Notes on buildings in Milan (1016-1019)

1016.

Indicate the centre of Milan.

Moforte—­porta resa—­porta nova—­strada nova—­navilio—­porta cumana—­barco—­porta giovia—­porta vercellina—­porta sco Anbrogio—­porta Tesinese—­torre dell’ Imperatore—­ porta Lodovica—­acqua.

[Footnote:  See Pl.  CIX.  The original sketch is here reduced to about half its size.  The gates of the town are here named, beginning at the right hand and following the curved line.  In the bird’s eye view of Milan below, the cathedral is plainly recognisable in the middle; to the right is the tower of San Gottardo.  The square, above the number 9147, is the Lazzaretto, which was begun in 1488.  On the left the group of buildings of the ’Castello’ will be noticed.  On the sketched Plan of Florence (see No. 1004 note) Leonardo has written on the margin the following names of gates of Milan:  Vercellina —­Ticinese—­Ludovica—­Romana—­Orientale—­ Nova—­Beatrice—­Cumana—­Compare too No. 1448, 11. 5, 12.]

1017.

The moat of Milan.

Canal 2 braccia wide.

The castle with the moats full.

The filling of the moats of the Castle of Milan.

1018.

THE BATH.

To heat the water for the stove of the Duchess take four parts of cold water to three parts of hot water.

[Footnote:  Duchessa di Milano, Beatrice d’Este, wife of Ludovico il Moro to whom she was married, in 1491.  She died in June 1497.]

1019.

In the Cathedral at the pulley of the nail of the cross.

Item.

To place the mass v r in the...

[Footnote:  On this passage AMORETTI remarks (Memorie Storiche chap.  IX):  Nell’anno stesso lo veggiamo formare un congegno di carucole e di corde, con cui trasportare in piu venerabile e piu sicuro luogo, cioe nell’ultima arcata della nave di mezzo della metropolitana, la sacra reliquia del Santo Chiodo, che ivi ancor si venera.  Al fol. 15 del codice segnato Q. R. in 16, egli ci ha lasciata di tal congegno una doppia figura, cioe una di quattro carucole, e una di tre colle rispettive corde, soggiugnandovi:  in Domo alla carucola del Chiodo della Croce.

AMORETTI’S views as to the mark on the MS, and the date when it was written are, it may be observed, wholly unfounded.  The MS. L, in which it occurs, is of the year 1502, and it is very unlikely that Leonardo was in Milan at that time; this however would not prevent the remark, which is somewhat obscure, from applying to the Cathedral at Milan.]

1020.

OF THE FORCE OF THE VACUUM FORMED IN A MOMENT.

I saw, at Milan, a thunderbolt fall on the tower della Credenza on its Northern side, and it descended with a slow motion down that side, and then at once parted from that tower and carried with it and tore away from that wall a space of 3 braccia wide and two deep; and this wall was 4 braccia thick and was built of thin and small old bricks; and this was dragged out by the vacuum which the flame of the thunderbolt had caused, &c.