01 信件與金鑰
R8499 有六幅影象：Harley MS 1582 的 ff. 8r、8v、9r 和 10v，以及兩張裝幀照片。筆跡是 Wotton 的，收信人是女王，結尾寫著“And thus I beseech Jesu long to preserve your highness”。正文是密文，約3,200個符號，各段之間夾著明寫片段（“the king being then in his journey … the Court resting as yet nowhere”、“declaredde unto him your highness pleasure”）。此信不見於 Calendar of State Papers Foreign, Mary，該書只收了 Wotton 致 Petre 的信（蘇瓦松，6月14日），以及 SP 69 中後來寫給女王的幾封信。
金鑰是 DECODE R354，TNA SP 106/2 f. 162 中的單張紙，標題為“France 1554”。它為每個字母給出三到六個同音符，一行虛碼（“Nihil significantia”），以及一份名碼本，其條目與 Wotton 那年春天的使命相吻合：皇帝、女王陛下、法國國王、陸軍統帥、Peter Carew、叛亂者、伊麗莎白小姐、德文郡伯爵、西班牙王子、Strozzi、錫耶納、Guisnes、加來、低地國家、“fair words”（好話），以及一些短詞（and, the, of, to, was, shall, have, hath, it, is）。R8499 的符號和虛碼正是 R354 的那些。
02 解密文字
下文按信件順序排列，採用現代標點和解密所得的拼寫。帶數字的方括號表示未解密的符號；斜體詞為存疑（C 級或 M 級）。逐行解密（附符號）見 final_v8.txt 在程式碼倉庫中。
f. 8r：Carew 在貢比涅
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：叛亂者的計劃
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：悔過的叛亂者
… 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、德意志僱傭步兵、聖康坦
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
- 身份鑑定。開頭和結尾的明寫部分點明瞭收信人是女王；筆跡和簽名確定了 Wotton；BL 目錄記錄和1808年的 Harleian 目錄給出蘇瓦松，1554年6月13日。
- 轉錄。在找到金鑰之前，先做了一份符號轉錄（3,212個符號，158種）。一個同音替換模擬退火求解器在
en-1640s模型上執行，雖經合成對照驗證，卻在盲解時失敗：虛碼和詞程式碼使它束手無策。 - 金鑰。金鑰紙 R354 是在 DECODE 上的 SP 106 金鑰中找到的，並已轉錄（
key_R354.md）。去掉虛碼、確定字母值與程式碼值之後，文字開始有了意思（“Compiegne and spake of … the rebels with the Constable”）。 - 重新轉錄。第一輪的若干記號把金鑰上不同的符號合併在了一起（ω d 與 and；法國國王與“your highness”；帶橫槓的 x 與普通 x）。我們在影象上逐個符號把它們拆開（v2），然後以全解析度重新轉錄了每一頁（v5）。
- 統一金鑰與名碼本。各頁的金鑰合併為一份（v6），約140個名碼本條目全部轉錄，並對每一段未讀出的文字逐一試過（v7）；一輪字形甄別又區分了正三角與拱形三角、帶橫槓的 C 與普通 C（v8）。
- 度量。每一輪都按非虛碼符號計數：確定值依次為47%、65%、72%、75%、75%。最後兩輪沒有新增確定值。
| 頁碼 | 非虛碼符號 | 確定 | 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% |
（各頁資料是 v7 在2,809個符號上的計數；v8 刪除了兩個重複轉錄的符號，並給其他一些符號重新標註，總數未變。）
04 仍不確定的部分
- 約四分之一的非虛碼符號未解密或為存疑：f. 8r 上的幾小段（第13–15、18、24行），f. 8v 上“the lord”之後的名字（16個符號；也許是“Brymstane”，即 Brunstane 的 Crichton，一名蘇格蘭人：M），f. 10v 上“the Duke of Gwyse”之後的名字（“Gaspard”？：I），“Greneberye”（M），以及程式碼
Ie，一度讀作“the Emperor’s ambassador”（M）。阻礙：同時代的解讀抄本 Harley MS 1582 ff. 5r–7v 既未被 BL 數字化，也不在 DECODE 上，需要下單訂購影像。 - 約四十個罕見程式碼符號（
.I .p .d .M N. R.、帶下加符的 C、帶尾的 Q、高而帶圈的 f、大圓圈）與唯一存世的金鑰副本 R354 上任何可辨認的格子都對不上。帶點的 N 和 R 程式碼大概是新增在 Wotton 那份金鑰上的人名，而這份副本里沒有。已對照名碼本測試並否定的有：.I泰魯阿訥，.M特倫託，-P，以及把手寫體 y 讀作“either”。 - 懷特島那一句，即 f. 8r 第13–16行，於2026年9月30日在影象上重讀。“concludid”是確定的（H）：按金鑰為 c o n c l u d i d，在 n 之後多寫了一個符號（帶圈的 d，金鑰上為 i），是筆誤或虛碼。“taken”之後、“most”之前有十三個符號仍未讀出：下方帶點的 c（若是金鑰上帶尾的 c 則為 u，M；字形甄別判定它是另一個符號，金鑰 v6 讀作 s），然後是 s、帶下劃線的 x（金鑰上為 i）、帶橫槓的 b、第二個 c 形符號，以及 p、r、帶鉤的 d、一個墨漬下的符號、a、t、e、s。它們給出“us i? l/o u pr[i?][?]ates”或“ss i? l/o s pr…”，兩者都不成句；語言模型對結尾的最佳擬合是“privates”（I，未採用）。“advertisith”之前的符號（
Ie）給作 also，這個連線詞在 ff. 8r–8v 上它出現的七處中有五處說得通（I）；它不在金鑰紙上。 - 存疑的程式碼值：
.Z= that，T.= me，L2= Calais（C）。確定的：4= that，B.= of，.B= not，帶點的 y = yet，小圓圈 = hath。 - 各連貫段落的等級：f. 8r 上 Carew 與陸軍統帥的敘述、叛亂者的軍餉與年金、f. 9r 上悔過的叛亂者，均為 H；懷特島和普利茅斯，地名為 H，動詞為 C；Farnese 和 Greneberye 兩個名字為 M。
05 來源
- British Library，Harley MS 1582 ff. 8r–10v（DECODE R8499）；BL 目錄記錄 040-002047412（ff. 5r–7v“可能是解讀 ff. 8r–10v 那封信的同時代抄本”）。
- 金鑰：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頁，第1582號（archive.org）。
- Calendar of State Papers Foreign, Mary（1861年），1554年6–7月（British History Online）：未收錄。P. F. Tytler，England under the Reigns of Edward VI and Mary，第2卷（1839年）：未刊印。
筆記、各份轉錄、每一版金鑰、名碼本以及實測的解密結果見 targets/harley1582r8499/.