Terms for the use of the instrument
A note on fees to the inventor and operator of a cloth-working device
A pen note headed 'Of the instrument' sets out the commercial terms for a device: anyone who spends a ducat on cloth may take the instrument, paying only a half as a royalty to its inventor and a grosso to the operator. Leonardo adds that he does not wish to remain subordinate to an official. The leaf carries only this memorandum in mirror script.
On this page
Of the instrument
The note proposes that whoever spends a ducat on cloth should take the instrument, and adds Leonardo's own reservation that he does not wish to work under an official. It reads as a memorandum on marketing an invention.
Fees in ducats and grossi
The terms are stated in money: a ducat spent on cloth, a half paid as a royalty to the inventor, and one grosso to the operator. The amounts fix the charges for using the device.