Prophecies: beaten walnuts, crucifixes, parchment, the Host
Riddles headed and solved: walnut trees, sculpted crucifixes, writing on skins, priests
A page of mirror-script prophecies, written upside-down, with no diagrams; here each riddle is given its own heading. The walnut trees that are beaten and their children flayed stand for the harvest; 'Of sculptures' laments the Saviour crucified anew in carved crucifixes; the mouth of man is called a tomb from which noises issue; animal skins that bear writing are parchment, the 'garment of feeling' that yields wisdom; and priests who hold the Host are the tabernacles seen travelling the roads of the world.
On this page
Of the walnut trees that are beaten
Those that have done best will be most beaten, their children taken, flayed and stripped, and their bones broken and shattered. The riddle describes the harvest of the walnut.
Of sculptures: the Saviour crucified anew
Under the heading 'Of sculptures', Leonardo cries: 'Alas, that I see the Saviour crucified anew!' — the making of carved crucifixes read as a fresh crucifixion.
Of the mouth of man, which is a tomb
Great noises will issue from the tombs of those who died an evil and violent death. The 'tomb' is the mouth of man.
Of animal skins that bear writing (parchment)
The more men converse with skins, the garment of feeling, the more wisdom is gained. The skins are parchment carrying written words.
Of priests who hold the Host within the body
Nearly all the tabernacles where the Corpus Domini is kept will be seen, of their own accord, going plainly along the various roads of the world. The riddle is of priests carrying the Host.