Wiktenauer logo.png

Difference between revisions of "Salvator Fabris"

From Wiktenauer
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m
Line 83: Line 83:
 
! <p>Illustrations<br/>from the 1601</p>
 
! <p>Illustrations<br/>from the 1601</p>
 
! <p>Illustrations<br/>from the 1606</p>
 
! <p>Illustrations<br/>from the 1606</p>
! <p>{{rating}}<br/></p>
+
! <p>{{rating|C}}<br/>by [[A. F. Johnson]]</p>
 
! <p>[[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|Prototype]] (1601)<br/></p>
 
! <p>[[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|Prototype]] (1601)<br/></p>
 
! <p>[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Archetype]] (1606){{edit index|Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Michael Chidester]]</p>
 
! <p>[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Archetype]] (1606){{edit index|Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Michael Chidester]]</p>
Line 93: Line 93:
 
| [[File:GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040 1r.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040 1r.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Title 1.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Title 1.jpg|400px|center]]
|  
+
| <p>[1] '''Fencing''', or '''the Science of Arms''' by Salvator Fabris.</p>
 
|  
 
|  
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|2|lbl=I}}
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|2|lbl=I}}
Line 103: Line 103:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Title 2.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Title 2.jpg|400px|center]]
|  
+
| <p>[2] </p>
 
|  
 
|  
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|3|lbl=III}}
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|3|lbl=III}}
Line 113: Line 113:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Portrait 1.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Portrait 1.jpg|400px|center]]
|  
+
| <p>[3] </p>
 
|  
 
|  
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|5|lbl=V}}
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|5|lbl=V}}
Line 123: Line 123:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Heraldry.jpg|400px|center]]
 
| [[File:Scienza d’Arme (Fabris) Heraldry.jpg|400px|center]]
|  
+
| <p>[4] To His Serene Majesty, the most Powerful Christian IV., King of Denmark, Norway, Gothland and Vandalia, Duke of Schleswig Holstein, Stormarn and Ditmarsch, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, &c.<br/><br/></p>
 +
 
 +
<p>I am confident that all who read this work of mine will recognise that the many benefits received from your Serene Highness are the cause, which has urged and impelled me to publish to the world these my labours. I have wished also to help professors of the science of arms by showing them those instructions and rules, which after long use and continual practice and from observing the errors of others I have found to be good. I hope then that a work based on such principles will find merit, especially as it is under the protection of your Serene Highness - a work as worthy by reason of the excellence of its subject as it is glorious through the approval of your high judgment. To you, therefore, my benefactor, my king and a prince of incomparable valour as much in civil government as in the practice of arms, a true hero of our times, I have dared to dedicate my work; for since its inception is due to you, I am bringing it forth to the sight of men under the same protection. I know moreover how useful to the world and necessary to good men this art is, bringing honour to anyone who practises it aright either in the defence of his prince, his country, the laws, his life or his honour. Will your Serene Majesty therefore deign to receive into your favour not only the work, but the devotion with which, your humble and obedient servant, dedicate it. Meantime I will pray the Divine grace that long life may be granted you for the well-being of your blessed subjects and the good of the world, and that by grace you may obtain salvation in the world to come.<br/><br/><br/></p>
 +
 
 +
<p>Your Serene Majesty's</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>most humble and devoted Servant,</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>'''Salvatore Fabris'''</p>
 
|  
 
|  
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|7|lbl=VII}}
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|7|lbl=VII}}
Line 133: Line 141:
 
|  
 
|  
 
|  
 
|  
|  
+
| <p>[5] '''''To the Reader'''.''</p>
 +
 
 +
<p>Marvel not, Reader, if you see a man of the sword, unaccustomed to the schools or the circles of literary men, presuming to write and print books; rather rejoice at seeing the science of arms and the knowledge of the sword reduced to rules and precepts, and like the other arts to a teachable form, wherein the curious and eager men of arms may learn by turning the leaves. More than others should men of arms rejoice, in that men of learning and science have never translated their arts from theory to practice, as now a man of arms has brought his from practice to true theory. To him is owed much greater faith, because he has had a thousand experiences in his own case and in that of others of what he has written. Here then, Reader, is my book on the science of arms, illustrated with plates suitable to each case; to these plates and dumb images, as it were, our words give life; the plates will demonstrate and our words will interpret the effects and principles treated of in the book. We have written in our mother tongue, Italian, dispensing with flowers of rhetoric and elegance of style, not thinking shame to acknowledge our little learning, or, following the example of a very famous captain of our age, to declare that in our youth we could not wield both the sword and the pen. We believe however that we have dealt adequately with what is required in this art and have tried as far as in us lay to avoid obscurity and prolixity, although in so subtle a subject it is difficult to preserve the necessary brevity. We have shunned the use of geometrical terms, although swordsmanship has its foundations more in geometry than in any other science. Simply and as naturally as possible we have tried to bring the art within the capacity of all. For what we have written and demonstrated we require no praise or reward, for it was never our intention to publish it to the world; but if in it there is anything worthy of merit, it should be ascribed to his Serene Majesty our King, through whom we have written this work, and at whose command this book is brought to the light of day. We will not speak of the nobility and excellence of this profession, for it is in itself so glorious and resplendent that it has no need of our words, nor is there any man so ignorant as not to know, that by its[!] kingdoms are defended, religion spread abroad, injustice avenged, peace and the prosperity of nations established. We wish only to say that after acquiring this inestimable knowledge a man should not become puffed up nor use it violently to the detriment of others, but always with moderation and justice in all cases, thinking that the last victory of all rests not in his own hand, but in the just will of God; and may He grant us abundance of his saving grace.</p>
 
|  
 
|  
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|8|lbl=VIII}}
 
| {{pagetb|Page:Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris) 1606.pdf|8|lbl=VIII}}

Revision as of 17:51, 29 April 2022

Salvator Fabris
200px
Born 1544
Padua, Italy
Died 11 Nov 1618 (aged 74)
Padua, Italy
Occupation
Nationality Italian
Alma mater University of Padua (?)
Patron
  • Christianus IV of Denmark
  • Johan Frederik of Schleswig-
    Holstein-Gottorp
Influenced
Genres Fencing manual
Language Italian
Notable work(s) Scienza d’Arme (1606)
Manuscript(s)
Translations

Salvator Fabris (Salvador Fabbri, Salvator Fabriz, Fabrice; 1544-1618) was a 16th – 17th century Italian knight and fencing master. He was born in or around Padua, Italy in 1544, and although little is known about his early years, he seems to have studied fencing from a young age and possibly attended the prestigious University of Padua.[citation needed] The French master Henry de Sainct Didier recounts a meeting with an Italian fencer named "Fabrice" during the course of preparing his treatise (completed in 1573) in which they debated fencing theory, potentially placing Fabris in France in the early 1570s.[1] In the 1580s, Fabris corresponded with Christian Barnekow, a Danish nobleman with ties to the royal court as well as an alumnus of the university.[2] It seems likely that Fabris traveled a great deal during the 1570s and 80s, spending time in France, Germany, Spain, and possibly other regions before returning to teach at his alma mater.[citation needed]

It is unclear if Fabris himself was of noble birth, but at some point he seems to have earned a knighthood. In fact, he is described in his treatise as Supremus Eques ("Supreme Knight") of the Order of the Seven Hearts. In Johann Joachim Hynitzsch's introduction to the 1676 edition, he identifies Fabris as a Colonel of the Order.[3] It seems therefore that he was not only a knight of the Order of the Seven Hearts, but rose to a high rank and perhaps even overall leadership.

Fabris' whereabouts in the 1590s are uncertain, but there are rumors. In 1594, he may have been hired by King Sigismund of Poland to assassinate his uncle Karl, a Swedish duke and competitor for the Swedish crown. According to the story, Fabris participated in a sword dance (or possibly a dramatic play) with a sharp sword and was to slay Karl during the performance when the audience was distracted. (The duke was warned and avoided the event, saving his life.)[4] In ca. 1599, Fabris may have been invited to England by noted playwright William Shakespeare to choreograph the fight scenes in his premier of Hamlet.[5][2] He also presumably spent considerable time in the 1590s developing the fencing manual that would guarantee his lasting fame.

What is certain is that by 1598, Fabris had left his position at the University of Padua and was attached to the court of Johan Frederik, the young duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. He continued in the duke's service until 1601, and as a parting gift prepared a lavishly-illustrated, three-volume manuscript of his treatise entitled Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868 4040).[2]

In 1601, Fabris was hired as chief rapier instructor to the court of Christianus IV, King of Denmark and Duke Johan Frederik's cousin. He ultimately served in the royal court for five years; toward the end of his tenure and at the king's insistence, he published his opus under the title Sienza e Pratica d’Arme ("Science and Practice of Arms") or De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme ("On Defense, or the Science of Arms"). Christianus funded this first edition and placed his court artist, Jan van Halbeeck, at Fabris' disposal to illustrate it; it was ultimately published in Copenhagen on 25 September 1606.[2]

Soon after the text was published, and perhaps feeling his 62 years, Fabris asked to be released from his six-year contract with the king so that he might return home. He traveled through northern Germany and was in Paris, France, in 1608. Ultimately, he received a position at the University of Padua and there passed his final years. He died of a fever on 11 November 1618 at the age of 74, and the town of Padua declared an official day of mourning in his honor. In 1676, the town of Padua erected a statue of the master in the Chiesa del Santo.

The importance of Fabris' work can hardly be overstated. Versions of his treatise were reprinted for over a hundred years, and translated into German at least four times as well as French and Latin. He is almost universally praised by later masters and fencing historians, and through the influence of his students and their students (most notably Hans Wilhelm Schöffer), he became the dominant figure in German fencing throughout the 17th century and into the 18th.

Treatise

Additional Resources

References

  1. Didier, Henry de Sainct. Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule. Paris, 1573. pp 5-8.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fabris, Salvator and Leoni, Tom. Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Rapier Fencing Treatise of 1606. Highland Village, TX: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2005. pp XVIII-XIX.
  3. Fabris, Salvator and Leoni, Tom. Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Rapier Fencing Treatise of 1606. Highland Village, TX: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2005. p XXIX.
  4. Andersson, Henrik. Salvator Fabris as a Hired Assassin in Sweden. Association for Renaissance Martial Arts. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  5. Barbasetti, Luigi. Fencing Through the Ages.[Full citation needed]
  6. Originally "asseruatore", but corrected in the errata.
  7. Originally "richeide", but corrected in the errata.
  8. Originally "dirarsi", but corrected in the errata.
  9. Originally "longuezza", but corrected in the errata.
  10. Originally "mettre", but corrected in the errata.
  11. Originally "volto", but corrected in the errata.
  12. Originally "occcsione", but corrected in the errata.
  13. Originally "albassare", but corrected in the errata.
  14. Originally "& migliore", but corrected in the errata.
  15. Originally "temerariemente", but corrected in the errata.
  16. Originally "bisogna", but corrected in the errata.
  17. The letter 'F' was omitted in the print and hand-corrected in all copies.
  18. Originally "guardia", but corrected in the errata.
  19. Originally "equali", but corrected in the errata.
  20. Originally "poco", but corrected in the errata.
  21. Originally "poco", but corrected in the errata.
  22. Originally "non buoni", but corrected in the errata.
  23. Originally "queui", but corrected in the errata.
  24. Originally "che spada", but corrected in the errata.
  25. Originally "accorgendosi", but corrected in the errata.
  26. Originally "con pugnale", but corrected in the errata.
  27. Originally "mouendolo", but corrected in the errata.
  28. Originally "diuersi", but corrected in the errata.
  29. Originally "dentro la spada", but corrected in the errata.
  30. Originally "andere", but corrected in the errata.
  31. Originally "richede", but corrected in the errata.
  32. Originally "in suoi", but corrected in the errata.
  33. Originally "della", but corrected in the errata.
  34. Originally "la dette", but corrected in the errata.
  35. Originally "è passare", but corrected in the errata.
  36. The errata adds "l’".
  37. Originally "farmarsi", but corrected in the errata. The errata says it should be on page 232, but this is the only instance of the word in the book.
  38. Originally "sforza", but corrected in the errata. The errata says it should be on page 241, but this is the only instance of the word on the correct line.
  39. Should be 183.
  40. Originally "ineguale", but corrected in the errata.