Pseudo-Peter von Danzig/Mike Rasmusson 2004 LS

The text expanding from the verses follows from here;

Text

9	If you will show art, send yourself to Left and Right in striking,
10	and left with right is how you fence correctly and strongly.

Glosa Mark that this is the first tenet of the long sword, that before all things, to learn the strikes rightly, you will always fence strongly, and undertake this thus: When you stand with the left foot forward, and strike from your right side, your step with the right foot will not follow after the strike, thus making the strike weak and incorrect. When your right stays behind, onward the strike will be short. Also don't make your right step go to the other side, putting it under yourself and ahead of your left foot,

otherwise the play further from the left side shall happen with the step and strike on opposing sides.

Text of a lesson

11	He who strikes after deserves a joyless art.

Glosa That is when you come to him in fencing, then you shall not stay still and wait to see with what strike he would fight against you. Know that all fencers who wait to see the other's strike and who will do nothing but displace the other, deserve indeed less joy in their art when they are overcome and struck.

Text

12	Strike closely at him as you will, that nothing comes unto your hilt,
13	head, or body, allow no attack.
14	With the entire body fence as strongly as you can drive.

Glosa When you come to him in pre-fencing, as you would then fence, then drive with your body's full strength, and strike closely to him, one to his head, and to his body, and always keep your point ahead at his face or chest, Thus he can't change through past the point. If he displaces strongly, and your point goes off to the side, then give him a withdrawing slice to the arm,

Or if his arms go high in the displacement, then hit him with a free strike below to his body and step backward with it. Thus he is struck even as he would (strike) himself.

Text

15	Hear what is bad, fight not to left, if you are right,
16	and if you are left, the right is very limiting

Glosa This lesson is intended for two people, one right handed and one left, and regards how you should strike, that one is weak when he strikes the first strike not to engage, and this is shown thus: when you come to him in pre-fencing, and are on the right, then undertake not to strike the first strike from the left side where he is weak and does not want to engage against and strike strong with you, so onward strike from the right where you will engage strongly and work at the sword. Similarly if you are left then strike the first not from the right side, as it is wild for the leftie to drive the art entirely from the right side, similarly for the right from the left side.

Text

17	Before and After, the two things, all arts are from one spring.
18	Weak and Strong, Immediately, do mark this word,
19	thus you will learn work and weapon with Art,
20	know well that no fencing is never learned

Glosa You should first of all rightly undertake and understand two things, that is the Before and the After, and thereafter the weak and strong of the sword and then the word Immediately. From here grows the whole foundation of all fencing arts. When you undertake and understand these things rightly and not forget the word Immediately in all plays, you will drive. Thus will you be a good master of the sword and princes and nobles shall learn well with what proper art of the sword one would choose to fight best and in earnest.

What the Before is

That is that you shall always come before, be it with the strike or with the stab, as when you come to him with a strike or otherwise so that he must displace you, Immediately work ahead nimbly with the sword in the displacement or else with other plays, that he can then come to no work.

What the After is

Is to counter all plays away, and strike to drive the opponent from you, And to take this on even as he comes with the strike, so you must displace. Immediately work nimbly to the next opening and thus break his Before with your After.

Of the Weak and Strong of the Sword

Weak and Strong are taken thus, on the sword from the hilt to the middle of the blade, this is the strong of the sword, and farther past the middle to the point is the weak, and how you shall work with the weak and strong of the sword shall be clarified afterward.

Text of the Five Strikes

21	Teach Five strikes from the right hand,
22	that the weapon will be exalted by a praiseworthy art.

There are five secret strikes of which many masters of the sword know nothing to say. These you shall learn to strike well from the right side, which you can then strike with proper art to break and damage the fencer, which will be praised by other masters. How these shall be learned fully and how to strike when one fences in your plays will be clarified afterward.

Text on the verses' parts.

23	Wrathful strike, Arc, Cross, has Glance, with Vertex,
24	Fool displaces, Traveling After, Overrun lets strike,
25	Change through, Disengage, Run Through, Slice Away, Hand Hit,
26	Wind with openings, Slash against strikes, Stab with thrusting,

Here will be named the proper main parts of the verses of the Long Sword, as they are known, as well as their names, so onward you know well and can understand. The first are the five strikes as they are specially named.

The first is called the Wrath Strike,
the second the Arc Strike,
the third the Cross Strike,
the fourth the Glance Strike,
the fifth the Vertex Strike.

Now mark these elements,

the first being the four Guards,
the next the four Displacements,
the third the Traveling After,
the fourth Running Over,
the fifth the Parry,
the sixth is Changing Through,
the seventh is Disengaging,
the eighth Charging Through,
the ninth is Slicing Off,
the tenth is Hand Hitting,
the eleventh is Hanging,
the twelfth is the Winding.

And how you shall fence with the plays and how you shall gain openings with the Hanging and Winding so that you will go from one to the next, you will find described after here.

Mark that you come here to the first text and glosa

on the Wrath Strike with its plays

Text

27	To him who strikes you from above, Wrath Strike point concludes.

Glosa The Wrath Strike counters all high strikes with the point. And it is indeed nothing other than a bad peasant strike. Deploy it thus: when you come to him in the pre-fencing: if he strikes to you from his right side high to the head, then to this also strike from high on your right wrathfully displacing with him on his sword, if he is then weak on the sword, then aim to shoot ahead with the point and stab to his face, or attack the chest between the arms.

Text

28	If he wards, then take off high without driving

Glosa When you strike him with the Wrath Strike, then thrust the point long to his face or chest as described before. If he is wary of the point and strongly displaces and pushes your point to the side, then wrench off from his sword high above you with your sword on his sword's blade, and strike one to his other side, yet again on his sword's blade, to his head, this is called taking off high.

Counter against the take off

When he takes off high, then bind strongly on his sword above to his head with the long edge.

Text

29	Be stronger, wind farther, stab, stab first, then take it farther.

Glosa That is when you strike him with a Wrath Strike, if he displaces and stays strong on the sword in the displacement, then also stay with your sword strong on his sword and drive upward with your arms and wind your quillons onto his sword going forward to his head and stab high into his face, if he becomes aware of the stab and (note in margin: with the short edge) drives up high with his arms, and displaces with the quillons, then stay standing with your hilt in front of your head and send your point below to the throat, or to the chest between his arms, as will be told later.

Text of a lesson on the Wrath Strike

30	Mark well, strike stab stances light or hard,
31	Immediately and truly after, onward the war will not be awkward.

Glosa When he has bound on your sword with a strike or stab or otherwise, then you should not let yourself stop even in your winds, the before will be gained by marking if he is weak or strong when one sword slides against the other and, as you have determined this, immediately work first by winding against the light and the hard, always to the next opening, as will be clarified and examined in plays after this.

Text on the war.

32	When the war roams above, below he will be shamed.

The War is the Winding and the work to the four openings with the point that comes from it, and deploy this thus: when you strike with the Wrath Strike, as soon as he displaces then drive full forward with your arms and immediately wind the point high on his sword to the upper opening on his left side. If he then displaces the high stab, then stay standing in the wind with your hilt in front of your head, and let your point sink below to your left side, if he follows after your sword in displacement, then drive on to his left side with the sword and send the point up to his upper right opening, thus will he be shamed with the war high and low, in that you drive properly from one to the other.

Text of a lesson

33	In all windings, strike stab slice, learn to find,
34	also should you not test, strike stab or slice,
35	in all engagements, you will lose the mastery.

This is when you strike with the Wrath Strike, then you should remember well to end completely with the Windings, and a single wind has three particular elements, that is one strike, one slice, and one stab, and when you wind on the sword, then you should indeed consider well that these elements aren't driven wrongly. Take heed in the winding that you not strike when you should stab, and not slice when you should strike, and not stab when you should slice. Thus you shall always know the elements, that by properly heeding them you will drive all meetings and bindings with the sword, otherwise you will fail or lose the mastery when one displaces against you. How you shall deploy the windings, and how many there are, you will find described in the last part of the verses, which will speak of what will deploy well and what will counter properly.

Of the four Openings

36	Know four openings, space, thus you hit wisely,
37	in all attacks double where he is wary.

Glosa If one wants to be a master of the sword, he should know how to break the four openings with art, and then he will fence properly and wisely. The first opening is the right side, the second the left, both above the belt, the other two are on the left and right side, both under the belt. One should seek the openings by driving on to two from the pre-fencing by following after and shooting with the long point. The second time one should probe with the eight windings, when one binds from one to another on the sword, this you should also understand when you come to him in pre-fencing that you should always drive as best as one can to all with a strike or a stab into the four openings and pay no attention to what he deploys or fences against you. Thus you will force your opponent so that he must displace and, when he has displaced, then seek quickly for the next opening by winding in the displacement on the sword, and thus always roam to his openings and fence not to his sword, in this part you will achieve placement at four end points, stay there and thus end the lesson.

How one shall break the four openings

38	If you will reckon to break the four openings with art,
39	double above, transform below right.
40	I say to you be aware onward, you shoot no man without driving,
41	if you've reached him, make a close hit, then he won't advance

Glosa When you have first struck, if you then reckon to wind to his four openings with art so that he must let you strike as you please, then drive a double against the strong of his sword and then transform when he is weak at the sword, thus I say onward be aware that he won't be able to shoot in the Before as he wants, and so cannot come to strike.

How you shall drive the Doubling to both sides

Mark when he strikes high to you from his right shoulder, then also strike similarly strong and high from your right to his head, if he displaces and stays strong on the sword, then drive on Immediately with your arms and thrust your sword's pommel under your right arm with your left hand, and with crossed arms strike the long edge behind his sword's blade onto his head.

Another

If he strikes high to your head with the long edge from his left shoulder, then do the same, onward if he then stays strong on the sword, then drive your arms up quickly and strike with the short edge behind his sword's blade to his head.

Thus how your sword goes to war and strikes was taught

How one shall drive transforming to both sides

When you have struck him strongly above to the head from your right shoulder, if he displaces and is weak on the sword, then wind the short edge on his sword to your left side and, driving well up with your arms, drive your sword's blade high over his sword and stab his lower opening.

Another

When you have struck high to his head from your left side and he displaces and is weak on the sword, then drive up with your arms and hang the point over his sword from above and stab to his second opening. Thus you will drive the two elements from all strikes as you find him weak and strong on the sword.

Thus are fencing and work with the sword retained to be praised.

Text on the Arc Strike with its plays

42	Arc out nimbly, throw your point to the hands,
43	Arc to whom would attack, striding much allows strikes.

Glosa The arc strike is one of the four displacements against the four guards, in that with it one breaks the guard named the Ox, and it also drives onto the Over and Under Strikes. When you come to him in the pre-fencing, if he stands against you holding his sword before his head in the guard of the Ox, on his left side, then put your left foot forward, and hold your sword on your right shoulder, in the guard, and spring with the right foot well to your right side against him, and strike him with the long edge, from crossed arms, over the hands.

Another

You should also try the arc strike from the barrier guard, from either side, And thus set yourself in this guard: when you come to him in the pre-fencing, then stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword close on your right side with your point to the ground so that your long edge is above, and give an opening on the left side. If he strikes to the opening, then burst out from the strike with your right foot toward him well to your right side, And strike him with crossed hands and the long edge with the point out to his hands.

Of the Barrier Guard

Put yourself thus in the barrier guard to your left side: when you come to him with it in the pre-fencing, then stand with the right foot forward and hold your sword near your left side to the ground with crossed hands, so the short edge is above, and give an opening with your right side, if he Strikes to your opening, then burst out of the strike toward him with the left foot well to his right side, and strike in the burst with the short edge over the hands.

A good bit of text regarding the Krumphau

44	Arc strike to the flat and you will weaken the master.
45	When it glides above then stand off so I will praise.

You shall deploy this play against most binds with the sword, and drive it so: When you come to him in the pre-fencing, then lay your sword to your right side in the barrier guard and stand with the left foot forward, or hold it on the right shoulder, if he then strikes high to the opening, then strike strongly with the long edge to cross arms against his strike, and as soon as the swords clash together then immediately wind the short edge on his sword toward your left, and stab him in the face. Or if you will not stab him, then strike him immediately with the short edge, from the sword to the head or body.

Text on a part of the arc strike

46	Strike an arc not a short, show changes through with it.

Glosa That is when he will strike one high from his right side, then drive up high with the hands and as he strikes you will arc strike to bind on his sword, and drive the point through under his sword and stab to his other side into his face or chest, and be sure you wait to keep your hilt high before your head. Also to break the guard of the Ox with this play, you drive so when you go to him in pre-fencing, when he stands against you and holds his sword with the hilt on his left side, in front of the head, then throw your sword to your right shoulder and act as if you would bind onto his sword with the krumphau, strike short and change through with it below his sword, and shoot your point long under his sword to the other side and at his throat so he must displace, then you will come to hit and work with the sword.

Here observe the counter against the Cross Strike

When you stand against him in the guard of the roof then strike high to his head, if he then springs from the strike and means to come forward with a cross strike by striking to the left side of your head, then let your sword's long edge fall on his sword, if he then strikes across over to the other side, Immediately strike your sword ahead crossing under his sword to his throat so that he cuts himself with your sword.

Note:

Mark that when you have bound on a fencer's sword, if he then flies from the sword over in a cross to the other side, then let the long edge fall on his hand or arm and hit with the edge of the sword with your arms well out from you and snap the sword's edge from his arms up to his head.

Counter against the high cut to the arm

When you strike across to his right side, if he then feints with a cut to the arm, then strike and double with the short edge behind his blade to his mouth.

Or if you strike across to his left side, and he then feints a cut to the arm, then strike a double with the long edge behind his blade to his mouth.

Mark if he counters the doubling when you cut high to his arm, if he doubles high to your head, thus drive on and wind against the blow with your sword below his and drive the sword's short edge to his throat.

A bit of verse on the Cross Strike

50	Cross with strength, mark your work with it.

Glosa That is when you will strike with a Crosser, then you should strike with your body's full strength and always bind on his sword with the strong in order to win and take the openings. Thus when you have struck with a Cross from your right side, if he displaces then drive a double or thrust in from the Cross with the hilt of your sword off to the side and then strike in to the other side.

Counter

When you have had a sword driven to the throat, then drive your sword inward with the pommel up and let the blade hang down and thrust his sword from your throat and strike high to his head with a snap, or strike a double with the right hand up over his sword and under the face while he has his sword at your throat.

Text on striking across to the four openings

51	Cross to the Plough, fly hard to the Ox.
52	That is you cross to the head with a spring.

Glosa You heard the Ox and the Plough being named before. These two stances or guards are named here as they address the four openings, for the Ox the upper two openings and the right and left of the head, the plough is to the lower two openings on the left and the right below the opponent's belt. You should also aim for these same four openings with cross strikes in pre-fencing.

Thus strike the cross to the four openings

When you come to your opponent in pre-fencing, stand with your left foot forward and when you are in range spring against his left side with the right foot and strike an artful cross to his left side's lower opening. This is called striking to the Plough. If he displaces then hit him quickly to the upper right opening, which is to the Ox, and then always drive the cross strike nimbly, one to the Ox and another to the Plough, across from one side to the other, that is to the head and to the body.

You should also consider that you always shall spring well to his side in every cross strike, thus you will hit well to the head, but be sure that you meanwhile keep your hilt high before your head.

Counter against the Lower Cross Strike

When he strikes you with a Cross from his right side high to your head's left, then displace with the long edge and stay with the point in front of the chest, if he then strikes from the sword over with a cross to your lower right opening, then you also strike across through low between you and also to his right side, and so bind on his sword and immediately stab to his lower opening.

Text on Feinting

53	Feints mislead from below against intent to move

Glosa Feinting is a play in which many elements become blended as in you want to pull out and strike to those who will displace and fence to the sword and not the body.

Mark when you come to him in pre-fencing, then move as if you would strike to the head in a free downstrike, then disengage off the strike and strike him with a cross to his lower opening on either the left or right side as you will, and see that you keep the hilt over your head as you deploy the cross strike.

Text on Inverting

54	Inverting forces running through with grappling too,
55	know to take the elbow and spring on the way.

Glosa The Inverter is the name for fencing with a half strike or the twisting hand which one forces to the opponent in running through and trapping to wrestle.

Drive this thus,

when you have gone to him in pre-fencing, then go with the left foot forward to strike a half strike from the right side and reversed long edge, go and go on with your left foot until you come to him and as soon as you thus bind with the sword, Immediately hang the point and stab at his face, if he displaces and drives his arms high, then charge through to him. If he keeps his hands low in the displacement then grab his right elbow with your left hand, hold it well and spring with the left foot ahead of his right and push him over your foot.

Or if you would not push him by the elbow with your left hand over your foot as was described before, then drive with the left arm behind him around his body and throw him forward over your hip.

Text on just one of the Feints

56	Feinting double makes one hit with the edge.
57	Let it double stride left and forward with it.

Glosa This names the double feint which is driven thus: when you come to him in pre-fencing then stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword on your right shoulder and when you are near then spring with your right foot to his left side and do as if you would strike a free cross strike to his left side of the head and pull out of the strike and spring with the left foot to his right side and strike to his head, if he displaces and you engage his sword then spring away close to the side and cut him with the short edge behind his sword with a double to the mouth.

Or fall with the sword over both his arms in the cut to also make the feint from the high strikes, thus driving full to strike from the Crosser when it is open to you or when you wish.

Here you rise to the Glance Strike with its plays

Text

58	Glance strikes break once what buffaloes strike or stab,
59	Changed defense concludes glancing outward to deny

Glosa The Glancer breaks the guard named the Plough and is a particularly well applied strike as it breaks strikes and stabs with force and closes with an inverted sword, many masters of the sword do not know what to say of this strike

How one shall strike the glancer

Mark when you come to him in the pre-fencing to stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword on your right shoulder, if he strikes then to your head from above then twist your sword and strike long against his strike with your arms upward and the short edge right over his sword to his head. If he is then unsuccessful and disabled on your sword and would then change through below, then let your point shoot far forward from yourself so he won't try to change through below.

Another

When you stand against him and hold your sword on your right shoulder, if he then stands against you in the guard of the plough and would stab you from below, then strike him with the glancer to point high and long to his chest, thus he will not reach you with the stab from below.

Text of a lesson on the Glance Strike

60	Glance short on his Changes Through onto his face

Glosa Mark the lesson when you come to him in pre-fencing, then you should glance to the face and see if he would fence short against you, so by it you should know when he would strike right at you, if he does not strike with his arms long from him then his strike will be shortened,

Or when you stand before him in the fool's guard if he will then arc to fall out with the sword, then his sword is shortened,

Or when he stands against you in the guard of the Ox or the Plough, then his sword is shortened. Also know that all windings with the sword are short in front of the opponent and shorten the sword and the Changes which the fencer then drives through freely from strikes and from stabs and shots in the long point, those that you force from one opening to the next so that he must displace, thus you come to work properly.

Text on how one breaks the Long Point with the Glancer

61	Glance to the point and take the throat without effort

When you come to him in pre-fencing, if he then stands against you and holds the long point to your face or chest then hold your sword on the right shoulder and glance facing the point and act as if you would strike and then strike strongly with the glancer with the short edge against his sword and shoot the point long to his throat with a step ahead with the right foot.

Text on just one element of the Glance Strike

62	Glance high to the lead hand should you threaten

Glosa Mark that this is a second counter when he stands against you in the long point, then glance at him with with your face to his head and act as if you would strike onto it, and strike him from the glance strike with the point over his hands.

Of the Vertex Strike

Text

63	The top of the face is endangered
64	with your turn threatening the chest.
65	That which comes from him is taken at the Crown,
66	cut through the crown then break hard
67	as the strike hits, pull out with a slice.

The Vertex breaks the guard called fool and endangers the face and the chest with your turn.

Then drive this thus,

when you come to him in pre-fencing, and he stands against you in the fool's guard, then put your left foot forward and hold your sword in guard on your right shoulder and spring to him and strike strongly with the long edge from above to his head, when he displaces the strike so his point and grip are above and to each side in the stance called the Crown, then keep your arms high and with your left hand raise the sword's pommel high and sink your point over his guard to his chest, if he thrusts his sword to push your point away, then wind your sword below his crown with a cut to his arm and hit, thus breaking the crown again, and with the hit then cut hard on the arm and pull out with a slice.

This is the second guard

The second guard is called the Plough and set yourself in it thus, Stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword with crossed hands with the pommel under you near your right side on the hip so that the short edge is above and the point stands against him in his face.

On the left side set yourself in the guard of the plough thus, Stand with the right foot forward and hold your sword near the left side with the pommel under you to the hip so that the long edge is above and the point stands in his face. This is the plough on both sides.

Text of the four Displacements

70	Four are the displacements also used for addressing the stances

Glosa You heard before what the four guards are, now you shall also know the four displacements that break those four guards, also know to use no other displacement as there are four strikes that you shall counter with,

the first strike is the Arc Strike. This breaks the guard named the Ox.

The second strike is the Cross Strike. This breaks the guard of the Roof.

The third strike is the Glancer. This breaks the guard called the Plough.

The fourth strike is the Vertex. This breaks the guard called Fool.

And how to break the four guards with the strikes is found described before this under the same named strikes.

Text when one shall not displace

71	Before displacing guard yourself, place it to your best advantage

That is you should not displace as the common fencer does. When they displace then they hold their point high or to one side, so understand that they do not know how to use the point in the displacement to seek onward and are often hit. Thus when you would displace, then displace with your strike or with your stab and Immediately search for the next opening with the point, thus you will not be mastered and struck to your damage.

Text how one shall drive the displacement farther

72	If you are displaced as it comes in
73	now hear what I advise, wrench off, strike fast in line.

That is when one has displaced you and will not extract from the sword and intends that you will not be allowed to come to a play, then wrench upward with your sword on his sword's blade, as if you would take off from his sword from above, and stay on the sword and strike him hitting on the blade again with the long edge onto his head.

Text on four attacks

74	Attack to four endings, onward stay would you end the lesson

Glosa There are four attacks to know should you drive in earnest, when you would soon hit or drive when you approach him in pre-fencing, then stand yourself with the sword in the Ox guard or the Plough, if he would then strike from above or stab below, then observe as he raises his sword up to hit or pulls back low in order to stab you, then come forward and shoot into the long point to the next opening. As and when he brings forth the strike or stab, look to see if you may attack. Similarly also do this when he strikes low to you then shoot the point to him as and when he comes with the low strike and drive it to both sides. If he becomes wary of the attack then stay with your sword toward him and work nimbly to the next opening.

When you come to him in pre-fencing, then stand with the left foot forward in the guard of the roof and be well aware of what he would fence against you. If he strikes high to your left, then wait so that he will not reach you with the strike, and meanwhile observe when his sword goes below him to the ground then spring with the right foot and strike him high to the head as and when his sword goes farther out, thus he is struck.

The following play is called the outside take.

When he would strike to you and you travel after him with a strike to the opening, if he then soon drives off with the sword and comes below you onto your sword then stay strong on the sword with yours hard over his then spring behind his right with your left foot and hit him with a cross or similar to the right of his head and work soon again over to his left side with doubling or other similar elements as you find if he is soft or hard on the sword.

A good travel-after on the sword out of low strikes

When you fence against him from low strikes or out of a strike, or stand against him in the guard named Fool, if he feints then with the sword onto yours as and when you so come forth, then stay low with your sword on his and lift upward, if he winds on the sword bringing his point at your face or chest, then don't let him come off the sword and from there follow after him to work your point to the next opening. If he strikes over from the sword then follow or travel after him with the point but, as before,

see that you shall, from all strikes and guards, follow after him as soon as you can when he has struck or opened with the sword before you, and when you yourself have opened or struck, wait so that you will not be followed after, observe this on both sides.

Mark here the lesson on Feeling and on the word Immediately

Text

78	Teach feeling. The word Immediately cuts sharply.

When you come to him in pre-fencing and one or another has bound on the sword, then you should, just as the swords clash together, feel by hand if he has bound soft or hard and, as soon as you have determined this, then think of the word Immediately in that by it you will find how you will work nimbly on the sword so that he is hit even as he would ward.

Mark

that Feeling and the word Immediately are one thing and one is not considered without the other when you bind on his sword. Thus take full to hand the word Immediately, if he is soft or hard and when you have felt this then you must now work against the soft and against the hard at the sword. So when both are not one thing, the word Immediately is foremost of all concepts and use it thus:

	Immediately doubles, Immediately transforms,
	Immediately changes through, Immediately charges through,
	Immediately gains the slice, Immediately gains the grapple,
	Immediately takes the sword, Immediately does what your heart desires,

Immediately is a sharp word that cuts all masters of the sword, the word is not ingrained without knowing that this is the key to the art.

Text regarding the Traveling After

79	Traveling after hits one twice done with the olden slice

Glosa That is you shall travel after to both sides and don't forget the slices inward. Take this on when he would strike before you from high on the right or left side, then strike after him driving to the opening he makes and bind below on the sword, so mark as soon as one sword glides on the other, then slice him Immediately to his throat or let your long edge fall on his arm and slice closely.

Text on the overunning

80	He who roams below overrunning will then shame him.
81	When it thus glides strong above I will praise that well,
82	make your work or hit hard twice.

That is when you come to him with pre-fencing, if he then strikes you below to the low openings then don't displace him but strike him strongly from above to his head, or if he strikes to you with low strikes, then be aware as and when he comes out with the low strike, then shoot the point long to his face or chest and attack him high so he won't want to reach you below. All high attacks break and baffle the low ones. If he drives then to you below on your sword, then stay with the long edge strong on his sword and work nimbly to the next opening, or let him work and Immediately you can hit him.

Text on how one shall parry stabs and strikes

83	Teach setting aside weapons artfully laid strike stab,
84	stab out from you, your point hits and counters his,
85	hit from both sides, at all times you will stride

Glosa Observe the setting aside, when you come to him in pre-fencing drive thus if he stands against you as if he would stab: put your left foot forward and stand against him in the guard of the Plough on your right side and give an opening with your left side, if he stabs to that opening then wind the sword onto his stab to your left side with the short edge on his sword, setting it aside, and stride then with your right foot and stab him Immediately to his face or chest.

Another play

When you stand in the guard of the plough on your right side and he strikes high to your head's left side, then ward off with the sword and wind it against his strike on your left side with the hilt in front of your head, and stride then with your right foot, and stab to his face or chest driving this play to both sides.

Text on how one shall change through

86	Teach changing through from both sides,
87	with weapons bound well on yours, change through in finding the blade

The change through is much and you shall drive it properly against the fencer who likes to displace and strike to the sword, not to the body's openings, this you shall learn well, drive with leading ahead to the man who does not attack or come forward while you are changing through.

Drive the change through thus.

When you come to him with pre-fencing then strike him a high strong one, if he strikes then in return against your sword and not your body, then in the strike let the point sink through, swiping below the sword as and when he binds on your sword, and stab to his chest on the other side. If he is aware of the stab and drives the sword stabbing right after with displacement, then change through and always do this when he drives with displacement against the sword.

Another

When you come to him with pre-fencing then set your left foot forward and hold the long point into his face, if he strikes from above down onto or from below onto your sword and will smite it away or bind strong on it, then let your point sink below it and stab to the other side. This drives against all strikes where your opponent strikes to the sword.

Mark this

You should change through while the opponent truly engages, then you change through and do it thus, when he displaces you and lets his point go outward to the side, then change through inward and stab him on the other side. If he stays with the point at your face or against other openings then don't change through but stay on his sword and work on it to the next opening so he can't travel or engage again.

Text on Disengaging on the sword

88	Step close in binding so disengaging gives good finding.
89	Disengage his hits, disengaging finds more work,
90	do this always as disengaging all engagements will attain you the mastery.

Know to drive the Disengaging against masters who bind strongly on the sword and stay on the sword in the bind, and wait to see if he would strike off from you or pull off of the sword, that you can then follow after to the opening to reach or touch the same master, then drive the disengaging against him thus: strike him strongly from the right side high to the head, if he drives forward in the strike strongly with the sword and will displace or strike to the sword, then disengage your sword nimbly as and when you bind on and stab him on the other side, do this against all hits and binds of the sword.

Mark here another disengaging

When he has bound onto your sword and then stays against you in the bind waiting to see if you would pull off of the sword, then do as if you would disengage yet stay on the sword and pull your sword on the half edge to you and stab him soon again on the sword to the face or chest, if you don't hit rightly with the stab then work with doubling or any other element that is the best for you.

Text on charging through with grappling on the sword

91	Let Charging Through hang with the pommel grab should you wrestle.
92	He who would charge through strongly against you, you mark with it.

The charging through and grappling are doubled when charging through with the sword, that is to grapple the body, So the arm grapple is afterward, and pay attention to drive against the fencer who charges openly.

At first drive the charge through thus

Mark when he charges and drives high with the arms and would overpower you from above with the strong, then you also drive out your arms out and hold your sword with the left hand close over your head and let your blade hang back behind you and charge through with your head through the arms to his right side and spring with the right foot behind his right and in the spring drive with your right arm against his left side ahead well around the body and trap him thus on your right hip and throw him over backward on his head.

Wrestling a body

When he charges you with outreaching arms and you to him, then charge through him with your head to his right side and let your sword hang behind over your back, as was described before, stand and stride with your right foot ahead in front of his right and drive through behind him with your right arm under his right arm throw his body behind you over your right hip. These two wrestles drive to both sides.

Still wrestling a body

When he charges to your right and has his arms high and you are also thus, then hold your sword in the right hand with the pommel overhead and thrust the hilt to his arm and your sword away from you and spring with the left foot forward in front of both his feet and drive the left arm fully behind and around the body and hold him on the left hip to throw him in front of you.

Still wrestling a body

When he charges to you with his arms high and you do so too, then hold your sword in the right hand and thrust your arm to him and spring with the left foot behind his right and drive through from below with the left arm in front of his chest on the left side and trap him on the left hip and throw him behind you. These two wrestles drive to both sides.

The following is arm wrenching in the sword

Mark when he charges to you with the sword and holds his hands low, then turn your left hand and grasp to his right with it inward between both his hands and shove in with it to the left and with the right hand hit him atop the head with the sword.

Another

If you would not hit him then spring with your right foot behind his left and drive ahead to him with the right arm or backward around the throat and then throw him over your right knee.

An arm grapple

When he charges to you with the sword and is low with his hands, then release your left from your sword and with the right drive with the pommel out over his right hand and push down with it and with your left hand grab him by his right elbow and spring with the left foot in front of his right and then push him over.

Still an arm grapple

When he charges to you with the sword, then let your sword fall and turn your right hand and grasp outward to his right and with the left grip him by the right elbow and spring with the left foot ahead of his right and with your right hand thrust his right arm over your left and so lift him upward, thus you can break his arm or throw him from yourself over the left leg if you want.

Mark here a taking of the sword

Mark when one charges in to you with the sword, then turn your left hand and drive it over his right arm and then grasp his sword between both hands on the grip and push it to your left side. Thus you have taken his sword.

Still a sword taking.

When he displaces or otherwise binds on your sword then grasp the sword's middle with the left hand and hold both tight and drive the right hand through down with the pommel forward over both his hands and then pull upward to your right side, thus you keep both swords.

Of the cutting off

93	Cut off hard from below ward in both.

That is what you shall deploy when one binds strongly on your sword from above or feints from there, and so use this when you pre-fence from the low strike or from striking up from or when standing against him in the Fool's guard, if he feints out then with the sword as and when you come out from this, then stay low on your sword and raise the short edge closely above you, if he then hits your sword hard downward then strike low with your sword on his sword's blade, take off from his sword behind you, and quickly again strike to the other side onto his sword and high to his mouth.

Yet another

When you pre-fence with low strikes or rush in the Fool's guard, if he feints out then with the sword near to your hilt as and when you come out from this so that your point goes out to your right side, then drive out nimbly with the pommel over his sword and hit him on the head with the long edge, or if he binds onto your sword so that your point goes off to the left side, then drive with the pommel over his sword and hit to his head with the short edge. This is called the clipping.

Text on the four cuts

94	Four are the slices, with two below and two above

Know the four slices, the first being the two above to know to drive against the fencer that would slash well over from the displacement or from the bind of the sword to the other side with the thwart or similar.

To counter this,

when he binds on your sword to your left side and soon slashes with it around again with the left foot on his right side, then drop with the long edge above over both his arms and punch the edge away from you. This you should always drive to both sides when he slashes around or strikes off the sword from the displacement.

Mark

So that driving the two lower cuts against the fencer can be understood, do these well charging in with arms stretched out above in the drive, thus when he binds on your sword and drives out high with the arms and strides to your left side, then twist your sword ahead so that your thumb comes under it and let your long edge fall below the pommel and hit with an upward cut to his arms.

If he strides to you with arms stretched above to your right side then twist your sword ahead so that your thumb comes below it and let the short edge fall below his pommel and hit with an upward cut to the arms. These are the four cuts.

Text on converting the cut

95	Your edge twisted to flat presses the hands

Analysis This is how you shall drive from the two lower cuts to the two high ones, take this thus, when he strides in to your left side with arms stretched overhead then twist your sword ahead and let your long edge fall under his pommel to his arm and almost push upward and stride with it on his right side and wind the pommel through below and don't come away from his arms with the sword then wind the sword from below to cut above over his arm with the long edge.

[Missing from Zabinski's transcription]

Text on the two low hangings

96	Two hangings will be up from the earth on one hand,
97	in all driven strikes stab stances light or hard

The two hangings from the ground would be the plough on both sides and when you would fence or have fenced from it then in striking and in stabbing and in all bindings of the swords you should feel in them if he is light or hard on the sword, from this you shall drive four windings and from each winding specifically one strike, one slice, one stab and still all other deployments driveable from the two high hangings.

Text on the Window Breaker

98	Make the Window Breaker straightly into his intent,
99	strike so that he snaps to the weapon you display to him before you,
100	yet I say onward you shoot no man without driving,
101	if you seek to hit he will not come forth

You have heard before that when you are before the man with the sword, you should place yourself in the four guards from which you shall fence, so now you shall also know that the window breaker is also a guard with which you can stand securely, and this guard is the long point, the noblest and best sword ward out from which you can fence that forces the man so he must let you hit as you please and make the point come forward again still to hit and to stab

How you shall put yourself in the Window Breaker

When you go to him in pre-fencing with whichever strike, coming then onward as with a low or high strike, then let your point always shoot in long to his face or chest by which you force him to displace or bind on the sword and, when when he has thus bound, then stay freely with the long edge strong on his sword and straight into the intent of what he would fence against you, if he seems to go back off of the sword, then follow with it or to an opening; or if he flies off the sword striking around to your other side, then bind strongly against his strike high to the head; or if he will not pull away from the sword after striking around then work by doubling or with other similar elements afterward as you find him weak or strong on the sword.

This is another mode.

And this is also the Window Breaker. Mark when you have come to him with pre-fencing, then set your left foot forward and hold your arms in the long point toward his face or chest, like when you bind onto his sword, and stand freely against what he would fence to you, if he strikes long and high to your head, then drive out and wind the sword into the Ox against his strike and stab to his face; or if he strikes to your sword and not your body then change through and stab him on the other side; If he strides in and his arms are high, then drive below the cut or charge through to him with wrestling; If his arms are low, then resort to grappling the arms; thus you drive all aspects of the long point.

Text on aiming with the four hangings and the eight windings of the sword as told by the verses

102	He who would direct and counter rightly, and would conclude,
103	will judge and counter with only three particular wisdoms.
104	He who would properly hang and wind
105	will consider eight windings rightly.
106	Indeed one in these windings will step through
107	my twenty- four verses the same
108	on both sides. Teach eight windings with lessons
109	and tests, driving no longer only soft or hard;

This is a meaningful lesson in the hanging and the winding of the sword, which you shall use well and aim so that you can nimbly lead and then counter against one's opponent's plays properly, driving against him with art. There are four hangings, the Ox above on both sides, these are the upper two hangings, and the plough below on both sides, these are the lower two hangings. From the four hangings you shall deploy eight windings, four from the Ox and four from the Plough, and you shall deploy these very eight windings, so consider and judge that you shall deploy the three wisdoms from every winding, that is one strike, one stab, and one slice.

How one shall deploy the four windings from the two upper hangings, that is the Ox from both sides.

How you deploy the first two windings from the Ox only on the right side is thus: When you come to him in pre-fencing, then stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword before your head to your right side in the Ox. If he strikes one high to you from his right side, then wind the short edge on his sword to your left side in his strike into the Ox and stab him one high to the face, that is one winding.

If he then displaces the stab with strength and forces your sword to the side, then stay on the sword and wind again to your right side into the Ox and stab him high to the face. These are the two windings on the sword from the first high hanging on the right side.

Following are the other two windings from the Ox, on the left side, thus:

When you come to him with pre-fencing then stand in the guard of the Ox on the left side, if he strikes one high to you from his left side then wind against his strike with the long edge to your right side on his sword and stab him one high to his face, this is one winding.

If he displaces the stab and pushes the sword to the side, then stay on the sword and wind the long edge to your left side into the Ox on his sword and stab him one high to the face. These are the four windings from the two upper hangings on the left and right side.

Now you shall know

That the plough on both sides comprises the lower two hangings, when you stand in it or will fence from it, then you shall deploy four windings from the left and right sides with all your drives, as was done from the upper hangings, to make the windings eight. And especially mark whenever you wind to think of the strike, the stab, and the slice in each winding. Thus twenty four plays come from the eight windings, you shall find how you drive these twenty four elements written before in the glosa.

Here listen very well

That if you want to drive the eight windings right, that it is with striding from both sides and above all testing nothing more than the two forces that are there when he binds on your sword, if he is weak or hard in his drive. First when you have found this then wind and work to the four openings as was written before, and know that all fencers who wind on the sword and do not know how to feel, they will be hit by winding on the sword. Onward thus be diligent that you mark well the feeling and the word Immediately since from these two things comes all the arts of fencing.

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