Althouse: "I would contrive catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other machines of marvellous efficacy and not in common use."

January 31, 2010

"I would contrive catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other machines of marvellous efficacy and not in common use."

"And in short, according to the variety of cases, I can contrive various and endless means of offense and defense.... I can carry out sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay, and also I can do in painting whatever may be done, as well as any other, be he who he may."

From the cover letter of Leonardo da Vinci, age 30.

19 comments:

The Crack Emcee said...: How arrogant.; 1/31/10, 11:14 AM
Trooper York said...: One of the most sucessful defense contractors of all time.; 1/31/10, 11:22 AM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: Okay, do you have any typing skills?; 1/31/10, 11:24 AM
Anonymous said...: But was he ever a community organizer?; 1/31/10, 11:25 AM
The Ghost said...: Arrogant yes ... turns out that genius actually had game as opposed to our current genius in the White House ...; 1/31/10, 11:35 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Man, I really need to add some of those things to my cover letters. No wonder I never get a job.; 1/31/10, 11:36 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Ignorance said:

"Man, I really need to add some of those things to my cover letters. No wonder I never get a job."

Too funny.; 1/31/10, 11:38 AM
Anonymous said...: One good way to get prospective employers to sit up and take notice is to say, "I built all these siege engines and I've still got 'em."; 1/31/10, 11:41 AM
Cinderella said...: He knew his own worth. Where have all the renaissance men gone?; 1/31/10, 11:43 AM
Wince said...: Yea, but he forgot to include his hobbies: "reading, gourmet cooking, pilates and projecting my image into the female form."

wv-"derizine" = ask your doctor about derizine, for when your ass falls asleep; 1/31/10, 12:01 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: Where have all the renaissance men gone?

Yeah, well not much use for catapults anymore.

Beside, damned Walmart has destroyed the mom-and-pop catapult business across the world.

Creative destruction it's called.

Pull.; 1/31/10, 12:08 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: I had to look up a "trabocchi."

Here: Link.

Okay. Again, any typing skills?; 1/31/10, 12:12 PM
Anonymous said...: I assume "trabocchi" is Italian for "trebuchets", as in: "I built trbuchets of such marvellous efficacy that they enabled Genoa to be taken and sacked in under a week. You could be next."; 1/31/10, 12:28 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: A "trebuchet" is here: Link.

Much more impressive.

You're hired. Just keep it away from the bosses parking spot.; 1/31/10, 12:33 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: The Renaissance was a time of constant warfare.; 1/31/10, 1:28 PM
Larry J said...: How arrogant.

It ain't bragging if you can do it. He could do the things in his letter and so much more.; 1/31/10, 3:25 PM
Beth said...: Our engineering students build a trebuchet every year for Student Activities day and let onlookers launch blocks of dry ice across the library quad at targets. It's one of my favorite days of the year.; 1/31/10, 7:32 PM
Beth said...: I have to find a way to use this in a tech writing course. Just slip it in among some sample resumes and cover letters.; 1/31/10, 7:34 PM
Anonymous said...: A colleague of mine says she' s going to use this as a template for her resumé.

I guess learning to did tortuous mines and ways is part of most people's jobs these days.; 1/31/10, 8:19 PM