Geometry, a Prophecy 'Of Kid-Goats', and Stray Notes
A triangle in a circle, a prophecy on Herod's time, and scattered jottings
A bold pen figure at the upper left shows a triangle inscribed in a circle with a square constructed on the triangle's side. Around it, written in red chalk, stands a short prophecy headed 'Of kid-goats', foretelling a return of the time of Herod, when innocent children are torn from their nurses and killed by cruel men. Scattered nearby are isolated words - oil, yellow, a personal name, 'the mouth' and 'the housekeeper' - and, lower down, a few faint indeterminate sketches.
On this page
Triangle inscribed in a circle with a square on its side
The pen diagram sets a triangle inside a circle and builds a square upon one side of that triangle. It is a construction relating a polygon inscribed in a circle to a square raised on its edge.
Prophecy 'Of kid-goats': the time of Herod returns
Under the heading 'Of kid-goats' the note declares that the time of Herod will return, because the innocent children will be taken from their wet-nurses and will die of great wounds inflicted by cruel men. It belongs to Leonardo's genre of riddling prophecies.
Colour notes: oil and yellow
Among the loose words are 'olio' (oil) and 'giallo' (yellow), reading as brief notes on pigments or colour set down beside the main text.
Stray memoranda: a name and household words
Further isolated words include the personal name Ambrosio, 'la bocca' (the mouth) and 'la massera' (the housekeeper). They stand as disconnected memoranda rather than a continuous text.