Moral emblems of the ermine, the cock and the parrot
Pen aphorisms on virtue and foresight, closing with a note that motion follows the centre of gravity
In pen Leonardo sets down a column of moral maxims from the bestiary tradition. Moderation curbs all vices; the ermine would sooner die than soil itself; and under the heading 'Of foresight' the cock beats its wings three times before crowing while the parrot never sets its foot where it has not first set its beak. A further maxim states that the vow is born when hope dies, and an unrelated final line notes that motion follows the centre of gravity.
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The ermine would rather die than be soiled
Opening the column, moderation is said to curb all vices, and the ermine is offered as its emblem: it would sooner die than soil itself. The lines belong to Leonardo's series of bestiary morals, each animal standing for a virtue.
Of foresight: the cock and the parrot
Under the heading 'Of foresight', the cock does not crow unless it has first beaten its wings three times, and the parrot moving among the branches never sets its foot where it has not first set its beak. A closing maxim adds that the vow is born when hope dies.
Motion follows the centre of gravity
An isolated final line, unrelated to the moral maxims above, records a mechanical principle: motion follows the centre of gravity. It is one of Leonardo's recurring statements linking a body's movement to its centre of weight.