At a glanceKey from external plaintext · complete
- The letter
- Juan de Velasco y la Cueva, Count of Siruela, Spanish ambassador at Genoa, to Philip IV, 19 May 1638, a signed original.
- Where
- Archivo General de Simancas, Estado, legajo 3594, no. 156 (PARES 3586918). It is one of 20 cipher letters of catalogue entry 755.
- The cipher
- The numerical cipher of the Genoa embassy in 1638: vowels 16–20, syllables in series of five numbers (25 ba, 30 ca, 35 sa, 40 da, 45 la), disguised syllables, single letters and code signs such as 85/86 = que.
- How it was deciphered
- Other 1638 letters of the same bundle survive with a contemporary clear copy next to them. The key was rebuilt on three of those pairs, frozen, and tested on a held-out pair (3594,160 against 159): 0.896 of characters and 0.784 of words, against a 99th percentile of 0.343 and 0.204 for 200 permuted keys.
- What it says
- The king had ordered the Marquis Pablo Jerónimo Pallavicino to advance the money for munitions. The marquis was stalling, and Velasco warns that if he fails his suppliers they will fail him in turn.
- Still open
- One code sign (197, probably a name) is unresolved, and 205 is restored as haciendo. The images were not seen here.
- Credit
- Brice Dudout rebuilt the key, ran the held-out tests and read the letter, working with Claude Opus 5.5 agents.
01 The letter
In the spring of 1638 the Spanish ambassador at Genoa had to buy munitions on the spot. The king had ordered the Marquis Pallavicino (“Palavesín”) to advance the money, and the marquis was stalling. The bundle keeps, as nos. 154 and 155, a letter of Pallavicino to Velasco dated 25 May 1638, presumably the sequel. Most of Velasco’s other 1638 cipher letters in the bundle have their clear copy beside them (143/142, 146/145, 147/144, 158/157, 160/159, 169/168). No. 156 has none among items 110–242, so it is the reading added here. The letters of 1643–1651 in entry 755 are in other ciphers and were not attempted.
02 The key and its tests
Key K3f was built step by step on the pairs 146/145, 143/142 and 169/168 and frozen with its SHA-256 before each test. The earlier held-out tests (169 later pages and 158/157) gave 0.75–0.84 of characters, below the criterion fixed in advance (0.85 of characters and 0.75 of words). The causes were code words still missing from the key and confusion of two signs of the second hand (a tall long-s for s, a small loop for a). The final pre-registered test used 3594,160, whose transcription was frozen before its clear copy was opened: 0.896 of characters and 0.784 of words, so the criterion was met. Applied unchanged to 3594,147, the previous key version recovered its clear copy at 0.923 of characters and 0.850 of words.
03 The reading
Of the 94 words of the cipher part, 89 are certain, three are probable (marqués, me, faltando), one is restored from the sense and one is unresolved: 93 of 94, or 98.9%, read as sense. Code sign 250 stands for “marqués de Leganés” in an April letter of the same bundle, but the singular verbs here point to Pallavicino, so we read “el marqués” and mark it probable. The full Spanish text and an English translation are under Full texts.
04 What remains uncertain
- Code 197 occurs only here. It names the person in whose absence Pallavicino was to advance the money, probably the governor of Milan or another minister. We leave it unresolved.
- Code 205, followed by a stroke, is restored as haciendo from “las instancias que le estoy haciendo”.
- me before acudiese is taken for the cipheris read for the cipher’srsquo;s mo, probably a copying slip.
- The transcription was made by AI from the PARES images and not checked by a person against them here.
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.
Count of Siruela to Philip IV, Genoa, 19 May 1638 (AGS EST,LEG,3594,156)
In the spring of 1638 the Spanish ambassador at Genoa had to lay in munitions on the spot. The King had ordered the Marquis Pablo Jerónimo Pallavicino (“Palavesín”) to advance him the money; the Marquis was stalling. Velasco told the King in cipher: if he failed his suppliers, they would fail him in turn.
Transcription
# AGS, EST,LEG,3594,156 (PARES 3586918), image 1: Juan de Velasco y la Cueva, Count of Siruela, to Philip IV, Genoa, 19 May 1638.
# Tokens separated by spaces, one manuscript line per row. The opening ("En 29 del pasado di cuenta a V. Md. de las dilaciones
# y dudas") and the closing ("de que me ha parecido dar cuenta ... mayo 19 de 1638") are in plain text and are not transcribed.
L01 8 86 51 250 an v 48 d 16 yo hi ot an 45 x 16 37 ß 36 46
L02 18 ß' ye 32 17 ß 16ß 51 34 9 Ɉ 47 it 16ß E 18 41 45 ye 50 279
L03 16ß 86 hnf 36 37 3 x g 18 41 at ß 40 3 46 86 ( 16ß 17 x 36
L04 ß 32 17 41 197 ) ot 17 34 42 16 36 33ß 51 42 he yo 86 ux
L05 36 he 31 24 17 yi 18 an ya 207 Ɉ yo x g 37 18 he m
L06 41 45 m it hi 32 18 he m 86 17 86 36 un 42 16 36 11 17 d 18
L07 ya et ye it E 18 17 45 33 in 17 41 8 an en 8 33 ß 86 et 17
L08 ye m on ß 42 43 17 45 m 255 - m g ß m E 17 ß 32 17 m 86 46
L09 16 m E 18 11 205 an ya 86 34 9 Ɉ 45 33 ß 45 ye 50 279 41
L10 hnf 318 ax 8 E 17 8 ß 43 11 18 17 45 m en 3 38 ha m 33 ß
L11 86 16ß E 16 hi 17 206 m 17 37 16 ß E 18 m E 17 9 on 33 on
L12 tt ya ß 34 9 Ɉ 47 3 33 ß it d 18 rDecryption
# Decryption of EST,LEG,3594,156 line by line with key_K3f.tsv (‹x› = token without a value; · = separator; ∅ = null). # The established text is in reading.md; notes on the four marked words are in NOTES.md. L01 8 86 51 250 an v 48 d 16 yo hi ot an 45 x 16 37 ß 36 46 l que el marques de leganes pa b lo g e ro ni mo pa la u e si n se le L02 18 ß' ye 32 17 ß 16ß 51 34 9 Ɉ 47 it 16ß E 18 41 45 ye 50 279 o f re ci a n e n el cu m p li mi e n t o de la re al orden L03 16ß 86 hnf 36 37 3 x g 18 41 at ß 40 3 46 86 ( 16ß 17 x 36 e n que vuestra magestad se si r u i o de ma n da r le que e n a u se L04 ß 32 17 41 197 ) ot 17 34 42 16 36 33ß 51 42 he yo 86 ux n ci a de a ‹7› mo a cu di e se co n el di ne ro que fu L05 36 he 31 24 17 yi 18 an ya 207 Ɉ yo x g 37 18 he m se ne ce z a ri o pa ra hacer p ro u i si o ne s L06 41 45 m it hi 32 18 he m 86 17 86 36 un 42 16 36 11 17 d 18 de la s mi ni ci o ne s que a que se pu di e se y a g o L07 ya et ye it E 18 17 45 33 in 17 41 8 an en 8 33 ß 86 et 17 ra me re mi t o a la co pi a de l pa pe l co n que me a L08 ye m on ß 42 43 17 45 m 255 - m g ß m E 17 ß 32 17 m 86 46 re s po n di do a la s mucha s i n s t a n ci a s que le L09 16 m E 18 11 205 an ya 86 34 9 Ɉ 45 33 ß 45 ye 50 279 41 e s t o y e ‹5› pa ra que cu m p la co n la re al orden de L10 hnf 318 ax 8 E 17 8 ß 43 11 18 17 45 m en 3 38 ha m 33 ß vuestra magestad pues fa l t a l n do y o a la s pe r so na s co n L11 86 16ß E 16 hi 17 206 m 17 37 16 ß E 18 m E 17 9 on 33 on que e n t e ni a hecho s a si e n t o s t a m po co po L12 tt ya ß 34 9 Ɉ 47 3 33 ß it d 18 r d ra n cu m p li r co n mi g o ·
Reading
# Count of Siruela to Philip IV, Genoa, 19 May 1638: established text (Spanish)
Conventions: {x} = probable reading; ‹…› = unresolved group; [x] = restored from the sense; *italics* = written in plain text in the original. Spelling normalised; punctuation and accents added.
*En 29 del pasado di cuenta a V. Md. de las dilaciones y dudas* que el {marqués} Pablo Jerónimo Palavesín se le ofrecían en el cumplimiento de la real orden en que V. M. se sirvió de mandarle que, en ausencia de ‹197›, {me} acudiese con el dinero que fuese necesario para hacer provisiones de las municiones que aquí se pudiese.
Y agora me remito a la copia del papel con que me ha respondido a las muchas instancias que le estoy [haciendo] para que cumpla con la real orden de V. M., pues, {faltando} yo a las personas con que tenía hechos asientos, tampoco podrán cumplir conmigo,
*de que me ha parecido dar cuenta a V. Md., cuya católica y real persona guarde Dios como la cristiandad ha menester. Génova y mayo 19 de 1638.* *[Firma del conde de Siruela.]*Translation
# English translation [On the 29th of last month I reported to Your Majesty on the delays and doubts] that the Marquis Pablo Jerónimo Palavesín was raising over carrying out the royal order in which Your Majesty was pleased to command him, in the absence of ‹…›, to supply me with the money needed to lay in whatever munitions could be had here. And now I refer to the copy of the paper with which he has answered the many requests I keep making to him to carry out Your Majesty’s royal order; for if I fail the persons with whom I had made contracts, neither will they be able to keep their engagements to me, [in plain text:] of which it seemed right to inform Your Majesty, whose Catholic and royal person God keep as Christendom has need. Genoa, 19 May 1638. [Signature of the Count of Siruela.]
Validation letter AGS EST,LEG,3594,160 (contemporary clear copy 3594,159) not prose
A held-out cipher letter of the same ambassador, 19 May 1638, kept apart while the key was built and then read with the frozen key against its contemporary clear copy 3594,159; used only to test the key, not a reading of ours.
Transcription
# AGS, EST,LEG,3594,160 (PARES 3586953), image 1, 19 lines: held-out text for K3f. Transcribed and frozen (SHA-256 b113449a...) # before its contemporary plain copy 3594,159 (PARES 3586947) was opened. 846 c 17 46 m 35 47 43 E 17 ß at 18 50 44 K 11 17 48 m 33 46 d g 18 m 51 18 v 47 d 17 3 17 48 m 39 Ɉ ye ot m 33 ß ho 40 3 17 48 -M- 41 hnf 280 an 38 37 ho 51 41 x 17 11 17 11 33 ß 48 m 41 at m 33 35 m 44 86 c 16 40 43 34 16 ß E 17 l hnf 16 ß 280 - m gor m 86 17 11 16 3 x 18 8 x g 16 yo ß 17 9 x ß E 17 3 48 m 39 Ɉ ye ot m 33 ß 37 8 46 E 18 an ya 17 34 35 3 17 48 m 33 46 d g 18 m 41 86 c x g 16 36 ß 40 43 16 m E 16 an 38 41 m 318 41 45 41 9 45 ya 32 18 ß 18 41 9 ye E 18 86 mol 16 m E 17 at E 16 yi 17 c g 37 16 yo ß 48 m 39 Ɉ ye ot m 33 ß 51 tt m ot 33 ß 37 8 46 E 18 mol 86 36 41 9 45 yo 86 et ye 32 17 ß 36 3 37 ß 47 30 43 m 11 41 m E 16 9 Ɉ 48 36 41 E 17 8 at he ya 45 33 ß ex ye ß 32 17 86 c x 18 x 18 E 18 m 41 86 36 Ɉ ye ß 42 16 36 ß 17 E 18 43 m 48 m 36 ha 43 ye m 11 Ɉ yo 34 ya 47 ye m 86 184 ß 48 m 33 46 d g 18 m 11 86 51 44 K 36 46 Ɉ yi x 17 36 41 45 yo an 11 ux 16 36 41 m 41 49 16 d 18 41 318 E 18 r 51 36 c 17 8 45 41 at he ya 86 17 en 42 43 16 ß 48 m 33 46 d g 18 m 47 31 ß 32 17 an ya ye E g ya 3 36 17 39 30 35 E 16 it 16 ß 43 86 24 17 86 36 48 at ß 41 ß ilt 48 at m 32 16 3 E 16 an ye 31 86 ho
Decryption
# AGS, EST,LEG,3594,159 (PARES 3586947), image 1: contemporary plain copy of the passage of 3594,160 above (used only to score K3f). les ha salido tan mal al dux y a los colegios el obligar a los supremos con no dar a la gente de vuestra magestad otro paso sino el de vaya y con las demas cosas de que he dado quenta a vuestra magestad en otras cartas que ayer volvieron a juntar los supremos con el consilleto para acusar a los colegios de que huviesen dado este paso despues de la declaracion o decreto que sobre esta materia hicieron los supremos con el mismo consilleto sobre que se declaro que merecian ser sindicados y destemplandose de tal manera la conferencia que huvo votos de que se prendiessen a todos los senadores y procuradores que forman los colegios y que al dux se le privase de la ropa y fuese desde luego depuesto el se halla de manera que a pedido en los colegios licencia para retirarse a su casa temiendo quiza que se lo manden aunque lo mas cierto parece que no
Key: key_K3f.tsv
05 Sources
- AGS, Estado, leg. 3594, no. 156, PARES 3586918 (not reproduced).
- Brice Dudout, Europe chiffrée, Genoa 1638.
Working files: targets/genes1638/ in the repository. Eraso’s 1643 Genoa letter is a different cipher, with its own page.