⚠Minor bleed-through from the reverse page; text remains legible.

THE ARTILLERY OF HERON [SON] OF Ctesibius

English Translation from Greek	English Translation from Latin
* sufficient ...at the 27th recess The numbers likely refer to a specific diagram or a series of notches, and exerting force with the whole body, they pushed the sliding beam Diostra: the central sliding bar of the catapult and pulled back the bowstring, by which it happened that the arms a b c d of the bow were bent. And when the pull-back seemed to be sufficient * sufficient, they placed the bolt upon the groove original: exilyda and drew back the hand, knocking away the trigger-catch Schasteria: the release mechanism or trigger. And it happened that the discharge of the bolt became violent. It is necessary that the sliding beam, once led to the 27th [notch], is no longer led back up by the groove-case, but remains there until the bolt is placed and shot at the given target. This occurred * in this way in the 28th [step] as follows: let the cheek-piece original: krotaphos of the pipe-case e z h th Syrinx: the outer housing or "pipe" of the catapult be understood from its length o p. Upon this, let a small toothed ruler s t be nailed, and to the sliding beam a b at the 27th [notch] let the "crow" g d Korax: a hook or pawl used in a ratchet be attached, moving around a pin—a bolt in the sliding beam.	...with the force of the body they pushed the sliding beam original: Diostram, drawing back the bowstring, from which it necessarily followed that the arms original: Ancones of the bow, A D and C B, were bent. When it seemed they had sufficiently tensioned it, they placed the missile upon the arrow-rest original: epitoxitidi, and then, with the hand released by the movement of the trigger-catch original: schasteria, a powerful discharge of the missile occurred. It is necessary, however, that the sliding beam, when drawn to the outer parts, is not pulled back by the string, but stands fast until the placed missile is shot at the intended target. This was done in this way: Let the side-frame original: tempus of the pipe-case E F G H be conceived as extending in length a b, to which a toothed ruler c d is fixed; and to the sliding beam at parts e f, let the "crow"—that is, the pawl original: Acicula—g h be placed near it, which may move around a small pin. Thus, when the sliding beam was drawn back, it happened that the "crow" g h, which...

English Translation from Greek

English Translation from Latin

* sufficient ...at the 27th recess The numbers likely refer to a specific diagram or a series of notches, and exerting force with the whole body, they pushed the sliding beam Diostra: the central sliding bar of the catapult and pulled back the bowstring, by which it happened that the arms a b c d of the bow were bent. And when the pull-back seemed to be sufficient * sufficient, they placed the bolt upon the groove original: exilyda and drew back the hand, knocking away the trigger-catch Schasteria: the release mechanism or trigger. And it happened that the discharge of the bolt became violent. It is necessary that the sliding beam, once led to the 27th [notch], is no longer led back up by the groove-case, but remains there until the bolt is placed and shot at the given target. This occurred * in this way in the 28th [step] as follows: let the cheek-piece original: krotaphos of the pipe-case e z h th Syrinx: the outer housing or "pipe" of the catapult be understood from its length o p. Upon this, let a small toothed ruler s t be nailed, and to the sliding beam a b at the 27th [notch] let the "crow" g d Korax: a hook or pawl used in a ratchet be attached, moving around a pin—a bolt in the sliding beam.

...with the force of the body they pushed the sliding beam original: Diostram, drawing back the bowstring, from which it necessarily followed that the arms original: Ancones of the bow, A D and C B, were bent. When it seemed they had sufficiently tensioned it, they placed the missile upon the arrow-rest original: epitoxitidi, and then, with the hand released by the movement of the trigger-catch original: schasteria, a powerful discharge of the missile occurred. It is necessary, however, that the sliding beam, when drawn to the outer parts, is not pulled back by the string, but stands fast until the placed missile is shot at the intended target. This was done in this way: Let the side-frame original: tempus of the pipe-case E F G H be conceived as extending in length a b, to which a toothed ruler c d is fixed; and to the sliding beam at parts e f, let the "crow"—that is, the pawl original: Acicula—g h be placed near it, which may move around a small pin. Thus, when the sliding beam was drawn back, it happened that the "crow" g h, which...

[The diagram shows a technical drawing of the ratchet mechanism. A horizontal bar is labeled with various letters, featuring a row of teeth (the rack) and a hooked lever (the pawl or "crow") designed to catch in the teeth to hold the tension of the bow.]

...it happened that the "crow" g d, which they also called the "key," traveled along...

...they also called the "locking-key" original: Cataclida, that is, the "little key" original: Claviculam, [traveled] obliquely through the ruler...