Scaling a fortress by night: climbing irons and stakes
Rope harness, driving irons, ladders and pointed stakes for castle ditches
A nude man is shown scaling a wall by driving pyramidal iron pegs into its cracks, hauling himself up with a rope harness and a little jack, then fastening a rope ladder with a hook wrapped in tow so it makes no noise. Leonardo specifies the irons at half an arm long, sunk seven-eighths into the wall, and explains that two men work the apparatus, useful where an enemy might cut a rope ladder loose. At the foot of the sheet he draws four pointed stakes to be buried in the ditches of castles, made of charred chestnut or oak.
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Scaling a fortress by night
Without an accomplice inside, the climber goes up by driving iron pegs, handhold by handhold, into the cracks of the wall, then fastens a rope ladder at the top with the hook M wrapped in tow so it makes no noise. A hook on the rope harness carries a ring and rope that raise him by a little jack to the iron above, where he hooks on again; two men work the ladders, which also serve a tower where the enemy might cut a rope ladder loose.
Pointed stakes for castle ditches
Four pointed and joined stakes are to be buried in the ditches of castles, made one arm long with a third above ground and two thirds below. They are of chestnut or oak, charred at the tips.
Rope harness and driving irons
The climbing gear includes a man's harness made of ropes and an iron peg to drive into the wall. These are drawn with the ladder elements around the wall.
Pyramidal iron rungs
The pyramidal irons of the ladder are to be half an arm long, with a clear span of half an arm between them. A ladder element is drawn to show their spacing.