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  • The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine
  • Oct. 22, 1859
  • Page 4
  • SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN'S CIPHER.
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Oct. 22, 1859: Page 4

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    Article EIKON BAEIAIKH. ← Page 3 of 3
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Eikon Baeiaikh.

even among pagan nations , were temples to the Deity ; ancl the rude nations of the north in the middle ages also devoted their energies to the construction of edifices dedicated to the worship of the Almighty ; and when the light of learning had begun to shine on these same people , temple after temple gradually rose in the beautiful places of their landin

, towns and cities , aud the toil worn and weary approached with devotedness and humility , but with confidence and freedom , and poured out their misfortunes in prayer ; , and paid their grateful thanksgivings for tho mercies that remained to them .

Archæology.

ARCH ? OLOGY .

LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARCIIJEOLOG-ICAL SOCIETY . THE members of this association met at Harrow on the Hill , on Tliursda } -, the Gth instant . The members and visitors assembled in the speed ; room of the school , and repaired to inspect the parish church and other objects of interest in the vicinity . The day being the anniversary of the founderthe bells and the

, rang , students celebrated the event by a holiday . A collection of antiquities was displayed in the statute room . Among these were Saxon crosses and ornaments found among recent excavations in London , ancient Eoman fibula : and hair pins , tiles from the old Temple church , coins in gold , silver and copper , specimens of Saniian ware , molten nails from the great fire of London , Captain Cook's tea kettle , ancient black letter grants and other documents , all to throw li

tending ght upon the history of forgotten ages . Some curious volumes were also exhibited—one the E 1 KQN UA 2 IA 1 KH , a pocket manual of Charles IL , bearing on the outside the cypher " C . Tl-., " surmounted with a crown , ancl beneath a death ' s head . This curious volume , which ivas printed by 11 . Eoyston , of Ivy-lane , in 1 G-19 , contains an emblematical portrait of Charles I ., and a portrait ofthe Prince of AA ' ales in his nineteenth It is said to have

year . been the constant companion of the "merry monarch . " The " title page bears the folloiving quaint inscription : "The portraiture of his sacred Majesty in his solitudes and soufleriiigs , with the papers which passed at Newcastle betwixt his Majesty and Mr . Alexander Henderson concerning church government , A . D . IGlo ; also prayers used in the time of his restraint . " The church at Harrow contains a few fine monumental brasses , which escaped the zeal of the Puritans . Tracings of these , many evidently of Flemish oriain , and dating from the thirteenth century , were exhibited . The church itself , which was

restored about ten years since , under the direction of Mr . Gilbert Scott , is a fine building in the early Gothic style . The pews erected subsequent to the reformation were removed at the restoration , and oak benches substituted . In the course of removal some fine brasses were found , wliich arc now converted into mural entablatures . The ancient door of flic church , with a huge box lock three feet long , is still preserved in the north porch . The members examined the

having fourth form room containing the . signatures of Lord Byron , Sir Eobert Peel , Lord Pahnerston , Mr . Spencer Percival , and others whose names have become tamous , assembled m the speech room , under the presidency of t ic _ L . ev . _ Mr . Cunningham , vicar of Harrow , when the business of the meeting was proceeded with . The chairman , on the part of the inhabitants of Harrow , welcomed the association to its classic precinctsand remarked that when he invited

, was to enrol himself a « an associate , he not onl y gave his ready consent , but offered himself as an nrelneological specimen , being the oldest man in the parish . Mr . Henry W . Sass . the honorary sccrctarv . bavin- read the minutes of the last meeting , and letters of apoloiry from Mr Leresford-Hope , Lord Londesborough , Lord Northivick , ancl others unable to attend the EevThomas archaeo

, . Hugo gave an - logical and historical notice ofHanw . A paper by Mr . Nibict , on the ancient monumental brasses iu the parish church was next read ana at tne conclusion attention was called to the chalice from winch _ Avchbisnop Laud received the holy sacrament on the evening prior to his execution . The cup , which is elaborately wroim-ht m ivory , and with the cover stands twenty-four inches high , was given bthe archbishop to his

y chaplain Hearn . This gentleman's daughter married the page of Master Wemlcv , by whom it came nto possession ofthe Young family , its present owners . Archbishop Laud immediatel y previous to his execution also presented some gold coins to the son of Hearn . These were afterwards , , ™ iV i ° ' ] . lllet ^ l commemorative of the faith of the deceased m elate but m the fulness of time found their way , like other relics ol the kind , into the melting pot . The formal business having

been concluded , the associates ancl their friends visited the cemetery , the "Byron Tomb , " as it is called , and other memorials of the poet . Among tbe relics shown at Harrow , and carefull y pre _ , served , is a piece of the panel of the pew in which Byron used to sit , with his name inscribed in pencil— " Byron "—ancl a brick ( in a glass case ) with the letters "R . Peel" engraved with a penknife . The baptismal font , of Purbcck marble , was likewise shown , and attracted attention as a curious illustration of the sculpture of the twelfth century .

SUFFOLK ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE . Tnis society held a meeting at Framlingham on the 7 th inst .. under the presidency of Lord Arthur Harvey . The members first met at Framlingham Castle , a large and ' somewhat perfect Norman building , ivhere Mr . E . M . Phipson read a paper upon its history , elucidating his remarks with large plans of the castle

in its past and present state . This remnant of antiquity appears to have been erected as early as Eedwold , King of East Anglia . in 592 , and afterwards , having been partially if not wholly destroyed in 1178 , was rebuilt by Hugh Bigocl , one of the Norman barons . Subsequently " Bloody Mary" made it the rallying point for her friends previous to her obtaining the crown , and upon hev succession to the crowngave it to John HowardDuke of Norfolk

, , the descendants of whom sold it to Sir Eobert Hitcliam , who bequeathed it at bis death to charitable purposes . The mcetui " . after visiting the castle , adjourned to the church , where Mr . Sha . vc Goiving read a paper on the edifice ancl the beautiful tombs of the Howards and the Earl of Surry ( the poet ) which it contains ; and after visiting Bennington church , about three miles from Franih ' nghan—a very beautiful structure—returned to Framlingham to

dinner . In passing from Bennington to Framlingham , the society visited Parham Hall , the ancient seat of the Willoughby de Eresbys , a fine old moated grange of the fifteenth century . The day ivas exceedingly favourable , and the visitors appeared to enjoy themselves very much .

Sir Christopher Wren's Cipher.

SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN'S CIPHER .

Sin DAVID BKKWSTER , at the meeting of the British Association , gave some very interesting particulars of a cipher of our Grand Master Wren ' s , containing "Three Methods of finding the Longitude , " by Sir 1 ) . Brewster . —Sir David said that at page 263 of his "Life of Sir Isaac Newton" the following paragraphs would be found : —'" The bill which hacl heen enacted for rewarding ( lie discovery ofthe longitude seems to have stimulated the inventive

powers of Sir Christopher AVren , then in his eighty-third year . He communicated the results of his study to the Eoyal Society , as indicated by the folloiving curious document which I found among the manuscripts of Newton : — 'Sir Christopher Wren ' s cipher , describing three instruments proper for discovering the longitude at sea delivered to the Society November 80 , 171 b by Mr . AVren : — '

0 ZTCVAY 1 NIXDXCY 0 CWEDGNMALNABECIETEAVX GRAMHHCCAAV . ZEIYEINOIEBIVTXESCIOCPSDEDJINANHSl'lPrRrBV HDRAEIiHXCIF . EZKAAT . BIMOXRFCSLCEEDHAVMGNXIVEOMIHJAY 'AV EERCSHEPCIP . ' Vera coiiia . EDM . IIALI .

AA e presume that each of these paragraphs of letters is the description of a separate instrument . If it be true that every cipher can be deciphered , these mysterious paragraphs , which their author did not live to expound , may disclose something interesting to science . Sir David Brewster went on to say that soon after the publication of 'The Life of Sir Isaac Newton , he had received a letter irom MrFrancis AVilliamsof Grange

. , Court , Clugwell , suggesting very modestly that as the decip hering of the cipher , as published , was so simple , he supposed many persons had already clone so ; but if not , he begged to say that the mystery could he solved by reading the letters backwards in each of the three paragraphs , omitting every third letter . _ IIe had , on the approach of the JMeeting of the British Association , received permission irom Air . Williams to give an account of this his

section of Mr . Williams ' s method of solving the enigma . In letter conveying the permission , which Sir David react , he suggests that "Sir Christopher Wren ' s object was to make it too mysterious to be of use to any one else . It is possible he may have wished to delay for a time tbe publication of his inventions , perhaps till he had improved his instruments , but was afraid that in the interval another would hit upon ancl publish the same discovery . He would send this cipher , then , to the Royal Society

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1859-10-22, Page 4” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 1 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_22101859/page/4/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
CLASSICAL THEOLOGY. —V. Article 1
EIKON BAEIAIKH. Article 2
ARCHÆOLOGY. Article 4
SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN'S CIPHER. Article 4
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 5
Literature. Article 5
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 7
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 8
MARK MASONRY. Article 17
ROYAL ARCH. Article 17
IRELAND. Article 17
COLONIAL. Article 17
THE WEEK. Article 19
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Eikon Baeiaikh.

even among pagan nations , were temples to the Deity ; ancl the rude nations of the north in the middle ages also devoted their energies to the construction of edifices dedicated to the worship of the Almighty ; and when the light of learning had begun to shine on these same people , temple after temple gradually rose in the beautiful places of their landin

, towns and cities , aud the toil worn and weary approached with devotedness and humility , but with confidence and freedom , and poured out their misfortunes in prayer ; , and paid their grateful thanksgivings for tho mercies that remained to them .

Archæology.

ARCH ? OLOGY .

LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARCIIJEOLOG-ICAL SOCIETY . THE members of this association met at Harrow on the Hill , on Tliursda } -, the Gth instant . The members and visitors assembled in the speed ; room of the school , and repaired to inspect the parish church and other objects of interest in the vicinity . The day being the anniversary of the founderthe bells and the

, rang , students celebrated the event by a holiday . A collection of antiquities was displayed in the statute room . Among these were Saxon crosses and ornaments found among recent excavations in London , ancient Eoman fibula : and hair pins , tiles from the old Temple church , coins in gold , silver and copper , specimens of Saniian ware , molten nails from the great fire of London , Captain Cook's tea kettle , ancient black letter grants and other documents , all to throw li

tending ght upon the history of forgotten ages . Some curious volumes were also exhibited—one the E 1 KQN UA 2 IA 1 KH , a pocket manual of Charles IL , bearing on the outside the cypher " C . Tl-., " surmounted with a crown , ancl beneath a death ' s head . This curious volume , which ivas printed by 11 . Eoyston , of Ivy-lane , in 1 G-19 , contains an emblematical portrait of Charles I ., and a portrait ofthe Prince of AA ' ales in his nineteenth It is said to have

year . been the constant companion of the "merry monarch . " The " title page bears the folloiving quaint inscription : "The portraiture of his sacred Majesty in his solitudes and soufleriiigs , with the papers which passed at Newcastle betwixt his Majesty and Mr . Alexander Henderson concerning church government , A . D . IGlo ; also prayers used in the time of his restraint . " The church at Harrow contains a few fine monumental brasses , which escaped the zeal of the Puritans . Tracings of these , many evidently of Flemish oriain , and dating from the thirteenth century , were exhibited . The church itself , which was

restored about ten years since , under the direction of Mr . Gilbert Scott , is a fine building in the early Gothic style . The pews erected subsequent to the reformation were removed at the restoration , and oak benches substituted . In the course of removal some fine brasses were found , wliich arc now converted into mural entablatures . The ancient door of flic church , with a huge box lock three feet long , is still preserved in the north porch . The members examined the

having fourth form room containing the . signatures of Lord Byron , Sir Eobert Peel , Lord Pahnerston , Mr . Spencer Percival , and others whose names have become tamous , assembled m the speech room , under the presidency of t ic _ L . ev . _ Mr . Cunningham , vicar of Harrow , when the business of the meeting was proceeded with . The chairman , on the part of the inhabitants of Harrow , welcomed the association to its classic precinctsand remarked that when he invited

, was to enrol himself a « an associate , he not onl y gave his ready consent , but offered himself as an nrelneological specimen , being the oldest man in the parish . Mr . Henry W . Sass . the honorary sccrctarv . bavin- read the minutes of the last meeting , and letters of apoloiry from Mr Leresford-Hope , Lord Londesborough , Lord Northivick , ancl others unable to attend the EevThomas archaeo

, . Hugo gave an - logical and historical notice ofHanw . A paper by Mr . Nibict , on the ancient monumental brasses iu the parish church was next read ana at tne conclusion attention was called to the chalice from winch _ Avchbisnop Laud received the holy sacrament on the evening prior to his execution . The cup , which is elaborately wroim-ht m ivory , and with the cover stands twenty-four inches high , was given bthe archbishop to his

y chaplain Hearn . This gentleman's daughter married the page of Master Wemlcv , by whom it came nto possession ofthe Young family , its present owners . Archbishop Laud immediatel y previous to his execution also presented some gold coins to the son of Hearn . These were afterwards , , ™ iV i ° ' ] . lllet ^ l commemorative of the faith of the deceased m elate but m the fulness of time found their way , like other relics ol the kind , into the melting pot . The formal business having

been concluded , the associates ancl their friends visited the cemetery , the "Byron Tomb , " as it is called , and other memorials of the poet . Among tbe relics shown at Harrow , and carefull y pre _ , served , is a piece of the panel of the pew in which Byron used to sit , with his name inscribed in pencil— " Byron "—ancl a brick ( in a glass case ) with the letters "R . Peel" engraved with a penknife . The baptismal font , of Purbcck marble , was likewise shown , and attracted attention as a curious illustration of the sculpture of the twelfth century .

SUFFOLK ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE . Tnis society held a meeting at Framlingham on the 7 th inst .. under the presidency of Lord Arthur Harvey . The members first met at Framlingham Castle , a large and ' somewhat perfect Norman building , ivhere Mr . E . M . Phipson read a paper upon its history , elucidating his remarks with large plans of the castle

in its past and present state . This remnant of antiquity appears to have been erected as early as Eedwold , King of East Anglia . in 592 , and afterwards , having been partially if not wholly destroyed in 1178 , was rebuilt by Hugh Bigocl , one of the Norman barons . Subsequently " Bloody Mary" made it the rallying point for her friends previous to her obtaining the crown , and upon hev succession to the crowngave it to John HowardDuke of Norfolk

, , the descendants of whom sold it to Sir Eobert Hitcliam , who bequeathed it at bis death to charitable purposes . The mcetui " . after visiting the castle , adjourned to the church , where Mr . Sha . vc Goiving read a paper on the edifice ancl the beautiful tombs of the Howards and the Earl of Surry ( the poet ) which it contains ; and after visiting Bennington church , about three miles from Franih ' nghan—a very beautiful structure—returned to Framlingham to

dinner . In passing from Bennington to Framlingham , the society visited Parham Hall , the ancient seat of the Willoughby de Eresbys , a fine old moated grange of the fifteenth century . The day ivas exceedingly favourable , and the visitors appeared to enjoy themselves very much .

Sir Christopher Wren's Cipher.

SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN'S CIPHER .

Sin DAVID BKKWSTER , at the meeting of the British Association , gave some very interesting particulars of a cipher of our Grand Master Wren ' s , containing "Three Methods of finding the Longitude , " by Sir 1 ) . Brewster . —Sir David said that at page 263 of his "Life of Sir Isaac Newton" the following paragraphs would be found : —'" The bill which hacl heen enacted for rewarding ( lie discovery ofthe longitude seems to have stimulated the inventive

powers of Sir Christopher AVren , then in his eighty-third year . He communicated the results of his study to the Eoyal Society , as indicated by the folloiving curious document which I found among the manuscripts of Newton : — 'Sir Christopher Wren ' s cipher , describing three instruments proper for discovering the longitude at sea delivered to the Society November 80 , 171 b by Mr . AVren : — '

0 ZTCVAY 1 NIXDXCY 0 CWEDGNMALNABECIETEAVX GRAMHHCCAAV . ZEIYEINOIEBIVTXESCIOCPSDEDJINANHSl'lPrRrBV HDRAEIiHXCIF . EZKAAT . BIMOXRFCSLCEEDHAVMGNXIVEOMIHJAY 'AV EERCSHEPCIP . ' Vera coiiia . EDM . IIALI .

AA e presume that each of these paragraphs of letters is the description of a separate instrument . If it be true that every cipher can be deciphered , these mysterious paragraphs , which their author did not live to expound , may disclose something interesting to science . Sir David Brewster went on to say that soon after the publication of 'The Life of Sir Isaac Newton , he had received a letter irom MrFrancis AVilliamsof Grange

. , Court , Clugwell , suggesting very modestly that as the decip hering of the cipher , as published , was so simple , he supposed many persons had already clone so ; but if not , he begged to say that the mystery could he solved by reading the letters backwards in each of the three paragraphs , omitting every third letter . _ IIe had , on the approach of the JMeeting of the British Association , received permission irom Air . Williams to give an account of this his

section of Mr . Williams ' s method of solving the enigma . In letter conveying the permission , which Sir David react , he suggests that "Sir Christopher Wren ' s object was to make it too mysterious to be of use to any one else . It is possible he may have wished to delay for a time tbe publication of his inventions , perhaps till he had improved his instruments , but was afraid that in the interval another would hit upon ancl publish the same discovery . He would send this cipher , then , to the Royal Society

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