At a glanceExisting decipherment · complete
- The letter
- Johann Ernst von Hattorf, writing for the Elector, to Jobst Hermann von Ilten, the Hanoverian minister, Hanover, 7 November 1697.
- Where
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek, Hanover, Ms XXIII 1245:4 ff. 212–213, online in the GWLB digital library. Kalliope notes it as “Dechiffrierter Brief”.
- The cipher
- A small numeric syllabic code, code A (groups to about 505), with homophones and a null. The later letters to Ilten of 1705–06 are in another code and have their own page.
- How it was checked
- The office wrote the plain text over every code run. It was transcribed here, and every group was checked against its other occurrences. No gloss contradicts another.
- What it says
- The Elector wants discord sown between Kolbe and Barfus at Berlin, and Ilten to win one of them through Kolbe’s wife.
- Still open
- Nothing: every group carries a gloss.
01 What the catalogue said, and what the record says
The project’s scan of 23 September 2026 listed six items in the Ilten papers at the GWLB as “not deciphered”. The Kalliope records say the opposite. The four letters of 1697–1706 (this one, and three of 1705–06 in another code) are each noted Dechiffrierter Brief, a deciphered letter, and the two of 1743 Teilweise dechiffrierter Brief. The scan also said the images were not online. They are: the GWLB’s Kitodo library has the Receuil de Lettres a Jobst Hermann d’Ilten, parts I–IV, VII and VIII, in public-domain colour scans. Its search form has to be submitted as a POST with the page’s own token, and a plain search URL returns nothing, which is probably why the scan missed them.
The two 1743 letters, to Johann Georg von Ilten, turned out to be something else: one of them carries no decipherment, and none was found elsewhere in the papers. They have their own write-up.
02 The code
- Code A (1697, groups up to about 505): a small syllabary. Examples are 445.71 ses, 124.73 affaires, 331.107.484 mettre, 75.256.505 Barfus and 500.505 vous. It has homophones (et is 237 or 238) and a null, 62, which opens la discorde and de l’un des and closes aisée.
- Code B (1705–06, groups up to 1010), used by Heusch, Hattorf and the Elector for the later letters, is a different code: Letters to Ilten, 1705–1706 (a different cipher, with its own page).
03 The letter
Transcribed from the scans. Words in code are in italics, as the interliner deciphered them. The spelling is kept.
Hattorf to Ilten, Hanover, 7 November 1697
S. A. E. en signant la depeche… me dit, qu’il luy estoit venu une pensée dont je devois vous informer, qu’il seroit avantageux à ses affaires si l’on pouvoit mettre la discorde entre Colbe et Barfus et gagner l’amitié de l’un des deux. S. A. E. veut croire que vous puissiez faire cela par le moyen de la femme du premier avec laquelle on luy a dit que vous estes extremement bien. Je ne tiens pour mon particulier l’affaire aussy aisée…
“Colbe” is Johann Kasimir Kolbe, later Count Wartenberg, and Barfus is Field Marshal Johann Albrecht von Barfus, both leading men at the Berlin court in 1697. The “femme du premier” is therefore Kolbe’s wife.
04 Method and check
The letter was fetched from the GWLB METS files. The clear text, the 74 code groups and the glosses were transcribed from crops of the master images, and a table was built of every group with every gloss it carries. Where a group recurs it carries the same value, and nothing contradicts. That consistency is the check. It also shows the null 62. No key sheet for the code is known, and none was rebuilt: the glosses already give the reading.
05 What remains open
- Nothing in this letter: all 74 groups carry a gloss. The seven unglossed groups of the Ilten letters are in the 1705–06 letters, in code B.
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.
Hattorf to Ilten, Hannover, 7 Nov 1697, Ms XXIII 1245:4 ff. 212r-213r
Hattorf writes that the Elector thinks it would help his affairs to sow discord between Kolbe (Wartenberg) and Barfus at Berlin and win one of them, perhaps through Kolbe's wife, with whom Ilten is said to stand very well; Hattorf doubts it will be so easy. The decryption is the contemporary interlinear gloss, transcribed with the clear text.
Transcription
# letter A: code runs in order, one run per line (from the transcription files) 445 71 124 73 331 107 484 62 308 207 184 75 202 229 184 96 158 237 15 75 256 505 238 262 70 347 77 96 135 100 476 62 204 88 499 202 203 63 55 500 505 409 451 234 247 176 308 387 310 339 204 309 251 90 331 214 407 148 308 416 96 311 417 500 505 237 289 162 86 124 149 128 445 62
Decryption
# Hattorf to Jobst Hermann von Ilten, 7 Nov 1697, code A (GWLB Hannover, Ms XXIII 1245:4)
# Split on 14 Oct 2026 from letters_1697_1706.txt; letters B-D (code B) are in targets/ilten1705/.
# Transcribed 24 Sept 2026 from the GWLB master images (digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de, public domain).
# Clear text as written (spelling kept, abbreviations kept). Each code run is written
# [groups = contemporary interlinear gloss]
# with the gloss as the interliner wrote it over those groups. Groups the interliner left without a gloss
# are marked [groups = ---]. '?' in a group = digit hidden in the binding. {..} = struck or interlined clear text.
## A. Johann Ernst von Hattorf to J. H. von Ilten, Hannover, 7 Nov 1697 -- Ms XXIII 1245:4, ff. 212r-213r (phys. 433-435)
## code A (groups 15-505)
Hannover ce 7 Nov. 1697.
Monsieur
S. A. E. en signant la depeche qui vous sera rendue par cet ordinaire, me dit, qu'il luy estoit venu une pensée
dont je devois vous {interlined: informer} de sçavoir, qu'il seroit avantageux à [445.71 = ses] [124.73 = affaires]
si l'on pouvoit [331.107.484 = mettre]
[62.308.207.184.75.202 = la discorde] [229 = entre] [184.96.158 = Colbe] [237.15 = et]
[75.256.505 = Barfus] [238 = et] [262.70 = gagner] [347.77.96.135.100.476 = l'amitié]
[62.204.88.499.202 = de l'un des] [203.63.55 = deux]. S. A. E. veu[t] croire que [500.505 = vous]
[409.451.234 = puissiez] [247.176 = faire] [308 = cela] [387 = par] [310 = le] [339 = moyen] [204 = de]
[309 = la] [251.90.331 = femme] [214 = du] [407 = premier] [148 = avec] [308.416.96.311 = laquelle] on luy
a dit [417 = que] [500.505 = vous] [237.289 = estes] extremement [162 = bien]. Je ne tiens pour mon particulier
[86.124 = l'affaire] [149 = aussy] [128.445.62 = aisée], estant inviolablement
Monsieur votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur Hattorf.Reading
# A. Johann Ernst von Hattorf to J. H. von Ilten, Hannover, 7 Nov 1697: reading Rests on: `letter_A_1697.txt` (clear text transcribed from the GWLB master images, the code runs with the contemporary interlinear gloss written over them). Written out for the v3 verification (23 Oct 2026) without the [groups = gloss] notation, which the scorer takes for supplied words: each code run is replaced by its contemporary gloss as the interliner wrote it; runs he left without a gloss are [?]; struck clear text is left out, interlined clear text kept; spelling as written. ## Reading Hannover ce 7 Nov. 1697. Monsieur S. A. E. en signant la depeche qui vous sera rendue par cet ordinaire, me dit, qu'il luy estoit venu une pensée dont je devois vous informer de sçavoir, qu'il seroit avantageux à ses affaires si l'on pouvoit mettre la discorde entre Colbe et Barfus et gagner l'amitié de l'un des deux. S. A. E. veu[t] croire que vous puissiez faire cela par le moyen de la femme du premier avec laquelle on luy a dit que vous estes extremement bien. Je ne tiens pour mon particulier l'affaire aussy aisée, estant inviolablement Monsieur votre tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur Hattorf.
Translation
# A. Johann Ernst von Hattorf to J. H. von Ilten, Hannover, 7 Nov 1697: English translation Translation (Claude Opus 5.5, 23 Oct 2026) of `letter_A_reading.md` (the clear letter with each code run replaced by the contemporary interlinear gloss). French. No holes. ## Translation Hanover, this 7th of Nov. 1697. Monsieur, His Electoral Highness, in signing the despatch which will be delivered to you by this post, told me that a thought had come to him of which I was to inform you, namely that it would be advantageous to his affairs if discord could be sown between Colbe and Barfus, and the friendship of one of the two won. His Electoral Highness is willing to believe that you could do this by means of the wife of the former, with whom he has been told you stand extremely well. For my own part I do not hold the affair so easy, being inviolably, Monsieur, your very humble and very obedient servant, Hattorf.
06 Sources
- GWLB digital library, Receuil de Lettres a Jobst Hermann d’Ilten: Part IV (Ms XXIII 1245:4, METS DE-611-BF-85418, images 433–436), digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de, public domain.
- Kalliope record DE-611-HS-4135390, kalliope-verbund.info.
Transcriptions, the group table and the profile are in targets/ilten1697/.