Talk:Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)

Work	Author(s)	Source	License
Scans	Biblioteka Jagiellońska	Biblioteka Jagiellońska
Translation	Kirk Siemsen	Private communication
Transcription	Michael Chidester	Index:Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)

Translation by Georg Gick to move to Liechtenauer article

A proper lesson on the longsword.

If you want to display art, you must be swift and accurate with your strikes and exhibit good technique, especially if you have engaged in a strong fight. He who strikes late can hardly take pride in his skill. Strike precisely where you intend, no master can guard against your defense, aim for the head, aim for the body. Time does not tolerate hesitation, engage fully where you stand prepared to act. Before the blow is dealt, do not meet the steel but the aggressor, Keep your gaze. So if your technique is good and you are quick, Impede them with strength while maintaining good technique. Before and after: these two concepts are to all skill a well-spring. Weakness and strength, instantly enhances the meaning. In this way, you may learn, working and improving with skillful art, especially if you frighten.

No fencer has ever truly learned the esteemed part from mere imitation alone. He who honors it through dedication will be gladly rewarded in the skill.

Text from the students of the Zettel

Wrath Stroke, Crooked, Thwart, Squinter, Scalper, Fool parries chasing, overrunning gives strokes, change through, pull, run though, slice off, press the hands, hang, wind with the openings; strike, catch, slash, thrust with jabs.

The Wrath stroke

He who strikes at you above, wrath stroke with the point to threaten him. If he responds to it, come above without fear. Know to be strong through the wind. Stab, if he sees it, take it again. Take note: cut, stab, position soft or hard. Instantly, before, and after. Do not hasten in your war. He who runs the war above, he will be shamed below. In all windings, learn to find cuts, stabs, and slices. You shall also do so with testing, cut, stab, or slice in all meetings if you want to fool the masters.

The four openings

Be aware of the four openings, Aim to strike

with purpose in all variations, without hesitation according to how he behaves himself.

Four openings to break

If you wish to take revenge, The four openings artfully break. Double above, rightfully transmute below. I say for you truthfully, no man defends without fear. If you have understood, he will rarely come to strike.

The crooked cut

Crooked on him quickly. Throw your point on the hands. Who performs the crooked well, with stepping he hinders many a stroke.

Cut crooked to the flat of the masters if you wish to weaken them. When it flashes above - stand off, this I wish to praise. Don’t do the crooked, strike short, changing through show with this. Crooked who hinders you, he who keeps away from the noble war. Thus he does not truly know where to leap without fear.

The thwart cut

The thwart takes away what the day brings. Thwart with the strength of your work. With this, mark: thwart to the plow, firmly align to the ox. What defends well, with leaps, targets the head. He who conducts a failer skillfully, leads with before and flows into after as he desires.

The reverser forces, running through also wrestles with the elbow. Take wisely, jump in balance. Failer twofold, meet him and make it with slice. Twofold it continues, step in left, and do not be loose.

The squinting cut

The squinter breaks what buffalo strikes or stabs. He who threatens to change through, squinter robs him. Squint, if he is short against you, changing through defeats him. Squint to the point, take the throat without fear. Squint to the upper head, if you wish to damage the hands.

The scalper cut

The scalper is dangerous to the face, with its circle, quite dangerous to the breast. What comes, the crown takes away. Slice through the crown, already hard in the strike. Press with the edge, with the slice pull them away.

The four guards

Four guards alone hold and distain the common. Ox, plow, fools, from the day. Do not be unaware.

The four offsets

Four are the offsets that forsake the four guards sorely. Beware of parries. If it happens to you, it troubles you sorely. If you are parried, and how that has happened, hear what I advise you: Pull away, cut, fast with threat. Set on the four ends. Stay on, learn if you wish to end it.

Chasing

Learn chasing twice, or slice into the weapon. Two after intentions. The work after the beginning. And test the attacks if they are soft or hard. Learn the feeling. The word instantly

slices sharply. Chase twice, if you meet, do the old slice as well.

Overrunning

Who wishes to strike below, overrunning is what shames him. When it clashes above, strengthen, this I praise. Make your work or press hard twice.

Setting aside

Learn to set aside. To artfully hinder cuts and thrusts. Who thrusts you, your point hits and ocunters his. From both sides, hit every time if you want to step.

Changing Through

Learn to change through from both sides, thrust with intent. Who binds on you, changing through will find him.

Pulling

Step close in the bind. Pulling gives good finds. Pull, if he meets, pull more. Find the work that will hurt him. Pull in all encounters against the masters, if you wish to fool them.

Running Through

Run through, let hang with the pommel. Grasp if you want to wrestle. Who comes strongly against you, the running through then remember.

Slicing off

Slice off the hard ones, from below in both attacks. Four are the slices, two below, and two above.

Pressing hands

Turn your edge, press the hands to the flats.

Two hangings

There are two hangings, from one side from the earth. In all attacks, strike, thrust, posture soft or hard.

The speaking window

Do the speaking window, stand blithely and look at his actions. Strike him until he is defeated. When he withdraws from you, I say to you truthfully - No one protects himself without fear. If you have learned this, he can scarsely manage to strike.

Conclusion of the Epitome

Who advances well and breaks correctly,and ult-

-imately makes it all right, and particularly divides each into three wonders.Who hangs well rightly and brings forth the windings, and considers the eight windings with rightful ways in mind, and each one of those same windings, I consider to be triple, So there are Twenty-four. Count them only, from both sides. Learn eight windings with stepping, and test the bind, no more than soft or hard.

End of the text of the Fencing Epitome

Here follows the Explaination

Explaination of the text written above in the Epitome.

Translation notes

The following is a translation of the Goliath dagger techniques by ARMA scholar Kirk Siemsen. Included with the translation are some comments on the techniques by ARMA scholar Ran Pleasant and Kirk Siemsen.

Goliath presents a number of extremely effective dagger techniques. Most of these techniques can also be found in the works of other Medieval and Renaissance masters. However, in some cases Goliath provide details about how to perform these techniques that are not as clear or are lacking in the other works. In addition, in select cases Goliath presents a different manner of performing a technique.

In three images the man who is performing the technique is shown having been grabbed by his adversary. This is commonly known as "grab & stab", people like to control their victims. However, note that when you grab a person you gives him a split second in which to perform a counter technique. The grab actually serves as a trigger for the execution of the technique. Moreover, the arm you use to grab the other person provides him a part of your body to work against, it actually facilitates the counter. A number of techniques that start in response to a "grab & stab" are seen in Fiore.

In some images a dagger is seen at the feet of the man performing the technique. It may well be that the man lay down his dagger while performing the technique for the artist and the artist simply drew what he was seeing. However, the dagger on the ground could also suggest that the adversary performed a successful disarming technique prior to making the attack seen in the image. For training purposes it has been helpful to start with the person playing the adversary role to perform a disarm before attacking the person who is performing the technique seen in the image. The flow from one action into another gives a more realistic context for the technique being practiced. -RP

Transcription notes (75r - 86r)

The Goliath Fechtbuch (MS German Quarto 2020) of the Biblioteka Jagiellonska in Kraków, Poland holds a chapter called “Fechtbuch im Meser”. After several empty pages, another chapter starts that contains various pieces with the Quaterstaff as the exercising tool for the most staff weapons. In this posting I present a transcription of that book. If any translation is wanted, please let me know and I will see what I can do.

Matt Galas recognized the fencing as the same as in Egenolph “Der Altenn Fechter anfengliche Kunst” of 1531. I added the sections of the same pieces of this book next to the ones in the Goliath. The additional pieces that are not identified in this document are collected in the picture next to this text. Apparently both writers of the books copied from another older document. This manuscript could be the one of Andreas Pauernfeindt of 1516 but it could be that all three authors may have drawn from elder sources because they differ too much for being a direct copy.

Note: This is a not proofread, uncorrected version. My first draft. If you have any recommendations, corrections, or annotations that will improve the content on this page, please help me by commenting. You will find the original image of this transcription here: Link to the Wiktenauer.

Transcription Rules

The transcription is created to make the text readable. So the abbreviations and errors are resolved and marked:

[ ] Square Brackets: resolved abbreviation.
{ } Curved Brackets: added missing words or letters