316 CRYPTOGRAPHS AND CIPHERS [CH. XIV 



y ( ), z ( ). Since there are 30 possible per- 

 mutations of two signs taken not more than four together, 



this leaves four signals unemployed, ( ), ( ), 



( ), ( ), which might have been utilized for special 



signals. In telegraphy there are also recognized signs or 

 combinations for numerals, for the ends of words and messages, 

 and for various calls between the sender and the recipient of 

 a message. 



Charles I used ciphers freely in important correspondence 

 — the majority being of the second type. He was foolish 

 enough to take a cabinet, containing many confidential notes 

 in cipher, with him to the field of Naseby, where they fell into 

 the hands of Fairfax*. In these papers each letter was repre- 

 sented by a number. Clues were provided by the King who 

 had written over the number the letter which it represented. 

 Thus in two letters written in 1643, a is represented by 17 or 

 18, b by 13, c by 11 or 12, d by 5, e by 7 or 8 or 9 or 10, 

 / by 15 or 16, g by 21, h by 31 or 32, i by 27 or 28, * by 25, 

 I by 23 or 24, m by 42 or 44, n by 39 or 40 or 41, o by 35 or 

 36 or 37 or 38, p by 33 or 34, r by 50 or 51 or 52, s by 47 or 48, 

 t by 45 or 46, u by 62 or 63, w by 58, and y by 74 or 77. 

 Numbers of three digits were used to represent particular 

 people or places. Thus 148 stood for France, 189 for the King, 

 260 for the Queen, 354 for Prince Rupert, and so on. Further, 

 there were a few special symbols, thus k\ stood for of, n\ for 

 to, and/1 for is. The numbers 2 to 4 and 65 to 72 were non- 

 significant, and were to be struck out or neglected by the 

 recipient of the message. Each symbol is separated from that 

 which follows it by a full-stop. 



A similar, though less elaborate, system was used by the 

 French in the Peninsular War. An excellent illustration of 

 the inherent defects of this method is to be found in the 

 writings of the late Sir Charles Wheatstone. A paper in 

 cipher, every page of which was initialed by Charles I, 

 and countersigned by Lord Digby, was purchased some years 



* First Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, 1870, 

 pp. 2, 4. 



