At a glanceKey from external plaintext · partial (76% of the cipher)
- The letters
- Two bare cipher letters: one signed by Giovanni Mazzinghi, 16 January 1478 (Florentine style, so 1479), and an unsigned one of 13 January in the same hand and signs. No place is written; the content puts both in Rome. Both are addressed to the Medici.
- Where
- Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Mediceo avanti il Principato, filza LXXXIX 142 and CXXXVII 252. The key source is the glossed sibling LXXII 170. Not on DECODE.
- The cipher
- A homophonic substitution of letters in letter-like signs (a is +, ^ or d; e is x, y or c; i is s, 5, 1 or 3; o is r …), words kept whole, numerals for persons, and clear words between the cipher words.
- How it was deciphered
- The key was fitted on 69 cipher-word/plain-word pairs written over the sibling letter LXXII 170 at the time, then completed by context and a five-gram model. A second session broke 2307 from the ciphertext alone, and the two keys agree on the main values. The validation verdict is weak.
- What it says
- A bull under lead has been published in the Chancery annulling the privileges the Church had granted; a very cruel process is being made against “voi”; two Pistoiese, Iacopo de’ Rossi and a Cola, are involved in a plot (“ordinò la morte” of a person coded 30); “aiutatevi l’occhio”.
- Still open
- 92 cipher words (394 signs) that do not decode, six code numerals, and no code list for this cipher.
- Credit
- Key and reading by Daniel Bourdeau with Claude agents; the independent ciphertext-only break by a second session (PR #301). The decipherment on the sibling letter is the clerk’s of January 1479.
01 The letters
All three letters say “gennaio 1478”. A Florentine writer counted the year from 25 March, so this is very probably January 1479 in modern style: nine months after the Pazzi conspiracy of 26 April 1478, during the Pazzi War, with Florence under the interdict of Sixtus IV. 2307, signed on the verso “da G. Mazinghi / Cifra”, names no place; the Pope, the Chancery and, in the sibling, Castel Sant’Angelo put the writers in Rome. The first 2307 line reads “In nome di Dio a dì xvj di gennaio 1478”.
It is not the cipher of Siena no. 11, Acciaiuoli’s letter from Rome of June 1478, which is deciphered with Lasry’s key.
02 The key and its tests
MAP LXXII 170, of January 1478, carries a decipherment written over the cipher words in a second hand. From 69 aligned pairs a key was built (held-out letters 57–74%), refined by context and a five-gram model of 16th-century Italian, and applied to the finer transcriptions of the two bare letters after a sign-by-sign recheck of doubtful words at five to six times magnification.
The project’s validation of the refined key is weak. The claimed score of −2.27 per letter beats 200 random keys (z = 4.4) and six keys refitted to shuffled signs (best −2.74), but with only six refits the p-value cannot fall below 0.14, and the annealer started from random keys reaches −2.5 on the real text. A second session therefore worked on 2307 without the sibling’s key, with its own coarser transcription (29 sign classes) and a homophonic annealer on the ciphertext alone, which returned sense at once. Its control, an Italian passage of 537 signs in a random 29-sign key, came back 655 of 667 letters right. The two keys, reached separately, agree on the main values (a, e, i, o, n, t, r, d, u, s, m, g, b, p).
03 The reading
Counted by script, 1,253 of the 1,647 cipher signs of the two letters sit in words that read as sense: 63.9% of the unsigned letter (371 of 581) and 82.7% of Mazzinghi’s (882 of 1,066). The ciphertext-only break, on its own transcription, reads 111 of 189 cipher words (58.7%), with 30 read with doubt.
The unsigned letter of 13 January says that the Pope has sent a brief, that a letter was presented the day before to a person coded 10, and that the king is so enraged that the writer fears Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta will be seized and put in Castel Sant’Angelo; it was written in haste. Mazzinghi, three days later, writes “io, persona fidata” that this morning a bull under lead was published in the Chancery annulling all the privileges granted to them, that a very cruel process is made “contra di voi”, that “credo abbino el diavolo in corpo”, that Iacopo de’ Rossi of Pistoia has told him of “la fine vostra”, and that a person coded 30 was ordered killed and the same order seems to stand over them; he closes “aiutatevi l’occhio, ché ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine”. The reading, with the code numerals marked, is under Full texts.
04 What remains uncertain
- 92 cipher words (394 signs) do not decode to sense. The signs are 8–14 pixels high at the viewer’s maximum (1,272 px wide); they were rechecked at five to six times magnification and tried against look-alike variants, and no higher-resolution image is online.
- The code numerals 10, 30, 40, 51, 231 and 10/3, and the recurring group OLDP, DLDP or EDP, are open. Only 12 = Zanobi is glossed in the sibling; its gloss over 10 reads “Duca” and an illegible word, so 10 is a duke, which one is open. None of the Medici key sheets of 1472–1494 is this cipher (MAP LXXII 178–189 bis, CXIX 115–127), and no code list for this cipher was found. If 30 is Lorenzo, the letter warns of a murder plot nine months after the conspiracy; that is not claimed.
- The two independent drafts differ in places: “abbiatevi” against “aiutatevi”, “rine” against “fine vostra”, “accennando la…” against “dannando la croce”. They are to be settled against the image.
- Lorenzo de’ Medici’s Lettere II and III do not cite either shelfmark; volume IV was searched for another letter only, so the check is to be repeated for these two. DECODE has no MAP records.
- No human has checked the transcription against the images; the images are not reproduced.
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.
MAP CXXXVII 252, 13 January 1478 st. fior. (1479), unsigned
An unsigned writer in Rome, three days before Mazzinghi's letter: the Pope has sent a brief, a letter was presented to [10], and the king is so enraged that the writer fears Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta, Florentines in Rome, will be seized and put in Castel Sant'Angelo; written in haste during the Pazzi War.
Transcription: t252.tsv
Decryption
0 + a dì 13 di gennaio 1478 1 CTULTA SOLO PAUISARUI com SS GATOG OLDP AMANDATO UNO BRIEUE 2 AS S ANLTI RICARGLI ECOMANDASGLI SSO ELD SARA FATTL A [10] AAD RATO 3 ALA SUAP SONA [struck] CSSNII LUO TOMO USSLL GDGAA CH SSSSI 4 ALLA SIGNORIA MOSTO DOUDA UERSL UOI AI dirono UNALETTRA FU 5 IERI MATTINA EOSENTATA A [10] UOI LABIATE SSATTA FARE UOI EPAURA 6 AUETE DILRUI EAS FANTE NDNSIPARTIUA OADSS OSA SODNG I NPIDIA 7 RE TANTO EARABIATO LA CUESTA CAGANE DUBITO nō SADINO 8 PIGL RE ANTONIO DELPALANO EPAGOLO RUCELLAI E SIONARDO 9 DIGUNTA EMETTERE INDASTE LO AE PDICANO FAGNO A UOI ELGNIO 10 UAGGS TORNABUONI ASSS MIUORE UDEASSAI OLDP ADOMANDATD A [10] 11 NONSI PARTT AAGD ISPABATO A EAD UNO FANTE AUDIATE SEDLIO 12 com COMANDATE NIEENTE A UIA NESSUNA FATTA INFRETTA [10] IO UIUAS 13 UI AUOI GIFAUOMANDO 14 EGA FADONE GRANDISSIMO U DASAO v [verso]
Reading
# Reading of MAP CXXXVII 252 and LXXXIX 142 (January 1478 st. fior. = 1479)
Key rebuilt from the contemporary interlinear decipherment of the sibling MAP LXXII 170 (`build_key.py`, `key.tsv`),
completed by context and a 5-gram model (`refine.py`, `key_refined.tsv`), applied to the transcriptions `t252.tsv`
and `t142.tsv` after a sign-by-sign recheck of doubtful words at 5-6x (`recheck.tsv`). Raw decodes: `draft252.txt`,
`draft142.txt` (cipher words in capitals). Below, the cipher words are given in normal spelling, clear words in
*italics* where they matter, `[…]` = cipher word not read, `[10]` = code numeral (persons; 10 is glossed "Duca" plus an
illegible word in LXXII 170, 12 is glossed "Zanobi"; 30, 40, 51, 231 not identified), `?` = doubtful word.
Measured (`measure.py`): 252: 72 of 121 cipher words, 371 of 581 signs read (63.9%); 142: 166 of 209 cipher words,
882 of 1,066 signs (82.7%); together 1,253 of 1,647 signs (76.1%).
## MAP CXXXVII 252, 13 January 1478 (st. fior.), unsigned
> + A dì 13 di gennaio 1478. […] solo per avisarvi come S.S. […] […] à mandato uno brieve […] […] […] […] e
> comandasgli […] […] sarà fatto a [10] […] […] alla sua persona […] […] […] […] […] alla Signoria, molto […] verso
> voi; […] diranno. Una lettera fu ieri mattina [presentata?] a [10]; voi l'abiate fatta fare voi, e paura avete di
> lui. […] fante non si partiva […] […] […] […] […]. [Il …]re tanto è arrabiato [per] questa [cagione?] [che] dubito
> non facino pigliare Antonio del Palagio e Pagolo Rucellai e Lionardo di Giunta e mettere in Castello […] […] […]
> per voi […]. […] Tornabuoni […] […] […] ha domandato a [10] [che?] non si partì; […] […] a […] uno fante.
> Abbiate l'occhio, come? comandate niente per via nessuna. Fatta in fretta. [10] Io […] […] a voi [mi racomando?]
> […] […] grandissimo […] […].
**English.** 13 January 1479. [I write] only to tell you how His Holiness has sent a brief […] and ordered him […]
it will be done to [10] […] to his person […] to the Signoria, very [hard?] towards you; […] they will say. A letter
was [presented?] yesterday morning to [10]; [they say] you had it written yourselves, and that you are afraid of
him. […] the messenger did not leave […]. The king(?) is so enraged for this reason that I fear they will have
Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta seized and put in [Castel Sant'Angelo] […] on your
account. […] Tornabuoni […] asked [10] that he should not leave; […] a messenger. Keep your eyes open, as you order
nothing by any route. Written in haste. [10] I […] commend myself to you […] very great […].
## MAP LXXXIX 142, 16 January 1478 (st. fior.), Giovanni Mazzinghi
> + In nome di Dio, a dì xvj di gennaio 1478. Io, persona fidata, v'avisai *quanto …* prossimo e … Questa mattina
> […] […] [una bolla?] piombata *diffinito* publicare in Cancelleria […] (che?) arivocati tutti e privilegi che la
> Chiesa aveva mai conceduti dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì, a *q[uesta] …* [30] […] *con …* non ò potuto
> intendere. Affermo che processo contra di voi molto crudele, *quando* accennando la croce addosso a voi […]. Iddio
> gli tolga [ora?] la vita, che credo abbino el diavolo in corpo.
>
> Egli è che Iacopo de' Rossi da Pistoia, che sta in casa […] […], molte volte dettomi che da […] […] la fine vostra
> […]; non gl'ò potuto cavare ancora di bocha nulla, […] è persona molto astuta. *Bonig[…]* [10] gli à detto si può
> fidare di me come di loro. *[…] da Borgo* e altro pistolese che si chiama Cola *fu da me* […] è stato […] [10/3]
> ore; *ò chiamato* quello Iacopo, e quello ordinò la morte di [30], e mostra sia [suo?] ordine sopra a voi […].
> […] e industria […] metterò, e se […] vedessi o intendessi nulla di certo, […] in persona. Abbiatevi l'occhio, che
> bisogna, ché ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine. *Per bisogno* [51] *promesso* […] […] ve lo dica, *e a lui gli
> farete …*; non bisogna *…* [231] *il molto* […]. *Io ho …* […] *pare* […] a V. S. *… mi* daresse … dicono *mille*
> novelle […] […] … intendo da [10] [12] V. S. […] […] […] no; certissimo da altri sarete avisato come ogni …
> in casa. … grandissimo danno … [10] … V. S. gli crede […] […] … […] mi pare si governo tutto … [40] ha scritto a
> [10] una lettera … […] da … hanno […] […] […] la Chiesa di Pisa per fa[r] dispetto […] a […] […] al popolo
> riputazione … due? lettere … [40] … […] … cosa. … venuto messere Lorenzo da Castello … [10] … fatto molto
> gagliardo … matto … essendo in casa … due travestiti … detto … gl'imbasciadori lucchesi … fuori …
**English.** In the name of God, 16 January 1479. I, a trusted person, informed you of […]. This morning a [bull]
under lead was published in the Chancery, revoking all the privileges the Church had ever granted from Duke
Filippo to this day, to […] [30] […]; I could not learn more. I affirm that the process against you is very cruel,
pointing the cross at you […]. May God take their life [now?], for I believe they have the devil in them.
The fact is that Iacopo de' Rossi of Pistoia, who lives in the house of […], has told me many times that […] your
end […]; I have not yet been able to get anything out of his mouth: he is a very cunning man. [10] has told him he
can trust me as one of them. [ … ] from Borgo and another man from Pistoia called Cola came to me […] at [10/3]
o'clock; I called that Iacopo, and he ordered the death of [30], and shows that it is [his?] order against you […].
I will put [care?] and industry [into it], and if I see or learn anything certain, [I will come] in person. Keep
your eyes open, for it is needed: everything they do is for your end. […] [51] promised […] let him tell you […].
[Later, in clear with cipher words: news heard from [10] [12]; Your Lordship will be informed by others; very great
harm; [40] has written a letter to [10]; the Church of Pisa, to spite […], the people, reputation; messer Lorenzo da
Castello has come and has become very bold; two men in disguise; the Lucchese ambassadors; outside.]
## Notes on the reading
- "Duca Filippo": the privileges are those granted "dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì"; the clause is read as
decoded and not interpreted further here.
- Code 30: the letter warns the recipients ("la fine vostra", "sopra a voi"); 30 is most likely Lorenzo de' Medici
or one of the household, but the code is not identified from any source.
- Code 10: the sibling's gloss over the same numeral reads "Duca" followed by an illegible word (re-read at 6x on
6 Nov 2026: perhaps "nostro"; "di Calabria" is not supported). Which duke is left open; none of the Medici key
sheets of the period is this cipher (keysheets.md).
- OLDP / DLDP / EDP (five times) behave like a code group for a person (perhaps "il papa" or a cardinal); not read.Translation
# Reading of MAP CXXXVII 252 and LXXXIX 142 (January 1478 st. fior. = 1479)
Key rebuilt from the contemporary interlinear decipherment of the sibling MAP LXXII 170 (`build_key.py`, `key.tsv`),
completed by context and a 5-gram model (`refine.py`, `key_refined.tsv`), applied to the transcriptions `t252.tsv`
and `t142.tsv` after a sign-by-sign recheck of doubtful words at 5-6x (`recheck.tsv`). Raw decodes: `draft252.txt`,
`draft142.txt` (cipher words in capitals). Below, the cipher words are given in normal spelling, clear words in
*italics* where they matter, `[…]` = cipher word not read, `[10]` = code numeral (persons; 10 is glossed "Duca" plus an
illegible word in LXXII 170, 12 is glossed "Zanobi"; 30, 40, 51, 231 not identified), `?` = doubtful word.
Measured (`measure.py`): 252: 72 of 121 cipher words, 371 of 581 signs read (63.9%); 142: 166 of 209 cipher words,
882 of 1,066 signs (82.7%); together 1,253 of 1,647 signs (76.1%).
## MAP CXXXVII 252, 13 January 1478 (st. fior.), unsigned
> + A dì 13 di gennaio 1478. […] solo per avisarvi come S.S. […] […] à mandato uno brieve […] […] […] […] e
> comandasgli […] […] sarà fatto a [10] […] […] alla sua persona […] […] […] […] […] alla Signoria, molto […] verso
> voi; […] diranno. Una lettera fu ieri mattina [presentata?] a [10]; voi l'abiate fatta fare voi, e paura avete di
> lui. […] fante non si partiva […] […] […] […] […]. [Il …]re tanto è arrabiato [per] questa [cagione?] [che] dubito
> non facino pigliare Antonio del Palagio e Pagolo Rucellai e Lionardo di Giunta e mettere in Castello […] […] […]
> per voi […]. […] Tornabuoni […] […] […] ha domandato a [10] [che?] non si partì; […] […] a […] uno fante.
> Abbiate l'occhio, come? comandate niente per via nessuna. Fatta in fretta. [10] Io […] […] a voi [mi racomando?]
> […] […] grandissimo […] […].
**English.** 13 January 1479. [I write] only to tell you how His Holiness has sent a brief […] and ordered him […]
it will be done to [10] […] to his person […] to the Signoria, very [hard?] towards you; […] they will say. A letter
was [presented?] yesterday morning to [10]; [they say] you had it written yourselves, and that you are afraid of
him. […] the messenger did not leave […]. The king(?) is so enraged for this reason that I fear they will have
Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta seized and put in [Castel Sant'Angelo] […] on your
account. […] Tornabuoni […] asked [10] that he should not leave; […] a messenger. Keep your eyes open, as you order
nothing by any route. Written in haste. [10] I […] commend myself to you […] very great […].
## MAP LXXXIX 142, 16 January 1478 (st. fior.), Giovanni Mazzinghi
> + In nome di Dio, a dì xvj di gennaio 1478. Io, persona fidata, v'avisai *quanto …* prossimo e … Questa mattina
> […] […] [una bolla?] piombata *diffinito* publicare in Cancelleria […] (che?) arivocati tutti e privilegi che la
> Chiesa aveva mai conceduti dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì, a *q[uesta] …* [30] […] *con …* non ò potuto
> intendere. Affermo che processo contra di voi molto crudele, *quando* accennando la croce addosso a voi […]. Iddio
> gli tolga [ora?] la vita, che credo abbino el diavolo in corpo.
>
> Egli è che Iacopo de' Rossi da Pistoia, che sta in casa […] […], molte volte dettomi che da […] […] la fine vostra
> […]; non gl'ò potuto cavare ancora di bocha nulla, […] è persona molto astuta. *Bonig[…]* [10] gli à detto si può
> fidare di me come di loro. *[…] da Borgo* e altro pistolese che si chiama Cola *fu da me* […] è stato […] [10/3]
> ore; *ò chiamato* quello Iacopo, e quello ordinò la morte di [30], e mostra sia [suo?] ordine sopra a voi […].
> […] e industria […] metterò, e se […] vedessi o intendessi nulla di certo, […] in persona. Abbiatevi l'occhio, che
> bisogna, ché ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine. *Per bisogno* [51] *promesso* […] […] ve lo dica, *e a lui gli
> farete …*; non bisogna *…* [231] *il molto* […]. *Io ho …* […] *pare* […] a V. S. *… mi* daresse … dicono *mille*
> novelle […] […] … intendo da [10] [12] V. S. […] […] […] no; certissimo da altri sarete avisato come ogni …
> in casa. … grandissimo danno … [10] … V. S. gli crede […] […] … […] mi pare si governo tutto … [40] ha scritto a
> [10] una lettera … […] da … hanno […] […] […] la Chiesa di Pisa per fa[r] dispetto […] a […] […] al popolo
> riputazione … due? lettere … [40] … […] … cosa. … venuto messere Lorenzo da Castello … [10] … fatto molto
> gagliardo … matto … essendo in casa … due travestiti … detto … gl'imbasciadori lucchesi … fuori …
**English.** In the name of God, 16 January 1479. I, a trusted person, informed you of […]. This morning a [bull]
under lead was published in the Chancery, revoking all the privileges the Church had ever granted from Duke
Filippo to this day, to […] [30] […]; I could not learn more. I affirm that the process against you is very cruel,
pointing the cross at you […]. May God take their life [now?], for I believe they have the devil in them.
The fact is that Iacopo de' Rossi of Pistoia, who lives in the house of […], has told me many times that […] your
end […]; I have not yet been able to get anything out of his mouth: he is a very cunning man. [10] has told him he
can trust me as one of them. [ … ] from Borgo and another man from Pistoia called Cola came to me […] at [10/3]
o'clock; I called that Iacopo, and he ordered the death of [30], and shows that it is [his?] order against you […].
I will put [care?] and industry [into it], and if I see or learn anything certain, [I will come] in person. Keep
your eyes open, for it is needed: everything they do is for your end. […] [51] promised […] let him tell you […].
[Later, in clear with cipher words: news heard from [10] [12]; Your Lordship will be informed by others; very great
harm; [40] has written a letter to [10]; the Church of Pisa, to spite […], the people, reputation; messer Lorenzo da
Castello has come and has become very bold; two men in disguise; the Lucchese ambassadors; outside.]
## Notes on the reading
- "Duca Filippo": the privileges are those granted "dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì"; the clause is read as
decoded and not interpreted further here.
- Code 30: the letter warns the recipients ("la fine vostra", "sopra a voi"); 30 is most likely Lorenzo de' Medici
or one of the household, but the code is not identified from any source.
- Code 10: the sibling's gloss over the same numeral reads "Duca" followed by an illegible word (re-read at 6x on
6 Nov 2026: perhaps "nostro"; "di Calabria" is not supported). Which duke is left open; none of the Medici key
sheets of the period is this cipher (keysheets.md).
- OLDP / DLDP / EDP (five times) behave like a code group for a person (perhaps "il papa" or a cardinal); not read.MAP LXXXIX 142, Giovanni Mazzinghi, 16 January 1478 st. fior. (1479)
Giovanni Mazzinghi warns the Medici from Rome: a bull under lead has been published in the Chancery revoking the privileges the Church had granted, a very cruel process is being made against them, and Iacopo de' Rossi of Pistoia and another Pistoiese, Cola, are involved in a plot ('quello ordino la morte di [30]', 'ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine'). Nine months after the Pazzi conspiracy, during the war and the interdict.
Transcription: t142.tsv
Decryption
0 + in nom[e] dd · a d[ì] xvj di gennaio 1478 // 1 jo PERSONA FIDATA UAUISAI quanto dqui~ an~ prossimo E ꝓnio ag~ or~ on~ moro 2 ro~ g'' DUESTA MATTINA DLDP PBDLLA PIONBATA dffnito PEUBRICARE in 3 CANDELLERIA SSDGN ARIUODATI TUTTI EPRIUILEGI CELLA CTIEST 4 AUEUA MAI CONCEDUTI DALDUCA FILIPPO INUINO ADUESTO DI 5 A q' [30] ESSDI conyonndo qmnon~ nō D POTU TO INTENDERE AFERMO CH PRO 6 CESSO CONTRA DIUOI MOLTO CRUDELE quan~ ADENNANDO LA CRO 7 DE ADOSSO AUOI ASS IDIO GSITOGLA AMA LAUITA CTTDREDO 8 ABINO ELDIAUOLO INCORPO 9 IGLE CH IACOPO DEROSSI DAPISTOIA CLESTA E CASA ALLI OANMI 10 MOLTE UOLTE DETTMO CLE DAPISLRIA FIEOU LAFINE UOSTRA ND 11 GLO POTUTO CAUARED ANCORA DIBOCLA NULLA ASSI EPSON 12 A MOLTO ASTUTA bonig~ [10] glia dandetto SIPUO FIDARE DIME com 13 DILORO cda borgo CH ALTRO PISTOLESE CLESSI CLIAMA COLA 14 fo da mj d~ E qua ostato dʒ I [10/3] ORE o chiamm~ DUELLO IACOPO ECUEL 15 O ERDINO LAMORTE dl [30] EMOSTRA SIA SS ORDINE SOARA AUOI GG 16 I E DUSTRIA E SS METTERO ESSE U EDESSI OINTENDESSI NULLA DICERT 17 O UEPPO INPERSONA AUDIATEUI LOCLIO CEBISOGNA CLEOG 18 NI COSA FANO PLA UOSTRA FINE ꝑ bisogn~ [51] ꝓmesso ATON 19 GASO UELODICA e a luy gli fareto dam~ e p~ qui NONBISOGND qu~m 20 dam~ [231] il molt~ DAGONE jo ho ſntray alcun~ ꝗ ꝓ ĩ vostr~ vz mostrãdo 21 ꝑ loro GOSSD pou~ PARESARE A vz cffãno mj mille DARESSE ɕſſɑſſo mj 22 DICONO mille NOUELLE UUNDO SATTONGONO e quãdo nõ bench~ pero ꝼmr 23 mfo ꝭ nõ quãdo INTENDO da [10] [12] vz DUNSCOUO DEPSSI EAD 24 NO CEFTISSIGD DAALTRI SARETE AUISATO DOME OGNIA sono 25 INCASA el vz 26 GRANDISSIMO dãno v1fr [10] ꝭ l vz GSICFEDE AIAI DLDP a vt DU 27 fino SEOGO MIPARE SIGLOUERNO tutto 28 ꝭl [40] ASCRITTO A [10] una LETTEFA el vz EDP DA vt ſuo conogm~ ſom~ 29 ANO SSLIPARE SIDIA AN LACLIESA DICHISA A fam~ DISPETTO AND A 30 EAORUI AELD ALPOPOLO RIPUTAADNE macl vz uuolto sabir~ 31 sz ɕggi DUEDCTE LETTERE dl [40] ɕſuniy ꝭᴧ APIDACHTI ɕfãno ogni 32 DOSA 33 ꝭos UENUTO MESSERE LORENIO DACASTELLO [blotted] [10] ꝭ fatto MOLTO 34 GAGLARDO uãmr~ pm~ MATTO 35 q~ GAIG ſendo ĩ CASA vz vrmono DUA TFAUUESTITI condur~ papaftorj eſũmi 36 DETTO ɕramo GSINBAUADOFI [struck] LUDESI ɕogni dſom~ UUDI FUORI 37 nõ o dnrom~ potrno ĩ ddm~ quãdo ɕrouisto tutto vamfero d vaj mirarro8∂ndo v 1478 / ad 16 di genaio / da g. mazinghi / cifra
Reading
# Reading of MAP CXXXVII 252 and LXXXIX 142 (January 1478 st. fior. = 1479)
Key rebuilt from the contemporary interlinear decipherment of the sibling MAP LXXII 170 (`build_key.py`, `key.tsv`),
completed by context and a 5-gram model (`refine.py`, `key_refined.tsv`), applied to the transcriptions `t252.tsv`
and `t142.tsv` after a sign-by-sign recheck of doubtful words at 5-6x (`recheck.tsv`). Raw decodes: `draft252.txt`,
`draft142.txt` (cipher words in capitals). Below, the cipher words are given in normal spelling, clear words in
*italics* where they matter, `[…]` = cipher word not read, `[10]` = code numeral (persons; 10 is glossed "Duca" plus an
illegible word in LXXII 170, 12 is glossed "Zanobi"; 30, 40, 51, 231 not identified), `?` = doubtful word.
Measured (`measure.py`): 252: 72 of 121 cipher words, 371 of 581 signs read (63.9%); 142: 166 of 209 cipher words,
882 of 1,066 signs (82.7%); together 1,253 of 1,647 signs (76.1%).
## MAP CXXXVII 252, 13 January 1478 (st. fior.), unsigned
> + A dì 13 di gennaio 1478. […] solo per avisarvi come S.S. […] […] à mandato uno brieve […] […] […] […] e
> comandasgli […] […] sarà fatto a [10] […] […] alla sua persona […] […] […] […] […] alla Signoria, molto […] verso
> voi; […] diranno. Una lettera fu ieri mattina [presentata?] a [10]; voi l'abiate fatta fare voi, e paura avete di
> lui. […] fante non si partiva […] […] […] […] […]. [Il …]re tanto è arrabiato [per] questa [cagione?] [che] dubito
> non facino pigliare Antonio del Palagio e Pagolo Rucellai e Lionardo di Giunta e mettere in Castello […] […] […]
> per voi […]. […] Tornabuoni […] […] […] ha domandato a [10] [che?] non si partì; […] […] a […] uno fante.
> Abbiate l'occhio, come? comandate niente per via nessuna. Fatta in fretta. [10] Io […] […] a voi [mi racomando?]
> […] […] grandissimo […] […].
**English.** 13 January 1479. [I write] only to tell you how His Holiness has sent a brief […] and ordered him […]
it will be done to [10] […] to his person […] to the Signoria, very [hard?] towards you; […] they will say. A letter
was [presented?] yesterday morning to [10]; [they say] you had it written yourselves, and that you are afraid of
him. […] the messenger did not leave […]. The king(?) is so enraged for this reason that I fear they will have
Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta seized and put in [Castel Sant'Angelo] […] on your
account. […] Tornabuoni […] asked [10] that he should not leave; […] a messenger. Keep your eyes open, as you order
nothing by any route. Written in haste. [10] I […] commend myself to you […] very great […].
## MAP LXXXIX 142, 16 January 1478 (st. fior.), Giovanni Mazzinghi
> + In nome di Dio, a dì xvj di gennaio 1478. Io, persona fidata, v'avisai *quanto …* prossimo e … Questa mattina
> […] […] [una bolla?] piombata *diffinito* publicare in Cancelleria […] (che?) arivocati tutti e privilegi che la
> Chiesa aveva mai conceduti dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì, a *q[uesta] …* [30] […] *con …* non ò potuto
> intendere. Affermo che processo contra di voi molto crudele, *quando* accennando la croce addosso a voi […]. Iddio
> gli tolga [ora?] la vita, che credo abbino el diavolo in corpo.
>
> Egli è che Iacopo de' Rossi da Pistoia, che sta in casa […] […], molte volte dettomi che da […] […] la fine vostra
> […]; non gl'ò potuto cavare ancora di bocha nulla, […] è persona molto astuta. *Bonig[…]* [10] gli à detto si può
> fidare di me come di loro. *[…] da Borgo* e altro pistolese che si chiama Cola *fu da me* […] è stato […] [10/3]
> ore; *ò chiamato* quello Iacopo, e quello ordinò la morte di [30], e mostra sia [suo?] ordine sopra a voi […].
> […] e industria […] metterò, e se […] vedessi o intendessi nulla di certo, […] in persona. Abbiatevi l'occhio, che
> bisogna, ché ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine. *Per bisogno* [51] *promesso* […] […] ve lo dica, *e a lui gli
> farete …*; non bisogna *…* [231] *il molto* […]. *Io ho …* […] *pare* […] a V. S. *… mi* daresse … dicono *mille*
> novelle […] […] … intendo da [10] [12] V. S. […] […] […] no; certissimo da altri sarete avisato come ogni …
> in casa. … grandissimo danno … [10] … V. S. gli crede […] […] … […] mi pare si governo tutto … [40] ha scritto a
> [10] una lettera … […] da … hanno […] […] […] la Chiesa di Pisa per fa[r] dispetto […] a […] […] al popolo
> riputazione … due? lettere … [40] … […] … cosa. … venuto messere Lorenzo da Castello … [10] … fatto molto
> gagliardo … matto … essendo in casa … due travestiti … detto … gl'imbasciadori lucchesi … fuori …
**English.** In the name of God, 16 January 1479. I, a trusted person, informed you of […]. This morning a [bull]
under lead was published in the Chancery, revoking all the privileges the Church had ever granted from Duke
Filippo to this day, to […] [30] […]; I could not learn more. I affirm that the process against you is very cruel,
pointing the cross at you […]. May God take their life [now?], for I believe they have the devil in them.
The fact is that Iacopo de' Rossi of Pistoia, who lives in the house of […], has told me many times that […] your
end […]; I have not yet been able to get anything out of his mouth: he is a very cunning man. [10] has told him he
can trust me as one of them. [ … ] from Borgo and another man from Pistoia called Cola came to me […] at [10/3]
o'clock; I called that Iacopo, and he ordered the death of [30], and shows that it is [his?] order against you […].
I will put [care?] and industry [into it], and if I see or learn anything certain, [I will come] in person. Keep
your eyes open, for it is needed: everything they do is for your end. […] [51] promised […] let him tell you […].
[Later, in clear with cipher words: news heard from [10] [12]; Your Lordship will be informed by others; very great
harm; [40] has written a letter to [10]; the Church of Pisa, to spite […], the people, reputation; messer Lorenzo da
Castello has come and has become very bold; two men in disguise; the Lucchese ambassadors; outside.]
## Notes on the reading
- "Duca Filippo": the privileges are those granted "dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì"; the clause is read as
decoded and not interpreted further here.
- Code 30: the letter warns the recipients ("la fine vostra", "sopra a voi"); 30 is most likely Lorenzo de' Medici
or one of the household, but the code is not identified from any source.
- Code 10: the sibling's gloss over the same numeral reads "Duca" followed by an illegible word (re-read at 6x on
6 Nov 2026: perhaps "nostro"; "di Calabria" is not supported). Which duke is left open; none of the Medici key
sheets of the period is this cipher (keysheets.md).
- OLDP / DLDP / EDP (five times) behave like a code group for a person (perhaps "il papa" or a cardinal); not read.Translation
# Reading of MAP CXXXVII 252 and LXXXIX 142 (January 1478 st. fior. = 1479)
Key rebuilt from the contemporary interlinear decipherment of the sibling MAP LXXII 170 (`build_key.py`, `key.tsv`),
completed by context and a 5-gram model (`refine.py`, `key_refined.tsv`), applied to the transcriptions `t252.tsv`
and `t142.tsv` after a sign-by-sign recheck of doubtful words at 5-6x (`recheck.tsv`). Raw decodes: `draft252.txt`,
`draft142.txt` (cipher words in capitals). Below, the cipher words are given in normal spelling, clear words in
*italics* where they matter, `[…]` = cipher word not read, `[10]` = code numeral (persons; 10 is glossed "Duca" plus an
illegible word in LXXII 170, 12 is glossed "Zanobi"; 30, 40, 51, 231 not identified), `?` = doubtful word.
Measured (`measure.py`): 252: 72 of 121 cipher words, 371 of 581 signs read (63.9%); 142: 166 of 209 cipher words,
882 of 1,066 signs (82.7%); together 1,253 of 1,647 signs (76.1%).
## MAP CXXXVII 252, 13 January 1478 (st. fior.), unsigned
> + A dì 13 di gennaio 1478. […] solo per avisarvi come S.S. […] […] à mandato uno brieve […] […] […] […] e
> comandasgli […] […] sarà fatto a [10] […] […] alla sua persona […] […] […] […] […] alla Signoria, molto […] verso
> voi; […] diranno. Una lettera fu ieri mattina [presentata?] a [10]; voi l'abiate fatta fare voi, e paura avete di
> lui. […] fante non si partiva […] […] […] […] […]. [Il …]re tanto è arrabiato [per] questa [cagione?] [che] dubito
> non facino pigliare Antonio del Palagio e Pagolo Rucellai e Lionardo di Giunta e mettere in Castello […] […] […]
> per voi […]. […] Tornabuoni […] […] […] ha domandato a [10] [che?] non si partì; […] […] a […] uno fante.
> Abbiate l'occhio, come? comandate niente per via nessuna. Fatta in fretta. [10] Io […] […] a voi [mi racomando?]
> […] […] grandissimo […] […].
**English.** 13 January 1479. [I write] only to tell you how His Holiness has sent a brief […] and ordered him […]
it will be done to [10] […] to his person […] to the Signoria, very [hard?] towards you; […] they will say. A letter
was [presented?] yesterday morning to [10]; [they say] you had it written yourselves, and that you are afraid of
him. […] the messenger did not leave […]. The king(?) is so enraged for this reason that I fear they will have
Antonio del Palagio, Pagolo Rucellai and Lionardo di Giunta seized and put in [Castel Sant'Angelo] […] on your
account. […] Tornabuoni […] asked [10] that he should not leave; […] a messenger. Keep your eyes open, as you order
nothing by any route. Written in haste. [10] I […] commend myself to you […] very great […].
## MAP LXXXIX 142, 16 January 1478 (st. fior.), Giovanni Mazzinghi
> + In nome di Dio, a dì xvj di gennaio 1478. Io, persona fidata, v'avisai *quanto …* prossimo e … Questa mattina
> […] […] [una bolla?] piombata *diffinito* publicare in Cancelleria […] (che?) arivocati tutti e privilegi che la
> Chiesa aveva mai conceduti dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì, a *q[uesta] …* [30] […] *con …* non ò potuto
> intendere. Affermo che processo contra di voi molto crudele, *quando* accennando la croce addosso a voi […]. Iddio
> gli tolga [ora?] la vita, che credo abbino el diavolo in corpo.
>
> Egli è che Iacopo de' Rossi da Pistoia, che sta in casa […] […], molte volte dettomi che da […] […] la fine vostra
> […]; non gl'ò potuto cavare ancora di bocha nulla, […] è persona molto astuta. *Bonig[…]* [10] gli à detto si può
> fidare di me come di loro. *[…] da Borgo* e altro pistolese che si chiama Cola *fu da me* […] è stato […] [10/3]
> ore; *ò chiamato* quello Iacopo, e quello ordinò la morte di [30], e mostra sia [suo?] ordine sopra a voi […].
> […] e industria […] metterò, e se […] vedessi o intendessi nulla di certo, […] in persona. Abbiatevi l'occhio, che
> bisogna, ché ogni cosa fanno per la vostra fine. *Per bisogno* [51] *promesso* […] […] ve lo dica, *e a lui gli
> farete …*; non bisogna *…* [231] *il molto* […]. *Io ho …* […] *pare* […] a V. S. *… mi* daresse … dicono *mille*
> novelle […] […] … intendo da [10] [12] V. S. […] […] […] no; certissimo da altri sarete avisato come ogni …
> in casa. … grandissimo danno … [10] … V. S. gli crede […] […] … […] mi pare si governo tutto … [40] ha scritto a
> [10] una lettera … […] da … hanno […] […] […] la Chiesa di Pisa per fa[r] dispetto […] a […] […] al popolo
> riputazione … due? lettere … [40] … […] … cosa. … venuto messere Lorenzo da Castello … [10] … fatto molto
> gagliardo … matto … essendo in casa … due travestiti … detto … gl'imbasciadori lucchesi … fuori …
**English.** In the name of God, 16 January 1479. I, a trusted person, informed you of […]. This morning a [bull]
under lead was published in the Chancery, revoking all the privileges the Church had ever granted from Duke
Filippo to this day, to […] [30] […]; I could not learn more. I affirm that the process against you is very cruel,
pointing the cross at you […]. May God take their life [now?], for I believe they have the devil in them.
The fact is that Iacopo de' Rossi of Pistoia, who lives in the house of […], has told me many times that […] your
end […]; I have not yet been able to get anything out of his mouth: he is a very cunning man. [10] has told him he
can trust me as one of them. [ … ] from Borgo and another man from Pistoia called Cola came to me […] at [10/3]
o'clock; I called that Iacopo, and he ordered the death of [30], and shows that it is [his?] order against you […].
I will put [care?] and industry [into it], and if I see or learn anything certain, [I will come] in person. Keep
your eyes open, for it is needed: everything they do is for your end. […] [51] promised […] let him tell you […].
[Later, in clear with cipher words: news heard from [10] [12]; Your Lordship will be informed by others; very great
harm; [40] has written a letter to [10]; the Church of Pisa, to spite […], the people, reputation; messer Lorenzo da
Castello has come and has become very bold; two men in disguise; the Lucchese ambassadors; outside.]
## Notes on the reading
- "Duca Filippo": the privileges are those granted "dal duca Filippo infino a questo dì"; the clause is read as
decoded and not interpreted further here.
- Code 30: the letter warns the recipients ("la fine vostra", "sopra a voi"); 30 is most likely Lorenzo de' Medici
or one of the household, but the code is not identified from any source.
- Code 10: the sibling's gloss over the same numeral reads "Duca" followed by an illegible word (re-read at 6x on
6 Nov 2026: perhaps "nostro"; "di Calabria" is not supported). Which duke is left open; none of the Medici key
sheets of the period is this cipher (keysheets.md).
- OLDP / DLDP / EDP (five times) behave like a code group for a person (perhaps "il papa" or a cardinal); not read.Key: key_refined.tsv
05 Sources
- Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Mediceo avanti il Principato, LXXXIX 142, CXXXVII 252 and LXXII 170 (ASF MAP viewer, images fetched for study).
- Key, transcriptions, reading and the ciphertext-only cross-check: targets/mazzinghi1478. A different cipher of the same year, with its own page: Siena no. 11.
Notes, transcriptions, keys, decodes, the reading and the validation are in targets/mazzinghi1478.
Cite this page
Daniel Bourdeau, “Giovanni Mazzinghi and an unsigned writer to the Medici, Rome, January 1478 (1479)”, Cyphersolver, posted 6 November 2026, https://cyphersolver.com/mazzinghi1478.html.