The use of sigili or "autograph seals" is very ancient, indeed we find them mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah (chap. xxii. v. 10); these, however, were invariably engraved on the collets or stones of rings, and it was not till a much later date that hand stamps were applied to that purpose. In England, the first sealed charter extant is that of Edward the Confessor, upon his founding Westminster Abbey; and many of our English kings used them, from an inability to affix any other kind of signature: this indeed is candidly acknowledged by Caedwalla, a Saxon king, who says, at the conclusion of one of his charters, "propriâ manu pro ignorantiâ literarum signum sanctæ crucis expressi et subscripsi."
The nearest approach to a corresponding seal that occurs prior to the sixteenth century, is that described in a decree of Cardinal Otto, who was papal legate in 1237, by which the bishops were to bear on their seals their title, office, dignity, and even their proper names. About this period mottos were likewise generally introduced, but none of those before the publication of the noble author's work were at all adapted for secret correspondence; or, in fact, had they any mode of combining moveable characters in the matrix for the purpose of varying the impression. The principle upon which those described by the Marquis must have been formed is simply this: a frame similar to those in which seals are generally mounted having been first prepared, a number of moveable circles may be made to slide within each other on one common centre. If three are employed, they should be engraved with the numerals, the alphabet, and, if intended for secret writing, the third circle may be furnished with any arbitrary signs that may suggest themselves. These, by means of a key, of which both the corresponding parties must possess a duplicate, may be combined to form the day of the week, month, year, &c.
It would be found very useful in preventing and detecting the mistakes which so frequently occur in the delivery of letters, if the seals in common use were provided with at least two of these revolving circles, with the day of the month and hour of the day engraved on their face, parallel to the stone. A particular part of the arms or cipher being used as an index hand, it would then show the precise hour the letter was sent, without the trouble of dating, &c.
In engraved seals where coats of arms are used, it will be obvious that the seal must be larger than those generally in use, as the circles must be made to revolve round the outer extremity of the stone, and their usefulness will be considerably diminished. With regard to the possibility of forming a key by which writing in any language may be deciphered, we have the following curious anecdote, furnished by the late learned and ingenious Mr. Astle, keeper of His Majesty's Records: he states, on the authority of a noble Lord, deceased, that the late Earl Granville, while Secretary of State, told him, that when he came into office he had his doubts respecting the certainty of deciphering. That he wrote down two or three sentences in the Swedish language, and afterwards put them into such arbitrary marks or characters, as his mind suggested to him; that he sent the paper to Dr. Willes, who returned it the next day, and informed his lordship, that the characters he had sent to him formed certain words, which he had written beneath the cipher, but that he did not understand the language; and Lord Granville declared, that the words were exactly those which he had first written, before he put them into cipher.
No. II.
How ten thousand persons may use these seals to all and every of the purposes aforesaid, and yet keep their secrets from any but whom they please.
NOTE.
As the mode of deciphering inscriptions, dates, &c. formed by these seals, depends on a key, the formation of which is arbitrary, and resting entirely upon the fancy or ingenuity of its composer; it follows, that the smallest variation from the one originally intended for that purpose, will entirely destroy the effect of the proposed combination.
No. III.
A cipher and character so contrived, that one line, without returns and circumflexes, stands for each and every one of the twenty-four letters; and as ready to be made for the one letter as the other.
NOTE.
Of this and the following invention, the noble author has left to the curious in the stenographic art, his own definition; a manuscript, in the Marquis's hand-writing, having been preserved in the Harleian Collection, appended to an original copy of the Century of Inventions, in which he explains the system upon which these two articles are founded. The MS. alluded to is thus entitled:—"An Explanation of the most exact and most compendious way of Short-hand Writing; and an Example, given by way of Questions and Resolves upon each significant Point, proving how and why it stands for such and such a Letter, in order, alphabetically placed in every page."—Bibl. Harl. No. 2428.
The above work is accompanied with engraved brass plates; and his system, which is simple and easy of attainment, may be thus described:—A sheet of paper must first be prepared, with a given number of horizontal rows of small octagons, somewhat resembling the chequers on a draft-board. Straight lines are then to be drawn from the centre towards the sides of these squares, in different positions, and of various lengths, for each letter in the alphabet. Thus, A is a short horizontal stroke, made to the right hand, and not touching the side; E, A, and W, are represented by a similar stroke in the opposite direction, but varying in their lengths. By a similar method the author suggests, in the following article, that we may write with a dot, or single point only, placed in a given situation in the octagon; varying the position for each letter, as is at present done in music, the paper being prepared with ruled lines, or it may be simplified by the use of coloured inks for the vowels and consonants.