The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, Complete
by
Leonardo Da Vinci
Part 17 out of 17
1550.
To Monna Margarita S 5
to Tomaso S 14
to Monna Margarita d 5 S 2
on the day of San Zanobi
left..... after
payment d 13 S 2 d 4
of Monna Margarita
__________________
altogether d 14 S 5 d 4
1551.
On Monday, the l3th of February, I lent
lire S 7 to Lionardo to spend, Friday d 7.
[Footnote: This note is followed by an account very like the one given as No. 1549.]
1552.
Stephano Chigi, Canonico....., servant
of the honorable Count Grimani at S.
Apostoli.
[Footnote: Compare No. 674, 21--23.]
1553.
Having become anxious.......... Bernardo
di Simone, Silvestro di Stefano, Bernardo
di Jacopo, Francesco di Matteo Bonciani,
Antonio di Giovanni Ruberti, Antonio
da Pistoia.... Antonio; He who has time
and waits for time, will lose his friends and
his money.
1554.
Reverend Maestro, Domino Giovanni, I
spoke to Maestro Zacaria as a brother about
this business, and I made him satisfied with
the arrangement that I had wished; that is,
as regards the commission that I had from
the parties and I say that between us there
is no need to pay money down, as regard
the pictures of the ...
C.A. 75a; 220a]
1555.
Of things seen through a mist that which
is nearest its farthest limit will be least visible,
and all the more so as they are more remote.
Cod.A. 77;b 225b]
1556.
Theodoricus Rex Semper Augustus.
C.A. 94b; 271b]
1557.
Either you say Hesperia alone, and it will
mean Italy, or you add ultima, and it will
mean Spain. Umbria, part of Tuscany.
[Footnote: AMORETTI, Mem. Stor. XXIV, quotes the first
three lines of this letter as by Leonardo. The
cha-
racter of the writing however does not favour this
hypothesis, and still less the contents. I should
regard it rather a rough draft of a letter by young
Melzi. I have not succeeded in deciphering
completely
the 13 lines of this text. Amoretti reads at
the beginning Canonica di Vaprio, but Vaprio seems
to me a very doubtful reading.]
[Footnote: The notes in Greek, Nos. 1557, 1558 and
1562 stand in close connection with each other, but
the meaning of some words is very doubtful, and a
translation is thus rendered impossible.]
C.A. 121b; 376b]
1558.
**IlavTcov avTKX[AcpXt(uv Suo soostai smataupovTou; 2irptoo[Aiaaai w avepu>uo? 'Ae7]vac ToT?
Qs.oi<; 8sj(o[j-ai.**
[Footnote: The notes in Greek, Nos. 1557, 1558 and
1562 stand in close connection with each other, but
the meaning of some words is very doubtful, and a
translation is thus rendered impossible.]
C.A.130a; 397a]
1559.
Canonica of ... on the 5th of July 1507;
my dearly beloved mother, sisters and cousin
I herewith inform you that thanks to God
I am ... about the sword which I
... bring it to Maso at the piazza ...
and I will settle the business of Piero so
that ...
C.A. 164b; 490b]
1560.
Ut bene respondet Naturae ars docta! dedisset
Vincius, ut tribuit cetera • sic animam •
Noluit ut similis magis haec foret: altera sic est:
Possidet illius Maurus amans animam.
[Footnote 1560: These three epigrams on the portrait of
Lucrezia Crivelli, a picture by Leonardo which must
have been lost at a very early date, seem to have
been dedicated to Leonardo by the poet. Leonardo
used the reverse of the sheet for notes on geometry.]
[Footnote: The notes in Greek, Nos. 1557, 1558 and
1562 stand in close connection with each other, but
the meaning of some words is very doubtful, and a
translation is thus rendered impossible.]
Hujus quam cernis nomen Lucretia, Divi
Omnia cui larga contribuere manu.
Rara huic forma data est; pinxit Leonardos, amavit
Maurus, pictorum primus hic, ille ducum.
Naturam, ac superas hac laesit imagine Divas
Pictor: tantum hominis posse manum haec doluit,
Illae longa dari tam magnae tempera formae,
Quae spatio fuerat deperitura brevi.
1561.
Egidius Romanus on the formation of
the human body in the mother's womb [Footnote 1: _Liber magistri Egidii de pulsibus matrice
conipositus (cum commentario Gentilis de Fulgineo)_ published
in 1484 at Padova, in 1494 and in 1514 at Venice,
and in 1505 at Lyons.].
[Footnote 2:2. This text appears to be in a handwriting different
from that in the note, l. 1. Here the reading is
not so simple as AMORETTI gave it, _Mem. Star. XXV:
A Monsieur Lyonard Peintre du Roy pour Amboyse_. He
says too that this address is of the year 1509, and
Mr. Ravaisson remarks: "_De cette suscription il semble
qu'on peut inferer que Leonard etait alors en France, a
la cour de Louis XII ... Pour conclure je crois qu'il
n'est pas prouve que Leonard de Vinci n'ait pas fait un
voyage de quelques mois en France sous Louis XII, entre
le printemps de 1509 et l'automne de 1510_."--I must
confess that I myself have not succeeded in deciphering
completely this French writing of which two
words remain to me doubtful. But so much seems to
be quite evident that this is not an address of a letter
at all, but a certificate or note. _Amboise_[l. 6] I believe
to be the signature of Charles d'Amboise the
Governor of Milan. If this explanation is the right
one, it can be easily explained by the contents of
Nos. 1350 and 1529. The note, line 1, was perhaps
added later by another hand; and Leonardo himself
wrote afterwards on the same sheet some geometrical
explanations. I must also point out that the
statement that this sheet belongs to the year 1509
has absolutely no foundation in fact. There is no
clue whatever for giving a precise date to this note.]
To Monsieur le Vinci,--the horses of the
king's equerry.... Continue the payment
to Ms. Lyonard, Painter to the King.
[6] Amboise.
1562.
*** [Don't know what to do about these Greek characters]
1563.
Memorandum to Maestro Lionardo to
have ... the state of Florence.
1564.
To remind your Excellency that Ridolfo
Manini brought to Florence a quantity
of crystal besides other stones such as
are ...
1565.
XVIo* C. 6 de Ciuitate Dei, 2*se Antipodes.
[Footnote: A facsimile of this note, which refers to
a well known book by St. Augustin, is given on page 254.]
1566.
Leonardo's
Will.
Be it known to all persons, present and
to come that at the court of our Lord the
King at Amboise before ourselves in person,
Messer Leonardo da Vinci painter
to the King, at present staying at the place
known as Cloux near Amboise, duly considering
the certainty of death and the uncertainty
of its time, has acknowledged and
declared in the said court and before us that
he has made, according to the tenor of these
presents, his testament and the declaration of
his last will, as follows. And first he commends
his soul to our Lord, Almighty God,
and to the Glorious Virgin Mary, and to our
lord Saint Michael, to all the blessed Angels
and Saints male and female in Paradise.
Item. The said Testator desires to be
buried within the church of Saint Florentin
at Amboise, and that his body shall be borne
thither by the chaplains of the church.
Item. That his body may be followed
from the said place to the said church of
Saint Florentin by the _collegium_ of the said
church, that is to say by the rector and the
prior, or by their vicars and chaplains of the
church of Saint Denis of Amboise, also the
lesser friars of the place, and before his body
shall be carried to the said church this Testator
desires, that in the said church of Saint
Florentin three grand masses shall be celebrated
by the deacon and sub-deacon and
that on the day when these three high masses
are celebrated, thirty low masses shall also
be performed at Saint Gregoire.
Item. That in the said church of Saint
Denis similar services shall be performed, as
above.
Item. That the same shall be done in
the church of the said friars and lesser
brethren.
Item. The aforesaid Testator gives and
bequeaths to Messer Francesco da Melzo,
nobleman, of Milan, in remuneration for services
and favours done to him in the past, each
[Footnote: See page 420.]
and all of the books the Testator is at present
possessed of, and the instruments and
portraits appertaining to his art and calling
as a painter.
Item. The same Testator gives and bequeaths
henceforth for ever to Battista de Vilanis
his servant one half, that is the moity, of his
garden which is outside the walls of Milan,
and the other half of the same garden to
Salai his servant; in which garden aforesaid
Salai has built and constructed a house which
shall be and remain henceforth in all perpetuity
the property of the said Salai, his
heirs and successors; and this is in remuneration
for the good and kind services which
the said de Vilanis and Salai, his servants
have done him in past times until now.
Item. The said Testator gives to Maturina
his waiting woman a cloak of good
black cloth lined with fur, a..... of cloth
and two ducats paid once only; and this
likewise is in remuneration for good service
rendered to him in past times by the said
Maturina.
Item. He desires that at his funeral
sixty tapers shall be carried which shall be
borne by sixty poor men, to whom shall be given
money for carrying them; at the discretion
of the said Melzo, and these tapers shall be
distributed among the four above mentioned
churches.
Item. The said Testator gives to each
of the said churches ten lbs. of wax in thick
tapers, which shall be placed in the said
churches to be used on the day when those
said services are celebrated.
Item. That alms shall be given to the
poor of the Hotel-Dieu, to the poor of Saint
Lazare d'Amboise and, to that end, there
shall be given and paid to the treasurers of
that same fraternity the sum and amount of
seventy soldi of Tours.
Item. The said Testator gives and bequeaths
to the said Messer Francesco Melzo,
being present and agreeing, the remainder of
his pension and the sums of money which
are owing to him from the past time till
the day of his death by the receiver or
treasurer-general M. Johan Sapin, and
each and every sum of money that he has
already received from the aforesaid Sapin
of his said pension, and in case he should
die before the said Melzo and not otherwise;
which moneys are at present in the possession
of the said Testator in the said place
called Cloux, as he says. And he likewise
gives and bequeaths to the said Melzo all and
each of his clothes which he at present possesses
at the said place of Cloux, and all in
remuneration for the good and kind services
done by him in past times till now, as well as
in payment for the trouble and annoyance he
may incur with regard to the execution of this
present testament, which however, shall all
be at the expense of the said Testator.
And he orders and desires that the sum
of four hundred scudi del Sole, which he
has deposited in the hands of the treasurer
of Santa Maria Nuova in the city of Florence,
may be given to his brothers now living in Florence
with all the interest and usufruct that
may have accrued up to the present time, and
be due from the aforesaid treasurer to the aforesaid
Testator on account of the said four hundred
crowns, since they were given and consigned
by the Testator to the said treasurers.
Item. He desires and orders that the
said Messer Francesco de Melzo shall be
and remain the sole and only executor of
the said will of the said Testator; and that the
said testament shall be executed in its full and
complete meaning and according to that which
is here narrated and said, to have, hold, keep
and observe, the said Messer Leonardo da Vinci,
constituted Testator, has obliged and obliges by
these presents the said his heirs and successors
with all his goods moveable and immoveable
present and to come, and has renounced and
expressly renounces by these presents all and
each of the things which to that are contrary.
Given at the said place of Cloux in the
presence of Magister Spirito Fieri vicar, of
the church of Saint Denis at Amboise, of
M. Guglielmo Croysant priest and chaplain,
of Magister Cipriane Fulchin, Brother Francesco
de Corion, and of Francesco da Milano,
a brother of the Convent of the Minorites
at Amboise, witnesses summoned and required
to that end by the indictment of the
said court in the presence of the aforesaid
M. Francesco de Melze who accepting and
agreeing to the same has promised by his
faith and his oath which he has administered
to us personally and has sworn to us never
to do nor say nor act in any way to the contrary.
And it is sealed by his request with
the royal seal apposed to legal contracts at
Amboise, and in token of good faith.
Given on the XXIIIrd day of April
MDXVIII, before Easter.
And on the XXIIIrd day of this month of
April MDXVIII, in the presence of M. Guglielmo
Borian, Royal notary in the court
of the bailiwick of Amboise, the aforesaid
M. Leonardo de Vinci gave and bequeathed,
by his last will and testament, as aforesaid,
to the said M. Baptista de Vilanis, being
present and agreeing, the right of water which
the King Louis XII, of pious memory lately
deceased gave to this same de Vinci, the
stream of the canal of Santo Cristoforo in
the duchy of Milan, to belong to the said
Vilanis for ever in such wise and manner
that the said gentleman made him this gift
in the presence of M. Francesco da Melzo,
gentleman, of Milan and in mine.
And on the aforesaid day in the said
month of April in the said year MDXVIII
the same M. Leonardo de Vinci by his last
will and testament gave to the aforesaid
M. Baptista de Vilanis, being present and
agreeing, each and all of the articles of
furniture and utensils of his house at present
at the said place of Cloux, in the event
of the said de Vilanis surviving the aforesaid
M. Leonardo de Vinci, in the presence of
the said M. Francesco Melzo and of me
Notary &c. Borean.
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