GC30D98 Sir Francis Bacon
Type: Mystery | Size: Micro | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: TinSparrow @ | Hide Date: 07/18/2011 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 49.980 W104° 49.980 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0

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The cache is not at the published coordinates.

Congratulations to hiking_fool for the FTF.

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Francis Bacon was an influential English author, philosopher, scientist and statesman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Bacon lived at the same time as William Shakespeare, and while there are theories which suggest that Bacon is the true author some of Shakespeare's works, these theories are generally rejected by all but a few scholars.

Bacon was a man of many talents and interests, and he even invented a cipher that could be used to conceal a secret message within the text of another message.

In Bacon's cipher, two different typefaces are used to send a non-encrypted message, and the secret message is conveyed by the patterns of alternation between the two typefaces. This is not a true cipher in the traditional sense, but instead a form of steganographic (hidden) writing.

There are internet resources available for ayone who wants to learn more about Bacon's cipher. I've included a short example of it here, using a bold italized font to make the contrast in typefaces more apparent. For the purposes of this exercise, the letters I & J and U & V have been combined as per Bacon's original formulation of this cipher:

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

How can my Muse want subject to invent,
While thou dost breathe, that pour'st into my verse
Thine own sweet argument, too excellent
For every vulgar paper to rehearse?
How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek (my weary travel's end)
Doth teach that case and that repose to say
'Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend.'
How can I then return in happy plight
That am debarred the benefit of rest?
When day's oppression is not eased by night,
But day by night and night by day oppressed.
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter and confounds him there,
Sap checked with frost and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'er-snowed and bareness every where.
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned,
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,
Since first I saw you fresh which yet are green.
Thus can my love excuse the slow offence
Of my dull bearer when from thee I speed:
From where thou art why should I haste me thence?
Till I return, of posting is no need.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.
Then were not summer's distillation left
A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,
Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft,
Nor it nor no remembrance what it was.

from "Honorificabilitudinitatibus"

Additional Waypoints

05/09/2018 By mondou2
Enjoyed the hunt for this cache. SL. Thanks for the fun!

06/22/2017 By BluePearl
Had to be in the Springs for a business meeting, and this cache wan't too far away. Thanks for the interesting twist on this cipher!

09/10/2016 By spooko13
Excellent job with this puzzle! Stumbled onto the listing a week or two ago while looking for caches in and around Colorado Springs and immediately dove in for the solve. Really enjoyed working on it (especially when the "a-ha" moment hit!), and I was looking forward to (hopefully) getting my name in the log.

Today was the last day before flying back to New York, and my girlfriend and I were spending it in Colorado Springs. The day of the hunt was finally here! Found some good parking and headed off toward GZ. I was a little concerned about muggles here so I was glad to be able to come up with the container quickly. I signed in and we hightailed it out of there before anyone came by.

Thanks for the well done puzzle and hide!

07/01/2016 By Krazy4Catz
No parking right now so I waited with the car while EWB did the search.

07/01/2016 By Electric Water Boy
Puzzle was fun. Found the replacement. Didn't have anything better to put it in, but no problem getting log out.