Paradoxes of Defence, by George Silver (1599)![[image of title page]](http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html/pics/paradox_title.gif) ![[image of fancy logo]](http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html/pics/paradox_logo.gif) [ George Silver's Paradoxes of Defense was published in1599. A companion volume,Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence,was not published until 1898 by Captain Cyril G. R.Matthey, based on a manuscript found in the British Museum. Today,this book is available in two editions: one, containing both booksfrom the 1898 edition and a useful introduction, is in ThreeElizabethan Fencing Manuals, edited by James L. Jackson, andthe other is a facsimile of only the 1599 edition ofParadoxes, published by Da Capo Press, Amsterdam, 1968.A facsimile of Matthey's book can be found at: http://www.sirwilliamhope.org/Library/Silver/Silver.php?title=Matthey&plate=4.For information about other primary sources for early fencing, pleasesee:http://www.musketeer.org/online.htmlAlso see this Introductionand review of Silver's 2 manuals.A more general webpage giving primary sources for fighting manuals is at:http://www.aemma.org/onlineResources/library_H.htmThis is version 1.0 of the on-line version of this book. It wasinitially typed in from a facsimile of the Matthey edition by Steve Hick.I have lightly proofread it, correcting any obvious errors. However,many subtle errors and missing paragraphs probably remain.Please report any errors you discover to me.Greg Lindahllindahl@pbm.com ]PARADOXES OF DEFENCE,Wherein is proved the true grounds of fight to be the short ancient weapons and that the short sword has advantage over the long sword or the long rapier. And the weakness and imperfection of the rapier-fights displayed. Together with an admonition to the noble, ancient, victorious, valiant, and most brave nation of Englishmen, to beware of false teachers of defence, and how they forsake their own natural fights. With a brief commendation of the noble science or exercising of arms.by George Silver, Gentleman.London,Printed for Edward Blount.1599.To the right honorable, my singular good lord, Robert, Earl of Esand Ewe, Earl Marshall of England, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers ofChartley, Bourchier and Louaine, Master of the Queens Majesty's horse,& of the Ordinance, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Knightof the most Noble order of the Garter, and one of her highness mosthonorable Privy Council.Fencing (Right honorable) in this new fangled age, is like ourfashions, every day a change, resembling the chameleon, who altershimself into all colors save white. So fencing changes into all wardssave the right. That it is so, experience teaches us, why it is so, Idoubt not but your wisdom does conceive. There is nothing permanentthat is not true, what can be true that is uncertain? How can that becertain, that stands upon uncertain grounds? The mind of man a greedyhunter after truth, finding the seeming truth but changing, not alwaysone, but always diverse, forsakes the supposed, to find out theassured certainty, and searching everywhere save where it should,meets with all save what it would. Who seeks & finds not, seeksin vain. Who seeks in vain, must if he will find seek again, yet allin vain. Who seeks not what he would, as he should, and where heshould, as in other things (Right Honorable), so in fencing: the minddesirous of truth, hunts after it, and hating falsehood, flies fromit, and therefore having missed it once, it assays the second time.If then he thrives not, he tries another way. When he has failed, headventures on the third & if all these fail him, yet he neverfails to change his weapon, his fight, his ward, if by any means hemay compass what he most affects, for because men desire to find out atrue defence for themselves in their fight, therefore they seek itdiligently, nature having taught us to defend ourselves, and Artteaching us how, and because we miss it in one way, we change toanother. But though we often chop and change, turn and return, fromward to ward, from fight to fight, in this constant search, yet wenever rest in any, and that because we never find the truth, andtherefore we never find it, because we never seek it in that weaponwhere it may be found. For, to seek for a true defence in an untrueweapon, is to angle on the earth for fish, and to hunt in the sea forhares. Truth is ancient though it seems an upstart. Our forefatherswere wise, though our age accounts them foolish, valiant though werepute them cowards. They found out the true defences for theirbodies in short weapons by their wisdom, they defended themselves andsubdued their enemies, and those weapons with their valor(1). And(Right Honorable) if we have this true defence, we must seek it whereis is, in short swords, short staves, the half pike, partisans,glaives, or such like weapons of perfect lengths, not in long swords,long rapiers, nor frog pricking poniards: for if there is no certaingrounds for defence, why do they teach it? If there be, why have theynot found it? Not because it is not so. To say so, were to gainsaythe truth. But because it is not certain in those weapons which theyteach. To prove this, I have set forth these my Paradoxes, differentI confess from the main current of our outlandish teachers, butagreeing I am well assured to the truth, and tending as I hope to thehonor of our English nation. The reason which moved me to adventureso great a task, is the desire I have to bring the truth to light,which has a long time lain hidden in the cave of contempt, while welike degenerate sons, have forsaken our forefathers virtues with theirweapons, and have lusted like men sick of a strange ague, after thestrange vices and devices of Italian, French, and Spanish fencers,little remembering, that these apish toys could not free Rome fromBrennius's sack, not France from the King Henry the Fifth hisconquest. To this desire to find out truth the daughter of time,begotten of Bellona, I was also moved, that by it I might remove thegreat loss of our English gallants, which we daily suffer by theseimperfect fights, wherein none undertake the combat, be his causenever so good, his cunning never so much, his strength and agilitynever so great, but his virtue was tied to fortune Happy man, happydolt, kill or be killed is the dreadful issue of the devilishimperfect fight. If the man were now alive, which beat the mastersfor the scholars fault, because he had no better instructed him, theseItalian fencers could not escape his censure, who teach us offense,not defence, and to fight, as Diogenes' scholars were taught to dance,to bring their lives to an end by Art. Was Ajax a coward because hefought with a seven folded buckler, or are we mad to go naked into thefield to try our fortunes, not our virtues. Was Achilles a runaway,who wore that well tempered armor, or are we desperate, who care fornothing but to fight, and learn like the the pygmies, with bodkins, orweapons of like defence? Is it valorous for a man to go naked againsthis enemy? Why then did the Lacedemonians punish him as desperate,whom they rewarded for his valor with a laurel crown? But that whichis most shameful, they teach men to butcher one another here at homein peace, wherewith they cannot hurt their enemies abroad in war(2).For, you honor well knows, that when the battle is joined, there is noroom for them to draw their bird-spits, and when they have them, whatcan they do with them? Can they pierce his corslet with the point?Can they unlace his helmet, unbuckle his armor, hew asunder theirpikes with a Stocata, a Reversa, a Dritta, a Stramason or other suchtempestuous terms? No, these toys are fit for children, not for men,for straggling boys of the camp, to murder poultry, not for men ofhonor to try the battle with their foes. Thus I have (Right Honorable)for the trial of the truth, between the short sword and the longrapier, for the saving of the lives of our English gallants, who aresent to certain death by their uncertain fights, & for abandoningof that mischievous and imperfect weapon, which serves to kill ourfriends in peace, but cannot much hurt our foes in war, have I at thistime given forth these Paradoxes to the view of the world. Andbecause I know such strange opinions had need of stout defence, Ihumbly crave your Honorable protection, as one in whom the truenobility of our victorious ancestors has taken up residence. It willsuit to the rest of your Honors most noble complements, to maintainthe defence of their weapons whose virtues you profess. It agreeswith your Honorable disposition, to receive with favor what ispresented with love. It sorts well with your Lordship's highauthority, to weigh with reason, what is fit for marshal men. It isan unusual point of your Honor, which wins your Lordship love in yourcountry, to defend the truth in whomsoever, and it adds a supply tothat which your Lordship have of late begun to your unspeakable honorand inestimable benefit, to reduce the wearing of swords with hiltsover the hands(3), to the Roman discipline, no longer then they mightdraw them under their arms, or over their shoulders. In all or any ofthese respects, I rest assured that your Lordship will vouchsafe toreceive with favor and maintain with honor these Paradoxes of mine,which if they be shrouded under so safe a shield, I will not doubt butto maintain with reason among the wise, and prove it by practice uponthe ignorant, that there is no certain defence in the rapier, and thatthere is great advantage in the short sword against the long rapier,or all manner of rapiers in general, of what length soever. And thatthe short staff has the advantage against the long staff of twelve,fourteen, sixteen or eighteen feet long, or of what length soever.And against two men with their swords and daggers, or two rapiers,poniards & gauntlets, or each of them a case of rapiers, whichwhether I can perform or not, I submit for trial to your Honorsmartial censure, being at all times ready to make it good, in whatmanner, and against what man soever it shall stand upon yourLordship's good liking to appoint. And so I humbly commend this bookto your Lordship's wisdom to peruse, and your Honor to the Highest toprotect in all health and happiness now and ever Your Honors in allduty,George SilverAN ADMONITIONto the noble, ancient, victorious, valiant, and most brave nation of Englishmen.1George Silver having the perfect knowledge of all manner of weapons,and being experienced in all manner of fights, thereby perceiving thegreat abuses of the Italian Teachers of Offense done unto them, andgreat errors, inconveniences, & false resolutions they havebrought them into, has informed me, even for pity of their mostlamentable wounds and slaughters, & as I verily think it my boundduty, with all love and humility to admonish them to take heed, howthey submit themselves into the hand of Italian teachers of defence,or strangers whatsoever, and to beware how they forsake or suspecttheir own natural fight, that they may by casting off theseItalianated, weak, fantastical, and most devilish and imperfectfights, and by exercising their own ancient weapons, be restored, orachieve unto the natural, and most manly and victorious fight again,the dint and force whereof many brave nations have both felt andfeared. Our plowmen have mightily prevailed against them, as alsoagainst masters of defence, both in schools and countries, that havetaken upon them to stand upon school tricks and juggling gambols.Whereby it grew to a common speech among the countrymen "Bring me to afencer, I will bring him out of his fence tricks with down rightblows. I will make him forget his fence tricks, I will warrant him."I speak not against masters of defence indeed, they are to be honored,nor against the science, it is noble, and in my opinion to bepreferred next to divinity, for as divinity preserves the soul fromhell and the devil, so does this noble science defend the body fromwounds & slaughter. And moreover, the exercising of weapons putsaway aches, griefs, and diseases, it increases strength, and sharpensthe wits. It gives a perfect judgement, it expels melancholy,choleric and evil conceits, it keeps a man in breath, perfect health,and long life. It is unto him that has the perfection thereof, a mostfriendly and comfortable companion when he is alone, having but onlyhis weapon about him. It puts him out of fear, & in the wars andplaces of most danger, it makes him bold, hardy and valiant.And for as much as this noble and most mighty nation of Englishmen, oftheir good natures, are always most loving, very credulous, & ready tocherish & protect strangers, yet that through their good natures theynever more by strangers or false teachers may be deceived, once againI most humbly to admonish them, or such as shall find in themselves adisposition or desire to learn their weapons of them, that fromhenceforth as strangers shall take upon them to come hither to teachthis noble & most valiant & victorious nation to fight, that first,before they learn of them, they cause a sufficient trial to be veryrequisite & reasonable, even such as I myself would be contentedwithal, if I should take upon me to go in their country to teach theirnation to fight. And this is the trial: They shall play with suchweapons as they profess to teach withal(4), three bouts apiece withthree of the best English masters of defence & three bouts apiece withthree unskillful valiant men, and three bouts apiece with threeresolute men half drunk. Then if they can defend themselves againstthese masters of defence, and hurt, and go free from the rest, thenare they be honored, cherished, and allowed for perfect good teachers,and what countrymen soever they be. But if any of these they takefail, then they are imperfect in their profession, their fight isfalse, & they are false teachers, deceivers and murderers, and to bepunished accordingly, yet no worse punishment unto them I wish, thansuch as in their trial they shall find.There are four special marks to know the Italian fight is imperfect, &that the Italian teachers and setters forth of books of defence, neverhad the perfection of the true fight.2The first mark is, they seldom fight in their own country unarmed,commonly in this sort, a pair of gauntlets upon their hands(5), and agood shirt of mail upon their bodies. The second mark is, thatneither the Italian nor any of their best scholars do never fight, butthey are most commonly sore hurt, or one or both of them slain.The third mark is, they never teach their scholars, nor set down intheir books any perfect length of their weapons, without which no mancan by nature or art against the perfect length fight safe, for beingtoo short, their times are too long, and spaces too wide for theirdefence, and being too long, they will be upon every cross that shallhappen to be made, whether it shall be done by skill or chance, ingreat danger of death, because the rapier being too long, the crosscannot be undone in due time, but may be done by going back with thefeet, but that time is always too long to answer the time of the hand,therefore every man ought to have a weapon according to his ownstature, the tall man must have his sword longer than the man of meanstature, else he has wrong in his defence, & the man of mean staturemust have his weapon longer than the man of small stature, else he haswrong in his defence, & the man of small stature must beware he doesnot feed himself with this vain conceit, that he will have his weaponlong, to reach as far as the tall man, for therein he shall have greatdisadvantage, both with the making of a strong cross, and also inuncrossing again, and in keeping his point from crossing, and when across is made upon him, to defend himself, or in danger his enemy, orto redeem his lost times. Again, rapiers longer than is convenient toaccord with the true statures of men, are always too long or too heavyto keep their bodies in due time from the cross of the light shortsword of perfect length, the which being made by the skillful out ofany of the four true times, upon any of the four chief actions, byreason of the uncertainty & great swiftness in any of these times,they are in great danger of a blow, or of a thrust in the hand, arm,head, or face, & in every true cross in the uncrossing, in greatdanger of a blow upon the head, or full thrust in the body or face,and being taken in that time & place, the first mover in uncrossingspeeds the rapier man of imperfect length, whether it is too long, tooshort or too heavy, and goes free himself by the direction of hisgovernors.The fourth mark is, the crosses of their rapiers for true defence of their hands are imperfect, for the true carriage of the guardant fight, without which all fights are imperfect.Of six chief causes, that many valiant men thinkthemselves by their practices to be skillful in theirweapons, are yet many times in their fights sorehurt, and many times slain by men of small skill or none at all.3The first and chief cause is, the lack of the four governors, withoutwhich it is impossible to fight safe, although a man should practicemost painfully and most diligently all the days of his life.The second cause is, the lack of the knowledge in due observance ofthe four actions, the which we shall call bent, spent, lying spent,and drawing back. These actions every man fights upon, whether theyare skillful or unskillful, he that observes them is safe, he thatobserves them not, is in continual danger of every thrust that shallbe strongly made against him.The third cause is, they are unpracticed in the four true times,neither do they know the true times from the false, therefore the truechoice of their times are most commonly taken by chance, and seldomotherwise.The fourth cause is, they are unacquainted out of what fight, or inwhat manner they are to answer the variable fight, and thereforebecause the variable fight is the most easy fight of all others, mostcommonly do answer the variable fight with the variable fight,which ought never be but in the first distance, or withthe short sword against the long, because if both or one of them shallhappen to press, and that in due time of either side's fight bechanged, the distance, by reason of the narrowness of space, isbroken, the place is won and lost of both sides, then he that thrustsfirst, speedeth: if both happen to thrust together, they areboth in danger. Therefore things sometimes by true times, by change offights, by chance are avoided.The fifth cause is, their weapons are most commonly too long touncross without going back with the feet.The sixth cause is, their weapons are most commonly too heavy both todefend and offend in due time, & by these two last causes many valiantmen have lost their lives.What is the cause that wisemen in learning or practicing theirweapons, are deceived with Italian Fencers.There are four causes. The first, their schoolmaster are imperfect.The second is, that whatsoever they teach, is both true & false; truein their demonstrations, according with their force & time in gentleplay(6), & in their actions according with the force & time in roughplay or fight, false. For example, there is much difference betweenthese two kinds of fight, as there is between the picture of Sir Beuisof Southhampton and Sir Beuis himself, if he were living. The third,none can judge of the craft but the craftsman, the unskilled, be henever so wise, can not truly judge of his teacher, or skill, the whichhe learns, being unskilled himself. Lastly, & to confirm for truthall that shall be amiss, not only in this excellent science ofdefence, but in all other excellent secrets, most commonly the liebears as good a show of truth, as truth itself.Of the false resolutions and vain opinions of Rapier menand of the danger of death thereby ensuing.4It is a great question, & especially among the rapier men, who hasthe advantage, the thruster or the warder? Some hold strongly, thatthe warder has the advantage. Others say, it is most certain that thethruster has the advantage. Now, when two do happen to fight, beingboth of one mind, that the thruster has the advantage, they make allshift they can, who shall give the first thrust, as for example, twocaptains at Southhampton even as they were going to take shipping uponthe key, fell at strife, drew their rapiers, and presently, beingdesperate, hardy or resolute, as they call it, with all force and overgreat speed, ran with their rapiers one at the other, & were bothslain. Now when two of the contrary opinion shall meet and fight, youshall see very peaceable wars between them. For they verily thinkthat he that first thrusts is in great danger of his life, thereforewith all speed do they put themselves in ward, or Stocata, the surestguard of all other, as Vincentio says, and thereupon they stand sure,saying the one to the other, "thrust if you dare", and says the other,"thrust if you dare", or "strike or thrust if you dare", says theother. Then says the other,"strike or thrust if you dare, for yourlife". These two cunning gentlemen standing long time together, uponthis worthy ward, they both depart in peace, according to the oldproverb: "It is good sleeping in a whole skin." Again if two shallfight, the one of opinion, that the warder has the advantage, thenmost commonly, the thruster being valiant, with all speed thrustshome, and by reason of the time and swift motion of his hand, they aremost commonly with the points of their rapiers, or daggers, or both,one or both of them hurt or slain because their spaces of defence inthis kind of fight, are too wide in due time to defend, and the placebeing won, the eye of the patient by the swift motion of the agentshand is deceived. Another resolution they stand sure upon for theirlives, to kill their enemies. in the which they are most commonlyslain themselves: that is this: When they find the point of theirenemy's rapier out of the right line, they say, they may boldly makehome a thrust with a Passata, the which they observe, and do accordingly.But the other having a shorter time with his hand, as nature manytimes teaches him, suddenly turns his wrist, whereby he meets theother in his passage just with the point of his rapier in the face orbody. And this false resolution has cost many a life.That the cause that many are so often slain, and many sore hurt infight with long rapier is not by reason of their dangerous thrusts,nor cunning of that Italianated fight, but in the length andunwieldiness thereof.5It is most certain, that men may with short swords both strike,thrust, false and double, by reason of their distance and nimblenessthereof, more dangerously than they can with long rapiers. And yet,when two fight with short swords, having true fight, there is no hurtdone. Neither is it possible in any reason, that any hurt should bedone between them of either side, and this is well known to all suchas have the perfection of the true fight. By this it plainly appears,that the cause of the great slaughter, and sundry hurts done by longrapiers, consists not in their long reach, dangerous thrusts, norcunningness of the Italian fight, but in the inconvenient length, andunwieldiness of their long rapiers, whereby it commonly falls out,that in all their actions appertaining to their defence, they areunable, in due time to perform, and continually in danger of everycross, that shall happen to be made with their rapier blades, whichbeing done, within the half rapier; (unless both are of one mind withall speed to depart, which seldom or never happens between men ofvaliant disposition,) it is impossible to uncross, or get out, oravoid the stabs of the daggers. And this has fallen(?) out many timesamong valiant men at those weapons.Of running and standing safe in rapier fight, the runnerhas the advantage.6If two valiant men fight being both cunning in running, & that theyboth use the same at one instant, their course is doubled, the placeis won of both sides, and one or both of them will commonly be slainor sore hurt. And if one of them shall run, and the other stand fastupon the Imbrocata or Stocata, or however, the place will be at oneinstant won of one side, and gained of the other, and one or both ofthem will be hurt or slain. If both shall press hard upon the guard,he that first thrusts home in true place, hurts the other, & if boththrust together, they are both hurt. Yet some advantage the runnerhas, because he is an uncertain mark, and in his motion. The other isa certain mark, and in dead motion, And by reason of this many timesthe unskillful man takes advantage he knows not how, against him thatlies watching upon his ward or Stocata guard.Of striking and thrusting both together.7It is strongly held by many, that if in a fight they find their enemyto have more skill than themselves, they presently will continuallystrike & thrust just with him, whereby they will make their fightas good as his, and thereby have as good advantage as the other withall his skill. But if their swords be longer than the other, thentheir advantage is great. For it is certain (say they) that an inchwill kill a man. But if their swords be much longer than theother, then their advantage is so great, that they will be sure bystriking and thrusting just with the other, that they will always hurthim that has the short sword, and go clear themselves, because theywill reach him, when he shall not reach them. These men speak likesuch as talk of Robin Hood, that never shot with his bow, for tostrike or thrust just together with a man of skill, lies not in thewill of the ignorant, because a skillful man always fights upon thetrue times, by which the unskillful is still disappointed of bothplace and time, and therefore driven of necessity still to watch theother, when & what he will do. That is, whether he will strike,thrust, or false. If the unskillful strike or thrust in the time offalsing, therein he neither strikes or thrusts just withthe other. He may say, he has struck or thrust before him, but notjust with him, not to any good purpose. For in the time of falsing,if he strikes or thrusts, he strikes or thrusts too short. For inthat time he has neither time nor place to strike home, and as it issaid, the unskillful man, that will take upon him to strike or thrustjust with the skillful, must first behold what the man of skill willdo, and when he will do it, and therefore of necessity is driven tosuffer the skillful man to be the first mover, and entered into hisaction, whether it is blow or thrust. The truth of this cannot bedenied. Now judge whether it is possible for an unskillful man tostrike or thrust just together with a man of skill. But the skillfulman can most certainly strike and thrust just with the unskillful,because the unskillful fights upon false times, which being too longto answer the true times, the skillful fighting upon the true times,although the unskillful is the first mover, & entered into hisaction, whether it is blow or thrust, yet the shortness of the truetimes make at the pleasure of the skillful a just meeting together.In the perfect fight two never strike or thrust together, because theynever suffer place nor time to perform it.Two unskillful men many times by chance strike or thrust together, chance unto them, because they know not what they do, or how it comes to pass. But the reasons or causes are these. Sometimes two false times meet & make a just time together, & sometimes a true time and a false time meet and make a just time together, and sometimes two true times meet and make a just time together. And all this happens because the true time and place is unknown unto them.George Silver his resolution upon that hidden or doubtful question,who has the advantage of the Offender or Defender.8The advantage is strongly held by many to be in the offender, yeainsomuch, that if two minding to offend in their fight, it is thoughtto be in him that first strikes or thrusts. Others strongly holdopinion that the warder absolutely has still the advantage, but theseopinions as they are contrary the one to the other, so are theycontrary to true fight, as may well be seen by these short examples.If the advantage be in the warder, than it is not good any time tostrike or thrust: if the advantage is in the striker or thruster, thenwere it a frivolous thing to learn to ward, or at any time to seek toward, since in warding lies disadvantage. Now may it plainly by theseexamples appear, that if there is any perfection in fight, thatboth sides are deceived of their opinions, because if the striker orthruster has the advantage, then is the warder still in danger ofwounds or death. If again, if the warder has the advantage, then isthe striker or thrust in as great danger to defend himself against thewarder, because the warder from his wards, takes advantage of thestriker or thruster upon every blow or thrust, that shall be madeagainst him. Then thus do I conclude, that if there is perfection inthe Science of Defence, they are all in their opinions deceived. Andthat the truth may appear for the satisfaction of all men, this is myresolution: that there is no advantage absolutely, nor disadvantage instriker, thruster, or warder, and their is great advantage in thestriker, thruster & warder, but in this manner. In the perfectionof fight the advantage consists in fight between party and party, thatis, whosoever wins or gains the place in true pace, space and time,has the advantage, whether he is striker, thruster or warder. Andthat is my resolution.Of Spanish fight with the Rapier.9The Spaniard is now thought to be a better man with his rapier than isthe Italian, Frenchman, high Almaine (German -- ST) or any othercountry man whatsoever, because they in their rapier-fight stand uponso many intricate tricks that in all the course of a man's life itshall be hard to learn them, and if they miss in doing the least ofthem in their fight, they are in danger of death. But the Spaniard inhis fight, both safely to defend himself, and to endanger his enemy,has but one lying, and two wards to learn, wherein a man with smallpractice in a very short time may become perfect.This is the manner of the Spanish fight. They stand as brave as theycan with their bodies straight upright, narrow spaced, with their feetcontinually moving, as if they were in a dance, holding forth theirarms and rapiers very straight against the face or bodies of theirenemies, and this is the only lying to accomplish that kind of fight.And this note, that as long as any man shall lie in that manner withhis arm, and the point of his rapier straight, it shall be impossiblefor his adversary to hurt him, because in that straight holding forthof his arm, which way soever a blow shall be made against him, byreason that his rapier hilt lies so far before him, he has but a verylittle way to move, to make his ward perfect, in this manner. If ablow is made at the right side of the head, a very little moving ofthe hand with the knuckles upward defends that side of the head orbody, and the point being still out straight, greatly endangers thestriker. And so likewise, if a blow is made at the left side of thehead, a very small turning of the wrist with the knuckles downward,defends that side of the head and body, and the point of rapier muchendangers the hand, arm, face or body of the striker. And if anythrust is made, the wards, by reason of the indirections in moving thefeet in manner of dancing, as aforesaid, makes a perfect ward, andstill withal the point greatly endangers the other. And thus is theSpanish fight perfect: so long as you can keep that order, and soonlearned, and therefore to be accounted the best fight with the rapierof all other. But note how the Spanish fight is perfect, and you shallsee no longer than you can keep your point straight against youradversary: as for example, I have heard the like jest.There was a cunning Doctor at his first going to sea, being doubtfulthat he should be sea sick, an old woman perceiving the same, saidunto him: "Sir, I pray, be of good comfort, I will teach you a trickto avoid that doubt. Here is a fine pebble stone, if you please toaccept it, take it with you, and when you are on ship board, put it inyour mouth, and as long you shall keep the same in your mouth, upon mycredit you shall never vomit." The Doctor believed her, and took itthankfully at her hands, and when he was at sea, he began to be sick,whereupon he presently put the stone in his mouth, & there kept it solong as he possibly could, but through his extreme sickness the stonewith vomit was cast out of his mouth. Then presently he rememberedhow the woman had mocked him, and yet her words were true.Even so a Spaniard having his rapier point put by, may receive a blowon the head, or a cut over the face, hand or arm or a thrust in thebody or face, and yet his Spanish fight perfect, so long as he cankeep straight the point of his rapier against the face or body of hisadversary, which is as easy in that manner of fight to be done, as itwas for the Doctor in the extremity of his vomit to keep the stone inhis mouth.Yet one other pretty jest more, scarce worth the reading, incommendation of outlandish fight. There was an Italian teacher ofDefence in my time, who so excellent in his fight, that he would hitany English man with a thrust, just upon any button in his doublet,and this was much spoken of.Also there was another cunning man in catching of wild-geese, he wouldhave made no more ado, when he had heard them cry, as the manner ofwild-geese is, flying one after another in rows, but presently lookingup, would tell them, if there had been a dozen, sixteen, twenty, ormore, he would have taken every one. And this tale was many timestold by men of good credit, and much marvelled at by their hearers,and the man who would have taken the wild-geese, was of good credithimself. Merry they said, indeed he did never take any, but at anytime when he looked up, and seen them fly in that manner, he wouldwith all his heart have taken them, but he could no more tell how todo it, then could the cunning Italian Fencer tell how to hit anEnglishman, with a thrust just upon any one of his buttons, when helisted.Illusions for the maintenance of imperfect weapons & false fights, tofear or discourage the unskillful in their weapons, from taking a truecourse or use, for attaining to the perfect knowledge of true fight.10First, for the rapier (says the Italian, or false teacher) I hold tobe a perfect good weapon, because the cross hinders not to hold thehandle in the hand, to thrust both far & straight, & to use all mannerof advantages in the wards, or suddenly to call the same at theadversary, but with the sword you are driven with all the strength ofthe hand to hold fast the handle. And in the wars I would wish nofriend of mine to wear swords with hilts, because when they aresuddenly set upon, for haste they set their hands upon their hiltsinstead of their handles, in which time it happens many times beforethey can draw their swords, they are slain by their enemies(7). And forSword and Buckler fight, it is imperfect, because the buckler blindsthe fight, neither would I have any man lie aloft with his hand abovehis head, to strike sound blows. Strong blows are naught, especiallybeing set above the head, because therein all the face and body arediscovered. Yet I confess, in old times, when blows were only usedwith short Swords & Bucklers, & back Swords, these kinds of fightswere good & most manly, now a days fight is altered. Rapiers arelonger for advantage than swords were wont to be. When blows wereused, men were so simple in their fight, that they thought him acoward, that would make a thrust or a blow beneath the girdle(8). Againif their weapons were short, as in times past they were, yet fight isbetter looked into these days, than then it was. Who is it in thesedays sees not that the blow compasses round like a wheel, whereby ithas a long way to go, but the thrust passes in a straight line, andtherefore comes a nearer way, and done in a shorter time than is theblow, and is more deadly than is the blow? There fore there is nowise man that will strike, unless he is weary of his life. It iscertain, that the point for advantage every way in fight is to beused, the blow is utterly naught, and not to be used. He that fightsupon the blow especially with a short sword, will be sore hurt orslain. The devil can say no more for the maintenance of errors.That a blow comes continually as near as a thrust, and most commonlynearer, stronger, more swift, and is sooner done.11The blow, by reason that it compasses round like a wheel, whereby it has a longer way to come, as the Italian Fencer says, & that the thrust passing in a straight line, comes a nearer way, and therefore is sooner done than a blow, is not true, these are the proofs(9).Let two lie in their perfect strengths and readiness, wherein theblades of their rapiers by the motion of the body, may not be crossedof either side, the one to strike, and the other to thrust. Thenmeasure the distance or course wherein the hand and hilt passes tofinish the blow of the one, and the thrust of the other, and you shallfind them both by measure, in distance all one. At let any man ofjudgement being seen in the exercise of weapons, not being moreaddicted unto novelties of fight, than unto truth itself, put inmeasure, and practice these three fights, variable, open, and guardant,and he shall see, that whenever any man lies at the thrust at thevariable fight, (where of necessity most commonly he lies, orotherwise not possible to keep his rapier from crossing at the blow &thrust, upon the open or guardant fight,) that the blows & thrustsfrom these two fighters, come a nearer way, and a more stronger andswifter course than does the thrust, out of the variable fight. Andthus for a general rule, wheresoever the thruster lies, or out of whatfight soever he fights, with his rapier, or rapier and dagger, theblow in his course comes as near, and nearer, and more swift andstronger than does the thrust.Perfect fight stands upon both blow and thrust, therefore thethrust is not only to be used.12That there is no fight perfect without both blow and thrust: neitheris there any certain rule to be set down for the use of the pointonly(10), these are the reasons: In fight there are many motions, withthe hand, body, and feet, and in every motion the place of the hand isaltered, & because by the motions of the hand, the altering of theplaces of the hand, the changes of lyings, wards, and breaking ofthrusts, the hand will sometimes be in place to strike, some times tothrust, sometimes after a blow to thrust, sometimes after a thrust tostrike, & sometimes in a place where you may strike, and cannotthrust without loss of time, and sometimes in place where you maythrust, and cannot strike without loss of time, and sometimes in aplace where you can neither strike nor thrust, unless you fight uponboth blow and thrust, nor able to defend yourself by ward or goingback, because your space will be too wide, and your distance lost.And sometimes when you have made a thrust, a ward or breaking is takenin such sort with the dagger or blade of the sword, that you canneither thrust again, nor defend yourself unless you do strike, whichyou may soundly do, and go free, and sometimes when you strike, a wardwill be taken in such sort, that you cannot strike again, nor defendyourself, unless you thrust, which you may safely do and go free. Soto conclude, there is no perfection in the true fight, without bothblow and thrust, nor certain rule to be set down for the pointonly.That the blow is more dangerous and deadly in fight than a thrust, forproof thereof to be made according with Art, and Englishman holdsargument against an Italian.13Italian: Which is more dangerous or deadly in fight of a blow or athrust?Englishman: This question is not propounded according to art, becausethere is no fight perfect without both blow and thrust.Italian: Let it be so, yet opinions are otherwise held, that thethrust is only to be used, because it comes a near way, and is moredangerous and deadly, for these reasons: first, the blow compassesround like a wheel, but the thrust passes in a straight line,therefore the blow by reason of this compass has a longer way to gothan the thrust & is therefore longer in doing, but the thrustpasses in a straight line, therefore has a shorter way to go than hasthe blow, & is therefore done in a shorter time, & is thereforemuch better than the blow, & more dangerous and deadly, because ifa thrust does hit the face or body, it endangers life, and mostcommonly death ensues, but if the blow hits the body, it is not sodangerous.Englishman: Let your opinions be what they will, but that the thrustcomes a nearer way, & is sooner done that the blow, is not true, andfor proof thereof read the twelfth paradox. And now will I set downpossible reasons, that the blow is better than the thrust, and moredangerous and deadly(11). First, the blow comes as near a way, & mostcommonly nearer than does the thrust, & is therefore done in a shortertime than is the thrust. Therefore in respect of time, whereuponstands the perfection of fight, the blow is much better than thethrust. Again, the force of the thrust passes straight, therefore anycross being indirectly made, the force of a child may put it by. Butthe force of the blow passes indirectly, therefore must be directlywarded in the countercheck of his force, which cannot be done but bythe convenient strength of a man, & with true cross in true time, orelse will not safely defend him, and is therefor much better, & moredangerous than the thrust. And again, the thrust being made throughthe hand, arm, or leg, or in many places of the body and face, are notdeadly, neither are they maims, or loss of limbs or life, neither ishe much hindered for the time in his fight, as long as the blood ishot: for example:I have known a gentleman hurt in rapier fight, in nine or ten placesthrough the body, arms, and legs, and yet has continued in his fight,& afterward has slain the other, and come home and has been cured ofall his wounds without maim, & is yet living. But the blow beingstrongly made, takes sometimes clean away the hand from the arm, hasmany times been seen(12). Again, a full blow upon the head or face witha short sharp sword, is most commonly death. A full blow upon theneck, shoulder, arm, or leg, endangers life, cuts off the veins,muscles, and sinews, perishes the bones: these wounds made by theblow, in respect of perfect healing, are the loss of limbs, or maimsincurable forever.And yet more for the blow: a full blow upon the head, face, arm, leg,or legs, is death, or the party so wounded in the mercy of him thatshall so wound him. For what man shall be able long in fight to standup, either to revenge, or defend himself, having the veins, muscles,sinews of his hand, arm, or leg clean cut asunder? Or beingdismembered by such wound upon the face or head, but shall be enforcedthereby, and through the loss of blood, the other a little dallyingwith him, to yield himself, or leave his life in his mercy?(13)And for plainer deciding this controversy between the blow and thethrust, consider this short note. The blow comes many ways, thethrust does not so. The blow comes a nearer way than the thrust mostcommonly, and is therefore sooner done. The blow requires the strengthof a man to be warded, but the thrust may be put by by the force of achild. A blow upon the hand, arm, or leg is maim incurable, but athrust in the hand, arm, or leg is to be recovered. The blow has manyparts to wound, and in every of them commands the life, but the thrusthas but a few, as the body or face, and not in every part of themeither.Of the difference between the true fight & the false. Whereinconsists (the Principles being had with the direction of the fourGovernors) the whole perfection of fight with all manner of weapons.14The true fights be these: whatsoever is done with the hand before thefoot or feet is true fight. The false fights are these: whatsoever isdone with the foot or feet before the hand, is false, because the handis swifter than the foot, the foot or feet being the slower mover thanthe hand, the hand in that manner of fight is tied to the time of thefoot or feet, and being tied thereto, has lost his freedom, and ismade thereby as slow in his motions as the foot or feet, and thereforthat fight is false.Of evil orders or customs in our English Fence schools, & of the oldor ancient teaching of weapons, & things very necessary to becontinued for the avoiding of errors, and reviving and continuance ofour ancient weapons, and most victorious fight again.15There is in my opinion in our fence schools an evil order or custom inthese days used, the which, if it might stand with the liking of ourMasters of Defence, I think it necessary to be left. For as long asit is used, it shall be hard to make a good scholar. That is this, atthe single sword, sword and dagger, & sword and buckler, theyforbid the thrust, & at the single rapier, and rapier &dagger, they forbid the blow. Either they are both together best, orthe thrust altogether best, or the blow altogether best. If the thrustis best, why do we not use it at the single sword, sword & dagger,& sword & buckler? If the blow is best, why do we not use itat the single rapier, rapier & poniard? But knowing by the art ofarms, that no fight is perfect without both blow and thrust, why do wenot use and teach both blow and thrust? But however this we dailysee, that when two met in fight, whether they have skill or none,unless such as have tied themselves to that boyish, Italian, weak,imperfect fight, they both strike and thrust, and how shall he thendo, that being much taught in school, that never learned to strike,nor how to defend a strong blow? And how shall he then do, that beingbrought up in a fencing school, that never learned to thrust with thesingle sword, sword and dagger, and sword and buckler, nor how atthese weapons to break a thrust? Surely, I think a down right fellow,that never came in school, using such skill as nature yielded out ofhis courage, strength, and agility, with good downright blows andthrust among, as shall best frame in his hands, should put one ofthese imperfect scholars greatly to his shifts. Besides, there are nowin these days no grips, closes, wrestlings, striking with the hilts,daggers, or bucklers, used in fencing schools. Our plowmen will bynature will do these things with great strength & agility. Butthe schoolmen is altogether unacquainted with these things. He beingfast tied to such school-play as he has learned, has lost thereby thebenefit of nature, and the plowman is now by nature without art a farbetter man than he. Therefore in my opinion as long as we bar anymanner of play in school, we shall hardly make a good scholar. Thereis no manner of teaching comparable to the old ancient teaching, thatis, first their quarters, then their wards, blows, thrusts, andbreaking of thrusts, then their closes and grips, striking with thehilts, daggers, bucklers, wrestlings, striking with the foot or kneein the cods, and all these are safely defended in learning perfectlyof the grips(14). And this is the ancient teaching, and without thisteaching, there shall never scholar be made able, do his uttermost,nor fight safe. Again their swords in schools are too long by almosthalf a foot to uncross, without going back with the feet, withindistance or perfectly to strike or thrust within the half or quartersword. And in serving of the prince, when men do meet together inpublic fight, are utterly naught and unserviceable. The best lengthfor perfect teaching of the true fight to be used and continued infence schools, to accord with the true statures of all men, are these.The blade to be a yard and an inch for men of mean stature, and formen of tall statures, a yard and three or four inches, and nomore(15). And I would have the rapier continued in schools, alwaysready for such as shall think themselves cunning, or shall havedelight to play with that imperfect weapon. Provided always, that theschoolmaster or usher play with him with his short sword, plying himwith all manner of fight according to the true art. This beingcontinued the truth shall flourish, the lie shall be beaten down, andall nations not having the true science, shall come with all gladnessto the valiant and most brave English masters of defence to learn thetrue fight for their defence.The grounds or Principles of true fight with all manner of weapons.16First judgement, lyings, distance, direction, pace, space, place,time, indirection, motion, action, general and continual motion,progression, regression, traversing, and treading of ground, blows,thrusts, falses, doubles, slips, wards, breaking of thrusts, closings,grips, & wrestlings, guardant fight, open fight, variable fight,and close fight, and four governors.The wards of all manner of weapons.17All single weapons have four wards, and all double weapons have eightwards. The single sword has two with the point up, and two with thepoint down. The staff and all manner of weapons to be used with twohands have the like.The sword and buckler, and the sword and dagger are double weapons,and have eight wards, two with the point up, and two with the pointdown, and two for the legs with the point down, the point to becarried for both sides of the legs, with the knuckles downward, andtwo wards with the dagger or buckler for the head. The forest bill isa double weapon by reason of the head, and therefore has eight wards,four with the staff, four with the head, four of them to be used aswith the staff, and the other four with the head, the one up, theother down, and the other sideways.The names and numbers of times appertaining unto fight both trueand false.18There are eight times, whereof four are true, and four are false. The true times are these.The time of the hand.The time of the hand and body.The time of the hand, body, and foot.The time of the hand, body, and feet.The false times are these.The time of the foot.the time of the foot and body.the time of the foot, body, and hand.the time of the feet, body, and hand.Thus have I thought good to separate and make known the true timesfrom the false, with the true wards thereto belonging, that therebythe rather in practicing of weapons a true course may be taken for theavoiding of errors and evil customs, and speedy attaining of goodhabit or perfect being in the true use and knowledge of all manner ofweapons.Of the length of weapons, and how every man may fit himself to theperfect length of his weapon, according to his own stature, with briefreasons wherefore they ought to be so.19To know the perfect length of your sword, you shall stand with yoursword and dagger drawn, as you see this picture, keeping out straightyour dagger arm, drawing back your sword as far as conveniently youcan, not opening the elbow joint of your sword arm, and look what youcan draw within your dagger, that is the just length of your sword, tobe made according to your own stature.(16)![[image of a sword/dagger stance]](http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html/pics/paradox_stance.gif) As I have here made a figurative demonstration, to know the perfectlength of the sword, as afore is said, so have I in the pagefollowing, for the plainer understanding of the reader, set forth aform of standing, to know the lengths of the short staff, half pike,forest bill, partisan, and gleve, or such like weapons of advantage,as shall also best fit the statures of all men.![[image of man with pike]](http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html/pics/paradox_pike.gif) The perfect length of your two handed sword is, the blade to be the length of the blade of your single sword.To know the perfect length of your short staff, or half pike, forestbill, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of vantage and perfectlengths, you shall stand upright, holding the staff upright close byyour body, with your left hand, reaching with your right hand yourstaff as high as you can, and then allow to that length a space to setboth your hands, when you come to fight, wherein you may convenientlystrike, thrust, and ward, & that is the just length to be madeaccording to your stature. And this note, that these lengths willcommonly fall out to be eight or nine foot long, and will fit,although not just, the statures of all men without any hindrance atall unto them in their fight, because in any weapon wherein the handsmay be removed, and at liberty, to make the weapon longer of shorterin fight at his pleasure, a foot of the staff being behind thebackmost hand does no harm. And wherefore these weapons ought to beof the lengths aforesaid, and no shorter, these are the reasons: Ifthey should be shorter, then the long staff, morris pike, and suchlike weapons over and above the perfect length, should have greatadvantage over them, because he may come boldly and safe without anyguard or ward, to the place where he may thrust home, and at everythrust put him in danger of his life, then can the long staff, themorris pike, or any longer weapon lie nowhere within the compass ofthe true cross, to cross and uncross, whereby he may safely pass hometo the place, where he may strike or thrust him that has the longweapon, in the head, face, or body at his pleasure.Of the lengths of the battle axe, halberd, or black bill, or such likeweapons of weight, appertaining unto guard or battle.20In any of these weapons there needs no just length, but commonly theyare, or ought to be five or six foot long, & may not well be used muchlonger, because of their weights, and being weapons for the wars andbattle, when men are joined close together, may thrust, & strike soundblows, with great force both strong and quick. And finally for thejust lengths of all other shorter or longer weapons to be governedwith both hands, there is none. Neither is their any certain lengthsin any manner of weapons to be used with one hand, over or under thejust length of the single sword. Thus ends the length of weapons.Of the vantages of weapons in their kinds, places, & times, both inprivate and public fight.21First I will begin with the worst weapon, an imperfect andinsufficient weapon, and not worth the speaking of, but now beinghighly esteemed, therefore not to be unremembered. That is, thesingle rapier, and rapier and poniard.The single sword has the vantage against the single rapier.The sword and dagger has the vantage against the rapier and poniard.The sword & target has the advantage against the sword and dagger, orthe rapier and poniard.The sword and buckler has advantage against the sword and target,the sword and dagger, or rapier and poniard.The two handed sword has the vantage against the sword and target, thesword and buckler, the sword and dagger, or rapier and poniard.The battle axe, the halberd, the black-bill, or such like weapons ofweight, appertaining unto guard or battle, are all one in fight, andhave advantage against the two handed sword, the sword and buckler,the sword and target, the sword and dagger, or the rapier and poniard.The short staff or half pike, forest bill, partisan, or glaive, orsuch like weapons of perfect length, have the advantage against thebattle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, thesword and target, and are too hard for two swords and daggers, or tworapier and poniards with gauntlets, and for the long staff and morrispike.The long staff, morris pike, or javelin, or such like weapons abovethe perfect length, have advantage against all manner of weapons, theshort staff, the Welch hook, partisan, or glaive, or such like weaponsof vantage excepted, yet are too weak for two swords and daggers ortwo sword and bucklers, or two rapiers and poniards with gauntlets,because they are too long to thrust, strike, and turn speedily. Andby reason of the large distance, one of the sword and dagger-men willget behind him.The Welch hook or forest bill, has advantage against all manner ofweapons whatsoever.Yet understand, that in battles, and where variety of weapons are,among multitudes of men and horses, the sword and target, the twohanded sword, battle axe, the black bill, and halberd, are betterweapons, and more dangerous in their offense and forces, than is thesword and buckler, short staff, long staff, or forest bill. The swordand target leads upon shot, and in troops defends thrusts and blowsgiven by battle axe, halberds, black bill, or two handed swords, farbetter than can the sword and buckler.The morris pike defends the battle from both horse and man, muchbetter than can the short staff, long staff, or forest bill. Againthe battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, andsword & target, among armed men and troops, by reason of theirweights, shortness, and great force, do much more offend the enemy,& are then much better weapons, than is the short staff, the longstaff, or the forest bill.Of the insufficiency and disadvantages of the rapiers-fight inbattle.22For the single rapier, or rapier & poniard, they are imperfect& insufficient weapons: and especially in service of the prince,when men shall join together, what service can soldier do with arapier, a childish toy wherewith a man can do nothing but thrust, northat neither, by reason of the length, and in every moving when blowsare a dealing, for lack of a hilt is in danger to have his hand or armcut off, or his head cloven. And for wards and grips, they have none,neither can any of these fine rapier men, for lack of use, tell how tostrike a sound blow.Of the vantages and sufficiency of the short sword fight in battle.23The short sword, and sword and dagger, are perfect good weapons, andespecially in service of the prince. What a brave weapon is a shortsharp light sword, to carry, to draw, to be nimble withal, to strike,to cut, to thrust both strong and quick. And what a good defence is astrong single hilt, when men are clustering and hurling together,especially where variety of weapons are, in their motions to defendthe hand, head, face, and bodies, from blows, that shall be givensometimes with swords, sometimes with two handed swords, battle axes,halberds, or black bills, and sometimes men shall be so near together,they shall have no space, scarce to use the blades of their swordsbelow their waist, then their hilts (their hands being aloft) defendfrom the blows their hands, arms, heads, faces and bodies. Then theylay on, having the use of blows and grips, by force of their arms withtheir hilts, strong blows, at the head, face, arms, bodies, andshoulders, and many times hurling together, scope is given to turndown their points, with violent thrusts at the faces and bodies, byreason of the shortness of their blades, to the mighty annoyance,discomfort, and great destruction of their enemies. One valiant manwith a sword in his hand, will do better service, than ten Italians,or Italianated with their rapiers.That all manner of double weapons, or weapons to be used with bothhands, have advantage against the single rapier or single sword, thereis no question to be made.That the sword and buckler has the vantage against the sword anddagger.24The dagger is an imperfect ward, although borne out straight, to makethe space narrow, whereby a little moving of the hand, may besufficient to save both sides of the head, or to break the thrust fromthe face or body, yet for lack of the circumference his hand will lietoo high or low, or too weak, to defend both blow and thrust. If helies straight with a narrow space, which is to break the thrust, thenhe lies too weak, and too low to defend his head from a strong blow.If he lies high, that is strong to defend his head, but then his spacewill be too wide to break the thrust from his body. The dagger serveswell at length to put by a thrust, and at the half sword to cross thesword blade, to drive out the agent, and put him in danger of hislife, and safely in any of these two actions defend himself. But thebuckler, by reason of his circumference and weight, being wellcarried, defends safely in all times and places, whether it be at thepoint, half sword, the head, body, and face, from all manner of blowsand thrusts whatsoever, yet I have heard many hold opinion, that thesword and dagger has the advantage of the sword and buckler, at theclose, by reason of the length and point of the dagger, and at thepoint of the sword, they can better see to ward than with a buckler.But I never knew any, that won the close with the dagger upon thesword and buckler, but did with himself out again: for distance beingbroken, judgement fails, for lack of time to judge, and the eye isdeceived by the swift motion of the hand, and for lack of true spacewith the dagger hand, which cannot be otherwise, for lack ofcircumference to defend both blow and thrust, it is impossible forlack of true space in just time, the agent having gotten the trueplace, to defend one thrust or blow of a hundred. And it is mostcertain, whosoever closes with sword and dagger against the sword andbuckler, is in great danger to be slain. Likewise at the point withindistance, if he stand to defend both blow and thrust with his dagger,for lack of true space and distance, if he has the best eye of anyman, and could see perfectly, which way the thrust or blow comes, andwhen it comes, as it is not to deny that he may, yet his space beingtoo large, it helps him nothing, because one man's hand being as swiftas another man's hand, both being within distance, he that strikes orthrusts, hurts the warder. The reason is this: the agent being in thefirst motion although in his offense, further to go than the warder todefend, yet the warder's space being too large, the blow or thrustwill be performed home, before the warder can come to the true placeto defend himself, and although the warder does perfectly see the blowor thrust coming, so shall he see his own ward so far from the trueplace of his defence, that although he does at that instant time,plainly see the blow or thrust coming, it shall be impossible for himto recover the true place of his ward, 'til he his wounded. But letthe warder with his dagger say, that it is not true which I have said,for the eyes to behold the blow or thrust coming, so has he as goodtime to defend himself. Herein he shall find himself deceived to,this is the reason: the hand is the swiftest motion, the foot is theslowest, without distance the hand is tied to the motion of the feet,whereby the time of the hand is made as slow as the foot, becausewhereby we redeem every time lost upon his coming in by the slowmotion of the foot & have time thereby to judge, when & how hecan perform any action whatsoever, and so have we the time of the handto the time of the feet. Now is the hand in his own course more swiftthan the foot or eye, therefore within distance the eye is deceived,& judgement is lost, and that is another cause that the warderwith the dagger, although he has perfect eyes, is still withindistance deceived(17). For proof that the hand is swifter than theeye & therefore deceives the eyes: let two stand within distance,& let one of them stand still to defend himself, & let theother flourish & false with his hand, and he shall continuallywith the swift motions of his hand, deceive the eyes of him thatstands watching to defend himself, & shall continually strike himin diverse places with his hand. Again, take this for an example,that the eyes by swift motions are deceived: turn a turn-wheel swift,& you shall not be able to discern with your best eyes how manyspokes are on the wheel, no nor whether there are any spokes at all,or whereof the wheel is made, and yet you see when the wheel standsstill there is a large distance between every spoke. He that will notbelieve that the swift motion of the hand in fight will deceive theeye, shall stare abroad with his eyes, & feel himself soundlyhurt, before he shall perfectly see how to defend himself. So thosethat trust to their fight, the excellency of a good eye, their greatcunning, & perfect wards of the daggers, that they can see betterto ward than with a buckler, shall ever be deceived. And when theyare wounded, they say the gent was a little too quick for them.Sometimes they say they bear their dagger a little too low. Sometimesthey are thrust under the dagger, then they say, they bear it a littletoo high. Sometimes a thrust being strongly made, they being soundlypaid therewith, say, they were a little too slow, & sometimes theybe soundly paid with a thrust,& they think they were a little tooquick. So they that practice or think to be cunning in the daggerward, are all the days of their lives learning, and are nevertaught(18).That the sword and buckler has the vantage against the sword andtarget.25The sword & target together has but two fights, that is thevariable fight, & the close fight, for the close fight, the numberof his feet are too many to take against any man of skill having thesword & buckler, & for the variable fight although not so manyin number, yet too many to win the place with his foot and strikehome. The sword & buckler man out of his variable, open &guardant fight can come bravely off & on, false & double,strike & thrust home, & make a true cross upon every occasionat his pleasure. If the sword & target man will fly to hisguardant fight, the breadth of the target will not suffer it, if tohis open fight, then has the sword & buckler man in effect thesword and buckler to the single, for in that fight by reason of thebreadth, the target can do little good or none at all.The short staff.26Now for the vantage of the short staff against the sword and buckler,sword & target, two handed sword, single sword, sword and dagger,or rapier and poniard, there is no great question to be in any ofthese weapons. Whensoever any blow or thrust shall be strongly madewith the staff, they are ever in false place, in the carriage of thewards, for if at any of these six weapons he carries his ward high& strong for his head, as of necessity he must carry it very high,otherwise it will be too weak to defend a blow being strongly made atthe head, then will his space be too wide, in due time to break thethrust from his body. Again, if he carries his ward lower, thereby tobe in equal space for readiness to break both blow & thrust, thenin that place his ward is too low, and too weak to defend the blow ofthe staff: for the blow being strongly made at the head upon thatward, will beat down the ward and his head together, and put him ingreat danger of his life. And here is to be noted, that if he fightswell, the staff man strikes but at the head, and thrusts presentlyunder at the body. And if a blow is first made, a thrust follows, andif a thrust is first made, a blow follows, and in doing of any ofthem, the one breeds the other. So that however any of these sixweapons shall carry his ward strongly to defend the first, he shall betoo far in space to defend the second, whether it be blow orthrust.Yet again for the short staff: the short staff has the vantage againstthe battle axe, black bill, or halberd: the short staff has theadvantage, by reason of the nimbleness and length: he will strike andthrust freely, and in better and swifter time than can the battle axe,black bill, or halberd, and by reason of his judgement, distance andtime, fight safe. And this resolve upon, the short staff is the bestweapon against all manner of weapons, the forest bill excepted.Also the short staff has advantage against two swords and daggers, ortwo rapiers, poniards and gauntlets(19), the reasons and causes beforeare for the most part set down already, the which being wellconsidered, you shall plainly see, that whensoever any one of thesword & dagger men, or rapier and poniard men shall break hisdistance, or suffer the staff man to break his, that man which didfirst break his distance, or suffer the distance to be one againsthim, is presently in danger of death. And this cannot in reason bedenied, because the distance appertaining to the staff man, either tokeep or break, stands upon the moving of one large space always at themost, both for his offense or safety. The other two in the breach oftheir distance to offend the staff man, have always four paces at theleast therein they fall too great in number with their feet, and tooshort in distance to offend the staff man. Now there rests no more tobe spoken of, but how the staff man shall behave himself to keep thatdistance, that one of the sword & dagger men get not behind him,while the other shall busy him before. To do that is very easy, byreason of the small number of his feet, as it were in the center pointof a wheel, the other two to keep their distance, are driven to runtwenty feet for one, as it were upon the uttermost part of the circleof the wheel, all this while the staff man is very well. Then itcomes thus to pass, whether they both labor to get behind him, or onekeeps directly before him while the other gets behind him, yet beforethat is brought to pass, they shall either be both before him or justagainst both sides of him, at which time soever the staff man findingeither within distance, he presently in making of his play, slays,with blow or thrust one of them, or at the least puts him in greatdanger of his life. If the staff man takes his time, when they areboth before him, that is to say, before they come to the half ring,just against both sides of the staff man, then he that is nearestwithin distance is slain by blow or thrust, or put in great danger ofhis life. But if the sword and dagger men do keep their distanceuntil they come to the just half ring against the sides of the staffman, and then break distance, that man that first breaks distance isslain with blow or thrust, or sore hurt, and in great danger of death,and the staff man in making that play at that instant, must turn withone large pace, which he may easily do, before the other can get nearenough to offend him by reason that he has to make with his feet butone large pace, but the other has to make with his feet but one largepace, but the other has at the least three paces. But if the sword anddagger men will in the time they are before him, keep their distancein the time of their being upon the middle part of the outside of thecircle, right against both sides of him, & will labor with allheed & diligence to be both or one of them behind him, thattroubles the staff man nothing at all, for in that very time, when hefinds them past the middle part of the circle, he presently turns, bythe which he shall naturally set himself as it were in a triangle, andboth the sword and dagger-men, shall thereby stand both before him intrue distance of three paces, from offending of him at the least, asat the first they did. And take this for a true ground, there is noman able to ward a sound blow with the sword and dagger, nor rapier,poniard and gauntlet, being strongly made at the head, with the staff,and run in withal, the force of hands in such, being in his fullmotion and course, that although the other carries his ward high andstrong with both hands, yet his feet being moving from the ground, thegreat force of the blow will strike him with his ward, and all downflat to ground. But if he stands fast with his feet, he may with bothweapons together, strongly defend his head from the blow, but then youare sufficiently instructed, the thrust being presently made, afterthe blow full at the body, it is impossible in due time to break it,by reason of the largeness of his space.The short staff has the vantage against the long staff, and Morrispike, and the Forest Bill against all manner of weapons.27The reasons are these. The short staff has the vantage of the longstaff and Morris pike in the strength & narrowness of space in hisfour wards of defence. And the Forest bill has the vantage of allmanner of weapons in his strength and narrowness of space in his eightwards of defence. And the rather because the bill has two wards forone against the staff or Morris pike, that is to say, four with thestaff, and four with the head, and is more offensive than is the staffor Morris pike. Yet a question(20) may be made by the unskillful,concerning the fight between the long staff and the short, in thissort: Why should not the long staff have advantage against the shortstaff, since that the long staff man, being at liberty with his hands,may make his staff both long and short for his best advantage, whenhe shall think it good, and therefore when he shall find himselfovermatched in the length of his staff, by the strength of the shortstaff, and narrowness of space of his four wards of defence, he canpresently by drawing back of his staff in his hands, make his staff asshort as the other's, and so be ready to fight him with at his ownlength? To this I answer(21), that when the long staff man is driventhere to lie, the length of his staff that will lie behind him, willhinder him to strike, thrust, ward, or go back in due time. Neithercan he turn the contrary end of his staff to keep out the short staffman from the close, nor safely to defend himself at his coming in.Again of the vantages of weapons.28Make this for a general rule, all long staves, Morris pikes, Forestbills, Javelins, or such like long weapons, of what sort soever, beingabove the true lengths, the shortest has the advantage, because theycan cross and uncross in shorter time than can the longer. And allmanner of short weapons to be used with both hands, as staves, andsuch like, being under the perfect lengths, the longest have theadvantage, and all manner of weapons to be used with one hand, thatare above the perfect length of the single sword, the shortest has thevantage, and all manner of weapons under the just length of the shortsword, as falchions, skaines, or hangers, woodknives, daggers, andsuch like short weapons of imperfect lengths, the longest has theadvantage, because the fight of these weapons consist within the halfor quarter sword, wherein by the swift motions of their hands, theireyes are deceived, and in those weapons, commonly for their hands lieno defence. And if two shall fight with staves or swords, or whatweapons soever, the one of them having his weapon longer than theperfect length, and the other shorter than the perfect length, he thathas the longer has the vantage, because the shorter can make no truecross in true time. The short staff or half pike, Forest bill,Partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of perfect length, to beused with both hands, have the advantage against two swords anddaggers, or two rapiers, poniards and gauntlets, and against all otherweapons whatsoever, the Forest bill excepted.Again for the short staff or half pike.29The short staff is most commonly the best weapon of all others,although other weapons may be more offensive, and especially againstmany weapons together, by reason of his nimbleness and swift motions,and is not much inferior to the Forest bill, although the Forest billis more offensive, and has more wards, because the Staff is veryuncertain, but the Bill is a more certain mark, by reason of thebreadth of the head, whereby as the Bill has advantage in his wards inthe head, so therefor has the staff the like defence, or rather more,to play upon the head of the bill, not only to make a perfect goodward, but thereby, the rather to cast the Bill out of the right line,whereby the staff man may thrust safe, and endanger the Bill-man: andthe rather because therein he is the first mover, wherein there isgreat vantage, both in time and force. And if the Bilman is notvery skillful (all vantages and disadvantages of both sides beingconsidered,) the short Staff will prove the better weapon. Lastlynote this(22), that long Staves, Morris pikes, and such like weapons ofimperfect lengths, being to be used with both hands, notwithstandingtheir imperfect lengths, are perfect weapons to be used, the oneagainst the other, and their fights therein perfect, because indrawing of them back betwixt their hands, their motion is swifterbackwards, than is the time of the agents feet forwards, by which alltheir lost times are redeemed. Therefore these weapons in theirfights, the one against the other are perfect. And these weapons inthe night are the best weapons of all others, and have great advantageagainst the Forest bill, short staff, or any manner of short weaponswhatsoever, for these causes: they boldly make home their fights, andif need be against desperate men, that will venture themselves to runin, they redeem their lost times. But the other with shorter weaponsfor lack of light, can make no true defence. Thus ends the vantagesof weapons.Questions and answers between the scholar and the master, of thevantages and disadvantages between a tall man, and a man of meanstature, having both the perfect knowledge in their weapons.30Scholar: Who has the advantage in fight, of a tall man, or a man ofmean stature?Master: The tall man has the vantage, for these causes(23): his reachbeing longer, and weapon unto his stature accordingly, he has therebya shorter course with his feet to win the true place, wherein by theswift motion of his hand, he may strike or thrust home, in which timea man of mean stature cannot reach him, & by his large pace, in histrue pace in his regression further, sets himself out of danger, &these are the vantages that a tall man has against any man of shorterreach than himself.Scholar: What vantage has a man of mean stature against a tall man?Master: He has none: because the true times in fight, and actionsaccordingly, are to be observed and done, as well by a tall man, as bya man of mean stature.Scholar: Why then if this is true, that tall men have the vantageagainst men of mean stature, it should seem in fight there is noperfection, other then this, when men of like stature, reach, & lengthof weapon, shall fight together, the which will seldom or neverhappen, but either in the length of their weapons, statures or reaches(if their swords should be of just length) some difference mostcommonly will be in their reaches.Master: Yes verily, the tall man has still the vantage, and yet thefight is perfect, although the men that shall happen to fight, shallhappen to be unequal in their statures, reaches, or lengths of theirweapons.Scholar: That can I hardly believe, unless you can tell me by art howto avoid or safely defend my self, being but a man of mean stature,against a tall man.Master: I will tell you. There belongs unto this art of defence onlyto be used with the feet, progression, regression, traversing, andtreading of grounds. In any of these you playing the part of thepatient, or patient agent, your feet are swifter in their motion thanare the agents, because his weight and number of his feet in hiscoming in to win the place to strike or thrust home, are greater thanyours, and therefore the true time is yours to avoid him, or safely todefend yourself. So the art is still true, and the tall man has stillthe vantage.Scholar: Yet I am not fully satisfied herein, because you tell mestill that the tall man has the vantage, and notwithstanding you saythe art is true, wherein then has the tall man the vantage, when byyour art you can defend yourself against him?Master: I will satisfy you herein thus. The tall man has the vantage,he can maintain his fight, both by nature and by art, with more easethan can the man of mean stature, because the man of mean stature hasthereby a further course with his feet to pass to the place, whereinhe may strike or thrust home, and in winning of that place, is drivenby art to come guarded under his wards to defend himself, because inthe time of his coming, the tall man may have both naturally orartificially strike or thrust home, in which time, if the man of meanstature should fail in the least iota of his art, he should be ingreat danger of death or hurt. But the tall man can naturally(24) andsafely come to the true place open, without any artificial wards atall, and therein also endanger the other, or drive him still totraverse his ground, with all the artificial skill that he has todefend himself, and all this the tall man does by reason of his lengthof weapon, large pace, short course, and long reach, with greatsafety, pleasure and ease. And for those causes the tall man hasstill the vantage of men of mean stature, and not withstanding thenoble science of defence most perfect and good.Of the single rapier fight between valiant men, having both skill, hethat is the best wrestler, or if neither of them can wrestle, thestrongest man most commonly kills the other, or leaves him at hismercy.31When two valiant men of skill at single rapier do fight, one or bothof them most commonly standing upon their strength or skill inwrestling, will presently seek to run into the close. But having bothskill, not without special care of their guard or cross, the which theymay safely do, by reason of the length of the rapiers: but happeningboth of one mind, the rather do bring themselves together: that beingdone, no skill with rapiers avail, they presently grapple fast theirhilts, their wrists, arms, bodies or necks, as in lustring(?),wrestling, or striving together, they may best find for theiradvantages: whereby it most commonly falls out, that he that is thebest wrestler, or strongest man (if neither of them can wrestle)overcomes, wrestling by strength, or fine skill in wrestling, therapier from his adversary, or casting him from him, either to theground, or to such distance, that he may by reason thereof, use theedge or point of his rapier, to strike or thrust him, leaving him deador alive at his mercy. But if one of these valiant men shall seek torun into the close, and the other shall use his skill in traversing ofhis ground, or otherwise by standing upon his guard or Stocata ward,to take all manner of advantages at his coming, yet all avails himnot, because the rapiers being long, the crossing of the blades cannotbe avoided. That being made, the oppressor runs faster forwards thancan the the defendant backwards, and so are brought together, as inthe first assault they were, &every action therein performed.Of the rapier and poniard fight betwixt valiant men, having bothskill.32If two valiant men do fight at rapier and poniard having both skill,one or both of them will presently press hard to win the place,wherein in his judgement he may thrust home. If both are of one mind,the time is doubled in winning the same, whereby it comes to pass,that then he that first thrusts, endangers, kills or hurts the other,and if they both thrust together, as they may do by the equal time oftheir feet, then they are most commonly both slain, or both hurt. Andthis is well known unto all men of skill, that the place being oncegotten, there is neither judgement, space, pace, nor time, either bywards with their rapier blades, or by breaking with their poniards, orflying back, that can preserve or defend them. But if but one of themwill seek to win by passage, hard pressing, or otherwise the place,wherein in his judgement he may thrust home, it is impossible for theother to deny him the same, because the length of the rapiers wins himthe cross. The cross being taken, the place is had. The place beinghad, he that first thrusts, first speeds: if both thrust together,they are both in dange: then presently follows (unless it please Godotherwise to have it) the stabs with their daggers, wherein there liesno defence.Of the long rapier & Poniard fight between two valiant men, the one having skill, the other none, he that has no skill has the vantage.33When two valiant men shall fight with long rapiers and poniards, theone having skill, the other none, he that has no skill most commonlyproves himself the better man, for these causes or reasons following.First the skillful man as knowing the other to have no skill, or findit to be so by his shape or manner of coming towards him, willpresently yield to take the advantage of his coming, or else with allspeed put himself into his short ward, to be ready at his coming tomake a strong Stocata (as the Italians call it) the other knowing hisimperfection in fight, assures himself there can be no great good forhim to stand long out at the point, presently redoubles or revives hisspirits with perfect resolution, to make short work, courageously withsome offensive action, such as nature shall best yield unto him, fliesin with all force and agility. The skillful man stands watching totake such advantage as his schoolmaster has taught him, in which time,many times it falls out, he is taught a new time, seen by anunskillful man that never fought before, is sore hurt or slain. Andif it happens they both miss in their offensive actions, then byreason thereof, and of the imperfect length of their rapiers, theycome to stabbing with their poniards, wherein their lies no defence,because distance being broken, judgement fails, time is lost, andtheir eyes (by the swift motions of their hands) are deceived.Of the long single rapier, or rapier and poniard fight between twounskillful men being valiant.34When two unskillful men (being valiant) shall fight with long singlerapiers, there is less danger in that kind of fight, by reason oftheir distance in convenient length, weight, and unwieldiness, than iswith short rapiers, whereby it comes to pass, that what hurt shallhappen to be done, if any with the edge or point of their rapiers isdone in a moment, and presently will grapple and wrestle together,wherein most commonly the strongest or best wrestler overcomes, andthe like fight falls out between them, at the long rapier and poniard,but much more deadly, because instead of close and wrestling, they fallmost commonly to stabbing with their poniards.Of the imperfection and insufficiency of rapiers in general, of whatlength soever they are.35If two fight with long rapiers, upon every cross made with the halfrapier(25), if they have poniards, they most commonly stab each other,which cannot be avoided, because the rapiers being long, the crosscannot be undone of either side, without going back with their feet,the which likewise in due time cannot be done, because the hand ismore swift than the feet, and the feet more swift in their courseforwards than backwards, neither can the cross be prevented, becausethe point of necessity lies too far off in his offense, or else withincompass of the true time of the hand and body, by reason of hisimperfect length, and so by the like reason, if two fight with longsingle rapiers, upon every cross made therewith, within the halfrapier, the close cannot be avoided, whereby it comes to pass mostcommonly, that the strongest man or best wrestler overcomes. Now iftwo do fight with short rapiers, or rapiers of convenient length, suchrapiers are inconvenient also for lack of hilt to defend the hand andhead from the blow. For no eye (in making a perfect ward for thehead, to defend the blow, can discern to take the same within three orfour inches, whereby it may as well and as often fall upon the hand,as upon the blade of the rapier. Again, the hilt as well serves todefend the head as the hand, and is a more sure and strong ward, thanis the blade of the rapier. And further, understand this for truth,that in gardant and open fight, the hand without a hilt lies open tomost blows that shall be struck by the agent, out of gardant or openfight, because in the true carriage of the gardant fight, the handmust lie above the head, in such straightness and narrowness of space,that which way soever the agent shall strike or thrust at the head,face, or body, the removing of two or four inches shall save all. Andnow somewhat more for the shortness or convenient length of rapiers.Rapiers having no hilts to defend the head, the rapier man is drivenof necessity to lie at the variable fight or low ward, and being therehe can neither defend in due time, head, face nor body from the blowsor thrusts of him, that shall fight out of the gardant or open fight,but is continually in great danger of the agent, for these causesfollowing. First, because his space is too wide to defend his headfrom blow or thrust. Secondly his pace standing upon that fight, willbe of necessity too great or too narrow. If too narrow, too weak, iftoo large, his weight and number of his feet, are too great toendanger him, that is upon his gardant or open fight.Of the imperfection and insufficiency of the fight of the singlerapier, rapier and poniard, rapier and buckler, rapier and cloak, andrapier and glove of mail.36The rapier fight, whether it is single or accompanied with theponiard, buckler, cloak, or glove of mail, is still by reason of theinsufficiency or imperfection of the rapier, an imperfect fight.Imperfect instruments can make no perfect music, neither can imperfectweapons make perfect fight. Let men that handle them have all theknowledge that may be in all manner of weapons, yes the full height,or perfection, and habit by his great labor and industry, even as itwere naturally effected in him, yet if the weapons that they shallfight withal be imperfect or insufficient to perform whatsoeverappertains unto true fight, as concerning the perfection of theirsafety, it avails them nothing. What shall we then say for therapier? Is the rapier an imperfect or insufficient weapon to performwhatsoever appertains unto true fight? Yes. Wherefore? Because untothe true fight there appertains four fights, gardant fight, openfight, variable fight, and close fight, without all four of thesefights it is impossible to fight safe. But the rapier for lack of ahilt is an imperfect weapon, and therefore insufficient to fight safeupon these four fights, for the are already set down in the Paradoxbefore, but is inferred to loose the benefit of two of the bestfights, gardant and open fight, and to fly from them, and trust onlyunto variable fight, and close fight. Now having proved through theimperfection or insufficiency of the rapier, the imperfections of therapier fight, it remains that I speak of the rest of the weapons, orinstruments appertaining unto rapier fight.The rapier and poniard fight, the rapier & buckler fight, therapier and cloak fight, & the rapier & glove of mail fight,all these fights by reason of the imperfection of the rapier, and therapier fight, are also imperfect fights, for proof of the uncertaintyand impossibilities of the safety in any of these fights, thus itstands. These fights depend altogether upon variable fight and closefight. In any of these fights it is impossible in true space ofoffense to keep the blades of their rapiers from crossing, or frombreaking with the poniards, buckler, cloak or breaking or catchingwith the glove of mail, because in any of these two fights, the agenthas still in true space the blade of the patients rapier to workupon. These things by letters cannot be made more plain, neither is itunknown to the skilful, or in fight by any means to be avoided. Theweapon being too far in true space to be wrought upon, the placecannot be denied, do the patient Agent what he can for his life to thecontrary, either by blows, thrusts, falsing or doubling of thrusts,going back, indirections, or turnings of the body, or what else soevermay in the highest touch of wit or strength, or agility of body bedevised or done, to keep out the agent: but still the agent bynarrowness of space brings himself by strong guard to the place, wherebeing brought, it is impossible to fight safe, as it is for twodesperate men set together being both blind. Because in the trueplace (won in rapier or variable fight) their eyes by the swiftmotions of their hands are deceived, the crosses in that fight arefalse, their distance, judgement and times are lost, either to offendin safety, or safely to defend themselves, and these reasons, rules,or grounds of the feats of arms are infallible or invincible.Now, oh you Italian teachers of defence, where are your Stocatas,Imbrocatas, Mandrittas, Puntas, & Punta Reversas, Stramisons,Passatas, Carricados, Amazzas, & Incartatas, & playing with yourbodies, removing with your feet a little aside, circlewise winding ofyour bodies, making of three times with your feet together, markingwith one eye the motion of the adversary, & with the other eye theadvantage of thrusting? What is become of all these juggling gambols,apish devices, with all the rest of your squint eyed tricks, when asthrough your deep studies, long practices, & apt bodies, both strongand agile, you have attained to the height of all these things? Whatthen avails it you, when you shall come to fight for your lives with aman of skill? You shall have neither time, nor place, in due time toperform any one of them, nor gardant nor open fight safely to keep outa man of skill, a man of no skill, or scholar of your own teaching,from the true place, the place of safety, the place of uncertainty ormischief, the place of wounds or death, but are enforced to stand inthat mischievous, uncertain, dangerous, and most deadly place, as twomen having lost in part their chiefest senses, most furiously withtheir rapiers or poniards, wounding or slaying each other.Thus ends the imperfect fights of the rapier with all manner ofweapons or instruments thereto appertaining, with their imperfections,through the true grounds and rules of the art of arms, truly displayed& brought to light.All laud be unto the Almighty God.That the reasons used by the Italian fencers in commending the use ofthe rapier and poniard, because it makes peace, makes againstthemselves.37It has been commonly held, that since the Italians have taught therapier fight, by reason of the dangerous use thereof, it has bredgreat civility among our English nation, they will not now give thelie, nor with such foul speeches abuse themselves, therefore there arefewer frays(26) in these times than were wont to be. It cannot bedenied but this is true, that we are more circumspect of our words,and more fearful to fight than heretofore we have been. But whereofcomes it? Is it from this, that the rapier makes peace in our minds;or from hence, that it is not so sufficient defence for our bodies inour fight? He that will fight when he is armed, will not fight whenhe is naked: is it therefore good to go naked to keep peace? he thatwould fight with his sword and buckler, or sword and dagger, beingweapons of true defence, will not fight with his rapier and poniard,wherein no true defence or fight is perfect: are these insufficientweapons therefore the better, because not being sufficient to defendus in fight, they force us into peace? What else is it, but to say,it is good for subjects to be poor, that they not go to law: or tolack munition, that they may not fight, nor go to the wars: and toconclude, what more follows through the imperfect works of the Italianpeacemakers? They have made many a strong in his fight weak, many avaliant man fearful, many a worthy man trusting to their imperfectfight, has been slain, and many of our desperate boys and youngyouths, to become in that rapier fight, as good men as Englandyielded, and the tallest men of this land, in that fight as very boysas they and no better. This good have the Italian teachers of Offensedone us, they have transformed our boys into men, and our men intoboys, our strong men into weakness, our valiant men doubtful, and manyworthy men resolving themselves upon their false resolutions, havemost willfully in the field, with their rapiers ended their lives.And lastly, have left to remain among us after their deaths, theseinconveniences behind them, false fencing books, imperfect weapons,false fights, and evil customs, whereby for lack of use and practicein perfect weapons and true fight, we are disabled for the service ofour prince, defence of our country, and safety of our lives in privatefight.That the short sword has the advantage against the long sword or longrapier.38Whereas for the most part opinions are generally held, that the longsword, or long rapier, has the vantage in fight against the shortsword, which the Italian teachers of defence, by their falsedemonstrations have brought us to believe. I have thought good thatthe truth may appear which has the vantage, to add my help unto thereasons they use in their own behalf, for that yet I could never hearthem make a sound reason for the same. These are thereasons(27). First with my long rapier, I will put myself into myguard or Stocata, holding my hilt back by the outside of my rightthigh, keeping in short the point of my rapier, so as he that has theshort sword, shall not be able to reach the point of my rapier, tomake his ward or cross with his dagger, buckler, sword, or cloak,without stepping in with his foot, the which time is too long toanswer the time of the hand, by reason of my distance. I can therestand safe without danger of blow or thrust, playing the patient'spart. If you strike or thrust you do it too short, by reason of mydistance. If you seek to come nearer, you must do it with the time ofyour foot, in which time I may safely thrust home. If in thatdistance you break it not, you are slain. If you do break it, yet youdo me no harm, by reason of my distance, and I may stand fast andthrust again, or fly back at my pleasure. So have you put yourself indanger of your life, and having hardly escaped, are driven again tobegin a new bout, as at the first you did. Again, if I please, I canbe the oppressor, keeping the same guard, and my point in short as Idid before, and pressing strongly by putting in by little and littleof my feet, until the place of my foot is gotten, wherein (in myjudgement) I may thrust home, the which I may boldly and safely do,without respect of any ward at all, by reason of my distance, in whichtime of my coming he must strike, thrust, ward, or go back. If hegoes back, it is a great disgrace, if he strikes or thrusts, it is tooshort, if he stands to defend, the place being already gotten, where Imay thrust home, the thrust being very quick & strongly made, suchis the force and swiftness thereof, that it is impossible by nature orart, for any man to break one thrust of an hundred. These reasons inmy opinion may suffice to confirm the wise, that there is no questionto be made, but that the long rapier has the advantage against theshort sword.Sir you have prettily handled your discourse(28), concerning thevantages of the long rapier against the short sword, especially at thefirst show, and according to common sense, but for the substance andtruth of the true fight, you have said nothing, because for theperformance of any of your allegations, you have neither true pace,place, time, nor space. These are the reasons. Your pace ofnecessity must be too large, because otherwise you cannot keep safethe point of your long rapier, from the cross of the short sword,unless you will with a narrow pace keep back your hilt so far, thatthe space of your offense will be too large or too long in distance,and your body unapt to move and thrust both strong and quick in duetime, nor aptly to keep your distance, to win the place with yourfeet, to thrust home. So now you may plainly see, if you have skillin the art or science of defence, that is to perform anything whichyou have alleged, you have neither true pace, place, time nor space.But if you will stand upon the largeness of your pace, to keep back orsave the point of your long rapier from the ward or cross of the shortsword, or upon your Passatas, in all these you have greatdisadvantages. And these are my reasons. Your number will be toogreat, as thus. Whenever you mean out of your large pace to thrusthome, you must of necessity make four times with your feet, and onewith your hand, or two times with your feet, and one with your hand atleast. And whensoever you make any of your passages, the number ofyour feet are greater than the greatest of any of these times done outof the large pace. But the patient with his short sword, to avoidyou, or disappoint you of your thrust, has but one time with his foot,at or before the which time, as he in his judgement shall find you inyour motion, has by the slow and great number of your motions ortimes, sufficient time safely out of all danger to make himself readyto take his cross with his short sword. Now sir, whether you thrust ornot thrust, whether you play the part of an agent, or patient, ithelps you nothing, for he that has the short sword has four times ormotions against the long rapier, namely bent, spent, lying spent, anddrawing back, in all manner of fights these are to be observed both bythe patient and agent. Now note, he that has the long rapier must ofnecessity play upon one of these four motions, or be patient, whichsoever he shall do, he is still in great danger of the cross of theshort sword, because if he is agent, his number is too great, he fallsinto one of the four motions, the patient with his short sword, havingbut the time of his hand, or hand & foot, safely upon theseactions or times takes his cross with the short sword. That beingdone, he presently uncrosses and strikes or thrusts at his pleasurehim that has the long rapier, in the head, face, or body. Now here isagain to be noted, that when the cross is made, if he that has thelong rapier stands fast, he is wounded presently in the uncrossing ofthe short sword, if he steps or leaps back to save himself, yet thetime of the hand being swifter than the time of the foot, overtakeshim, with blow or thrust in the arm, hand, head, face and body. Nowif he that has the long rapier will be patient & make no play, butlie still watching to make his thrust or Stocata just in the coming ormoving of the agent's feet with his short sword, then he has as greatdisadvantage as he had when he was patient, because then the agentwith his short sword has but hand and foot to make his cross, which ismost safely to be done in that time, which we call bent, and is asimpossible for the rapier man to prevent, as it is for an unskillfulto strike or thrust just together with a man of skill. Then thus do Iconclude, that he that fights with a long rapier, against him thatfights with short sword, can do nothing in due time to defend himself,or hurt the other, but is still in danger of his life, or at the mercyof him that has the short sword, or else has no safe way to helphimself, but only Cob's Traverse(29). This Cob was a great quarreler,and did delight in great bravery to give foul words to his betters,and would not refuse to go into the field to fight with any man, andwhen he came to the field, would draw his sword to fight, for he wassure by the cunning of his traverse, not to be hurt by any man. Forat any time finding himself overmatched would suddenly turn his backand run away with such swiftness, that it was thought a good horsewould scarce take him. And this when I was a young man, was very muchspoken of by many gentlemen of the Inns of the Court, and was calledCob's Traverse and those that had seen any go back too fast in hisfight, would say, he did tread Cob's Traverse.George Silver his military riddle, truly set down between theperfection and imperfection of fight. Containing the handling of thefour fights, wherein true consists the whole sum and full perfectionof the true fight, with all manner of weapons, with an invincibleconclusion.Gardant fight stays, puts back, or beats gardant fight.Open fight stays, puts back, or beats open fight.Variable fight answers variable fight in the first distance, and nototherwise, except it be with perfect length against imperfect.Close fight is beaten by gardant fight.Variable close & gardant fight, beats gardant fight, open fight,variable fight, and close fight.Gardant fight in the imperfection of the agent or patient, wins thehalf sword, and presently the close, and whosoever first ventures theclose, looses it, and is in great danger of death, and not possible toescape or get out again without great hurt.There attends most diligently upon these four fights four offensiveactions, which we call certain, uncertain, first, before, just, andafterward. They are to be performed through judgement, time, measure,number and weight, by which all manner of blows thrusts, falses,doubles, or slips, are prevented, or most safely defended. And thusends my riddle.Now follows the conclusion, that whosoever shall think or find himselfin his fight too weak for the agent's, or patient agent, andtherefore, or by reason of his drunkenness, or unreasonabledesperateness shall press within the half sword, or desperately run inof purpose to give hurt, or at least for taking of one hurt, to giveanother, shall most assuredly be in great danger of death or wounds,and the other shall still be safe and go free.Veritas vincit.A BRIEF NOTE OF THREE ITALIAN TEACHERS OF OFFENSE(30)There were three Italian teachers of offense in my time. The firstwas Signior Rocco, the second was Jeronimo, that was Senior Rocco hisboy, that taught gentlemen in the Black Friars, as usher for hismaster in stead of a man. The third was Vincentio. This Senior Roccocame into England about some thirty years past. He taught thenoblemen & gentlemen of the court. He caused some of them to wearleaden soles in their shoes, the better to bring to nimbleness of thefeet in their fight. He disbursed a great sum of money for the leaseof a fair house in Warwick lane, which he called his college, for hethought it great disgrace for him to keep a fence school, he beingthen thought to be the only famous master of the art of arms in thewhole world. He caused to be fairly drawn and set round about hisschool all the noblemen's and gentlemen's arms that were hisscholars, amd hanging right under their arms their rapiers, daggers,gloves of mail and gauntlets. Also, he has benches and stools, theroom being very large, for gentlemen to sit round about his school tobehold his teaching. He taught none commonly under twenty, forty,fifty, or a hundred pounds. And because all things should be verynecessary for the noblemen & gentlemen, he had in his school a largesquare table, with a green carpet, done round with a very broad richfringe of gold, always standing upon it a very fair Standish coveredwith crimson velvet, with ink, pens, pen-dust, and sealing wax, andquivers of very excellent fine paper gilded, ready for the noblemen &gentlemen (upon occasion) to write their letters, being then desirousto follow their fight, to send their men to dispatch their business.And to know how the time passed, he had in one corner of his school aclock, with very fair large dial. He had within his school, a room thewhich was called the privy school, with many weapons therein, where hedid teach his scholars his secret fight, after he had perfectly taughtthem their rules. He was very much beloved in the court.There was one Austin Bagger, a very tall gentleman of his hands, notstanding much upon his skill, but carrying the valiant heart of anEnglishman, upon a time being merry among his friends, said he wouldgo fight with Signior Rocco, presently went to Signior Rocco his housein the Blackfriers, and called to him in this manner: Signior Rocco,you are thought to be the only cunning man in the world with yourweapon, you that takes upon yourself to hit any Englishman with athrust upon any button, you that takes upon yourself to come overthe sea, to teach the valiant noblemen and gentlemen of England tofight, you cowardly fellow, come out of your house if you dare foryour life, I am come to fight with thee. Signior Rocco, looking outat a window, perceiving him in the street to stand ready with hissword and buckler, with his two hand sword drawn, with all speed raninto the street, and manfully let fly at Austin Bagger, who mostbravely defended himself, and presently closed with him, and struck uphis heels, and cut him over the breech, and trod upon him, and mostgrievously hurt him under his feet. Yet in the end Austin of his goodnature gave him his life, and there left him. This was the first andlast fight that ever Signior Rocco made, save once at Queen Hith hedrew his rapier upon a waterman, where he was thoroughly beaten withoars and stretchers, but the odds of their weapons were as greatagainst his rapier, as was his two hand sword against Austin Bagger'ssword and buckler, therefore for that fray he was to be excused.Then came Vincentio and Jeronimo, they taught rapier fight at thecourt, at London, and in the country, by the space of seven or eightyears or thereabouts. These two Italian fencers, especially Vincentio,said Englishmen were strong men, but had no cunning, and they would goback too much in their fight, which was great disgrace unto them.Upon these words of disgrace against Englishmen, my brother TobySilver and myself, made challenge against them both, to play with themat the single rapier, rapier and dagger, the single dagger, the singlesword, the sword and target, the sword and buckler, & two handsword, the staff, battle axe, and Morris pike, to be played at theBell Savage upon the scaffold, where he that went in his fight fasterback than he ought, of Englishmen or Italian, should be in danger tobreak his neck off the scaffold. We caused to that effect, five orsix score bills of challenge to be printed, and set up from Southwarketo the Tower, and from thence throughout London unto Westminster, wewere at the place with all these weapons at the time appointed, withina bow shot of their fence school. Many gentlemen of good account,ca | |
