de São Lourenço, abrir comércio e fazer fortalezas. B. (... porto q a nova se não certefique) vos [..] mais fomentava as guerras e discórdias com Castela, e que a seu respeito se não admitiram muitas vezes as práticas que se ofereciam de composição e cessação de armas; e que no caso de vir a ser certa a falta do Cardeal se pode recear C. que Castela continue as mesmas práticas e tenha melhor sucesso; (pelo q vos encomendo e encarrego) sobre as mais cousas que tendes a cargo que procureis com recato e segredo que convém penetrar os segredos de Castela e o ânimo de ElRei Christianíssimo e seus ministros, para me advertirdes dele. D. [..] (m0025 ll. 1-16, legible only in part; the clear copy gives the text: to report by every ship, and that São Lourenço belongs to this crown and no foreigner may trade or build forts there without the king's licence)
Translation
# Letter 13, 31 Dec 1642: English translation of reading_l13.txt, same holes. A. (... and of the licence) that the Most Christian King was granting to his vassal Rigão and others to send their ships and men to the island of São Lourenço [Madagascar], open trade and build forts. B. (... although the news is not certain) you [..] most fomented the wars and discords with Castile, and that on his account the offers made of a settlement and cessation of arms were often not admitted; and that if the Cardinal's death should prove true, it is to be feared C. that Castile may pursue the same approaches and have better success; (wherefore I charge and command you) above all the other matters in your charge to try, with the caution and secrecy that are needed, to penetrate the secrets of Castile and the mind of the Most Christian King and his ministers, so as to warn me of it. D. [..] (legible only in part; the clear copy gives the text: to report by every ship, and that São Lourenço belongs to this crown and no foreigner may trade or build forts there without the king's licence)
Letters 44, 49 and 56, 9 Oct and 20 Nov 1643 read in part
Short cipher runs inside clear letters: the congress of Münster, news of the Infante from Genoa, the instructions of France and Castile for the general peace.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (57% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
LETTER: João IV to the marquês de Nisa, Évora, 9 October 1643
SCANS: candidates for DigitArq 00044 among the 9 Oct 1643 letters at
m0064 (f. 60) heading "De ElRei de 9 de Out.ro de 1643 / Carta"
m0065 (f. 61) heading "De ElRei de 9 de Out.ro de 1643 / Carta. 1.ª e 2.ª via",
continuing m0066 top and m0067 top (Rocroi, the funeral of Louis XIII, the
government "de meus Reinos") — this is the letter that reads as the
"discurso sobre o estado das coisas deste reino"
m0066 upper (f. 62) a further "De ElRei de 9 de Out.ro de 1643 / Carta"
m0066 lower a further one (ink number reads 46)
m0068 (f. 64) the letter covering Luís Pereira de Castro's instructions
(see transcription_l49.txt)
The 10 Oct 1643 letter ends at the foot of m0067 ("Escrita em Evora a 10 de Out.ro de
1643"), so the book is not strictly chronological here.
I could not settle which of these carries the ink number 44: the figures on m0064-m0068
are faint and the 1060-px scans will not resolve 4 / 7 / 9. What follows is the ciphered
material found on the 9 Oct letters of m0065-m0067, with the run that is securely
deciphered first.
Convention: ? = doubtful letter; [?] = word not read.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RUN A — m0066, letter beginning at line 7 of the page ("De ElRei de 9 de Out.ro de
1643"), lines 11-14
l.11-12 (clear) Com a carta de 5 de Ag.to se recebeo o papel q de novo inviastes sobre
as cauzas de
l.12 CIPHER: zxi?vnct
PLAIN: Munster (Münster, the peace congress)
l.12-13 (clear) e se entendeo q.to alcançastes do Re.do de Fr.a em Genova com as novas
l.13 CIPHER: fu ai?E?oinc? xcx? zxonce? grofuc? ptclofuatrou?
PLAIN: "do Infante [Dom Duarte] ..." — fu = do, ai(E)oinc = Infante are secure
(same formula as the verified example 'fu aEoinc fuz fxotnc' = "do
Infante Dom Duarte"); the four following cipher words are not transcribed
with confidence.
l.14-15 (clear) e sendo tudo m.to conf.me a satisfação q tenho de vosso cuid.o pareceo
se vos devia agradecer significando vos q
l.15 CIPHER: ugoqco? venez? outse?
PLAIN: not read (3 doubtful words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RUN B — m0066, line 1 of the page (end of the letter begun on m0065)
l.1 (clear) ...se atalhou como convinha, e p[⊕]
The symbol ⊕ (Castela / ElRei de Castela) is used here inside otherwise clear text:
"...e por ⊕ q importava ao bom gov.o de meus R.nos..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
COUNTS (from the lines transcribed above)
cipher words transcribed: 9 (+1 occurrence of the symbol ⊕)
decoding to sense: 3 (zxi?vnct = Münster; fu = do; ai(E)oinc = Infante)
left unread or doubtful: 6
CAVEAT: this file does not claim to be the whole of DigitArq 00044. The identification of
letter 44 with one particular scan is unresolved; what is certain is the set of 9 Oct
1643 letters listed at the head of this file and the cipher material they carry.Transcription
LETTER: João IV to the marquês de Nisa, Évora, 9 October 1643
SCANS: PT-TT-MSLIV-1017_m0068 (folio 64; whole page), enclosure "Carta de ElRei Inclusa"
to Luís Pereira de Castro begins m0068 line 25 and continues on m0069.
IDENTIFICATION: this is the 9 Oct 1643 letter whose enclosed "Carta de ElRei inclusa"
is addressed to "Luys P.ra de Castro" and refers to "a instrucção q levastes" — i.e. the
letter sending/covering the instructions for Luís Pereira de Castro's special mission in
Paris (DigitArq 00049). The MS letter-number written beside the heading is a two-digit
figure beginning with 4; at the resolution of these scans it reads 44 / 47 / 49 and I
cannot settle it (see NOTE ON NUMBERING at the end). The instruction paragraphs themselves
(numbered 1.º-8.º, "Plenipotenciarios de ElRei de Cast.a", Junta, treaties, truce) are on
m0069-m0073, followed by "22 Advertencias de Conveniencia" (m0074-75) and a "Relação"
(m0076-77).
NO CLEAR COPY of the ciphered passages exists on these pages; the key below is the draft
key (key.py), which works unchanged on this 1643 letter.
Convention: "CIPHER:" = as written (one line per manuscript line); ? = doubtful letter;
[?] = word not read with confidence. "PLAIN:" = decipherment; clear text in ( ).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RUN 1 — m0068, lines 2-4 (heading line 1 = "C.e Almir.e Embaix.or Am.o Eu ElRei vos
invio m.to saudar como aquelle q amo")
l.2 (clear) Faço gr.de estimação do bom successo com q alcançastes
l.2 CIPHER: ov eugab?v?fc opox?iv eo
l.3 CIPHER: ga?vlagux tov aivntxe?uev fc E?toico,
l.3 (clear) e
l.3 CIPHER: eorncppo goto uv n?to?/nufuv ro
l.4 CIPHER: gol dctop. sxe ve tcecgctoz euz
l.4 (clear) carta de 28 de Julho
PLAIN: ov = "as"; aivntxeuev = "instruções"; fc = "de"; E?toico = "França";
eorncppo = "Castella"; goto = "para"; nufuv = "todos"; gol dctop = "paz geral";
sxe ve tcecgctoz euz = "que se receberam com".
Reading: "... alcançastes as [?] [?] [?] instruções de França, e Castella para
os ... todos ... paz geral, que se receberam com carta de 28 de Julho".
Doubtful/unread in this run: "eugab?v?fc", "opox?iv", "eo", "ga?vlagux", "tov",
"n?to" (4-6 words; letters not separable at 1060 px).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RUN 2 — m0068, lines c. 17-19 (middle of the page)
CIPHER: ...sxe xe gxfet evibcoet? vexr felecibuv...
PLAIN: "que ... puder ... seus desenhos" [partially read; "sxe" = que,
"felecibuv" = "desenhos"(?), transcription doubtful]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RUN 3 — m0068, last lines of the letter (lines c. 23-24, immediately before
"Escrita em Evora a 9 de Out.ro de 1643")
l.23 (clear) mando invitar a copia por
l.23 CIPHER: aivntxeuev sxe eixaue dur zaiavntuv
l.24 CIPHER: sxe ieppo zoifu ovravnat; evne iedueaie
l.24 (clear) fera por ora o vosso 1.º [?]
l.24 CIPHER: exab?fu dag? ...
l.25 (clear) ...me livreis dando conta m.to por menor. Escrita em Evora a 9 de Out.ro
de 1643. Rey.
PLAIN: "... as instruções que envie aos ministros que nella mando assistir; este
negócio será por ora o vosso 1.º [cuidado?] ..."
(aivntxeuev = instruções; sxe = que; eixaue = envie; dur = aos;
zaiavntuv = ministros; ieppo = nella; zoifu = mando; ovravnat = assistir;
evne = este; iedueaie = negócio.)
Doubtful: "exab?fu", "dag?" (2 words).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ENCLOSURE (m0068 l.25 ff., "Carta de ElRei Inclusa", to Luís Pereira de Castro)
Clear text, no cipher on the part transcribed:
"Luys P.ra de Castro Am.o. Com as novas do falecim.to de ElRei Chr.mo resolvi m.dar
representar o sentim.to q ella me causou a ElRei seu f.o e a R.a Regente sua M.ce pello
Marq.s de Cascaes. E porq, fiado na justificação da m.a causa e das rezoens q vão
apontadas na instrucção q levastes, e sobre tudo em vos sendo os q passais à Junta da
Pas q[uando] tenho por certo se resolva nella q se deve admitir Plenipot.ro em meu
nome ..." (continues m0069).
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COUNTS (letter at m0068, counted from the lines transcribed above)
cipher words transcribed: 29
decoding to sense: 20
left unread or doubtful: 9
(Only the cipher runs listed above were transcribed; the page also carries 3-4
further short cipher words in lines 8-13 that I did not transcribe letter by letter.)
NOTE ON NUMBERING: folio numbers run scan - 4 (m0065 = f. 61, m0085 = f. 81). Each
letter carries a letter-number in ink to the right of the word "Carta"; m0085 (20 Nov
1643) carries 56, which matches DigitArq 00056, so these ink numbers are the DigitArq
document numbers. The figure on m0068 is damaged/faint; identification above rests on
content, not on the number.Transcription
LETTER 56: João IV to the marquês de Nisa, Lisbon, 20 November 1643 SCANS: PT-TT-MSLIV-1017_m0085 (folio 81), top of the page: heading "De ElRei de 20 de Nov.ro de 1643 / Carta" with the letter-number 56 written beside it, body lines 1-9, ending "Escrita em Lx.a a 20 de Nov.ro de 1643. Rey." (m0085 carries two further letters below it: one headed 12 Nov 1643 at mid-page and one headed 20 Nov 1643 at the foot, the latter continuing on m0086. The letter headed 20 Nov 1643 at the foot of m0084 is a different letter, ending on m0084 itself.) CONTENT: this is the letter praising Nisa's service in the embassy, which matches the DigitArq description of 00056; the number 56 beside the heading confirms it. Clear text (my reading): "C.e Almir.e Embaix.or Am.o Eu ElRei vos invio m.to saudar como aquelle q amo. Tenho satisfeito em outras not.as aos [= ao que] contem a carta do 3[0] de Set.o acerca dos bons ef.os da intelig.a con ⊕ [CIPHER] dos papeis tocantes a particulares [CIPHER] [CIPHER]. Resta so dizervos q me será sempre em gr. opinião vossa prud.a e industria de q por este, e mais serv.os q me fazeis f.o nesa Embaixada, tendo mui p.ar satisfação dando lugar à carta q a vossa inst.a se pedio por S. M.de de ElRei Chr.ist.mo à R.a de Suecia e Est.os unidos de Hol.da a favor da as[s]ist.a a meus comiss.rios, cuja copia folguei m.to de ver. Escrita em Lx.a a 20 de Nov.ro de 1643. Rey." Cipher in this letter — m0085, lines 3-4: l.3 (clear) ...da intelig.a con l.3 SYMBOL: ⊕ = Castela / ElRei de Castela l.3 CIPHER: E?zz?s?o?s?pu [not read] l.3 (clear) dos papeis tocantes a particulares l.3 CIPHER: up?sreop? [not read] l.3 CIPHER: ue?s [not read] l.3 CIPHER: bvenoxn? [not read] None of the three cipher words of letter 56 could be transcribed letter by letter with confidence: the words sit in a crowded, rubbed line and the 1060-px scan does not separate the strokes (the scribe's c/e, r/v and t/z are indistinguishable here). Applying the key to my best guesses produces no Portuguese, which is a transcription failure, not a key failure — the key reads the 1643 letters elsewhere (see transcription_l49.txt). NO CLEAR COPY of this passage was found in the letter-book. COUNTS (letter 56) cipher words: 4 (one of them the symbol ⊕) decoding to sense: 1 (⊕ = Castela) left unread or doubtful: 3
Decryption
# Letters 44, 49, 56 (9 Oct and 20 Nov 1643): the legible cipher words deciphered with key.py (transcription_l44/l49/l56.txt). [..] unread. 44 (m0066): ... sobre as causas de Münster [..] ... em Génova com as novas do Infante [..] 49 (m0068): ... alcançastes as [..] [..] [..] instruções de França e Castela para os [..] todos [..] paz geral, que se receberam com carta de 28 de Julho ... [..] a cópia por [?] as instruções que envie aos ministros que nela mando assistir; este negócio será por ora o vosso primeiro [cuidado]. 56 (m0085): [..] [..] [..] Castela
Translation
# Letters 44, 49, 56: English translation of reading_1643.txt, same holes. 44: ... on the causes of Münster [..] ... in Genoa with the news of the Infante [..] 49: ... you obtained the [..] [..] [..] instructions of France and Castile for the [..] all [..] general peace, which were received with a letter of 28 July ... [..] the copy by [?] the instructions I sent to the ministers whom I order to attend it; this business will for now be your first [care]. 56: [..] [..] [..] Castile
Letter 153, 21 Sept 1644 read in part
The marriages of Prince Teodósio and the Infantas are not to be confided to the marquês de Cascais or anyone else.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (84% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
# PT/TT/MSLIV/1017/00153, scan m0157, ff. 153 (heading 'De ElRei de 21 de Nov.ro de 1644'; DigitArq: 21 Sept 1644) # Cipher runs in Latin letters, word divisions as written. E = looped capital-E sign. ? = unsure letter. # clear: "...os neg.os q ali estavão à vossa conta encarregados ao Marquês de Cascais, visto se não entende tão no" L4: uEn qotpbxeoln vE imfeqtix bxv nEqmx L5: oEuEnbvsoEpbpuEx imxt pueEE zfoeE fuepn fcrzpeoxn # clear: "sobre q vos mandei escrever: porq." L6: xnoxn epb qEbEefogmxfnefb qEbzofmxfn L7: pE bpmvxn exb p Erompp vedvbs exnn Ep # clear: "mais q" L7b: pn Eve vEn on # clear: "Escrita em Lx.a a 21 de Set.ro de 1644 Rey"
Decryption
# Letter 00153 (heading on the page 'De ElRei de 21 de Nov.ro de 1644'; dated 'Escrita em Lx.a a 21 de Set.ro de 1644'), scan m0157 # System B (1644-45), key keyB in key.py, rebuilt from the volume's own list of deciphered passages (m0276: Cartas 187 and 212) # set against the same phrases in cipher on m0179 and m0190 (sysB_siblings.txt). # Format: cipher word(s) TAB reading. [?] = doubtful, [..] = unread. Clear words of the letter in brackets for context. # [... os neg.os q ali estavão à vossa conta encarregados ao Marquês de Cascais, visto se não entende tão no] uEn dos qotpbxeoln casamentos vE do imfeqtix principe bxv meu nEqmx sobre oEuEn todos bvsoE muito pbpuE amado x e imxt pueEE prezado zfoeE filho fuepn e das fcrzpeoxn infantes # [sobre q vos mandei escrever: porq.] xnoxn estes epb não qEbEefogmxfn comunicareis efb nem qEbzofmxfn confiareis pE ao bpmvxn marquês exb nem p a Eromp outra pvdvbp alguma [?] txnnEp pessoa # [mais q] pn [..] Evcv [..] Eno [..] nE [..] # [mandado] purzmofm [..] # [Escrita em Lx.a a 21 de Set.ro de 1644. Rey] # # Reading: "visto se não entende tão no[s] dos casamentos do Príncipe meu sobre todos muito amado e prezado filho e das # Infantas, sobre que vos mandei escrever: porque estes não comunicareis nem confiareis ao Marquês nem a outra alguma[?] # pessoa, mais que [..] mandado [..]." Compare Carta 212 (m0190, deciphered on m0276): "sobre o casamento do Príncipe # ... e das Infantas, porque este negócio não quero que saiba mais que vós e Luís Pereira". # # Count (cipher words, as divided in this file): 31; read 26 (1 doubtful); unread 5 (pn Evcv Eno nE purzmofm).
Reading
# Letter 153, 21 Sept 1644 (m0157): the reading as sentences (word table in l153_reading.txt). Clear words in round brackets, [..] unread, [?] doubtful. (... visto se não entende tão no[s]) dos casamentos do Príncipe meu sobre todos muito amado e prezado filho e das Infantas, (sobre que vos mandei escrever: porque) estes não comunicareis nem confiareis ao Marquês nem a outra alguma[?] pessoa, (mais que) [..] (mandado) [..].
Translation
# Letter 153, 21 Sept 1644: English translation of l153_reading.txt, same holes. ... since it does not extend to the marriages of the Prince, my son beloved above all, and of the Infantas, about which I had you written: for you shall neither tell nor entrust these to the Marquis [de Cascais] nor to any other[?] person, except [..] ordered [..].
Key: key.py, key_notes.md, key_notes_1643.md
06 Sources
- Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo, Manuscritos da Livraria n.º 1017 (DigitArq, scans m0001–m0289; folio = scan − 4). Letters 9, 13, 44, 49, 56 and 153.
- Cartas de El-Rei D. João IV ao Conde da Vidigueira (Marquês de Niza), embaixador em França, ed. P. M. Laranjo Coelho, Academia Portuguesa da História, 1940–42 (not seen).
- Brice Dudout, email of 27 October 2026, on the papel junto and the clear copies.
Transcriptions of every letter, both keys with their evidence, the volume sweep, the failed solver runs and the validation: targets/joao1642/.