Рабле писал про сферу и перо, за счёт игры слов символизирующие надежду и страдания.

1.9 The colours and liveries of Gargantua.
..In the like darkness and mist of ignorance are wrapped up these vain-glorious courtiers and name-transposers, who, going about in their impresas to signify esperance (that is, hope), have portrayed a sphere—and birds’ pennes for pains—..

http://www.shafe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/northumberland.pdf
..The balance in the tree is a type of impresa although John Peacock suggests it is a visual pun in which the words 'sphere' (O.F. espere) and 'feather' (penne) are pun's on the words 'hope' (espoir) and 'affliction' or 'pain' (peine).5 The pun is made by Rabelais (1494-1553) and links to Northumberland‘s family motto 'Esperance en Dieu' (Hope in God) written round a crescent moon (perhaps signified by the sphere)..

Также отмечают связь Перси с Архимедом. На картине Генри Перси А. Ван Дейка на листе написан фрагмент из Архимеда. Даже пишут о теореме Перси:

https://books.google.ru/books?id=tPNoMvitUtkC&pg=PA84 Humanism, Machinery, and Renaissance Literature Авторы: Jessica Wolfe - 2004 - ‎Literary Criticism
стр. 84-85