Manof Chpt6

Chapter 6

(Above, the almost magical geometrical gardens of the castle at Hautefort, which impressed Bruce)

After a change of clothing to match the heat of the day, Bruce wandered through some of the rooms and admired the garden from an upstairs window. Beyond was the tiny village that Marie-Claude had talked about on their way north:

"The village developed slowly around the chateau. Its birth dates back to the 18th century when the then Marquis Jacques-Francois de Hautefort transformed the old castle into a jewel of classic-Renaissance architecture. It became the home of Bertram de Born, a famous troubadour.

"His pranks and temper attracted all sorts of mishaps. He was immortalized by Dante in the Divine Comedy who depicted him roaming in Hell with his head in his hand.

"A later Baron created close ties with the local people. He organized a party each year and invited the local people to the chateau and gave them all valuable presents. Today, the people are still closely tied to their history and chateau. During the French Revolution, the locals foiled a plot to destroy Hautefort. History has been good to Hautefort and the present owners; it seemed worked closely with the people to keep it alive. The villagers were proud of the chateau but not nearly as pleased as Constantin and his sister."

The Impressive Geometric Gardens

Bruce was impressed by the geometric gardens. He counted four gardeners working on the hedges.

The inner courtyard basked in the hot rising sun. A young man with a rake worked ceaselessly raking the stones clear of footprints.
In one of the ballrooms Bruce found a group of painters and plasterers taking instruction from Marcel.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Marcel asked.

"Yes, Marcel. Can you show me to Monsieur Le Conte's library?"
"Of course, Monsieur. But there is a large one in the second floor meeting room and one in his bedroom."
"The large one will be fine."

Once there, Bruce scoured the shelves for books about Da Vinci and Flight. There were many. It didn't take long for Bruce to find da Vinci's Codex on the Flight of Birds, which explained the author's first scientific observations on flight. He read about the master's discovery of vortices that are produced off the wings, and observed the alilae, or thumbs of the wings. It was center of gravity, stability and maneuverability that concerned him.

There were sketches of different types of flying machines; helical, beating wings, bat's wings and parachutes. Bruce was fascinated as he read on.

Da Vinci Learned through Trial and Error

The book explained tat through trial and error; Da Vinci personally learned the difficulty of realizing his great dream of flying in a man propelled machine. He wrote about gliding and its problems. He did sketches showing balance through movement of the lower part of the body. He modeled the wings after those of bats and birds with large wing spans.

(Da Vinci was a true pioneer in thinking so early about flight)

He showed that the wing can be moved by a control cable and observed that the inboard part of the wings moved more slowly than the outboard and thus served to sustain them and produce thrust.
Beneath a primitive sketch the author had written.

"The great bird will take flight above the ridge…filling
The universe with awe, filling all writings with its fame…"

Early Da Vinci gliders had an articulated wing with belts passing between the flier's thighs and around his body. He also wrote of the possibility of attaching the wings directly to the body. One can never be sure that they would work.

Bruce put the book down and closed his eyes. He remembered a guide traveling to Fiesole near Florence. He was talking about Da Vinci's experiments and suggested that he used assistance to try flying. It was an activity too hazardous for the master. Yet, what was described here seemed to indicate that Da Vinci had actually flown over 1,000 feet high.

But it really didn't matter. The fact was that Da Vinci was on to something and years later it would all happen.

Bruce examined the pictures. There were many. He wondered where the copy that was in the chateau might be. He'd ask Conn and question him at length as to the comings and goings of strangers. It seemed that the family left the chateau unattended quite often.

True, there were servants present but they too might know something or even be involved. Bruce again made some notes.

Click here for Chapter 7.


	Chapter 6 (Above, the almost magical geometrical gardens of the castle at Hautefort, which impressed Bruce) After a change of clothing to match the heat of the day, Bruce wandered through some of the rooms and admired the garden from an upstairs window. Beyond was the tiny village that Marie-Claude had talked about on their way north: "The village developed slowly around the chateau. Its birth dates back to the 18th century when the then Marquis Jacques-Francois de Hautefort transformed the old castle into a jewel of classic-Renaissance architecture. It became the home of Bertram de Born, a famous troubadour. "His pranks and temper attracted all sorts of mishaps. He was immortalized by Dante in the Divine Comedy who depicted him roaming in Hell with his head in his hand. "A later Baron created close ties with the local people. He organized a party each year and invited the local people to the chateau and gave them all valuable presents. Today, the people are still closely tied to their history and chateau. During the French Revolution, the locals foiled a plot to destroy Hautefort. History has been good to Hautefort and the present owners; it seemed worked closely with the people to keep it alive. The villagers were proud of the chateau but not nearly as pleased as Constantin and his sister." The Impressive Geometric Gardens Bruce was impressed by the geometric gardens. He counted four gardeners working on the hedges. The inner courtyard basked in the hot rising sun. A young man with a rake worked ceaselessly raking the stones clear of footprints. In one of the ballrooms Bruce found a group of painters and plasterers taking instruction from Marcel. "Is there anything I can get you?" Marcel asked. "Yes, Marcel. Can you show me to Monsieur Le Conte's library?" "Of course, Monsieur. But there is a large one in the second floor meeting room and one in his bedroom." "The large one will be fine." Once there, Bruce scoured the shelves for books about Da Vinci and Flight. There were many. It didn't take long for Bruce to find da Vinci's Codex on the Flight of Birds, which explained the author's first scientific observations on flight. He read about the master's discovery of vortices that are produced off the wings, and observed the alilae, or thumbs of the wings. It was center of gravity, stability and maneuverability that concerned him. There were sketches of different types of flying machines; helical, beating wings, bat's wings and parachutes. Bruce was fascinated as he read on. Da Vinci Learned through Trial and Error The book explained tat through trial and error; Da Vinci personally learned the difficulty of realizing his great dream of flying in a man propelled machine. He wrote about gliding and its problems. He did sketches showing balance through movement of the lower part of the body. He modeled the wings after those of bats and birds with large wing spans. (Da Vinci was a true pioneer in thinking so early about flight) He showed that the wing can be moved by a control cable and observed that the inboard part of the wings moved more slowly than the outboard and thus served to sustain them and produce thrust. Beneath a primitive sketch the author had written. "The great bird will take flight above the ridge…filling The universe with awe, filling all writings with its fame…" Early Da Vinci gliders had an articulated wing with belts passing between the flier's thighs and around his body. He also wrote of the possibility of attaching the wings directly to the body. One can never be sure that they would work. Bruce put the book down and closed his eyes. He remembered a guide traveling to Fiesole near Florence. He was talking about Da Vinci's experiments and suggested that he used assistance to try flying. It was an activity too hazardous for the master. Yet, what was described here seemed to indicate that Da Vinci had actually flown over 1,000 feet high. But it really didn't matter. The fact was that Da Vinci was on to something and years later it would all happen. Bruce examined the pictures. There were many. He wondered where the copy that was in the chateau might be. He'd ask Conn and question him at length as to the comings and goings of strangers. It seemed that the family left the chateau unattended quite often. True, there were servants present but they too might know something or even be involved. Bruce again made some notes. Click here for Chapter 7.