Richard Francis Burton

“ You attack, either because you rely more upon the agility of your hand than upon the certainty of your reply, or because the adversary, persisting in his defence, constrains you to take the initiative. Here, then, prudence is your only safety.
The first and last rule must be never to venture upon offence without having succeeded in mastering the weak part of the sword opposed to you. ”

“ But if your opponent remain obstinately upon the purely defensive, showing you that he intends to await the attack, you feel that something must be done. Gain ground by half measures, masking the intention as much as you can with the body easily seated and every movement in equilibrium, so as to spring back if required with all your activity. ”

“ Supposing also that the opponent has not made use of the disorder which he caused. The neophyte, seeing his own importance, would ask himself the means of avoiding a similar danger on a new attack. This hesitation is usually fatal. When a man hesitates about what he is to do or not to do his mind becomes troubled and excited; he whips the wind with his blade as the drowning man beats the waves, and he ends either by exposing himself to the thrust which will end the combat or by throwing himself upon the adversary's sword at the risk of being run through the body. ”

“ If his play is complicated you extend the sword, retiring a half measure, and fatiguing, tormenting, and enervating the hand opposed to you.
If his movements are simple, the opponent will dread risking blow for blow. The more skilful he is the greater will be, or at least should be, luis prudence. And, as I said when prescribing for the assault, you can always lessen the danger of a free attack by a sharp retreat, either of full or of half measure. Thus you render the parry easier, you increase the distance, and you oppose, by a double precaution, the rapidity of the adversary's offence. ”

“ Compare that glorious tint that glitters as if borrowed from the morning sunbeam, which seems to shed light upon the features like a halo, an aureole, and which would only look dull if gold powdered, with the blue-black criniere of Southern Europe, the raven's wing of which men rave and write I think of the difference between the loveliest spring day and wintry night. ”

“ We have changed all that; the conditions of the age no longer admit it. Ours has become a workaday world, and England is fast teaching the rest of mankind to quote her peculiarly national and characteristic proverb, "Time is money." ”

“ Whether you win ox lose depends upon the skill and prudence of the adversary. But, at any rate, you axe always firm in the defence, solid upon your legs, and in perfect equilibrium, ready to repeat the eame movement whenever the opponent advances; and after wearying him out and inducing him to attempt some dangerous attack which thoroughly fails, this identical outstretching of the poimt will direct it to his arm, to his shoulder, or to his breast. ”

“ At times feint as though you intended to thrust home, in order to let him explain himself and divulge to you his play. Thus you will learn whether he intends to retreat, to parry, or to extend the sword. A man under such circumstances must be perfectly sure and master of himself not to betray his "little game " by instinctive and involuntary movements. ”

“ He who sees it glittering even motionless before his eyes must feel its presence preoccupying his thoughts; he dwells upon it the more when he knows that the hand which guides it is without training, obeys no law, seeks no feint, but is over there like a watchful sentinel at his post. ”

“ Its sole chance of success, even in your own eyes, will consist in its dash, its suddenness, and its thoughtless impetuosity, which may astound the adversary and induce him to parry wildly with sword and arm. Only, before making your swoop, at least try to engage his sword by any means in your power, or to deflect it by a violent battement, for instance, ijp or down, inside or outside. In this way you provide against thrust for thrust and extension of the sword, and nothing remains, alter feeling the opponent's blade, but to spring forward in right line without a moment's hesitation. ”

“ The only further movement which I would teach the neophyte is this: When breaking and extending, change line at times by passing underneath the opponent's sword, which is, in fact, only a simple disengagement.
Nothing is easier to learn. The retrograde movement of the body facilitates the action. An hour's work, even for a man who has never handled a sword, will render familiar to him this change of line, which strengthens at* the same time the defence and the offence. ”

“ If the maltre d'armes attempt anything like beginning at the beginning, in working up to a knowledge of passes and parries, he is simply wrong. He must foresee that the undeveloped intelligence before him will be troubled by the natural emotion of the combat, and the lesson must not add to that trouble. ”

“ In order to diminish the danger, ever imminent, of gaining ground, embarrass the opponent, and preoccupy his thoughts by frequent menaces, which he may mistake for the forerunners of attacks. Thus you force him to guard himself, you prevent his taking the offensive, and you are able to shorten distance insensibly, without unnecessary exposure. ”

“ To escape the point, either by withdrawing the body, by retiring en regie, or by a spring to the rear, is not parrying, 1 own, but it is the equivalent of the parry, since the sword does not reach you; and even if it does the wound will be slight, for you have made the adversary lose by your retreat what he expected to gain by his attack. ”

“ But, however that might be. the man who used his sword like a spit, even though he succeeded in passing it through his adversary's body, would have made himself the laughing stock of men and an object of contempt to women. ”

“ It is possible that you may succeed. Chance and a man's stair play such a capital part in the drama of life. But if you fail, the blade which touches you will inevitably bury itself up to the hilt, and this last consideration may, methinks, suggest a little reflection throw some cold water upon your fire. ”

“ In these days young men have no time for it. Henoe the art is neglected, and it is very rare that both combatants know how to make the best use of the arm which they hold in their hands.
I now proceed to consider my first hypothesis.
IV. Neophyte's Preparation for Duel In France the man who knows nothing of the sword, whether he has never touched a foil, or he has, at rare intervals, beaten the air in the rooms of some young friend, when suddenly forced to fight goes, straightway to a professor with the object of obtaining some notion which can enable him to defend his life. ”

“ As soon as the seconds have given the word, the pupil must learn, by a sudden and rapid movement, to break backwards one or two measures, so as to guard himself against a possible surprise. And in the course of the combat he must break, incessantly break, but little by little, not covering too much ground, and no Mke one who fears, but like one who awaits. ”

“ Only keep the right shoulder somewhat more effaced without effort or inconvenience. Place the left hand upon the waist, propped by the thumb and fingers. Now you are all perfection. If I move towards you, resolutely extend the foil, pointing at my face, taking at the same time one step to the rear. So! Admirable again! And yet you have not yet begun, your lessons! I can hardly believe it; you seem to have practised for months. Capit. Seaton is to be envied his most promising pupil. I shall alwaysi claim for myself the high honour of having first put the foil into your hand. ”

“ The laws of society permit him to haunt the salle d'armes; he may spend every moment of the interval in study, and, if the duel be with pistols, he may frequent the tir and get useful hints from the experts, who in France especially teach the art of shooting. In England we do not exactly consider such practice fair play. ”

“ The man who has never been taught to handle, or who knows but little of the arm that must defend his life, can expect only to diminish the fatality of the chances opposed to him. The part of the master is limited to inculcating self-confidence, and to teaching the only path, prudent and defensive, upon which it is comparatively safe to walk.
By following these counsels, I repeat, the young fencer, even when over-weighted, will create serious difficulties for hJ adversary; will compel him to act with reserve, keep him out of measure, and oblige him to advance when attacking. ”

“ I need not recall to your minds for the advice has often been given during the last few evenings the necessity O'f providing against surprise, which can be done effectively only by standing out of measure until you see the moment for advancing within distance.
If your adversary offers to shorten the space which separates you he must advance and place himself at a disadvantage. He may uncover himself to your profit ”

“ Women are so much less awkward than men, and their finer sense of the fitness of things, combined with superior powers of intuition, takes away so much of its gaucherie from the first steps in physical exercise. ”

“ But the faults which we would avoid in the faUe d'armcs are useful in the field to intimidate the opponent's practice, and to cause hesitation in his movements. For fencing, no matter what the masters say, is perhaps the science in which certain irregularities may, at a given moment, be of the greatest advan- tage to those who commit them Otherwise, it would be a song to be committed to memory, more or Bess correctly, and he who knows it best would then have nothing to fear. ”

“ In the assault we obey certain rules previously laid down, accepted, and learned by heart; we do not attempt to touch the adversary, save under specified conditions. A mask covers the face, a plastron protects the chest. ”

“ But you cannot do this, especially upon the field, without judging when, it can be done safely, and judgment in arms implies knowledge. I am now concerned only with those who have neither one nor tihe other. ”

“ We have seen all that can be done for a man who knows nothing whatever of weapons, and whose only chance of safety, in presence of one who does know, consists in the extreme of simplicity. Let us now pase to the pupil who -has already a slight acquaintance with arms. ”

“ If he attacks you freely, and in the higher direction, retire the left foot a little, without, however, attempt- ing the lunge backwards, and withdraw the face and the upper part of the body. The best way of recovering or returning to guard after this is to spring to the rear with both feet off the " ground before the opponent, if he has escaped your extensive movement, has time to push his advantage.
"Pray explain one thing," Seaton objected. "A few ' evenings ago you told us that the principal rule, the fumda- j mental law of the sword, is to parry. ”

“ This evening I propose to speak of the combatants them- selves and the means of attack and defence which offer them the most favourable chances. We will avoid anything verging upon the triste or the terrible, and do our roaring very gently. Indeed, the occasion is already sad enough to
My sentimental attempt why will the hearer always mistake them? was nipped in the bud by a general movement of hilarity. Youth is so unpleasantly sanguine; the time before it is so interminable, and the years roll on so slbwly. ”

“ For the man who knows nothing the most indispensable conditions are calmness and sang-froid. These qualities acquire a greater value, because they will often be opposed in one combatant to excitement and temerity in the other.
What the professor must regard above and before all things is the natural position, the attitude, of his pupil. It should be determined in a great measure by the person most con- cerned ”

“ Never forget the sole formula which at such supreme moment is at the disposal of the man who cannot call in science to his aid, the rule upon which he should concentrate his attention-break and extend, which means defend yourself by threatening. ”

“ When a really good fencer is somewhat rusty of hand, after, we will say, from eix months to a year of non-practice, I should advise him to do nothing of the kind. It generally happens that the first time he touches a foil his movements, though by no means so correct, become much more " difficult " and dangerous. The irregularities that manifest themselves and the rude vigour that breaks out more than compensate for the absence of olose- MfcH in pas and parry. Upon the same principle a man often shoots notably his best -at the very opening of the season, on St. ”

“ An energetic second will occasionally try to secure that advan- tage for his principal, but it should never be admitted. The long arm is certainly in the fencer's favour, but it may be com- paratively weak, or accompanied by feeble loins and legs, and surely one cannot think of handicapping on such occasions. Moreover, the longer the foil the greater practice is required to use it properly. ”

“ I have a young friend of eighty-four who hopes that someone will shoot him when he grows old. I was once dining at the house of another jeune homme of seventy, a statesman, a litterateur, and a man of the world, who had lived, as the saying is, evcrv moment of his life. ”

“ The maitre d'rinnr.< can hardly be expected to be outside and beyond the general run of his profession, but an exceptional man, who is somewhat a physiognomist and excuse the dreadful word! an anthro- pologist it has nothing to do with anthropophagy may dive into the secrets of his client's organisation with results which enable him wonderfully to condense instruction; such a compen- dium, a multum in yarvo, will take the place of a, dozen lessons gi\en by an average, or what American citizens better call an ' or'nary," man. ”