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Andre Lignitzer/Keith Farrell SB 2020
Here begin the pieces with the buckler that the master Andre Lignitzer has written hereafter[1]
The first piece with the buckler,
from the Oberhaw:[2] when you drive the Oberhaw to the man, set your sword with the pommel inside your buckler and at your thumb, and thrust in from below up to his face, and turn against his sword and let it snap-over. This goes to both sides.[3]
The second piece
Item, from the Underhaw:[4] when he cuts in at you from above from his right shoulder,[5] so turn against him to your left side to your schilt, so that you stand in “two shields”,[6] then turn uncovered[7] to your right side, and reach out to his mouth. If he defends against this and lifts[8] his shield up, take the left leg. This goes to both sides.
The third piece
Item, from the buckler, from the Wechselhaw:[9] Streÿch[10] firmly upward from the buckler from the left side, into his sword, and then cut in from the left side to the head. And turn uncovered,[11] and push[12] in to the mouth. If he lifts with shield and sword, and defends against this, then cut with the long edge to the right leg. This goes to both sides.
The fourth piece
Item, from the Mittelhaw:[13] make the Zwer[14] to both sides, and the Schaittler[15] with the long edge, and thrust in from below to him.
The fifth piece
Item, from the Sturtzhaw:[16] pretend as if you want to thrust over his shield into his left side, and go with the point under and through, and thrust inside his shields[17] to the body,[18] and turn Indes[19] to your left side. If he defends against this, take his right leg with the long edge.
The sixth piece
Item: take the blade to the buckler in your left hand, and turn against him with the half sword. If he cuts or thrusts at you from above to the face or from below to the legs, let your right hand go from the bind[20] and Versetz[21] with shield and with sword, and grip with your right hand to the shield, well below to his right side, and twist out to your right side. Thus, you take the shield from him.[22]
- ↑ The Dresden version says: “Hereafter stand written the pieces with the buckler”.
- ↑ Oberhaw could be translated as “downward cut” for ease of use and clarity in English.
- ↑ This instruction is present in the Dresden version, but missing from the Rome version.
- ↑ Underhaw could be translated as “upward cut”. Can be done with the back edge or false edge, and can also be directed either at the man or at the sword. In this stuck, it appears to be a rising action to meet his sword.
- ↑ Dresden version specifies from his right shoulder, missing from Rome version.
- ↑ The position called the schilt is one described for longsword in the Kölner Fechtbuch and some of the other gemeinfechten sources, and is somewhat similar to what Liechtenauer would call an Ochs, although the point can be upward, potentially like quite a high Pflug. With the buckler in the left hand, standing like this in “two shields” with the sword in the schilt position and the shield covering the right hand, it looks very reminiscent of the schutzen position in the MS I.33. Following this line of thinking, the instruction to turn the sword to the right (out of the schutzen) and to reach (slice) through his mouth is very reminiscent of the follow-up action that the MS I.33 recommends from the schutzen obsesseo, and is also similar to what the Liechtenauer Zedel and glosses refer to as the Alten Schnitt.
- ↑ This instruction to wind bloß (“turn uncovered”) seems to have the sense of separating your sword and buckler while still pushing with both, keeping the hands more or less in front of the shoulders (as if sitting behind a steering wheel in a car with the hands at the “ten to two” position). The body probably has to move and turn in order to support this action, to keep the hands in front of the body rather than going out to the sides.
- ↑ Dresden has “holds his shield up”, Rome has “lifts his shield up”. Both could mean more or less the same thing, but I prefer “lifts” as an instruction.
- ↑ Wechselhaw could be translated as “changing cut”, because it goes up and down, side to side.
- ↑ Streÿchen could be translated as “strikes”, but in this context are specifically those striking actions from below, sweeping up with the short edge, perhaps “streaking” up from the ground to the opponent or to his sword.
- ↑ The same idea of separating your sword and buckler while still pushing both, keeping the hands more or less in front of the shoulders (as if sitting behind a steering wheel in a car with the hands at the “ten to two” position).
- ↑ Probably with a thrust, but potentially with any other pushing technique.
- ↑ Mittelhaw could be translated as “middle cut”, going across from one side to the other.
- ↑ Zwerch could be translated as “across”, in the sense of slanting across from one side to another or slanting across from one height to another, or going diagonally across from one place to another. It also has the sense perhaps of going across something, perhaps slanting across or athwart a boat, or going across your opponent’s blade or leg as opposed to simply coming onto it in whatever fashion. The Zwer is an example of a Mittelhaw, but it is important to note that the thumb is beneath the blade and the cut is performed with hand high.
- ↑ Schaittler could be translated as “parter”, in the sense of being something which parts another thing in two, or dividing something in two.
- ↑ Sturtzhaw could be translated as “dropping cut”, in the sense of a ball dropping back to earth when it has been thrown upward.
- ↑ The treatise says schilts, plural, meaning that you thrust inside both sword and shield.
- ↑ Dresden version specifies to the body, missing from Rome version.
- ↑ If this gloss follows the Liechtenauer method of understanding the five words Vor, Nach, Schwöch, Störck, Indes and their relationship to each other, then we should look to the Blossfechten gloss for the meaning of Indes. However, there is no guarantee that this means exactly the same thing, so the word Indes could just mean “immediately” when removed from its technical context. There does not seem to be as much Winden involved with this sword and buckler treatise as there is in the Blossfechten gloss, although it is still quite possible to perform Winden with shorter blades (look at Leckuchner’s messerfechten, for example), and Lignitzer was a member of the Gessellschaft Lichtenawers and so was probably quite well aware of Liechtenauer’s understanding of the five words and how they relate to fighting.
- ↑ Although both the Dresden and Rome versions say bind, what they probably mean is the fastening of the hand, or the grip upon the sword.
- ↑ The instruction to Versetz could mean “to obstruct”.
- ↑ More correctly, both the Dresden and Rome versions say: “Thus, you have taken the shield from him.” However, the sudden change of tense seems a little abrupt and awkward, so I prefer to maintain the same tense as the rest of the instruction, for stylistic reasons.
