Water-driven perpetual-motion machine, with two rebuses
A screw-and-wheel device raising water, plus the puzzles 'ponti in core' and 'datti pace'.
The main drawing at upper left is an instrument for perpetual motion: a screw a-c, turned by the wheel z, lifts still water a-b into a basin c-f, from which a siphon feeds a second basin around the hub of the first wheel, where 8 spokes take up the water that, having done its work, falls back to its start. Additional captions record the jotting 'curiosita mucilaginosa' and two rebuses whose picture-puzzles read 'ponti in core' and 'datti pace'. Faint sketches of the coiled spokes and knots accompany the notes; further untranscribed jottings appear around them.
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Screw-and-wheel machine that raises water
a-b will be still water; a-c will be a screw turned by the wheel z, which carries the water into the basin c-f. From that basin a siphon sets out and carries the water to a second basin around the hub of the wheel of the first motion, whence 8 spokes take up the water.
Instrument for perpetual motion
The caption for the left-hand device, labelled z, S, c, f, b, a, opens the design for perpetual motion, beginning 'Make it so that when the water departs...'. The accompanying description explains that the raised water, having done its office, falls back whence it set out, so as to keep the machine in motion.
Rebus: two bridges in a heart
A picture-puzzle at upper right combines two bridges with the shape of a heart. Its reading is 'ponti in core' (bridges in the heart), a play on words spelled out by the drawn images.
Rebus: 'datti pace'
A second picture-puzzle sets the syllable 'datti' beside the liturgical object called a 'pace' (pax-board). Together the images read 'datti pace', calm yourself, or make peace with yourself.