Sword thrust

“ When a Thrust is made in Tierce upon the Blade on the Feeble, or by disengaging; tho' the first is more easily parryed, you must yeild the Feeble, opposing with the Fort, in order to guide the Adversary's Sword to the Place the most convenient for the Opposition of the Left Hand, and closing the Measure at the same time, you have an Opportunity, before he can recover, to hit him several times; which must be done by advancing on him, as fast as he retires. ”

“ It is a short and small, though formidable weapon, and is not only designed for thrusting rather than striking with,—as a heavy, blunt-pointed sword could alone be used,—but was evidently adapted for a warfare in which the chief tactics of the swordsman consisted in the bold thrust; since no example of a bronze sword has ever been found with a guard, that simple and most natural contrivance for defending the hand from the downward stroke of the foe. ”

“ If you are apprehensive, besides, that you don't push home, or justly, fear making you keep back your Thrust, or follow the Blade, the least Motion of the Enemy disorders you, and puts you out of a Condition to hit him, and to avoid his Thrusts. ”

“ Remains now to consider the Sword as a weapon for point, a use to which, as its various shapes show, it was applied in the earliest ages instinctively, as it were, before Science taught the superiority of the thrust to the cut. We learn from such hand-thrusting instruments—the awl, gimlet, needle, and dinner-fork—that the straight weapon may be considered a very acute wedge with a method of progression mostly oblique. It is easy to prove that the proper shape for a thrusting-blade is pre-eminently the straight. ”

“ Tho' it be almost impossible for the Enemy to disengage, when you have bound his Sword as I have described, it may happen that if some of the Circumstances were wanting, he might disengage and push, which ought not to hinder you from making your Thrust; because your Sword may very well hit him, passing under his, which cannot hurt you, because of the Lowness of your Body. ”

“ Time Thrust with Opposition. A time thrust can be made when a man feints at your head and tries to deliver a cut under your right arm, or on any part of the right side down to the foot.
As he raises his point to feint, make a straight thrust at his breast with a longe, keeping your hand as high as your right shoulder and a little to the right of it. Palm turned down.
Should you be quick enough, your point will fix on his breast, and his cut will fall on the forte of your sword.
If you are too slow, your thrust will guard his attack, although you may not touch him. ”

“ When a Thrust is made with the Fort to your Feeble, which is the best way; you must, by raising and turning the Hand a little in Quart, raise the Point, which brings it nearer to you, and hinders the Adversary from gaining your Feeble, which being raised up is too far from him, and makes it easy for you to seize his Feeble. ”

“ When you observe your Adversaries Thrust coming home within your Sword, then immediately slope your Point, and bring it up again with a quick Motion on the other side of your Adversaries, and Parie his Thrust without your Sword, that he intended, to give within your Sword, holding your Nails neither in Terce nor in Quart, but so hold them as when you presented your Sword ”

“ When the combatants have taken sword in hand and the blades are crossed, the seconds should stand within reach, holding a sword or walking-stick, and ready to stop the fight should any irregularity occur, or if either of the men should slip, or stumble, or be disarmed, or wounded. This last case especially requires their utmost vigilance, for there are two events, both equally disastrous, that may occur.
“Suppose one of the men is wounded. In the natural excitement of the moment, the man who has delivered the thrust is often unaware that his point has taken effect. ”

“ To Thrust or make an Elong, observe (when you stand to your Guard, and your Adversary be within your Measure) that your Sword be as you please, either within or without your Adversaries Sword, and suppose within, then stretch out your Right-arm, and Step forward with your Right-foot as far as may be, keeping the Point strait forwards, and let the Motion of your Arm begin a thought before you move your Foot, so that the Thrust may be given home before your Adversary can hear your Foot touch the Ground ”

“ The stop thrust is taken, when your opponent advances incautiously, or when he draws back his arm while executing a complicated attack, whenever in fact he makes a movement which leaves him exposed. The time thrust on the other hand, correctly speaking, is a parry of opposition,—the most dangerous of all parries, for if it fails it leaves you absolutely exposed and at the mercy of your opponent. I have seen it taught in the lesson by every master (as an exercise no doubt) , but I have hardly ever seen a master put it into practice in the assault. ”

“ 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 Thrust describes a diameter, the Cut, a segment, of a circle and, with equal velocity, the Cut will traverse a distance occupying some two-thirds more of time than the Thrust. The French tactician therefore proposed to abolish the use of the edge for cavalry, thus traversing the instinct of the man-at-arms who, especially on horseback, loves to slash at his enemy, and who runs far less risk of entangling his blade. ”

“ The same Opposition may be made on a Lunge in Quart, and to be more safe in returning Thrust or Thrusts, you must close the Measure in parrying, which confounds the Enemy, who finds himself too near to have the Use of his Sword: Your Sword, in parrying, must carry it's Point lower and more inward than in the other Parades. ”

“ The beat straight thrust is the combination of a beat on the sword with a straight thrust. The beat disengage is simply a beat followed by a disengagement. Feint cut-over, feint disengage are in like manner the different methods, which are most commonly used, of executing the straight thrust or the disengagement, the two fundamental strokes of sword-play. ”

“ All that I mean is that you should take care never to allow your opponent to hold your blade. By playing light and refusing a proffered engagement you put a stop to all forcing strokes,—croisés, beats, binds, flanconnade,—which are the most dangerous of all strokes, because they are the most certain. I call them certain, because by holding your blade prisoner they control it forcibly, and make a stop thrust or an exchange of hits impossible. ”

“ Here you must in this bow your Head, holding up your Arm high, so that if you come to give a Thrust, your Head may be, as it were, under it, your Nails being in Quart till you make your Thrust, and then change them into Terce; your Feet must be kept at their due distance, and not as at a full Elong; your Sword must be presented towards your Adversaries Left-side, and [Pg 74] you must make use of your Left-hand for the Parade, and it is to be pursued and defended, as the forgoing Terce-Guard, only in defending it, you must not make so much use of your Left-hand, but more of your Sword. ”

“ The recruit must be carefully and sedulously taught when meeting the enemy, even at a trot or canter, to use no force whatever, otherwise his sword will bury itself to the hilt, and the swordsman will either be dragged from his horse, or will be compelled to drop his weapon -- if he can. Upon this point I may quote my own 'System of Bayonet Exercise' (p. 27) : --
"The instructor must spare no pains in preventing the soldier from using force, especially with the left or guiding arm, as too much exertion generally causes the thrust to miss. A trifling body-stab with the bayonet ”

“ But if a Man cannot avoid being hit with a Ball, and sometimes with a Sword, he may, nevertheless, by the Disposition and Agility of the Parts, more easily defend and return a Thrust: Besides, being more able to hit with the Edge or Point, he may put more Enemies to flight, or keep them at a greater Distance. If the French Troops have always been victorious, Sword in Hand, a Part of the Glory is owing to the Skill of several Officers ”

“ But the soldier must be taught that if his adversary attempt a thrust, the broadsword is easily disarmed. When the opponent comes to the position of pointing, that is, extends his blade, a sharp glissade along its length will make the grip fly out of his grasp. Another way of embarrassing the attack is to cut right and left at the hand, the wrist, or the fore-arm, when the adversary begins to present point. ”

“ I was still holding my own sword in my right hand, and or ever he could recover I lunged upwards at his breast with all my force, springing from the ground as I lunged, to drive the thrust home. The blade pierced through his body until the hilt rang against the buttons of his coat. He fell backwards heavily, and I let go of my sword. The point stuck in the floor behind him as he fell, and he slid down the blade on to the ground. Something dropped from his hand and rolled away into a corner, where it lay shining. ”

“ Feint a cut at the head or a thrust over the blade, and instead of delivering a cut or thrust, parry the thrust, and return with a half longe.
PLATE XX.
A Time Cut.
PLATE XX.—TIME CUT WHEN A MAN RAISES HIS HAND TO ATTACK.
When a man raises his hand or draws it back to lead off, hit him on the outside of the wrist and get away out of distance.
In using the stop thrusts, remises, and time thrusts, great judgment is required. They should never be attempted until the swordsman has had considerable experience. ”

“ All cuts and thrusts must be delivered lightly and with the true edge or point. Heavy sweeping cuts should not, under any pretence whatever, or however thickly the parties may be padded, be allowed.
4. Only one cut or thrust should be made on the same lunge.
[Pg 50] 5. In case the opponents both attack at once, the hit counts to the one in the third position, or on the lunge. If both parties lunge simultaneously, and both bring the hit home at the same instant, no hit is to be scored to either.
6. If one party is disarmed, a hit is scored to his opponent. ”

“ Observe a little more, viz. when you are to hold your Hand or Nails in Terce, that you hold your Nails quite downward; And now to Parie these Five several ways.
You must do the first Parade in Quart, with the Point somewhat higher than the Hilt, viz. When you are standing to your Guard, if your Adversary offers to give a home Thrust on that side his Sword lieth, which I presume to be within your Sword, without disengaging and is the [Pg 76] Simplest and plainest Thrust that can be given with the small Sword ”

“ If the adversary will not give the sword, force him to give it." This is the proper opportunity for feints, threats, and half attacks which would otherwise be misplaced. Either he parries them, or he attempts a time thrust, or he proceeds to stop you by presenting the point. In either case he must offer you his blade, and you accept it as a base for the pression, the flanconnade, the battement, the croise, the liement, the froisscment d'epee, or any pass you see most appropriate to the occasion. ”

“ In this observe to present your Sword within your Adversaries, he being within your Measure; then make a Feint at the Face your Nails in Quart, and upon this give a Beat with your Foot, and carry your Hand well Quarted, and if by offering to Parie, he answers this, and that high, then Thrust at the Belly, your Nails in Terce, and keep your Left-hand as a Guard from Counter-temps; if by Parying low, you are disappointed of this advantage, then after you have made your Feint, instead of a Thrust in the Belly, slip his Parade, and give the Thrust without, and above the Sword ”

“ When the swordsman, abandoning the defensive, tried to strike down his opponent's spear and deal a close thrust, the latter with the rapidity of lightning drew in his weapon, and shooting it out again before the other could recover his ground, drove the point home. ”

“ A spear he hath, blue-red, hand-fitting, on its puissant shaft. It stretches along the wall on the roof and rests on the ground. An iron point upon it, dark-red, dripping. Four amply-measured feet between the two points of its edge.
Thirty amply-measured feet in his deadly-striking sword from dark point to iron hilt. It shews forth fiery sparks which illumine the Mid-court House from roof to ground.
'Tis a strong countenance that I see. A swoon from horror almost befell me while staring at those three. There is nothing stranger.
Two bare hills were there by the man with hair. ”

“ And over them, white in the sun, the spears of Kan-Mar;
The curbs, and the froth at the lips—
The bridle chains snapping like whips,
And our plumes tossed red, and scenting the heels of war.
The eyes that twinkle and burn—
The wrists like elk-thongs that turn
With the balancing, pausing, slender, murderous spear;
The swords that lead us along,
The thrust, the shriek and the song—
Sights not fit for their eyes, nor sounds for their ears to hear. ”

“ Casting the weapon aside, he grips her and tries to hurl her down, while her claws and teeth clash upon his corslet but cannot penetrate the steel rings. She throws her bulk upon him, crushes him down, draws a short sword and plunges it at him ”