Chapter XVII
On Simple Inverted Transposition:
of Three or more Letters

We come now to the second mode of this Simple Transposition, wherein Transposition is to be written by means of three letters taken by themselves.  We may and should be assisted in the understanding of this Mode by the table given in the beginning of Chapter Twenty of the following Book, if from that table we take the numbers and in their stead write in each vacant square three of the eight letters, A1: B2: C3: D4: E5: F6: G7: H8: continuing the process in successive order and in multiplicity of combinations: thus, Aaa: aab: aac: aad: aae: aaf: aag: aah: etc.  Then, in the last square, or space, will come up for insertion the letters gbh.  The method of using, in resolving the letters of the secret and in making Transposition, is the same as that shown in the preceding chapter.  Wherefore, as an example, I will add, for the words Omnium rerum vicissitudo.  The transposed written form:  Ehf ece efh ege ahe bbd cdb aeb eaf ahg fde.  Here, too, the exterior capital letters in the said table serve notably, in the manner shown in the preceding chapter, to produce obscurity; which fact should be noted here for the second time.

To the above I subjoin an explanation of the third Mode in that use wherein we write with more than three letters.  This process takes place when we put in the squares of the table fixed monosyllables.  A table of this sort filled with French monosyllables, has been constructed by de Vigenere, p.198, and in imitation thereof I have collected in the table below a number of German syllables.

The device is in this case the same as in the previous cases: from the union of two letters issues the secret note, symbolizing the letters.  For example, suppose we have to write this sentence of Aulus Gallius: Lingua cordis nola: nunquam tinnit haec nola, nisi prius fune ttahatur a corde.  From the letters L and I is produced the monosyllable Pracht: from NC, Schub: from VA, Fener.  The whole sentence changed in this way has the forms: Pracht Schub Fener Lufft Bladt Pass Strumpf Pfund Saur Schub  Fener Rab Pflaum Stier Dort Gleich Luchs Tropf Gross Pass Pflueg Bloed Fast Faist Faist Genl Dam Gnad Gahr Fahl Glanbs Tag Mehr.  As to the upper horizontal line of capital letters, this contributes nothing to the matter, but is placed there for the benefit of the reader, to facilitate the finding of the squares of the monosyllables.   For the rest, these monosyllables are wonderfully well adapted for the reception of a further cloak of steganographic texture;  thus, we may construct some perfect piece of discourse and insert the monosyllables where ever the matter allows.