To Perrovicomaria the steed, a quadruped of unquestionable
virtue, which brought the city to safety against the useless time squandering
of '17, part of the citizenry eternally grateful placed
here.
MDCCXIX
Al destriero Perrovicomaria,
quadrupede di indiscutibili virtù, che portò la città a salvamento dalle
inutili perdite di tempo del ’17, parte della cittadinanza semper in temporis
grata posit.
MDCCXIX
“Sir James Tiltanslant was the most unfortunate
victim of the events I’m here not allowed to disclose if not in the least
detailed fashion to you, so may history bear me testimony, I swear to be true.
Due to his excessively unbecoming addiction to
speed he met his creator well before his time in a melodramatic accident which
occurred whilst involved in some experiments with steam and bronze pipes he was
attempting to carry out, to the dismay of his family and friends whom, alas to
no avail, urged him repeatedly to come to his senses and become a lawyer
instead. The power of steam was the means he thought of to fulfill his ambition
to exceed the speed of birds to such an extent as doomed impossible by men of
all sciences. The day came when, in front of a conspicuous community of
professionals in the fields of mathematics, ballistics and physics, he set
himself into an experiment so disturbing in terms of foolishness and utter lack
of sensibility to all that’s scientific, to be ridiculous, if not for the
seriousness of Sir James in his determination to pursue it.
The machine he had thus devised was a
monstruosity in sheer terms of size and appearance. My description can’t pay in
the least the due respect to the device for the lack of words to fully
represent it, but let’s just say that…. (the recovered text ends here)”
From the self-penned memoirs by Lord Gibberoy Southerlund,
1734
Chi col tempo corre audace
e disdegna il buon ristoro
che la calma e la sua pace
ad altri son tesoro
giunge prima di quel gregge
a’ sua meta di costoro,
ma il dettaglio sfugge
ei non nota il canarino
ambasciator del suo destino.
Acrylic
and oil on jute
Size: 58x41cmOne more painting included in the series "Milano in Bilico (Milan on the wobble)".
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