At a glanceCiphertext-only break · partial (91% of the cipher)
- The passage
- Nine lines on fol. 114r of Schönberg’s journal of the Dresden negotiations between the Wettin houses and Electoral Mainz over Erfurt (the Reiffenberg affair), early December 1665.
- Where
- Landesarchiv Thüringen – Staatsarchiv Altenburg, Schönbergische Sammlung Nr. 107 (“Acta Reiffenbergica”), image 0233 (ThULB Jena digitisation, CC BY 3.0).
- The cipher
- A simple substitution in Latin letters with a regular key over a 24-letter alphabet; word division kept.
- How it was deciphered
- Claude Opus 5.5 agents run by Brice Dudout learnt the key on lines 1–5 of the passage after known keys failed, and it was completed from its regular pattern afterwards, and measured it once on lines 6–9: a German lexicon share of 0.625 against at best 0.3125 for 200 shuffled keys, which is partial. The project did not repeat the test and did not see the image.
- What it says
- Boyneburg says much; the Elector is said to have won thirty thousand thalers for the Erfurt rights (the verb is partly restored); he swore by the devil, in a sense that is uncertain, and called people to witness.
- Still open
- One word (‹diengs’), two letters lost in the binding, and a partly validated key.
- Credit
- The key, the transcription and the reading are Brice Dudout’s (L’Europe chiffrée, with Claude Opus 5.5 agents). The image was not seen here and is not reproduced.
01 The passage
Nr. 107 of the Schönbergische Sammlung (“Acta Reiffenbergica”) in the Landesarchiv Thüringen – Staatsarchiv Altenburg is Schönberg’s journal of the negotiations at Dresden between the Wettin houses and Electoral Mainz over Erfurt, the Reiffenberg affair, 26 October to 23 December 1665. One passage of nine lines on fol. 114r (image 0233, early December) is in cipher, between “… ihn aber auch in einer sache also gangen –” and “Frankreich habe …”. No other cipher and no decipherment appear in the volume (396 images checked by the contributor). The ThULB Jena digitisation (urn:nbn:de:urmel-stat-262972) is licensed CC BY 3.0, the same archive as thumbshirn1647. The contributor, Brice Dudout (L’Europe chiffrée) ran Claude Opus 5.5 agents that transcribed, solved and read it under his protocol; no human palaeographer has checked the transcription, and no images are reproduced here.
02 The key and its test
A simple substitution in Latin letters with a regular key over a 24-letter alphabet: odd plaintext letters map to z y x w u t s r q p o n (reversed), even ones to a b c d e f g h i k l m; word division is kept. Known keys were tried first (Thumbshirn’s numeric key of Nr. 85, the Dresden nomenclators) and none applies. The transcription was frozen before any key was tried and the protocol hashed before any decoding; the key was learnt on lines 1–5 only. One measurement on the held-out lines 6–9 (16 words; two of the ten lexicon hits come from word cuts at the binding edge, and the key learnt on lines 1–5 lacked m and o) gives a German lexicon share of 0.625 against at best 0.3125 for 200 shuffled keys, which is partial (validated needs 0.70).
Declared after the measurement: the key (e, h, l, m and o) was completed from its regular pattern, and five transcription errors were corrected on re-reading the image (capital A and not L in “Boyneburg”, capital W and not L in “Gott”, q for g, t for b, and a probable w). The frozen cipher transcription was not modified; the corrected text is transcription_0233.txt. The project did not repeat the test and did not see the image.
03 The reading
Boyneburg – rede viel ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe dreysigtausend Thaler pro iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] beh{üten}, er habe den {seinen} bey [T]eufel holen geschwohren, und Leute darüber zu {Zeugen} angerufen.
Braces mark readings that are probable, square brackets letters restored at the binding edge, as in the contributor’s reading. Boyneburg is the former Mainz minister Johann Christian von Boyneburg, on the contributor’s identification; which Elector is meant (Saxony or Mainz) is not stated in the cipher.
In English, as the contributor gives it and not word for word: Boyneburg says much (the word ‹diengs› is unread); the Elector is said to have won thirty thousand thalers for the Erfurt rights (the verb is partly restored, and “demanded” is also possible); may God preserve him; he swore, by the devil, that his own should be fetched (the sense of “den seinen” is uncertain), and called people to witness. Of 32 words, 25 are certain, 4 probable, 2 restored at the binding edge and 1 unresolved; without the restored letters that is 29 of 32 (90.6%), under the 95% bar, so the page calls it partial.
04 What remains uncertain
- ‹diengs’ (cipher buxswi): the letters are certain, the sense is not (Dings or dienst?).
- Two letters are uncertain at the binding edge, in ge[w]onnen and [T]eufel, and need the original volume.
- The key passed its held-out test only partially, and was completed from its pattern after the measurement.
- No edition of the journal or the passage was found (the LATh and ThULB records cite none; the printed histories of the Erfurt affair were not checked volume by volume); no decipherment of the time exists in the volume.
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.
fol. 114r (image 0233), Dresden, early December 1665 read in part
Boyneburg says a great deal: the Elector is said to have obtained 30,000 thalers 'pro iuribus Erfordensibus' (for the Erfurt rights); he swore to his people 'may the devil take me' and called people to witness it.
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
# LATh - StA Altenburg, Schönbergische Sammlung Nr. 107 ("Acta Reiffenbergica"), fol. 114r, image 0233, lines 2-10: the cipher passage of Schönberg's journal, Dresden, early December 1665.
# Corrected transcription used for the reading. The transcription frozen before the measurement (frozen/H-CHIFFRE.txt, SHA256 be650ff1...4f66) is NOT modified; corrections made after the measurement on re-reading the image:
# L1 capital A, not L (-> "Boyneburg"); L5 capital W, not L (-> "Gott"); L4 5th sign q, not g; L7 last sign t, not b; L9 first sign probably w.
# [?] or [x] = binding edge, a letter may be lost; ~ and ° = flourish after final s (not counted); = = line-end hyphen.
L1: Agnsxakqw-qxbx Kuxt
L2: buxswi, bxq ydkqckqip dzax
L3: bqxniuwpzkixsb pdztxq rqg
L4: ukquaki xqcgqbxsuiaki wx=
L5: [?]gssxs: Wgpp fgydpx ud~ axdk=
L6: [p]xs~, xq dzax bxs~ sxusxs~ axn
L7: [p]xkcxt dgtxs~ wxiydogdqxs~,
L8: ksb txkpx bzqkaxq mk mxk=
L9: wxs° Zs°wxqkcxs°.Decryption
# Reading: Schönberg's journal, fol. 114r (image 0233), Dresden, early December 1665: read in part
Key: `key.tsv` (simple substitution, regular). Conventions (Daniel's): plain = certain; {x} = probable; [x] = restored; ‹…› = unresolved. Transcription corrections made after the measurement are listed in `transcription_0233.txt`.
| L | cipher (corrected) | plain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agnsxakqw-qxbx Kuxt | Boyneburg - rede viel |
| 2 | buxswi, bxq ydkqckqip dzax | ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe |
| 3 | bqxniuwpzkixsb pdztxq rqg | dreysigtausend Thaler pro |
| 4 | ukquaki xqcgqbxsuiaki wx= | iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge= |
| 5 | [?]gssxs: Wgpp fgydpx ud~ axdk= | ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü= |
| 6 | [p]xs~, xq dzax bxs~ sxusxs~ axn | {ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey |
| 7 | [p]xkcxt dgtxs~ wxiydogdqxs~, | [T]eufel holen geschwohren, |
| 8 | ksb txkpx bzqkaxq mk mxk= | und Leute darüber zu Zeu= |
| 9 | wxs° Zs°wxqkcxs°. | {gen} angerufen. |
## Text (German, with the clear around it)
(… ihn aber auch in einer sache also gangen -) **Boyneburg - rede viel ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe dreysigtausend Thaler pro iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü{ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey [T]eufel holen geschwohren, und Leute darüber zu Zeu{gen} angerufen.** (Frankreich habe …)
## Count (32 words; "dreysigtausend" counted as 2)
- **Certain (25)**: Boyneburg, rede, viel, der, Churfürst, habe, dreysig, tausend, Thaler, pro, iuribus, Gott, möchte, ihn (ih + abbreviation stroke), er, habe, den, bey, holen, geschwohren, und, Leute, darüber, zu, angerufen.
- **Probable (4)**: {Erfordensibus} (the cipher gives "erfordenisbus", a copyist's si/is metathesis; Erfordensis = of Erfurt); {behüten} (first sign of L6 at the binding edge); {seinen} (the cipher gives "neinen": s enciphered for i); {Zeugen} (first sign of L9 at the binding edge).
- **Restored (2)**: ge[w]onnen (a letter lost in the binding at the start of L5; "ge[s]onnen", demanded, is also possible); [T]eufel (first letter in the binding).
- **Unresolved (1)**: ‹diengs› (cipher "buxswi" read with certainty; sense "Dings" = things? or a slip for "dienst").
- **Read by sense, restored excluded: 29/32 = 90.6%**; with the 2 restored words 31/32 = 97%. Under Daniel's 95% rule (restored words are not read as sense): **read in part**.
## Translation
(… but it went with him in one matter thus -) Boyneburg says a great deal ‹…›: the Elector is said to have obtained 30,000 thalers "for the Erfurt rights"; may God keep him; he swore to his people "may the devil take me", and called people to witness it. (France is said to …)
Context: the journal of Schönberg at the Dresden negotiations between the Wettin houses and Electoral Mainz (the Erfurt / Reiffenberg affair), late October to December 1665. Johann Christian von Boyneburg is the former Mainz minister. Which Elector (Saxony or Mainz) is not stated in the cipher.Reading
# Reading: Schönberg's journal, fol. 114r (image 0233), Dresden, early December 1665: read in part
Key: `key.tsv` (simple substitution, regular). Conventions (Daniel's): plain = certain; {x} = probable; [x] = restored; ‹…› = unresolved. Transcription corrections made after the measurement are listed in `transcription_0233.txt`.
| L | cipher (corrected) | plain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agnsxakqw-qxbx Kuxt | Boyneburg - rede viel |
| 2 | buxswi, bxq ydkqckqip dzax | ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe |
| 3 | bqxniuwpzkixsb pdztxq rqg | dreysigtausend Thaler pro |
| 4 | ukquaki xqcgqbxsuiaki wx= | iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge= |
| 5 | [?]gssxs: Wgpp fgydpx ud~ axdk= | ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü= |
| 6 | [p]xs~, xq dzax bxs~ sxusxs~ axn | {ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey |
| 7 | [p]xkcxt dgtxs~ wxiydogdqxs~, | [T]eufel holen geschwohren, |
| 8 | ksb txkpx bzqkaxq mk mxk= | und Leute darüber zu Zeu= |
| 9 | wxs° Zs°wxqkcxs°. | {gen} angerufen. |
## Text (German, with the clear around it)
(… ihn aber auch in einer sache also gangen -) **Boyneburg - rede viel ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe dreysigtausend Thaler pro iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü{ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey [T]eufel holen geschwohren, und Leute darüber zu Zeu{gen} angerufen.** (Frankreich habe …)
## Count (32 words; "dreysigtausend" counted as 2)
- **Certain (25)**: Boyneburg, rede, viel, der, Churfürst, habe, dreysig, tausend, Thaler, pro, iuribus, Gott, möchte, ihn (ih + abbreviation stroke), er, habe, den, bey, holen, geschwohren, und, Leute, darüber, zu, angerufen.
- **Probable (4)**: {Erfordensibus} (the cipher gives "erfordenisbus", a copyist's si/is metathesis; Erfordensis = of Erfurt); {behüten} (first sign of L6 at the binding edge); {seinen} (the cipher gives "neinen": s enciphered for i); {Zeugen} (first sign of L9 at the binding edge).
- **Restored (2)**: ge[w]onnen (a letter lost in the binding at the start of L5; "ge[s]onnen", demanded, is also possible); [T]eufel (first letter in the binding).
- **Unresolved (1)**: ‹diengs› (cipher "buxswi" read with certainty; sense "Dings" = things? or a slip for "dienst").
- **Read by sense, restored excluded: 29/32 = 90.6%**; with the 2 restored words 31/32 = 97%. Under Daniel's 95% rule (restored words are not read as sense): **read in part**.
## Translation
(… but it went with him in one matter thus -) Boyneburg says a great deal ‹…›: the Elector is said to have obtained 30,000 thalers "for the Erfurt rights"; may God keep him; he swore to his people "may the devil take me", and called people to witness it. (France is said to …)
Context: the journal of Schönberg at the Dresden negotiations between the Wettin houses and Electoral Mainz (the Erfurt / Reiffenberg affair), late October to December 1665. Johann Christian von Boyneburg is the former Mainz minister. Which Elector (Saxony or Mainz) is not stated in the cipher.Translation
# Reading: Schönberg's journal, fol. 114r (image 0233), Dresden, early December 1665: read in part
Key: `key.tsv` (simple substitution, regular). Conventions (Daniel's): plain = certain; {x} = probable; [x] = restored; ‹…› = unresolved. Transcription corrections made after the measurement are listed in `transcription_0233.txt`.
| L | cipher (corrected) | plain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agnsxakqw-qxbx Kuxt | Boyneburg - rede viel |
| 2 | buxswi, bxq ydkqckqip dzax | ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe |
| 3 | bqxniuwpzkixsb pdztxq rqg | dreysigtausend Thaler pro |
| 4 | ukquaki xqcgqbxsuiaki wx= | iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge= |
| 5 | [?]gssxs: Wgpp fgydpx ud~ axdk= | ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü= |
| 6 | [p]xs~, xq dzax bxs~ sxusxs~ axn | {ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey |
| 7 | [p]xkcxt dgtxs~ wxiydogdqxs~, | [T]eufel holen geschwohren, |
| 8 | ksb txkpx bzqkaxq mk mxk= | und Leute darüber zu Zeu= |
| 9 | wxs° Zs°wxqkcxs°. | {gen} angerufen. |
## Text (German, with the clear around it)
(… ihn aber auch in einer sache also gangen -) **Boyneburg - rede viel ‹diengs›, der Churfürst habe dreysigtausend Thaler pro iuribus {Erfordensibus} ge[w]onnen: Gott möchte ih[n] behü{ten}, er habe den {seinen} bey [T]eufel holen geschwohren, und Leute darüber zu Zeu{gen} angerufen.** (Frankreich habe …)
## Count (32 words; "dreysigtausend" counted as 2)
- **Certain (25)**: Boyneburg, rede, viel, der, Churfürst, habe, dreysig, tausend, Thaler, pro, iuribus, Gott, möchte, ihn (ih + abbreviation stroke), er, habe, den, bey, holen, geschwohren, und, Leute, darüber, zu, angerufen.
- **Probable (4)**: {Erfordensibus} (the cipher gives "erfordenisbus", a copyist's si/is metathesis; Erfordensis = of Erfurt); {behüten} (first sign of L6 at the binding edge); {seinen} (the cipher gives "neinen": s enciphered for i); {Zeugen} (first sign of L9 at the binding edge).
- **Restored (2)**: ge[w]onnen (a letter lost in the binding at the start of L5; "ge[s]onnen", demanded, is also possible); [T]eufel (first letter in the binding).
- **Unresolved (1)**: ‹diengs› (cipher "buxswi" read with certainty; sense "Dings" = things? or a slip for "dienst").
- **Read by sense, restored excluded: 29/32 = 90.6%**; with the 2 restored words 31/32 = 97%. Under Daniel's 95% rule (restored words are not read as sense): **read in part**.
## Translation
(… but it went with him in one matter thus -) Boyneburg says a great deal ‹…›: the Elector is said to have obtained 30,000 thalers "for the Erfurt rights"; may God keep him; he swore to his people "may the devil take me", and called people to witness it. (France is said to …)
Context: the journal of Schönberg at the Dresden negotiations between the Wettin houses and Electoral Mainz (the Erfurt / Reiffenberg affair), late October to December 1665. Johann Christian von Boyneburg is the former Mainz minister. Which Elector (Saxony or Mainz) is not stated in the cipher.Key: key.tsv
05 Sources
- Landesarchiv Thüringen – Staatsarchiv Altenburg, Schönbergische Sammlung Nr. 107, fol. 114r, image 0233 (ThULB Jena, record, CC BY 3.0); the image is not reproduced here.
- Brice Dudout, pull request #350 and the target folder: the key, the test, the transcription and the reading.
The documentation, the key, the transcription, the reading and the tests are in targets/schoenberg1665.
Cite this page
Brice Dudout and Daniel Bourdeau, “Schönberg’s journal of the Dresden negotiations, December 1665”, Cyphersolver, posted 9 November 2026, https://cyphersolver.com/schoenberg1665.html.