…
(On Fault-finders)
102.
There exist among the foolish a
certain sect of hypocrites who continually seek to deceive themselves and
others, but others more than themselves, though in reality they deceive themselves
more than others. And these are they who blame the painters who study on
feast-days the things which relate to the true knowledge of the forms of the
work of nature, and sedulously strive to acquire knowledge of these things to
the best of their ability.
But such fault-finders pass over
in silence the fact that this is the true manner of knowing the Artificer of
such great and marvelous things, and that this is the true way in which to love
so great an Inventor! For great love proceeds from the perfect knowledge of the
things loved; and if you do not know it, you can love it, but little or not at
all; and if you love it for the gain which you anticipate obtaining from it,
and not for its supreme virtue, you are like a dog which wags its tail and shows
signs of joy, leaping towards him who give him a bone. But if you knew the
virtue of a man, you would love him more – if that virtue was in its place.
103.
I obey Thee, Lord, first for the
love which in reason I ought to bear Thee; secondly because Thou hast the power
to shorten and prolong the lives of Prayer man.
104.
Thou, O God, dost sell us all
good things at the price of labour.
105.
And many make a trade deceiving
the foolish multitude, and if no one comes to unmask their deceits, they punish
it.
106.
Pharisees, - that is to say, holy
friars.
107.
Nothing can be written by means
of new researches.
108.
Patience serves against insults
as clothes do against the cold; since, if you multiply your clothes as the cold
increases, the cold cannot hurt you. Similarly, let the patience increase under
great offences, and they will not be able to hurt your feelings.
(Advice to a Speaker)
109.
Words which do not satisfy the
ear of listener, will always weary or annoy him; and you will often see signs
of this in such listeners in their frequent yawns. Therefore, you will speak
before men whose good opinion you seek, when you observe such signs of
vexation, shorten your speech or vary an argument; and if you do otherwise,
then instead of the favour you seek, you will incur hate and hostility.
And if you would see what gives
pleasure to a man, speak to him on various themes, and when you see him intent,
without yawning, or contracting his brow, or performing any other actions, then
be certain that the matter of which you are speaking is such as affords him a
pleasure.
(Advice)
110.
Here is a thing which the more it
is needed, the more is rejected: and this is advice, which is unwillingly
heeded by those who most need it, that is to say, by the ignorant.
Here is a thing which the more
you fear and avoid it, the nearer you approach to it, and this is a misery; the
more you flee from it, the more miserable and restless you will become. When
the work comes up to the standard of the judgement, this is bad sign for the
judgement; and when the work excels the standard of the judgement, this is the
worst sign, as occurs when a man marvels at having worked so well; and when the
standard of the judgement exceeds that fulfilled by the work, this is a sign of
perfection; and if the man is young and be thus disposed, he will without doubt
grow into a excellent workman: he will only accomplish few works. But they will
be of a quality which will compel men to contemplate their perfection with
admiration.
(Proverbs)
111.
Nothing should be so greatly
feared as empty fame.
This empty fame issues from
vices.
A broken vase of clay can be
remodeled, but this is no longer possible when it has been baked.
The vow is born when hope dies.
The beautiful is not always the
good. And the fine talker labour under this error without any reason.
He who wishes to grow rich in a
day, will be hanged in a year.
The memory of benefits is a frail
defence against ingratitude.
Reprove your friend in secret and
praise him in public.
He who fears dangers will not
perish from them.
The evil which does me no harm is
like good which in no wise avails me.
He who offends others is not
himself secure.
Be not false about the past.
Folly is a shield of lies, just
as unreadiness is the defence of poverty.
Where there is liberty, there is
no rule.
(Proverbs 2)
Here is a thing which the more it
is heeded, the more it is spurned, - advice.
It is ill to praise, and worst to
blame, the thing which you do not understand.
On Mount
Etna the words freeze in your moth and you make ice of them.
Threats are the only weapons of
the threatened man.
Ask advice of him who governs
himself well.
Justice needs power, intelligence
and will, and is like Queen Bee.
Not to punish evil is equivalent
to authorizing it.
He who takes the snake by the
tail will be bitten by it.
The pit fill fall in upon him who
digs it.
He who does not restrain
voluptuousness is in the category of the beasts.
You can have no dominion greater
or less than that over yourself.
He who thinks little – errs much.
It is easier to contend at the
first, than at the last.
No counsel is more sincere that
that given on ships which are in danger.
Let him who acts on the advice of
the young expect loss.
You grow in reputation like bread
in hands of a child.
Cannot beauty and utility be
combined – as appears in citadel and men?
He who without fear often incurs
great losses, is often full of regret.
If you governed your body
according to a virtue you would not live in this world.
Where good fortune enters, envy
lays siege to her and attacks her, and when she departs - sorrow and regret
remain behind.
When beauty exists side by side
with ugliness, the one seems more powerful, owing to the presence of the other.
He who walks straight rarely
falls.
O miserable race of man! Of how
many things you make yourself the slave for the sake of money!
The worst evil which can befall
the artist is that his work should appear good in his own eyes.
To speak well of a bad man is the
same as speaking ill of a good man.
Truth ordains that lying tongues
shall be punished by the lie.
He who does not value life does
not deserve it.
The beautiful works of mortals
pass and do not endure.
Labour flies with fame almost
hidden in its arm.
The gold in ingots is refined in
the fire.
The shuttle says: I will continue
to move until the cloth is woven.
Everything that is crooked is
straightened.
Great ruin proceeds from a slight
cause.
Fine gold is recognized when it
is tested.
The image will correspond to the
die.
The wall will fall on him who
scrapes it.
Ivy lives long.
To the traitor, death is life,
because if he makes use of others, he is no longer believed.
When fortune comes - seize her in
front firmly, because behind she is bald.
Constancy means, not he who
begins, but he who perseveres.
I do not yield to the obstacles.
Every obstacle is overcome by
resolve.
He who is chained to a star, does
not change.
(Truth)
112.
Fire destroys falsehood, - that
is to say, sophistry – and rehabilitates truth, scattering the darkness.
Fire must be represented as the
consumer of all sophistry and the revealer of truth, because it is light and
scatters darkness which conceals all essences.
Fire destroys all sophistry –
that is to say, deceit – and preserves truth alone, which is gold.
Truth cannot be concealed in the
end, dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is frustrated before so great
judge. Falsehood puts on a mask.
There is nothing hidden under the
sun. Fire must represent truth because it destroys all sophistry and lies, and
the mask is for sophistry and lies, which conceal truth.
…
(Leonardo Da Vinci: Thoughts On
Art and Life; World Public Library edition, edited by Lewis Einstein; изд. Boston , The Merrymount Press - 1908)
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