Cannon elevated to 45 degrees above the horizon.

A woodcut illustration depicts a heavy cannon or bombard elevated at a 45-degree angle. The cannon is mounted on a wooden carriage with large spoked wheels. A gunner's quadrant, consisting of a triangular frame and a plumb line, is positioned at the muzzle to measure the angle of elevation. The scene is set on a rough, hilly terrain.

Furthermore, in the year 1532, while the Magnificent Master Leonardo Giustiniani was serving as Prefect in Verona, a master bombardieroriginal: "capo de bombardieri"; a high-ranking specialist in charge of heavy artillery.—a very dear friend of that friend of ours—entered into a competition with another (who is currently the head of gunners in Padua). It happened one day that the same question was proposed between them that was proposed to us by that same friend: namely, at what mark one should set a piece of artilleryoriginal: "pezzo de artegliaria"; a general term for any large-caliber firearm or cannon. so that it might achieve the greatest shotoriginal: "tiro"; here referring to the maximum range or distance the projectile can travel. possible upon a level plane. That friend of our friend concluded, with a squareoriginal: "squadra"; in this context, the gunner's quadrant used to measure elevation. in his hands, the very same thing that was determined by us—that is, exactly as we have stated and illustrated in the figure above.