Mercury, Or the Secret and Swift Messenger

Mercury, Or the Secret and Swift Messenger: "Showing how a man may with privacy and speed communicate his thoughts to a friend at any distance" by John Wilkins (an English clergyman) was written in 1641.

This small but comprehensive work on cryptography, written in Old English, shows how someone can communicate his thoughts to a friend at any distance, with privacy and speed. Therefore, it has been of interest to magicians who perform Second Sight and other acts of Mentalism.

Editions

• 1641
• Third: 1708

References

• http://www.light-of-truth.com/Secret_Messenger/secret.html
• http://books.google.com/books?id=Lc38yWFv3p8C