OF THE HUMAN BODY IN ACTION.

When you want to represent a man as moving some weight consider what

the movements are that are to be represented by different lines;

that is to say either from below upwards, with a simple movement, as

a man does who stoops forward to take up a weight which he will lift

as he straightens himself. Or as a man does who wants to squash

something backwards, or to force it forwards or to pull it downwards

with ropes passed through pullies [Footnote 10: Compare the sketch

on page 198 and on 201 (S. K. M. II.1 86b).]. And here remember that

the weight of a man pulls in proportion as his centre of gravity is

distant from his fulcrum, and to this is added the force given by

his legs and bent back as he raises himself.

381.

Again, a man has even a greater store of strength in his legs than

he needs for his own weight; and to see if this is true, make a man

stand on the shore-sand and then put another man on his back, and

you will see how much he will sink in. Then take the man from off

his back and make him jump straight up as high as he can, and you

will find that the print of his feet will be made deeper by the jump

than from having the man on his back. Hence, here, by 2 methods it

is proved that a man has double the strength he requires to support

his own body.

382.

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1 · 第 188 / 366 题