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Konrad Kyeser
Text from Talhoffer
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[1] He "inscribes" a message within a knotted twine — he records the words of the mouth upon paper and those shall become black later. Talhoffer (?) stands in the middle of the scene while speaking from an inscribed scroll, between two cryptographers, perhaps Rotwyler (?) and Pflieger (?), while the one to the left knots a message in cordage as the one to the right puts unseen words on a scroll with invisible ink. |
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[2] Talhoffer (?) stands in the middle of the scene and breaks apart an iron chain with his bare hands, while a man to the left with quill & inkpot inscribes or draws something unseen on the back of a half-barefoot running courier, while another man to the right seemingly starts knotting or rending a yard of heavy cloth. |
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[3] Two possibilities:
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[4] Quick-shooting targets with the crossbow, fire-pots or grenades, air-mattress, peacock. |
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[5] Hardware — wheels, hinge, hasps & clasps, perhaps lock-works — the stuff of various mechanical devices. |
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[6] Medicine or poison mixing? |
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[7] Shooting a life-line to swimmer with blunt-bolt from crossbow and poisoned dagger-attack? |
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[8] A man in the load-basket of a perriere spies the carriaged culverin (?) upon the battlements of a burgh-tower, as river-borne men float by means of cantilevering bladder-raft and air-ring, utilised perhaps to cross over river to burgh. |
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[9] Various belt-buckles and/or belt-graffles to aid crossbow-spanning. Pole-cleaver head, pike-head, lash-flail & pole-flail — weaponry especially for troopers in war-wagons. |
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[10] This war-wagon which flies the flag of Saint George should be wrought in this form and fortified with thick planking and hub-threshers as designed here; and therefrom troopers strike; they shall have weaponry as depicted here of spear, halberd, morning-star, pike, corseque. |
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[11] This is a manlike effigy; made of fine metalwork and hollow inside; and shall become filled with amber and with flower-mincings; which one shall set in palatial chambers — wherever it turns its face, there goes good smoke all the time. An elaborate & symbolic censer.[1] |
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[12] This is a great trebuchet wherewith one may throw stones and break cities and forts. |
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[13] A "cat" / catafalque and also a "ladle" with a speeding shelter, wherewith one heaves armed folk onto battlements. This lacks the wheels, but this is the top part of a catafalque or belfrey (wheeled siege-tower) — the cloven lance thrusts out to smite defenders at ground level, while the invaders teeter-totter over the wall. |
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[14] This is called a "big dog". It goes to castles upon its wheels and with walls shall deal. It has the square bridge affixed with ropes, which lowers once the forward irons grapple the wall. Thereafter go the "foxes" out of the hull, who strike and fight — and they clear away whatever they desire. |
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[15] Mark this ladle — it is way-good. The upper part shall be wrought of planks whereupon are the faring-rungs that convey you to the walls; whereby armed folk go up onto the walls; the hinter-part heaves you forth as the forward iron grapples that wall. Again, part of a belfrey. |
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[16] With this cat, one quickly wins walls with the holds upon the tops of buildings. The bridge hangs down therefrom by ropes once the forward irons grapple at the wall. Thereafter lope the armed folk upon the wall. Again, part of belfrey. |
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[17] This is a holding-bridge that goes over water and over all trenches / moats; it shall be built of a high room topped by a bridge hanging therefrom, so that one be lifted up outside when the wheels are set to let it grapple. And so one lets fall the bridge and by that fall the pointed iron grapples the Earth and makes a mighty even hold. |
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[18] This is called a "nodder" and it is a nice rig. It goes upon six wheels and props upon two. Should it rotate forth upon two wheels, then it tilts the "head" to the Earth and raises up the "tail" until it comes to the wall; such that it raises up the head at / upon the wall and touches the Earth with the tail; and so then thereunder are ravages wrought upon the wall. The upper part of the nodder should be festooned with oakum, muck and green protection; so that what men call "water-fire", or even guns, may not hurt men when one tugs that back; one thus tugs the head again onto the Earth and the tail upward; around that thereupon it comes to certain stance. |
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[19] The present hold shelters folk inside from attacks ahead and behind and also above. Screen to protect pioneers? |
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[20] This is a "monks-hood", which leads from the front upon a wagon; which one directs upon three wheels, one in front under the peak and two after at the mouth; it shall be sealed with oakum and bedecked with protection and other things that are fitting. It should be configured together with strong woodwork, braced with iron such that it is not makeshift, thus hard stones or high-powered shot damage it not. When you come to a wall then raise up the peak climbing with that one wheel, then all come out who are within. Mobile battlefield-tunnel, apparently with a pop-top, for conveying troopers. |
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References
- ↑ Two triangular patches are at bottom of page.
