User:Christian Trosclair/Translations/3227a Other Masters

 Here begins the techniques of the other masters: Hanko, priest of Döbringen; Andre the Jew, Josts from the Neißes, Niclas of Prussia.

 If there is a sharp young man somewhere
 Who will make their way here to this
 To learn to use the sword
 And fully turn themselves to this task
 For it is a courtly game
 And has much pleasure and joy.
 Before knights and before squires,
 If they are to fence correctly,
 I will give them three pieces of advice
 That they should always keep.

 The first piece of advice is extra good:
 Whoever fences with a carefree spirit,
 Astutely and without any anger;
 This fencer will seldom lose.
 Additionally, if they fence according to the doctrine,
 They always triumph.

 The second piece of advice is this:
 I will now say this clearly
 That no one should be too foolhardy
 Because that fencing brings torment
 Whoever will strike four or six.
 They often receive many injuries,
 Because there will very often be one strike
 That they cannot bat away.
 Then they will subsequently possess
 Dishonor, mockery and also the wounds.
 For these little fools
 Always want to be the best.
 This is not proper bravery.
 Rather, a great foolishness
 Whoever wishes to stand up to four or six
 Will come to something that they will own
 As if they had bought it.
 It would be much better 
 To instead be located and found in bed
 Than to be in the habit of such great arrogance.
 It does happen from time to time that one
 Must face four or six.
 If they then act knightly
 Or come away from it astutely,
 They can stand unfalteringly sure
 Right before a brave man
 Nevertheless taking in everything
 Apparently entirely without fear,
 This wise man, Freidank,
 Says that in no uncertain terms
 "One is deemed a brave man
 Which has faced their equal in courage"
 They, I will proclaim without reserve
 To be knightly without flaw;
 Free of recklessness and of effrontery
 Thus they are a proper young man.

 I will give you the third piece of advice
 That you should take from me:
 You shouldn't learn to fence
 If you will overpower someone
 Using your art for unrighteousness.
 For similar reasons you shall not seek out
 Combat with a pious man.
 Unless a serious need arises.
 Do not coerce anyone using your art for no good reason.
 If you wish to succeed in this
 In every technique, I advise you to
 Not abandon yourself upon your art too intensely
 And picture the highest righteous fencer before your eyes
 So that they govern you by their art.
 And practive your art for emergencies in divine justice
 And not in vain or in folly
 In this way you can always stand
 Before a fencer as a good righteous man.
 Because fencing was conceived under the circumstances
 That one shall practice it in righteousness
 And in good genuine grace.
 For it brings limberness, discretion, and cleverness
 And it often happens that one
 Must face another for honor, body and good.
 If they then win using their art in a knightly fashion,
 Then by God and by righteousness, I praise that.

 Here note and know that I will skip over many of these master's applications which was previously received completely and correctly according to the true art in Liechtenauer's art and fencing. Yet for the purposes of practice and school fencing, I will write down some plays and methods of their applications with simpler and shorter words.

 This is about the iron gate

 Here now begins, by rights
 The best of all applications
 That the aforenamed Masters possess.
 I will tell you now that
 It is named the Iron Gate
 And will immediately become clear to you right here.
 If it happens that you are beset
 Completely premeditatively by four or six peasants,
 Set whichever foot you wish forwards,
 Make a shield with the gate and
 Lay your point upon the ground.
 Now listen to what you should ensure:
 Hereafter, you shall continually righten yourself
 Such that the peasants stay completely in front of your face
 And none of them come in at you from behind.
 Now listen to what you should do:
 Whatever they cut or thrust at you,
 You shall weaken by displacing
 Up strongly from the ground
 So that you can completely lay them bare.
 And you shall drive upon them using the peacocks tail
 So that none can easily stay in front of you.
 Hew from below in wide fencing using fraudulent exchanges.
 Initiate hews quickly using switch cuts
 And with the cabbage cuts
 You can torment them well.
 Yet I advise in particular that
 You shall not remain standing against them
 In path of action in complete satisfaction
 If you wish to not be a goner.
 Whichever of these in particular lingers
 Against you is on the end
 On your left side,
 You shall immediately stride toward them
 And give them a blow
 Which they cannot brush off
 And if they come back
 Against you, all as before,
 Then you shall always pick off the end most
 So you won't utterly fail yourself.
 You slay one after the other
 Just don't let yourself be too hasty
 With each one of them in any way
 So that you keep well out of danger
 Just as you have carried out before
 As it was passed down in the foreword.
 Those that want to arduously go the distance with
 Four or six, they get deafeated.
 I will now advise you about this
 If you wish to follow my lore when this happens
 In such a way without calamity,
 As you spring and bound in on the one on the end,
 Before the others turn
 Themselves completely against you,
 You must fully note and pay attention
 (If you, during any situation,
 Want to come away without harm)
 Then boldly spring from them as I say.
 For it is not shameful or dishonorable
 To flee four, six, or more.
 Then, when you begin
 To slip in and and spring away from them,
 Throw your sword sharply
 Over your head from behind via the crosswise cut
 And run as fast as you can.
 Then, whoever pursues you the most intently,
 When you think they are almost upon you,
 Spring out of the way, off to the side.
 If the opponent rushes you, then disappear
 When they are upon you. They are so hurried
 That they cannot keep themselves safe.
 Thus you strike them down right there, according to desire.

 The viper's tongue or from point

 One application is called the viper's tongue and it comes from disengaging or from point. You stand in point and act as if you will disengage, but you move in with your point over the opponent's hilt with threatening stabs on both sides in such a way that you continuously threaten the opponent with your point and you create such confusion that they do not know where you will go. When you see where you can most certainly get them, move in with your point with a thrust to completion. And this must be delivered quite explosively so that the opponent does not ward it.

 The vegetable hoe

 One application is called the vegetable hoe and it comes from the iron gate, with your point coming up and back down directly to the opponent and is quite strong for those who conduct it correctly by stepping in straight forwards, accomplishing a step with each rising up.

 The Wedgemaster 

 One application is called the Wedgemaster and it comes from the under-hanging to your left side, threatening by point after displacing and it can completely be invoked from the gate. In this way, it sends itself against the opponent with the point.

 The Peacock's tail

 One application is called the peacock's tail and it comes from point and it moves around the opponent's sword with it's point, but it specifically goes directly around in front of the opponent's eyes like a wheel or circle for as long as it takes until you see you can get them.

 Another good play

 One application is called the [blank space] and it comes from disengaging. You threaten the opponent with a descending cut from your right side and disengage to your left side with a good lateral step and with that deliver another descending cut which goes directly to the opponent and it either connects forward atop the head or crosswise in front of the face. Or, act as if you will execute a descending cut from the right side and execute a plunge cut on the same side and come right around to the left side from below with a good lateral step to the same side.

 The three strikes

 One application is called the three strikes and this is a rising cut from the right side and then a rising cut from the left side strongly against the opponent's sword displacing with it. Then a third cut down directly to the top of the head, which will connect there.

 The Barrier guard

 One application is called the barrier guard. It comes from point in such a way that you lay the point upon the ground to whichever side you wish and with it, you set yourself up for displacing. Or, it can also be invoked from the gate. When you set your point down upon the ground, directly away from you. And then from the moment the opponent cuts or thrusts at you, load the point of your sword. With this, rise up against the opponent utilizing displacing and strike them either down below to their feet or up above directly to wherever you can reach them the closest and this is somewhat like the peacock's tail,[sic]because you continuously rise up and back down in the same way, striking above or below, just wherever you can.

 If you wish to go to the opponent gracefully in school fencing, then you want to conduct play and drive beauty.

 then first brandish your sword spiritedly and drop immediately into the barrier guard on both sides and gracefully search the positions from one side to the other with footwork. Thereafter come into the underhangings also on both sides with footwork. Thereafter come into the overhangings on both sides with footwork. Thereafter come into the crosswise cuts on both sides with footwork. That is to say, when you direct one of the aforenamed applications to one side, you step with it. If you direct it to your left side, then set your right foot forwards. (and conversely) And complete that as soon as you arrive at the opponent and the moment on the way when you arrive at the opponent, conduct something appropriate, whatever is suitable for sport.

And always prefer to take aim of the upper openings rather than the lower and at the same time, move in over the opponent's hilt. And ponder this previously written lore: That before anything, that you win the Vorschlag and as soon as you do that, you execute the Nachschlag immediately thereafter without interruption or delay, just as if you would do them as one thing, if it were possible, and continuously conduct one after the other. If one misses, the other hits and have precedence such that the opponent cannot ever come to blows with anything.