A Biliteral Alphabet, Consisting only of a and b changed through five places, so as to represent all the letters of the

Thus, in order to write an A, you write five a’s, or aaaaa; and to write a B, you write four a’s and one b, or aaaab; and so of the rest.

And here, by the way, we gain no small advantage, as this contrivance shows a method of expressing and signifying one’s mind to any distance, by objects that are either visible or audible—provided only the objects are but capable of two differences, as bells, speaking-trumpets, fireworks, cannon, etc. But for writing, let the included letter be resolved into this biliteral alphabet; suppose that letter were the word FLY, it is thus resolved:

Let there be also at hand two other common alphabets, differing only from each other in the make of their letters; so that, as well the capital as the small be differently shaped or cut at every one’s discretion: as thus, for example, in Roman and Italic; each Roman letter constantly representing A, and each Italic letter B.

All the letters of this Roman alphabet are read or deciphered, by translating them into the letter A only.

All the letters of this Italic alphabet are read by translating them into the letter B only.

Now adjust or fit any external double-faced writing, letter by letter, to the internal writing, first made biliterate; and afterward write it down for the letter or epistle to be sent. Suppose the external writing were, “Stay till I come to you,” and the internal one were, “Fly”; then, as we saw above, the word “Fly,” resolved by means of the biliteral alphabet, is

whereof I fit, letter by letter, the words “Stay till I come to you,” observing the use of my two alphabets of differently shaped letters, thus:

Having now adjusted my writing according to all my alphabets, I send it to my correspondent, who reads the secret meaning by translating the Roman letters into a’s, and the Italic ones into b’s, according to the Roman and Italic alphabets, and comparing each combination of five of them with the biliteral alphabet.

We herewith annex a fuller example of the cipher of writing “omnia per omnia,” viz., an interior letter once sent by the Ephores of Sparta in a scytale or round ciphered staff:

“Perditæ res. Minidarus cecidit. Milites esuriunt, neque hinc nos extricare, neque hic diutius manere possumus.”

The exterior letter in which the above is involved is taken from the first epistle of Cicero. We adjoin it:

“Ego omni officio ac potius pietate erga te, cæteris satisfacio omnibus; mihi ipse numquam satisfacio. Tanta est enim magnitudo tuorum erga me meritorum, ut quoniam tu nisi perfecta re, de me non conquiesti. Ego quia non idem tu tua causa efficio, vitam mihi esse acerbam putem. In causa hæc sunt; Ammonius regis legatus aperte pecunia non oppugnat. Res agitur per eosdem creditores per quos, cum tu aderas, agebatur regis causa, si qui sunt, qui velint qui pauci sunt, omnes ad Pompeium rem deferri volunt. Senatus religionis calumniam, non religione, sed malevolentia, et illius regiæ largitionis invidia, comprobat,” etc.

The doctrine of ciphers has introduced another, relative to it, viz., the art of deciphering without the alphabet of the cipher, or knowing the rules whereby it was formed. This indeed is a work of labor and ingenuity, devoted, as well as the former, to the secret service of princes. Yet by a diligent precaution it may be rendered useless, though, as matters now stand, it is highly serviceable: for if the ciphers in use were good and trusty, several of them would absolutely elude the labor of the decipherer, and yet remain commodious enough, so as to be readily written and read. But through the ignorance and unskilfulness of secretaries and clerks in the courts of princes, the most important affairs are generally committed to weak and treacherous ciphers.—And thus much for the organ of speech.