The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci by Leonardo Da Vinci (moboreader txt) 📕

Francesco di Jacopo 1489,in-4� ed altre ancora di Venezia e senza alcuna nota ecc. (G. D’A.)] Driadeo,

Morgante [Footnote 15: Una delle edizioni del Morgante impresse nel secolo XV, ecc.—

Quale delle opere di Francesco Petrarca, sarebbe malagevole l’indovinare, ma probabilmente il Canzoniere. (G. D’A.)] Petrarch.

John de Mandeville [Footnote 16: Sono i viaggi del cavaliere “Mandeville” gentiluomo inglese. Scrisse il suo libro in lingua francese. Fu stampato replicatamente nel secolo XV in francese, in inglese ed in italiano ed in tedesco; del secolo XV ne annoverano forse piu di 27 edizioni, di cui ne conosciamo 8 in francese, quattro in latino, sei in tedesco e molte altre in volgare. (G. D’A.)]

‘On honest recreation’ [Footnote 17: Il Platina (Bartolomeo Sacchi) la versione italiana “de la honesta voluptate, & valetudine (& de li obsonnii) Venetia (senza nome di tipografo) 1487,” piccolo in-4� gotico. (G. D’A.)—Compare No. 844, 21.]

Manganello, [Footnote 18: Il Manganello: Satira eccessivamente vivace contro le donne ad imitazione della Sesta di Giovenale. Manganello non e soltanto il titolo del libricino, sua ben anche il nome dell’autore ch’era un “milanese“. Di questo libercolo rarissimo, che sembra impresso a Venezia dallo Zoppino (Nicolo d’Aristotile detto il), senza data, ma dei primissimi anni del secolo XVI, e forse piu antico, come vedremo in appresso, non se ne conoscono fra biblioteche pubbliche e private che due soli esemplari in Europa. (G. D’A.)]

The Chronicle of Isidoro, [Footnote 19: “Cronica desidero“, sembra si deggia leggere piuttosto “_cronico disidoro”; ed in questo caso s’intenderebbe la_ “cronica d’Isidoro” tanto in voga a quel tempo “Comenza la Cronica di Sancto Isidoro menore con alchune additione cavate del testo & istorie de la Bibia & del libro di Paulo Oroso …. Impresso in Ascoli in casa del reverendo misser Pascale ….. per mano di Guglielmo de Linis de Alamania M.CCCC.LXXVII” in-4� di 157 ff. E il primo libro impresso ad Ascoli e l’edizione principe di questa cronica in oggi assai rara. Non lo e meno l’edizione di Cividal del Friuli, 1480, e quella ben anche di Aquila, 1482, sempre in-4�. Vedasi Panzer, Hain, Brunet e P. Dechamps. (G. D’A.)]

The Epistles of Ovid, [Footnote 20: “Le pistole di Ovidio tradotte in prosa. Napoli Sixt. Riessinger“, in-4�, oppure: “Epistole volgarizzate 1489,” in-4� a due col. “impresse ne la cita (sic) di Bressa per pre: Baptista de Farfengo,” (in ottave) o: “El libro dele Epistole di Ovidio in rima volgare per messere Dominico de Monticelli toschano. Brescia Farfengo,” in-4� got. (in rima volgare), 1491, ed anche la versione di Luca Pulci. Firenze, Mischomini, 1481, in-4�. (G. D’A.) ]

Epistles of Filelfo, [Footnote 21: See l. 4.]

Sphere, [Footnote 22: “Jo: de Sacrobusto,” o “Goro Dati,” o “Tolosano da Colle” di cui molteplici edizioni del secolo XV. (G. D’A.)]

The Jests of Poggio, [Footnote 23: Tre edizioni delle facezie del Poggio abbiamo in lingua italiana della fine del secolo XV, tutte senza data. “Facetie de Poggio fiorentino traducte de latino in vulgare ornatissimo,” in-40, segn. a—e in caratteri romani; l’altra: “Facetie traducte de latino in vulgare,” in-40, caratteri gotici, ecc. (G. D’A.)] Chiromancy, [Footnote 24: “Die Kunst Cyromantia etc, in tedesco. 26 ff. di testo e figure il tutte eseguito su tavole di legno verso la fine del secolo XV da Giorgio Schapff”. Dibdin, Heinecken, Sotheby e Chatto ne diedero una lunga descrizione; i primi tre accompagnati da fac-simili. La data 1448 che si legge alla fine del titolo si riferisce al periodo della composizione del testo, non a quello della stampa del volume benche tabellario. Altri molti libri di Chiromanzia si conoscono di quel tempo e sarebbe opera vana il citarli tutti. (G. D’A.)]

Formulary of letters, [Footnote 25: Miniatore Bartolomeo. “Formulario de epistole vulgare missive e responsive, & altri fiori de ornali parlamenti al principe Hercule d’Esti ecc. composto ecc. Bologna per Ugo di Rugerii,” in-40, del secolo XV. Altra edizione di “Venetia Bernardino di Novara, 1487” e “Milano per Joanne Angelo Scinzenzeler 1500,” in-40. (G. D’A.)

Five books out of this list are noted by Leonardo in another MS. (Tr. 3): donato, — lapidario, — plinio, — abacho, — morgante.]

 

1470.

 

Nonius Marcellus, Festus Pompeius, Marcus Varro.

[Footnote: Nonius Marcellus and Sextus Pompeius Festus were Roman grammarians of about the fourth century A. D. Early publications of the works of Marcellus are: De proprietate sermonis, Romae (about 1470), and 1471 (place of publication unknown). Compendiosa doctrina, ad filium, de proprietate sermonum. Venice, 1476. BRUNET, Manuel du libraire (IV, p. 97) notes: Le texte de cet ancien grammairien a ete reimprime plusieurs fois a la fin du XVe siecle, avec ceux de Pomponius Festus et de Terentius Varro. La plus ancienne edition qui reunisse ces trois auteurs est celle de Parme, 1480 … Celles de Venise, 1483, 1490, 1498, et de Milan, 1500, toutes in-fol., ont peu de valeur.]

 

1471.

 

Map of Elephanta in India which Antonello Merciaio has from maestro Maffeo;—there for seven years the earth rises and for seven years it sinks;—Enquire at the stationers about Vitruvius.

 

1472.

 

See ‘On Ships’ Messer Battista, and Frontinus ‘On Acqueducts’ [Footnote 2: 2. Vitruvius de Arch., et Frontinus de Aquedoctibus. Florence, 1513.—This is the earliest edition of Frontinus.—The note referring to this author thus suggests a solution of the problem of the date of the Leicester Manuscript.].

[Footnote: Compare No. 1113, 25.]

 

1473.

 

Anaxagoras: Every thing proceeds from every thing, and every thing becomes every thing, and every thing can be turned into every thing else, because that which exists in the elements is composed of those elements.

 

1474.

 

The Archimedes belonging to the Bishop of Padua.

[Footnote: See No. 1421, 1. 3, 6 and Vol. I, No. 343.]

 

1475.

 

Archimedes gave the quadrature of a polygonal figure, but not of the circle. Hence Archimedes never squared any figure with curved sides. He squared the circle minus the smallest portion that the intellect can conceive, that is the smallest point visible.

[Footnote: Compare No. 1504.]

 

1476.

 

If any man could have discovered the utmost powers of the cannon, in all its various forms and have given such a secret to the Romans, with what rapidity would they have conquered every country and have vanquished every army, and what reward could have been great enough for such a service! Archimedes indeed, although he had greatly damaged the Romans in the siege of Syracuse, nevertheless did not fail of being offered great rewards from these very Romans; and when Syracuse was taken, diligent search was made for Archimedes; and he being found dead greater lamentation was made for him by the Senate and people of Rome than if they had lost all their army; and they did not fail to honour him with burial and with a statue. At their head was Marcus Marcellus. And after the second destruction of Syracuse, the sepulchre of Archimedes was found again by Cato[25], in the ruins of a temple. So Cato had the temple restored and the sepulchre he so highly honoured…. Whence it is written that Cato said that he was not so proud of any thing he had done as of having paid such honour to Archimedes.

[Footnote: Where Leonardo found the statement that Cato had found and restored the tomb of Archimedes, I do not know. It is a merit that Cicero claims as his own (Tusc. V, 23) and certainly with a full right to it. None of Archimedes’ biographers —not even the diligent Mazzucchelli, mentions any version in which Cato is named. It is evidently a slip of the memory on Leonardo’s part. Besides, according to the passage in Cicero, the grave was not found ‘nelle ruine d’un tempio’—which is highly improbable as relating to a Greek—but in an open spot (H. MULLER-STRUBING).—See too, as to Archimedes, No. 1417.

Leonardo says somewhere in MS. C.A.: Architronito e una macchina di fino rame, invenzlon d’ Archimede (see ‘Saggio’, p. 20).]

 

1477.

 

Aristotle, Book 3 of the Physics, and Albertus Magnus, and Thomas Aquinas and the others on the rebound of bodies, in the 7th on Physics, on heaven and earth.

 

1478.

 

Aristotle says that if a force can move a body a given distance in a given time, the same force will move half the same body twice as far in the same time.

 

1479.

 

Aristotle in Book 3 of the Ethics: Man merits praise or blame solely in such matters as lie within his option to do or not to do.

 

1480.

 

Aristotle says that every body tends to maintain its nature.

 

1481.

 

On the increase of the Nile, a small book by Aristotle. [Footnote: De inundatione Nili, is quoted here and by others as a work of Aristotle. The Greek original is lost, but a Latin version of the beginning exists (Arist. Opp. IV p. 213 ed. Did. Par.).

In his quotations from Aristotle Leonardo possibly refers to one of the following editions: Aristotelis libri IV de coelo et mundo; de anima libri III; libri VIII physi-corum; libri de generatione et corruptione; de sensu et sensato… omnia latine, interprete Averroe, Venetiis 1483 (first Latin edition). There is also a separate edition of Liber de coelo et mundo, dated 1473.]

 

1482.

 

Avicenna will have it that soul gives birth to soul as body to body, and each member to itself.

[Footnote: Avicenna, see too No. 1421, 1. 2.]

 

1483.

 

Avicenna on liquids.

 

1484.

 

Roger Bacon, done in print. [Footnote: The earliest printed edition known to Brunet of the works of Roger Bacon, is a French translation, which appeared about fourty years after Leonardo’s death.]

 

1485.

 

Cleomedes the philosopher.

[Footnote: Cleomede. A Greek mathematician of the IVth century B. C. We have a Cyclic theory of Meteorica by him. His works were not published before Leonardo’s death.]

 

1486.

 

CORNELIUS CELSUS.

The highest good is wisdom, the chief evil is suffering in the body. Because, as we are composed of two things, that is soul and body, of which the first is the better, the body is the inferior; wisdom belongs to the better part, and the chief evil belongs to the worse part and is the worst of all. As the best thing of all in the soul is wisdom, so the worst in the body is suffering. Therefore just as bodily pain is the chief evil, wisdom is the chief good of the soul, that is with the wise man; and nothing else can be compared with it.

[Footnote: Aulus Cornelius Celsus, a Roman physician, known as the Roman Hippocrates, probably contemporary with Augustus. Only his eight Books ‘De Medicina’, are preserved. The earliest editions are: Cornelius Celsus, de medicina libr. VIII., Milan 1481 Venice 1493 and 1497.]

 

1487.

 

Demetrius was wont to say that there was no difference between the speech and words of the foolish and ignorant, and the noises and rumblings of the wind in an inflated stomach. Nor did he say so without reason, for he saw no difference between the parts whence the noise issued; whether their lower parts or their mouth, since one and the other were of equal use and importance.

[Footnote: Compare Vol. I, No. 10.]

 

1488.

 

Maestro Stefano Caponi, a physician, lives at the piscina, and has Euclid De Ponderibus.

 

1489.

 

5th Book of Euclid. First definition: a part is a quantity of less magnitude than the greater magnitude when the less is contained a certain number of times in the greater.

A part properly