A Spring-Lever Device for Motion "Without a Lever"
Pulling member d lifts b and lowers a; element o serves as a spring
The recto describes a linkage in which pulling member d toward f brings b to r and lets a descend to p, with the element o made to act as a spring. Leonardo praises the contrivance as a good way to obtain motion "without a lever, or against a lever," commendable for its force and simplicity. A pen sketch of the lettered mechanism sits at the upper left, and a ship's mast with rigging is lightly drawn lower on the leaf. Further mirror-script notes run down the right side of the page that are not part of this transcription.
On this page
Linkage that raises b and lowers a when d is pulled
Pulling member d toward f drives b to r while a descends to p. The element o is made to act as a spring within the mechanism. The lettered points b, r, o, d, f, p, c, n mark the moving parts.
A motion "without lever or against lever"
Leonardo judges this a good method for producing motion without a lever, or working against a lever. He commends it for its force and its simplicity.
Ship's mast and rigging sketched below
Beneath the mechanism a tall triangular mast with stays and a small block is drawn faintly in pencil, anticipating the nautical studies that follow. It bears no transcribed caption.