A letter to Duke Wilhelm V, 1583

At a glanceCiphertext-only break · partial (97% of the cipher)

The letter: German, to Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, dated 12 June 1583 (new style), three weeks after his brother Ernst was elected Archbishop of Cologne. The writer, at Ernst’s court, signs with a mark only.
Where: Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Munich, Kurbayern Äußeres Archiv 4591 ff. 274–275; DECODE R9424, part of catalogue entry 161.
The cipher: A simple substitution on Latin letters with a few invented signs; a slash doubles the letter before it, and a few signs at word edges are nulls. One sign, a barred o-o, stands for a name.
How it was deciphered: Ryan Xu recovered the key from the repository’s transcription alone, from word endings and short words, and tested it against shuffled keys. Every word was then checked here on the archive photographs.
What it says: Rivalry among Ernst’s councillors, “Si.” ruling alone at court, and a plan to bring “Susanna” down to Cologne or Liège that would cause great scandal.
Still open: The barred o-o sign (three times), a name or title in line 21, two letters after “ghen” in line 22, and one word glossed “Aichstet”.
Credit: Key and first decryption: Ryan Xu (ry-xu) with Claude Opus 5.5, 23 October 2026 (issue #89; his write-up).

Until 15 October 2026 this letter was filed on one page with thirteen other ciphertexts of the same key volume; they are different ciphers, each with its own page (System A′, the “Post Scripta” dot cipher). Attempted here on 21 September 2026, it gave no text; Ryan Xu broke it on 23 October.

01 The letter

The first page (f. 274r) opens in clear German and changes to cipher at line 8, with clear words left inside the cipher (“Zwisch Ho. Fe. und Ni. sein”, “Si.”, “quam”). The second page is clear German only. On f. 275r single cipher words stand inside clear lines, and a second hand wrote the meaning over some of them at the time: der, thumbrobst, Wirtzburg, Hildesheim, “den nonnen haben”, Aichstet. The letter is dated “Den 12 Junij Ao. 83 Stilo novo”. The photographs are not in the public domain, so this page shows none.

02 The key

Each plain letter is written with one Latin letter or sign: r = a, w = b, d = c (dD = ch), z = d or r, k = e, i = f, u or v (i/ = w), 3 = g, D = h, o = i, s = l, n = m (also n, u), a = n, 4 = o, t = p, c = t, m = z. A slash doubles the letter before it (s/ = ll, c/ = tt, e/ = ss). The signs g, y, b and p, and some d, m and n, stand at word edges as nulls. Ryan Xu noticed that the values form chains (p→t→c→d→z→m→n→a→r): each plain letter is written as the next letter of a scrambled sequence, so each sign should have one value.

The two values of z are two glyphs under one label of the transcription. On the photograph the z for d has a hooked or tailed top and the z for r is a flat-footed 2; zizoD (durch) shows both in one word. In the words aligned with the key, z stands 37 times for d and 37 times for r; 6.8% of the letters rest on a label that covers two glyphs, about 1% once the two z forms are kept apart.

03 The reading

In the writer’s spelling; clear words in ⟨ ⟩, […] unread, [?word] uncertain, letters in [ ] supplied, [#] the unread name sign.

⟨wöll in⟩ […] geistlichen [?als] auch den kriegswesen in grosser confusion befinde. ⟨Zwisch Ho. Fe. und Ni. sein⟩ grosse dissimulationes und cunctationes, will kainer den andern nachgeben, ieder für sich selbs das veldt regiren, sy versthen den handl alle drey nit genugsam. (zu hof regirt ⟨Si.⟩ allain cum [?magna] indignationen tam coloniensium ⟨quam⟩ leodiensium.) es sein noch zur zeit gar wenig cöl[ni]sche bey hof, man wartt aber teglich etlicher fürnemen, die beschriben. summa, ich findt den gresten mangel an guetten treuen leuthen. es ist ain suspition vorhanden, als wöll man die susanna lassen herab chomen; die soll […] von freising mitt seim [?weihb.] herab belaitten, wais aber nit obs ghen […] oder ghen lüttich soll gefurt werden. [#] welen darauf gedacht sein, wie dis mitt fueg zuverhindern, dan es wurdt diser orthen ain gr[o]ss scandalum geben, und vil guetherzige so woll als von ⟨Ca.⟩ alienirt werden. wehrs muglich, ire [#] von disen und dergleichen, darein ehr durch bese leuth gefuhrt, mit beschaidenhait und glimpf abzehalten, so soll man disem sti[f]t chain andern herrn [?wünschen].

In English: … that I find both the spiritual affairs and the war in great confusion. Between Ho., Fe. and Ni. there is much dissembling and delay; none will give way to another, each wants to rule the field for himself, and all three understand the business too little. (At court Si. alone governs, to the great indignation of the people of both Cologne and Liège.) There are still very few men of Cologne at court, but some notables who have been summoned are expected daily. All in all, I find the greatest want of good, loyal people. There is a suspicion that they mean to let Susanna come down here; […] of Freising is to escort her down with his [?suffragan], but I do not know whether she is to be taken to […] or to Liège. [#] should consider how this might properly be prevented, for it would give great scandal in these parts, and many well-meaning people, as well as those of Ca., would be estranged. If it were possible to keep [#] from these and similar things, into which he has been led by bad people, with tact and gentleness, then one could wish this see no other lord.

On f. 275r the cipher words give “der thumbprobstei wirzburg”, “son phillip zu resigniren”, “so wurdt Si. zu freising die maisten f[r]uctus darvon einnemen, und Si. allain den namen haben” and “hildeshaim”: the Würzburg cathedral provostship was to be resigned to a son Philipp, with the revenues going elsewhere.

04 How the key was found and checked

21 September 2026, here: the volume’s keys R9420–R9422 did not fit, and annealing in German, Latin and Italian gave no text.
23 October 2026, Ryan Xu: from the transcription alone. The ending -ka closes 32 of 174 words, so k = e and a = n; then -kz = -er, zka = den, rwkz = aber, zok = die, i4a = von, noc = nit. Long words came out whole: zoe/onisrco4ake dissimulationes, oazo3aco4aka indignationen, wkedDrozkaDroc beschaidenhait. 146 of 169 cipher words read directly, 15 more after a one-sign emendation.
His controls: 65% of cipher words of four signs or more decode to a word of a sixteenth-century German lexicon (Deutsches Textarchiv), against a median of 8% for 40 shuffled keys. A from-scratch annealer with a sixteenth-century German model recovered 11 signs (70% of the sign tokens) with no cribs; an unconstrained one collapsed into e/n/r text, as ours had.
23 October 2026, here, on the photographs: of his 15 emendations, 9 are what the image shows (a looped d read as s or o in auch, confusion, nachgeben, durch; an s-form read as e in muglich; an r-form read as z in allain; w, not c, in befinde; a cross mark, not 4, before belaitten). One was withdrawn: the image gives suspition, with no letter missing. The rest are kept as supplied letters. The writer’s own spellings were restored (regirt, ghen, gefurt, muglich). “Sl” on f. 275r is the clear abbreviation “Si.”.
The contemporary glosses on f. 275r agree with the key: der, thumbrobst, Wirtzburg, Hildesheim. Over zka marnka the gloss reads “den nonnen”, where the cipher gives namen.

05 What remains

The barred o-o sign, three times (ll. 23, 27, f. 275r): a name sign. Its table is not in the photographs; the f. 273v nomenclator fragment is only half visible.
Line 21, izriafzia/kz: a name or title of the escort from Freising (f-r-a-u-n-?-d/r-u-nn-e-r). One sign has no value.
Line 22, eo after “ghen” (Cologne expected), and the two signs before “geistlichen” in line 8: too short to value.
f. 275r zodDcw3, glossed “Aichstet” at the time, does not decode with the key.
Uncertain words: [?magna], [?weihb.] (Weib or Weihbischof), [?wünschen], and the supplied letters in gr[o]ss, sti[f]t, cöl[ni]sche, f[r]uctus. With these counted as holes, 92.8% of the words read as sense, under the 95% bar for a full reading.

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.

R9424 (BayHStA Kurbayern Äußeres Archiv 4591 ff.274-277 (DECODE R9424), 12 Jun 1583) read in part

An informant at the court of Ernst of Bavaria, newly elected Archbishop of Cologne, writes to Duke Wilhelm V three weeks after the election: rivalry among Ho., Fe. and Ni., Si. ruling alone at court to the anger of Cologne and Liège, a plan to bring 'Susanna' down to Cologne or Liège that would cause great scandal, and the Würzburg cathedral provostship to be resigned to a son Philipp.

Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (93% here); the holes are marked in the reading.

Transcription

transcription.txt

R9424 transcription - BayHStA Kurbayern Aeusseres Archiv 4591 f.274-277 (IMG_R9424_I44564_P1..P6)
Transcribed glyph-by-glyph from photos. Clear German in [brackets]. ? = uncertain glyph.
LEGEND (cipher glyphs):
  a b c ... lowercase = glyph looks like that Latin minuscule
  e = epsilon-shaped e (the only e form used in cipher)
  d = looped d (delta/ð-like, ascender curling left)
  D = triangle-shaped delta (∆)
  Z = ʒ (tailed z below line)
  z = z written like a '2' with flat foot (distinct from digit 2? treated as one glyph)
  3 = figure 3 ; 4 = figure 4
  / = slash (occurs inside words, often after e/i: "e/", "i/")
  p = ρ-like p with long descender
  + = cross-mark sign (insertion/reference mark)
Word separators = spaces as written.

=== P1 (f.274r) : clear opening, cipher from line 8 to end of page ===
L08 [wöll in] + dZ3koecsoDka nprse risD zka drok3ei/keka
L09 goad3z4e/kz po4aiieo4am cokioazkdy [Zwisch Ho. Fe.]
L10 [und Ni. sein] gdm3z4e/k zoe/onisrco4akepiaz
L11 mdiafcrco4akeyi/os/ droakz zka razkzag aroD3kwkam
L12 pyokzkz iiDz eodD ekswe zre ikszc gzk3ozka , [Zuelegen?]
L13 eq ikzecDka zka Drazs rs/k zrkq noc 3kai3erngm .
L14 ( miD4i/ zk3ozcnd. [Si.] rs/roa dinmur3ar oazo3aco4aka
L15 ycrnd4s4aokaeoin qnam bsk4zokaeoing . kemekoa
L16 n4dD miz mkoc 3rz i/kao3 d4s^pedDk wkqD4i/ nra i/rzc/      (^ = small superscript mark over p)
L17 rwkz ck3sodD kcsodDkz iizaknka zok wkedDzowka .
L18 dnyein/ryd odD ioazc zka 3zkecka nrn3ks ra 3ikc/ka
L19 czkika skicDka . mke oec roa eieto?co4n i4zDrazka      (t? = glyph like t / crossed l)
L20 {struck:re} rse i/ks/ nra zok eiera/r sre/ka Dkzrw dD4nka
L21 zok e4s/ izriafzia/kz i4a izkoeoa3noc/ ekon i/kocw Dkzrw
L22 4?wksroc/ka , i/roe rwkz aoc 4we{struck:D} 3Dka-eo . 4zkzd 3Dka     (first 4? could be a crossed sign +)
L23 bysic/odD{struck:4e} e4-s/ 3kiizc i/kzzkad . # . i/kska      (# = sign "o-o" joined by a bar, like a dumbbell; b = 6-shaped b)
L24 zrzri/3kzrdDc ekoa i/ok zoe noc/ iik3 mi/kzDoazkrad
L25 zrake i/izzc zoekz 4zcDka roa 3zoe/ edrazrsin 3kwka
L26 iaz{struck:ia4/} ios,3ikcDkzmo3k e4 i/4s/ rse i4a . [Ca.?] rsokaozc
L27 i/kzzka . {struck clear words: [Gn.. sein soll mir]} yi/kDze ni3eodD ozk #
L28 i4a zoeka iazgd zkz3skodDka zrzkoa kDz zizoD wkek
L29 skicD 3kiiDzc noc wkedDrozkaDroc , iaz3sonti , rwmkDrscka
L30 e4 e4s/ nra zoekn{struck:eot} ecozc dDroa razkza Dkz/a,i/inekna      (i/ine... near margin, last glyphs uncertain)
L31- clear: [Wie? Mo. (gloss: Mündlich) von disem allem mit f.g. aussfuehrlichen, wie? dann ich ... thun ... Sonst ... Mo. ...]   -- clear German resumes

P1 right margin by L08: [Nota aliq(ui)d? / Jacob(?) . 2]  (reading uncertain)
P1 left edge (L31): [bischof?] (clear, partly cut)

MARGIN TABLE (it is on the FACING leaf, f.273v, visible at the left edge of P1; the left part of each line is cut off by the photo / gutter).
Written slanting. Transcribed line by line (… = cut off at left):
  … Z o .
  …uers Jan ✠ .   ✠.          (✠ = cross-like sign with serifs, 2x)
  …nlis Tubicino(?) ✠          (✠ variant, crossed)
  …inneist(?) ſ(?) .  ШШ       (ШШ = double-w/comb-shaped sign)
  …tag Bry(?) .  2w(?)         (sign like '2' + 'w'/'ro')
  [ruled line]
  Y  ri .
  Γ  ⌐9 (a '9'-shaped hook on a long heavy horizontal bar)
  ee .
  ☐ .
  ⌘(double-barred cross sign)  ſe .
  [ruled line]
  X(sign: X with loop feet)  Colong(= Cöln/Colonia?)  δ .
  δδ .  Wirtb.(= Wirtemberg)  ng(?)
  … Landgraff  φ .
  => looks like a nomenclator fragment (names = signs): Cöln = δ?, Wirtemberg = δδ?, Landgraf = φ.

=== P2 (f.274v) : clear German only, no cipher. (Margin note with + insertion, clear.) ===

=== P3 (f.275r) : clear with cipher words in lines ~15-24; INTERLINEAR DECIPHERMENT (lighter ink, another hand) above cipher words ===
Gloss readings in {gloss: ...}, tentative.
P3a [haben, wann die sich mit] dmzkz ycDinwtz4wecko        {gloss: "der" over dmzkz ; "thumbrobst"(=Dompropst?) over ycD...}
P3b yi?özmwiz3m zodDcw3 . [so {struck:wöll ...} sy mehr erbietig]   {gloss: "Wirtzburg" over yiözmwiz3m ; "eiechst.."/"Aichstet"? over zodDcw3}  (ö = o with two dots above, as written)
P3c [.. f.g.] # [dieselb nach ausgang 5 der ...] zkzo        {gloss: "der" over zkzo}
P3d e4an tDos/otbndy mizkeo3aozka . [Dieweil(?) ... selben]  {gloss faint: "sein(?) schilig(?) ... weihbischof(?)/ ...mittes"}
P3e [... erbietig ... uber wie ich bericht] e4 yizzc . Sl mi izkoeoa3 zok   {gloss: "so wol der? zu Freising die"}
P3f nroecka iiDcie zrn4akoa/knka , [und] Sl gzs/roa         {gloss: "weiser?/meiner? frurtig? Domherrn nimmermehr?  listig? Bellanis?"}
P3g zka marnka Drwkamp .  [gleicher Meinung hort er]        {gloss: "den nonnen haben"}
P3h [mitt] fndoszkeDrwndm , [er wurde man f. f.g.]          {gloss: "Hildesheim"}
  (S = capital-S-shaped glyph, only in 'Sl'/'Si')
Close: [Den 12 Junij Ao. 83 Stilo no(vo)] ; subscription [E. f.g. vnterthenigster und gehorsamer Diener] signed with a sign resembling 'Q' underlined.
Postscript left bottom (clear): [E.f.g. bitt ich umb gottes willen dz sie? ... disen brief selbs auszuschen(?) und dieselben (?) ...]

=== P4 (f.275v) : address, clear ===
[Dem durchleuchtigen Hochgebornen Fürsten und Herrn Herrn Wilhelmen Pfaltzgraven bey Rhein Hertzogen in Obern und Nidern Bayrn etc. meinem genedigisten Fürsten und Herrn]
[Zu Irer F.G. aignen handen und sonst niemand zu erbrechen]  ; seal-marks ; docket above: [Vo(n)? .. Landorff(?)] ; docket below: [Doctor?.. und Hertzog Philipps halb. 12 Jun. 83] ; top: shelf/pencil marks.
=== P5 (f.276r) : clear German/Latin only (enclosure on Cologne affairs, Bishop, "Coloniensium ... Leodiensium"), no cipher ===
=== P6 (f.276v/277, photographed rotated) : clear German only, no cipher ===

=== CIPHER GLYPH FREQUENCIES (P1 L08-L30 + P3 cipher words; clear/struck/gloss excluded) ===
words: 179  glyphs: 1092
k  135  12.4%
z  110  10.1%
a  103   9.4%
o   96   8.8%
i   84   7.7%
e   68   6.2%
r   63   5.8%
c   47   4.3%
D   45   4.1%
/   45   4.1%
n   41   3.8%
s   40   3.7%
d   38   3.5%
3   35   3.2%
4   34   3.1%
w   25   2.3%
m   23   2.1%
y   12   1.1%
t   10   0.9%
g    8   0.7%
p    6   0.5%
q    4   0.4%
b    4   0.4%
f    3   0.3%
#    3   0.3%
S    2   0.2%
l    2   0.2%
Z    1   0.1%
u    1   0.1%
ö    1   0.1%
h    1   0.1%
v    1   0.1%
)    1   0.1%
(Counts approximate: a few stray h/v/u/)/non-ASCII come from P3 parenthetical notes parsed with the words.)
LEGEND ADDENDUM: w = omega-shaped glyph (ω); f = phi-shaped (ϕ); q = theta-shaped (θ); y = y-shaped with long tail;
 ö = o with two dots (P3 once); t = t/crossed-l shape; S = capital-S shape (only in "Si"/"Sl", maybe a clear abbreviation).
 Note: r here is the v/r-shaped glyph (looks like 'v'); n = n/u-shaped glyph.

Decryption

R9424_reading.md

<!-- Reading of the ciphered passages of R9424 (BayHStA Kurbayern Äußeres Archiv 4591 ff. 274r-275r), built 23 Oct 2026 by Claude Opus 5.5. The key is Ryan Xu's (github.com/ry-xu, issue #89 of this repository, 23 Oct 2026; recovered ciphertext-only from transcription.txt, with Claude Opus 5.5): simple substitution on Latin letters, '/' doubles the previous letter, nulls (g, y, b, p and some d/m/n) at word edges. Each word was then checked on the DECODE images (IMG_R9424_I44564_P1 and P3, full resolution); the sign-by-sign corrections are in R9424_corrections.tsv. Spelling is the writer's, as the signs give it (regirt, ghen, gefurt, muglich, suspition), not modernised; modern German and English are only in R9424_en.md. Words in ⟨ ⟩ are written in clear in the letter. [?word] = reading needs a sign the image does not show; x[y]z = a letter supplied; [...] = unread signs; [#] = the unread nomenclator sign (a barred o-o). -->

# R9424, a letter to Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, 12 June 1583

## Reading

f. 274r, ll. 8-30

⟨wöll in⟩ + [...] geistlichen [?als] auch den kriegswesen in grosser confusion befinde. ⟨Zwisch Ho. Fe. und Ni. sein⟩
grosse dissimulationes und cunctationes, will kainer den andern nachgeben, ieder für sich selbs das veldt regiren,
⟨[?Zuelegen]⟩ sy versthen den handl alle drey nit genugsam. (zu hof regirt ⟨Si.⟩ allain cum [?magna] indignationen
tam coloniensium ⟨quam⟩ leodiensium.) es sein noch zur zeit gar wenig cöl[ni]sche bey hof, man wartt aber teglich
etlicher fürnemen, die beschriben. summa, ich findt den gresten mangel an guetten treuen leuthen. es ist ain suspition
vorhanden, als wöll man die susanna lassen herab chomen; die soll [...] von freising mitt seim [?weihb.] herab
belaitten, wais aber nit obs ghen [...] oder ghen lüttich soll gefurt werden. [#] welen darauf gedacht sein, wie dis
mitt fueg zuverhindern, dan es wurdt diser orthen ain gr[o]ss scandalum geben, und vil guetherzige so woll als von
⟨Ca.⟩ alienirt werden. wehrs muglich, ire [#] von disen und dergleichen, darein ehr durch bese leuth gefuhrt, mit
beschaidenhait und glimpf abzehalten, so soll man disem sti[f]t chain andern herrn [?wünschen].

f. 275r, cipher words inside clear lines

⟨haben, wann die sich mit⟩ der thumbprobstei wirzburg [...] ⟨so sy mehr erbietig⟩ ... ⟨f.g.⟩ [#] ⟨dieselb nach
ausgang 5 der⟩ der ... son phillip zu resigniren ... ⟨wie ich bericht⟩ so wurdt ⟨Si.⟩ zu freising die maisten
f[r]uctus darvon einnemen, ⟨und Si.⟩ allain den namen haben. ⟨gleicher Meinung hort er mitt⟩ [?hildeshaim]

## Notes

- `[...]` before geistlichen: two signs (looped d, tailed ʒ) that the key does not value; `nprse`: n, ρ before "als"
  unexplained. l. 21 `izriafzia/kz` (a name or title, letters f-r-a-u-n-?-d/r-u-nn-e-r) and l. 22 `eo` after "ghen"
  (Cöln expected) are unread. f. 275r `zodDcw3` is glossed "Aichstet" in the other hand but does not decode to it.
- The contemporary glosses on f. 275r agree with the key where they stand: der, thumbrobst, Wirtzburg, Hildesheim,
  "den nonnen haben" (the cipher gives namen).
- "Si." on f. 275r was transcribed `Sl` as a cipher sign; on the image it is the clear sigil "Si." of l. 14.

Reading

R9424_reading.md

<!-- Reading of the ciphered passages of R9424 (BayHStA Kurbayern Äußeres Archiv 4591 ff. 274r-275r), built 23 Oct 2026 by Claude Opus 5.5. The key is Ryan Xu's (github.com/ry-xu, issue #89 of this repository, 23 Oct 2026; recovered ciphertext-only from transcription.txt, with Claude Opus 5.5): simple substitution on Latin letters, '/' doubles the previous letter, nulls (g, y, b, p and some d/m/n) at word edges. Each word was then checked on the DECODE images (IMG_R9424_I44564_P1 and P3, full resolution); the sign-by-sign corrections are in R9424_corrections.tsv. Spelling is the writer's, as the signs give it (regirt, ghen, gefurt, muglich, suspition), not modernised; modern German and English are only in R9424_en.md. Words in ⟨ ⟩ are written in clear in the letter. [?word] = reading needs a sign the image does not show; x[y]z = a letter supplied; [...] = unread signs; [#] = the unread nomenclator sign (a barred o-o). -->

# R9424, a letter to Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, 12 June 1583

## Reading

f. 274r, ll. 8-30

⟨wöll in⟩ + [...] geistlichen [?als] auch den kriegswesen in grosser confusion befinde. ⟨Zwisch Ho. Fe. und Ni. sein⟩
grosse dissimulationes und cunctationes, will kainer den andern nachgeben, ieder für sich selbs das veldt regiren,
⟨[?Zuelegen]⟩ sy versthen den handl alle drey nit genugsam. (zu hof regirt ⟨Si.⟩ allain cum [?magna] indignationen
tam coloniensium ⟨quam⟩ leodiensium.) es sein noch zur zeit gar wenig cöl[ni]sche bey hof, man wartt aber teglich
etlicher fürnemen, die beschriben. summa, ich findt den gresten mangel an guetten treuen leuthen. es ist ain suspition
vorhanden, als wöll man die susanna lassen herab chomen; die soll [...] von freising mitt seim [?weihb.] herab
belaitten, wais aber nit obs ghen [...] oder ghen lüttich soll gefurt werden. [#] welen darauf gedacht sein, wie dis
mitt fueg zuverhindern, dan es wurdt diser orthen ain gr[o]ss scandalum geben, und vil guetherzige so woll als von
⟨Ca.⟩ alienirt werden. wehrs muglich, ire [#] von disen und dergleichen, darein ehr durch bese leuth gefuhrt, mit
beschaidenhait und glimpf abzehalten, so soll man disem sti[f]t chain andern herrn [?wünschen].

f. 275r, cipher words inside clear lines

⟨haben, wann die sich mit⟩ der thumbprobstei wirzburg [...] ⟨so sy mehr erbietig⟩ ... ⟨f.g.⟩ [#] ⟨dieselb nach
ausgang 5 der⟩ der ... son phillip zu resigniren ... ⟨wie ich bericht⟩ so wurdt ⟨Si.⟩ zu freising die maisten
f[r]uctus darvon einnemen, ⟨und Si.⟩ allain den namen haben. ⟨gleicher Meinung hort er mitt⟩ [?hildeshaim]

## Notes

- `[...]` before geistlichen: two signs (looped d, tailed ʒ) that the key does not value; `nprse`: n, ρ before "als"
  unexplained. l. 21 `izriafzia/kz` (a name or title, letters f-r-a-u-n-?-d/r-u-nn-e-r) and l. 22 `eo` after "ghen"
  (Cöln expected) are unread. f. 275r `zodDcw3` is glossed "Aichstet" in the other hand but does not decode to it.
- The contemporary glosses on f. 275r agree with the key where they stand: der, thumbrobst, Wirtzburg, Hildesheim,
  "den nonnen haben" (the cipher gives namen).
- "Si." on f. 275r was transcribed `Sl` as a cipher sign; on the image it is the clear sigil "Si." of l. 14.

Translation

R9424_en.md

<!-- English translation of R9424_reading.md, made 23 Oct 2026 by Claude Opus 5.5 from our checked German reading (made independently of Ryan Xu's translation; his, copied with his permission of 25 Oct 2026, is ../xu2026/reading.md). Holes as in the reading: [...] unread, [?word] uncertain, [#] the unread nomenclator sign. -->

# R9424, a letter to Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, 12 June 1583 (English)

f. 274r, ll. 8-30

... that I find both the spiritual affairs and the conduct of the war in great confusion. Between Ho., Fe. and Ni.
there is much dissembling and delay; none will give way to another, each wants to rule the field for himself. All
three of them understand the business too little. (At court Si. alone governs, to the great indignation of the people
of both Cologne and Liège.) As yet there are very few men of Cologne at court, but some notables who have been summoned
are expected daily. In short, I find the greatest want of good, loyal people. There is a suspicion that they mean to
let Susanna come down here; [...] of Freising is to escort her down with his [?suffragan], but I do not know whether
she is to be taken to [...] or to Liège. [#] should consider how this might properly be prevented, for it would give
great scandal in these parts, and many well-meaning people, as well as those of Ca., would be estranged. If it were
possible to keep [your?] [#] from these and similar things, into which he has been led by bad people, with tact and
gentleness, then one could wish this see no other lord.

f. 275r (cipher words inside clear lines)

... with the cathedral provostship of Würzburg [...] ... to resign it to his son Philipp ... then Si. at Freising would
take most of the revenues from it, and Si. would only have the name ... Hildesheim.

Key: key.md

06 Sources

Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Kurbayern Äußeres Archiv 4591 ff. 274–275, via DECODE R9424 (login; publication of the images needs the archive’s permission).
Ryan Xu, “Solution: r9424”, issue #89, 23 October 2026, and wilhelm-1583-cipher (write-up, scripts, controls).
A. C. Leighton, “Eine neuentdeckte Chiffre und die erzbischöfliche Wahl zu Köln – 1583”, Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte 37 (1974) 828–844, on the same volume’s dot cipher (not this letter).

The transcription, key, corrections, reading and translation are in the repository folder targets/r9424/.

A letter to Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, 12 June 1583