<< YCBA Home Yale Center for British Art Yale Center for British Art << YCBA Home

YCBA Collections Search

 
IIIF Actions
Copy Caption to clipboard | Print Record | Large Print Record
Creator:
Morland, Samuel, Sir, 1625–1695
Title(s):
A new method of cryptography : humbly presented to the most serene Majesty of Charles the II / by Samuel Morland, knight and baronet, and one of the gentlemen of his Majestie's privy chamber in ordinary. 1666.
Published/Created:
[London] : [s.n.], [1666]
Physical Description:
12 p. : ill. ; 36 cm.
Holdings:
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Z103.5 M67 1666+ Oversize
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
[Request]
Copyright Status:
Copyright Not Evaluated
Classification:
Books
Notes:
Caption title.
Imprint from Wing.
Privately printed; probably executed for the King and a small circle of high government officials, several of whom were much interested in cryptography, e.g. Samuel Pepys, the Earl of Clarendon, the Earl of Sandwich, the Earl of Arlington, and Sir George Downing.
Signature: A⁶.
Ruled in red.
Diagrams colored in pink and green, and in one instance, yellow.
Wing, D.G. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English books printed in other countries, 1641-1700 (2nd ed.), M-2781A
English short title catalogue, R231122
BAC: British Art Center copy is possibly the dedication copy to Charles II.
Morland here declares his system to be peculiarly simple to operate, yet to be proof against decipherment by anyone not possessing the key. He complicates his method by the introduction of "nulls." On pages 11-12, he describes a revolving crypto-machine, apparently of his invention. A key to the diagrams on page 12 is headed "Scriptio Cryptographia." It has been cancelled by pasting over it a different key headed "Scriptio Sterganographia."
Subject Terms:
Ciphers -- Early works to 1800.
Cryptography -- Early works to 1800.
Form/Genre:
Engravings -- Hand-colored -- 1666.
Export:
XML


If you have information about this object that may be of assistance please contact us.