|
|
Book
5 |
Ch.
7.
183 |
Chapter
VII
On Mixed
Transposition of Vowels and Consonants.
Transposition
of the third general; class is Mixed. Here
the process is accomplished partly without Transposition, and partly without
Mutual Transposition, as in the Transposition of Vowels and Consonants contained
in this chapter. The method of
performing this Transposition I will explain below; let me first give these
three schemes, arranged in direct and inverted order:
|
1 |
a |
b |
2 |
a |
h |
3 |
a |
p |
1 |
a |
g |
2 |
a |
n |
3 |
a |
t |
|
e |
c |
e |
k |
e |
q |
e |
f |
e |
m |
e |
s |
||||||
|
i |
d |
i |
l |
i |
r |
i |
d |
i |
l |
i |
r |
||||||
|
o |
f |
o |
m |
o |
s |
o |
c |
o |
k |
o |
q |
||||||
|
u |
g |
u |
n |
u |
t |
u |
b |
u |
h |
u |
p |
Trithemius, in the General Key appended to his Steganographia, shows that we can use this Mode either by direct or inverted process. Let us, however, listen to his own words:
“This method of writing should be understood thus: where you have occasion in your secret sentence to write the vowel A, put for A the consonant B, and, vice versa, if you have occasion to write B, put for B the vowel A; and so in the other Modes. These Modes may also, for the sake of variety, be inverted and performed backward; G, namely, being put for A, F for E, D for I, and so on. Let us now, for example, set before us to be written the word Omnipotens. This is written by the first three Modes thus: by the first Mode, Fmndpftcns; by the second, Moulpmtkus; by the third, Smnrasugno. Inversely, by the last three Modes, it is written thus: by the first Mode, Cmndpctfns; by the second, Kealpktmas; by the third, Qmnruqasne. And so we proceed in the case of whole sentences. As an example take the sentence given below. It may be written, by all the above-mentioned rules, but I have chosen to write it here by the first Mode: Misere Omnipotens Deus, animabus famulorum tuorum, in te pie requiescentium. Now this sentence may be hidden thus: Mdscrcrc Fmndpftcns Icgs Bndmbags Obmglfrgm Tgfrgm Dn Tc Pdc Rcqgdcsecntdgm. Owing, however, to the infrequent occurrence of vowels, no word containing a meaning is here presented, and I have therefore in the next case followed this rule: to take, namely, the consonants given above, and insert among them vowels, after the following fashion: Midosa Coracir Oca Faminoi Apofa Ticonusa etc. Of these letters, as they now stand, the first, or initial, letter only is Significant: following that is an Idle letter and so they proceed alternately.”