When Leonardo appeared before Ludovico, he was a handsome young man of thirty-one. Tall and strong, he was dressed not according to fashion, but simply—almost severely. His hair hung in curls on his shoulders and his auburn mustache and neatly trimmed beard accented his ruddy complexion and deep-set blue eyes. Indeed, he presented a striking contrast to the nobleman seated before him. Il Moro, with his dark skin and straight black hair, his richly embroidered doublet with its broad sleeves and the heavy gold chains across his thick chest, was the exact opposite of Leonardo. Ludovico set aside Leonardo’s letter, rose from his chair, and walked to the heavy table on which Leonardo had spread out his drawings. Plans for all manner of war machines were there—those that Leonardo had designed for Lorenzo de’ Medici without success, together with many new additions. For example, there were plans for a self-propelled bomb with flames to be shot out in all directions—a bomb that was later to be called a “rotatory rocket” when it was actually invented in 1846. Leonardo also explained to Ludovico his idea for “poison gas” bombs containing sulfur: the fumes of these bombs would “produce stupor,” and they could be used both on land and sea, together with masks to protect those who were using them. Shrapnel shells, hand grenades, and javelins that burst into flame when they struck their objectives—these and many more were among his ideas. But perhaps the most unusual to Ludovico’s eyes was the design for an armored vehicle. It was shaped like a giant turtle, with overlapping sheets of reinforced wood so that enemy shells would bounce off its surface. The armor was pierced by loopholes for the breech-loading cannon and there was an opening at the top for ventilation. Power for the vehicle was supplied by eight men inside turning cranks which in turn were cogged to other wheels, setting in motion the four drive wheels. This of course was the forerunner of the tank and the armored car used in modern warfare. [Illustration: _Forerunner of the tank or armored car, as conceived by Leonardo. Motion was supposed to be supplied by four cogged wheels turned by manpower. Sheets of reinforced wood were supposed to serve as “armor” against enemy projectiles._] In addition, Leonardo laid before Ludovico all manner of cannons and designs for tunneling under the enemy’s defenses. Actually, with respect to warfare itself, Leonardo called it a most brutal “madness”; however, he recognized the necessity of being prepared. In his notebook, he wrote, “When besieged by ambitious tyrants I find a means of offense and defense in order to preserve the chief gift of nature, which is liberty.”