Philip II’s letter to the nuncio Ormanetto, 1573 (DECODE R116)

At a glanceExternal key matched · partial (98% of the cipher)

The letter: Philip II to the nuncio Niccolò Ormanetto, bishop of Padua, spring 1573: the nuncio’s copy, sent to the Cardinal of Como and docketed 17 June 1573, with two passages in figures.
Where: Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, Segreteria di Stato, Spagna 7, ff. 303r–304r and address leaf; DECODE R116, catalogued as not yet deciphered (catalogue item 259).
The cipher: The Spain nunciature’s cifra ordinaria: two digit signs per letter, dots and a closing zero shape the signs, a cross-stroke on 2, 4 or 5 ends a word, and a short list of code groups.
How it was deciphered: Ajaydas Devadas reconstructed the key and sent it on 1 October 2026. The decoder was rebuilt here and run on our own transcription, re-read against the full-resolution scans on 5 October; 20 shuffled keys read at most 32.9%.
What it says: The King on joining the Pope’s new league with the Emperor, sending a special envoy; and on Pitigliano, where he wants “la pace et quiete di tutta Italia”.
Measured: 1,298 of 1,324 cipher tokens fall in words read as sense (98.0%; passage A 97.8%, B 98.4%). Counting five single-context code values as unread too gives 95.0%. Counted by words of the written-out reading, with its doubtful and supplied words as holes, 90.7% read (24 October 2026): coherent sentences, but under the 95% a complete reading needs.
Still open: Six code groups with one context each: 32, 2̇88, 84, 42, 53 and 3̇22 where it stands for per (26 tokens).
Credit: Key reconstructed by Ajaydas Devadas (email, 1 October 2026).

01 The document

Foot of the clear Spanish copy and the first lines of cipher passage A — f. 303r: the end of the King’s clear text (“… los puntos que de parte de Su S. en ellas me escrivis”) and the start of passage A, marked “A.” in the margin. Image: Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, Segreteria di Stato, Spagna 7 f. 303r, via DECODE R116.

f. 303r gives the King’s titles and the address to the bishop of Padua. He has received the nuncio’s letters but could not answer them sooner “por mi indispusicion, de que al presente (gracias á Dios) quedo bueno y levantado”. The nuncio may write this to His Holiness by the courier now leaving for Italy, and thank God for him. The King will answer the points raised on the Pope’s behalf. Passage A follows. An Italian slip pasted over the heading reads Della sanità ragguagliata del Re.

f. 304r has three numbered clear answers. (1) Jurisdiction: the King has written to Don Juan de Zúñiga, his ambassador in Rome, and refers to that. (2) The order for dividing the Turkish slaves held in Rome has been sent. (3) He will look into the affairs of the bishop of Liège that the Pope recommends. Passage B follows, marked “B.”. The Roman summary at the head lists only the three clear points.

The address leaf reads All’Ill.mo et R.mo S.r mio Col.mo Mons.r Ill.mo Cardinal di Como · à Roma · Per servitio di N. S.re, with the docket 73 / a 17 Junii. The ciphered passages are what the King or the nuncio kept out of the clear copy.

02 The cipher

Close view of the figures with dots and cross-strokes — Line 1 of A: *8̇222t 40 2̇4t 0̇6 4084t 975t 32t 2̇0̇…*. The cross-stroke (DECODE’s “1”) is joined to the digit before it. Image: Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, Segreteria di Stato, Spagna 7 f. 303r, via DECODE R116.

1,098 digits in 23 lines, from DECODE’s 2020 transcription, spot-checked against the images: A 756 symbols, B 568.
Dots over digits are frequent: 0̇ 148 times, 4̇ 46, 5̇ 36. A cross-stroke follows 2 (74 times), 4 (59) and 5 (51), rarely anything else.
There is no word division and no pair structure: the parity of every second digit is 60/40 at both offsets, line by line.
Over 31 distinct symbols the index of coincidence is 0.055. That is too low for plain substitution into Italian or Spanish.

03 The reading

Both passages decode with one key to Italian, written without h or doubled letters. Bracketed words are code groups. The start of passage A:

[Quanto] al far [officii] a lo [Imperatore] mio fratello [perché] … nella nuova [lega] proposta da [S.S.tà], mandando io persona espressa [perché] tratti [questo] [negotio], io ho ordinato che si facino sopra [questo] particular [quelli] buoni [officii] che mi sono parsi convenienti … Sarà [bene] che [S.S.tà] [ancora] dalla parte sua facia il medesimo, [come] voi dite che si offerisce.

As to making representations to the Emperor my brother to join the new league proposed by His Holiness: I am sending a special envoy to treat of this business, and I have ordered that the representations I thought fitting be made on this point … It will be well for His Holiness to do the same on his side, as you say he offers.

Ho visto il foglio mandatomi a parte sopra le cose di Pitigliano, et inteso particolarmente [tutto] [quello] [che] è passato … Et io desidero [tanto] la [pace] et [qui]ete di [tutta] [Italia], il servitio di Dio, che procurarò [quanto] sarà in me, [come] ho fatto sempre, che si levi affatto ogni occasione che sia [?] alterarla; ma non [?] finora inteso, né avendomene avisato lo [Imperatore], del stato in …

I have seen the sheet sent to me separately on the affairs of Pitigliano, and understood in detail everything that has happened … I so desire the peace and quiet of all Italy and the service of God that I will do all in my power, as I always have, to remove every occasion that might disturb it; but nothing has been learned so far, nor has the Emperor informed me of the state of… The passage ends there. This is Gregory XIII’s league against the Turks, which collapsed in 1573 when Venice made its separate peace; the Pitigliano business (the Orsini county in southern Tuscany) has not yet been checked against sources of 1573. The Spanish frame and the Italian passages are consistent: the King’s answers to the Pope, rendered in Italian for Rome.

04 The key

The key is the one that reads R118: the Spain nunciature’s cifra ordinaria, rules printed by Meister (1906, p. 265), table reconstructed by Ajaydas Devadas and emailed on 1 October 2026. Two signs for each letter:

letter	signs	letter	signs	letter	signs
a	40, 4̇	i	3, 0̇8	r	0̇5, 8
b	4, 0̇2	l	80, 2̇	s	20, 9̇
c	50, 7̇	m	2, 0̇1	t	0̇7, 9
d	0̇4, 7	n	90, 6̇	u/v	10, 1̇
e	60, 5̇	o	0̇3, 6	z	0̇9
f	0̇6, 5	p	30, 8̇	g	7̈, 3̇

A dot over a lone digit is part of the sign. 0̇x is a dotted zero followed by x; x0 is x closed by an undotted zero.

An undotted 0 closes the digit before it; a dotted 0 opens the next. A 2, 4 or 5 with a cross-stroke ends a word: it is the “1” that DECODE’s transcription writes after those digits. A small list of code groups covers common words: 6̇11 tutto, 2̇44 quello, 66 che, 8̇22 quanto, 4̇88 Sua Santità, 63 Imperatore, 97 officii, 87 non, 5̇11 tanto. Five or six consonant signs close each passage as nulls, and a few syllables (7̇2̇2 = qui) are dotted. Five of the code values are certain (they also occur in R118) and about sixteen are probable; eight are guesses and three are open.

05 Checks

Our own transcription. The decoder was rebuilt here from the description of the key (dec_aj.py) and applied to DECODE’s transcription (r116_cipher.txt), not to Devadas’s files. Passage B comes out as “o uisto il foglio mandatomi a parte soprale cose di pitigliano … procuraro quanto sara in me come o fato sempre”.
A control. With only the sixteen well-supported code groups substituted, 597 letters score −3.02 per letter under the Italian model. The best of 200 keys with the same structure and the letters shuffled scores −6.69 (mean −8.50).
The measure (measure.py, 5 October 2026). Every cipher token is counted, digits and word-end strokes alike (1,324). A word is credited only if its letters split into words attested in Renaissance Italian (the lang/ it-renaissance and it-nunziature corpora, written as the cipher writes), or it is a code group with an adopted value, or the final nulls. On DECODE’s transcription unchanged this gives 94.3%; on the transcription re-read against the scans, 98.0%. The same measure on 20 keys with the letters shuffled gives a mean of 23.0% and a maximum of 32.9%.
The sibling. The same key reads R118 (1576–77), a different ciphertext whose leaf carries the contemporary decipherment.
History. The league and the Emperor fit spring 1573; Pitigliano remains to be checked.

06 What remains open

Six code groups, each with a single context, not in R118 and on no key sheet (26 of 1,324 tokens): 32 and 2̇88 in se ben dal canto mio l’ho [32] de la buona [2̇88] havuta; 84 and 42 in sarà [84] che S.S.tà [42] dalla parte sua facia il medesimo, where bene and ancora fit but so do other words, so they are counted unread; 3̇22 in che sia [3̇22] alterarla (it is Italia after tutta, but per is wanted here); and 53 before finora, perhaps a dittography. The King’s minute (AGS Estado, Rome papers, 1573) or the Rome decifrato would settle them.
Five further values rest on one context each (62 canto, 48 essere, 4̇22 perché, 47/93 tutta, 3̇22 Italia), grade M. Counted as unread they bring the measure down to 95.0%.
The five suspect signs of the 1 October reading were checked on the full-resolution scans on 5 October. Two are the writer’s slips (entri, particular), one is a struck sign with a dotted 7 written above (col Imperatore), one is a stroke-4 (che si oferisce), and one, lost in a paper hole, is a dotted 0 by shape (desidera).

07 What failed on 21 September

The first attempt tried the five known nunciature keys and two families of annealer. All failed because the units were wrong: the cross-stroke was taken for a digit and the zero rule was missed, so the polyphonic and homophonic models were fitted to the wrong symbols. What was tried:

Keys tried

Spain nunciature 1568, Lasry’s polyphonic key (one digit stands for two letters, 0 null), which deciphers the Alessandrino letters. It gives nonsense here.
Crivelli, nuncio in Spain 1561 (Meister, p. 259): polyphonic, with codes ending in 9, 3 or 5. Nonsense.
“Cifra col cardinal di Como” (Meister VI.1, pp. 262–264, from Ottob. 3208–09). Its Spain nomenclator includes secretaries Zayas and Idiáquez, Cardinal Deza, Antonio Pérez and the Cruzada, and it marks codes by crossing or hooking the second digit, much like the stroke here. Letters with an odd second digit do not parse. Idiáquez and Deza date it to Sega’s nunciature after 1578.
Meister VI.2 and VI.3. VI.2 comes with the rules of “la cifra ordinaria di mons. nuntio di Spagna”: null 8 at the end of every word, a dot over the codes for che, chi, qua, que, qui, et, mente. Its letters do not parse. VI.3 (nuncio in Spain to nuncio in Flanders) uses only even digits, and this text has 330 odd ones.

Ciphertext-only attacks and their controls

Homophonic substitution over three symbol sets (digit; digit with dot and underline; dotted 0 and the stroke joined to the digit), solved by simulated annealing against Italian and Spanish 4-gram language models with a letter-frequency penalty. The same solver largely recovers an Italian control text of the same length with 28 symbols. On R116 no meaningful text comes out in any setting.
Polyphonic “one digit, two letters”, the 1568 family, with the pairs fitted by annealing and each digit’s value chosen by a Viterbi pass. On 1,100 digits of an Alessandrino letter it recovers 7 of Lasry’s 9 pairs at −2.18 per letter. On R116 it scores −2.30 to −2.47, and five restarts give five different keys, in either language, and again with 1 as a null.
A first quadgram solver failed its own control (it preferred repetitive strings to the true text), so its results were discarded. Only runs that recovered their control text are counted above.

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.

Philip II to the nuncio Ormanetto, 1573, ASV Spagna 7 ff. 303r-304r (DECODE R116) read in part

A copy of Philip II's letter to the nuncio with two cipher passages. A: on urging the Emperor his brother to join the new league proposed by the Pope, Philip is sending a special envoy and has ordered fitting representations; His Holiness should do the same. B: he has seen the separate sheet on the affairs of Pitigliano and desires the peace of all Italy, and will do all he can to remove any occasion that might disturb it. Context: Gregory XIII's league against the Turks, which collapsed when Venice made peace in 1573.

Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (91% here); the holes are marked in the reading.

Transcription

r116_cipher_v2.txt

# r116_cipher.txt with five signs corrected from the full-resolution images (5 Oct 2026); see NOTES 'Image re-transcription (5 Oct 2026)'.
# f. 303r (DECODE image 863), passage A
8. 2 2 2 1 4 0 2. 4 1 0. 6 4_ 0_ 8_ 4_ 1_ 9 7 5 1 3 2 1 2._ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 6_ 3_ 5 1 2_ 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 5_ 0._ 5_ 4._ 9_ 5._ 8_ 0_ 6_ 4_ 1_ 4. 2 2 5 1 6 0 6. 0. 7 0. 5 3 2 1 6. 5. 8 0_ 4_ 0_ 4 1 9 0 0. 3 1. 4. 5 1 3_ 5_ 2 1 3 0 8 6 8. 0. 3 2 0 9_ 4._ 2 1 0. 4 4 0 2 1_ 4._ 8_ 8_ 4 1 2 4 0 9 0 7 4. 6. 0. 4 0._ 3_ 2 1 0._ 8_ 6_ 4_ 1 3 0 5. 0. 5 9. 0. 3 9 0_ 4._ 5_ 1_ 6 0 2 0 3 0 8 5. 9._ 4._ 2 1 4._ 2_ 2_ 4_ 1 0. 7 0. 5 4. 9 0._ 8_ 5_ 1 1._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 7_ 7_ 4 1 3 0. 3 0._ 3_ 2_ 1_ 6 8 0. 4 3 9 0 4. 9 0._ 3_ 4_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 5 1 2_ 0_ 0._ 8_ 2_ 1 0. 6 4._ 7._ 3_ 6._ 6_ 4_ 1 2 0 0._ 3 8. 8_ 4_ 0_ 5_ 1 1._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 3 0 4. 0. 5 9 3 7. 1 0 2. 4 0 8 2 1 2. 4 4 4_ 1_ 0._ 2 0. 3 9 0_ 0._ 8_ 5 1 9_ 7_ 2 1 6 6 4 1 0._ 1_ 3_ 5 1 9. 0. 3_ 6._ 6_ 2 1 8. 4. 0. 5 2 0_ 0._ 8_ 4 1 5 0 6 9 0 1. 5. 6. 3 5. 6. 0._ 7_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 3 4 1 2 0 5. 4_ 6_ 0_ 9_ 0_ 5 1 0. 4 4._ 8_ 0_ 2 1 6 2 4 1 0._ 1_ 3_ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1_ 2. 4 0 2_ 1_ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 3_ 2_ 5 1 7 5._ 8_ 0_ 4._ 2 1 0. 2 0._ 3_ 6._ 4_ 0_ 2 1 2._ 8_ 8_ 4 1 4. 1._ 9_ 4_ 0_ 2 1 8 7 4 1 0. 4 3 2 5. 9_ 0_ 6_ 5 1 7 4_ 0_ 2._ 4._ 2 1 8. 4 0 8 9_ 6_ 0_ 4 1 2_ 3_ 4._ 5 1 2 0 3 4 0 6. 7 4. 8 4 0 9_ 0_ 6_ 2 1 0. 6 4. 7. 5. 6. 0._ 4_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 7. 0. 3_ 2._ 5 1 6_ 3_ 2 1 6._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1_ 2._ 0._ 8_ 2_ 1 4 0. 3 6._ 0._ 8_ 4 1_ 9_ 7_ 5_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 9._ 6_ 0 2 1 3 9 0 0. 7 5. 6. 0. 4 5. 8 4. 9 0_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 4_ 8_ 4_ 1 3_ 0_ 3_ 1_ 0_ 5 1 4_ 0_ 2_ 1 8. 8 0. 3 3 0 6 2 0 0. 8 9_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 7 6 4_ 1_ 3_ 9_ 0_ 7_ 7_ 2_ 1 6 6 4_ 1_ 6 0 5 1 0. 4_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 5._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1 2 0 5. 0. 5 1. 3 9 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 0. 4_ 3_ 2_ 1_ 7 0. 8_ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 3 5 1 5. 1_ 1_ 2_ 1_ 0. 4 5. 2 0 0. 8 7 6 0 0. 5 4._ 0._ 7_ 6_ 2 1 0. 4 4 0 4 1_ 4_ 7_ 5_ 1_ 3. 2 2 2 1 9. 4 0 8 4. 4_ 1_ 8_ 4_ 5_ 1 6 6 2 1 4._ 8_ 8_ 4_ 1 4_ 2_ 2 1 0. 4 4. 2. 4_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 8. 4. 0. 5 0. 7 5._ 4_ 1_ 2 0_ 1._ 4._ 5_ 1 0. 6 4 0 7. 3_ 4._ 2 1 0._ 8_ 8_ 0_ 4_ 1_ 0. 1 5. 7 6 0 2 0 3 2 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 7 6 2 1 1 0 0. 3 0. 8 0. 4 3 9 5._ 2 1 6 6 4 1 9. 0. 8 5 1 0. 3 0. 6 5. 8 3 2 0 7._ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 0._ 5_ 2_ 0_ 0._ 4_ 0._ 2_ 0._ 7_
# f. 304r (image 864), passage B
0. 3 2 1 1 0 3 2 0_ 9_ 6_ 4 1 0._ 8_ 2._ 5_ 1 5 6 3. 8 0 3 0._ 3_ 2 1 2 4 0 6. 7 4. 0. 7_ 6_ 0._ 1_ 3_ 4 1 4 0 5 1 3 0 4. 8 9_ 5._ 2 1 9. 0. 3 8. 0._ 5_ 4_ 0_ 8_ 0_ 6_ 0_ 2 1 7. 0. 3 2_ 0_ 5._ 4_ 1 0. 4 0. 8 5 1 3 0 3 9 0. 8 3. 2. 3 4._ 9_ 0_ 6_ 2 1 3 4 1 3 6. 9 6 0 9._ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 8. 4 0 0. 5 9 3 7. 0. 3 2. 4 0 0._ 5_ 3_ 7._ 2 1 6._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1_ 2._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 6 6 5_ 1_ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1 3 0 4. 2 0 4 0 9_ 6_ 4_ 1_ 3 5_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 2_ 1_ 4._ 8_ 8_ 4_ 1 7 5. 2 0 3 0. 4 6 0 0._ 5_ 4_ 0_ 2_ 1 6_ 6_ 4_ 1 9. 0. 8 5 1 0. 6 4 0 5_ 0_ 3_ 4._ 2 1 7 4. 2. 4 0_ 4_ 1_ 8. 4 0 8 0._ 7_ 6_ 0_ 5 1 2 0._ 8_ 4._ 2 1 3 4 1 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 0. 4 6 0 2 0 0. 8 7 5._ 0._ 5_ 6_ 2 1 5._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1 2._ 4_ 0_ 5_ 1 2. 2 2 2 1 3 4 1 7. 2._ 2_ 5._ 9_ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 7 0. 8 4 1 9_ 3_ 5_ 1 3. 2 2 0. 8_ 8_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 2_ 0 5. 0. 5 1. 3 9 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 7_ 0._ 8_ 4 1 0. 4 3_ 0._ 3_ 5 1 6 6 2_ 1_ 3_ 0 0. 5 0. 3 7. 1 0 8 4. 0._ 5_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 8. 2 2 2 0 4 0_ 8_ 4._ 5_ 1 0. 8 9_ 0_ 2_ 1 0._ 1_ 5._ 4 1 7_ 6_ 2_ 1 0. 3 5 1 0. 6 4. 9_ 0._ 3_ 2_ 1 9. 5. 0. 1 3 0 8_ 6_ 0_ 2 1 6 6 4 1 2 0 0. 8 5 1 2. 5. 1_ 0_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 4 0 0. 6 4._ 9_ 6_ 4 1 0. 3 3. 9 0_ 3_ 2_ 1 0. 3 5 0 4. 9. 3 6_ 9_ 0_ 5._ 4_ 1 6 6 5 1 9. 3_ 4._ 2 1 3. 2_ 2_ 4 1 4 0 2. 9 5. 0. 5 4._ 8_ 8_ 0_ 4_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 0. 1 4. 5 1_ 8_ 7_ 2_ 1 5_ 3_ 4_ 1_ 0. 6 3 6. 0. 3 8_ 4_ 0_ 2 1 3 9 0 9 5. 2_ 0_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 9 0_ 6_ 0_ 5_ 1_ 4_ 0_ 1._ 5._ 9_ 0_ 0. 4 0. 3 2 5. 6._ 6_ 0_ 2 1 4. 1 0 0. 8 9. 4 0 0. 7_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 2. 0. 3_ 5_ 1_ 6_ 3_ 2 1 0._ 4_ 5._ 8_ 0 4 1 9. 9 4 0 0._ 7_ 6_ 5 1 0. 8 9 0

Transcription

r116_cipher.txt

# f. 303r (DECODE image 863), passage A
8. 2 2 2 1 4 0 2. 4 1 0. 6 4_ 0_ 8_ 4_ 1_ 9 7 5 1 3 2 1 2._ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 6_ 3_ 5 1 2_ 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 5_ 0._ 5_ 4._ 9_ 5._ 8_ 0_ 6_ 4_ 1_ 4. 2 2 5 1 6 0. 6 0. 7 0. 5 3 2 1 6. 5. 8 0_ 4_ 0_ 4 1 9 0 0. 3 1. 4. 5 1 3_ 5_ 2 1 3 0 8 6 8. 0. 3 2 0 9_ 4._ 2 1 0. 4 4 0 2 1_ 4._ 8_ 8_ 4 1 2 4 0 9 0 7 4. 6. 0. 4 0._ 3_ 2 1 0._ 8_ 6_ 4_ 1 3 0 5. 0. 5 9. 0. 3 9 0_ 4._ 5_ 1_ 6 0 2 0 3 0 8 5. 9._ 4._ 2 1 4._ 2_ 2_ 4_ 1 0. 7 0. 5 4. 9 0._ 8_ 5_ 1 1._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 7_ 7_ 4 1 3 0. 3 0._ 3_ 2_ 1_ 6 8 0. 4 3 9 0 4. 9 0._ 3_ 4_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 5 1 2_ 0_ 0._ 8_ 2_ 1 0. 6 4._ 7._ 3_ 6._ 6_ 4_ 1 2 0 0._ 3 8. 8_ 4_ 0_ 5_ 1 1._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 3 0 4 0. 5 9 3 7. 1 0 2. 4 0 8 2 1 2. 4 4 4_ 1_ 0._ 2 0. 3 9 0_ 0._ 8_ 5 1 9_ 7_ 2 1 6 6 4 1 0._ 1_ 3_ 5 1 9. 0. 3_ 6._ 6_ 2 1 8. 4. 0. 5 2 0_ 0._ 8_ 4 1 5 0 6 9 0 1. 5. 6. 3 5. 6. 0._ 7_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 3 4 1 2 0 5. 4_ 6_ 0_ 9_ 0_ 5 1 0. 4 4._ 8_ 0_ 2 1 6 2 4 1 0._ 1_ 3_ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1_ 2. 4 0 2_ 1_ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 3_ 2_ 5 1 7 5._ 8_ 0_ 4._ 2 1 0. 2 0._ 3_ 6._ 4_ 0_ 2 1 2._ 8_ 8_ 4 1 4. 1._ 9_ 4_ 0_ 2 1 8 7 4 1 0. 4 3 2 5. 9_ 0_ 6_ 5 1 7 4_ 0_ 2._ 4._ 2 1 8. 4 0 8 9_ 6_ 0_ 4 1 2_ 3_ 4._ 5 1 2 0 3 4 0 6. 7 4. 8 4 0 9_ 0_ 6_ 2 1 0. 6 4. 7. 5. 6. 0._ 4_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 7 0. 3_ 2._ 5 1 6_ 3_ 2 1 6._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1_ 2._ 0._ 8_ 2_ 1 4 0. 3 6._ 0._ 8_ 4 1_ 9_ 7_ 5_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 9._ 6_ 0 2 1 3 9 0 0. 7 5. 6. 0. 4 5. 8 4. 9 0_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 4_ 8_ 4_ 1 3_ 0_ 3_ 1_ 0_ 5 1 4_ 0_ 2_ 1 8. 8 0. 3 3 0 6 2 0 0. 8 9_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 7 6 4_ 1_ 3_ 9_ 0_ 7_ 7_ 2_ 1 6 6 4_ 1_ 6 0 5 1 0. 4_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 5._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1 2 0 5. 0. 5 1. 3 9 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 0. 4_ 3_ 2_ 1_ 7 0. 8_ 0._ 3_ 4_ 1 3 5 1 5. 1_ 1_ 2_ 1_ 0. 4 5. 2 0 0. 8 7 6 0 0. 5 4._ 0._ 7_ 6_ 2 1 0. 4 4 0 4 1_ 4_ 7_ 5_ 1_ 3. 2 2 2 1 9. 4 0 8 4. 4_ 1_ 8_ 4_ 5_ 1 6 6 2 1 4._ 8_ 8_ 4_ 1 4_ 2_ 2 1 0. 4 4. 2. 4_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 8. 4. 0. 5 0. 7 5._ 4_ 1_ 2 0_ 1._ 4._ 5_ 1 0. 6 4 0 7. 3_ 4._ 2 1 0._ 8_ 8_ 0_ 4_ 1_ 0. 1 5. 7 6 0 2 0 3 2 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 7 6 2 1 1 0 0. 3 0. 8 0. 4 3 9 5._ 2 1 6 6 4. 1 9. 0. 8 5 1 0. 3 0. 6 5. 8 3 2 0 7._ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 0._ 5_ 2_ 0_ 0._ 4_ 0._ 2_ 0._ 7_
# f. 304r (image 864), passage B
0. 3 2 1 1 0 3 2 0_ 9_ 6_ 4 1 0._ 8_ 2._ 5_ 1 5 6 3. 8 0 3 0._ 3_ 2 1 2 4 0 6. 7 4. 0. 7_ 6_ 0._ 1_ 3_ 4 1 4 0 5 1 3 0 4. 8 9_ 5._ 2 1 9. 0. 3 8. 0._ 5_ 4_ 0_ 8_ 0_ 6_ 0_ 2 1 7. 0. 3 2_ 0_ 5._ 4_ 1 0. 4 0. 8 5 1 3 0 3 9 0. 8 3. 2. 3 4._ 9_ 0_ 6_ 2 1 3 4 1 3 6. 9 6 0 9._ 0._ 3_ 5_ 1 8. 4 0 0. 5 9 3 7. 0. 3 2. 4 0 0._ 5_ 3_ 7._ 2 1 6._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1_ 2._ 4_ 4_ 2_ 1 6 6 5_ 1_ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1 3 0 4. 2 0 4 0 9_ 6_ 4_ 1_ 3 5_ 1_ 6_ 6_ 2_ 1_ 4._ 8_ 8_ 4_ 1 7 5. 2 0 3 ?. 4 6 0 0._ 5_ 4_ 0_ 2_ 1 6_ 6_ 4_ 1 9. 0. 8 5 1 0. 6 4 0 5_ 0_ 3_ 4._ 2 1 7 4. 2. 4 0_ 4_ 1_ 8. 4 0 8 0._ 7_ 6_ 0_ 5 1 2 0._ 8_ 4._ 2 1 3 4 1 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 0. 4 6 0 2 0 0. 8 7 5._ 0._ 5_ 6_ 2 1 5._ 1_ 1_ 4_ 1 2._ 4_ 0_ 5_ 1 2. 2 2 2 1 3 4 1 7. 2._ 2_ 5._ 9_ 6_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 7 0. 8 4 1 9_ 3_ 5_ 1 3. 2 2 0. 8_ 8_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 2_ 0 5. 0. 5 1. 3 9 0._ 8_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 7_ 0._ 8_ 4 1 0. 4 3_ 0._ 3_ 5 1 6 6 2_ 1_ 3_ 0 0. 5 0. 3 7. 1 0 8 4. 0._ 5_ 0._ 3_ 2 1 8. 2 2 2 0 4 0_ 8_ 4._ 5_ 1 0. 8 9_ 0_ 2_ 1 0._ 1_ 5._ 4 1 7_ 6_ 2_ 1 0. 3 5 1 0. 6 4. 9_ 0._ 3_ 2_ 1 9. 5. 0. 1 3 0 8_ 6_ 0_ 2 1 6 6 4 1 2 0 0. 8 5 1 2. 5. 1_ 0_ 0._ 8_ 2 1 4 0 0. 6 4._ 9_ 6_ 4 1 0. 3 3. 9 0_ 3_ 2_ 1 0. 3 5 0 4. 9. 3 6_ 9_ 0_ 5._ 4_ 1 6 6 5 1 9. 3_ 4._ 2 1 3. 2_ 2_ 4 1 4 0 2. 9 5. 0. 5 4._ 8_ 8_ 0_ 4_ 0_ 2_ 1_ 0. 1 4. 5 1_ 8_ 7_ 2_ 1 5_ 3_ 4_ 1_ 0. 6 3 6. 0. 3 8_ 4_ 0_ 2 1 3 9 0 9 5. 2_ 0_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 9 0_ 6_ 0_ 5_ 1_ 4_ 0_ 1._ 5._ 9_ 0_ 0. 4 0. 3 2 5. 6._ 6_ 0_ 2 1 4. 1 0 0. 8 9. 4 0 0. 7_ 0._ 3_ 4 1 2. 0. 3_ 5_ 1_ 6_ 3_ 2 1 0._ 4_ 5._ 8_ 0 4 1 9. 9 4 0 0._ 7_ 6_ 5 1 0. 8 9 0

Decryption

reading_aj.txt

Source: Ajaydas Devadas (AJ), report 'Ormanetto ciphers 1573 & 1576: decipherment report', 1 Oct 2026, with his key. Copied here with his grades;
the decoder rebuilt in dec_aj.py reproduces the letter-level text from our own r116_cipher.txt.
Grades on code groups: (c) certain, (p) probable, (g) guess; <?> = still unread. Spelling as enciphered (no h, no doubled letters).

R116 passage A (f. 303r, the King's point 4)
[Quanto](8.22,p) al far [officii](97,p) et lo [Imperatore](63,p) mio fratello [perche](4.22,g) <ofrti: entri?> nella nuova [lega](35,p) proposta da [S.S.ta](4.88,p), mandando io persona espressa [perche](4.22,g) tratti [questo](1.44,p) [negotio](77,p), io ho ordinato che si facino sopra [questo] particular [quelli](2.44,c) buoni [officii] che mi sono parsi convenienti; et se ben dal [canto](62,g) mio l'ho <?>(32) de la buona <?>(2.88) havuta, [non](87,p)dimeno dalla parte mia s'andaranno facendo dol [col?] [Imperatore] [tutti](6.11,c) li buoni [officii] [che](66,c) se intenderanno [essere](48,g) piu a proposito, [come](76,p) in [negotio] che e di [tanto](5.11,p) servitio di Dio et [tanto] desiderato da [tutta](47,g) [Italia](3.22,g). Sara [bene](84,g) che [S.S.ta] [ancora](422,g) dalla parte sua facia il medesimo, [come] voi dite che <?> si offerisce. (final nulls r s d b t)

R116 passage B (f. 304r)
Ho visto il foglio mandatomi a parte sopra le cose di Pitigliano, et inteso particolarmente [tutto] [quello] che e passato, et [che] [S.S.ta] desi<?>bera [delibera?] che si facia dalla parte mia. Et io desidero [tanto] la [pace](2.22,p) et [qui]ete (7.2.2) di [tutta](93,g) [Italia], il servitio di Dio, che procurero [quanto] sara in me, [come] ho fatto sempre, che si levi affatto ogni occasione che sia [<?>] alterarla; ma non <?>(53) finora inteso, ne avendomene avisato lo [Imperatore], del stato in... (the passage ends)

R118 (f. 365)
scrita ali 15 di otobre. Il nuntio a comunicato col secretario Perez [tutto] [quello] [che] [V.S. Ill.ma] scrive con la cifra di 19 di setembre; il [qua]le segretario a promeso di darne conto al [Re], [et] di procurarne risposta, de la [qua]le [V.S. Ill.ma] sara poi subito avisata. (final nulls s t c z p l)

Decryption

R116_decryption_v2.md

# Output of dec_aj.py (AJ's key) run 22 Oct 2026 on the image-corrected r116_cipher_v2.txt; passage A (f. 303r) then passage B (f. 304r). Letter-level decode, verbatim: no h, no doubled letters, u = v; [x] = code group; <x> = no value. The script's code matcher also fires inside some words (e.g. 'par[tutta]cular' for particular); the graded reading is reading_aj.txt, with the five image corrections listed in NOTES.md.
[quanto] al far [officii] i lo [Imperatore] mio fratelo [perche] entri nela noua [lega] proposta da [S.S.ta] mandando io persona espresa [perche] trati [questo] [negotio] ioo ordinato [che] si facino sopra [questo] par[tutta]cular [quello] boni [officii] [che] mi sono parsi conuenienti i seben dal [canto] mio la o im dela bona lrr auta [non] dimeno dala parte mia siandarano facendo col [Imperatore] [tutto] li boni [officii] [che]se intenderano [essere] piu a proposito [come] in[negotio] [che] e di [tanto] seruitio di dio i [tanto] desiderato da [tutta] [Italia] sara [bene] [che] [S.S.ta] [ancora]<1>dala parte sua facia il medesimo [come] uoidite [che] si oferisce rsdbt

o uisto il foglio mandatomi a parte soprale cose di pitigliano i inteso par[tutta]colaric [tutto] [quello] [che] e pasato i [che] [S.S.ta] desidera [che] si facia dala parte mia i iodesidero [tanto] la [pace] i clmete di [tutta] [Italia]il seruitio di dio [che] procuraro [quanto]sara in me [come] o fato sempre [che] si leui afato ogni ocasione [che] sia [Italia] alterarla ma [non] fi finora inteso ne auendomene auisato lo [Imperatore] del stato in

Reading

R116_reading.md

# R116, Philip II to the nuncio Ormanetto, 1573 (ASV Spagna 7 ff. 303r-304r): the reading of the two cipher passages

Written 23 Oct 2026 (verification 3). It rests on the letter-level decode of the image-corrected figures
(`r116_cipher_v2.txt`, `dec_aj.py`, output in `R116_decryption_v2.md`) with Ajaydas Devadas's key (the Spain
nunciature's *cifra ordinaria*, 1 Oct 2026), and on his code values as graded in `reading_aj.txt`. No contemporary
decipherment of R116 is known; the same key reads R118, whose leaf decipherment agrees with it.

Spelling is the cipher's: no h, no doubled letters, u for v (*fratelo*, *nela*, *o uisto*); only word division,
apostrophes, capitals and punctuation are added. Code groups AJ grades certain or probable are written as words; the
single-context code values adopted from context (4̇22 *perche*, 62 *canto*, 48 *essere*, 47/93 *tutta*, 3̇22 *Italia*)
and AJ's guesses 84 *bene*, 422 *ancora* are marked `[?word]`, as are words that rest on a writer's slip corrected on
the scan (*entri*, *particular*, *desidera*) or on Meister's *mente* sign (*particolarmente*). `[…]` = an open code
(32, 2̇88, 3̇22 where *Italia* does not fit, 53). The lone 3 is *et*. Final nulls (r s d b t) left out.
The first paragraph is passage A (f. 303r, the King's point 4), the second passage B (f. 304r).

## Reading

Quanto al far officii et lo Imperatore mio fratelo [?perche] [?entri] nela
noua lega proposta da [S.S.ta], mandando io persona espresa [?perche] trati questo negotio, io o ordinato che si facino
sopra questo [?particular] quello boni officii che mi sono parsi conuenienti; et se ben dal [?canto] mio l'o […] de la
bona […] auta, non dimeno dala parte mia si andarano facendo col Imperatore tutto li boni officii che se intenderano
[?essere] piu a proposito, come in negotio che e di tanto seruitio di dio et tanto desiderato da [?tutta] [?Italia].
Sara [?bene] che [S.S.ta] [?ancora] dala parte sua facia il medesimo, come uoi dite che si oferisce.

O uisto il foglio mandatomi a parte sopra le cose di Pitigliano, et inteso [?particolarmente]
tutto quello che e pasato, et che [S.S.ta] [?desidera] che si facia dala parte mia. Et io desidero tanto la pace et
quiete di [?tutta] [?Italia], il seruitio di dio, che procuraro quanto sara in me, come o fato sempre, che si leui
afato ogni ocasione che sia […] alterarla; ma non […] finora inteso, ne auendomene auisato lo Imperatore, del stato
in …

## Notes

Passage B breaks off at *del stato in*; the clear Spanish text resumes.

Translation

R116_en.md

# R116, Philip II to the nuncio Ormanetto, 1573: English translation of the two cipher passages

Translated 23 Oct 2026 from `R116_reading.md`, with the same holes: [?word] = a code value adopted from one context or
a word resting on a corrected slip; […] = an open code.

## Translation

Passage A (f. 303r). As to making representations to the Emperor my brother [?so that] he [?enter] the new league
proposed by His Holiness: I am sending a special envoy [?to] treat of this business, and I have ordered that on this
[?particular] those good representations be made that seemed fitting to me; and although on my [?side] I have had
[…] of the good […], nevertheless on my part all the good representations will go on being made to the Emperor that
are understood [?to be] most to the purpose, as in a business that is of such service to God and so desired by
[?all] [?Italy]. It will be [?well] that His Holiness [?also] do the same on his side, as you say he offers.

Passage B (f. 304r). I have seen the sheet sent to me separately on the affairs of Pitigliano, and understood
[?in detail] all that has happened, and what His Holiness [?wishes] to be done on my part. And I so desire the peace
and quiet of [?all] [?Italy] and the service of God that I will do all that is in me, as I have always done, so that
every occasion that may […] disturb it be removed altogether; but [I have] not […] learned so far, nor has the
Emperor informed me, of the state in …

Key: key_cifra_ordinaria.txt

08 Sources

Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, Segr. Stato, Spagna 7: DECODE R116 (two page images, address leaf, transcription by KL 2020). Images require a DECODE login.
A. Meister, Die Geheimschrift im Dienste der päpstlichen Kurie (Paderborn 1906), pp. 259, 262–265 (archive.org).
G. Lasry, reconstructed key of ASV Spagna 6 (1568), on DECODE R93–R102; see Alessandrino 1568.
A. Devadas, reconstruction of the Spain nunciature’s ordinary cipher and its reading of R116 and R118, report and scripts sent by email, 1 October 2026.
Sibling record: Ormanetto and Clementino 1576–77 (R118, read with the same key).

Notes, ciphertext, the decoder and the earlier solvers: targets/ormanetto1573/.