THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE

...penned on paper, and those things which evade an interceptor original: "interceptorem" — one who seizes or interrupts the delivery of a message; those which [require] labor, and those which can hardly be deciphered; finally, we have taught in the second book those things which not only are not understood, but do not even arouse suspicion this refers to steganography, the art of hiding a message in plain sight so that it does not even look like a coded text. In the third, we have provided two examples of how writings ought to be deciphered, from which the reader may be able to decipher the rest. Finally, in the fourth book, we have compiled tables, by the help of which words may be more easily found when sought, so that nothing of ease and diligence might seem to be lacking in this undertaking

A decorative woodcut ornament featuring a central stylized face or mask surrounded by floral motifs, acanthus-like scrolls, and hanging ornaments resembling tassels or jewelry.