258 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



as we saw above, the word &quot;Fly,&quot; resolved by means of 

 the biliteral alphabet, is 



FLY 



aabab ababa babba 



whereof I fit, letter by letter, the words &quot;Stay till I come 

 to you, observing the use of my two alphabets of differ 

 ently shaped letters, thus: 



aabab ababa babba 

 Stay t il i co me to you 



Having now adjusted my writing according to all my alpha 

 bets, I send it to my correspondent, who reads the secret 

 meaning by translating the Koman letters into a s, and the 

 Italic ones into 6 s, according to the Roman and Italic al 

 phabets, and comparing each combination of five of them 

 with the biliteral alphabet. 25 



We herewith annex a fuller example of the cipher of 

 writing &quot;omnia per omnia, &quot; viz., an interior letter once sent 

 by the Ephores of Sparta in a scytale or round ciphered 

 staff: 



&quot;Perditae res. Minidarus cecidit. Milites esuriunt, 

 neque hinc nos extricare, neque hie diutius manere pos- 

 sumus. 



The exterior letter in which the above is involved is 

 taken from the first epistle of Cicero. &quot;We adjoin it: 



&quot;Ego omni ofncio ac potius pietate erga te, caeteris satis- 

 facio omnibus; mihi ipse numquam satisfacio. Tanta est 

 enim magnitudo tuorum erga me meritorum, ut quoniam tu 

 nisi perfecta re, de me non conquiesti. Ego quia non idem 

 tu tua causa efncio, vitam mihi esse acerbam putem. In 

 causa hasc sunt; Ammonius regis legatus aperte pecunia 

 non oppugnat. Res agitur per eosdem creditores per quos, 



25 Those who desire a fuller explanation may consult Bishop Wilkins s 

 &quot;Secret and Swift Messenger,&quot; or rather Mr. Falconer s &quot;Cryptomenysis Pate- 

 facta, or Art of Secret Information disclosed without a Key.&quot; The trustiness 

 of this cipher depends upon a dexterous use of two hands, or two different kinds 

 of letters, in the same writing, which the skilful decipherer, being thus adver 

 tised of, will be quick-sighted enough to discern, and consequently be able to 

 decipher, though a foundation seems here laid for several, other ciphers, that 

 perhaps could neither be suspected nor deciphered. Shaw. 



