ON THE APPLICATION OF THE NUMBER CIPHER TO THE DOTTED PRINTING
The problem which I now put before myself was to make dots in a printedbook in which I could repeat accurately and simply the setting forthof the biliteral cipher. I had, of course, a clue or guiding principlein the combinations of numbers with the symbols of "a" and "b" asrepresenting the Alphabetical symbols. Thus it was easy to arrange that"a" should be represented by a letter untouched and "b" by one witha mark. This mark might be made at any point of the letter. Here Ireferred to the cipher itself and found that though some letters weremarked with a dot in the centre or body of the letter, those both aboveand below wherever they occurred showed some kind of organised use. "Whynot," said I to myself, "use the body for the difference between "a" and"b;" and the top and bottom for numbers?"
No sooner said than done. I began at once to devise various ways ofrepresenting numbers by marks or dots at top and bottom. Finally Ifixed, as being the most simple, on the following:
Only four numbers--2, 3, 4, 5--are required to make the number of timeseach letter of the symbol is repeated, there being in the originalBaconian cipher, after the elimination of the ten variations alreadymade, only three changes of symbol to represent any letter. Marks at thetop might therefore represent the even numbers "2" and "4"--one markstanding for "two" and two marks for "four"; marks at the bottom wouldrepresent the odd numbers "3" and "5"--one mark standing for "three" andtwo marks for "five."
Thus "a a a a a" would be represented by "[a:]" or any other letter withtwo dots below: "a a a a b" by ae b, or any other letters similarlytreated. As any letter left plain would represent "a" and any letterdotted in the body would represent "b" the cipher is complete forapplication to any printed or written matter. As in the number cipher,the repetition of a letter could be represented by a symbol which inthis variant would be the same as the symbol for ten or "0." It would beany letter with one dot in the body and two under it, thus--[t:].
For the purpose of adding to the difficulty of discovery, where twomarks were given either above or below the letter, the body mark(representing the letter as "b" in the Biliteral) might be placed at theopposite end. This would create no confusion in the mind of an adviseddecipherer, but would puzzle the curious.
On the above basis I completed my key and set to my work of decipheringwith a jubilant heart; for I felt that so soon as I should have adjustedany variations between the systems of the old writer and my own, workonly was required to ultimately master the secret.
The following tables will illustrate the making and working--both inciphering and de-ciphering--of the amended Biliteral Cipher of FrancisBacon:
CIPHER FOR NUMBERS AND DOTS.
P (Plain) means letter left untouched D (Dot) means letter with dot in body One Dot--(.) at Top (t)--_2 One Dot--(.) at Bottom (b)--_3 Two Dots--(..) at Top (t)--_4 Two Dots--(..) at Bottom (b)--_5
================+==========+============+==========+================= | | NUMBER | | | | CIPHER. | | | No. of +------------+ Alphabet | BACON CIPHER. | Symbols | No. Values | to be | DOT CIPHER | Required | of | arranged | | | Symbols | in order.| | | reported. | | ----------------+----------+------------+----------+----------------- A-- 1--a a a a a| --1-- | 9 | --A | --P..b B-- 2--a a a a b| --2-- | 7.2 | --D | --P..t--D C-- 3--a a a b a| --3-- | 5.2.1 | --Y | --P .b--D--P D-- 4--a a a b b| --2-- | 5.4 | --B | --P .b--D.t E-- 5--a a b a a| --3-- | 3.2.3 | --T | --P .t--D--P.t F-- 6--a a b a b| --4-- | 3.2.1.2 | | G-- 7--a a b b a| --3-- | 3.4.1 | --X.Z. | --P .t--D.t--P H-- 8--a a b b b| --2-- | 3.6 | --O | --P .t--D.b I-- 9--a b a a a| --3-- | 1.2.5 | --P | --P--D--P.b K--10--a b a a b| --4-- | 1.3.3.2 | | L--11--a b a b a| --5-- | 1.2.1.2.1 | | M--12--a b a b b| --4-- | 1.2.1.4 | | N--13--a b b a a| --3-- | 1.4.3 | --R | --P--D .t--P.t O--14--a b b a b| --4-- | 1.4.1.2 | | P--15--a b b b a| --3-- | 1.6.1 | --S | --P--D .b--P Q--16--a b b b b| --2-- | 1.8 | --E | --P--D..t R--17--b a a a a| --2-- | 2.7 | --I | --D--P..t S--18--b a a a b| --3-- | 2.5.2 | --K.Q. | --D--P .b--D T--19--b a a b a| --4-- | 2.3.2.1 | | V--20--b a a b b| --3-- | 2.3.4 | --H | --D--P .t--D.t W--21--b a b a a| --4-- | 2.1.2.3 | | X--22--b a b a b| --5-- | 2.1.2.1.2 | | Y--23--b a b b a| --4-- | 2.1.4.1 | | Z--24--b a b b b| --3-- | 2.1.6 | --G | --D--P--D.b 25--b b a a a| --2-- | 4.5 | --U.V. | --D.t--P.b 26--b b a a b| --3-- | 4.3.2 | --M | --D.t--P.t--D 27--b b a b a| --4-- | 4.1.2.1 | | 28--b b a b b| --3-- | 4.1.4 | --L | --D .t--P--D.t 29--b b b a a| --2-- | 6.3 | --C | --D .b--P.t 30--b b b a b| --3-- | 6.1.2 | --N | --D .b--P--D 31--b b b b a| --2-- | 8.1 | --F | --D..t--P 32--b b b b b| --1-- | 9 | --Repeat | --D..b ================+==========+============+==========+=================
NOTE.--When there are to be two dots at either top or bottom of aletter, the dot usually put in the body of a letter which is to indicate"b" can be placed at the opposite end of the letter to the doubledotting. This will help to baffle investigation without puzzling theskilled interpreter.
KEY TO NUMBER CIPHER
Divide off into additions of nine or eight. Thus if extraneous figureshave been inserted, they can be detected and deleted.
Cipher. De-Cipher.
A = 9 O = Repeat Letter B = 54 125 = P C = 63 143 = R D = 72 161 = S E = 18 18 = E F = 81 216 = G G = 216 234 = H H = 234 252 = K or Q I = 27 27 = I K.Q = 252 323 = T L = 414 341 = X or Z M = 432 36 = O N = 612 414 = L O = 36 432 = M P = 125 45 = U or V R = 143 521 = Y S = 161 54 = B T = 323 612 = N U.V = 45 63 = C X.Z = 341 72 = D Y = 521 81 = F Repeat = O 9 = A
FINGER CIPHER.
Values the same as Number Cipher.
The RIGHT hand, beginning at the thumb, represent the ODD numbers,
The LEFT hand, beginning at the thumb, represent the EVEN numbers.
KEY TO DOT CIPHER
P--Letter left plain. D--Dot in centre or where are two dots t or b in other end (b or t). .--Dot. t--top of letter. b--bottom of letter.
Cipher. De-Cipher.
A = P .. b P ------ D ------ P . b = P B = P . b -- D . t P ------ D . t -- P . t = R C = D . b -- P . t P ------ D .. t -------- = E D = P .. t -- D P ------ D . b -- P --- = S E = P -- D .. t P . t -- D ------- P . t = T F = D .. t -- P P . t -- D . t -- P --- = X or Z G = D -- P -- D . b P . t -- D . b -------- = O H = D -- P . t -- D . t P .. t -- D ------------- = D I = D -- P .. t P . b -- D ------- P = Y K.Q = D -- P . b -- D P . b -- D . t ------- = B L = D . t -- P -- D . t P .. b ----------------- = A M = D . t -- P . t -- D D ------- P ------- D . b = G N = D . b -- P -- D D ------- P . t -- D . t = H O = P . t -- D . b D ------- P .. t -------- = I P = P -- D -- P . b D ------- P . b -- D --- = K or Q R = P -- D . t -- P . t D . t -- P ------- D . t = L S = P -- D . b -- P D . t -- P . t -- D --- = M T = P . t -- D -- P . t D . t -- P . b -------- = U or V U.V = D . t -- P . b D .. t -- P ------------- = F X.Z = P . t -- D . t -- P D . b -- P ----- D ----- = N Y = P . b -- D -- P D . b --
P . t -------- = C Repeat = D .. b (W = U repeated) D .. b -------- = Repeat (W)