Notebooks (41 page)
Authors: Leonardo da Vinci,Irma Anne Richter,Thereza Wells
Tags: #History, #Fiction, #General, #European, #Art, #Renaissance, #Leonardo;, #Leonardo, #da Vinci;, #1452-1519, #Individual artists, #Art Monographs, #Drawing By Individual Artists, #Notebooks; sketchbooks; etc, #Individual Artist, #History - Renaissance, #Renaissance art, #Individual Painters - Renaissance, #Drawing & drawings, #Drawing, #Techniques - Drawing, #Individual Artists - General, #Individual artists; art monographs, #Art & Art Instruction, #Techniques
The same thing happens with minds which instead of exercise give themselves up to sloth; these like the razor lose the keenness of their edge, and the rust of ignorance spoils their form.
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As the colourful butterfly was idly wandering and flitting about through the dark a light came within sight, and thither it immediately directed its course, and flew round about it in varying circles marvelling greatly at such radiant beauty. And not content merely to behold, it began to treat it as was its custom with fragrant flowers, and directing its flight approached with bold resolve to close the light, which thereupon consumed the tips of its wings and legs and other extremities; then dropping to the foot of it, it began to wonder how this accident had been brought about; for it could not so much as entertain a thought that any evil or hurt could possibly come to it from a thing so beautiful; and then having in part regained the strength which it had lost, it took another flight and passed right through the body of the flame, and in an instant fell down burned into the oil which fed the flame, preserving only so much life as sufficed it to reflect upon the cause of its destruction, saying: ‘O accursed light: I thought that in you I had found my happiness! Vainly do I lament my mad desire, and by my ruin I have come to know your rapacious and destructive nature.’
To which the light replied: ‘Thus do I treat whoever does not know how to use me aright.’
This applies to those who, when they see before them carnal and worldly delights, hasten to them like the butterfly, without ever taking thought as to their nature, which they will learn to know to their shame and loss.
The flint, on being struck by the stick, marvelled greatly and said to it in a stern voice: ‘What arrogance prompts you to annoy me? Trouble me not, for you have chosen me by mistake; I have never done harm to anyone.’ Whereto the stick answered: ‘If you will be patient you will see what a marvellous result will issue forth from you.’ At these words the flint was pacified and patiently endured its martyrdom; and it saw itself giving birth to the marvellous Element of Fire which by its potency became a factor in innumerable things.
This applies to those who are dismayed at the beginning of their studies and then set out to gain mastery over themselves and to devote themselves in patience to those studies with marvellous results.
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III. PROPHECIES19
The sayings entitled
Profetie
do not deal with future events. In answer to enigmatic pronouncements well-known facts and proceedings of everyday life are cited; and these interpretations are imbued with a dramatic quality.
Profetie
do not deal with future events. In answer to enigmatic pronouncements well-known facts and proceedings of everyday life are cited; and these interpretations are imbued with a dramatic quality.
The first text contains a plan for their grouping and the subsequent transcriptions are arranged as much as possible in the sequence described
.
.
The divisions of the prophecies
First of the things which relate to the reasoning animals, second of those which have not the power of reason, third of plants, fourth of ceremonies, fifth of customs, sixth of propositions, decrees or disputes, seventh of propositions contrary to nature—as to speak of a substance which the more is taken from it the more it grows, eighth of philosophical things. And reserve the weighty cases until the end and begin with those of less import. And first show the evils and then the punishments.
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Many there will be who will flay their own mother and fold back her skin;—the tillers of the ground.
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Men will deal bitter blows to that which is the cause of their life: they will thrash the grain.
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Of sawyers
There will be many who will move one against another, holding in their hands a cutting iron. These will not do each other any injury beyond that caused by fatigue; for as one pushes forward the other draws back. But woe to him who comes between them, for in the end he will be left cut in pieces.
Of a man’s shadow which moves with him
Shapes and figures of men and animals will be seen pursuing these men and animals wherever they flee. And exactly as one moves the other moves; but what seems so wonderful is the variety of height they assume.
Of our shadow cast by the sun and our reflection in the water at one and the same time.
Many a time will one man be seen as three and all three move together, and often the one that is most real abandons him.
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Oxen will be to a great extent the cause of the destruction of cities, and in the same way horses and buffaloes.
By drawing guns.
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Of asses which are beaten
O indifferent Nature, wherefore art thou so partial, being to some of thy children a tender and benignant mother, and to others a most cruel and pitiless stepmother? I see thy children given into slavery to others, without any sort of advantage, and instead of remuneration for the services they have done, they are repaid by the severest suffering, and they spend their whole life in benefiting their oppressor.
Of bees
And many will be robbed of their stores and their food, and will be cruelly submerged and drowned by folks devoid of reason. O justice of God! Why dost thou not awake to behold thy creatures thus abused?
Of sheep, cows, goats, and the like
From countless numbers will be taken away their little children and the throats of these shall be cut, and they shall be quartered most barbarously.
Of food which has been alive
A large part of the bodies which have had life will pass into the bodies of other animals, that is the houses no longer inhabited will pass piecemeal through those which are inhabited, ministering to their needs and bearing away with them what is waste; that is to say, the life of man is made by things which he eats, and these carry with them that part of man which is dead.
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The rat was being besieged in its little dwelling by the weasel which with continual vigilance was awaiting its destruction, and through a tiny chink was considering its great danger. Meanwhile the cat came and suddenly seized hold of the weasel and forthwith devoured it. Whereupon the rat, profoundly grateful to its deity, having offered up some of its hazelnuts in sacrifice to Jove, came out of its hole in order to repossess itself of the lately lost liberty, and was instantly deprived of this and of life itself by the cruel claws and teeth of the cat.
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The thrushes rejoiced greatly at seeing a man take the owl and deprive her of liberty, tying her feet with strong bonds. But this owl was afterwards by means of bird-lime the cause of the thrushes losing not only their liberty but their life. This is said for those countries which rejoice at seeing their governors lose their liberty, in consequence of which they themselves lose all succour and remain in bondage in the power of their enemy, losing their liberty and often life.
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Of ants
These will form many communities, which will hide themselves and their young ones and victuals in dark caverns, and they will feed themselves and their families in dark places for many months without any light, either artificial or natural.
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Of the water which flows in a turbid stream mingled with Earth and Mist; and of mist mingling with Air, and of the Fire which is mingled by its heat with each.
All the Elements shall be seen mixed together surging in huge tolling mass, now borne towards the centre of the world, now towards the sky, at one time coursing in fury from the southern regions towards the icy north, at another time from the east to the west, and then again from this hemisphere to the other.
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The greatest mountains, even though they are remote from the seashores, will drive the sea from its place:
That is by the rivers which carry down the soil they wash away from the mountains and deposit it upon the seashores; and where the earth comes the sea retires.
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Of men who sleep upon planks made from trees
Men will sleep and eat and make their dwelling among trees grown in the forests and the fields.
Of nuts and olives and acorns and chestnuts and the like
Many children shall be torn with pitiless beatings from the very arms of their mothers, and flung upon the ground and then maimed.
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The olives which fall from the olive trees give us the oil from
which we make light
which we make light
And things will descend with fury from above, and will give us nourishment and light.
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Of sailing ships
The trees of the great forests of Taurus, and of Sinai and of the Apennines and of Atlas shall be seen speeding by means of the air from east to west and from north to south; and transporting by means of the air great multitudes of men. Oh, how many vows! Oh, how many deaths! Oh, how many partings between friends and relations! How many will there be who shall nevermore see their own country or their own native lands! and who shall die unburied and their bones scattered in divers parts of the world.
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Of the lamentations made on Good Friday
In all parts of Europe there shall be lamentations by great nations for the death of one man who died in the East.
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Of Christians
Many who hold the faith of the son only build temples in the name of the mother.
Of funeral rites, and processions, and lights,
and bells, and followers
and bells, and followers
The greatest honours and ceremonies will be paid to men without their knowledge.
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Of churches and the habitations of friars
Many will there be who will give up work and labour and poverty of life and of goods, and will go to live among wealth in splendid buildings, declaring that this is the way to make themselves acceptable to God.
Of friars who spending nothing but words receive
great gifts and bestow paradise
great gifts and bestow paradise
Invisible money will procure the triumph of many who will spend it.
Of friars who are confessors
And unhappy women will, of their own free will, reveal to men all their sins and shameful and most secret deeds.
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Of sculpture
Alas, whom do I see? The saviour crucified anew!
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Of crucifixes that are sold
I see Christ sold and crucified afresh, and his saints suffering martyrdom.
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Of the worshipping of pictures of saints
Men shall speak with men who hear not; their eyes shall be open and they shall not see; they will speak to them and there shall be no reply; they will ask pardon from one who has ears and does not hear, they will offer light to one who is blind, and to the deaf they will appeal with loud clamour.
Of the sale of paradise
A vast multitude will sell, publicly and unhindered, things of the very highest price, without leave from the Master of those things, which never were theirs nor within their power; and human justice will not prevent it.
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Of the religion of monks who live on their saints,
who have been dead a long time
who have been dead a long time
Those who have been dead a thousand years will defray the cost of living of many living men.
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Of doctors, who live upon the sick
Men will come to such a state of misery that they will be grateful that others should profit by their sufferings, or by the loss of their true wealth, which is health.
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Of the dowries of maidens
And whereas at first maidens could not be protected from the lust and violence of men, either by the watchfulness of parents or by the strength of walls, the time will come when it will be necessary for the fathers and relatives of these maidens to pay a great price to whoever is willing to marry them, even if they are rich, noble, and very beautiful. Certainly it seems that nature desires to exterminate the human race, as a thing useless to the world, and the destroyer of all created things.
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Of children wrapped in swaddling bands
O cities of the Sea! In you I see your citizens both females and males, tightly bound, arms and legs, with strong bands by folks who will not understand your language. And you will only be able to assuage your sorrows and lost liberty by means of tearful complaints and sighing and lamentation among yourselves; for those who will bind you will not understand you, nor will you understand them.
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