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.

Somewhere out there is a sharp youth 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 passion and abandon. If, before knights and squires, They are to fence correctly, Then 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. If they otherwise fence according to this lore, They have won from that moment on.

The second piece of advice is this: I will now say this clearly So that no one should be so stupid. When an idiot which wants to beat four or six spoils for a fight, They often receive many injuries, Because there will very often be one strike That they cannot bat away. Then they will now possess Dishonor, repeated 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 will be much better to be Sought and located in bed Than to engage in such foolishness. 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, , Says that in no uncertain terms "One has been 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 paragon.

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. If it then happens to march on honorably by necessity 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 burdensomely 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.