Cipher Proofs

Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans

 From Bacon’s Advancement of Learning

Lord Bacon was born in 1561 and history records his death in 1626. There are records in existence, however, which would indicate the probability that his funeral was a mock funeral and that, leaving England, he lived for many years under another name in Germany, there faithfully serving the secret society [Rosicrucians] to the promulgation of whose doctrines he had consecrated his life. Little doubt seems to exist in the minds of impartial investigators that Lord Bacon was the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Leicester. MPH

A Baconian Signature

From Alciati Emblemata

The curious volume from which this figure is taken was published in Paris in 1618. The attention of the Baconian student is immediately attracted by the form of the hog in the foreground. Bacon often used this animal as a play upon his own name, especially because the name Bacon was derived from the word beech and the nut of this tree was used to fatten hogs. The two pillars in the background have considerable Masonic interest. The two A’s nearly in the center of the picture—one light and one shaded—are alone almost conclusive proof of Baconian influence. The most convincing evidence, however, is the fact that 17 is the numerical equivalent of the letters of the Latin form of Bacon’s name (F. Baco) and there are 17 letters in the three words appearing in the illustration. MPH

A Cryptic Headpiece

From Raleigh’s History of the World

Many documents influenced by Baconian philosophy—or intended to conceal Baconian or Rosicrucian cryptograms—use certain conventional designs at the beginning and end of chapters, which reveal to the initiated the presence of concealed information. The above ornamental scroll has long been accepted as proof of the presence of Baconian influence and is to be found only in a certain number of rare volumes, all of which contain Baconian cryptograms. These cipher messages were placed in the books either by Bacon himself or by contemporary and subsequent authors belonging to the same secret society which Bacon served with his remarkable knowledge of ciphers and enigmas. Variants of this headpiece adorn the Great Shakespearian Folio (1623); Bacon’s Novum Organum (1620); the St. James Bible (1611); Spencer’s Faerie Queene (1611); and sir Walter Raleigh’s History of the World (1614). MPH

The Droeshout Portrait of Shakspere

From Shakespeare’s Great Folio of 1623

There are no authentic portraits of Shakspere in existence. The dissimilarities in the Droeshout, Chandos, Janssen, Hunt, Ashbourne, Soest, and Dunford portraits prove conclusively that the artists were unaware of Shakspere’s actual features. An examination of the Droeshout portrait discloses several peculiarities. Baconian enthusiasts are convinced that the face is only a caricature, possibly the death mask of Francis Bacon. A comparison of the Droeshout Shakspere with portraits and engravings of Francis Bacon demonstrates the identity of the structure of the two faces, the difference in expression being caused by lines of shading. Note also the peculiar line running from the ear down to the chin. Does this line subtly signify that the face itself is a mask, ending at the ear? Notice also that the head is not connected with the body, but is resting on the collar. Most strange of all is the coat: one-half is on backwards. In drawing the jacket, the artist has made the left arm correctly, but the right arm has the back of the shoulder to the front. Frank Woodward has noted that there are 157 letters on the title page. This is a Rosicrucian signature of first importance. The date, 1623, plus the two letters "ON" from the word "LONDON," gives the cryptic signature of Francis Bacon, by a simple numerical cipher. By merely exchanging the 26 letters of the alphabet for numbers, 1 becomes A, 6 becomes F, 2 becomes B, and 3 becomes C, giving AFBC. To this is added the ON from LONDON, resulting in AFBCON, which rearranged forms F. BACON.  MPH

Headpiece showing light and shaded A's

From Shakespeare’s King Richard The Second, Quarto of 1597

The ornamental headpiece shown above has long been considered a Baconian or Rosicrucian signature. The light and the dark A’s appear in several volumes published by emissaries of the Rosicrucians. If the above figure be compared with that from Alciati Emblemata on the following page, the cryptic use of the two A’s will be further demonstrated. MPH.

The Title Page of the First Edition of Sir Walter Ralegh's History of the World

From Ralegh’s History of the World

What was the mysterious knowledge which Sir Walter Ralegh possessed and which was declared to be detrimental to the British government? Why was he executed when the charges against him could not be proved? By those seeking the keys to this great controversy, he seems to have been almost entirely overlooked. His contemporaries are unanimous in their praise of his remarkable intellect, and he has long been considered one of Britain’s most brilliant sons.

The title page reproduced above was used by Ralegh’s political foes as a powerful weapon against him. They convinced James I that the face of the central figure upholding the globe was a caricature of his own, and the enraged king ordered every copy of the engraving destroyed. But a few copies escaped the royal wrath; consequently the plate is extremely rare. The engraving is a mass of Rosicrucian and Masonic symbols, and the figures on the columns in all probability conceal a cryptogram. More significant still is the fact that on the page facing this plate is a headpiece identical with that used in the 1623 Folio of "Shakespeare" and also in Bacon’s Novum Organum. MPH

A Famous Cryptic Title Page

From Selenus’ Cryptomenytices et Cryptographiae

One year after the publication of the first Great "Shakespearian" Folio, a remarkable volume on cryptograms and ciphers was published. The title page of the work is reproduced here. The year of its publication (1624) was during the Rosicrucian controversy. The translation of the title page is as follows: "The Cryptomenysis and Cryptography of Gustavus Selenus in the nine books, to which is added a clear explanation of the System of Steganography of John Trithemius, Abbot of Spanheim and Herbipolis, a man of admirable genius. Interspersed with worthy inventions of the Author and others, 1624."

The author of this volume was believed to be Augustus, Duke of Brunswick. The symbols and emblems ornamenting the title page, however, are conclusive evidence that the Rosicrucians were behind its publication. At the bottom of the picture is a nobleman placing his hat on another man’s head. In the two side panels are striking and subtle "Shakespearian" allusions. On the left is a nobleman (possibly Bacon) handing a paper to another man of mean appearance who carries in his hand a spear. At the right, the man who previously carried the spear is shown in the costume of an actor, wearing spurs and blowing a horn. The allusion to the actor blowing his horn and the figure carrying the spear suggest much, especially as spear is the last syllable of the name "Shakespeare." MPH

An Example of Biliteral Writing

In the above sentence note carefully the formation of the letters. Compare each letter with the two types of letters in the biliteral alphabet table reproduced from Lord Bacon’s De Augmentis Scientiarum (see also below - The Bilateral Alphabet). A comparison of the "d" in "wisdom" with the "d" in "and" discloses a large loop at the top of the first, while the second shows practically no loop at all. Contrast the "i" in "wisdom" with the "i" in "understanding." In the former the lines are curved and in the latter angular. A similar analysis of the two "e’s" in "desired" reveals obvious differences. The "o" in "more" differs only from the "o" in "wisdom" in that a tiny line continues from the top over towards the "r." The "a" in "than" is thinner and more angular than the "a" in "are," while the "r" in "riches" differs from that in "desired" in that the final upright stroke terminates in a ball instead of a sharp point. These minor differences disclose the presence of the two alphabets employed in writing the sentence. MPH

A Modern Wheel, or Disc, Cipher

The above diagram shows a wheel cipher. The smaller, or inner, alphabet moves around so that any one of its letters may be brought opposite any one of the letters on the larger, or outer, alphabet. In some cases the inner alphabet is written backwards, but in the present example, both alphabets read the same way. MPH

The Biliteral Alphabet

From Bacon’s De Augmentis Scientiarum

This plate is reproduced from Bacon’s De Augmentis Scientiarum, and shows the two alphabets as designed by him for the purpose of his cipher. Each capital and small letter has two distinct forms which are designated "a" and "b". The biliteral system did not in every instance make use of two alphabets in which the differences were as perceptible as in the example here given, but two alphabets were always used; sometimes the variations are so minute that it requires a powerful magnifying glass to distinguish the difference between the "a" and the "b" types of letters. MPH

The Key to the Biliteral Cipher

From Bacon’s De Augmentis Scientiarum

After the document to be deciphered has been reduced to its "a" and "b" equivalents, it is then broken up into five-letter groups and the message read with the aid of the above table. MPH