[tonybaloney]

Aaron - I agree the 'stanza' system is a pretty ingenious method of scrambling the letters - I suppose we could call it a multiple 'railfence'.

This weeks cipher (I'm sure you will have seen before but a few newcomers may not have) comes from 'The New Wondeful Magazine & Marvelous Chronicle' Vol.iv. London 1793

P R S V R Y P R F C T M N,
V R K P T H S P R C P T S T N.

'They were written over the ten commandments in a Welch church, and remained a whole century before the true sense was found'

[tonybaloney]

This weeks cipher - circa 1665

[Aaron]

I recognize the alchemy symbols in there... interesting mix of numbers and symbols.

[tonybaloney]

I've got one in cipher somewhere that explains how to change base metals into gold - I'll see if I can dig it out and post it - then again maybe I should buy a bunsen burner .......

[tonybaloney]

I expect a large commission if this works -

circa 1400??

[Aaron]

Wow, that's huge! I doubt you could squeeze gold out of that, but do let me know if it's the plans for an Improbability Drive.

[tonybaloney]

This weeks cipher - from Sir Charles Babbage's papers -

[tonybaloney]

This weeks cipher from Dr. Pell’s papers c.1660

Loving Cousin

     It is very difficult to convey a letter to you, ever since the
Army came into your parts. So that I laid hold upon this opportu-
nity to let you know that your aunt Mary is lately dead and hath
bequeathed you that house in Prince-lane which she bought of
the Amsterdammer last year. Some tell me it is very well worth
6 thousand guilders. All the while she was sicke, she longed to
speake with you: but we told her there was no coming at
you for feare of the Army. She would often say, if my nephew
George knew of my sicknesse, he would not be long hence. But I will
put him out of my thoughts, for I shall not see him againe before
I dye. She often complained of somewhat within her stomack, w^ch.
she said would make short worke with her. And indeed she lay
sicke but ten dayes. At her burial there were but a few of our
kindred. It being impossible for me to finde a messenger to let
you know of it; and, I beleeve, not much easier for you and
the rest of our kinsmen to get safe hither if you had
knowen of it. Three days ago, I had a letter from
your brother in Sevill. He speakes of going thence to Madrid
& I beleeve by this time he is there. He intends to go towards
Rome next May, if some new businesse, not-yet thought on, doe not
retard him. The Old man has promised him supplies of mony
for his journey. So desirous is he to continue him abroad in tra-
vell as long as he will.               That controversy, that I
had with my peevish neighbours, is now composed. They are as
weary of going to law as I. For my part, I avoid all suits
as much as I may; but the world is come to that perverse
wrangling humour that a man, be he never so peaceable;
is forced to be oftentimes defendant an sometimes plaintiffe
unless he will be trodden upon by every unreasonable affronter,
and so lose all that he hath; which in my opinion is a humour too
much offending on the other side.
     I have many other businesses to write of to you; but this
messenger desires me to make my letter as short as may be, withal
telling me that it is late and that he can stay heer no longer.
I must therefore reserve the rest to our next meeting, and take
my leave.
Your very loving Cousin
Peter Williams



in the right margin of this letter is pasted a thin strip of paper with a
column of numbers - presumably prearranged or sent seperately

13/0/0/6/9.10/9/5/3/6.14/0/2.8/0/11.12/0/0/0/5/0/5/3/1.3.9
/4/3.7/9/0/5.10/0/0/0/15/0/0/0/6/0/0/0/0

[Aaron]

Hurrah, I figured this one out!

Spoiler for Hiden:

the Prince is very sick we feare he will dye within a few days this May retard the supplies so long that they may come too late

[tonybaloney]

This weeks cipher -

The entry for the 23rd Sept 1698 in the diary of Dr. Will Charleton (Courten) naturalist & collector – a small diary mainly listing the state of his health, or lack of it, giddiness, palpitations, headaches etc. etc.

23^th. S^ter  = 1698 =
Dp suv/-o, tvu), -o, y^t. *7, *, )p/-mo,
v-uy, l/top, 7vp, /, -v-oth y^t. ho,
q\ost*v-s, -vt, ~, y^t. *, shv\u), |o, louu.

(as well as his simple substitution alphabet he also used symbols for the more common words, the only one used here is ‘but’ which is represented by the tilde symbol).

AAron - did you notice from the stats - 2 new records - most ever on line & most page views per month - this month!

[Aaron]

That's certainly an odd cipher, but then I guess any character is fair game in subsitution ciphers.

And thanks for letting me know about the stats, I guess we have a lot of lurkers on these forums. *waves to the watchers*

[Don Crownover]

I get FBI e-news. The latest email was titled "Can You Crack a Code?"  http://www.fbi.gov/page2/dec08/code_122908.html is the address for the challenge. It also has links to a history of code-breaking, analysis basics, kid's code page, material about the zodiac case, and last year's code challenge. Enjoy! Don

[Aaron]

Thanks for the heads up, Don! I cracked it already.

[tycho]

I think that YYY.AHB.MSK/NSCDC.OFZ is an important hint ;

[tycho]

This weeks cipher from Dr. Pell’s papers c.1660

Call a doctor 

AAron, there is also a Sig of Modern Cryptography or we can discuss here about this ?
Thanks.

[Aaron]

Oh, modern ciphers are fair game too, I just really enjoy the older ones. ;-)

[tonybaloney]

Escaped again

Of the last ciphers given –

PRSVRYP etc – just add a sprinkling of E’s
The one marked Circa 1650 begins ‘The King of Spaine....’
The one for turning base metals to gold starts – ‘Take 1 ounce of ....’
The one from Babbage’s papers begins – ‘I went to....’
Dr. Pells – numbers give the word in from the left in each line.
Dr. Charleton’s  diary entry opens – ‘ Dr. Sloane told me....’

This weeks cipher comes from a letter dated 19/Jan/1692 to William Digby from Dr. John Wallis –
(the font used here gives a semblance of the original)

ђoς zφςν ωλν χεφωфo1s νφψωλ ωλν Ґφωψy ςννε o1ω oθ φ rλφo1χ ψ1ςν rozθ1χνς λνφε,
φzς φχ φ rφzoε) фz lφχω νχωνzω ν∞εφzςνς ωλν φll 1фνҐфzђ θφψzφzνzω фz Ґλфrλ λν θф∞ω
φ ђψνφω φzς lνχχνψ lфђλω ωλν θфψχω ωo ψ1lν ωλν ςφy ωλν lφχω ωλν zфђλω. фy zoω ф1ω
zν ωλфχ ψνφς rφz фνν.

ps. is anybody enjoying these?

[Aaron]

I'm enjoying them, Tony, even if I'm not good at solving most of them. I mostly only know a bunch of basic cipher types, myself. Are there any good books you could recommend that introduce more advanced concepts?

[tonybaloney]

'Advanced concepts' - I think you're trying to take the mick - don't read books - do.

[tonybaloney]

This weeks cipher comes courtesy of Earl Brannon - the postmark is 1911