Memorardum.
To make some provisions for my garden, —Giordano, De Ponderibus[Footnote 3: Giordano. Jordanus Nemorarius, a mathematician of the beginning of the XIIIth century. No particulars of his life are known. The title of his principal work is: Arithmetica decem libris demonstrata, first published at Paris 1496. In 1523 appeared at Nuremberg: Liber *Jordani Nemorarii de ponderibus, propositiones XIII et earundem demonstrationes, multarumque rerum rationes sane pulcherrimas complectens, nunc in lucem editus.],—the peacemaker, the flow and ebb of the sea,—have two baggage trunks made, look to Beltraffio's [Footnote 6: Beltraffio, see No. 465, note 2.
There are sketches by the side of lines 8 and 10.] lathe and have taken the stone,—out leave the books belonging to Messer Andrea the German,— make scales of a long reed and weigh the substance when hot and again when cold. The mirror of Master Luigi; A b the flow and ebb of the water is shown at the mill of Vaprio,—a cap.
1437.
Giovanni Fabre,—Lazaro del Volpe,— the common,—Ser Piero.
[Footnote: These names are inserted on a plan of plots of land adjoining the Arno.]
1438.
[Lactantius], [the book of Benozzo], groups, to bind the book,—a lantern,—Ser Pecantino,—Pandolfino.—[Rosso]—a square, —small knives,—carriages,—curry combs— cup.
1439.
Quadrant of Carlo Marmocchi,—Messer Francesco Araldo,—Ser Benedetto d'Accie perello,—Benedetto on arithmetic,—Maestro Paulo, physician,—Domenico di Michelino,— …… of the Alberti,—Messer Giovanni Argimboldi. 1440.
Colours, formula,—Archimedes,—Marcantonio.
Tinned iron,—pierced iron.
1441.
See the shop that was formerly Bartolommeo's, the stationer.
[Footnote: 6. Marc Antonio, see No. 1433.]
1442.
The first book is by Michele di Francesco
Nabini; it treats on science.
1443.
Messer Francesco, physician of Lucca, with the Cardinal Farnese.
[Footnote: Alessandro Farnese, afterwards Pope Paul III was created in 1493 Cardinal di San Cosimo e San Damiano, by Alexander VI.]
1444.
Pandolfino's book [Footnote 1: Pandolfino, Agnolo, of Florence. It is to this day doubtful whether he or L. B. Alberti was the author of the famous work 'Del Governo della Famiglia'. It is the more probable that Leonardo should have meant this work by the words il libro, because no other book is known to have been written by Pandolfino. This being the case this allusion of Leonardo's is an important evidence in favour of Pandolfino's authorship (compare No. 1454, line 3).],—knives,—a pen for ruling,—to have the vest dyed,—The library at St.-Mark's,—The library at Santo Spirito,—Lactantius of the Daldi [Footnote 7: The works of Lactantius were published very often in Italy during Leonardo's lifetime. The first edition published in 1465 "in monastero sublacensi" was also the first book printed in Italy.],—Antonio Covoni,—A book by Maestro Paolo Infermieri, —Boots, shoes and hose,—(Shell)lac, —An apprentice to do the models for me. Grammar, by Lorenzo de Medici,—Giovanni del Sodo,—Sansovino, [Footnote 15: Sansovino, Andrea—the sculptor; 1460-1529.]—a ruler,—a very sharp knife,—Spectacles,—fractions…., —repair………,—Tomaso's book,— Michelagnolo's little chain; Learn the multiplication of roots from Maestro Luca;—my map of the world which Giovanni Benci has [Footnote 25: Leonardo here probably alludes to the map, not executed by him (See p. 224), which is with the collection of his MSS. at Windsor, and was published in the Archaeologia Vol. XI (see p. 224).];-Socks,—clothes from the customhouse —officier,—Red Cordova leather,—The map of the world, of Giovanni Benci,—a print, the districts about Milan—Market book. 1445.
In that at Pavia the movement is more to be admired than any thing else.
The imitation of antique work is better than that of the modern things.
Beauty and utility cannot exist together, as seen in fortresses and in men.
The trot is almost the nature of the free horse.
Where natural vivacity is lacking it must be supplied by art.
[Footnote: Quel di Pavia_. Pavia is possibly a clerical error for Padua, and if so the meaning of the passage is easily arrived at: Quel di Padua would be the bronze equestrian statue of Gattamelata, on the Piazza del Santo at Padua executed by Donatelle in 1443 (see pp. 2 and 3).]
1446.
Salvadore, the matress maker, lives on the
Piazza di Sant' Andrea, you enter by the furrier's.
1447.
Monsignore de' Pazzi,—Ser Antonio Pacini.
1448.
An algebra, which the Marliani have, written by their father, [Footnote 1: Marliani, an old Milanese family, now extinct.]—
On the bone, by the Marliani,—
On the bone which penetrates, Gian Giacomo of Bellinzona, to draw out the nail with facility,—
The measurement of Boccalino,—
The measurement of Milan and the suburbs,
[Footnote 5: *21. See Pl. CIX and No. 1016.]—
A book, treating of Milan and its churches which is to be had at the last stationer's on the way to Corduso [Footnote 6: Corduso, see No. 1413, note.],—
The measurement of the Corte Vecchia,—
The measurement of the Castle,—
Get the master of arithmetic to show you how to square a….,—
Get Messer Fazio to show you [the book] on proportion,— Get the Friar di Brera to show you [the book] 'de Ponderibus' [*11],—
Of the measurement of San Lorenzo,—
I lent certain groups to Fra Filippo de
Brera, [*13]—
Memorandum: to ask Maestro Giovannino as to the mode in which the tower of Ferrara is walled without loopholes,—
Ask Maestro Antonio how mortars are placed on bastions by day or by night,—
Ask Benedetto Portinari how the people go on the ice in Flanders,—
On proportions by Alchino, with notes by Marliano, from Messer Fazio,—
The measurement of the sun, promised me by Maestro Giovanni, the Frenchman,—
The cross bow of Maestro Gianetto,—
The book by Giovanni Taverna that
Messer Fazio,—
You will draw Milan [21],—
The measurement of the canal, locks and supports, and large boats; and the expense,—
Plan of Milan [Footnote 23: Fondamento is commonly used by Leonardo to mean ground-plan. See for instance p. 53.],—
Groups by Bramante [Footnote 24: Gruppi. See Vol. I p. 355, No. 600, note 9.],—
The book on celestial phenomena by Aristoteles, in Italian [Footnote 25: Meteora. By this Leonardo means no doubt the four books *. He must refer here to a MS. translation, as no Italian translation is known to have been published (see No. 1477 note).],—
Try to get Vitolone, which is in the library at Pavia [Footnote 26: Vitolone see No. 1506, note.
Libreria di Pavia. One of the most famous of Italian libraries. After the victory of Novara in April 1500, Louis XII had it conveyed to France, 'come trofeo di vittoria'!] and which treats of Mathematics,—He had a master [learned] in waterworks and get him to explain the repairs and the costs, and a lock and a canal and a mill in the Lombard fashion.
A grandson of Gian Angelo's, the painter has a book on water which was his fathers.
Paolino Scarpellino, called Assiolo has great knowledge of water works.
1449.
Francesco d'Antonio at Florence.
11. 13. [Footnote: Brera, now _Palazzo delle Scienze ed Arti. Until 1571 it was the monastery of the order of the Umiliati and afterwards of the Jesuits.
De ponderibus, compare No. 1436, 3.]
12. [Footnote: Sco Lorenzo. A church at Milan, see pp. 39, 40 and 50.]
*13. 24. [Footnote: Gruppi. See Vol. I p. 355, No. 600, note 9.]
*16. [Footnote: The Portinari were one of the great merchant-families of Florence.] 1450.
Giuliano Condi[*1],—Tomaso Ridolf1,—
Tomaso Paganelli,—Nicolo delNero,—Simone
Zasti,—Nasi,—the heir of Lionardo Manelli,
—Guglielmo di Ser Martino,—Bartolomeo
del Tovaglia,—Andrea Arrigucci,—
Nicolo Capponi,—Giovanni Portinari.
[Footnote: I. Guiliano Gondi. Ser Piero da Vinci, Leonardo's father, lived till 1480, in a house belonging to Giuliano Gondi. In 1498 this was pulled down to make room for the fine Palazzo built on the Piazza San Firenze by Giuliano di San Gallo, which still exists. In the Riassunto del Catasto di Ser Piero da Vinci, 1480, Leonardo is not mentioned; it is evident therefore that he was living elsewhere. It may be noticed incidentally that in the Catasto di Giuliano Gondi of the same year the following mention is made of his four eldest sons:
_Lionardo mio figliuolo d'eta d'anni 29, non fa nulla,
Giovambatista d'eta d'anni 28 in Ghostantinopoli,
Billichozo d'eta d'anni 24 a Napoli,
Simone d'eta d'anni 23 in Ungheria.
He himself was a merchant of gold filigree (facciamo lavorare una bottegha d'arte di seta … facciamo un pocho di trafico a Napoli}, As he was 59 years old in 1480, he certainly would not have been alive at the time of Leonardo's death. But Leonardo must have been on intimate terms with the family till the end of his life, for in a letter dated June 1. 1519, in which Fr. Melzi, writing from Amboise, announces Leonardo's death to Giuliano da Vinci at Florence (see p. 284), he says at the end "Datemene risposta per i Gondi" (see UZIELLI, Ricerche, passim).
Most of the other names on the list are those of well-known Florentine families.]
1451.
Pandolfino.
1452.
Vespuccio will give me a book of Geometry.
[Footnote: See No. 844, note, p. 130.]
1453.
Marcantonio Colonna at Santi Apostoli.
[Footnote: In July 1506 Pope Julius II gave Donna Lucrezia della Rovere, the daughter of his sister Lucchina, in marriage to the youthful Marcantonio Colonna, who, like his brothers Prospero and Fabrizio, became one of the most famous Captains of his family. He gave to him Frascati and made him a present of the palazzo he had built, when Cardinal, near the church of Santi Apostoli which is now known as the Palazzo Colonna (see GREGOROVIUS, Gesch. der Stadt Rom. Vol. VIII, book XIV I, 3. And COPPI, _Mem. Colonnesi p. 251).]
1454.
A box, a cage,—
A square, to make the bird [Footnote 2:
Vasari states that Leonardo invented mechanical
birds which moved through the air. Compare
No. 703.],—
Pandolfino's book, mortar [?],—
Small knives, Venieri for the
*1454. [Footnote: Much of No. 1444 is repeated in this memorandum.]
*Pen for ruling, stone,—star,—
To have the vest dyed, Alfieri's tazza,—
The Libraries, the book on celestial phenomena,—
Lactantius of the go to the house of
Daldi,— the Pazzi,