Collection ID: 0001 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Dos discursos de la cifra.

Other related names

• Fernández de Velasco, Juan, dedicatee (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83050566)

Call number

Oversize LJS 423
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9949193023503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/792944912
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017.12/366278 https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p39z90c6p https://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0001/html/ljs423.html

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Spanish

Origin

Date

circa 1600

Place

Spain

Summary

Two works on ciphers. The first is more theoretical and describes ciphers based on subjects such as arithmetic, non-Roman alphabets (Greek, Hebrew) and writing systems (Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese, the writing of Indians of New Spain), astrology, musical notation, geography, currency, orthography, armorials, emblems, and enigmas. The second is a technical description of 24 different methods of enciphering and deciphering, using numerous tables, volvelles, movable sleeves, and grilles. Most of the entries in the index at the end of the manuscript (p. 165-166), which is in the same hand as the text, refer to subjects in the first work. Written by a cryptographer in the service of Martin de Cordova, viceroy of Navarre (p. 5), and dedicated to Juan Fernandez de Velasco, Condestable de Castilla (p. 3), a Spanish official who held government posts in Italy.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from caption title for preface (p. 5).
   
• 1. p.5-6: Declaracion general de los dos discursos de la cifra -- 2. p.7-66: Discurso primero: Theorica de la cifra -- 3. p.67-163: Discurso segundo: Estampas, modos, o especies para scrivir en cifra -- 4. p.165-166: Tabla de de loque contienen los dos discursos.
   

Extent

82 leaves : 372 x 280 (279 x 180) mm bound to 380 x 290 mm

Foliation

Paper, i + 82 + i; [3-4], 5-78, [i], 79, [80-81, i], 82, [83], 84-120 (odd-numbered pages contain full-page illustrations and are not numbered), [121], 124, [125], 126, [127], 128, [129], 130, [131-133], 134, [135-137], 138, [139], 140, [141-142], 143, [144], 145-163, [164], 165, [166]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary Spanish calf; restored spine with fragment of early label (De zifras).

Layout

Text pages written in 31 long lines.

Decoration

31 full-page illustrations (numbered Estampa I-Estampa XXXI) of keys to ciphers, in black, red, and green ink, including keys with string pointers (p. 95, 97), a movable sleeve (p. 125), volvelles (p. 129), and grilles (p. 131-133, 135-137). Full-page illustrations as well as small tables and examples inserted in text have simple decorative geometric frames. Rubrics, marginal headings, some initials and words, and pagination in red ink.

Script

Written in cursive script by a single hand.

Provenance

• Sold by Martayan Lan, cat. 28 (Sept. 2001), no. 189, to Lawrence J. Schoenberg.
   
• Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.
   
• Gift of Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg, 2021.
   

Subjects topical

• Ciphers--Early works to 1800
• Ciphers
• Cryptography--Early works to 1800
• Cryptography

Genres

• codices (bound manuscripts)
• treatises
• volvelles
• Tables (Data)
• Tables (Data)
• Manuscripts, Spanish--16th century
• Manuscripts, Spanish--17th century
• Manuscripts, Renaissance
• Manuscripts, European

Keywords

• 16th century
• 17th century
• Spanish
• Spain
• Paper
• Cryptography

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Oversize LJS 423: Dos discursos de la cifra. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is © and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Decorations

• 81 — Key, p. 81
• 82 — Table, p. 82
• 83 — Key, p. 83
• 84 — Table, p. 84
• 85 — Key, p. 85
• 87 — Key, p. 87
• 88 — Table, p. 88
• 89 — Key, p. 89
• 91 — Key, p. 91
• 92 — Table, p. 92
• 93 — Key, p. 93
• 94 — Table, p. 94
• 95 — Key with string pointer, p. 95
• 97 — Key with string pointer, p. 97
• 98 — Table, p. 98
• 99 — Key, p. 99
• 100 — Table, p. 100
• 101 — Key, p. 101
• 103 — Key, p. 103
• 104 — Table, p. 104
• 105 — Key, p. 105
• 106 — Table, p. 106
• 107 — Key, p. 107
• 108 — Table, p. 108
• 109 — Key, p. 109
• 110 — Table, p. 110
• 111 — Key, p. 111
• 113 — Key, p. 113
• 114 — Table, p. 114
• 115 — Key, p. 115
• 117 — Key, p. 117
• 119 — Table, p. 119
• 120 — Table, p. 120
• 121 — Table, p. 121