the Prince, and that of the first Minister who has the Direction of his Affairs. … Cardinal Mazarin, who took Delight in letting his Mind take a long Range, and who never tir'd with reasoning, requir'd also that the Embassadors should enlarge upon their Subjects. He often made use of Silhon's Pen for his Dispatches, and Silhon who pretended to Politicks and Eloquence, seconded very well the Intentions of his Eminence. D'Avaux and Servien answer'd them perfectly, and might be said to write Volumes rather than Letters.[1] … It is not necessary that the Style of the Embassador should be very polite.[2] It is sufficient if it is clear and intelligible, so that it is not disfigur'd with Solecisms and Barbarisms.[3] … One may say that Cypher … is a kind of Magick … Rossignol, who serv'd Cardinal Richelieu in this Function, and made his Fortune thereby, was so dextrous and successful in it, that he decypher'd without much Pains all the Letters that were brought him; not only those which were written in a Language he understood, but also those that were written in a Tongue to which he was an utter Stranger, and whereof he had not the least Knowledge. It is no hard matter to invent a Million of new Cyphers, but it is almost impossible to find out one that cannot be unravel'd by those who have a like Genius that way, and a great deal of Use.[4] During the Wars and Disorders of the League, the Spaniards made use of a Cypher which was compos'd of above five hundred Characters; so that there was no body could decypher their Letters. At last, those that were intercepted were sent to Francis Viette, a famous Mathematician of those Times: He had never apply'd himself to that kind of Study, and had never so much as heard of those Cyphers which are made use of in Letters; and yet after he had consider'd a little thereon, he found out the Key of them, and decypher'd them easily. The Spaniards did not know till two years after, that their Secret was discover'd. … As soon as the Tenour of an Affair
- ↑ Ibid., p. 358.
- ↑ i.e. 'polished'.
- ↑ Ibid., p. 359.
- ↑ The Assistant Secretary for Foreign Affairs said in the House of Commons, July 31, 1918, that any one who had been behind the scenes in diplomacy knew that a large number of the cipher telegrams were not really very secret, and that foreign policy would not be seriously injured if their contents were published abroad.
