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| <p>[57] From the first advantage shown in the last plate has followed this further advantage. Having reached the adversary's point and acquired the advantage you have continued with the left foot, so that your sword has advanced no further than it was. You have carried forward the left shoulder, keeping the right shoulder in its original position, and thus have secured yourself and deprived your adversary of the chance of hitting below in any way, while on the inside you are covered by keep¬ing your hand steady in its present position and by bringing the right foot in front, if necessary; thus you have nothing to fear in those lines, and on the outside you are similarly de¬fended, so that in this position you can go on to hit in the part seen to be exposed from the ''faible'' of his sword to his body as we shall show in the next plate.</p>
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| <p>[57] From the first advantage shown in the last plate has followed this further advantage. Having reached the adversary's point and acquired the advantage you have continued with the left foot, so that your sword has advanced no further than it was. You have carried forward the left shoulder, keeping the right shoulder in its original position, and thus have secured yourself and deprived your adversary of the chance of hitting below in any way, while on the inside you are covered by keeping your hand steady in its present position and by bringing the right foot in front, if necessary; thus you have nothing to fear in those lines, and on the outside you are similarly defended, so that in this position you can go on to hit in the part seen to be exposed from the ''faible'' of his sword to his body as we shall show in the next plate.</p>
 
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| <p>[58] From the two positions of advantage just described has followed this hit in ''quarte'' against an opponent who has tried to parry in ''tierce''. On reaching the second position, as the adversary did not move, you have continued with the body without advancing the sword more than shown in the plate, still keeping your hand in the guard of ''quarte''. All this is done with great skill, because on reaching the second position with the arm with¬drawn if you had extended it to hit, you would have given the adversary a ''time'' to hit below in ''quarte'', and to turn his body, let¬ting your sword pass in vain, or to parry without disengaging. In extending the arm the sword in fact is weakened and may be easily thrust aside by the adversary, but when it is accompanied by the body the adversary is not strong enough to drive it away. For this reason then you have maintained your guard of ''quarte'', and also in order to parry more easily, if he should try to hit below. You have lowered the body in the straight line in order to render the defence easier both below and on the inside, so that wherever he should hit, you would defend with little movement of the hand and body; moreover you would be so far advanced that his sword would pass, and you would be out of danger. On the other hand if you had bent the body outwards, you would have been sore exposed on the inside and would not have advanced so far with the body, so that your adversary could more readily have recovered his sword, whilst you would have been less united; for all these reasons the movement would have been weaker.</p>
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| <p>[58] From the two positions of advantage just described has followed this hit in ''quarte'' against an opponent who has tried to parry in ''tierce''. On reaching the second position, as the adversary did not move, you have continued with the body without advancing the sword more than shown in the plate, still keeping your hand in the guard of ''quarte''. All this is done with great skill, because on reaching the second position with the arm withdrawn if you had extended it to hit, you would have given the adversary a ''time'' to hit below in ''quarte'', and to turn his body, letting your sword pass in vain, or to parry without disengaging. In extending the arm the sword in fact is weakened and may be easily thrust aside by the adversary, but when it is accompanied by the body the adversary is not strong enough to drive it away. For this reason then you have maintained your guard of ''quarte'', and also in order to parry more easily, if he should try to hit below. You have lowered the body in the straight line in order to render the defence easier both below and on the inside, so that wherever he should hit, you would defend with little movement of the hand and body; moreover you would be so far advanced that his sword would pass, and you would be out of danger. On the other hand if you had bent the body outwards, you would have been sore exposed on the inside and would not have advanced so far with the body, so that your adversary could more readily have recovered his sword, whilst you would have been less united; for all these reasons the movement would have been weaker.</p>
  
<p>We might have included the results which would have followed against guards of ''prime'' and ''quarte'', and also guards at an angle, or withdrawn; but we have omitted them for the sake of brevity, and because whoever can advance with safety against a guard in the straight line, can more easily attack those at an angle or withdrawn. Therefore we shall not treat of them, since they may be readily met with the methods we have described; for the nearer you can approach the adversary before being impeded or checked by his sword, the safer you are and the quicker you will attain your end; the adversary has fewer resources when you are close; when the danger is greater, he cannot make many changes. As to rushes which may be made by guards at an angle or withdrawn, we omit those also, because they will give no trouble; for if you know how to attack according to our methods, you will always be covered in the straight line from the adver¬sary's point to your body. As to the changes of line made by an opponent using a guard at an angle, they are always slower than with a straight guard; therefore in these six methods we have described the opponent as on guard in the straight line. There are some who claim that a straight guard cannot be defeated, especially if the body is held sideways, whereas we have here shown in how many ways such a guard may be deceived.</p>
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<p>We might have included the results which would have followed against guards of ''prime'' and ''quarte'', and also guards at an angle, or withdrawn; but we have omitted them for the sake of brevity, and because whoever can advance with safety against a guard in the straight line, can more easily attack those at an angle or withdrawn. Therefore we shall not treat of them, since they may be readily met with the methods we have described; for the nearer you can approach the adversary before being impeded or checked by his sword, the safer you are and the quicker you will attain your end; the adversary has fewer resources when you are close; when the danger is greater, he cannot make many changes. As to rushes which may be made by guards at an angle or withdrawn, we omit those also, because they will give no trouble; for if you know how to attack according to our methods, you will always be covered in the straight line from the adversary's point to your body. As to the changes of line made by an opponent using a guard at an angle, they are always slower than with a straight guard; therefore in these six methods we have described the opponent as on guard in the straight line. There are some who claim that a straight guard cannot be defeated, especially if the body is held sideways, whereas we have here shown in how many ways such a guard may be deceived.</p>
  
 
<p>We have still to add, that with the last method it is better to use a shorter sword, which is easier to control, less likely to be impeded and has less ''faible''; if the adversary's sword is longer, there is all the greater advantage in attacking with resolution. If you understand these methods, you can attack any imaginable guard; as the number of guards is almost infinite we have been content to include the principal ones, from which you may easily understand how to proceed against any other. Here we shall end the discussion of the principles of the sword alone and shall proceed to treat of the sword and dagger.</p>
 
<p>We have still to add, that with the last method it is better to use a shorter sword, which is easier to control, less likely to be impeded and has less ''faible''; if the adversary's sword is longer, there is all the greater advantage in attacking with resolution. If you understand these methods, you can attack any imaginable guard; as the number of guards is almost infinite we have been content to include the principal ones, from which you may easily understand how to proceed against any other. Here we shall end the discussion of the principles of the sword alone and shall proceed to treat of the sword and dagger.</p>

Revision as of 00:06, 5 May 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

Temp

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. This seems like a mistranslation of rompere di misura at first blush, but according to Kevin Murakoshi, this is an archaic piece of fencing jargon that was still current in the early 20th century. It means to withdraw/"break measure". ~Michael Chidester
  8. Originally "richeide", but corrected in the errata.
  9. Originally "dirarsi", but corrected in the errata.
  10. Originally "longuezza", but corrected in the errata.
  11. Originally "mettre", but corrected in the errata.
  12. Originally "volto", but corrected in the errata.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 There's no conclusion of this word on the next page, just a new sentence.
  14. Originally "occcsione", but corrected in the errata.
  15. Originally "albassare", but corrected in the errata.
  16. Originally "& migliore", but corrected in the errata.
  17. Originally "temerariemente", but corrected in the errata.
  18. Originally "bisogna", but corrected in the errata.
  19. The letter 'F' was omitted in the print and hand-corrected in all copies.
  20. Originally "guardia", but corrected in the errata.
  21. Originally "equali", but corrected in the errata.
  22. Originally "poco", but corrected in the errata.
  23. Originally "poco", but corrected in the errata.
  24. Originally "non buoni", but corrected in the errata.
  25. Originally "queui", but corrected in the errata.
  26. Originally "che spada", but corrected in the errata.
  27. Originally "accorgendosi", but corrected in the errata.
  28. Originally "con pugnale", but corrected in the errata.
  29. Originally "mouendolo", but corrected in the errata.
  30. Originally "diuersi", but corrected in the errata.
  31. Originally "dentro la spada", but corrected in the errata.
  32. Originally "andere", but corrected in the errata.
  33. Originally "richede", but corrected in the errata.
  34. Originally "in suoi", but corrected in the errata.
  35. This word can't be read on the photos I have. It's a 6-letter word that seems to end in "s?ed". The Italian word means to move or advance, and Tom Leoni translates it as "fling".
  36. Originally "della", but corrected in the errata.
  37. Originally "la dette", but corrected in the errata.
  38. Originally "è passare", but corrected in the errata.
  39. The errata adds "l’".
  40. 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.
  41. 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.
  42. Should be 183.
  43. Originally "ineguale", but corrected in the errata.