How to Crack the Code of Westminster Abbey by Richard Barker

t2.80

· ~ ~Il« ~«Qa«l.E

OF~ m«~~.mlQ~~«a- -

ABB«Y

Paul Goodall

Rectangle

Dedicated toLorna, Andrew and Claire.

The Author

Richard Barker is a Research Fellow forThe International Rosicrucian Historical Council

of The Ancient, Mystical Order Rosae Crucis(of which this book is not an official publication>.

First Edition:Barker Press, 1986

78 Grange RoadSuttonSurrey

SM2 6SN

~ Richard John Barker 1986.

ISBN: 1 869906 00 4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be quoted,reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in anyform or by any means whatsoever without the prior permission ofthe publisher.

Conditions of sale. This book is sold subject to the conditionthat it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be re-sold,lent, loaned or circulated, without the prior permission o£ thepublisher, in any manner with any form of binding or coverdifferent to that in which it is published. This conditionshall apply to all subsequent purchasers or borrowers.

Printed in Great Britain by Kestrel print, Loxwood, West Sussex

lloUl To Qraefl, .

rtlJe ~eeretof

Westminster·A66ejJ

«IixirBouCls

HOW TO CRACK THE SECRET OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Daily, thousands vis it a famous monument in Poets' Corneror see its picture on our currency. But on the latter, thevital part has been blanked out. None know its startlingsecret. Cryptic clues· hint at the memorial's mystery yetexperts have deliberately ignored them. Those in the knowhave kept silent. Until now!

The monument to Shakespeare has a quotation from one of hisplays. But it is wrong and has spelling mistakes! For overtwo centuries this provocative puzzle has defied a satisfactory solution. Now, it has been cracked by an expert inancient ciphers. The scientific technique is simple yetaccurate and self-confirming.

Compelling revelations based upon solid facts, not mereconjecture, will completely revolutionize knowledge of ourheritage.

This book does not investigate the authorship of the worksattributed to Shakespeare. The author's in-depth researchreveals that the Abbey's monument has an ulterior purpose:the 'landmark' of an ancient brotherhood of sages, the'invisibles', otherwise known as the Rosicrucians.

A raging controversy developed over the publication, in1614-1616, of the Rosicrucian manifestos. Amongst otherthings, they claimed that the Order had been founded inGermany and veiled in the deepest secrecy since before theBattle of Agincourt (1415). Some historians regard it asbeing entirely mythical or else an elaborate hoax. Otherssay that, if the Order did exist, it did not survive beyondthe mid-1600's.

New discoveries now overturn those theories. The Abbey IS

statue was erected in 1741. And it reveals the trueidentity of the brotherhood's secret chief - an Englishgenius. The monument is not the only evidence that theRosicrucians went underground and continued to influencesociety and esoteric knowledge. Also, a 360 years-old

prophecy foretold the public revelationof the monument's secret dimension.

ELIXIR BOOKSrejuvenate the mind and spirit

ISBN: 1 869906 00 4

the Houses of Parliamentand the River Thames

13th Century Shrine ofKing Edward the Confes8or~--~~----JU

Tomb of theUnknown Warrior

PLAN OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

Location of theShakespeare Monument

in Poets' Corner

Corner

SECRET

ABBEY

Chapter

HOW

OF

TO CRACK THE

WESTMINSTER

CONTENTS

Page

1

2.

3.

4.

5.

List Of Illustrations

Monument Of Mystery

Spot The Difference

How To Decipher The Scroll

How To Test The Answer

The Monument's Secret Dimension

Recommended Reading

i

1

3

5

12

16

ILLUSTRATIONS

Plan of Westminster Abbey

Woodcut from 'The New Atlantis'

The Shakespeare Monument .

The Monument's Scroll

. . inside front cover

title-page

facing page i

I

Gustavus Selenus' Book of Ciphers

An Example of a GeometricallyEnciphered Message .. . . .

The 'Simple' Alphabetical Cipherfrom Gustavus Selenus . . • .

4

5

inside back cover

Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to Thomas Bokenham for his instructionand kind advice and for permission to quote his correspondence.His labours are the foundation of this book. Also, I am grateful to the society of which he is the honorary Treasurer forallowing me to photograph Selenus' book of ciphers.

Photographs of the Shakespeare monument appear by courtesyof the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey, and which werecommissioned by Peter Dawkins. He and his photographer, KevinRedpath, rendered help in the hour of my need.

Encouragement from Michael Bennett, MA in the University ofOxford and sometime Hull Scholar of Pembroke College, Oxford,added fuel to my fire. Always ready to teach me the fineraspects of bistory, literature and the Classics, he diplomatic~

ally corrected my writing.

r am also grateful to Marjorie Martin, Don Ford, PeterBaillie, Peter Allen and Peter Dawkins for their constructivehelp and comments upon the manuscript and its publication. Inthe latter, my printer, Mike Finnelly, and graphic artist, RayBowler of Bowlorr Signs, grasped the s igni f icance of the workand became totally involved.

Last but not least, this project could not have been donewithout the understanding and support of my dear wife.

R J Barker

- i -

THE SHAKESPEARE MONUMENT.

1

MONUMENT OF MYSTERY

Wouldn't an unusual mistake in Westminster Abbey arouseyour curiosity? Shakespeare's statue points to a famous speechby prospero in The Tempest. But why is it wrong? And who letit be engraved with spelling mistakes and re-arranged lines?

Research soon answered only a couple of quest ions: who -'Alexander Pope; when - January 1741 AD. But 'why?' remained amystery. Does the puzzle of Poets' Corner hide a secret?

Imagine my surprise upon leanling that Pope had alreadyproduced an orthodox edition of Shakespeare's plays. Surelyhe, of all people, should have got the quotation right? And heinsisted upon the wrong Latin for the same memorial's epitaph.Was it just one of Pope I s pranks or did he have an ulteriormotive? A secret which he ought to reveal but dare not?

Something else is peculiar. The foreground of the monumentappears behind St George slaying the dragon on £20 notes. Butwhy is the suspicious script blanked out? This makes thestatue's finger point at nothing. The scaled-down scroll iscertainly big enough for text to have been shown - especiallyas anything intricate would combat forgery, even if it wereonly hieroglyphics. The omission is very intr iguing. Is itasubtle hint or deliberate deception?

And why do literary experts ignore this magnificent manu·'ment to the bard? Are they at a loss to explain the adulteration of prospero's speech? Please don't get me wrong; the verylatest research shows this provocative puzzle transcends anyquestion of Shakespeare I s authorship. I cannot over-emphasisethat fact.

For over two centuries the puzzle has defied solution. Butsolid clues took me into the fascinating world of Eli zabethanand Jacobean cryptography. A beautifully simple method cracksthe puzzle; the whole monument is the landmark of a mysticalbrotherhood the' invisibles I. This fraterni ty is perhapsolder and more exclusive than the noble Order of the Garter,their practical wisdom more arcane than that of Freemasonry.

Let's break the cryptogram together. Six straightforwardsteps using a pencil is all it takes. Then we will find outhow the secret message points to that legerrdary brotherhood'strail through the centuries and which interweaves with that ofits ancient ally, long believed defunct - the Knights Templar.

Little did I suspect that another signpost along that trailhad been close at hand for years. It was in a favol1rit~ book.I had not realised the meaning of. one of its slllall designs.Then it hi t me between the eyes. Here was a modern clue thatthe trail had not petered out. And I could not find any know-

- 1 -

THE MONUMENT'S SCROLL.

MONUMENT OF MYSTERY

ledgeable reference to it anywhere.

On top of that there were other discoveries. Added up,they give a novel perspective across the past five centuries coincident with the era of modern pr inting. The fascinationand enjoyment of exploring this trail continues unabated. Let'sshare the excitement of discovery, analysis, solving and checking the mystery. Rare facts, now revealed, will challengelong-held assumptions and opinions.

May I be so bold as to say that a prophecy is about to befulfilled? Three hundred and sixty years ago the man at thecentre of the mystery foretold the awakening of public awareness to his secret yet sacred mission. Back in 1983 my investigations started in earnest by examining the original Folio ofShakespeare's plays. It dawned upon me that time had gone fullcircle since the Folio's publication in 1623. But another andfar more important example of this is connected with the monument's secret dimension. Only when, I had completed the manuscript of this booklet did I learn that the period of threehundred and sixty years equates to 'a time' as told in Biblicalprophecy (see the twelfth chapters of the Books of Daniel andof The Apocalypse). Is it further evidence of an 'invisiblehand' guiding our advancement?

It is like being at the crossroads of many tracks on amountainside. Our individual routes from the valley below havemet here. Where have the paths come from and where do theylead? The signpost points to only one destination. Yet if weread between the lines it also tells of the path that goes tothe summit. Shall we ascend together?

- 2 -

2

SPOT THE DIFFEaENCE,

How can we be sure that Poets' Corner holds a mysterioussecret? Let's start by carefully comparing the monument'sscroll wi th other versions of Prospero' s speech in Act IV ofThe Tempest. All the following are exact copies (eg. v printedas u) but only the scroll's version is given in full.

1. The First Folio of "True Originall Copies" (1623):

Our Reuels now are ended: These our actors,(As I foretold you) were all Spirits, andAre melted into Ayre, into thin Ayre,And like the baselesse fabricke of this visionThe Clowd-capt Towres, the gorgeous Pallaces,The solemne Temples, the great Globe it self,Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolue,And like this insubstantiall Pageant fadedLeaue not a racke behinde: we are such stuffeAs dreams are made on; and our little lifeIs rounded with a sleepe: Sir, ••••••

2. Scroll on westminster Abbey's monument to Shakespeare (1741):

The Cloud cupt Tow'rs,The Gorgeous PalacesThe Solemn Temples,The Great Globe itself,Yea all which it Inherit,

Shall Dissolve;And like the baseless Fnbrick of a Vision

Leave not a wreck behind.

3. John Holt's Remarks on The Tempest (1749):

And like the baseless Fabrick of their Vision,The cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,The solemn Temples, the great Globe itself,Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve;And like this insubstantial Pageant faded,Leave not a Rack behind ••...

(Quoted from Professor Vickers' book - see reading list.)

Which is the odd-one-out? Obviou~ly the second, its layoutalone sets it apart from the oth~rs. But there is more to itthan that. Do you have a pen or pencil? Before turning thepage, ring the letters, words, punctuation and line in versionnumber 2 that differ from those of number 1.

- 3 -

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

On the scroll, normal line length has been halved exceptfor the transposed line. That exception has been crammed intothe scroll but to do that its letters had to be shrunk. Andits words are wrong. Apart from those glaring oddities, thereare spelling mistakes and the vestigial trace of a cloud (rack)has become a wreck. Sheer incompetence. Just a clever pun?Or, perhaps there was an ulterior motive?

In addition to transposing two lines and modernising acouple or so words, pope changed:

-captTowres

fabrickethis

racke

to cupt,to Tow'rs,to Fnbrick,to a,to wreck.

How was the speech printed in the then current version ofthe plays? Theobald's 1733 edition, apart from using modernEnglish spelling, like its two predecessors, agreed exactlywith the first Folio.

Had the man of letters responsible for the monument's textcopied from his own 1725 edition of the plays? No. That onewas virtually identical to the others. Its only differencebeing 'their' instead of 'this' vision.

Whatever made Pope mangle one of the most profoundly philosophical speeches in English literature? No wonder experts shyaway from his eccentric variation.

Examine the Scroll for Yourself

Carefully scrutinise the accompanying illustrations. VisitWestminster Abbey if you can. Surely the scroll's letteringmust have faded away over time? In places paint has peeledfrom the very shallow incisions. But this has not produced thespelling mistakes. They must have been there all the time. Youwill prove to your own satisfaction that every letter is vitalfor enciphering a secret message. To paraphrase Occam's Razor:

the proof is beautiful in its simplicity.

THE PIONEER

All credit for being the first to decipher Pope's scroll isdue to Th~mas Bokenham, who announced his trail-blazing in 1975in ~hose Shakespeare Manuscripts. What follows shows how to doit yourself and test the result. We shall then consider not thepuzzle's obvious implication but its secret dimension.

- 4 -

GUSTAVUS SELENUS' LATIN BOOK OF CIPHERS,CRYPTOMENYTICES et CRYPTOGRAPHIAE, 1624.

3

HOW TO DECIPHER THE SCROLLI

on the Shakesp~are Monument in Westminster Abbey

HYPOTHESIS:Flagrant changes to Prospero 's speech by an edi tor(Alexander Pope) of the Shakespeare plays suggestthat the quotation may be cryptic. (sources 3 & 4)

SOURCES:1. Cryptomenytices et Cryptographiae (1624)

Luneburg, Germany by Gustavus Selenus.2. Remaines Concerning Britaine (1605) London,

by William Camden.3. The Gentleman's Magazine (February & May 1741).4. The Dunciad (1744) London, by Alexander Pope.

METHOD:1. Transfer plain-text to a grid of squares.2. Put each letter in one square.3. Ignore punctuation and spaces.

RULES:1. The secret message must be in a geometrical pattern.2. Pattern's position must be symmetrical within grid

(source I: Liber 4, pp 138-140)3. The message and its position should be confirmed by

either:a) the content of the plain-text itself, orb) the 'Simple Cipher' equivalence, using the

Elizabethan alphabet where A=l, B=2 etc but,as in Latin, J is I and U is V which makes Z=24.

(source 1; Liber 4, P 141>Note that H may be treated as a 'null'.

(source 2; chpt 'Anagrams')

CLUES:1. St~rt may be indicated by the shortest line.2. Grid size may be given by the number of letters in

that line, ie. 13. This is the numerical equivalent of the first subsequent mistake, ie. n for a.

SOLUTION:The following instructions based upon the above method

and rules will explain how to crack the cryptogram. No doubtyou will be pleasantly surprised how simple it is to find andver ify the secret message. All we do is follow the clues andrewri te the scroll so that its last three lines precede theothers. Then it can be transferred into? 13 x 13 grid.

- 5 -

SELENUS' EXAMPLE OF A GEOMETRICALLY ENCIPHERED MESSAGE.

HOW TO DECIPHER THE SCROLL

The right way to complete each step is seen in the subsequentone. Here's the plain-text:

The Cloud cupt Tow'rs,The Gorgeous PalacesThe Solemn Temples,The Great Globe itself,Yea all which it Inherit,

Shall Dissolve;And like the baseless Fnbrick of a Vision

Leave not a wreck behind.

STEP 1. Clue number 1 re-arranges the quotation thus:

Shall Dissolve;And like t~e baseless Fnbrick of a Vision

Leave not a wreck behindThe Cloud cupt Tow'rs,The Gorgeous PalacesThe Solemn Temples,The Great Globe itselfYea all which it Inherit,

Clue number 2 provides the grid dimensions:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

123456789

10111213

STEP 2. On the next page please wr i te the rearranged textinto the enlarged grid from where I have left off.Put one letter per square, omit punctuation andspacing - watch the spelling! Write continuouslyfrom one row to the next. The quotation takes upall but the last twelve spaces. Those have beencompleted by repeating from the beginning of therearranged verse.

- 6 -


Shall Dissolve;And like the baseless Fnbrick of a· Vision

Leave not a wreck behindThe Cloud cupt Tow'rs,The Gorgeous PalacesThe Solemn Temples,The Great Globe itselfYea all which it Inherit,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

123456789

10111213

S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v eA n d

S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v

How are we to find a pattern in that jumbled mass?Perhaps that first 'mistake' (n) is the key.

- 7 -


STEP 3. This diagram shows the completed grid omitting thescroll's words or letters which differ from theorthodox versions. Please complete the blanks.Maybe you are just reading rather than working thepuzzle. Even so, it would be useful to do this

. step because it highlights the alterations listedin Chapter 2. The spelling differences appear instep 4. What would happen if it were all to be rewritten for the other versions? Clearly, many ofthe letters would not be in the same positions.

(You can try this later.)

S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v eA n d 1 i k e t h e b a se 1 e s s F b r i c k 0f V i s i 0 n L e a v en 0 t a b e h in d T h e C 1 0 u d c Pt T 0 s T h e G 0 r 9e 0 u s P a .- a c e s T he S 0 1 e m n T e m p 1 es T h e G r e a t G 1 0 be i t s e 1 f y e a a 1 1w ·h i c h i t I n h e· r it S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v

.rl23456789

10111213

1 2 3 4 5 6 78

- 8 -

9 10 11 12 13


ISTEP 4. We now have a

lcorrectly completed grid. Examine

the letters around the first mis-spelling, Fnbrick.As 'n' is in the central column it may possibly bethe focal point of a symmetrical pattern. Of theseveral possibilities, one is a naI:row doorway orarch in the columns numbered 6 and 8, as shownbelow:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

t

J

123456789

10111213

S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v eA n d 1 i k e t h e b a se 1 e s s F ...!!...-_ b r i c k 0

f a V i s i --2- n L e a v en 0 t a w r e c k b e h in d T h e C 1 0 u d c u Pt T 0 w r s Ii' h e G 0 r qe 0 u s P a 1 a c e s T he S 0 1 e m n T e m p 1 es T h e G r e a t G 1 0 be i t s e 1 f y e a a 1 1w h i c h i t I n h e r it S h a 1 1 D i s s 0 1 v

Can anything be made of the framed letters?

- 9 -

t

I

F ,..!!.... bi

f--n

rf--

cC

f--a

s hf--

a a


STEP S. Now we should write down the letters appearing inthat framework which is here repeated on its own.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 '10 11 12 13

123456789

10

The letters are, for the 4th to 8th rows:

in column 6, F

in column 8, b

The mis-spelling in row 3, column 7 has become thekeystone of the arch-shaped pattern.

STEP 6. Are the two groups anagrams of two words or names?If names, let's try the F and b as initials. As nis the 'keystone' perhaps it is permissible to useit with either group. Also, rule 3b (h as 'null')may have to be used.

F •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

8 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A spelling mistake forms the keystone of a perfectly symmetrical arch or doorway revealing a famous person's name. Theleft column (with keystone) is his first name with his surnamein the right column. Alexander Pope described him as, liThegreatest genius that England, or perhaps any other country,

- 10 -


ever produced".

The left pillar is: F, i, r, C, s, a; plus n.

The right pillar is: b, n, c, 0, h CnulU, a.

Together, the anagrams give 'Francis Bacon', who lived1561-1626. He was Viscount St Albans, Lord Chancellor, Parliamentarian, poet, philosopher and essayist. Ben Jonson hailedhim as, "The mark and acme of our language". King James Iasked Bacon to editorially vet his Authorised Version of theBible but later, when Lord Chancellor, demanded that he be hissacrificial lamb.

CONFIRMATION:

1. In simple cipher (where I=J), Bacon = 2+1+3+14+13 = 33.

2. Keystone n of 'Fnbrick' is 33rd letter of the grid.

3. Pattern is contained in 3rd to 8th rows of the grid;and, when added, 3+4+5+6+7+8 = 33.

4. The scroll has 33 complete, unabbreviated, words.

5. Symbolically, an arch or gateway is represented by 33.

6. Pattern's shape reflects that of the monument'ssurrounding doorway and of its epitaph's tablet.

CONCLUSION:

Another person's name has been hidden in the quotation onthe memorial to Shakespeare. As you will prove in the nextChapter, this could not have been achieved by using either the1623 Folio or a contemporary version of The Tempest. Pope hadto change the orthodox wording in several places in order tohide the secret name.

The monument was erected in Poets' Corner, WestminsterAbbey by public subscription 124 years after Shakespeare'sdeath. This was over 100 years before the controversy aroseover his authorship and a couple of decades before the incomparable David Garrick popularised the plays. The undeniablefact that Bacon's name is hidden on the memorial may suggestthat he had a clandestine involvement in our bard's works.

On the other hand, it possibly has nothing at all to dowi th the authorship question. Pope's use of the square, archand 33 may be of Masonic significance. However, there is yetanother hidden but far more tantalising implication.

- 11 -

4

HOW TO TEST THE ANSWER

By using the Selenus method we can prove that Pope's variation of Prospero's speech is unique. The following grids basedupon versions 1 and 3 (as in Chapter 2) should be completed.Only th~ pertinent parts of each version and top nine rows ofeach gr id are shown. The latter have been left blank in thearch, apart from 'F b', and where their spelling differs fromthat of the monument. A~ you have discovered how easy it is tobreak ciphers by the squaring method, you should be able tocheck your work at this stage.

Version 1. The First Folio of "True Originall Copies" (1623):

* And like the baselesse fabricke of this visionThe Clowd-capt Towres, the gorgeous Pallaces,The solemne Temples, the great Globe it self,Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolue,

* And like this insubstantiall Pageant fadedLeaue not a racke behinde: we are such stuffe

with the * lines transposed to match the scroll, and everythingre-arranged as in Step 1 this becomes:

shall dissolue,And like the baselesse fabricke of this visionLeaue not a racke behinde:The Clowd-capt Towres, the gorgeous Pallaces,The solemne Temples, the great Globe it self,Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolue,

Does the 'F'•• b' arch give the same anagram as in the scroll?Use the following blank lines to find out.

Possible anagrams are:

F •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

B •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

- 12 -


Version 1 (1623)

shall dissolue,And like the baselesse fabricke of ' this visionLeaue not a racke behinde:The Clowd-capt Towres, the gorgeous Pallaces,The solemne Temples, the great Globe it self,Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolue,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

123456789

S h a 1 1 d i 5 5 0 1 u eA n d 1 i k e t h e b a 5

e 1 e 5 5 f b r i c k,-

i0 f v 5 0 nL e a u e n t

iI---

h C 1b e h n eI---

0 d c P T w 5I---

t h e g 0 r e u. 5 P aT h e 5 0 1 e

Keystone letter is

Letters of 3rd to 8th rows;

in column 7,

in column 9,

F

b

- 13 -


version 3. John Holt's Remarks on The Tempest (1749):

* And like the baseless Fabrick of their Vision,The cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,The solemn Temples, the great Globe itself,Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve;

* And like this insubstantial Pageant faded,Leave not a Rack behind .••••

With the * lines transposed to match the scroll, and everythingre-arranged as in Step 1 this becomes:

shall dissolve;And like the baseless Fabrick of their Vision,Leave not a Rack behind •••••The cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,The solemn Temples, the great Globe itself,Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve;

Does the 'F •• b' arch give the same anagram as in the scroll?Use the following blank lines to find out.

possible anagrams are;

F •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

B •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

.................................................

- 14 -


Version 3 (1749)

shall dissolve;And like the baseless Fabrick of their Vision,Leave not a Rack behind •••••The cloud-capt Towers, the gorgeous Palaces,The solemn Temples, the great Globe itself,Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve;

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

123456789

S h a 1 1 d i s s 0 1 v eA n d 1 i k e t h e b a se 1 e s s F b r i c k 0

f,-

iS- s 0 n Le a v e n t be h i n d ~ c 1 0 d

~

c P t T w s t h e-g 0 r g e u •e s T h e s 0 1 e m n T e

Keystone letter is ___

Letters of 3rd to 8th rows;

in column 6,

in column 8,

F

b

- 15 -

5

THE MONUMENT'S SECRET DIMENSION

The puzzle of Poets' Corner was only one part of a muchlarger and more elaborate mystery. Just another piece to addto my collection for a fantastic jigsaw. A tapestry of timedevoted to secret schemes behind historic events. How could Ibegin to fit the pieces together without knowing the design orif vital pieces were missing?

Then glimpses of the scenario flashed into mind. InspiredI could fit some pieces together. Was it by intuition or something else? Who knows? The way I was led over many years fromone find to another, steered this way then that, had doubts andquestions answered quickly is too uncanny to relate. That iswhy this boo~ sticks to facts.

I suspected that a very rare and ancient German code-book,written in Latin, would playa vital role in my investigations.Would you believe that I was intrQduced to an owner of theSelenus book who lives only a few miles from me? He showed mehow it reveals surprising information put into the classics ofour early literature. And he was the first to apply one ofthat tome's techniques to the monument's scroll. Mr Bokenham,Treasurer of The Francis Bacon Society, has since written me:

"This Abbey monument and its cipher message areextremely important and the message so far revealed isonly part of a fuller message which is even more sensational •••••• (the monument) really forms part of a trailwhich I believe was meant to be discovered and followed,not by the R.C. initiates, but by a layman through theprocess of inductive reasoning which Bacon advocated sostrongly. I attempted to show this trail, so far incomplete, in Baconiana and in my Brief History of the BaconShakespeare Controversy."

The scroll's further revelations use all of its spelling 'mistakes' • The nature of the other messages suggest that Baconhimself may have been the originator of the puzzle.

We, however, are to consider a different dimension from theliterary one. One that has not, to my knowledge, been investigated and reported by historians, biographers or writers; noteven by those whose speciality is secret brotherhoods. As wellas being a Freemason, Pope was a vital link in the chain ofesoteric wisdom. He and a few others made the Abbey monumentcovertly celebrate Bacon's most sacred yet secret mission forthe Rosicrucians. This is clearly indicated by:

1. The quotation's odd change of 'capt' to 'cupt' towers.2. The statue's finger points to 'Temples' on the scroll.3. The background design and the tablet's setting therein.4. The use of inappropriate Latin for the epitaph.

- 16 -


These signals direc~ the informed observer to highly relevant early seventeenth century books: the anonymous manifesto,Fama Fraternitatis (Cassel, Germany 1614) and Robert Burton'sThe Anatomy of Melancholy (Oxford, 1628 edition). The formerand its sequels caused a rag ing controversy throughout Europefor several years. They were issued by a generally unknownbrotherhood - that of the Rosy Cross.

Burton's famous treatise is a medley of observations andanecdotes upon his times and a mine of information about classical and English literature and history. It went through nineedi tions between 1621 and 1700. Some knowledgeable writershave said that it can prove Francis Bacon to have been the realauthor of the Fama. A strict analysis shows it does not quitedo that. Who werethose mysterious Rosicrucians?

Imagine that we are renovating our clubhouse. An ancientmemorial plaque has to be taken down. A last almighty heave onits large nail brings down a chunk of wall. The surprisingglimpse of a hidden door knocks out all ideas of the work inhand. Who would have suspected another room here?

The door's odd inscription, "After 120 years I shall beopened" heightens curiosity. A gentle push and we are dazzledby a brightly lit vault. Its treasure confers rare, unusualpowers that compel us to tell the whole world. But there isjust one catch: we have to remain anonymous. Things will neverbe the same from now on.

In a nutshell, that was the impulse behind the issue in1614 of the Fama Fraterni tatis, or I Discovery of the LaudableOrder of the Rosy Cross'. Mainly an account of the birth ofthe Order, it claimed that Christian Rosencreutz, a Germanyouth, had travelled to the Near East and North Africa and hadreturned to Europe through Spain to teach his profound discoveries only to encounter hostility from the established authorities. Undaunted, he went on to Germany where:

" ... he builta fitting habitation on a Ii ttle hill or mount, and onthe hill there rested always a cloud, and he did thererender himself visible and invisible at his own will anddiscretion".

This is from John Heydon's 1660 version of the Fama, upon whichhe had, "elaborated (and) perfected with diligent care".(Remember the 'cloud cupt Tower'.)

There, Christian Rosencreutz and a few brethren founded hisOrder. At the age of 106 years, in 1484, he died and his perfectly preserved body was entombed in a vault, the location ofwhich became forgotten. In 1604, one hundred and twenty yearslater, the Order's architect had to enlarge the premises. Uponremoving a memorial plaque, the hidden, tiled door to the lost

- 17 -


vault was discovered. (Remember the Shakespeare monument'sdark, odd-shaped epitaph on a light, bricked-up doorway.) Thevault was a mine of arcane lore and tremendously increased theOrder's wisdom and silent power.

It is my opinion that Pope wished to allude to the discovery of the buried vault containing the tomb of Christian Rosencreutz •. Combined, the ambiguous epitaph, the cryptic quotationand the whole design of the Abbey's monument support this idea.The detailed proof must, of necessity, be reserved for anotherbook.

As Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, had sprung fullgrown from the brow of Zeus, so too did the Rosicrucians burstupon an unsuspecting world in 1614. Their mission and means ofachieving it were also identical. Her task was to slay theserpent of ignorance. Armed with only a spear but protected bya reflective shield and helmet of invisibility, the maidengoddess stalked her quarry. To the ancients she was known as'the spear-shaker'. The Rosicruc ians·· adopted her modus operandiand took her as their muse.

The issue, in Germany, of several editions of the Rosicrucians' manifestos in only three years caused great exci tementin the world of learning. They said that the brethren possessthe most advanced and practical knowledge of the nature ofhumanity, of the world and its Creator. An in-depth treatmentof this historic episode can be found in other books. Anycursory consideration soon reveals the manifestos' revolutionary tone; not from Sovereign or Church but from a conclave ofunknown men. In a feudal society 'the doors of wisdom arethrown open to the world'. The best knowledge was offered to'prince and peasant alike' with the promise to reform governments, overthrow false theology and to reconcile the contradictions of science and religion. No wonder they wore Athena'shelmet.

Alarmingly, nobody could put a face to them. And the Famaclaimed they had been veiled in deepest secrecy since beforethe Battle of Agincourt (1415). They invited all the learnedof Europe who approved of their aims to join them .•••• yet stillremained unknown. So, they became known as 'the invisibles'.

Dame Frances Yates, the late, distinguished Renaissancescholar, examined the emergence of the Rosicrucians in theearly 1600's from a purely historical rather than esotericviewpoint. In Chapter 9 of The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, shenoted the similarities and differences between the movement inGermany and Francis Bacon's writings in England. Both are concerned with magico-scientific advancement for the purpose ofimproving Mankind's lot, and to the glory of the Creator. TheGerman wri ters were more profoundly magico-Hermetic than thesober, scientific approach of the Baconians. She argues that

- 18 -


the main reason for the ~ifference is the character and outlookof King James I. He waS deeply fascinated by,1 yet fearsome of,witchcraft and sorcery. In this respect, Bacon must have alsotaken into account that king's disgraceful treatment of one ofQueen Elizabeth's intellectual giants - the Mathematician andAstrologer Dr John Dee. The influence of the sage from Mortlakeupon the foundations of the Rosicrucians in Germany is now wellrecognised. But it came to frui tion in the Palatinate duringthe rule of its Elector, Prince Frederick, and his wife, James'own daughter Elizabeth. Both were close friends of Bacon. He,therefore, had to tread extremely carefully, especially duringthat time of mounting witchcraft hysteria. Whatever the cost,Bacon's mission of reforming and advancing knowledge must notbe jeopardised. He had pursued it relentlessly since awakeningto it when a boy at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Frances Yates notes that The Advancement of Learning byBacon preceded the Rosicrucian manifestos by ten years. In it,he examines the then present state of knowledge only to find itseverely wanting. Consequently, he proposes a means of remedying the situation and demands the establishment of a transnational brotherhood of learning. Dame Frances does not instructreaders that our greatest philosopher could 'both imagine likea poet and execute like a Clerk of Works'. That is, he musthave carefully laid the foundations for achieving his nobleambition and planned its realisation beyond his short span of65 years. In later, Latin editions of The Advancement (Book 6)is said to be found Bacon's note about hi s method: "TraditioLampadis sive Methodus ad Filios". It is the ancient method ofbequeathing the Lamp of traditional, or esoteric, knowledge tothe Sons of Wisdom.

The New Atlantis more than sums up Bacon's outer life-workand aims for it is thoroughly imbued with Rosicrucian ideas.They are not copied directly from the manifestos but are rathera modern, practicable interpretation of them. It is the allegorical account of sailors who discovered the Island of Bensalemin the south Pacific after they had sailed from Peru. Althoughunknown to the world, its inhabitants had enjoyed a perfectsociety since the rule of their King Solomona in about 300 BC.He had instituted the Society of Solomon's House, also known asthe College of Six Days' Work; an order of priest-scientistswho undertook research into all the arts and sciences. Theypossessed the most advanced scientific knowledge and instruments; the telephone, telescope, television, microscope andsubmarines and aircraft. Every twelve years the Society sentmembers on a fact-finding mission to the outside world. Theyhad to travel incognito and return with the latest advances inlearning made by all civilisations. That is, they were indeed'invisible' merchants of 'light'. Such a highly evolved civilisation had readily accepted Christianity in the early daysfrom the Apostle Bartholomew. It had been received in a mystical manner which also gave them possession of the Bible and of

- 19 -


its lost books. Before the sailors landed, an off icial gavethem a scroll of instructions. It was signed with a stamp of acherubin's wings by which was a cross. The Rosicrucian Famawas similarly sealed at the end but with an associated motto,"Sub Umbra Alarum Tuarum Jehova" - under the shadow of Thywings, Jehova.

That: excellent historian is struck by the great influencethat the Rosicrucian works had upon Bacon's unfinished utopianwork. She draws a dozen or so parallels between them yetremains caught in a cleft stick because she cannot admit Baconas having been associated with the Order of the Rosy Cross.Yet she admits that John Heydon's writings of the 1660's moreor less indicated to Baconians' that their Francis was a Rosicrucian. Heydon was the first to publicly make this link. Oneof his several works about the brotherhood was The Voyage tothe Land of the Rosicrucians. It is a virtual re-write, withsuitable changes, of The New Atlantis. In it Bacon's 'House ofSolomon' becomes the 'Society of the Rosie Crucians'. I agreewith Manley Hall that:

"John Heydon was no clumsy plagiaristor deceiver.He could not possibly have expected his useof Bacon's fable to pass unnoticed and uncriticised. Hemust have realized that a Society of scientists andscholars, patterned upon the college of New Atlantis,had been in the process of integration for some years."

Hall means The Royal Society, the founders of which were mainlyBaconians. In 1667 the off icial but not deep account of thisgreat institution's origins and growth was published. ThomasSprat's The History of The Royal Society has a fine engraving.Its central feature is a pedestal with bust of Charles II, theroyal founder, with the Society's first president on his rightand the Society's father on his left. Both are seated and hatless. William Brouncker points with his right hand to theinscription on the pedestal. Francis Bacon points beyond thepicture with his left. An unequivocal hint to search elsewherefor the Society's true, 'invisible' inspiration. The Order ofthe Rosy Cross? Behind Bacon a standing angel with trumpetcrowns the bust with a wreath of fame. Frances Yates poignantly declares:

"Bacon is under the angel's wing. One cannothelp noticing this now, and wondering whether it couldbe an allusion to 'Under the shadow of Jehova's Wings',and whether the trumpeting angel was meant to recallthe Fama, and those hopes of long ago, so long deferredand now, at last, realized."

John Heydon was one of three men responsible for theconsiderable revival of interest in that august brotherhoodbetween 1650 and 1665. His own connection with it is believedto have been through a close relative, Sir Christopher Heydon.The other two principals were Thomas Vaughan and Elias Asmole.

- 20 -


The first published wh~t was once thought to have been thefirst English translation of The Fame and Confession in 1652.(The author Adam Maclean recently found an older one, by abouttwenty years, in the Scottish Records Office.) The other wasrenowned for his antiquarian work and museum at Oxford. Otherscloser to the times also knew of Bacon's connection with it.

The original Fama published in Germany in 1614 was boundwith another work:-IUpon publication it thus seemed to be onlyan appendage to that preceding work. Some historians have considered them to be unrelated but there certainly appears to bea def ini te reason for their having been issued together. Theother work, known as 'The Universal and General Reformation ofthe Whole, Wide World' was a reprint of the '77th Advertisement' from Boccalini's De Ragguagli di Parnasso (News fromParnassus) published in two parts in 1612 and 1613. It is acommentary upon the state of the world at that time and set inthe imaginary court of Apollo. The Greek divinity laments themiserable situation of mortals, and ancient and modern personages come to discuss and suggest remedies. All of them areconsidered i.mpracticable, although the most promising idea isthat of 'lovingness' - the practice of real, Christian benevolence and charity. As nothing can be done about that the statusquo remains unreformed. The contrast between such a disheart~

ening story and its 'appended' Fama is brilliant - help is athand. Clearly, co-publication of the two works was deliberate.The manifesto offers the remedy, and much more besides. And itis just as necessary and applicable today.

An anonymous version of Boccalini's story was published in1645 as The Great Assizes Holden at Parnassus. It is attributed to the poet and satirist George Withers. He had previouslydone a magnificent tome on emblemata - pictures and poems of anallegorical meaning. In his later work, the god Apollo decreesthat certain poets and authors are to be tried for their crimesagainst truth and literature. He presides over his court onthe 'hill of learning', that is, Parnassus. Next in authorityto Apollo is 'Lord Verulam, Chancellor of Parnassus' (FrancisBacon) ably assisted by Sir Philip Sidney and Ben Jonson.William Shakespeere (sic) is relegated as one of the jurors whoare really the malefactors (he is described as 'The wri ter ofweekely Accounts').

Li terature, music and prophecy were the especial care ofPhoebus/Apollo, the sun god and leader of the 'choir' of nineMuses. Bacon's admirers identified him with, or ranked himsuperior to, Apollo~ his own muse, Athena, was accorded greatereloquence than the original nine put together. Ridiculousadulation? Maybe, but it is the main theme of the 'Manes Verulamiani' (Shades of Verulam), a rare collection of thirty threefunereal elegies to Lord Bacon. without any shadow of a doubt,its contributors regarded him as incomparably surpassing allthe poets and sages, even divinities, of antiquity.

- 21 -


Back to Boccalini. (The name is said to suggest 'littlemouth'. The first translation, in 1669, of his work was byHenry, Earl of Monmouth - 'my mouth'.) Boccalini' s chief herowa-s Henri IV of France, King of Navarre, Templar and championof mystics. In one of the first 'Advertisements' from Parnassus, he has Apollo in bi t ter tears over the news of Henri'sassassioation and all hope of improving the world's terriblestate has gone. Francis had become very friendly with thismonarch during his stay at the court of the previous king,Henr i III. His dear, elder brother Anthony spent most of hislife in south France as Walsingham's chief agent and he tooremained very close to Henri IV. So, we have yet another similarity between Apollo and Bacon.

Why did Withers write Bacon as 'Chancellor of Parnassus'and mouthpiece of Apollo? Is there any significance in Apollo'sattempted reform of the world as a 'preface' to the Fama? Theevidence we have considered strongly indicates that;-as Baconwas regarded as Apollo, the printing of the 'Universal Reformation' with the Fama points to his deep involvement in, if notauthorship of, the Rosicrucian manifestos. Count Michael Maier,the fraternity's main German apologist, underlines the directrelevance of the mythological theme. In Themis Aurea (1618),or 'Golden Laws', he reveals yet conceals information about theorder. He alludes teasingly to its:

" •..•Olympic Houses notfar from a river, and a city which we t~ink is calledS. Spiritus - I mean Helicon, or Parnassus, in whichPegasus opened a spring of overflowing water •••.• Thiswill suff iciently instruct an intelligent reader, butmore confound the ignorant."

There is an intriguing fact about The New Atlantis. It waspublished the year after Bacon's passing in 1626 and its titlepage bears a prophetic device. Within a circle, it depictsChronos, old Father Time, by an unblocked cave helping a nakedfigure, wearing a crown, out of its dark depths. The Latinmotto translates as, 'Time brings forth the hidden truth'.Now, a circle is described by a 360 0 arc. If regarded asyears, one full cycle of time has elapsed since 1626. PerhapsBacon had this in mind when he drafted in his will:

" .•.• formy name and memory, I leave it to foreign nations, andto mine own countrymen after some time be passed over."

Isn't that last clause curious? Why wish to expressly withholda noble reputation from one's fellow countrymen? It impliesthat Lord Bacon really did lead a mysterious, double-life. Afew months before his passing he had slightly amended it toforetell:

" .•••• for my name and memory, I leave it to men'scharitable speeches, and to foreign nations, and thenext ages •••• "

- 22 -


Yet it still means thatlforeigners would appr~ciate him better.And how right he was! I

Why is Bacon's name hidden on Westminster Abbey's memorialto Shakespeare? We have proved that 'Francis Bacon' is there.The obvious implication connects him with the bard's works. TheSe1enus squaring method is a powerful tool for breaking ciphersand lends credence to the contention of the Baconians.

However, we have discovered an alternative implication. Onethat transcends personality cults: a pointer to the educationalmission of a once-secret brotherhood. Or, perhaps there was athird reason for hiding his name in the national shrine to ourheroes. Could it be something to do with the prophecy in hisWill? Was his identity enciphered therein to await the publicrevelation of the ~onument's secret dimension in 1986?

Since Bacon's passing in 1626, his Rosicrucian descendantshave commemorated his work for the brotherhood. In each successive century they left a permanent, public testimonial ofthis. The puz zle in Poets' Corner is that of the eighteenthcentury. Those of the early nineteenth and twentieth centuriesare just as surprising. The many clues that I have found haveeither been missed or not appreciated by other investigators.The full details will be disclosed in another book for thosewho are impelled to know about:

> The peculiar accounts of the erection of the monument toShakespeare in Westminster Abbey.

> Unusual proofs of the link between the modern and ancient,original Rosicrucian Order.

> The art of invisibility in the Rosicrucian manifestos, andas practised by the modern brotherhood.

> The true status of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.> Nazi persecution of esoteric fraternities and the remark

able escape of a Disciple of Pythagoras during Gestapointerrogation.

> Shambhala, its awesome power, and an encounter with Hitler.> The Kabbala and Freemasonry's 'pagan' password.> Knowledge of the 'Lost Word' and of the Triple Tau.> An alternative explanation of the clues about the Priory of

Sion (the mystery of Rennes-1e-ChAteau).> The survival of the military Order of Knights Temp1ar after

its cruel suppression.> The Temp1ar secret signs in our early, printed literature.> An intriguing coincidence concerning the common ancestor of

our future King and Queen, Charles and Diana.

These further discoveries substantiate the inescapableconclusion that Westminster Abbey has not only the tomb of anUnknown Warrior but also an unknown memorial to the legendary

Christian Rosencreutz.

- 33 -

LIB E R Q.y II R T us. Cap.6. 1+1CAPUT 1'1

De Comparatione Arbitraria l11edianteClave: IterhFortuita nlediallte

Infrrumento.Eellndul PrincipAl" ModM pendet aClave. Ad eujUlnor11l11»1 hie L.lter"J)arg~nd4.,- 'p<!!L C1 'PfA Litera eD,(vid. f. c. 8. Lib. 2. )ftofjue ordmt, fjuoJlat in Af;hAbetodoctt, fjuoto 10(0 AlleraLit~ra (ollo(and4fit: E.g. StAnteAlphAbtto:

/. ~.J. 4·j· 5.7. !.p.10.11.12.1j.14·1j.16.17·T!.l9.20.21.22.2j.24.abeJefgbi It I 11In 0 pifr.ft 1J7J7Jxy <;

SiStcrdumjit Fuge oeyus: pon4t11t' Litera F, fj/{" 'llionia»l r;xt4ii, orJineeOAlpbAbtti,hmeft'llltnl Literll U1JoDtAmftxtoloco jijitndA:Et ellm U 20.ftti" AlpbAbeto, bine'VigeflmolocopoD LiterA11I Ueol/oeAnJA Liter4G.l1ntiefidell", 1Ilotlilmpergit,exSecre/otAlit exftrgerepoteR OrAtio.. ,Fauf1:ius tib~, mi~i ee.fte .nihilgratius ell:. tuo ~editu, quem fpe

CltyUS aeeeleraf1:1. Nl emm If1:ud taaum fudfec, IOgens rebus euisdamnum,&c.

NotAndllm bJ( ,JinUNltrJU LiterA dnplictt1lr, IAxiore11l tI"r;hieft(1Iltlltem (onfi(iendi orAtionem,.

Tertilll Modm pendet J deeAntAto illo injlrumento IJr411t'.t peifo..r"t",lIbi r"tioneflrA11Iinit 'Vel l"ti'Vel"'11ujfi,ftribunturunA'Vt'1p"'TtlSecreti Liter", A/file ejrudtmbenejieio, Lec/ori 'Vieijli11l delegun/ur. Cu..JIM Infiru11Ienti eon[t8ionem, Ciper il/udSerilJendi Mod"", exCardanocJ Glauburgio, in Expofitione ad Polygraph. Triehemij) Porta.,..,

Lib. 2. e.18. /ucllienter"peruit: Ideoqllt nihilultraadtlimur. Videfup. Lib.2. e. 9. Ci inf.Lib.6. e.lo.& 2o.Nt'lm Inflnt-

mentA ilJidejiriptA) hue noninfjJte'luAdrAnt.

CAPUT

THE 'SIMPLE ALPHABETICAL' CIPHER, FROM SELENUS.

RECOMMENDED READING

ALLEN, Paul (Ed.): A Christian Rosencreutz Anthology, 1974.BOKENHAM, Thomas: A Brief History of the Bacon-Shakespeare

Controversy, 1981.BURTO~, Robert: The Anatomy of Melancholy - 25 edns. 1621-1961.CARPENTER, Edward: A House of Kings - The Official History of

Westminster Abbey, 1966.COBB, Noel: Prospero's Island, 1984.DODD, Alfred: The Martyrdom of Francis Bacon, c1946.DU MAURIER, Daphne: The Winding Stair, Francis Bacon, His Rise

and Fa11,1976.DUNSTAN, victor: The Invisible Hand, 1984.FIDO, Martin: Shakespeare, 1978.FOX, Levi: In Honour of Shakespeare, 1972GOODACRE, Clive: In Search of the 'Inimitable Note'

(The 'Penrose' Review), 1982.GRUNDY, W G C (Ed.): Manes Veru1amiani (1626), facsimile, 1950.HALL, M P: Orders of universal Reformation, 1949.HALLIDAY, F E: Shakespeare - A Pictorial Biography, 1969.HARTLEY, Sir Harold (Ed.): The Royal Society, its Origins and

Foundations, 1960.HEYDON, John: The Rosie Crucian Infallible Axiomata, 1660.KAHN, David: The Codebreakers, 1974.LEE, Sidney: Great Englishmen of the Sixteenth Century, 1904.LEWIS, H S: Questions & Answers with a Complete History of the

Rosicrucian Order, 1929.LINGS, Martin: The Secret of Shakespeare, 1984.MACK, Maynard: Alexander Pope - A Life, 1985.MACLEAN, Adam (Ed.): Compendium of the Rosicrucian Vault, 1985.MCDUFF, Ewen: The 67th Inquisition, 1972.MCINTOSH, Christopher: The Rosy Cross Unveiled, 1980.OVERTON FULLER, Jean: Francis Bacon, A Biography, 1981.PARES, Com. Martin: Knights of the Helmet, 1964.PHILALETHES, Eugenius : The Fame and Confession of the

Fraternity of R:C:, 1652.POTT, Mrs Henry: Francis Bacon's Secret Society, 1891.QUENNELL, Peter: Alexander Pope - The Education of Genius,l968.SCHOENBAUM, S: William Shakespeare - A Documentary Life, 1975.

" ." Shakespeare, The Globe and the World, 1979.William Shakespeare - Records and Images, 1981.

SELENUS, Gustavus: Cryptomenitices et Cryptographiae, 1624.SMEDLEY, William: The Mystery of Francis Bacon, c1912.STANLEY, A P: Historical Memorials of Westminster Abbey, 1924.TENISON, Archbishop Thomas: Baconiana or, Certain Genuine

Remains of Sir Francis Bacon, 1679.TREVOR-ROPER, Sir Hugh: Renaissance Essays, 1985. .VICKERS, Prof. Brian (Ed.): Shakespeare Volume III 1733-1752

- The Critical Years, 1975.WAITE, A E: The Real History of the Rosicrucians, 1887.

" " The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross, 1925.WITTEMANS, F: A New and Authentic History of the Rosicrucians,

1938.YATES, Dame Frances: The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, 1972.

How to Crack the Code of Westminster Abbey by Richard Barker

Education

Transcript of How to Crack the Code of Westminster Abbey by Richard Barker