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Pseudo-Hans Döbringer/Michael Chidester LS 2022
This is the general preface of the unarmored fencing on foot, remember it well:
| 1 | Young knight, learn first: have love for God, And honor women—that I laud.[1] |
| 2 | So that your honor great may grow, Practice chivalry and know[2] |
| 3 | Arts that adorn you well in play And serve you well in war some day. |
| 4 | Gain wrestling’s artful holds with might; With lance, spear, sword, and knife do fight,[3] |
| 5 | And wield them all with gallant hand,[4] So that against you none may stand.[5][6] |
| 6 | Cut here and there and close with this;[7] Charge in whether you hit or miss.[8][9] |
| 7 | The wise ones hate and will disdain All those who praise themselves in vain;[10] |
| 8 | So grasp when all is said and done: All art needs measure, moderation.[11] |
| 8a | Whatever you would like to try, Let reason always stand nearby. |
| 8b | And whether earnest or at play, Be joyful, calm, and undismayed, |
| 8c | So you may thoughtfully then see, And act with courage steadfastly |
| 8d | In every piece you will conduct, And let none harry or obstruct, |
| 8e | For courage joined with skill and might Can drive your foe away in fright. |
| 8f | Let all of this your goal remain— Yield not one inch for fear or gain. |
| 8g | Avoid the trap of foolish pride, Confront not four or six in stride |
| 8h | Keep pride in check, let calmness lead— True strength is shown in modest deed. |
| 8i | It takes true spirit, bold and bright, To dare engage in equal fight, |
| 8j | But there's no shame nor coward's brand To flee from four or six at hand. |
This is a common lesson of the sword:
| 9 | If you would bring the art to light, See left advance and strike with right, |
| 10 | For you will find that left with right Is how you may most strongly fight. |
| 11 | Who waits and follows after blows,[12] Will little joy in this art know.[13] |
| 12 | Cut close to them; your will revealed,[14] No changer comes to breach your shield.[15] |
| 12a | † {Cut not the swords held by your foes, But seek and find what they expose:}[16] |
| 13 | Toward head and body, forth you race, The skirmish you should then embrace.[17] |
| 14 | And always fight with all your strength, Your body tight at any length.[18] |
| 15 | A simple rule you should not slight:[19] Fence not from left when you are right. |
| 16 | If on your left is how you fight, You’ll be quite clumsy on the right.[20] |
| 16a | And you'll fight better—and feel bolder— Down from above your strong left shoulder. |
| 17 | Before and after, these two things:[21][22] The font from which all true art springs. |
| 18 | With strong and weak, you’ll rule the bind;[23][24] The word ‘within’ bear well in mind.[25] |
| 19 | Learn onward in this art until You can defend with work and skill. |
| 20 | But if you easily get spooked, Then fencing is a poor pursuit.[26] |
| 20a | Have boldness, yes; be swift, that's true, But prudent, cunning, clever, too.[27] |
| 20b | †† {Fence measured and deliberately, With reason, stealth, and skill—that's key.}[28] |
| 20c | And those who'd learn to fight with art Must bring with them a joyful heart. |
A general explanation follows here: Above all else, notice and remember that the point of the sword is the center, the middle, and the core, which all fencing proceeds from and returns to. The hangers and the winds, which a lot of good fencing plays originate from, are the angling in and circling of the center and the core.
They were conceived and created so that if you cut or thrust exactly to the point, though you don't hit immediately, you might still hit your opponent with these plays: with cutting, thrusting, and slicing, and with stepping in and out, stepping around, and leaping.
If you mislay or overextend the point of your sword when shooting or lunging, you can recover and realign it by winding and stepping out, and thus come back to the reliable plays and rules of fencing, from which you can cut, thrust, or slice again. For all cutting, thrusting, and slicing can come from the plays and rules of the art of the sword, according to Liechtenauer's art.
(It's written further on how one play or rule results from another, and how to make one play out of another, so that as one of your strikes is defended, the next advances and succeeds.)
Moreover, notice and remember that no part of the sword was conceived or created without reason, so apply the point, both edges, the hilt and pommel, and everything which is on the sword, according to the specific role of each one in the art of fencing, and according to how you discover and embody the practice (as we will read in a more detailed manner hereafter).
Also notice and remember that when he says, "If you would bring the art to light", etc.,[29] he means to advance your left foot, and with that, cut straight toward your opponent with threatening strikes from your right side, just as soon as you see where you can take them and would certainly reach them by stepping.
He also means that when you want to fence strongly, fence with your left side leading, and with your entire body and strength, toward their head and body (whatever you can get) rather than toward their sword. In fact, you should strike as though they had no sword, or as though you couldn't see it, and you shouldn't disdain the skirmish or harrying, but be always working and in motion so that they cannot come to blows.
He further means to not directly track and follow your cut with your feet, but rather move aside a little and curve around so that you come to your opponent's flank, since you can reach them more easily from there than from the front. When your cutting and thrusting goes directly toward their exposures (toward their head or body) while stepping or treading around them, then those strikes cannot be defended or diverted by changing through or other such plays.
Also notice and remember that when he says, "Before and after, these two things", etc.,[30] he means there are five keywords: 'Before', 'After', 'Weak', 'Strong', and 'Within'. On these words is built the entire art of Master Liechtenauer, and they're the core and the fixed foundation of all fencing (mounted or dismounted, armored or unarmored).
With the word 'Before', he means to always take and win the Leading Strike, † {whether it lands or not. (As Liechtenauer says, "Cut here and there, and close with this; / charge in whether you hit or miss".[31])} When you approach by stepping or running, just as soon as you see you can reach your opponent with a step or a leap, then drive joyously toward wherever you see an exposure (toward their head or body, wherever you feel sure you can take them), boldly and fearlessly. In this way, you always win the Leading Strike, whether it goes well or poorly for them. Also, be certain and measured in your steps, so that you don't step too short nor too far.
Now, when you execute the Leading Strike (be it cutting or thrusting), if it succeeds, then quickly follow through. But if they defend against it, diverting your Leading Strike or otherwise defending with their sword, then as long as you remain on their sword, while you're being led away from the exposure you had targeted, you should feel precisely and notice whether your opponent is Hard or Soft and Strong or Weak on your sword (in their covering and diverting of your cut or thrust).
Thus, you fully feel how the other fencer is in their action. If they're Hard and Strong Within it, then as you fully feel and notice this, become Soft and Weak during and Within it, and before their cover is complete, execute a Following Strike. In other words, you immediately strike while they're still defending themselves and covering your Leading Strike (be it cutting or thrusting). Then seek out other plays and rules, and with those, again step and strike toward their exposures.
Thus, you're continually in motion and in contact, so that you confuse and daze your opponent amid their covering and defense, and they have too much work covering themselves and cannot win the Leading or Following Strikes. When they must cover themselves and fixate on your strikes, they're always in greater danger than you: they must continue to defend themselves or allow themselves to be struck, and thus can only make their own strikes with difficulty.
This is why Liechtenauer says, "Now let me make this plain and clear: / No one defends without some fear, / And if this truth you'll learn and know, / Then scarcely can they come to blows.".[32] You must thus fence according to the five words, which this statement and the whole of fencing are based on.
(Thus, a peasant can end up striking a master simply because they're bold and win the Leading Strike, as this lesson describes.)
[33]By the word 'Before', as we read earlier, he means to step in or charge, boldly and fearlessly, with a good Leading Strike (or with any initial strike) aiming toward the exposures of their head or body.
Whether you land it or not, you will still succeed at dazing and spooking them so that they don't know what to do against this, and cannot recover or come to their senses before you immediately do a Following Strike, and thus you continually force them to defend and cover, so that they cannot come to their own blows.
If you do the first strike or Leading Strike and they succeed in defending, then in their defense and covering, they could always deliver a Following Strike faster than you (even though you had the first one). They could immediately cut, or drive in with their pommel, or send crosswise cuts (which are always reliable), or they could just throw their sword forward crosswise (and with that, enter other plays), or begin something else before you get the chance to continue.[34]
(It's written further on how one play grows from another such that your opponent cannot get away without being beaten, as long as you follow this lesson.)
† {So, perform the Leading Strike and the Following Strike as one idea and as though they were a single attack, one promptly and swiftly following the other.}
When it happens that someone defends against the Leading Strike, they must defend with their sword, and in this way, they must always come onto your sword. If they're late and unready in their defense, then remain on their sword and immediately wind, and feel precisely and notice whether they want to pull back from your sword.
Once you're engaged with each other on the sword and have extended your points toward each other's exposures, if they pull themselves back, then before they can recover from your strike, immediately follow through with a good thrust toward their chest with your point (or otherwise forward toward the closest and surest place you can land) in such a way that they cannot escape from your sword without harm, because when you immediately follow like this you get closer and closer to them, and with that, you direct your point forward on their sword toward whatever's nearest and closest.
Thus, even if your opponent cuts or thrusts wildly around as they pull back, you can always come faster into the Following Strike (cutting or thrusting) before they come to their first one.
Now, with the word 'After', Liechtenauer means that when you have made the Leading Strike, you should deliver a Following Strike in the same movement (immediately and without pause), and be always in motion and in contact, and always do one after another. If your first strike fails, then the second, the third, or the fourth lands, and your opponent is never allowed to come to blows. No one can have greater advantage in fencing than they who execute the five words according to this lesson.
But if, once you have come onto their sword, your opponent remains on your sword with their defense and covering, and you also remain on their sword and haven't yet delivered a Following Strike, then stay on their sword and wind, and feel precisely and notice whether they're Strong or Weak on your sword.
If you feel and notice that they're Hard, Strong, and firm, and want to press on your sword, then be Soft and Weak against them and give way to their strength, and allow your sword to be swept out and driven away by their pushing. Then quickly and rapidly divert and pull your sword back, and drive swiftly against their exposures, toward their head or body, with cutting, thrusting, and slicing (however you find the nearest and surest way).
Because the harder and surer they push in and force with their sword while you're Soft and Weak against it, giving way to them and allowing your sword to go aside, then the more and the further their sword also goes aside, and they become quite exposed. Then you can meet and harry them however you want before they recovers from their cut or thrust.
However, if you feel and notice that they're Soft and Weak on your sword then be Hard and Strong against them, and charge forward with your point firmly on their sword and drive toward their exposures (whichever is closest), just as though a cord or a thread were tied to the point of your sword which would lead it to their nearest exposure.
With this thrust, you become well aware of whether they're Weak, letting their sword be pushed aside and letting themselves be hit, or they're Strong, defending and diverting your thrust.
If they're Strong on the sword, defending against your thrust and diverting the sword, then become Soft and Weak against it once again, giving way to them and letting your sword be pushed aside, and then swiftly seek their exposures with cutting, thrusting, and slicing (whichever it may be). This is what Liechtenauer means by the words 'Hard' and 'Soft'.
This is based on the classical authorities: as Aristotle wrote in his book Peri Hermeneias,[35] "Opposites shine more brightly when juxtaposed, and opposites which are adjoined are augmented".[36] Thus, Strong against Weak, Hard against Soft, and vice versa. The stronger always wins when strength goes against strength, but Liechtenauer fences according to the true and correct art, so a weak person wins more surely with their art and cunning than a strong one with their strength. Otherwise, what's the point of art?
Therefore, fencer, learn to feel well; as Liechtenauer says, "For this you must learn how to feel. / The word “Within” cuts deep as steel."[37] When you're on their sword, and you feel well whether they're Strong or Weak on your sword, then during and Within this, you can well consider and know what to do against them (according to the aforementioned art and lesson). For truly, they can't pull back from the sword without harm: as Liechtenauer says, "Strike in so that it snaps at whoever pulls back in front of you".[38]
If you act firmly according to this lesson, you will always take and win the Leading Strike, and as soon as you execute it, charge in with a Following Strike immediately and without delay (that is, the second, third, or fourth strike, whether it be a cut or a thrust), so that they can never come to blows. If you come onto the sword with them, be certain in your feeling and do as was written earlier. The foundation of fencing is to always be in motion and to not delay, and fencing is also based on feeling (as was made clear above).
Have measure and moderation in all that you begin and do. If you win the Leading Strike, don't deliver it so impetuously or aggressively that you can't deliver a Following Strike afterward. This is why Liechtenauer says, "So grasp when all is said and done: / All things need measure, moderation."[39] You should also understand this when stepping, and in all other plays and rules of fencing, etc.
This is the text in which he names the five cuts and the other pieces of his fencing:
| 21 [40] |
FIve strikes you must now learn to heed, Perform them with your right hand’s speed:[41] |
| 23 | The wrathful one hates crook and cross;[42] So cock your eye and parting cause.[43] |
| 24 | A fool will parry all strikes, so[44] Pursue, run down, and hinder blow.[45] |
| 25 | Change it through, pull your point back, Run through, slice off, or hands attack. |
| 26 | Then hang and wind, expose them more, Strike, catch, sweep, and push your point fore.[46] |
[No explanation]
This is about the cut of wrath, etc:
| 27 | WHen[47] from above they cut in near, The point of wrath makes danger clear. |
| 28 | If they should sense the threat and shove, Care not, just take it off above.[48] |
| 29 | Or if they're strong, then more strength show: Wind, thrust—if seen, take it below. |
| 30 | Bear this in mind once in the fray: Cut, thrust, then hard or soft you lay,[49] |
| 31 | “Within” the after and before,[50] Go calmly—do not rush to war; |
| 32 | If at the war above they aim, Go down below and bring them shame.[51] |
| 33 | Down every path that you may wind, Cut, thrust, and slice you'll learn to find; |
| 34 | You also must learn to assess Which one of them would serve you best,[52][53] |
| 35 | So that, whenever steel meets steel,[54] The masters you’ll confound with zeal.[55][56] |
| 35a | Cut not the swords held by your foes, But seek and find what they expose:[57] |
| 35b | Toward head and body strike them plain,[58] If free from harm you would remain.[59] |
| 35c | At their exposures aim like this, No matter if you hit or miss; |
| 35d | ∗ {In every lesson that you learn, Your point toward the exposure turn.[60][61] |
| 35e | Whoever widely cuts around, Will often come to shame profound; |
| 35f | Thus, always to the nearest place Bring cuts and thrusts with certain grace. |
| 35g | And step you always to the right, To gain advantage in the fight. |
| 35h | Then with your art, you may begin To fence or wrestle—and to win.} |
Explanation: Here notice and remember that Liechtenauer calls a straight cut from above the shoulder "the cut of wrath", because when someone is in their fury and wrath, there's no other cut as ready as this blow (the same one straight from the shoulder toward the opponent).[62]
By this, Liechtenauer means that when someone begins to cut over you, counter it by cutting in with the wrath cut and then firmly shoot your point against them. If they defend against your thrust, then swiftly pull back above and drive suddenly to the other side of their sword. But if they defend again, then be Hard and Strong against them on their sword, and swiftly and boldly wind and thrust. If they defend against this thrust, then quickly cut and throw below toward their legs (or wherever you can).
In this way, you continuously do one strike after another so that they cannot come to their own plays. Always keep the earlier keywords in mind ('Before' and 'After', 'Within', 'Strong' and 'Weak'), as well as cutting, stabbing, and slicing, and by no means forget them in your fight.
Also, don't rush with the war, because if an attack that you aim above fails then you should land below.
(It's written further on how one strike is made out of another according to the legitimate art, regardless of whether it be cutting, thrusting, or slicing.)
Don't cut toward their sword, but rather toward them (toward their head or body, wherever you can, etc.), and consider that the first verse could state, "Whomever you cut over wrathfully, the point of the wrathful cut threatens them", etc.[63]
Simply act according to this lesson and always be in motion; either you hit or you miss, but they cannot come to blows (and with your cutting, always step out well to the side).
Also remember that there are only two cuts (that is, over and under both sides), and all other cuts come from them regardless of how they're named.
These are the pinnacle and the foundation of all other cuts, and they, in turn, come from and depend on the point of the sword, which is the center and the core of all other plays (as was written well earlier).
# {From these same cuts come the four parries from both sides, with which you disrupt and counter all cutting and thrusting, and all guards. From them, you also come into the four hangers, from which you can perform the art well (as is written further on).}
However you fence, your point should ever and always be turned[60] against your opponent's face or chest, so that they're constantly frustrated and concerned that you'll arrive faster than them because your path to them is shorter.
If it happens that you win the Leading Strike, then be secure, certain, and quick with this turning,[64] and as soon as you have thus turned,[64] immediately begin to drive agilely and courageously.
Your point should always seek your opponent's chest, turning[60] and positioning itself against it (as is written better further on). As soon as you come onto someone's sword, your point should never be more than three hand-breadths[65]away from their face or chest, and take care that it will arrive on the most direct path and not travel widely around, so that your opponent cannot arrive first.
Don't allow yourself to become relaxed or hesitant, nor defend too lazily, nor be willing to go too widely or too far around.
This is about the four exposures, etc., etc:
| 36 | FOur exposures know To truly guide your blow. |
| 37 | Without fear or doubt For what they'll bring about. |
Explanation: Here remember that Liechtenauer divides a person into four parts, as if he drew a line on their body from their part downward to between their legs, and another line on their body along their belt.[66] In this way, four quarters arise: one right and one left above the belt, and the same below the belt. These are the four exposures, which each have their particular techniques.
Never target the sword, only the exposures.
How to break the four exposures:
| 38 | REdeem yourself by taking Four exposures by their breakings. |
| 39 | To above, you redouble, Transmute low without trouble. |
| 40 | Now let me assure: No defense is for sure. |
| 41 | If this is well known, Rarely will they come to blows. |
[No explanation]
This is about the crooked cut, etc:
| 42 | THrow the curve and don't be slow, Over their hands the point you throw. |
| 43 | Many strikes you will offset, With a curve and with good steps. |
| 44 | Cut the curve to the flat; Weaken masters with that, |
| 45 | And when it clashes above, I will praise them who step off. |
| 46 | Cut short, and curve not, If the changing through is sought. |
| 47 | Who crookedly leads you astray, The noble war will leave them dazed; |
| 48 | They'll have no way to know Where they're safe from your blow. |
Explanation: Here notice and remember that the crooked cut comes down from above and goes in a curved way with a good step outward to one side.
This is why Liechtenauer says that if you want to bring this cut well, step well to your right, fully flanking them with your cut, and cut in a curved manner, swiftly and well, and then throw or shoot your point over their hilt and over their hands.
Cut toward theirwith your flat; if you hit the flattheir sword,[67] then remain strongly on it and press firmly, and see what you can bring in the quickest and most decisive way, with cutting, thrusting, or slicing.
By no means should you cut too shortly, but if you do, then don't forget the changing through.
There's a cut called the miss (as it's written after the crosswise cut, where the hand is drawn), which comes from the curved cut and should come before the crosswise cut, and it attacks crookedly and obliquely from below and shoots the point in over their hilt, just as the curved cut does down from above.
| 53 | Miss and mislead, And harry low where you please. |
| 54 | Invert and constrain them; Then run through, restrain them. |
| 55 | Take their elbow to bring Them off balance, and spring. |
| 56 | Miss twice; If you touch, make a slice. |
| 57 | Double it and on it goes, Step in left and don't be slow. |
| ⅹⅹⅲ | Because all fencing Will by rights have speed, |
| ⅹⅲ | And also audacity, Prudence, cunning, and ingenuity. |
[No explanation]
This is about the crosswise cut, etc:
| 49 | WHat comes from the sky, The cross takes in its stride. |
| 50 | Cut across with the strong, And be sure to work on. |
| 51 | To the plow drive across, Yoke it hard to the ox. |
| 52 | Take a leap and cross well, And their head is imperiled. |
Explanation: Here notice and remember that out of the whole art of the sword, no cut is as good, as honest, as ready, and as fierce as the crosswise cut. It goes across to both sides, with both edges (the front and the back), to all exposures (upper and lower), and when you cut across correctly, you counter and defend against everything that comes from above (meaning the high cuts and whatever else goes downward from above).
When you bring or throw the sword forward well, it crosses in front of your head to whichever side you want, just as if you were to come into the upper hangers or winds, except that when you cut across, the flats of the sword are what turns:[60] the one above or upward, and the other downward or below, and the edges go to the sides, one crossing to the right side and the other to the left side.
It's very good to come onto your opponent's sword with this crosswise cut, and when you get onto their sword, no matter how it happens, they can only escape from you with great difficulty.
You can also strike toward both sides with crosswise cuts, and as you bring the crosswise cut to either side, above or below, your sword should go up with the hilt above you and with your hands thrown forward in front of your head, so that you're well covered and defended.
Now, you should bring the crosswise cut with a certain strength, and when you must fight for your life,[68] win the Leading Strike with a good crosswise cut (using the lesson written earlier).
When you approach them, as soon as you see that you can reach them with a step or a leap, then cut across with your back edge, from above toward their head from your right side, and let your point shoot and then cross well so that your point goes well and winds or wraps around their head like a belt. Thus, if you cross well with a good leap or step to the side, they can only turn it away[69] or cover themselves with difficulty.
Once you win the Leading Strike with a crosswise cut to one side, no matter whether you hit or miss, immediately win the Following Strike in a single advance, at once and with no delay, with a crosswise cut to the other side (with the forward edge), before they manage to recover and come to blows (according to the lesson written earlier).
Also, cross to both sides, toward the ox and toward the plow (that is, toward the upper and lower exposures), from one side to the other, above and below, continuously and without delay, so that you're always in motion and don't let them come to blows.
As often as you cut across, above or below, you should strike well and throw the sword crosswise high in front of your head so that you're well covered.
This is about the cockeyed cut:
| 58 | THe cockeye disrupts What the buffalo cuts or thrusts. |
| 59 | The cockeye endangers Whoever threatens the changer. |
| 60 | If they look short to you, Defeat them by changing through. |
| 61 | To the point cock your eye, Take the neck fearlessly. |
| 62 | Cock your eye high instead To endanger hands and head. |
| ⅹⅹⅳ | # {Cock your eye to the right, If you want to fence well. |
| ⅹⅹⅴ | The cockeyed cut I prize, If it doesn't come too lazily.} |
Explanation: Here notice and remember that the cockeyed cut comes down from your right side with the back edge. It goes to the left side, cockeyed or askew, while stepping out to the right side with turned[70] sword and overturned hand.
This same cut counters everything that a buffalo (that is, a peasant) will cut down from above, as they often do, and also counters the same as the crosswise cut (as was described earlier).
Whoever threatens to change through will be put to shame by the cockeyed cut. But cut cockeyed well and long enough, and shoot the point firmly, otherwise you will be hindered by their changing through.
And boldly cock an eye well toward their throat with your point without fear.
And…[71]
When you see that, from scabbards,
Swords are being pulled,
Steady yourself therein,
And truly remember your steps.
Before and After: these two things
Explore, and also learn to leap away.
Pursue in all encounters
If you wish to dupe the strong.
If they defend, then pull back and thrust.
If they defend, move into them.
The winding and the hanging,
Learn to artfully bring forth.
And probe their intentions
Test if they are Hard or Soft.
If they fight with strength
Then be artfully prepared,
And if they attack wide or long,
Shooting in defeats them.
If, with Hard strikes,
They cover themselves, strike without fear.
Cut here and step there;
Charge in, then hit or move on.
Do not cut toward their sword,
But rather seek their exposures.
Whether you hit or you miss,
Always target their exposures.
With both hands
Learn to bring your point to their eyes
Fence with good sense,
And always win the Leading Strike;
Whether you hit or miss,
Strike immediately at their exposure with the Following Strike.
And also step always
Toward the right-hand side with it,
So you can begin
Fencing or wrestling with advantage.[72]
This is about the part cut, etc:
| 63 | STrike from your part, Endanger their face with art. |
| 64 | When it turns,[60] it will set On their chest with great threat. |
| 65 | What the parter brings forth, The crown drives it off, |
| 66 | So slice through the crown, And you break it well down. |
| 67 | Press the sweeping attacks, With a slice and pull back. |
| ⅹⅹⅴ | The part cut I prize, If it doesn't come too lazily. |
[No explanation]
Liechtenauer holds four lairs only, because they proceed from the upper and lower hangers and you can surely bring plays from them.
This is about the four lairs, etc:
| 68 | LIe in four lairs, And the others, forswear. |
| 69 | Ox and plow, and the fool too, And the day should not be unknown to you. |
Explanation, etc: Here he names the four lairs or four guards. There is little is to say about them; primarily, that you shouldn't lie in them for too long. This is why Liechtenauer has a particular proverb, "Whoever lies still, they are dead; whoever moves, they yet live".[73] This applies to the lairs, that you should rouse yourself with techniques rather than wait in the guards and in this way miss your chance.
The first guard, the plow, is when you lay your point on the ground, in front of you or at your side. After setting off, this is also called the barrier guard or the iron gate.
The second guard, the ox, is the upper hanger from the shoulder.
| ⅹⅹⅵ | The fool always counters What someone cuts or thrusts |
| ⅹⅹⅶ | With hangers, sweeps, Pursuit, and simultaneous parries. |
The third guard, the fool, is the lower hanger. With it, you can counter all cuts and thrusts well.
The fourth guard, from the day, is also the long point. Whoever leads it well with extended arms cannot be hit easily with cutting nor thrusting. It can also be called "the hanger above the head".[74]
Also understand that you counter all the lairs and guards with cutting, so that as you cut boldly toward someone, they must flinch and cover themselves. This is why Liechtenauer doesn't say much about the lairs or guards, but rather maintains that you should be concerned with winning the Leading Strike before your opponent can (as was made clear above).[75]
This is about the four parries, etc., etc:
| 70 | THe parries are four; They trouble lairs, what's more. |
| 71 | Parrying protects you: But it also can wreck you. |
| 72 | If parrying befalls you, As it can happen to do, |
| 73 | Hear now what I say: Sweep off, cut away! |
| 74 | Set upon to four extents; Stay thereon if you want to end. |
| ⅹⅹⅷ | # {Many strikes you'll hurt and harry If you fence with proper parries,[76] |
| ⅹⅹⅸ | Because when you parry, You come swiftly into the hangers.} |
Explanation: Here remember that there are four parries to both sides, one upper and one lower to each side, and they counter or disrupt all lairs and guards. Any way that you divert or deflect someone's cut, thrust, or slice with your sword, from above or from below, could well be called parrying.
If you're the one parried, however that happens, swiftly pull back and cut again in a single advance.
If you parry or turn away[69] someone's cut or thrust, immediately step in and follow through on their sword so that they cannot pull back. Then do whatever you can, but if you hesitate and delay, it will be harmful to you.
Also turn[64] well and always turn[60] your point against their chest so that they must constantly worry about it.
Learn to come onto the sword of your opponent, which you can do well with these parries, because they come from the four cuts (one over and one under each side) and become the four hangers. As soon as you parry above or below, you should immediately arrive in the hangers.
Just as you turn away[69] all cuts and thrusts with the front edge, it's the same with parrying.
This is about pursuit, etc., etc:
| 75 | LEarn the twofold pursuit, And the guard, to slice through. |
| 76 | The ways to lead out are double; From there, work and struggle. |
| 77 | Test the bind, I implore: Hard or Soft, nothing more. |
| 78 | Learn to feel with discipline; The word that cuts deepest is 'Within'. |
| 79 | The pursuit, learn it twice, If it meets, make the same old slice. |
| ⅹⅹⅹ | In whatever way you've bound, All the strong you will confound.[77] |
| ⅹⅷ | In every lesson that you learn, Your point toward the other's face will turn.[60] |
| ⅹⅹⅺ | With your whole body shall you pursue For that is how your point stays true.[78] |
| ⅹⅹⅻ | Also learn to swiftly wrench, So you can end well. |
[No explanation]
This is about flowing over; fencer, notice it:
| 80 | WHoever aims to take it below, By overflowing, their folly show. |
| 81 | When it clashes above, I will praise them who stay Strong. |
| 82 | See your work be done, Or press doubly hard upon. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅲ | Whoever presses you down, Cross over them and strike sharply again. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅳ | From both sides flow over, And remember the slices. |
[No explanation]
This is about setting off, learn this well:
| 83 | THe setting off, learn to do, That cuts and thrusts be ruined before you. |
| 84 | Whoever makes a thrust at you, Your point meets theirs and breaks on through. |
| 85 | From the right and from the left, Always meet them if you'll step. |
| ⅹⅷ | In every lesson that you learn, Your point toward the other's face will turn.[60] |
[No explanation]
This is about changing through, etc., etc:
| 86 | LEarn to change through, And cruelly thrust on both sides, too. |
| 87 | All of those who seek the bind, Changing through will surely find. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅴ | † {When you have changed through, strike, thrust, or wind, be not lax. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅵ | Do not cut toward their sword, change through and seek with that.} |
Explanation: Here remember that the changing through goes directly to both sides (down from above and up from below) if you otherwise do it quickly.
If you want to change through from your right side (down from above), then cut from above directly toward them so that you shoot your point toward their left side, above their hilt, and aim for the little gap or window between their edge and their hilt. If you hit, you have won.
If they defend against this by expelling your point and pressing it away with their sword, then let your point sink down under their sword, from that side around to the other. This shouldn't go widely around, but as closely as possible below their sword so that you can then drive in swiftly over their hilt with a good thrust. When you feel it land, follow through well. As you do on one side, from above and from below, do the same from the other side.
Also, when someone binds with you, charge forward on their sword with your point toward their exposure. If they defend, change through as before, or wind and feel whether their intention is Hard or Soft. Thereafter, seek their exposures with cutting, thrusting, or slicing.
This is about pulling back; fencer, remember:
| 88 | STep up close into the bind, Pull back, and what you seek, you'll find. |
| 89 | Pull back, and if they meet, pull more, Work and find what makes them sore. |
| 90 | Pull back whenever you are bound, And many masters you'll confound. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅶ | Pull back from the sword And carefully consider your way. |
[No explanation]
This is about running through now:
| 91 | RUn through, hang it to the floor By the pommel, then bring grips for sure. |
| 92 | For those who strongly approach you, Always remember the running through. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅷ | Run through and shove. Invert if they grab for the pommel. |
[No explanation]
This is about slicing off, etc., etc:
| 93 | WHen it's firm, slice away, From below, you slice both ways. |
| 94 | And the slices number four, Two below; above, two more. |
| ⅹⅹⅹⅸ | Slice whoever will cross you, To eagerly avoid injury. |
| ⅹⅼ | Do not slice in fright, First consider wrenching. |
| ⅹⅼⅰ | You can slice well in any crossing, If you omit the wrenching. |
| ⅹⅼⅱ | If you wish to remain unharmed, Then don't move with the slicing. |
[No explanation]
This is about pressing the hands, etc., etc:
| 95 | TUrn[64] your edge just like that, Press the hands to the flat. |
| ⅹⅼⅲ | One thing is turning,[64] Another is winding, the third is hanging. |
| ⅹⅼⅳ | If you want to make fencers despair, Then always press while shoving. |
| ⅹⅼⅴ | Over their hands, Cut and slice swiftly. |
| ⅹⅼⅵ | Also pull the slices Above, over their head. |
| ⅹⅼⅶ | Whoever presses the hands Pulls their fingers back without injury. |
[79]Know that as soon as you turn away[69] their cut or thrust by turning,[64] immediately step in and drive quickly toward them. If you wait and delay, you will suffer injury.
Also notice and remember that you turn away[69] all cuts and thrusts with the forward edge of your sword, from the middle of the edge to the hilt. As soon as you have turned[64] your forward edge into it, then the closer a cut or thrust comes to your hilt, the better and more powerfully you can turn away[69] these cuts or thrusts: the closer to the hilt, the stronger and mightier, and the closer to the point, the weaker and feebler.
Therefore, if you want to be a good fencer, learn above all other things to turn away[69] well, so that as you do so, you come immediately to the winds, from which you can perform the entire art and beauty of fencing.
The forward edge of the sword is called the true edge, and all cuts and thrusts are spoiled by its turning.[64]
This is about hanging; fencer, learn this, etc:
| 96 | THere are the two ways to hang: From the ground, from your hand. |
| 97 | In every attack, whether cut or a thrust, The Hard and the Soft lies within, you can trust. |
| 98 | In the window freely stand, Watch their manner close at hand. |
| 99 | Whoever pulls back, Strike in with a snap. |
| 100 | Now let me assure No defense is for sure. |
| 101 | And if this is well-known, Rarely will they come to blows. |
| ⅹⅼⅷ | As you remain, On the sword, then also make |
| ⅹⅼⅸ | Cuts, thrusts, or slices. Remember to feel into it |
| ⅼ | Without any preference. Also do not flee from the sword |
| ⅼⅰ | Because masterful fencing Is rightly at the sword. |
| ⅼⅱ | Whoever binds on you, The war wrestles with them severely. |
| ⅼⅲ | The noble winding Can also surely find them. |
| ⅼⅳ | With cutting, with thrusting, And with slicing you surely find them. |
| [32] | Howsoever you will wind, Cut, thrust, slice you seek to find. |
| ⅼⅴ | And the noble hanging Should not be without the winding. |
| ⅼⅵ | Because from the hangers You bring forth the winding. |
Explanation, etc: Here notice and remember that there are two hangers from each side, one over and one underneath. With them, you can come onto your opponent's sword well, † {because they come from high and low cuts}.
If it happens that you bind with someone, or otherwise come onto their sword, then remain on their sword and wind, and stay with them on the sword like that, boldly and in good spirit, without any fear.
Quite precisely wait, watch for, and notice well whatever they want to do, or whatever they have in mind which they will perform against you. Liechtenauer calls remaining on the sword like this an open window. As you stay with them on the sword, feel well and notice their intention, whether it be Hard or Soft, and orient yourself accordingly (as it has often been written earlier).
If they happen to pull back from your sword before you actually begin, then immediately follow through and send cuts or thrusts at them (whichever you can perform in the surest way, before they come to anything else); † {since you're closer to them as you remain on their sword, merely extend your point against them. Then when they pull back, immediately follow them in with your point before they can perform a strike.} But if they remain with you on the sword, then test well and notice whether they're Hard or Soft on your sword.
If they're Soft and Weak, then swiftly and boldly go forth and attack with your Strength, pressing and pushing away their sword. Then seek their exposures, toward their head or body (whatever you can get).
But if they're Hard and Strong on your sword and want to press and push you aside firmly, then be Soft and Weak against their Strength, and weaken their Strength and pressure with your sword.
As you weaken and their sword goes aside (as was also written earlier), then before they can recover, seek their exposures with cutting, thrusting, or slicing (however you can get to them in the surest manner), swiftly, rapidly, and boldly (in accordance with the lesson written earlier), so that they cannot cut nor thrust, nor otherwise come to blows.
This is why Liechtenauer says, "I say to you honestly, no one covers themselves without danger. If you have understood this, they cannot come to blows."[80] By this, they mean that no one can protect themselves from you without fear or injury, if you act according to the lesson written earlier: if you take and win the Leading Strike, then they must either continually defend themselves or let themselves be struck.
If you deliver the Leading Strike, whether you land it or not, then quickly deliver a Following Strike in a single advance, before they can come to blows. Indeed, if you want to deliver the Leading Strike, you must also deliver a Following Strike as if in one thought and intention, as though you would deliver them simultaneously if that weren't impossible.
This is what Liechtenauer means by, "Before and after, these two things", etc.[81] If you deliver the Leading Strike, whether you land it or not, then also do a Following Strike at once, swiftly and rapidly, so that they cannot come to blows. In this way, you can preempt them in all matters of fencing.
Now, as soon as you get to them first and win the Leading Strike, immediately deliver a Following Strike. Don't deliver the Leading Strike if you don't have an intended Following Strike in mind; be always in motion and never idling nor delaying. Always do one after another, swiftly and rapidly, so that they come to nothing. If you do this correctly, then anyone who gets away from you without being hit must be very good indeed.
With this art or this advantage, it often happens that a peasant or untrained person beats a good master, because they deliver the Leading Strike and charge in boldly; it might be lightly overlooked, but it hits Within and thus strikes them and puts them to shame. This is because it's more dangerous to wait—to receive strikes and defend—than to attack and win the Leading Strike. Therefore, arrange to be first in all matters of fencing, and to come well to the right side of your opponent, and then you can be more sure of everything than they are.
| 108 | ON both sides this applies: Learn to step with eight winds. |
| 106 | And each wind of the blade Into three can be made: |
| 107 | Twenty-four can be named, Though they're one and the same. |
| 105 | And eight winds there are, If you rightly regard. |
| lxiii | And learn to lead them well, So you can harry the four exposures. |
| lxiv | Because each exposure Can be harried in six ways. |
Explanation: Notice here that the winds are the correct art and the foundation of all the fencing with the sword, from which all other techniques and plays come.
It's difficult to be a good fencer without the winds, though certain dancing masters dismiss them and say that what comes from the winds is quite weak, and call it "from the shortened sword", because they are simple and go naively. They mean that techniques from the long sword should be done with extended arms and extended sword, and that they come aggressively and strongly with full strength of body but lacking good stance, and it's terrible to watch when someone stretches themselves out as if they were trying to chase a rabbit.
If there were no art then the strong would always win, but this is not the way, neither in winding nor in the art of Liechtenauer, because this art doesn't require great strength.
- ↑ “That I laud” is an addition to serve the rhyme.
- ↑ Jens P. Kleinau has pointed out that in the first couplet, the second line is much longer than most in the Record, while in this second couplet, the version used by the Lew gloss only includes the first line (as does the Dresden version of Sigmund ain Ringeck's gloss) and the version appearing in H. Beringer and Hans Folz only includes the second line. This may be evidence of a ‘seam’ in the Record where two early proto-Records were merged together, each of which only mentioned loving god in the first couplet and had honoring women as the first line of the second couplet. See his 2020 blog post for more details.
- ↑ Messer is a term that we often associate with the iconic German machete-like knife taught by Johannes Lecküchner and others, but both historically and today it can refer to any kind of knife; mentions of it in the Record are usually interpreted as referring to daggers by the glossators.
- ↑ More literally “manly”, not “gallant”, but I’ve used ungendered language for the most part in this translation because I want readers to be able to more easily see themselves and their training partners in it regardless of their genders.
- ↑ Bederben and verderben could be read as synonyms in Early New High German (ENHG), both meaning “to destroy”, but that doesn’t make sense in context so we tend to read bederben in its Middle High German (MHG) definition of “to use”. H. Beringer uniquely has ‘bedurfen=need or make use of’, which reinforces this reading and could represent an earlier, less ambiguous phrasing.
- ↑ Jens-Peter sees a division here where the moralistic/inspirational address to the young knight ends and practical advice to a fencing student begins. I disagree, and think couplets 6–9 are still about mindset and morality in fighting.
- ↑ I will generally translate the verb hauwen as “to cut” since that’s the common parlance, but remember that there’s no connotation that the intent is to cleave anything or otherwise directly hit your opponent. The word is instead often used to describe a cutting motion that will set up further techniques (such as cutting in order to hit with a thrust).
- ↑ More literally “Charge in, let it hit or pass”.
- ↑ Couplet 6 isn’t directly glossed, but is mentioned by the author in their gloss of the common lesson.
- ↑ The Lew gloss replaces couplet 7 with a completely different one:
- So that your art and skill surely
Will then be praised as masterly.
- So that your art and skill surely
- ↑ This word pair is translated in all kinds of ways, from the abstract/geometric (dimension and extension) to the colloquial (time and place, weighed and measured) to the fencing-specific (distance and reach). My translation goes with a more moralistic read, outlining two qualities the young knight needs to develop, both of which point to the cardinal virtue of temperance. This couplet isn’t directly glossed, but is mentioned by the author in their gloss of the common lesson; it’s also invoked and connected to teachings in sword section of the Augsburg Group manuscripts.
- ↑ The early glosses interpret this as an admonition against passively waiting for your opponent’s actions, but I phrased it in a way that it could also lead Andre Paurenfeyndt and Joachim Meyer to turn it into a teaching about footwork.
- ↑ Couplet 11 is glossed separately in Pseudo-Peter von Danzig/Lew while 12–14 are grouped together as a sestain, but Sigmund ain Ringeck (and Hans Medel, who copies his text here) combine all four couplets into a single octet. The interpretation is the same in both groupings.
- ↑ This line is contentious because it encapsulates two approaches to striking among students of Liechtenauer in the 21st century: it either advises you to approach close to your opponent and then cut so you’re sure of hitting their head or body with your edge, or it advises you to cut so that your sword approaches close to your opponent and you can hit their face or chest with your point; I hold with the latter interpretation, which seems most in line with the instructions in the Sigmund ain Ringeck, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Lew (RDL) glosses.
- ↑ ‘Schilt=shield’ is often treated as synonymous with the flanges that appear on some 15th-16th century fencing swords, but there’s no textual support for this (no, not even in Joachim Meyer’s treatises). ‘Shield’ instead seems to refer to the entire lower portion of the sword most often used for defense: the crossguard, the Strength of the blade (see below), and yes, also any flanges that appear near the shoulder of the sword.
- ↑ Couplet 12a is very close to couplete 35a, in the section on the cut of wrath.
- ↑ More literally “don’t avoid the skirmish”; German loves using double-negatives to emphasize a positive. Zecken is typically translated with a variety of words suggesting minor strikes (and Zeck also means “tick”, leading some to read it as something like “bug bites”), but the Lexer gives an alternative reading of “skirmish” or harassing actions. Rühren is “to stir up”, “to cause something to move”, and “to touch or hit” (including “to land a blow in fencing”); I summarize these senses as “harrying”. Zeckrühr doesn’t appear in Grimm or the Lexer, so I read it as a compound of these two words and render it as “harrying strikes” to express the idea of harassing during a skirmish. (Thanks to Christian Trosclair for digging up the zecken lemma.) The terms Zecken and Zeckrühr are not used again in the Record or in the glosses for any other section, so it’s hard to be sure what this term means. There are hints, though: Hans Medel’s gloss repeats this couplet when it covers the take-away (after couplet 28), the misser is described as rühren (see couplet 53), and two specific pieces are given in the gloss of this couplet in Pseudo-Peter von Danzig and Lew. Based on these examples, I surmise that it’s the term for actions that exit a bind and strike to a new exposure, creating a nice contrast between the skirmish and the ‘Krieg=war’ (mentioned in two places below, in which you remain in the bind and attack by turning your sword).
- ↑ More literally “When you want to drive something strongly, fence with your whole body”, but I went with this translation because one of my objectives was to make this stick in people’s brains, and “always fight with all your strength” has been part of our collective subconscious in Kunst des Fechtens ever it since was used by Sigmund ain Ringeck translators at the turn of the 21st century. Also, not much rhymes with ‘strength’.
- ↑ Schlecht often means “bad”, but it can also mean “straight, direct, simple”, and that makes more sense here (as Stephen Cheney pointed out), and really in most usages in this text.
- ↑ This quatrain is typically interpreted as referring to right- and left-handed fencers and translated accordingly, but the text just says “right” and “left” and it’s not clear whether it’s referring to handedness, which side of the body the sword is held on (regardless of handedness), or which foot is forward (thus echoing the first lesson, just as the fourth lesson—on Before and After—echoes the second lesson—on attacking to provoke a parry rather than waiting to parry the opponent’s attack). It would be odd indeed for Liechtenauer to make this one solitary mention of handedness when that subject is never addressed again, neither in his writings nor in the subsequent two centuries of writings based on his teachings.
- ↑ This line is the same as the first line of dueling couplet 62.
- ↑ Here the Record begins introducing what are sometimes called the ‘Five Words’: ‘Vor=Before’, ‘Nach=After’, ‘Stark/Stärke=Strong/Strength’, ‘Schwach/Schwäche=Weak/Weakness’, and ‘Indes=Within/Inside’. (There are two other words that are sometimes lumped in here, ‘Hart/Härte=Hard/Hardness’ and ‘Weich/Weiche=Soft/Softness’, though no one talks about Seven Words.) I generally capitalize these words, but in this translation I’ll leave them lowercase to avoid unnecessary reification.
- ↑ “You’ll rule the bind” is an addition to serve the rhyme, but it’s supported by the glosses.
- ↑ RDL read this as referring to the parts of the sword—the ‘Strength’ of the sword is the part closer to the hand and the ‘Weakness’ of the sword is part near the tip (perhaps specifically from the center of mass to the cross and from the center of percussion to the tip, as swordsmith Paul Champagne (God rest his soul) once opined.); in between is the ‘middle’, and this is where two other words, ‘Hardness’ and ‘Softness’, are felt. Conversely, the author of ms. 3227a doesn’t clearly distinguish these two sets of words and typically refers to things as being both “Hard and Strong” or “Soft and Weak” (perhaps owing to their love of hendiadys).
- ↑ The meaning of the word Indes changes significantly from MHG to ENHG. It may be translated “within” or “inside” in both languages, but in MHG, Indes was primarily a spatial adverb (i.e., within a place or location) and in ENHG it became primarily a temporal adverb (i.e., within a time or event). Liechtenauer’s Record seems to have been written in the midst of this transition and straddles both senses: the word ‘Within’ is used to describe actions the instant (time) when you have felt the pressure of the bind (place) and must choose a response. By the time of Joachim Meyer, this linguistic evolution was complete and this is perhaps what lead him to accuse masters who taught a spatial interpretation of Indes of conflating it with the Latin word Intus, which does indeed align closely with the MHG definition.
- ↑ Erschricken is often translated as “frighten”, but according to Grimm, it’s in the sense of a ‘jump-scare’ rather than a feeling of terror. This verse isn’t about cowardice or running away, but rather about panicking and doing something stupid when attacked (as Jessica Finley has pointed out).
- ↑ Couplet 20a is similar to couplet 57b, in the section on the crosswise cut, and dueling couplet 5b.
- ↑ This quatrain is taken from one of the poems in the introduction.
- ↑ Verse 9.
- ↑ Verse 17.
- ↑ Verse 6.
- ↑ Verses 40-41 (also 100-101).
- ↑ The text beginning with this paragraph and going to the end of the section is written on an extra bifolium (double-page) inserted into the book late in the creation process.
- ↑ This paragraph is somewhat ambiguous about who is who, and some other translators interpret it as saying that *you* can always deliver a following strike faster than your opponent. This is an equally valid read language-wise, but I don't think it makes as much sense with the overall thrust of the teachings.
- ↑ "On Interpretation", the second section of Aristotle's Organon. This, along with "Categories" (the first section), was the only work by Aristotle known to Western Europeans during most of the Middle Ages, and only through a 6th-century Latin translation by Boethius. These works nevertheless formed an important foundation of Scholasticism. By the time of Liechtenauer, though, Europeans had rediscovered many other writings of Aristotle surviving in the Middle East and they were widely available across Europe.
- ↑ This passage does not seem to appear in the Organon, but Kendra Brown discovered that it does match a passage from Problemata, another Aristotelian work which returned from the Middle East during the later Middle Ages, and specifically the Latin translation by Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274). For slightly more information and further references, see Renana Bartal (2014). "Repetition, Opposition, and Invention in an Illuminated Meditationes vitae Christi: Oxford, Corpus Christi College, MS 410." Gesta 53(2): 163. doi:10.1086/677347.
- ↑ Verse 78.
- ↑ Verse 99.
- ↑ Verse 12.
- ↑ Couplet 22 is omitted by the author; it’s also worded awkwardly (in German) and doesn’t rhyme. It’s possible that this was a late addition to the Record and perhaps even not authored by Liechtenauer.
- ↑ “Speed” is an addition to serve the rhyme.
- ↑ Krumm und twer is an expression meaning something like “to and fro” (per Jessica Finley). Likewise, the cut of wrath is described by both RDL and the author of ms. 3227a as a ‘schlect haw=straight cut’, and schlect und krumm is an expression meaning “straight and crooked” (per Christian Trosclair). But since this couplet is clearly designed to be mnemonic rather than a functional description, I devised something memorable.
- ↑ Schiller mit Scheitler is listed as one of the six ‘master cuts’ that the Brotherhood of St. Mark would test prospective masters on, but neither RDL nor the author of ms. 3227a make any effort to explain these two things in context with each other. Hans Medel offers a play that he labels that way, though, and Hans Talhoffer modifies couplet 62 in the cockeye to include a reference to the part (see below).
- ↑ Note that den alber der versazung is another one of the six ‘master cuts’ that the Brotherhood of St. Mark would test prospective masters on. The author also connected the foolish guard specifically to parrying in the section on guards below.
- ↑ Couplet 24 is strange: it can be read as describing the first five main pieces, but if that were the intent, we’d expect to see:
- Leger versetzt
Nachreisen überlauff absetzt
- Leger versetzt
- ↑ I’ve tried to emphasize opposing pairs whenever they are apparent, even if the Record doesn’t call attention to them. ‘Stossen=push’ and ‘zucken=pull’ are such a pair; they might be translated even better as “shove” and “yank”, emphasizing the forcefulness of the action, but I hate both of those translations (not for any good reason, they’re just not part of my dialect so they sound unnatural to me) so I’m going with push and pull.
- ↑ When the manuscript was being written, the scribe included small guide letters to tell the rubricator what large red initial letters to add. In this case, the rubricator was careless and changed the word Wer to Der.
- ↑ Werner Ueberschär has suggested that there may be a double-meaning in this verse: ohne Fahr would be “without danger” (rendered as “care not” here), but ohne Farr would be “without ox”, emphasizing that this technique is used instead of turning your sword into guard of the ox (which the next couplet describes).
- ↑ This line is the same as the second line of couplet 97, in the section on the angles.
- ↑ Some witnesses have far or var instead of vor, and the alternate rhymed version would be “‘Within’, and then drive after more”.
- ↑ Couplet 32 uses similar phrasing to 80, in the section on overrunning, and dueling couplet 36.
- ↑ The text actually names the three attacks again, but I have “which one of them” to avoid redundancy and make the text smoother.
- ↑ Werner Ueberschär has suggested that this couplet would make more sense if it appeared after the couplet about confounding the masters (35) rather than before, though I don’t see a reason for his complaint. The statement of the Record at the beginning of the Dresden manuscript moves couplet 35 before the one about turning (33), but it’s unique in making this change.
- ↑ ‘Treffen=touch, meet, hit, contact, encounter, etc.’ can be ambiguous. It’s not talking about a conference with the masters, nor is it about hitting the masters with your sword; instead, when treffen is used in the Record, the glosses agree that it refers to one sword hitting another sword, and I try to make that explicit in this translation.
- ↑ Couplet 35 is very close to 90, in the section on pulling, and dueling couplet 63.
- ↑ Effen, translated “confound” here, can also mean “to imitate”, so this could alternatively be read as a statement about acting like a master. RDL frequently invoke the archetype of the ‘master’, which is a fencer who seeks to bind and turn (essentially the opposite of the ‘buffalo’ mentioned below), and this could be another reference to that. However, the other places where this construction is used are more clearly about causing trouble for the opponent, not imitating them.
- ↑ Couplet 35a is very close to couplet 12a, in the common lesson.
- ↑ This line is the same as the first line of couplet 12 in the common lesson.
- ↑ This line is similar to the second line of couplet 94d in the section on the slicing off.
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 60.4 60.5 60.6 60.7 Keren.
- ↑ Couplet 35d is very close to couplets 79b, in the section on the pursuit, and 85a, in the section on the setting aside, and dueling couplets 13a and 59.
- ↑ In Medieval art, the concept of ‘wrath’ is often represented as a man stabbing himself to show its self-destructive nature; the name of the ‘wrath cut’ may thus be meant to indicate that you are offering your point for a wrathful opponent to impale themselves upon (as Jessica Finley has pointed out). The text here can be read as indicating that this strike is meant to be used against a person in their anger and wrath (as Maciej Talaga has pointed out), which supports this interpretation. It’s also worth noting that Grimm states that Zorn began as a term for excitement in battle, not an expression of irritation or hatred.
- ↑ Verse 27.
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.3 64.4 64.5 64.6 64.7 Wenden.
- ↑ Literally "half an ell"; the length of a Medieval ell varied by city and region, but is generally based on either the length someone's elbow to fingertips, or six times the width of someone's hand. I find the hand-breadth measure to be easier to visualize.
- ↑ Note that Medieval people generally wore their belts at the top of their waists, meaning at their navels or just below their ribs.
- ↑ "With your" and "their sword" are inserted over the deletions and seem intended to replace them. However, the deletions describe the typical teaching of the curved cut, whereas the insertions seem to represent a unique idea or teaching. For this reason, unlike other instances of deletion, both the original and the replacement text are translated here for comparison.
- ↑ Literally "for your neck"; in German, as in English, "neck" is a metaphor for one's life or survival, coming from popular execution methods targeting the neck (like hanging and beheading) as well as the windpipe or jugular vein being the preferred target of many predatory animals.
- ↑ 69.0 69.1 69.2 69.3 69.4 69.5 69.6 Abwenden.
- ↑ Verwenden.
- ↑ Text ends here abruptly.
- ↑ At first glance, this appears to be a poem of the author's own devising, but many of the verses are based on couplets from Liechtenauer's Recital (the ones written in grey ink); the couplets in grey italics are based on those of the Recital on short sword fencing. The lines in black text are original, but several of them appear elsewhere in this text and only three couplets are completely unique.
This is a fine example of the Medieval practice of using the text of a mnemonic (like the Recital) to teach different, distinct lessons, through paraphrase and reorganization. Here, he seems to have stitched together fragments from those sources in order to present a new teaching: a general lesson on fencing from the draw.
Because the verses are rarely in their exact normal form, the rhyming translation has not been used and instead they are translated more literally. - ↑ This proverb doesn't come from the Recital and doesn't appear in any other source in the Liechtenauer tradition.
- ↑ This last sentence was added after the rest of the text on the page, in the same ink and script as the text at the top of the page.
- ↑ The text here runs into the destroyed corner of the page, and what remains is ut ptu͞it s. Based on 22v, I read this ut patuit s[upra].
- ↑ This verse is phrased similarly to 43.
- ↑ This verse is phrased similarly to both 35 and 90.
- ↑ This verse is phrased similarly to 14.
- ↑ The gap between the verse and the explanation here, along with the lack of a gloss label (which is present in every other section with commentary), makes it questionable whether this text is intended to explain the verses on hand-pressing or to be a separate teaching.
- ↑ Verses 100-101 (also 40-41).
- ↑ Verse 17.
- ↑ This is the only place in the treatise where verses from the Recital are presented out of order. Furthermore, verses 102-104 are omitted entirely, as is 109 (though 109 is itself a repetition of verse 77).
