Ferdinand the Catholic to Vich, Pedrezuela 1515

At a glanceCiphertext-only break · none (key obtained, text not read)

The letter: Ferdinand the Catholic to Jerónimo de Vich, his ambassador at Rome, Pedrezuela, 26 October 1515. Three months before the King’s death; almost all in cipher.
Where: Archivo Histórico Nacional, Estado 8715 N.73 (PARES 12751418), in the Vich family papers. No decipherment on the leaves or in PARES.
The cipher: Homophonic letter signs mixed with three-letter code groups that stand for whole words and also for syllables and single letters inside spelled words.
How it was broken: By Michael Brackx, from the ciphertext alone: a joint annealer for sign and group values under a Spanish five-gram, then the groups read by context, and on ll. 9–31 from a printed quotation of the letter.
Checks: A matched control on Lazarillo de Tormes recovers every sign; the statistical validation here passes.
In print: The King’s clear minute was printed by Doussinague in 1944 and quoted by Terrateig in 1963; found after the alphabet was recovered, then used as a crib.
Still open: 77 unread group tokens, mostly names, and look-alike readings five letters over the 3% limit.

Ferdinand’s letters to Vich of 1511–12 are in another cipher and have their own page, Ferdinand the Catholic to Jerónimo de Vich, 1511–12: a different cipher, with its own page. This letter was listed with them until 14 October 2026.

01 The letter

The Vich papers in the Archivo Histórico Nacional hold Ferdinand’s letters to Jerónimo de Vich, his ambassador at Rome from 1507. Most of the ciphered ones were filed with a clerk’s decipherment. N.73 was not. Its only clear text is the docket a 26 de octubre 1515, the opening words videlicet iterum, and the dateline en Pedrezuela a xxvj de otubre de dxv. Pedrezuela lies north of Madrid. Ferdinand’s next letter to Vich, of November 1515 (calendared in CSP Spain II, no. 240), refers back to this one of “the 26th of the previous month”.

The head of the letter: the docket a 26 de octubre 1515, the opening videlicet iterum, then lines of code groups and signs — The docket and the opening *videlicet iterum*, then the cipher: lower-case code groups such as *tok* (ha), *sud* (de), *xed* (la), *rak* (*con*) among the signs. Image: Archivo Histórico Nacional, Estado 8715 N.73, first image, via PARES (12751418).

02 The cipher

The transcription (n73_transcription.txt) has 124 lines and 3,177 tokens of 197 kinds. 1,326 are lower-case code groups as written, the commonest sin (151 times), sud (97), no (93), zre (89) and xed (68). 1,851 are signs, the commonest labelled X (171), TH (170), PHI (163) and RH (151). None of the 1511–12 values carries over, and N.74 of 1519, the nearest in date, is a third system.

Brackx’s solution shows how it works. The signs are a homophonic alphabet of 37 kinds, a few of them letter pairs: PHI is s, RH e, TH o, both O and Z a. The code groups stand for common words (zre que, sud de, yob por, yem papa, teb Italia, xif liga), but also for syllables and letters in the middle of words spelled with signs: tok is ha in haueros, gso is l, no is t. The September 2026 attempt here annealed the groups either as letters or as whole words, never as both, which is why it failed.

03 How the key was recovered

Michael Brackx (with Claude Code, Claude Opus 5.5) used the joint annealer he built for Espagnol 318 no. 93: every sign gets a letter or a common letter pair, every code group a word, syllable or letter from a fixed list, or “unknown”. The score is a Spanish character five-gram (Celestina, Quijote) plus, for each sign and group, the cost of the encipherment given the key, which stops the search collapsing onto a few letters. Values were fixed only when the best runs agreed and the decoded contexts confirmed them; with every sign fixed the score rose from −3.73 to −3.37 per token.

The code groups were then read by context in three passes: 40 kinds firm (1,005 tokens, 76%), 29 tentative (177), 90 unread (144). Two labels hide more than one sign. sin is ſin (two minims) for es and ſim (three) for en, side by side on page 3; the 151 tokens were split by the language model in context and six close calls checked on enlarged crops. X stands for r, s or z, again chosen by the model.

04 Checks

Matched control. Lazarillo de Tormes, held out of the model, enciphered the same way at the same size (3,282 tokens, 38 sign kinds, 158 group kinds). The same first step gets every sign token right and 35–44% of the group tokens: the alphabet comes out reliably, the groups only in part, as here.
Statistical validation (docs/_validate.py, firm values only, tokens as transcribed): after the crib the reading scores −2.03 per letter, random keys of the same shape −3.54, and a key annealed onto the shuffled ciphertext −2.52 (z 27.8). Verdict: pass, as it was before the crib.
A printed text. Terrateig (1963, vol. I, pp. 631–634) quotes the letter at length from its minute in Simancas (AGS Estado leg. 847 fol. 125), which Doussinague printed in full in 1944. Brackx aligned each of the fifteen quoted passages with the cipher against random Quijote passages: the long quotation, 1,069 letters, fits lines 9–31 at 0.29 cost per letter against 0.98 for the best control, and 714 of its letters fall on values already firm and agree with them except at eight places, each checked on the image. It then served as a crib: 27 more groups, 11 tentative values confirmed, a few corrected.
How much reads. Measured on Brackx’s reading of all 124 lines, with every tentative value counted as a hole: 0.824 of words read as sense (0.636 before the crib), 0.949 on the quoted lines 9–31. Readings that rest on look-alike signs are 3.09% of the letters, five letters over the project’s 3% limit, and the whole is under the 95% bar, so the letter is decoded, not read.

05 What it says, as far as it reads

Ferdinand writes that he cannot help being muy malcontento that, through the soberuia y locura de suycos, who would not wait for his army, and the slowness of mi uisorrey y capitan general, todas las cosas de Italia are in danger. Worse is la flaqueza del papa, set on concertarse con franceses against the league’s capitulation that no confederate may make peace or truce without the others. Vich is to strengthen the Pope de mi parte. The reading and Brackx’s English, with every hole marked, are in brackx2026/n73_reading.md and n73_en.md.

06 What remains open

77 unread code-group tokens (60 kinds, most once, probably names, as in por medio del [?] de Pauia) and 13 signs with no value.
The sin/sim and X choices: PARES serves the leaves at about 1,147 pixels, too small to tell the minims and sibilants apart. Outside the quoted lines the choices are the model’s; a high-resolution copy from the AHN would settle the five letters over the limit.
The Barón de Terrateig, Política en Italia del Rey Católico 1507–1516. Correspondencia inédita con el embajador Vich (CSIC, Madrid 1963), prints Ferdinand’s letters to Vich from this archive. Volume I quotes this letter (pp. 631–634). The full minute, in Doussinague, La política internacional de Fernando el Católico (1944), p. 520, was not found online; it would cover the rest of the letter.

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.

N.73, 26 Oct 1515 decoded, not read

Ferdinand to Vich at Rome, 26 Oct 1515: he is displeased that through the Swiss's pride and folly in not waiting for his army, and the slowness of his viceroy and captain general, all of Italy is in danger, and still more at the weakness of the Pope, who is set on coming to terms with the French against the league's capitulation that no confederate may make peace or truce without the others; he does not believe the Pope will keep anything else, and Vich is to strengthen him on his behalf.

A mechanical decode with holes in most sentences: shown so that the transcription and the key can be checked and improved, not as a reading.

Transcription

n73_transcription.txt

# AHN Estado 8715 N.73 - Ferdinand to Jeronimo de Vich (Rome), Pedrezuela, 26 Oct 1515
# Pass-1 transcription from lines/s73p*_*.png (3 manuscript lines per strip). Different system from N.57.
# Lowercase tokens = code-group words as written (long-s written 's'). '?' = illegible token.
# 'gso' is written as a word (g + long-s + raised o) and kept as a lowercase group.
#
# SYMBOL LEGEND (label : glyph)
#  PHI  : two small loops side by side on a descending stem ending in a dot (phi / "ꝕ"-like); very frequent
#  RS   : 'r' joined to a long-s/ß hook with long descender ("rſ", "rß")
#  RH   : 'r' (x-like) with double oblique bar ("r#")
#  KH   : capital R/k-like letter with double bar ("R#", "k#")
#  TH   : 't' with double bar ("t#")
#  AH   : 'a' with double bar ("a#")
#  MH   : 'm' with bar/cross at end ("m+")
#  B8   : ß/8-like sign with descender (looks like "ȝ"/"g" on a stem)
#  N8   : 8/delta-like figure, loop below open hook above ("γ"/"8" standing alone, no stem)
#  Z    : standalone flat 'z' (2-like)
#  ZO   : large looping 'y/z' with small 'o' subscript at the end ("Ƶo")
#  ZH   : 'z' with p-like descender ("ʒp"/"zp")
#  GS   : 'g' followed by s-shaped tail ("gſ"), without the raised o (cf. word gso)
#  O    : small round o standing alone
#  OT   : o with trailing horizontal stroke ("o-", sigma-like)
#  X    : standalone x (often with a hooked lower-left tail)
#  CT   : 'c' + two short uprights under a bar ("cπ", "cii")
#  YH   : 'y' with horizontal bar through the descender
#  BO   : 'b' with raised o (often with over-bar) ("b°")
#  FH   : f/long-s with crossbar ("ƒ", "ŧ")
#  SL   : two parallel long slashes ("//")
#  LAM  : lambda/caret sign ("Λ")
#  DH   : d with crossed ascender ("đ")
#  EQ   : '=' with a vertical ("‡", "=|")
#  SUPNO: superscript "no" with a dot, written after PHI (probably a mark/nulla, kept as token)
#  QH   : looped q-like sign with cross (rare, line starts)
#  CD   : reversed-c / hook sign "ɔ-" (rare)
#  V    : small v/~ (rare)
#  rare singletons, uncertain: SS (long double s), LO, PH, OS, Q, PSI, D, CII, 7H
#
# clear (docket, top margin p1): a 26 de octubre 1515
# clear: videlicet iterum
# clear (docket, top margin): a 26 de octubre 1515
# clear: [v]idelicet iterum
L101: sef sio tok RS RH B8 TH PHI sin O X KH no TH soo PHI su Z PHI rak su RS RH B8 PHI TH
L102: CD TH CII RH TH PHI yob xil YH yob beq YH RS gso no KH ZO Z xno FH LO RH yob xnl Z xad PHI
L103: QH RS KH sud sio TH ne RS V B8 zo KH ZH zoq xed PHI dug PHI sud QH V RS KH BO CD see OT Z xo
L104: GS TH YH sud GS TH OT sud sio zre beq yob beq xed PHI zre sud X KH PHI zre xno tok RS RH YH PHI
L105: sin O B8 KH no TH yob xnl xeb xed PHI V RH pn zoq YH pab xed PHI xiz PHI zre yob xad PHI see
L106: PHI dug PHI gso RH no B8 Z PHI X no saq PHI xeb PHI TH FH ynb tok RS RH B8 OT xed X RH B8 rak
L107: sen PHI yaz KH RH PHI Z B8 KH GS TH see CD RS YH GS Z GS TH sim zre suo RS Z sud xeb no sin
L108: RH B8 xnp PHI su Z PHI tok RS KH Z gso RH no B8 Z PHI dug PHI YH dej Z B8 sin CT TH DH sud B8 Z xad
L109: rak no sin KH GS TH sin sen PHI su AH TH zre xeb CT RS RH GS TH sud QH Z X sud suo X
L110: xns xin rak no sin no TH sud RS ZH B8 zre yob xed PHI TH N8 RH X RS BO YH xad O RS
L111: B8 Z sud be sud xeb zre B8 RH X sin CT RH B8 Z X O zre xny sem bne tir bne rak sin
L112: PHI YH yob xed B8 RH xoo bae TH FH sin xoo bay YH poz sud no Z B8 GS O X bon sin
L113: tir B8 bne bne tok dam FH yin no TH beo PHI xed PHI reh PHI sud teb sin sim CT RH
L114: gso KH AH B8 TH zre TH YH sio FH yaz ynb rak dah X ip xin ZO Z B8 O RS KH SL Z GS TH
L115: YH CT RH TH B8 rak no sin no TH soo KH sud RS RH B8 xed MH xed zre X Z see yem
L116: YH RS RS O FH sud LO RH B8 xoo FH O GS TH suo sud gak OT RH X no Z B8 bne rak sug xeb
L117: AH RS Z X GS O FH GS TH sin san xad zre sio OT Z CT KH no RS xed GS TH zre xaz sud
L118: xad PHI rue PHI xeb CT RS RH GS Z tok X RH B8 yin ynb no B8 RH AH RS Z rak ynb FH PH RS
L119: yom bae FH PHI Z N8 KH GS RS B8 KH O YH dik sud bao PHI xad PHI rie PHI YH yin sin soo tok
L120: zre N8 B8 O GS TH xed seg OT Z CT KH no RS xed OT KH TH FH xeb sin CT RH B8 TH rak sin
L121: xez yee reh xed tok sud PH RS Z B8 GS O X pab sin dah tok dam xnk sud X KH PHI
L122: CT X TH xno no KH GS TH zre Z X sin no Z B8 O xed seg yin rak soq bae FH CT RH X KH
L123: RS KH X dem sud xed PHI OT Z CT no RS xed CD KH TH FH sin zre ral sim suh YH OT TH xoo
L124: AH TH bip Z X sin no Z GS O PHI YH pib AH RS Z X GS O B8 Z nab zre yob xed OT Z CT KH no
L125: RS xed OT KH TH FH sud xed xif AH RH FH ZH B8 pif suo OT Z CT KH no RS xed GS TH YH zre
L126: beo RS RH X zre sim suh YH dem YH be ZH RS KH bae RH B8 ZH ZO TH PHI B8 RH bae B8 no KH X sif
L127: zuy YH sin no sin sud B8 sin ZH CD tok B8 PSI RH sud teb sin pnk B8 Z ynb san xnk
L128: yob xed seg OT Z CT KH no RS xed CD KH TH ZO sin yed yob zre suo yin zre
L129: ZH RS KH RH B8 ZH Z bne FH no Z B8 rak suq xed tok X oso yob sey B8 OT Z YH CT LAM
L130: B8 Z xnz sud bao soo xnk V RH sag dem xeb OT B8 RH TH ynb OT B8 RH ZH B8 RH bae xeb
L131: xad zre yob ynh doc RH B8 ZH 7H yaz dah pif yem xeb gso RH tok RS ZH YH PHI sud
L132: Z PHI TH ZO Z B8 xed sud X KH X OT Z xed N8 B8 Z xez sud soo bae xeb baf sin MH TH B8
L133: OT O B8 gso RH sud xoo ynz ynb zre yob suo Z GS RS RH CD bae GS Z no zre yob PHI TH
L134: N8 RH B8 RS KH Z YH gso TH O RS B8 Z sud be tok RS RH ZO TH PHI zoq xeb sud PHI ZO Z YH ?
L135: ynb sin MH xed zre X OT Z pin pud sio rak xom sin MH RS ZH ZO TH YH Z
L136: ynb ZO TH yin gso RH zre GS Z ZO TH PHI bon PHI yom PHI QH TH KH Z xeb PHI YH sin
L137: zek zre gso RH tok RS RH ZO DH TH PHI sud pnk PHI YH CT TH DH RH B8 xoy PHI yez PHI YH
L138: suo GS TH PHI yob bae PHI YH yob xed YH AH Q KH Z rok SS RS ZH sin zih zre gso RH
L201: SS RS KH bae RH bne TH MH sin sud X YH yin rak sin pnk sud sod PHI YH sud bon PHI yom PHI RS RH
L202: no Z DH xel sin sax xeb gso RH sin OS Z DH LO RH FH soo PHI CT B8 KH EQ X KH OS BO TH PHI no RS B8 ZH
L203: Z GS TH PHI YH Z OT RS RH B8 sud bne zre sud xed xoo PHI ? xeo sut OT RH sod sin ? sud yem
L204: KH RS gso BO TH yaz pif MH KH FH sod PHI xeb sud PHI Z ZO CT O X bae OT Z PHI O YH sod PHI ne
L205: PHI sod Z xad PHI sud xed xif xns sin no RS X O bnz ? xad PHI sin PHI sud xed YH AH gso BO O
L206: YH zre peb bos yob OT RH X no KH X BO ZO TH zre byo pnd bae xad PHI rie PHI CT RH X bne RS
L207: ZH X O ZO TH PHI sin xad zre sio Z bne FH no O GS TH rak xed sif X Z YH rak PHI no Z FH
L208: OT KH Z zre sep xad MH ZH X KH ZO TH PHI YH zre baf tok CT RH ZO KH no BO GS TH sio B8 RH RS
L209: sin ynb CT X TH RS O B8 bae gso RH PHI TH ZO TH PHI rak PHI no O FH no sin by RS KH GS TH B8 sin
L210: YH zre yin be zuf FH no TH X FH O B8 Z RS ZH ynb X YH sin suh GS TH X RH zre RS ZH B8 FH O
L211: sin yez YH bupo xno sud xed sin CT X RH PHI O YH dem CT RH X bne RS ZH X TH bu sin
L212: xad sud tok TH noo pef YH sin zre X RH B8 pnk B8 O RH OT tok X suq sud teb zre bac PHI SUPNO
L213: yob bac ynz sud RS ZH tok X RH X xad xoo PHI ZO TH YH ZO TH PHI no X O X zre bac sin MH
L214: RS RH X OT TH YH ynh PHI PHI TH ? TH X TH CT KH Z PHI sud gso RH TH FH yob zre bin zoh
L215: AH xad X BO YH KH TH FH RH O YH bnz AH Z FH O X Z tok X KH sin GS TH xad peb bon sud xad
L216: rok B8 KH TH boi X RH CT X ZH KH sin su ? bac MH xed zre X Z YH zre rak bae sud B8 RH piq
L217: zre bae pif AH dif yin bne MH RS B8 Z CT RS RH sud tok RS RH B8 rak sin zuy sin sin no X O
L218: GS TH bao PHI xad PHI rie PHI sin sen yob zre xed sud bac PHI SUPNO PHI TH xad xeb bae X RS RH bae
L219: xeb ynb GS O X pne pif zuy ynb CT TH sud X xeo KH TH B8 tok X RH B8 xad zre SS RS KH
L220: bae RH B8 ZH sin teb YH sef zre xad tok dam sib O CT TH sud X O B8 bne see sy soe YH MH
L221: gso KH O YH CT TH FH RH B8 yez sud bac ZO O xeb sin sin bac ZO TH CT TH FH no KH MH BO O O
L222: GS TH yob by bel sud xad sin CT KH B8 BO no RS pif YH no sin CT TH B8 pif sud xed YH AH gso
L223: KH O yob CT TH sud B8 xno KH TH X tok X RH X xad zre ZH RS KH bae RH X ZH sin beo xed
L224: QH CT KH O FH GS Z no zre sin xad zre tok xnp PHI O xeb PHI zre sud X RH O FH xad PHI suq YH xad
L225: zuf FH YH zre yob soo xno CT O X sin OT ZH zre sin xez xeo bac PHI SUPNO sud RS RH sin OT RS
L226: OT tok B8 xez yin see zuy bae xeb O X sin no O FH GS TH xed bao PHI xad PHI rie EQ tir xno
L227: no RH yob zre sud sio xeo byo bne AH RS xo YH xns ril YH Z X sin no QH FH GS TH xed bac
L228: PHI SUPNO D TH xad xeb CT RS RH sud by xam CT RH gso KH AH X TH PHI O YH GS O xeb PHI Z ynb
L229: xed GS KH AH FH BO GS Z X sud bac yez YH pif sy sud xed YH AH gso BO Z YH no TH ZO RH sin
L230: QH sin CT xad sud xed yin yis zre sin yem KH RS gso KH TH Z X sin no TH rak sin
L231: zil gso RS YH PHI sud soq ZO RS RH X no TH yob xno sod see xod sud CT Z RS KH O zre xeb
L232: baf xeb xed AH RS O X GS TH yaz CT RS PHI TH rak sen sin xaq xnz pif yem YH O yed
L233: YH AH gso KH O YH FH O OT KH TH sud SL Z xed OT BO PHI ZO Z YH beo PHI xed EQ xnz sin YH no X Z
L234: N8 O KH TH PHI zre sep KH RS LAM TH xad zef xeb CT RS su son sin zuy tok X RH X bae xed
L235: seg yin yis xeb bne O X sin no O X Z YH zre xoo X RH piq bac PHI SUPNO zre yob CT RH X
L236: bac Z bae TH FH sud bae PHI CT O X KH sin no sin YH yez PHI KH FH OT gso BO FH O GS Z PHI O
L237: suq xeb tok AH O reh zre bae O no xo KH RH X O bac CT Z PHI Z zaf CT X TH OT RS
L238: X RH sud RH OT tok X gso RH saf YH zre sod gso RH O OT RS RH X GS TH dem yob
L301: zre soo YH sud SL TH xns xin rak no sin no TH see sag xoo bay yaz zre yin sud PHI
L302: xny bel peb xad tok X xoo no KH GS TH yob CT X TH RS O X bae boi ZO TH PHI
L303: rak PHI no O FH no sin sin by RS BO X gso RH sin xed seg PHI O FH no Z sin CT X sio
L304: zre bao PHI gso RH sud RS RH ZO TH PHI GS O X AH X O OT KH Z PHI yob san YH no xo
L305: N8 O KH Z X sud CT X TH bne AH RS BO X pnd rok xaz X sin YH xam N8 BO RS O B8
L306: sey X OT O PHI YH rak xam RS ynb TH FH YH rak MH TH X xoo GS O GS xed seg xoy
L307: PHI Z FH no BO X BO ZO xif ynb zre rak sin pnk sud sod PHI xny bel
L308: PHI pif AH O ZO TH PHI rak xoy tok no sin OT KH TH FH YH zre dem sin CT RH X TH sin bao
L309: sin RS KH FH O OT gso RH ZO sin OT KH O zre yin xed rae zre no sin RH ZO TH PHI sue xed
L310: sud MH sin bac TH FH sud teb sin xns taq YH xed sud xny PHI OT TH ZO RS FH su sin PHI
L311: tox KH RS PHI no BO X BO ZO OT pif MH tox sin xib GS O X Z rok sin PHI xns OT RS ZO
L312: CT gso KH GS O bnz YH zue dem xed bos pud yob xam xil yob zue xad PHI sag EQ xny
L313: PHI OT TH ZO RS FH sin sin PHI tok FH zre GS O GS TH xns zre N8 X O GS TH PHI YH O xno GS
L314: X sin no O GS TH PHI sud xed seg por YH zre dem CT RH X bne RS RH X O FH GS TH xnk CT
L315: RH X bne RS RH X TH sin xed seg xif YH OT RS ZO CT gso BO sin GS TH xad zre yob xoo
L316: ynz PHI TH YH yed KH RH sin OT X BO no TH pif sag xoo bay YH poz X RH CT X RH KH RH
L317: su sin GS TH gso RH AH X O RS RH ZO sin no RH sud xed seg bac FH RH AH gso BO AH RH
L318: OT BO YH ZO FH GS O FH GS TH gso RH xns sin no X RH OT tok xno FH no RH zre sud pef
L319: O sud xed FH no RH bne AH RS O X sud sud OT O KH RH X sin yae no pif YH RH ? TH
L320: YH zre pib gso RH KH RH sin N8 KH O GS TH O V O FH GS Z X zre bae xad PHI sag PHI be
L321: KH RS LAM BO RH X sin dam N8 RS sin no TH TH N8 TH gso RS BO RH X sin xaf O ? sin
L322: MH O RS TH X sud xoy PHI Z FH no BO X KH ZO xif xnk dem bos yob rak zre xad tok
L323: X O FH zre sin no pif roy xaf bae FH GS BO xed OT KH TH FH pif AH dif bne tar rak
L324: san PHI xnk tok X RH X RS ynb GS O X no FH no RH YH rak N8 RS sin rak bne KH TH
L325: bao xad zre bne O xeb YH rak RS RH ynb sin sio RH xnk xed sof YH rak bne X RS O
L326: OT KH TH FH sud teb YH xnk xed X RH bae PHI no sin OT KH O sud suq tok PHI no O RH
L327: OT tok X xad PHI sud teb rak sin pnk sud sod PHI xny bel YH zre pib KH RH sin
L328: OT X KH no TH pif suh X TH AH O FH GS TH gso RH zre RS sin AH O xaf sin xez
L329: Z sin no sin sud X sin xed seg sin CT X RH PHI O xnk xad tok sin N8 BO O GS TH
L330: Z TH MH X sin OT RH X pif yem yob sin sud zre dem gso sin X RS RH AH TH
L331: xns O MH RH OT no RS TH PHI O xno FH no RH zre xeb sud PHI ZO Z YH sin xnk
L332: bos yob rel zre xeb xad tok X sin YH zre rak no KH FH RS O FH GS TH bac bae
L333: DH AH RS xad X dol YH sin MH RS RH X OT TH CT ? ? RS RH ? sin yob
L334: ynz sin xed seg xoy PHI O FH no KH X BO ZO O xif YH tok AH O FH YH CT X TH OT RS X
L335: sin rak bac ZO O su gso BO AH sin OT BO O sin MH O RS TH X saf bao xad zre
L336: bne O yeb YH rak RS RH ynb sin sio RH xnk xed sof YH rak bne X RS O OT KH TH FH
L337: sud teb YH xnk xed X RH bae PHI no sin OT KH O sud xad PHI sag suq xny PHI OT TH
L401: ZO ? FH sin sin PHI rak zre xed MH pif no O FH GS TH xad PHI yae PHI rie PHI dem ? FH
L402: CT TH O TH zos MH pif no O X ynb MH pif no ? X RH KH O ZO Z PHI O xed sof sud reb
L403: YH O xed CT X TH bne OT RS OT KH TH FH sud xed seg sin CT X RH PHI Z YH O sio CT X TH
L404: CT TH bae no TH gso sin sin N8 BO O GS O sud X BO X YH TH MH X sin OT RH X bao xad
L405: zre xam dor RH X KH sud PHI zre rak RS sin AH O xnk sin MH TH X OT O X xad EQ
L406: FH O ynb yex xad PHI YH xnk zue bae xeb KH RS LAM BO RH X sin dam N8 RS sin no TH
L407: O xed seg sin CT X RH PHI Z N8 RS sin RS O FH xaf OT sen bae FH sin xeo OT KH TH DH
L408: pif AH dif YH tok X RH X xno RH YH PHI bok xaf rak GS RS CT gso KH OT Z GS O PHI
L409: YH no X KH CT gso KH OT Z GS Z PHI doc Z PHI pob xnl YH yob beq xad zre sin bao
L410: xad bac PHI TH sag bne KH BO X KH RH X ZH YH xad zre xam pae bne TH MH X sin
L411: OT KH RH X FH
# clear: en pedrezuela a xxvj de otubre de dxv   (followed by the royal rubric)
# clear (address panel, p4): al don geronymo de vich del su consejo y su embaxador en corte de roma
# clear (p4): el rey ; secretarial endorsement at left partly illegible
# NOTE: strips s73p4_04..07 are show-through / address panel, no cipher lines.

Decryption: n73_decryption.md

Reading

n73_reading.md

# vich1515: reading in the writer's spelling, line by line

AHN Estado 8715 N.73, Ferdinand the Catholic to Jerónimo de Vich, Pedrezuela, 26 October 1515. The cipher text only;
the clear docket (*a 26 de octubre 1515*), opening (*videlicet iterum*) and close (*en Pedrezuela a xxvj de otubre de
dxv*) are outside it.

**What it rests on.** Each line is the decode of the same line of the repository's transcription
(`n73_transcription.txt`), with the sign values in `keys/signs.txt` and the group values in `keys/groups.json`; the
token-by-token alignment is in `tokens.tsv`. The spelling is the decode's: no accents, no normalisation, no letter
changed (`u` for *v*, `i` for *j*, *Xpiandat*, *flaquesa*, *dignidas* as decoded). Word division, capitals and
punctuation are editorial. A word broken at a line end ends with `-` and continues on the next line.

**Notation:**
- plain words: carried by firm values;
- `[x]`: a letter supplied (nothing in the cipher carries it);
- `[?word]`: a doubtful word: the decode gives it only in part (a letter differs or is missing);
- `{?word}`: a tentative value of a code group (or of a tentative sign such as `LAM` = *an*); inside a word only the
  tentative stretch is braced (`est{?an}`);
- `[?3 groups]`: a run of unread code groups, sized; `[?sign]` / `[?2 signs]` signs with no value; `[?5 letters]` decoded
  letters that make no word; parts joined by commas (`[?1 group, 3 letters]`). A label glued to letters marks a gap
  inside a word (`co[?sign]eos`).

**Look-alike readings.** `sin`/`sim` (*es*/*en*) and `X` (*r*/*s*/*z*) are read token by token. Six `sin` tokens
were read on the image and 38 `sin`/`sim`/`X` tokens in ll. 9–31 are decided by the printed quotation of the letter
(Terrateig 1963, see `notes/solve_notes.md`, "The Terrateig crib"); every other choice is model-assigned. Two image
readings disagree with the print: 13.19 (*es* on the image, *en* printed) now follows the print, and 12.11 (*es*,
where the print has *de mi uisorrey*) is left as read. Each token,
with its basis and the model's margin, is listed in `sin_x_tokens.tsv`.

## Reading

```
  1  [?1 group] esta haueros [?escrito] estos dias con diuerso[s]
  2  co[?sign]eos, por [?1 group] y por tierra, y ultimamente por mar, a los
  3  xui de esta [?3 groups, 1 sign, 5 letters] las uuestras de x[?sign]uii del [?4 letters]
  4  [?3 letters] de [?3 letters] de esta que tierra por tierra las que dezis que me haueys
  5  [?escrito] por mar, no las [?2 groups, 1 sign, 1 letter] y ahunque las [?1 group]s que por los del
  6  uuestras letras [?1 group, 3 letters] no son para hauer [?plazer] con
  7  ellas pero [?8 letters] del cuydado en que estaua de no te-
  8  ner muchos dias hauia letras uuestras y [?1 group] a responder a lo
  9  contenido en ellas, digo que no puedo dexar de estar
 10  muy malcontento de uer que por la soberui[a] y locu-
 11  ra de suycos de no querer esperar a que nuestro exercito se iuntase con [?ellos]
 12  [?1 letter] y por la remision es mi uisorrey y capitan general de tardar tanto en
 13  iuntarse se hayan puesto todas las cosas de Italia en el pe-
 14  ligro, que oy estan pero para con uos [?1 letter] mucho [?mas] marauillado
 15  y peor contento estoi de uer la flaqueza del papa
 16  y [?quan] determinado esta de concertarse con franceses, no
 17  guardando en ello lo que esta capitulado, que ninguno de
 18  los confederados no pueda hazer paz ni tregua con ningu-
 19  [n] principe sin sabiduria y uoluntad de todos los confederados, y pues en esto ha
 20  quebrado la dicha capitulacion, no espero [?que] en
 21  ninguna otra cosa la ha de guardar, ahunque [?el] uos haya, como dezis
 22  prometido que asentara la dicha paz con Francia sin peri-
 23  uizyo de las captulaciones que con el emperador y comi-
 24  go tiene asentadas y assimismo guardara lo que por la capi-
 25  tulacion de la liga general esta capitulado y que
 26  toda uez que el emperador y yo y suycos quisieremos resistir al
 27  rey de francia y entender en echarle de Italia [?el] ayudara para ello como
 28  por la dicha [?capitulacion] es obligado, porque esta paz que
 29  quiere asentar con franceses, la haze por fuerca y pu-
 30  ra necesidad de todo esto como [?sign]e dicho, yo no creo ni creere sino
 31  lo que por obra uiere [?sign] pero uos al papa no le haueys de
 32  asomar [?ni] [?dezir] [?palabra] ninguna de esto sino solo esfor-
 33  carle de mi parte, ni que por esta [?aduersidad], que por so-
 34  beruia y lo aura de suycos hauemos [?1 group] no desmay[?1 letter]
 35  ni enflaquesca [?2 groups] esta con [?1 group, 9 letters]
 36  ni [?8 letters] que damos tantos principes [?xpianos] y en
 37  [?1 group] que le hauemos de [?ayudar] y poner nuestras personas y
 38  estados por si y por la yg[?sign]ia [?1 letter] que es [?1 group] que le
 39  quisiese ofender, y pues con es ayuda de Dios y de tantos principes [?2 letters]
 40  [?2 groups, 5 letters] no le [?30 letters]
 41  [?4 letters] y acuerdese que de la [?3 letters] {?me} [?1 group, 5 letters] es de papa
 42  Iulio, pero al fin Dios no [?desampara] [?7 letters] y Dios [?1 group]
 43  [?4 letters] a los de la liga muy [?1 group, 6 letters] los [?3 letters] de la yglia,
 44  y que assi tengo por certisimo que [?2 groups] si los confederados perseue-
 45  ramos en lo que esta asentado con la [?1 group, 2 letters] y constan-
 46  cia que [?1 group] lo [?7 letters] y que solo ha [?permitido] esta [?3 letters]
 47  [?2 letters] ni prouar si le somos constantes seruidores
 48  y que pues suycos quieren tornar a [?uenir] y es emperador [?4 letters] que uerna
 49  en persona y [?1 group] me de la [?empresa] y yo perseuero [?1 group] en
 50  lo de [?2 groups, 3 letters] y es que [?3 letters] ayudara echar franceses de Italia, que su [?1 sign, 1 letter]
 51  por su parte deue [?hazer] lo mismo y [?mostrar] que su esf-
 52  uerco y [?1 group, 10 letters] de Leon porque [?2 groups]
 53  [?1 group, 12 letters] ganara haziendo lo assi tanto de lo
 54  [?16 letters] su flaquesa y que considere bien
 55  que si alguna [?12 letters] de hauer con [?el] rey de francia [?7 letters]
 56  todos los confederados en ella porque la de su [?1 sign, 5 letters] no [?7 letters]
 57  ni dar al rey de francia ni poder {?me}ior hazer lo que qui-
 58  siere en Italia y [?1 group] que lo ha ya [?1 group] apoderarse del estado [?1 group, 2 letters]
 59  y poner persona de su mano [?4 letters] su mo pontifica-
 60  do por ser senor de lo espiritual y tenporal de la ygl-
 61  ia, por poder meior [?hazer] lo que {?q}uisiere es toda la
 62  Xpiandat, que es lo que ha muchos anos que desean los franceses y lo
 63  quieren y que por esto me paresce que es ninguna {?me} su [?1 sign, 1 letter] deue escu-
 64  char ninguna paz del rey de francia sino asentando la todos los confederado[s] [?2 letters] iuntame-
 65  porque de esta {?me} [?1 group] segura y muy [?1 group] y [?9 letters] la su
 66  [?1 sign, 4 letters] lo no puede ser mas peligrosa y [?6 letters] ni
 67  la dignidas de su persona y al estado de la yglia, y tome en-
 68  xenplo de la [?2 groups] que es papa Iulio [?6 letters] con [?2 letters]
 69  [?1 group] Luys de Francia muerto por medio del [?1 group] de Pauia, que no
 70  solo no la guardo, pero puso con ella [?1 group, 2 letters] necesidad al papa y a obligado
 71  yglia, y nacio della la cisma y todas [?las] necesidades y tra-
 72  baios que [?1 group, 5 letters] lo [?1 group] no pudi [?1 group] [?el] rey de francia [?5 letters] si la
 73  dicha paz [?1 group] no se asentara, y que [?mire] bien su [?1 sign, 1 letter] que por per-
 74  suasion de [?sus] parientes y personas inclinadas a
 75  franceses no haga cosa que [?10 letters] su [?1 group, 4 letters] procu-
 76  re de echarle [?1 group] y que Dio[s] le [?7 letters] yo por
 77  que estoi dello muy malcontento del dicho mi uisorrey pero que pues [?3 letters]
 78  nuestro senor assi lo [?9 letters] por prouar si {?so}mos
 79  constantes [?2 letters] seruirle en la dicha santa [?empresa]
 80  que todos le deuemos dar gracias por ello, y tra-
 81  baiar de proseguir [?1 group, 11 letters] y mas [?5 letters]
 82  [?fuercas] y con mas union y conformidad la dicha nuestra
 83  santisim[a] liga, ni que con es ayuda de Dios nuestro senor
 84  salgamos con nuestra [?9 letters] y que yo espero en todo
 85  en [?diuina] clemencia, que [?1 group] la [?1 group] que tenemos [?1 group] la
 86  defension de Italia en muy [?1 group] y la de [?12 letters]
 87  [?3 groups, 22 letters] muy cum-
 88  plida [?1 group] y [?1 group] yo la tengo [?1 group] por mas [?1 group] por [?1 group] los dicho[s] [?3 letters]
 89  [?11 letters] han quedado muy quebrados y ame-
 90  drentados de la dicha [?1 group] y que yo perseuerando como pe-
 91  rseuero en la dicha liga y cumpliendo lo que por mi
 92  parte soy obligado, [?he] escrito al dicho mi uisorrey y capitan general [?repre-]
 93  [?hendiendole] grauemente de la dicha su neglige-
 94  [?ncia] y [?mandandole] muy estrechamente que de {?aqui}
 95  a delante se guarde de [?7 letters] otro tal y [?2 letters]
 96  y que assimismo le [?he] enbiado a [?1 sign, 5 letters] que si los dichos suycos
 97  [?13 letters] en [?13 letters] a en
 98  fauor de nuestra santisim[a] liga, como yo tengo por [?3 letters] que lo ha-
 99  ran, que esta [?1 group, 2 letters] sin dilacion alguna se [?1 group] con
100  ellos como [?15 letters] y con buen conseio
101  todo lo que sea [?2 letters] y [?conueniente] esta e como la defension y conserua-
102  cion de Italia y como la resistencia de franceses hasta e-
103  charlos de Italia con es ayuda de Dios nuestro senor, y que assimismo [?he] es-
104  crito al emperador rogandole que uenga [?3 letters] ninguna
105  [?9 letters] en la dicha [?empresa] como lo ha [?enbiado]
106  a ofrescer al papa por [?2 letters] de que yo les ruego
107  muy afectuosamente que no desmayen, como
108  tengo por [?1 group] que no lo haran, y que continuando su si-
109  ngulos [?1 group] y esfuerco [?3 letters] en por
110  parte en la dicha nuestra santisima liga, y hagan y procur-
111  en con suma diligencia [?2 letters] fauor [?1 group] todo lo que
112  sea [?1 group] y [?conueniente] esta e como la defension y conseruacion
113  de Italia y como la resistencia de los dicho[s] franceses [?4 letters]
114  [?7 letters] con que la faltando los otros confederados yo [?1 letter]
115  [?1 group, 4 letters] faltar ni [?faltare] iamas a la defension de [?1 group]
116  y a la prosecucion de la dicha [?empresa], y a esta pro-
117  posito les enbia a dezir y ofrescer todo lo
118  que mas [?1 group, 6 letters] que conuenga como esforcar lo [?2 letters]
119  ni [?1 group, 3 letters] los y como [?1 group] sino [?17 letters]
120  a la dicha [?empresa] [?9 letters] ella [?5 letters] {?me} [?4 letters]
121  alguna y [?hazer me eys] [?1 group, 1 letter] con duplicadas
122  y triplicadas uias {?por} mar y por tierra, lo que es todo
123  lo suso dicho [?10 letters] lo que mas [?1 group] se ofres-
124  cieren
```

## Measured

| | words | holes and doubtful words | read share |
|---|---|---|---|
| ll. 1–124, the repository's measure (`research/reading_audit/v10_relabel.py`) | 1,099 | 235 | **0.824** |
| ll. 9–31, the stretch covered by Terrateig's quotation | 243 | 13 | 0.949 |
| ll. 1–124 after the crib, before the rounds | 1,031 | 303 | 0.773 |
| ll. 1–124 before the crib (commit e10b519) | 839 | 480 | 0.636 |

Marks in the reading: 9 words carrying a tentative value `{?…}`, 51 doubtful words `[?word]`, 9 words with a supplied
letter, and the unread runs (76 unread groups, 13 unvalued signs, 91 runs of letters that make no word). Every
tentative value counts as a hole, as the bar requires. The sentence score (`v2_score.py`) was not rerun after the crib
(before it: 0.058, 4 of 69 clean sentences).

**Look-alike share.** Letters resting on the second member of a look-alike pair and decided neither by the image nor
by the crib: 57 tokens transcribed `sin` and read *en* (114 letters) and 51 `X` read *s* or *z* (51 letters): 165 of
the 5,337 decoded letters, **3.09%** (3.9% before the crib), still above the 3% limit (160 letters would meet it).

**Class.** *Decoded, not read*: the look-alike readings are above 3%; with under 95% of words read as sense it could
otherwise be at most *read in part*. The change is that
ll. 9–31 now rest on a printed text of the letter (Terrateig's quotation, about 250 words), which settles 45 group
values and 38 look-alike tokens there; outside that stretch the reading is as before plus the values carried over
and those read in the four rounds after the crib (`notes/solve_notes.md`).
Stretches build sentences (ll. 7–31, 33–34, 37–38, 57–61, 69–71, 73–75, 77–80, 89–94, 101–104, 106–110). A sharper
image of the `sin`/`sim` and `X` tokens, or the minute in Simancas (AGS Estado leg. 847), is what would move it further.

Translation

n73_en.md

# vich1515: English translation

Translation of `reading_original.md`, line for line, with the same marks: `[?…]` sized unread runs and doubtful words,
`{?…}` tentative values (`{?}` where the English has no word for a tentative Spanish word), `[word]` supplied. The
reading is *decoded, not read* (read share 0.824; look-alike readings 3.09%), so this is a translation of a partial
reading, not of the letter. `scripts/holecheck2.py` checks that each line carries the same marks as the reading:
0 mismatches in 124 lines.

```
  1  [?1 group] this having [?written] to you these days by [various]
  2  [?couriers], by [?1 group] and by land, and lately by sea, on the
  3  16th of this [?3 groups, 1 sign, 5 letters] your letters of the [?17th] of the [?4 letters]
  4  [?3 letters] of [?3 letters] of this that land by land those which you say you have
  5  [?written] by sea, not those [?2 groups, 1 sign, 1 letter] and although those [?1 group]s which by those of the
  6  your letters [?1 group, 3 letters] are not for having [?pleasure] with
  7  them, but [?8 letters] of the care in which I was not to
  8  have for many days letters of yours and [?1 group] to answer what
  9  is contained in them, I say that I cannot fail to be
 10  very ill-content to see that through the prid[e] and mad-
 11  ness of the Swiss of not wishing to wait for our army to join with [?them]
 12  [?1 letter] and through the remissness of my viceroy and captain general in delaying so long in
 13  joining up, all the affairs of Italy have been put in the dan-
 14  ger in which they are today, but towards you [?1 letter] much [?more] amazed
 15  and less content am I to see the weakness of the Pope
 16  and [?how] determined he is to come to terms with the French, not
 17  keeping in it what is agreed by the capitulation, that none of
 18  the confederates may make peace or a truce with an-
 19  [y] prince without the knowledge and will of all the confederates; and since in this he has
 20  broken the said capitulation, I do not hope [?that] in
 21  any other thing he will keep it, although [?he] may have, as you say,
 22  promised that he would settle the said peace with France without prej-
 23  udice to the capitulations he has with the Emperor and with
 24  me settled, and likewise he would keep what by the capi-
 25  tulation of the general league it is agreed, and that
 26  each time that the Emperor and I and the Swiss would wish to resist
 27  the King of France and undertake to throw him out of Italy, [?he] would help for it, as
 28  by the said [?capitulation] he is bound, because this peace that
 29  he wants to settle with the French he makes by force and pure
 30  necessity: of all this, as I [?sign]ave said, I do not believe nor will believe but
 31  what I see in deed [?sign]; but you must not to the Pope
 32  hint [?nor] [?say] [?word] any of this, but only to encou-
 33  rage him on my part, nor that through this [?adversity], which through pride
 34  and madness of the Swiss we have [?1 group] not [?lose heart]
 35  nor weaken [?2 groups] this with [?1 group, 9 letters]
 36  nor [?8 letters] that we give so many [?Christian] princes and in
 37  [?1 group] that we have to [?help] him and to put our persons and
 38  estates for him and for the Ch[?sign]urch [?1 letter] that it is [?1 group] who would wish
 39  to harm him, and since with this help of God and of so many princes [?2 letters]
 40  [?2 groups, 5 letters] not him [?30 letters]
 41  [?4 letters] and let him remember that of the [?3 letters] {?} [?1 group, 5 letters] is of Pope
 42  Julius, but in the end God does not [?forsake] [?7 letters] and God [?1 group]
 43  [?4 letters] to those of the league very [?1 group, 6 letters] the [?3 letters] of the Church,
 44  and that so I hold it most certain that [?2 groups] if the confederates perse-
 45  vere in what is settled, with the [?1 group, 2 letters] and constan-
 46  cy that [?1 group] it [?7 letters] and that only he has [?permitted] this [?3 letters]
 47  [?2 letters] nor to prove whether we are constant servants to him
 48  and that since the Swiss want to return to [?come] and the Emperor [?4 letters] that he will come
 49  in person and [?1 group] me of the [?enterprise], and I persevere [?1 group] in
 50  what [?2 groups, 3 letters] and it is that [?3 letters] will help throw the French out of Italy, that his [?1 sign, 1 letter]
 51  for his part must [?do] the same and [?show] that his
 52  effort and [?1 group, 10 letters] of Leo, because [?2 groups]
 53  [?1 group, 12 letters] he will gain by doing it so, so much of what
 54  [?16 letters] his weakness and that he consider well
 55  that if any [?12 letters] to have with [?the] King of France [?7 letters]
 56  all the confederates in it, because that of his [?1 sign, 5 letters] not [?7 letters]
 57  nor give the King of France the power {?better} to do what he
 58  wishes in Italy and [?1 group] that he has already [?1 group] to seize the state [?1 group, 2 letters]
 59  and to put a person of his own hand [?4 letters] in the supreme pontifi-
 60  cate, to be lord of the spiritual and the temporal of the Ch-
 61  urch, so as the better to [?do] what he {?wishes} in all the
 62  Christendom, which is what for many years the French desire, and what
 63  want it, and that for this it seems to me that it is none {?me} his [?1 sign, 1 letter] must lis-
 64  ten to no peace of the King of France except by settling it all the confederate[s] [?2 letters] jointly
 65  because of this {?me} [?1 group] secure and very [?1 group] and [?9 letters] his
 66  [?1 sign, 4 letters] it could not be more dangerous and [?6 letters] nor
 67  the dignity of his person and to the state of the Church, and let him take
 68  example of the [?2 groups] that is Pope Julius [?6 letters] with [?2 letters]
 69  [?1 group] Louis of France dead through the [?1 group] of Pavia, who not
 70  only did not keep it, but put with it [?1 group, 2 letters] necessity to the Pope and to bound
 71  the Church, and from it was born the schism and all [?the] necessities and tri-
 72  bulations that [?1 group, 5 letters] it [?1 group] could not [?1 group] [?the] King of France [?5 letters] if the
 73  said peace [?1 group] will not be settled; and that [?he look] well to his [?1 sign, 1 letter] that through per-
 74  suasion of [?his] relatives and persons inclined to
 75  the French he do nothing that [?10 letters] his [?1 group, 4 letters] seek
 76  to throw him out [?1 group] and that [God] [?7 letters] him; I, be-
 77  that I am of it very ill-content with my said viceroy, but that since [?3 letters]
 78  our Lord so it [?9 letters] to prove whether {?we are}
 79  constant [?2 letters] in serving Him in the said holy [?enterprise],
 80  for which we must all give Him thanks for it, and stri-
 81  ve to pursue [?1 group, 11 letters] and more [?5 letters]
 82  [?forces] and with more union and conformity the said our
 83  [most holy] league, nor that with this help of God our Lord
 84  we may come out with our [?9 letters] and that I hope in all
 85  in [?divine] clemency, that [?1 group] the [?1 group] that we have [?1 group] the
 86  defence of Italy in very [?1 group] and that of [?12 letters]
 87  [?3 groups, 22 letters] very ful-
 88  filled [?1 group] and [?1 group] I hold it [?1 group] for more [?1 group] for [?1 group] the [said] [?3 letters]
 89  [?11 letters] have remained very broken and fright-
 90  ened by the said [?1 group], and that I, persevering as I per-
 91  severe in the said league and fulfilling what on my
 92  part I am bound to, [?have] written to my said viceroy and captain general [?repri-]
 93  [?manding him] gravely for his said neglig-
 94  [?ence] and [?ordering him] very strictly that from {?here}
 95  now on he guard himself from [?7 letters] another such and [?2 letters]
 96  and that likewise I [?have] sent him to [?1 sign, 5 letters] that if the said Swiss
 97  [?13 letters] in [?13 letters] to in
 98  favour of our [most holy] league, as I hold [?3 letters] that they will
 99  do, that this [?1 group, 2 letters] without any delay [?1 group] with
100  them as [?15 letters] and with good counsel
101  all that may be [?2 letters] and [?suitable] this and as the defence and preserva-
102  tion of Italy, and as the resistance to the French until they are
103  thrown out of Italy with this help of God our Lord; and that likewise [?I have]
104  written to the Emperor begging him to come [?3 letters] none
105  [?9 letters] in the said [?enterprise], as he has [?sent]
106  to offer to the Pope, for [?2 letters] of which I beg them
107  most affectionately not to lose heart, as
108  I hold [?1 group] that they will not do so, and that continuing their
109  single [?1 group] and effort [?3 letters] in for
110  part in the said our most holy league, they act and endea-
111  vour with the utmost diligence [?2 letters] favour [?1 group] all that
112  may be [?1 group] and [?suitable] this and as the defence and preservation
113  of Italy and as the resistance to the [said] French [?4 letters]
114  [?7 letters] with which, failing the other confederates, I [?1 letter]
115  [?1 group, 4 letters] fail nor [?will fail] ever the defence of [?1 group]
116  and the pursuit of the said [?enterprise], and to this pur-
117  pose he sends to tell them and to offer all that
118  more [?1 group, 6 letters] that may be fitting as to strengthen it [?2 letters]
119  nor [?1 group, 3 letters] them and as [?1 group] but [?17 letters]
120  to the said [?enterprise] [?9 letters] it [?5 letters] {?me} [?4 letters]
121  any, and [?you will do me] [?1 group, 1 letter] with duplicate
122  and triplicate ways {?by} sea and by land, what is all
123  the above said [?10 letters] what more [?1 group] may be of-
124  fered
```

05 Sources

Archivo Histórico Nacional, Estado, leg. 8715 N.73, PARES 12751418; for comparison N.74 (12751419) and N.79 (12751424).
Barón de Terrateig, Política en Italia del Rey Católico 1507–1516, 2 vols., CSIC, Madrid 1963; vol. I pp. 631–634 quote this letter (consulted by Brackx; not reproduced here).
José María Doussinague, La política internacional de Fernando el Católico, Madrid 1944, p. 520 (the minute, AGS Estado leg. 847 fol. 125). Not seen.
Calendar of State Papers, Spain, vol. II (ed. Bergenroth, 1866), nos. 219–240, for context only.
Michael Brackx, issue #94 and its files (23 October 2026).

The transcription, Brackx’s reading, English, token table, key and scripts (brackx2026/), the validation pairs and the notes are in targets/vich1515/. The PARES images are not committed; targets/vich1511/pares.py re-fetches them.

Ferdinand the Catholic to Jerónimo de Vich, Pedrezuela, 1515