Practice

Of Practice

Our practice, if it is boiled down to a few things: because with our operation we deny all the principles of the various offenses, that it is possible to do.

It follows then, that if one finds the enemy from afar, we are going to allow them to drop the cloak from the right shoulder; and with the left hand from behind thrust the dagger forward on the right side. Then first the sword is drawn from its sheath; and near the dagger and in one tempo [tighten the fist OR constrain the fight?] and the teeth and enlarge the eyes showing fierceness on the face.

After this with the arms low and pushed out from the body, and [disposedly?] with natural steps will walk: and before arriving at the distance where we take notice of the enemy; and taking note of which foot he will come forward with, and with which arm: because if he holds the dagger forward this will be to defend himself; if the sword, for offense; however do it in whatever way you want, we will always be the ones who [command or charge upon] and [give the cause of stirring].

And presupposing that we find the enemy in a state with the sword

In place in a straight line, but controllable with our dagger; like in the guard of terza, and quarta; if we present with the body in perspective, and enter in stretto measure in prima [or the first] posture, in which the said rules serve us, we can with a short cut [or wound]; and in the same tempo beat the enemy’s sword and [distort or divert] from that line, helping her to her declination.

Because, if we consider the four causes we stated above, of which the first is the posture of the body: by that we are sure, that the body in motion can go straight: and the proportion of the sword, formal cause, shows us the wound [cut?] in a straight line. The material cause reveals to us that all other kinds of motion, that the enemy makes either with the body or with the arm, pushing forward [thrusting?] or withdrawing, or [carriage? Bringing?] or turning; will be done in a larger tempo, that would not be the motion, which the posture indicates; the final cause, which is the extreme point of this line, [?outside?] of the dagger is removed, because it is beaten out of the way [because that beating distracts her from his proportion]

And finally [or giving over], that the man is not confused and making mistakes, we must know that all the rules which we have said, serve thus at swordplay and the dagger, like single sword: but have a single difference in this; that when we have the dagger, and are fighting against straight lines, the which are

present, but underneath our dagger, then it is not necessary, that we bring the points to the outside, which are the final causes of these lines; since beating these with the dagger removes the effect of his cut [or wound?]

But with the single sword, which is devoid of such defense, when against these proportions of lines, [we will always fight wounding?], that will be with the left foot, it will be necessary to remove the point with a movement of the body; because we don’t have the dagger: and with the left hand we will close the return to the enemy’s sword, as demonstrated by the two small figures, which are in this first demonstration, which follows below.

And against straight lines in high presence [high line?], and with an accompanied weapon and with single sword, we will operate in the same way.

Then fighting against oblique lines, we keep the same order: and only differ in this, that with the single sword, when we wound of necessity, that is, in the tempo while the enemy [wounds? Attack might be better. Or striking?] us, we do that with a straight line, with the body in profile.

And returning to the declaration of the Practical, I say that finding [again?] the enemy in terza, or in quarta guards, with the legs open or closed, we present ourselves against this in perspective, and putting in prima guard with the left foot in the diameter

of the circle, as soon as our visual passes through the forte of our dagger [throws a shot] into the debole of the enemy’s sword; with resolution we [throw the shot] ahead of the tempo to the right parts: as this figure shows, what follows, in which; as in all the others, is only the guard with his cut/shot, that is done willingly ahead of the tempo: and there is still a certain line drawn from the [fist?] from our posture, which shows the shot thrown of necessity in tempo; that is; the way to throw the shot when the enemy is throwing a shot, beyond that line, which comes from the fist of the contrary, denotes the first posture of the sword of the enemy himself.

I will not hesitate to say that if our enemy was in a state with the straight line in presence, but well extended, (as many do to hold the enemy at a distance [far away]) then we beat that defending sword with a dagger, with it describing a semicircle to the outside, so that we can get more length from our body while wounding.

Each time that our opposite was placed in prima or in seconda guards, or guardia di faccia or guardia d’entrare that thus in these acts he has the sword in action in a straight line; but alta, against which we are working in this way; we will show up with the body in perspective in the first circle, and putting the right foot in the diameter of the circle, by our will we will oppose the [right or straight] point, and with the left, we step out of the crossing motion, that we will do so; the second guard is either in time, or ahead of time, to strike by beating with our dagger