The Noble and Worthy Science of Defense, Chapter 12 · Fighting move 32 – Fighting move 42
Another very ſure and dangerous guard at the Backe-ſword, called the Vnicorne guard, or the fore-hand guard.
BEare the Sword hilt ſo high as your face, keeping him out at the armes end, without bowing of your elbow ioynt, and alwaies keepe your point directly vponupon your enemies face, and your knuckles of your ſword hand vpward; but if your enemie doe charge you with a blow to the right ſide of your head, then turne but your Sword hilt, and your knuckles outward, ſtill keeping your Sword arme ſtiffe in his place, turning but onelie your wriſt and your hand: this is a very dangerous guard to your enemie, being carried with a ſtrong arme, for by reaſon that you keepe him out at the points end, being ſo directly in his face, that hee cannot come neare you without great danger, either of blow or thruſt, but indeed if your ſword be not carried out with a ſtrong arme, then your enemie may endanger your head by ſtriking of two blowes together, the one being ſtrooke at the point of your ſword to ſtrick him downe and the other to your head but they muſt bee ſtrooke both together verie ſodainelie, or elſe there is ſmall danger in them, now if you are warie in watching when hee makes his firſt blow, ſodainely plucke in the point of your ſword to you, and ſo by that ſlippe his firſt ſtroake hee will ouer carrie him, ſo that if you turne an ouer-hand blow to his head, you may hit him before hee can recouer his ſword to ſtrike his ſecond blow, or defend himſelfe lying in this long guard, you may ſlippe euerie blow that is ſtrooke, plucke in your ſword euen as you ſee your enemie ſtricke and turne it ouer to the right ſide of his head.
A Cloſe at back-ſword.
LYing in thy guard according vntounto the picture at ſingle Rapier, and when you meane to cloſe, lift vp the hilt of thy word ſo high as thy cheeke, and charge thy enemie with a thruſt directlie at his face, and with the ſame motion ſteppe in with thy hind moſt foote, turning the knuckles of thy Swordhand inward, and ſo bearing thy enemies point ouer thy head, and then catch hold on thy enemies Sword-hilt, or on his hand-wriſt with thy left hand, but on his hilt is the ſureſt to hold, and then you may either trip vp his heeles, or cut, or thruſt him with your weapon, and in this manner you maie cloſe with a Rapier alſo, if you can make your partie good at the gripe or cloſe, for your enemie in bearing ouer his Sword ouer his bodie to defend his face from your thruſt, he there by carieth awaie his point, ſo that hee cannot endanger you if you follow it in cloſe and quicke.
Falſe play with the Back-ſword.
YOur enemie being in his guard, and lying at watch for aduantage, you maie faine a blow at the right-ſide of his head, and preſently with the turning of your hand-wriſt, ſtrike it home to his left-ſide, which being done quicke you may hit a reaſonable good plaier, for he will beare his ſword againſt the fained blow, and by that meanes vnguard his left-ſide but at no hand you muſt not let the fained blow touch your enemies ſword, but giuegive your ſword a ſodaine checke and ſo ſtrike it to the contrarie-ſide, for if your fained blow do ioine with your enemies ſword, it will ſtaie his ſword within the compaſſe of true defence, ſo that hee will be readie to defend your falſe blow, but otherwiſe if you touch not his ſword hee will carrie him beyond the true compaſſe of defence, of the ſecond blow, which you determine to hit him withall, ſo likewiſe you may faine your blow at the left-ſide of your enemies head, but preſentlie ſtrike it home to the right-ſide of his head, in manner as aforeſaid.
Another falſe play.
AGaine, you may ioine your ſword within you enemies ſword according vntounto the picture, but preſentlie ſo ſoone as you hauehave ioyned, ſtrike it downe to his legge, but nimblie recouer your ſword in his place againe falling a little awaie withall, for ſo ſoone as you hauehave diſcharged your blow, you may verie eaſilie before hee can endanger you recouer your guard and diſtance: likewiſe you maie giuegive a back-blow vntounto the right ſide of his head, and preſentlie withall, fall downe againe with another blow vntounto the inſide of his legge, ſtepping home with your ſecond blow, for when you hauehave made your firſt blow as aforeſaid, it may bee your enemie will winke, and ſo you may hit his legge before his eies open againe, ſo that you do it quick, but if he doe not winke, yet a good plaier will thinke that when hee hath defended your firſt blow a loft, hee will not expect a blow ſo ſodainelie as this ought to be ſtrooke, and therefore may be hit with a ſecond blow, yea although hee looke well to himſelfe, and the rather that manie doth not alow in there teaching a back-ſword blow to be ſtroken at the legge, but I ſay a man may giuegive a ſquare, or fore-hand blow to the inſide of his enemies legge, and yet verie well recouer vp your ſword againe before your enemie can endanger you.
Another deceipt.
STanding in your guard, and your enemie charging you with a blow, pluck in your ſword ſodainelie, and let his blow ſlippe, and ſo ſoone as his blow is paſt, anſwere him againe, either with blow or thruſt whether you will, but if it bee at blunt with a blow, put in right with a thruſt, or by plucking in your ſword, and alwaies hauehave a care you plucke him in vntounto that ſide of the head which hee chargeth you at, for in ſo doing, if his weapons point do reach home, yet you are at a guard of defence, but with this skill and a little withdrawing your bodie with all, his weapon will paſſe cleare, for the force of his blow will ouerſwaie his weapon, and he will ſo ouer carrie his bodie, that in a manner his backe wilbe towards you, ſo that with a quick anſwere you may but him at your pleaſure or cloſe with him if you thinke you can make your partie good at the gripe: likewiſe you may clooſe vponupon the croſſe, by ioyning weapon to weapon, but when you hauehave made your clooſe in your firſt encounter, take hold on your enemies hand-wriſt, or elſe on the hilt of your enemies weapon, for then hee cannot well offend you being but ſingle weaponed. But to trie your man-hood, at the length of your weapon, I hold it the beſt fight and leſſe danger to both, for there is no more certaine defence in a cloſe, then is in a paſſage, for they are both verie dangerous.
Another deceipt.
YOur enemie lying in guard, you may ſtrike a backe blow vntounto his right eare, although it light vponupon his ſword, that is all one, for in ſtriking it aboue, it may cauſe him to wink, or he will thinke you hauehave don, but ſo ſoone as you hauehave deliuered your blow aboue, then preſentlie, I meane more quicker then I can ſpeake it, ſtrike it downe into the inſide of his right-legge, or if you doe but touch his ſword in ioyning him cloſe as the picture ſtandeth, and ſo ſoone as you hauehave but touched his Backe-ſword on the out-ſide, ſtrike it downe vntounto the in-ſide of the legge preſentlie, yet alwaies hauehave a care to recouer your ſword into his place againe for your owne defence, the which you may eaſilie doe, yea although you encounter with a verie skilfull man, but if you ſtrike a plaine blow at the legge without profering it aboue firſt, as is beforeſaid, then you endanger your owne head, but in preſenting it aboue, you buſie him to defend the firſt fained blow, ſo that he cannot be readie prepared to charge you with anie blow of danger before you hauehave recouered your guard, the which you may well doe, although he anſwere you neuer ſo quicke.
An other verie cunning deceipt with the Back-ſword.
STrike a blow to the in-ſide of the right leg, or foot of thy enemie, but draw it to thee, ſtriking it ſomething ſhort, and then preſently ſtrike it home againe to the left eare of a right handed man, but it muſt be done more quicker then I can ſpeake it, and thou ſhalt finde his left eare vngarded, for hee will looke for it at the right ſide, and it were not amiſſe to ſtrike it once or twice from the leg to the right eare firſt, for then he will looke for the ſame blow againe, but yet I would not hauehave you make all your play at the legge, but ſometimes to offer a blow at the one ſide of the head, and then to the other, ſo by making often change of your blow, is the beſt waie to deceiue thy enemie.
A verie dangerous blow at Back-ſword.
THy enemie lying in this guard, ſoddenly plucke in the pummell of thy ſword to thy breaſt, and with all turne thy knuckles inward, and the preſentlie proffer a thruſt towards thy enemies breaſt, but turne it ouer with a blow to his right eare, with the which blow thou maiſt hit a good plaier, if he bee not aware of it before hand, for hee muſt beare his ſword againſt the thruſt for the defence thereof, now if he do ouer carrie him neuer ſo little further then he ought to doe for his true defence, then hee cannot bring him back time enough to defend the blow before you hauehave hit him, as beforeſaid.
This blow is alſo good for a Left-handed man, or againſt a Left-handed man.
IF you would hit a Left-handed man with this blow, then preſent your thruſt full at his face by a ſodaine lifting vp the hilt of your ſword ſo high as your head, and withall you muſt now turne your knuckles outward, and ſo ſoone as you hauehave preſented your thruſt, preſently ſtrike it home vntounto the left ſide of his head.
A falſe thruſt to be vſed in fight at Back-ſword.
PRoffer your thruſt two or three foot wide of thy enemies left care, and withall let fall thy point ſo low as thy enemies girdle-ſtead or lower, and then preſently with the ſame motion, raiſe thy point on the other ſide of thy enemies ſword, and chop it home vntounto his right arme, ſhoulder or face whether you will your ſelfe, for in bearing his ſword ouer his bodie to defend the fained thruſt, hee cannot well recouer him backe againe to defend your ſecond thruſt before you hauehave hit him, as beforeſaid, except hee hath by much practiſe beene vſed to that falſe thruſt before hand.
An other dangerous blow.
THy enemie lying in his guard, ſtrike a blow to the in-ſide of his right leg, and preſentlie with as much ſpeed as poſſible thou canſt ſtrike it home vntounto his left cheeke, for he will beare ouer his ſword to defend the firſt proffer, and ſo with-draw himſelfe into his guard, ſo that he will be vnprouided for the defence of his left ſide, if it bee ſtruck in with a quicke hand. All manner of falſe blowes, ſlips and thruſts at what weapon ſoeuer, are to be auoided and defended with the true carriage of thy weapon, as at Rapier and Dagger, if a falſe thruſt be made below, it muſt be defended with the Dagger below, and with the Rapier aboue. And if either blow or thruſt be falſified at the Back-ſword, or at Sword and Dagger, thou muſt beare thy Sword againſt eueryevery proffer, but be ſure thou doe not ouer-carrie him, but that thou maiſt be quick backe againe, to meete his ſecond blow on the other ſide, as bringing thy weapon into his place by practiſe, thou ſhalt finde thy ſelfe ſurely guarded as in ſome places in this booke thou ſhalt finde the defence.
After the falſe play at euerie weapon, although I hauehave not ſet downe the defence of euerie ſlip, nor of euerie fault, which had beene verie neceſſarie: for as euerie leſſon on a fiddle hath a ſeuerall tune, euen ſo euerie guard and euerie falſifie hath a ſeuerall kinde of Offence, and Defence, but heere thou ſhalt finde the Defence that belongeth vntounto manie of them, and the reſt I left out for want of leaſure to write them, but they ſhall follow in the next Impreſſion.