George Silver. Brief Instructions to my Paradoxes of Defence. London. |
(3) Declaration of 4 General Fights (Cap. 3)
A declaration of all the 4 general fights to be used with the sword at
double or single, long or short, & with certain particular rules to
them annexed.
- Open fight(11) is to carry your hand
and hilt aloft above your head, either with point upright, or point backward,
which is best, yet use that, which you shall find most apt, to strike,
thrust, or ward.
- Guardant fight(12) in general is of
2 sorts, the first is true guardant fight(13),
which is either perfect or imperfect.
- The perfect is to carry your hand & hilt above your head with your
point down towards your left knee, with your sword blade somewhat near
your body, not bearing out your point but rather declining it a little
towards your said knee, that your enemy cross not your point & so hurt
you, stand bolt upright in his fight, & if he offers to press in then
bear your head & body a little backward.
- The imperfect is when you bear your hand & sword hilt perfect high
above your head, as aforesaid, but leaning or stooping forward with your
body & thereby your space will be wide on both sides to defend the
blow struck at the left side of your head or too wide to defend a thrust
from the right side of the body.
- Also it is imperfect, if you bear your hand & hilt as aforesaid, bearing
your point too far out from your knee, so that your enemy may cross, or
strike aside your point, & thereby endanger you.
- The second is the bastard guardant(14)
fight which is to carry your hand & hilt below your head, breast high
or lower with your point downward toward your left foot, this bastard guardant
ward is not to be used in a fight, except it be to cross your enemy's ward
at his coming in to take the grip of him or such advantage, as in divers
places of the sword fight is set forth.
- Close fight is when you cross at the half sword either above at the forehand
ward(15) that is with the point high,
& hand & hilt low, or at the true or bastard guardant ward with
both your points down.
- Close is all manner of fights wherein you have made a true cross at the
half sword with your space very narrow & not crossed, is also close
fight. Variable fight is all other manner of lying not here before spoken
of, whereof these 4 that follow are the chiefest of them.(16)
- (1) Stocata(17):
which is to lie with your right leg forward, with your sword or rapier
hilt back on the outside of your right thigh with your point forward to
ward your enemy, with your dagger in your hand extending your hand towards
the point of your rapier, holding your dagger with the point upright with
narrow space between your rapier blade, & the nails of your dagger
hand, keeping your rapier point back behind your dagger hand if possible.
Or he may lie wide below under his dagger with his rapier point down towards
his enemy's foot, or with his point forth without his dagger.
- (2) Imbrocata(18):
is to lie with your hilt higher than your head, bearing your knuckles upward,
& your point depending toward your enemy's face or breast.
- (3) Montanta(19):
is to carry your rapier pommel in the palm of your hand resting it on your
little finger with your hand below & so mounting it up a loft, &
so to come in with a thrust upon your enemy's face or breast, as of out
of the Imbrocata.
- (4) Passata: is either to pass
with the Stocata, or to carry your sword or rapier hilt by your right flank,
with your point directly against your enemy's belly, with your left foot
forward, extending forth your dagger forward as you do your sword, with
narrow space between your sword & dagger blade, & so make your
passage upon him.
Also any other kind of variable fight or lying whatsoever a man can devise
not here expressed, is contained under this fight.
Released: November 13, 1998 / Last modified: December 12, 2008