At a glanceKnown key applied · partial (97% of the cipher)
- The letter
- Nicolas Desmarets, Controller General of Finances, to an unnamed “Monsieur”, from Marly, 4 June 1710. Three pages; the first alternate a line of French with a line of dotted numbers (34 pairs), then 22 lines of numbers alone.
- Where
- DECODE R10198 (“Desmaretz_1”), contributed by Alexander Pillon. The holding library is not named; the images are only 590 pixels wide.
- The cipher
- A table of about 570 values: single letters with homophones, syllables and a few short words. The groups must be read as one stream; the line breaks are only layout.
- How it was read
- With the table Satoshi Tomokiyo published on Cryptiana, as suggested in issue #28 by yuanyi-350. Applied to the whole stream it has a value for 456 of the 471 groups (96.8%). The table was built from this letter, so this is a check against its own decipherment, not an independent break.
- What it says
- France wants a safe peace but means to keep “l’honneur du gouvernement”, and will agree if the Allies’ further demands stop short of whole dismemberments.
- Still open
- Twelve group types (15 tokens) are not in the table; some are fixed by context and others are plausible readings only. Doubtful digits in the small images and a few queried table cells remain.
- Credit
- Table by Satoshi Tomokiyo (Cryptiana) with Alexandre Pillon’s alignment; pointed out by yuanyi-350 in issue #28. An earlier version of this page wrongly said no key existed.
01 The document
DECODE R10198 (“Desmaretz_1”) is three pages from Nicolas Desmarets, Controller General of Finances, to an unnamed “Monsieur”. The images on DECODE are only 590 pixels wide, so a few digits are uncertain (538 or 558; 115). Pages 2 (lower half) and 3 have ruled lines between the figure lines, as if prepared for a decipherment. On page 3 the last group is followed on the same line by the clear closing “Je suis tres parfaitement Monsieur Votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur”. The code is a table of about 570 values: single letters with homophones, syllables and a few short words (“vous”, “paix”, “dans”).
02 The reading
Tomokiyo’s table (Cryptiana, Cipher Used in Louis XIV’s Reign, 11B) is an image. I transcribed it into targets/desmarets1710/tomokiyo_decode.py and decoded the transcription of the 471 groups as one run, without line breaks. The result, with the words divided by hand (reading.txt):
On a voulu tenter un evenement dans [l’esper]ance qu’il pourroit estre heureux, qu’il feroit changer la face des affaires presentes. Soit prudence soit impossibilite, on n’a rien fait, mais il y a grande apparence que ce qu’on n’a pas tente volontairement deviendra force … Peu de semaines feront connoistre ce qui en arrivera. C’est cependant la raison qui a fait differer de renvoyer vostre courier. …
Le pouvoir qu’on vous envoie est assez estendu et on ne s’y tiendra pas absolument. Si vous pouvez venir a bout d’avoir des suretes et des eclaircissements sur les demandes ulterieures: on veut la paix, on la veut sure, mais on veut encores menager l’honneur du gouvernement. Enfin pourvu que les demandes ulterieures n’aillent pas a des demembrements entiers et qu’on les borne a peu de chose au dela des preliminaires, on s’y portera. … Il ne se [con]clura pas sans bien des explications et des conferences, mais voila au moins un relachement qui peut produire la paix, ce qui n’aur[oit] pas este selon toutes les apparences si l’on estoit demeure fermes dans les premieres resolutions.
The first part is the text already written between the figure lines; the last 22 lines of figures decipher to the second part, which has no French over it on the sheet. Tomokiyo notes the same: the secretary deciphered on a separate sheet and wrote the clean text on the original out of step with the figures, and the letter was printed in L’intermédiaire des curieux 50 (1904), which remarked that the last lines carry no plaintext. The sense is the French position at Geertruidenberg: the King wants peace, a safe peace, but means to keep “l’honneur du gouvernement”, and will agree if the Allies’ further demands stop short of “demembrements entiers”.
What is not clean. The decoded stream has local misfits that come from the table or from the transcription of it: for example “heureux” comes out with V and X for the last two letters, “presentes” as pre followed by letters that do not spell it, and “le p…n qu’on vous… envoie” has an unread word. A few cells are queried in Tomokiyo’s own table (463 “temps?”, 25 “S?”), and the 590-pixel images leave some digits doubtful. Twelve group types are not in the table at all: 94 (“ce”, three places), 539 (“l’esper”) and 565 (“oit”) are fixed by the context; 179+534 (in “differer”), 133 (“aplanir”), 65 and 147 (“renvoyer vostre courier”), 189, 229, 23 and 559 are plausible readings only, and 559 may be a null.
03 Why the first attempt failed
On 21 September I aligned each French line with the figure line under it, with four models (per-line EM, one global alignment, per-line soft EM with word-boundary bonuses, word-level EM). None converged: 111 fell under paix, seure and on, and “demandes ulterieures” sat over different figures in its two places. Those failures were real but the conclusion drawn from them was not. The French is a decipherment, but it is not written line against line with the figures, so a per-line alignment has nothing consistent to learn. Read as a single stream the groups fall out in order. The numbers are a genuine code (183 types in 471 tokens), and the repeated six-group run 119 101 402 49 197 424 is “les premieres resolutions”, which occurs in the glossed lines and again in the tail.
04 What remains
- The twelve group types above, which need the original table or another letter in the same code.
- An independent check. The table was built from this letter, so it cannot confirm itself; another letter of the 1710 series in the same code would.
- Better images of the three pages: the 590-pixel scans leave a few digits in doubt.
- L’intermédiaire des curieux 50 (1904) was not seen here, and Boislisle’s Correspondance des contrôleurs généraux III (1897) was not searched.
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.
R10198, Marly 4 June 1710 read in part
Nicolas Desmarets, Controller General of Finances, writes from Marly on 4 June 1710 to an unnamed "Monsieur": the King wants peace, a safe peace, but means to protect "l'honneur du gouvernement"; further demands must not reach "demembrements entiers"; the powers sent are wide enough, and the relaxation "peut produire la paix".
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (94% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
# DECODE R10198, Desmarets, Marly 4 June 1710. Transcribed from the DECODE page images (590 px), 21 Sept 2026. # Glossed lines: "G |" = contemporary interlinear decipherment (above), "C |" = figures below it. # Unglossed lines: "U |" figures only. [?] = uncertain reading. # page 1 G | on a voulu tenter un evenement, dans l'esperance C | 1 27 479 119 343 174 402 350 408 4 G | qu'il pourroit estre heureux, qu'il seroit changer C | 558 86 526 539 473 467 508 531 G | la face des affaires presentes. Soit prudence soit C | 35 83 201 373 408 568 467 415 531 G | impossibilite on n'a rien fait, mais il y a grande C | 200 347 356 224 12 43 126 389 411 83 G | apparence que ce qu'on n'a pas tente volontairem(ent) C | 111 448 357 262 56 549 94 448 317 G | deviendra force et que l'action qu'on n'a pas C | 538 477 512 541 446 29 1 347 161 394 G | hazardee dans ces premiers temps deviendra C | 116 516 252 49 101 61 114 2 186 540 116 G | necessaire et inevitable, peu de semaines C | 94 32 43 209 92 85 477 174 212 G | feront connoistre ce qui en arrivera. C'est C | 479 288 549 113 49 83 382 56 261 G | cependant la raison qui a fait differer de C | 212 549 439 308 78 43 563 32 224 G | renvoyer vostre courier, la depesche q(ue) C | 388 62 209 92 85 231 161 301 540 G | vous porte vous fera connoistre qu'on C | 56 304 526 43 477 411 459 250 23 559 G | s'approche et qu'on se dispose a aplanir la C | 463 221 116 439 558 183 493 22 4 144 G | difficulte la plus essentielle, le pouvoir C | 189 297 493 4 261 247 501 552 301 G | qu'on vous envoye est assez estendu et on ne C | 64 476 424 144 89 1 170 306 206 94 G | s'y rendra pas absolument, si vous pouvez C | 461 229 116 540 394 136 161 183 170 G | tenir a vous d'avoir des seuretes et des C | 43 513 224 480 461 161 516 318 415 G | eclaircissem(ens) sur les demandes ulterieures, C | 179 534 56 83 343 128 78 65 343 147 G | ou veut la paix ou la veut seure, mais C | 140 373 394 230 224 221 564 111 50 G | on veut encore menager l'honneur de C | 467 505 538 78 29 385 415 122 306 # page 2 G | son gouvernement. Enfin pourveu que les C | 206 209 493 535 203 50 563 G | demandes ulterieures n'aillent pas a C | 209 64 321 161 27 123 133 78 224 G | des demembrements entiers et qu'on les C | 318 132 230 554 29 101 114 521 G | borne a peu de chose au dela des preliminaires C | 264 347 429 344 40 290 209 505 G | on s'y portera, le peu qu'on vous envoye C | 116 128 35 487 64 301 489 116 66 G | est en chemin de conduire au traite C | 563 52 549 347 4 111 560 429 116 G | il ne se conclura pas sans bien des C | 439 85 111 27 246 313 343 86 G | explications et des conferences, mais voila C | 512 385 538 119 8 301 334 22 G | au moins un relachement qui peut produire C | 161 160 324 552 27 276 126 69 G | la paix, ce qui n'auroit pas este selon C | 29 111 563 126 451 221 22 452 111 G | toutes les apparences si l'on estoit demeure C | 231 1 86 153 78 40 111 56 269 G | fermes dans les premieres resolutions. C | 231 119 101 402 49 197 424 1 U | 219 33 224 532 52 347 224 219 U | 166 69 252 1 219 166 51 414 U | 92 356 101 365 66 243 86 U | 116 132 347 508 151 32 118 56 U | 269 111 119 101 402 49 197 424 347 U | 101 554 391 315 27 149 56 3 U | 353 377 86 111 4 347 429 250 563 U | 209 118 160 78 558 27 501 56 U | 115 64 67 56 224 126 411 446 # page 3 U | 459 92 49 83 111 1 231 560 U | 538 78 402 27 40 123 347 209 385 559 U | 116 128 35 350 50 459 347 508 U | 486 83 27 350 120 410 558 64 219 U | 204 343 122 315 506 453 126 267 U | 272 293 62 111 563 126 249 415 U | 362 183 252 479 49 224 67 U | 124 350 83 224 50 382 461 U | 501 357 203 66 22 4 224 532 43 U | 461 92 373 565 315 4 29 64 U | 437 256 111 118 186 27 362 183 U | 512 437 563 258 56 3 119 83 U | 415 78 3 526 118 411 459 250 U | 424 57 62 111 | Je suis tres parfaitement Monsieur Votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur [signed] Desmaretz
Decryption
# DECODE R10198, Desmarets, Marly 4 June 1710. Reading of the 471 code groups as one continuous stream, # with the table Tomokiyo reconstructed from this letter (tomokiyo_decode.py holds the table as transcribed here). # Word division and modern punctuation added by hand. [..] = group not in Tomokiyo's table (value inferred # from the context; ? = doubtful). "Glossed" = the 34 lines that have French above them; "tail" = the last # 22 figure lines, whose decipherment is written out of sync on the sheet. # Table-attested groups: 456 of 471 (96.8%). Not in the table: 15 tokens of 12 types (23 65 94 133 147 179 189 229 534 539 559 565). on a voulu tenter un evenement dans [l'esper]ance qu'il pourroit estre heureux qu'il feroit changer la face des affaires presentes. Soit prudence [94=ce] soit impossibilite, on n'a rien fait, mais il y a grande apparence [94=ce] que ce qu'on n'a pas tente volontairement deviendra force, et que l'action qu'on n'a pas hazardee dans ces premiers [23 559 ?] temps deviendra necessaire [et] [189 = t?] inevitable. Peu de semaines feront connoistre ce [94=ce] qui [229 ?] en arrivera. C'est cependant la raison qui a fait diffe[rer: 179 534 ?] de renvoyer [65 ?] vostre [147 ?] courier. La depesche qu'il vous porte vous fera connoistre qu'on s'approche et qu'on se dispose a a[plan: 133 ?]ir la difficulte la plus essentielle. Le pouvoir qu'on vous [559 ?] envoie est assez estendu et on ne s'y tiendra pas absolument. Si vous pouvez venir a bout d'avoir des suretes et des eclaircissements sur les demandes ulterieures: on veut la paix, on la veut sure, mais on veut encores menager l'honneur du gouvernement. Enfin pourvu que les demandes ulterieures n[']aillent pas a des demembrements entiers et qu'on les borne a peu de chose au dela des preliminaires, on s'y portera. Le p[?]n qu'on vous [559 ?] envoie est un chemin pour [con]duire a un traite. Il ne se [con]clura pas sans bien des explications et des conferences, mais voila au moins un relachement qui peut produire la paix, ce qui n'aur[oit: 565] pas este selon toutes les apparences si l'on estoit demeure fermes dans les premieres resolutions. [Je suis tres parfaitement Monsieur Votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur, Desmaretz: clear, not coded]
Reading
<!-- Reading of DECODE R10198 (Claude Opus 5.5, 23 Oct 2026): reading.txt (the 471 code groups read with Tomokiyo's table reconstructed from this letter, word division and punctuation by hand) with its markup simplified: a group read "[94=ce]" is given as its value (ce); a group not in the table with no value is [nnn]; a value inferred and marked "?" is [?value]; letters supplied around a group are kept in [ ] ([l'esper]ance, [con]duire). Spelling as decoded. The closing is in clear. --> # DECODE R10198: Desmarets, Marly, 4 June 1710 ## Reading On a voulu tenter un evenement dans [l'esper]ance qu'il pourroit estre heureux, qu'il feroit changer la face des affaires presentes. Soit prudence, ce soit impossibilite, on n'a rien fait; mais il y a grande apparence ce que ce qu'on n'a pas tente volontairement deviendra force, et que l'action qu'on n'a pas hazardee dans ces premiers [23] [559] temps deviendra necessaire [et] [?t] inevitable. Peu de semaines feront connoistre ce qui [229] en arrivera. C'est cependant la raison qui a fait diffe[?rer] de renvoyer [65] vostre [147] courier. La depesche qu'il vous porte vous fera connoistre qu'on s'approche et qu'on se dispose a a[?plan]ir la difficulte la plus essentielle. Le pouvoir qu'on vous [559] envoie est assez estendu, et on ne s'y tiendra pas absolument, si vous pouvez venir a bout d'avoir des suretes et des eclaircissements sur les demandes ulterieures: on veut la paix, on la veut sure, mais on veut encores menager l'honneur du gouvernement. Enfin, pourvu que les demandes ulterieures n'aillent pas a des demembrements entiers, et qu'on les borne a peu de chose au dela des preliminaires, on s'y portera. Le p[?]n qu'on vous [559] envoie est un chemin pour [con]duire a un traite. Il ne se [con]clura pas sans bien des explications et des conferences, mais voila au moins un relachement qui peut produire la paix, ce qui n'aur[oit] pas este selon toutes les apparences si l'on estoit demeure fermes dans les premieres resolutions. ⟨Je suis tres parfaitement, Monsieur, votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur, Desmaretz.⟩
Translation
<!-- English translation of texts/R10198_reading.md (Claude Opus 5.5, 23 Oct 2026), with the same holes; [559] (twice before "envoie") is probably a null or "now", left as is. --> # DECODE R10198: Desmarets, Marly, 4 June 1710: English translation They wished to attempt an event in the [hope] that it might be fortunate and would change the face of present affairs. Whether from prudence or from impossibility, nothing was done; but there is every likelihood that what was not attempted willingly will become forced, and that the action that was not risked in these first [23] [559] times will become necessary [and] [?] inevitable. A few weeks will show what [229] will come of it. That, however, is the reason that made us [?put off] sending back [65] your [147] courier. The despatch he brings you will let you know that we are drawing closer and preparing to [?smooth over] the most essential difficulty. The power that is [559] sent to you is fairly broad, and we shall not hold strictly to it, if you can manage to obtain securities and clarifications on the further demands: we want peace, we want it secure, but we still want to spare the honour of the government. In short, provided the further demands do not go as far as entire dismemberments, and are limited to little beyond the preliminaries, we shall agree to them. The [?plan] that is [559] sent to you is a road leading to a treaty. It will not be concluded without many explanations and conferences; but here at least is a relaxation that may produce peace, which in all likelihood would not have happened if one had remained firm in the first resolutions. ⟨I am most perfectly, Sir, your very humble and very obedient servant, Desmaretz.⟩
05 Sources
- DECODE R10198, de-crypt.org/decrypt-web/RecordsView/10198 (images by login; not in the public domain).
- S. Tomokiyo, Cryptiana, Cipher Used in Louis XIV’s Reign, section 11B, “Code at the time of Peace Talk at Geertruidenberg (1710)”, from the analysis by Alexandre Pillon.
- Issue #28, “Desmarets R10198 is readable with Tomokiyo’s published 1710 table”, by yuanyi-350, 9 October 2026.
- L’intermédiaire des curieux 50 (1904), the printed text, as cited by Tomokiyo.
- Transcription, table and decoder, reading and notes:
targets/desmarets1710/.
Files: targets/desmarets1710/ in the repository.