The Art Of Fencing; Or, The Use Of The Small Sword - free ebook by maître d'armes Labat

or, the USE of the

Translated from the FRENCH of the late celebrated...

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Monsieur L'ABBAT;

Master of that ART at the Academy of TOULOUSE. By ANDREW MAHON, Professor of the SMALL SWORD in DUBLIN. DUBLIN : Printed by JAMES HORT, at the Sign of Mercury in Skinner-Row , 1734. DEDICATION. PREFACE. CHAP. I. Of chusing and mounting a Blade. CHAP. II. Of Guard. CHAP. III. Of Pushing Quart. CHAP. IV. Of the Parade of Quart. CHAP. V. O f pushing Tierce without, or on the Outside of the Sword. CHAP. VI. Of pushing Seconde. CHAP. VII. The Parades of Seconde. CHAP. VIII. Of Quart under the Wrist.

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DEDICATION.

[Transcribers note: First page of dedication missing.] sue for. I shall omit saying any Thing, My Lord, of the shining Qualities, which seem Hereditary in Your Lordship's Family, as well as of the Dignity and Importance of the Charge with which His Majesty has been pleased to entrust Your Lordship's Most Noble Father. Neither will I presume to trouble Your Lordship with those Encomiums, which are most deservedly due to the Vertues, whereby Your Lordship has gained the Admiration and Esteem of th

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PREFACE.

I thought it very suitable to my Business, when I met with so good an Author as Monsieur L'Abbat , on the Art of Fencing, to publish his Rules, which in general, will I believe be very useful, not only as they may contribute to the Satisfaction of such Gentlemen as are already Proficients in the Art, and to the better Discipline of those who intend to become so, but also in regard that the Nicety and Exactness of his Rules, for the most Part, and their great Consistency with Reason, may, and wil

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CHAP. I.

Courage and Skill being often of little Use without a good Weapon, I think it necessary, before I lay down Rules for using it, to shew how to chuse a good Blade, and how it ought to be mounted. The Length of the Blade ought to be proportionable to the Stature of the Person who is to use it: The longest Sword, from Point to Pommel, should reach perpendicularly from the Ground to the Navel, and the shortest, to the Waste; being large in Proportion to its Length, and not extremely large, nor very s

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CHAP. II.

By Guard, is meant such a Situation of all the Parts of the Body as enables them to give their mutual Assistance to defend or attack. A Guard cannot be perfect without a good and graceful Disposition, proceeding from a natural Proportion of the Parts of the Body, and an easy and vigorous Motion, which is to be acquired by Practice, and the Instruction of a good Master....

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1st. Plate

As In all bodily Excercises, a good Air, Freedom, Vigour, and a just Disposition of the Body and Limbs are necessary, so are they more especially in Fencing, the least Disorder in this Case being of the worst Consequence; and the Guard being the Center whence all the Vigour should proceed, and which should communicate Strength and Agility to every Part of the Body, if there be the least Irregularity in any one Part, there cannot be that Agreeableness, Power of Defence, Justness, or Swiftness tha

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2d Plate.

The Sight should be fixed on the Adversary's, not only to observe his Motions, but also to discover his Design, it being possible to guess at the interior Design, by the exterior Action. It is necessary to appear animated with a brave Boldness, for nothing requires a Man to exert himself more than Sword in Hand; and it is as difficult to attain such an Air of Intrepidity without much Excercise, as it is to become perfectly expert....

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CHAP. III.

To push Quart within, besides the Precautions of placing yourself to Advantage, and of pushing properly and swiftly, which is to be acquired by Practice and nice Speculation, It is necessary that the Parts, in order to assist each other in making the Thrust, should be so disposed and situated, as that the Wrist should draw with it the Bend of the Arm, the Shoulder, and the upper Part of the Fore-Part of the Body, at the same time that the Left Hand and Arm should display or stretch themselves ou

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CHAP. IV.

To parry, signifies, in our Art, to cover when the Adversary pushes, that Part which he endeavors to offend; which is done it either by the Opposition of the Sword or of the Left Hand; but as I am now speaking of the Sword only, I must observe; that in order to parry well with it, you are to take notice of the Manner and Swiftness of your Adversary: By the Manner, is meant whether in Quart or Tierce ; with his Fort to your Feeble, or with his Feeble to your Fort; and you are to observe the Swift

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3rd Plate.

When a Thrust is made with the Fort to your Feeble, which is the best way; you must, by raising and turning the Hand a little in Quart , raise the Point, which brings it nearer to you, and hinders the Adversary from gaining your Feeble, which being raised up is too far from him, and makes it easy for you to seize his Feeble. (Refer to the 3d. Plate.) If the Thrust be made on the Fort or Middle of your Sword, you need only turn the Hand a little in Quart . If after the Adversary has pushed Quart

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CHAP. V.

In order to push Tierce well, the Hand being gone first, taking the Feeble with the Fort, turning down the Nails, and the Wrist a little outwards, not too high or low; in order not to give Light above or below, the Body must bend more forward and inward than in Quart ; the Left Hand should extend itself in Tierce , because it ought, in all Cases, to be conformable with the Right, except that it is lower. When you push Tierce , you should look within your Sword: As to the Feet, they must be, in e

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5th. Plate.

When a Thrust is made in Tierce upon the Blade on the Feeble, or by disengaging; tho' the first is more easily parryed, you must yeild the Feeble, opposing with the Fort, in order to guide the Adversary's Sword to the Place the most convenient for the Opposition of the Left Hand, and closing the Measure at the same time, you have an Opportunity, before he can recover, to hit him several times; which must be done by advancing on him, as fast as he retires. See the 5th Plate. You may also parry by

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CHAP. VI.

In pushing under, the Hand must be turned in Seconde , as high as in Quart , and more within than in Tierce ; the Body should be more bent, lower, and more forward than in thrusting Tierce , and the Left Hand lower. See the 6th Plate. Seconde ought not be pushed, but on the following Occasions: First, when an Engagement, Feint or Half-Thrust , is made without, that the Adversary at one of these Times parrys high. Secondly, when your Adversary engages your Sword on the Outside, with his Hand rais

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CHAP. VII.

Seconde may be parried three Ways. First, according to the ancient Manner I just described, which is done by a Semi-circle on the Inside, with the Hand in Tierce , the Point low, almost on a Line with the Wrist; but the Greatness of the Motion does not only render it difficult to parry the Thrust but still harder to parry the Feint of the Thrust and come up again; besides the Rispost is dangerous; because it requires a long Time to raise the Point, which is almost as low as the Ground, to the Bo

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CHAP. VIII.

This Thrust should not be made but instead of Seconde , that is to say, on an Engagement, Parade, or Lunge of the Adversary in Quart . The Wrist must not be so much turned up, nor so high as in Quart within; the Body should be more inward, and bending more forward. (Refer to the 7th Plate.) In case the Adversary pushes Quart , in order to take the Time, you must lunge the Foot strong inward, to throw the Body farther from the Line of the Adversary's Sword. In recovering from this Thrust, the Wri

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CHAP. IX.

This Thrust is to be made only in engaging or risposting when the Adversary carries his Wrist too far inward, or drops the Feeble of his Sword, then you must press a little within, and with your Feeble on his, in order to lower it, and by that means get an Opening in his Flank. The Body, in this Thrust, is not so strait as in Quart within, tho' the Arms are. See the 8th Plate. It is necessary to oppose with the Left Hand, in order to avoid a low Thrust on your engaging, pushing or risposting . T

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CHAP. X.

There are two Sorts of Parades, the one by binding the Blade, the other by a dry beat. The binding Parade is to be used when you are to rispost in Quart within, in Tierce without, in Seconde under, in Flanconnade , and in all Feints : And the Beat, giving a favourable Opportunity of risposting , is to be used when you rispost to a Thrust in Seconde ; or when after having parryed a Thrust in Quart within, you see an Opening under the Wrist. To these two Thrusts, you must rispost almost as soon as

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CHAP. XI.

Most of the faults committed in making thrusts when the measure is to be closed, proceed from the disorder of the body, occasioned by that of the feet, so that for want of moving well, you are not only in danger of being taken on your time, but likewise you cannot execute your thrusts neatly, justly, nor swiftly; the body being disordered and weak. There are ten demarches in fencing; four in advancing, five in retiring, and one to turn your adversary, or hinder him from turning you. The first de

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CHAP. XII.

There is nothing more nice, or more necessary in Fencing, than Disengagements; the nicest Motion, being the smoothest and finest, and the most necessary, there being but few Thrusts where you ought not to disengage, and to several more than once; and there is no better Means of avoiding the Advantage that a strong Man has when he presses on your Sword. If we confine ourselves, strictly, to the Meaning of Disengagements, we shall find it to be of three Sorts; which are, upon the Blade, over the P

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CHAP. XIII.

Feints are much used in Fencing , whether it be by reason of their Number, their Ease, or the Success that attends them, gaining more Time and Light than is to be got in plain Thrusts, there being no Thrust to be given so well as after a Feint. The Number of Feints is so great, by reason of the many Guards and Parades, that I should find it as difficult to describe them, as the Reader would to comprehend them without Experience; so that I shall confine myself to those from which the rest derive,

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CHAP. XIV.

In order to cut over the Point, within from without, the Wrist must be turned towards Tierce , which gives it a swifter Motion. When your Point is over your Adversary's, you must turn the Wrist in Quart , pushing with your Fort to his Feeble: Though this is a regular Way of cutting, what is most essential to perfect the Thrust is wanting, that is to say, the Motion that should precede it, which is commonly a Half-thrust or Feint, by which, two Advantages are gained: First you discompose your Adv

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CHAP. XV.

The Term Reprise signifies a succession of Thrusts without Interval, or with very little. It may be done in three Manners; First after having pushed without recovering, Secondly, in recovering or being recovered; and Thirdly, when the Enemy steals Measure. The first and last of these three Reprises may be called Redoubles. The first Reprise is made after having pushed Quart , the Enemy having parryed with his Feeble, you must return in Seconde , advancing the left Foot a little to make the Actio

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CHAP. XVI.

A Pass is contrary to a Volt as well in Figure as in it's Occasion, the left Leg in the Figure passing foremost, and in a Volt behind, to help the Body to turn, and in it's occasion, the Pass being to be made as in a Lunge, taking the Time, or his Time, whereas the Volt cannot be made without a great deal of Time; yet the Pass is different from a Lunge, the one being made with the foremost Foot, and the Pass with the hindmost, which gives the Thrust a greater Length, more Strength and Swiftness,

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9th. Plate.

In a Pass in Quarte , the Hands and Arms must be displayed as in a Lunge, not only in their Figure, but in the same Order, that is to say, the Hand must move first to bring on the Shoulder and the Body; which should lean more forward than in Lunging, at the Time that carrying the left Foot about two Foot and an half, you find your Pass at it's full Extention. As your Body is too much abandoned forward to recover itself easily, you must rush on your Enemy, seize the Guard of his Sword, and presen

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10th. Plate.

In passing Tierce , as in a Lunge, the Wrist must draw the Shoulder and Body forward, bringing, as in a Pass in Quarte , the Left-foot about two Feet and an Half before the Right, then advancing the Right foremost and out of the Reach of the Enemy's; you must seize the Guard of his Sword, and again advancing the Left-foot near the Right, you draw back the Right and present the Point. The Counters or Opposites to this Pass, are the strait Rispost, or the Rispost under, the taking Time, cutting Se

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CHAP. XVII.

The Volting of the Body, which many People call Quarting , shou'd never be done but at times when you are abandoned, as in Case of Lunges or on an Engage ment of Feint in Disorder, of when finding yourself so disordered as not being able to parry, you must of necessity have recourse to volting in order to avoid the Thrust; but to do it at an improper time, as some do, is very dangerous, by reason of the Facility of parrying it, it being a Figure in Fencing which gives the least Strength, Extenti

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CHAP. XVIII.

You may join after having parryed any Thrust or Pass whatever, as also after having pushed, passed, or volted in whatever Figure, or on whatever Side it may be, especially when the Enemy abandons himself, or you abandon yourself: If the Enemy abandons himself by a Lunge or Pass; in case of the first, you must close the Measure in parrying, seizing at the same time the Guard of his Sword with your Left-hand and carrying the Right-foot back present him the Point; and in case of a Pass, you must pa

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11th. Plate.

If you have pushed being too near, that your Right-foot slipped, or that the Enemy in parrying closed Measure; if he parryed with his Feeble you must redouble in Seconde and join, and if with his Fort, you must oppose his Sword with your's 'till with your Left-hand you have seized the Guard, advancing the Left-foot; this Motion being done, you pass your Sword over the Enemy's from within to without; and loosing the Right-foot present him your Point. Upon the Parade of Tierce with the Fort, being

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CHAP. XIX.

I Have hitherto treated of the Means whereby to make Thrusts, and in this and the following Chapters, I will shew on what Occasion they are to be made use of. Tho' there is an infinite Number of Figures or Postures, and that every Posture may be in Guard, whether within, or without, Prime , Seconde , Tierce , or Quarte , they proceed from the Midling Guard, the Strait, the High, or the Low Guard, each of which may be attacked and defended within or without. Though there are many Means to disorde

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CHAP. XX.

The Engagement without shou'd be made from your being placed within, Feeble to Feeble, for the same Reason as in Quarte , the Wrist shou'd be turned in Tierce ; in this Engagement as in Quarte , the Antagonist may do three things. 1st, let you engage him, 2d. or disengage, 3d. or come to your Blade. If he lets you engage him, you must carry on your Thrust in Tierce , or make a Half-Thrust, to see if he does not stir, if he retires, if he parrys, or if he takes the Time. If upon your Half-thrust

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CHAP. XXI.

Tho' all the Guards are Good when well defended, yet they are not equally good; because we ought not to look upon any thing as good, that does not procure us some Advantage, and an ill placed Guard, instead of being favourable, requires a great deal of Skill to be of any Use at all, being farther from a Posture of Defence, the midling Guard only carrying with it such a Disposition of the Point and Wrist as is sufficient to defend the Inside, the Outside, the Upper and Lower Parts of the Body wit

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12th. Plate.

In this Guard, you must place yourself under, with the Hand in Seconde , covering the upper Part, in order to oblige the Enemy to go under; which being the most distant Place from his Sword, procures you more Time to avoid him. He may, on this Occasion, do three things: Let you engage him, go under, or force your Sword. If he lets you engage him, 'tis either with a Design to parry, or to take the Time; wherefore, before you push, you must make a Half-thrust under: If he parrys, it will be in one

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CHAP. XXII.

Most People imagine that a Left-handed Man has, by Nature, the Advantage of a Right-handed Man in Fencing, whereas he has it only by Habit, exercising oftener with Right-handed Men than a Right-handed Man with him, as well in Lessons as in Assaults, most Masters being Right-handed, as well as most of the Scholars, taking Lessons from the Right-hand, and practising seldom with Left-handed Men, find themselves puzzled, nothing surprizing more than what one is not used to, which is so true, that to

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CHAP. XXIII.

There are, in Fencing, three Parades with the Left-hand: The first, like the Opposition that is from the Top to the Bottom; the second, with the Palm of the Hand without, towards the Right Shoulder, and the third, from the Bottom to the Top, with the Outside of the Hand: Of these three Parades, the first is the easiest, the most used, and the least dangerous: They are condemned by able Men, as weakening those of the Sword; wherefore it is wrong in a Master to shew them to a Scholar, before he ha

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CHAP. XXIV.

Though it may seem to many people, that the beat of the Foot, in gaining measure, making appels, or alurements, engagements, or other Thrusts, is rather ornamental than necessary; nevertheless, there is nothing puts the Foot in a better condition to follow the swiftness of the Wrist, in most of the actions of the Sword; nor can any thing contribute more to the equal situation, and to the retention of the Body, qualities, which keeping you covered from the time of your combatant, procures you the

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CHAP. XXV.

In Fencing, there is the Foreseen, and the Unforeseen; the Foreseen is the Effect of the Understanding and of the Will, and the Unforeseen is the Effect of the Discernment of the Eye, and of Custom; which being upheld by this Quality, has no sooner discerned an Action or Opening of the Enemy, than all the Parts which are to act, display themselves to oppose or attack him, as if they depended on the Eye. To be convinced of this Truth, you may reflect on READING, wherein, as soon as the Eye has di

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CHAP. XXVI.

If we were to follow the exact Term of Time, every Thing that is done in Fencing might be called so; for you shou'd never thrust but when you have a favourable Opportunity of hitting, nor parry, but at the Time that favours you to oppose the Enemy's Sword, not make an Engagement, nor a Feint, but to take the Time upon the Motion that your Action occasions in the Adversary. Time is the Duration of any Motion: It is called Time because it is the most favourable Opportunity of pushing, the Enemy be

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CHAP. XXVII.

Swiftness is the Shortness of Time between the Beginning and End of a Motion: It proceeds from a regular and frequent Exercise, joined with a good Disposition; that is to say, Vigour and Suppleness, which form Agility. A great Swiftness cannot be acquired without long Practice and a good Disposition, the one not being sufficient, without the other, to give it: For the best natural Parts, without Practice, will be of very little Service to those who have the best Disposition; and the most regular

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CHAP. XXVIII.

Time, Swiftness, and Justness, without the Knowledge of Measure, would be in vain, Thrusts from afar being of no Use, and from near, dangerous; and the other Motions shou'd also be at a certain Distance, in order not only to be ready for the Time, but also to take Advantage of the Disorder of the Enemy. The Measure is taken from you to the Enemy, and from the Enemy to you: The first is easier known, as well because it is naturally so, as by the Custom of your Lunge, which being, in regard of you

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CHAP. XXIX.

In order to teach well, it's necessary to have a perfect Idea of the Means which conduce from the Beginning to the End of the Matter proposed, I mean to it's Perfection, or to what comes nearest it, if our Age has not as yet arrived to it. In Fencing, as well as in other Exercises, there should be Judgment and Knowledge how to act and how to Teach: The first is the Effect of a long and good Theory; the second, of a good Theory, long Practice, and a good Disposition; and the third, besides the Th

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CHAP. XXX.

Though 'tis absolutely necessary to begin by way of Lesson, and to continue in it a long Time, in order that Practice growing to a Habit, may give Liberty to the Parts to form themselves: nevertheless however well you may take your Lessons, some other Means are necessary to make an Assault well, than those which the Master gives at his Plastron : This Rule must be supported by pushing and parrying at the Wall, and in the Manner I am going to lay down. When you have laboured a certain Time at Les

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CHAP. XXXI.

Though there are People of a bad Taste in every Art or Science, there are more in that of Fencing than in others, as well by Reason of the little Understanding of some Teachers, as of the little Practice of some Learners, who are not acting upon a good Foundation, or long enough, to have a good idea of it, argue so weakly on this Exercise, that I thought it as much my Business to observe their Errors, as it is my Duty to instruct those that I have the Honour to teach in the Theory of it: By this

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Thrusts of Emulation for Prizes, Wagers &c.

All Thrusts from the Neckband to the Wastband are counted good. Coup Fourrés or interchanged Thrusts are not counted on either side, except one of the Competitors has Recourse to it in order to make the Thrusts equal, then the Thrust of the other is good, and not his. If one hits the Body and the other the Face or below the Wast at the same Time; the Thrust on the Body is counted, but not the other. If a Man parrys with his Hand, and afterwards hit, his Thrust is not good, because by parrying wi

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