The Noble and Worthy Science of Defense, Chapter 12 · Fighting move 43 – Fighting move 45
The true guard for the Staffe, which we will call the Low guard.
KEepe the point of your Staffe right in your enemies face, holding one hand at the verie butt end of the Staffe, and the other a foote and a halfe diſtant, looking ouer your Staffe with both your eies and your feet a foot and a half diſtance, or thereabouts, according to this picture, alwaies ſtanding croſſe with your enemie, I meane, if his right hand and foote be foremoſt, let yours be ſo likewiſe, and if his left-hand and foote be formoſt, then make you your change and croſſe with him alſo.
Now, if your enemie doe charge you, either with blow or thruſt, you lying in the guard, as aboue ſhewed, then your defence is thus: and if he charge you aboue the gerdle-ſteade, either with blow or thruſt, ſtrike your ſelfe againſt it, keeping vp the point of your ſtaffe, ſo high as your head; but ſo ſoone as you hauehave defended, whether it be blow or thruſt, preſently anſwer your enemie againe with a thruſt, and then haſtily recouer your guard againe, and in giuing of a thruſt, you may let goe your fore-hand from off your Staffe, but hold the butte end faſt in one hand: and ſo ſoone as you hauehave diſcharged your thruſt, plucke backe your Staffe, and clap both your hands on him againe, and recouer your guard; but yet ſtay not long, to ſee whether your enemie will beginne with you, but begin with him firſt, with a falſe thruſt, as anone you ſhall ſee the manner how to doe it: and when you can doe it, what neede you to ſtand long about that which may be done preſently, and without danger?
Now if hee proffer either blow or thruſt vntounto your lower parts vnderunder your gerdle-ſtead, if it be a thruſt, ſtrike it awaie, by turning the point of your Staffe towards the ground, but be ſure to ſtrike it with that large compaſſe, that the point of your Staffe maie pitch, not in the ground, for ſo you may deceiue your ſelfe in your defence, if he charge you ſo lowe with a blow, then you may ſtrike it as you do a thruſt, or you may pitch the point of your ſtaffe into the ground two or three foote wide of that ſide which he chargeth you at, and you may in the pitching downe of your Staffe, let goe your ſore-hand, that hee doe not hit him, and then all parts is defended ſo high as your head, ſo that you alwaies hauehave a care to keepe your ſtaffe in his right place, that is to ſay, if your right hand and foote be formoſt, then leaue all your bodie open, ſo that your enemie can not endanger you on the out-ſide of your ſtaffe, but if hee will hit you, he muſt needes ſtrike or thruſt on the in-ſide of your ſtaffe, and then you muſt defend all blowes or thruſts, by bearing your ſtaffe ouer your bodie towards the left ſide, for this we call the Fore hand Defence, and this defence conſumeth no time: but if in holding your ſtaffe in the right hand, as before is ſaid; and yet for your guarde doe beare your Staffe ouer towards the left hand, then you leaue your right ſhoulder arme or face, open or vnguarded, the which muſt bee defended backeward, but you may defend twentie thruſts or blowes before hand, better then one backeward; for the backe defence is nothing ſo readie, nor ſo certaine, as the fore-hand defence is, and therefore keepe and continue your guard, according vntounto the Picture, for then if hee proffer a thruſt on the out-ſide of your Staffe: you neede not to feare nor offer to defend it, for there is no place in anie danger, but all is guarded, eſpeciallie from the gerdle-ſtead vpward.
And in your defence, hauehave alwaies a care to the true carriage of your Staffe, that you doe not carrie him beyond the compaſſe of true defence, for feare of the falſe plaie: for if you ouer-carrie your Staffe, I meane further then neede doth require, you can not recouer him backe againe quicke enough to defend the falſe. Now, if your enemie doe aſſault you vponupon the contrarie ſide, you muſt change both your foote and hand to croſſe with him, as before: but take heed when you change, you do not come in with your hinder foote, but let him ſtand firme and fall backe with the fore-moſt foot vponupon euerie change. And hauing defended your enemies aſſault, with a little encreaſing in, anſwere him with a thruſt, thruſting out your ſtaffe with your hindermoſt hand, and ſtepping forth withall, with your foremoſt foote, and in the ſame inſtant of your proffer, let goe your fore-hand, but after your offence preſently recouer your hand vponupon your ſtaffe againe: now if your ſtaffe be ſhorter then your enemies, then (for your better aduantage) ſtep in with your hinder foote with your anſwere, but at no hand, neuer ſtrike one blow with your Staffe; for hee that doth but lift vp his Staffe to ſtrike, may eaſily be hit by the defender with a thruſt, for in the ſame motion that the oppreſſour doth lift vp his ſtaffe to ſtrike the defender, may with a ſpeedie thruſt hit him in the breaſt, and holde him off vponupon the point of his ſtaffe, if the Defender thruſt out his ſtaffe with his hinder hand, eſpecially if their ſtaues be both of one length, then hee that ſtriketh, cannot endanger the other with a blow, for hee that ſtriketh, holdeth both his hands vponupon his ſtaffe, vntill hee hath diſcharged his blow, whereby hee that thruſteth, hath two foot oddes of him in length that ſtriketh, ſo that hee putteth out his ſtaffe, to his moſt aduantage, as beforeſaid.
It is neceſſary, that hee which vſeth the Staffe, ſhould hauehave vſe of both his hands alike, for thereby he may the better ſhift his ſtaffe from hand to hand, whereby to lie croſſe alwaies with your enemie, changing your hand and foote, as hee changeth for lying the one with the right hand and foote for-moſt, and the other with the left, then he that ſtriketh firſt, can not chooſe but endanger the others hand, but if you cannot change your Staffe to lie croſſe with your enemies Staffe: then for your defence of a blow, pitch the point of your Staffe into the ground, and let go your fore-hand, and when you hauehave diſcharged the blow with as much ſpeed as you can, anſwer his blow with a thruſt, for the greateſt ſecret of all moſt chiefly to be remembred at this weapon, is, if your enemie doe but once offer to lift vp his hand to ſtrike, then preſently choppe in with a thruſt at his breaſt, ſhoulder, or face, for ſo you may hit him as you will your ſelfe, ſo that you take your time of anſwering.
If your enemie ſtrike with his ſtaffe, hee holdeth him faſt in both his hands when hee deliuereth his blow, by reaſon thereof, he which thruſteth and looſeth his fore-hand, when hee diſchargeth his thruſt or draweth in the fore-hand cloſe vntounto the hinder hand which holdeth the butte end of his Staffe, and ſo thruſt him out withall, you may keepe the ſtriker vponupon the point of your Staffe, ſo that with his blow hee can not reach you, being equally matched in length, but muſt come vponupon his owne death, or danger himſelfe greatly.
The high guard for the Staffe.
LOoke vnderunder your Staffe with both your eies, with the point hanging ſlope-waies downe-wards by your ſide, bearing out your Staffe at the armes end, higher then your head a little according to this Picture.
In looking vnderunder your Staffe it will ſeeme to your enemie, that your defence is onelie for your head, then he wil thinke to hit you in the body with a thruſt, for the bodie ſeemeth to lie very open vntounto him, and if hee doe charge you with a thruſt, carry the point of your Staffe ouer your bodie cloſe by the ground towards the other ſide, and hauing defended the thruſt, turne vp the point of your ſtaffe preſently towards your enemies breaſt, and charge him with a thruſt: againe, if your enemy charge you with a blowe at your head, lift vp the point of your ſtaffe & meete the blow halfe way, and withal, draw back your hands, for feare of endangering your fingers: hauing ſtriken away his ſtaffe, anſwer him againe with a thruſt (as beforeſaid:) Now if your enemy charge you with a blow at your ſide, either pitch the point of your ſtaffe into the ground to defend it, or elſe change into thy low gard and ſo croſſe with him; if your enemy do ſtrike a full blow at your head, you need not feare neither of your hands, but by ſtriking with your ſtaffe to meete his blow, you ſhall defend it vponupon the middle, or neere the point of your ſtaffe, although hee doe ſtrike purpoſely at your hand, yet can he not touch your hands not anyother part of your body: but vponupon the defence of your body draw backe your hands. Now it behoueth you to be perfect, not only in this gard, but alſo in changing your ſtaffe from hand to hand, according to your enemies lying: to do well you ſhould change, as hee changeth, ſometimes the point of your ſtaffe ſhould be hanging downe by the right ſide of your body, and ſometimes by the left, according to your enemies lying, the beſt way to make your change, is to let your ſtaffe ſlippe through your hands, like a Weauers ſhuttle, for this is a more ſpeedie change then to ſhift him after the common manner, and by a little practiſe you may grow perfect in it.
The beſt guard for a darke night at Staffe.
IF thou meet with thine enemie in the night, and he charge vponupon thee, the beſt means for thy defence, is preſently to chop vp into this high guard, except thy ſtaffe be of a ſufficiēt length, to keep him off, with charging the point vponupon him, or elſe the third means is to truſt to thy heeles, but if thou wilt truſt to thine hands, then either keep him off with thy point, or elſe aboue all parts, chiefly defend thy head, which is not to be done, but only by this guard, except a man may ſee the blow before it do light; now thou muſt put thy hands alittle further aſunder, then thou doſt for the day, that the blow may be defended, by taking him vponupon thy ſtaffe betwixt both thy hands: if it light at your head, as it is the faſhion of moſt men to ſtrike at the head (as I hauehave ſaid before) rather then to any part of the bodie. Now hauing taken the blowe betwixt your hands, withall, run in and cloſe with him, for if you ſtand off at the length in fight, anie time, being in the night, it cannot chuſe but be verie dangerous, if you ſuffer him to diſcharge many blows, but either anſwer him with a thruſt, or elſe cloſe with him, and turne the butte end of your ſtaffe into his breaſt or face, as you ſee occaſion: now if it be in the day, or that you can ſee the blow before it light; if your enemie charge you with a blow at the ſide, meet his blow by carrying ouer to the other ſide, & pitch the point of your ſtaffe in the ground, and looſe your foremoſt hand for dangering of your fingers, but hold the hinder hand faſt at the butte end of your ſtaffe. But now, vponupon this high guard you can not defend the falſe ſo wel, nor ſo ſure, as when you lie on the low gard; for if your enemie doe proffer a thruſt on the one ſide your ſtaffe, and preſently chop it home to the other ſide, he may endanger, nay, hee may hit a skilfull and cunning player, eſpecially if you ouer-carrie your ſtaffe in defence of the fained blow or thruſt.
Wherefore, if you lie on the low guard with your ſtaffe or pike, you ſhall defend a thruſt with the point of your weapon long before it come neare you, & yet your point is readie to anſwer more ſpeedily then it is when you lie on anie other guard, but he which lieth with his point of the ſtaffe or pike on the ground, hath verie little ſpace to his bodie, no more then the length of his arme wherein hee holdeth his weapon: therefore he which ſuffreth a thruſt to come ſo neare, it will quickelie come to the face or bodie, yet bicauſe moſt ſouldiers heretofore hauehave vſed this faſhion of lying, and are not experienced in the low guard, according to the firſt Picture of the Staffe; but if in your practiſe you vſe both, you ſhall find the benefit thereof the better; now if you frame your ſelfe into the hie guard, your ſtaffe muſt not be, in length, aboue eight foot at the moſt, but rather ſhorter, for elſe in defending your enemies thruſt, a long ſtaffe will hit in the ground, and by that means, your enemies thruſt may endanger you: therefore, for this high gard, you muſt looke that your ſtaffe be of that length, that you may carrie the point cleane from the ground in defending of a thruſt, but for the low gard it is no matter of what length your ſtaffe be.