01 信件与密钥
R8499 有六幅图像：Harley MS 1582 的 ff. 8r、8v、9r 和 10v，以及两张装帧照片。笔迹是 Wotton 的，收信人是女王，结尾写着“And thus I beseech Jesu long to preserve your highness”。正文是密文，约3,200个符号，各段之间夹着明写片段（“the king being then in his journey … the Court resting as yet nowhere”、“declaredde unto him your highness pleasure”）。此信不见于 Calendar of State Papers Foreign, Mary，该书只收了 Wotton 致 Petre 的信（苏瓦松，6月14日），以及 SP 69 中后来写给女王的几封信。
密钥是 DECODE R354，TNA SP 106/2 f. 162 中的单张纸，标题为“France 1554”。它为每个字母给出三到六个同音符，一行虚码（“Nihil significantia”），以及一份名码本，其条目与 Wotton 那年春天的使命相吻合：皇帝、女王陛下、法国国王、陆军统帅、Peter Carew、叛乱者、伊丽莎白小姐、德文郡伯爵、西班牙王子、Strozzi、锡耶纳、Guisnes、加来、低地国家、“fair words”（好话），以及一些短词（and, the, of, to, was, shall, have, hath, it, is）。R8499 的符号和虚码正是 R354 的那些。
02 解密文本
下文按信件顺序排列，采用现代标点和解密所得的拼写。带数字的方括号表示未解密的符号；斜体词为存疑（C 级或 M 级）。逐行解密（附符号）见 final_v8.txt 在代码仓库中。
f. 8r：Carew 在贡比涅
Pleasing it your highness to understand that Carew was at Compiegne and spake of with the French king, the rebels, with the Constable, and Carew. I am enformid Carew saith [1] he have had meny gentle and fair words … the Constable tooke it [4] that the French king had gyven him … and where Carew requyred that the band of the rebels should have the Emperor’s wagis … the Constable comenid with him how the ysle of Wight might be taken [13] most, and how it might be kept. The rebels finallye, Carew [also] advertisith me, they have concludid that … to attempt against your highness … the Prince of Spain’s coming … in the Low Countries … He the French king hath encreasidde the pensions of dyvers of the rebels … of the Cardinal Farnese, who shewing him much favour … two hundred … crownes and nothing other, likewise … offerid fowre hundrid and the leading of a band, yf him list, as he saithe.
f. 8v：叛乱者的计划
The rebels may dwel in France where they be, and the Emperor’s pensions to continew til the time the French king may restowr them to the Emperor’s countre … the Emperor’s ambassador sent me word that whereunto cam of late a servant of Carew to him out of the Low Countries, who shall that certein gentlemen home send him word that … in the west partis they … to take part with them … and that they [1] take Plymtown [5] and keep it rady … The king being then in his journey, the Court resting as yet nowhere, so as I could … I wold first make a step to Paris ere I went, to talk secretly with … and to advertys him of your highness’ mind … I found the meanes to talk with him in a [2] place and declaredde unto him your highness’ pleasure concerning him … he must first speak with Carew ere he could take [1] to him. The effect of his answer was these: first … the resolucion taken betwen the Constable and Carew [6] … the Constable, being enformedde that Carew was departid [from] Compiegne, satisfied, had sent the lord [16] to him to … meny fair words, and to shewe him that the rebels’ band shulde have theyr wagis.
f. 9r：悔过的叛乱者
… for lack of money … charges offred, and he would not entre in service to the French king … he did receve money of him, he could not find in his heart that they be untrew to him; and besides that, he doubting lest it be known that he gyveth me advertsmentes … would be gladde to depart this shortly; and although he sayde he took me to be an honest manne, and therfore did not mistrust my wordes … what kind of effect your highness wolde requyre of him to be done … that it were perceived that he wente abrode to attempt the Emperor against the French king … he came not fynde in his herte to return into England. He thinkith that your highness can not forget this offence … and in case your highness could forget it, yet he reckening assuredly that the French king will [not] forget it … so that, being persuadedde that he can not lyve in England without [pardon] of this, he entendeth not to return … that it would please your highness to give him … and suffer him to have a gentlemanes lyving in [2] countrey … He entendith not to open the circumstances of this fawte … if he must detect meny gentelmen, who, remaining unknown, may live honestly at home.
f. 10v：Cornwel、德意志雇佣步兵、圣康坦
This is th’effect of … He shewed me that one Cornwel is rover to late and … I have not yet spoken with him … the said Cornwel … For he doutith whether he may trust him, for he was longing to the lord [4] … There is one who calling him self Greneberye, who hath been twyse offred … the first tyme they toke him for a spye … and besides that, this felaw who cam with him the first declared to Carew what he was and where … the Emperor’s sisters; Carew namid to be twenty enseignes, and lye abowte Laon, of new lantzknechtes … not the third part … passid within a myle of this towne fifty and nine canone. It is told me that … Paris, and it semith to take the way towardes Saint Quintin … what the Emperor’s intent is, is kept [2]. It is thought that the French king will be in the camp him[self] … whether the Emperor be strong to meete them. The Constable hath ben sike and is not yet [1] strong. The Duke of Gwyse [7] … And thus I beseech Jesu long to preserve your highness …
03 方法
- 身份鉴定。开头和结尾的明写部分点明了收信人是女王；笔迹和签名确定了 Wotton；BL 目录记录和1808年的 Harleian 目录给出苏瓦松，1554年6月13日。
- 转录。在找到密钥之前，先做了一份符号转录（3,212个符号，158种）。一个同音替换模拟退火求解器在
en-1640s模型上运行，虽经合成对照验证，却在盲解时失败：虚码和词代码使它束手无策。 - 密钥。密钥纸 R354 是在 DECODE 上的 SP 106 密钥中找到的，并已转录（
key_R354.md）。去掉虚码、确定字母值与代码值之后，文本开始有了意思（“Compiegne and spake of … the rebels with the Constable”）。 - 重新转录。第一轮的若干记号把密钥上不同的符号合并在了一起（ω d 与 and；法国国王与“your highness”；带横杠的 x 与普通 x）。我们在图像上逐个符号把它们拆开（v2），然后以全分辨率重新转录了每一页（v5）。
- 统一密钥与名码本。各页的密钥合并为一份（v6），约140个名码本条目全部转录，并对每一段未读出的文字逐一试过（v7）；一轮字形甄别又区分了正三角与拱形三角、带横杠的 C 与普通 C（v8）。
- 度量。每一轮都按非虚码符号计数：确定值依次为47%、65%、72%、75%、75%。最后两轮没有新增确定值。
| 页码 | 非虚码符号 | 确定 | 含存疑 |
|---|---|---|---|
| f. 8r | 734 | 66.6% | 86.1% |
| f. 8v | 683 | 75.1% | 90.0% |
| f. 9r | 709 | 81.8% | 90.6% |
| f. 10v | 683 | 76.9% | 91.4% |
| 全部（v8） | 2,801 | 75.0% | 89.4% |
（各页数据是 v7 在2,809个符号上的计数；v8 删除了两个重复转录的符号，并给其他一些符号重新标注，总数未变。）
04 仍不确定的部分
- 约四分之一的非虚码符号未解密或为存疑：f. 8r 上的几小段（第13–15、18、24行），f. 8v 上“the lord”之后的名字（16个符号；也许是“Brymstane”，即 Brunstane 的 Crichton，一名苏格兰人：M），f. 10v 上“the Duke of Gwyse”之后的名字（“Gaspard”？：I），“Greneberye”（M），以及代码
Ie，一度读作“the Emperor’s ambassador”（M）。阻碍：同时代的解读抄本 Harley MS 1582 ff. 5r–7v 既未被 BL 数字化，也不在 DECODE 上，需要下单订购影像。 - 约四十个罕见代码符号（
.I .p .d .M N. R.、带下加符的 C、带尾的 Q、高而带圈的 f、大圆圈）与唯一存世的密钥副本 R354 上任何可辨认的格子都对不上。带点的 N 和 R 代码大概是添加在 Wotton 那份密钥上的人名，而这份副本里没有。已对照名码本测试并否定的有：.I泰鲁阿讷，.M特伦托，-P，以及把手写体 y 读作“either”。 - 怀特岛那一句，即 f. 8r 第13–16行，于2026年9月30日在图像上重读。“concludid”是确定的（H）：按密钥为 c o n c l u d i d，在 n 之后多写了一个符号（带圈的 d，密钥上为 i），是笔误或虚码。“taken”之后、“most”之前有十三个符号仍未读出：下方带点的 c（若是密钥上带尾的 c 则为 u，M；字形甄别判定它是另一个符号，密钥 v6 读作 s），然后是 s、带下划线的 x（密钥上为 i）、带横杠的 b、第二个 c 形符号，以及 p、r、带钩的 d、一个墨渍下的符号、a、t、e、s。它们给出“us i? l/o u pr[i?][?]ates”或“ss i? l/o s pr…”，两者都不成句；语言模型对结尾的最佳拟合是“privates”（I，未采用）。“advertisith”之前的符号（
Ie）给作 also，这个连接词在 ff. 8r–8v 上它出现的七处中有五处说得通（I）；它不在密钥纸上。 - 存疑的代码值：
.Z= that，T.= me，L2= Calais（C）。确定的：4= that，B.= of，.B= not，带点的 y = yet，小圆圈 = hath。 - 各连贯段落的等级：f. 8r 上 Carew 与陆军统帅的叙述、叛乱者的军饷与年金、f. 9r 上悔过的叛乱者，均为 H；怀特岛和普利茅斯，地名为 H，动词为 C；Farnese 和 Greneberye 两个名字为 M。
05 来源
- British Library，Harley MS 1582 ff. 8r–10v（DECODE R8499）；BL 目录记录 040-002047412（ff. 5r–7v“可能是解读 ff. 8r–10v 那封信的同时代抄本”）。
- 密钥：The National Archives，SP 106/2 f. 162，“France 1554”（DECODE R354）。
- A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum，第2卷（1808年），第138–139页，第1582号（archive.org）。
- Calendar of State Papers Foreign, Mary（1861年），1554年6–7月（British History Online）：未收录。P. F. Tytler，England under the Reigns of Edward VI and Mary，第2卷（1839年）：未刊印。
笔记、各份转录、每一版密钥、名码本以及实测的解密结果见 targets/harley1582r8499/.