01 The document and the key
DECODE R2322 carries four images from Gallica: f. 41r and f. 41v in cipher, f. 42r blank, and on f. 42v the endorsement. The cipher is a homophonic substitution with invented signs and no word division. It has 20 letters with one to four signs each, plus signs for CON and ET. Lasry found that the same key also decrypts BnF Dupuy 265 f. 132, a letter of the bishop of Mâcon to the King of 29 May 1535. Mâcon was then ambassador in Rome. On f. 41v the key needed a few adjustments:
- The three-stroke sign that Lasry lists third under H stands for Y: roy, iceluy, quoy, veoyant, moyennant.
- The “Rg” sign is P, not T: penser, pourveoir, pouvoir, partie, persuasion.
- A looped “4” stands for R: pour, pourveoir.
- Lasry’s first “unknown” sign, a bold ʃ, is probably S: “par [s]es dictes persuasions”.
- His second “unknown”, a cluster of strokes, occurs once, in “devers [·] et ses successeurs”. It is probably a code for the Emperor (grade M).
02 The decipherment of f. 41v
The text is normalised: words divided, accents added. [brackets] are restorations, [?] marks symbols not understood and … marks short gaps.
… [tres chre]stien et serenissime seigneur Francois roy de France, la Maiesté duquel a esté souventefois recherchée de contribuer a l’entreprinse de l’expedition contre iceluy grant Turc, qu’il a tousiours niée, le pouvant faire, sinon que premier sa Maiesté feust reintegrée et restituée en la duché de Milan, conté d’Ast et seigneurie de Gennes, desquels en avoit esté spoliée violentement et par force. Et pendant que sa Maiesté n’estoit reintegrée en ses seigneuries, ne povoit pencer a une expedition si loingtaine ne aux chouses oc[c]upées d’iceluy grant Thurc. Par quoy, veoyant la volunté et grande envie dudit treschrestien roy n’estre si loing des armes qu’il ne les puisse reprendre, en maniere que la paix, qui n’a aucun lien ferme, … soit pour engendrer bien toust et prestement en Italie aultre plus grande fla[m]e de guerre que devant, si moyennant l[e]s … l’on ne vient a penser d’y pourveoir, ce que par grande experience se cognoist ne pouvoir faire sans contenter en quelque partie le dit tres crestien roi. Et pour ce, s’il plaist a Dieu me donner grace d’estre pape, suis venu avecques les negotiateurs de Sa Maiesté aux articles ci souscripts et aux conventions par moy iurées.
Et premierement i’[es]saierai avecques toute demonstration, persuasion et exhortation que l’on pourroit user, ainsi devers [the Emperor?] et ses successeurs comme vers les detenteurs du duché de Milan et tout l’estat du dit duché, conté d’Ast et seigneurie de Gennes, que les dicts estatz et seigneuries soient rendus et restitués es mains du dit seigneur roi tres crestien ou des illustrissimes seigneurs ses enfans et successeurs. Et quant par ses dictes persuasions et voie …
Translation. The Most Christian King has often been asked to join the expedition against the Turk. He has always refused unless he were first restored to the duchy of Milan, the county of Asti and the lordship of Genoa, which were taken from him by force. Unless that is provided for, the peace, which has no firm bond, will soon kindle a greater war in Italy than before. So the cardinal, if God gives him the grace to become pope, has agreed with the King’s negotiators to the articles below and sworn to them. First, he will use every persuasion with the Emperor(?) and with the holders of Milan to have Milan, Asti and Genoa returned to the King or to his sons. The page ends in the middle of the second clause.
03 Method
The DECODE images were fetched with the project’s login. Two Claude subagents transcribed f. 41v sign by sign, one taking lines 1–19 and the other lines 20–37. They used Lasry’s key table and his red overlays on f. 41r as a reference for this scribe’s hand, then decrypted the transcription with the key. The adjustments in section 01 came from words that repeat across the page. The line-by-line transcriptions are in the repository folder.
04 What remains uncertain
- Two further passes settled every doubtful place but two. In l. 12 the group after “chouses” is OCVPEES, “oc[c]upées” (C). In l. 15 a sign first taken for E is Lasry’s second M sign: “des armes” (C). Counted on the transcription, 1,339 of the page’s 1,341 letter tokens have a value (99.9%).
- One symbol in l. 19 is outside the key. “fla[m]e” is from context (grade C).
- The code cluster taken as the Emperor rests on context only (grade M). The value S for Lasry’s ʃ sign is grade C.
- The scribe wrote one A twice in l. 16.
- The rest of the articles are missing: f. 41v breaks off and f. 42 is blank but for the endorsement.
- The endorsement’s “marechaulx” does not fit the content, and the date of 1534 rests on the three cardinals named. Neither has been checked against a history of the 1534 conclave.
05 Sources
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 3081 ff. 41–42, on Gallica. DECODE R2322.
- S. Tomokiyo, French Ciphers during the Reign of Francis I, section “BnF fr.3081”. George Lasry’s key table and his decipherment of f. 41r (24 May 2022) are on the same site.
Notes and transcriptions: marechaux1520/ in the repository.