Bestiary: Pride, Abstinence, and Gluttony
The falcon, the wild ass, and the vulture as moral emblems
Three moral emblems from the Notebook H bestiary occupy this page. Pride is figured by the falcon, which through haughtiness seeks to lord over all birds of prey and has even been seen to assault the eagle, queen of birds. Abstinence belongs to the wild ass, which will wait for muddied spring water to clear rather than drink it; gluttony belongs to the vulture, which will travel a thousand miles for a carcass and so follows armies. The page carries only Leonardo's mirror-script prose, with no drawing.
On this page
Pride: the falcon that assaults the eagle
The falcon, through its haughtiness and pride, wishes to lord over and overpower all the other birds of prey, and desires to be alone in this. Often the falcon has been seen to assault the eagle, queen of birds.
Abstinence: the wild ass and the muddied water
When the wild ass comes to the spring to drink and finds the water muddied, it will never be so thirsty that it does not abstain from drinking. Instead it waits until the water clears.
Gluttony: the vulture that follows armies
The vulture is so subject to gluttony that it would travel a thousand miles to feed on a carcass. For this reason it follows armies.