I mean, really, why would it be encrypted?

[Koen G]

I guess that depends on people's awareness of other foreign scripts, and of encrypted texts? If one only knew Latin, would the familiar-yet-strange nature of the script suggest another language or a code? And the embellishments, like the first letters of the paragraphs? I kind of assumed that it was meant to look like an exotic language, but now I'm less sure.

I've also never thought about it like this before, but there's a certain paradox here.

On the one hand, people on this forum who have studied paleography are in some degree of agreement that the glyphs are not that uncommon for Latin manuscripts. The tall glyphs are an exception, but even some of those appear as ligatures.

The paradox is: why did nobody in the early correspondences mention this? Why did Baresch see it as exotic (maybe to entice Kircher?) Were the gallow glyphs and their placement so disorienting?

Anyway, my opinion therefore is that the script was not designed to create the appearance if a foreign script. It looks more like an intellectual experiment or game among scribes.