STEGANOGRAPHY

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...fore, sixteen princes with their subjects are sufficient for you to announce all things, nor is there a need for you to know or call upon more. However, when you wish to work in Steganography through Aseliel, following the practices previously established as customary in this art, observe the location of his dwelling, which is in the South-southeast, and call upon whichever one of the spirits mentioned above you wish, according to his proper time. This is the conjuration In the context of Trithemius’s work, these "conjurations" often consist of strings of words that serve as a cryptographic key or a signal to the recipient rather than a literal magical spell: Aseliel aproyfy, melym, thulnear casinoyn, mauear burson, charny demorphaon, Theoma asmeryn diuiel, casponti vearly basanys, ernoti chaua lorson. Once the conjurations have been completed according to custom, add the other things which are customarily done in the art, and a most certain effect of your operation will follow. Let us set forth an example.

Imagine a secret of your mind. You have a mistress with whom you are in love, and she no less with you; but you are unable to approach or speak to her because of the guards watching her. You have finally devised a plan by which you might be able to win her, but it is necessary to advise her of it first. You cannot do it yourself; you dare not do it by letters lest they fall into the hands of others; you do not decide to commit the matter to messengers or old women A common literary trope in the Renaissance, where "old women" or "crones" were often depicted as go-betweens or procurers in secret love affairs, lest they later betray you. Therefore, you keep the matter hidden for a time, trusting that it cannot be made public. You call the invisible ministers of the art, you write a letter that is in no way suspicious, and you send it to your mistress even by way of the guards themselves; they praise the writing and offer it to the mistress to be read. She, recognizing the sign, hears the hidden message after the messenger has been called The "invisible messenger" refers to the secret meaning decoded by the recipient, hears the plan, and sends back her consent: you approach, you enter, and you enjoy her company.

The death of Jesus Christ gave life to the human race, whose life, though innocently afflicted, freed us from all calamity. Therefore, let us honor His humility within us by resisting the temptations of vice and by persisting in all good works. Jesus Christ saved our souls. Let us give eternal thanks to our most pious Redeemer, since He has led everyone back to safe spoils original: "exuuias," referring to the spoils of war or the remains of the dead; here, it likely signifies the souls rescued from death; let us praise His name with fervor at all times, coming before His most holy face with our prayers; let us live virtuously in the love of righteousness, casting away the tumult of worldly affairs, let us follow the rule of justice, and let us most devoutly resist harmful vices, and [wash away] our negligences with tears... The Latin text ends mid-sentence with the prefix "ab-", which is completed on the next page by the catchword "luamus" (let us wash away). This pious-sounding passage is a "mask" or cover text: to an outsider, it looks like a religious meditation, but it hides a secret message.