The New Science

...[bet]ter subject than any other) to investigate the said distances, which has been established by no one else; especially of the hypotenusaloriginal: "ypothumissale"; referring to the diagonal or "slant" distance from the gunner to the target, forming the hypotenuse of a right triangle. or diagonal distances, and even of the horizontal ones, which truly are the most useful to the gunneroriginal: "bōbardiero"; a specialist in heavy artillery. of all the other sorts of dimensions. For to him, it is not very necessary to know the height of an object perpendicularly raised above the horizon, nor even the depth of a deep thing, nor the width of a wide thing. Rather, only the said hypotenusal and horizontal distances are very much to his purpose, as will be made manifest (to your Most Illustrious Lordship) in the fourth book.

Beyond this also (Most Temperate Lord), out of curiosity I set myself to scan the Pandectsoriginal: "Pandette"; likely referring to the Pandectae Medicinae, a massive encyclopedia of medical and botanical knowledge by Matthaeus Silvaticus., AvicennaA Persian polymath whose works on medicine and natural philosophy were foundational in the Renaissance., and many other most excellent physiciansoriginal: "Physici"; in this era, "physicists" or "physicians" were those who studied the nature of physical matter and its properties., to understand the origin and nature of various types of gums, salts, distilled oils and waters, as well as various simple minerals and non-minerals produced by nature and manufactured by art. I also found some of their particular properties pertaining to the art of firesoriginal: "arte de fuochi"; the study of gunpowder, incendiaries, and explosives.. Similarly, I investigated which of these materials were compatible or agreed, and which were not compatible or did not agree to burn together; and consequently, I found the way to compose various and different types of fires, most useful not only for the defense of every walled city, but also very much to the purpose in many other occurrences.

By these things I found (Most Noble Lord), I was prepared to regulate the art of gunners, and bring it to that level of subtlety which was possible to achieve (by means of some particular experience); for truly (as Aristotle says in the seventh book of the Physics, twentieth text), "from the experience of particulars we take universal science." original: "dalla isperientia di particolari pigliamo la scientia uniuersale." But then, thinking to myself one day (Magnanimo Duke), it seemed to me a blameworthy, shameful, and cruel thing, and worthy of no small punishment before God, to wish to study to refine such an exercise harmful to one's neighbor; indeed, destruc=