
Solved: The Ciphers in Book III of Trithemius's Steganographia (1998) [pdf] - benbreen
http://profs.sci.univr.it/~giaco/download/Watermarking-Obfuscation/Trithemius.pdf
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icanhackit
_This I did that to men of learning and men deeply engaged in the study of
magic, it might, by the Grace of God, be in some degree intelligible, while on
the other hand, to the thick-skinned turnip-eaters (imperitis Rapophagis) it
might for all time remain a hidden secret, and be to their dull intellects a
sealed book forever._

I initially thought _imperitis Rapophagis_ was simply a knock to the
uneducated commoners. Then I read that the turnip is used as an emblem
(charge) in the shield (escutcheon) of various coat of arms of prominent
Austrian families. One particular family would be the Keutschach family, of
whom Leonhard von Keutschach was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg during Johannes
Trithemius time. It's a stretch, but I wonder if Trithemius was merely being
nationalistic rather than discriminatory?

