THE SENTIMENT OF

THE SWORD.

A COUNT RY-HOUSE DIALOGUE .

BY THE LATE

CAPTA IN SIR R ICHARD F. BURTON,

Edited, with No te s , by

A. FORBES SIEVEKING , P.S.A.

an d a Pre fa ce by

THEODOR E A. COOK.

R EPR INTED FROM TH E “ FI ELD.

LONDON

HOR ACE COX ,

FIELD OFFICE ,BR EAM ’

S BUILDINGS,n o.

1 9 1 1 .

PR INTED BY HORACE cox, THE“FI ELD

”OFFICE ,

BR EAM’

S BU ILDINGS LONDON,

UNIVERSITYOF TORONTO

THE noI TOR'

s SHAR E IN TH I S WORK I s

E ebicateb to

CH AR L E S F E L I X C LAY,

A FINE FRNOE R

A N ORGAN ISER OF BR ITI SH FENC I NG AS FI R sTHON. SECRETARY To THE AMATEUR FE NC ING A SSOC IAT ION

AND THE TRAN SLATOR OF

R AZANI'

OURT’

S s RCR RTs DE L’

Ep éz ,

WH ICH INSPIR ED BURTON THROUGHOUT“ THE bENTl MENT OF THE SWORD.

”

PR EFACE .

L IFE, as we know it, had scarce ly crowned the travai l of creat ion

a n d produced a man when m a n rose up and s lew his bro the r .That fi rs t kil l ing must have be en some u n cllea n ly bus ine ss , witha boulde r c lenched i n an angry fist . It must ha ve taken ve ryl ittle t ime to discove r t hat o the r m e n we re be t te r s lain withsome more e longated instrument . At fi rs t the fl in t t hat flakedso ea s i ly into a fa ta l shape was bound with de e rs

’

s inews It o awoode n sh aft . The n E ar th gave up he r secre ts a t the ca l l ofDe ath , and w ith bronze a nd i ron the forge of Tubal Ca in ’sde sce ndants se t to work at wea pons . Le ave s , or ta l l; fronds ofwate r plan ts, we re i ns tan t mode ls for the prehistoric sword.

The falchion that Achi l les wie lded flashes its primeval origin .

The strong blade of the R oman legionary warred down the

world with trenchan t edge and thirs t ing point unti l the horde s

ou t of the anc ie nt E ast swept ove r E urope bet te r armed .

Aga inst the sc imita r O f the Moslems, the long , straigh t No rmansword hewed out it s path to Pale stine and re igned, i n turn , as

De a th ’

s best sce p tre from Scand in av i an fio rds to the Sic i l i anse as . By war man smote his way to f re edom ,

Str ip ped a nd adus t in a s tubble of emp i re ,

Soy-thing and bind ing t he full sheaves of sovranty .

By the sword he he ld his bloo d -s ta ined fie f unti l the age ofchivalry wa s ove rpast, unt i l the ma i led knight van ished at the

fi rs t whiff of Fria r Bac on’

s v il la inous sal tpe t re,and gun

powde r, which choked Don Quixote’

s dream, produced the artof fence . The days had passed when , i n a c lea r a ir , hand tohand, the l ine s of warrio rs m e t and grappled ; when e ve rywound showed gaping red, a nd e ve ry hand that de alt it redde ned ;when armoured cohorts , irre sist iblle , charged by she e r we ight.

through legions of the le ss e r sort, a nd trampled, hacked, a n d

he wed them into l i fe less ne ss . Now m iss i les came f rom fa rthrough murky. t racts of smoke -stained mist, be lched from some

i ron artifice , l ike blas ts O f Toph e t, and i n t he i r path wa s de ath

tha t no cuirass, no carapace of armour could Wi thstand. So the

o n e excuse for a comple te protect ion of t he. body vanished, an d

from t he crowd of anc ient armour-cracking weapon s, mac e ,hamme r, flai l, and such l ike , t he sword rose paramount . More

lightly clad, the horseman could ride swifte r, mo ve his l imbs

with gre ate r freedom . The j o ints in his harness expanded in togaps . On e by o ne his me ta l shie lds dropped Off , and, as he

v i i i Pr ef a ce .

th us gradually used his armour le ss an d le ss, so did he become

more vulne rable to the skil led swordsman, a n d s o did the p o intbegin t r iumphant to asse rt it s supe riori ty ove r the edge .

On e re sult was an immediate ou tpouring of volumes on the

n ew sc ience of fence from Pe rpignan, from Spain , from Italy ,from Ge rmany . The whole continent was agog with geome tr ical

a nd mathematical theorie s , with compl icated a nd encyc lopaedic

t re atise s , which ove rla id the subj e ct w ith so many extraneous

tr ivia li tie s tha t a l l s igh t wa s lost of t he o n e de adly princ ip le

that s implic ity is best, when kil l ing is your game , and when the

kil le r is a man of human pass ions , human e rrors, human short

comings . A fata l st roke is rare ly made by o n e whose ne rve s

a re absolute ly calm ; i t is ne ve r made , save i n the foule st ways

of murde r, without the ne cess ity for se l f-de fence at the same

moment . It is, the re fore , best made as the e asie st of s imple and

instinctive movements . But th is was the l ast th ing fenc ingmaste rs re al ised . The discove ry of the point had fa irly dazzled

them . Though for many ye ars i t did not involve anyt hing l ike

comple te abandonme nt of the edge , ye t that discove ry a lone

gave the re s t of E urope a temporary an d marked supe r iorityove r E ngland in the a rt Of due ll ing , for your downrightE ngl ishman would at first have noth ing to say to the n ew

fangled foin ing from a cros s the Channe l . A good hea rt anda s t rong blade was a ll he wanted. But t ime afte r t ime the

rufli an who had lea rned to lunge in F ranc e wa s found to bemore e ffec tive than the Bri ton who t rusted to the edge a lone .

Slowly and caut iously the fo re ign fenc ing maste r was admit ted ;for t hese islande rs, who we re st rong, but had no cunning ,

”

found themse lve s obl iged to learn . At We stminste r, upon aJuly 20, i n the th irty -second year of his re ign, Henry VIII .

granted a defin ite commiss ion to ce rtain Mas te rs of the Sc ienceof De fence ,

” and for t h is re ason the Tudor rose is to day thebadge O f E ngl ish fenc ing teams i n inte rnational tournam ents ,unde r the rule s of the Amateur F encing Assoc iat ion , whosepatron was King E dward V II . an d is now King George V .

Unde r E l izabeth the scholar obta ined his diploma of e fficiency

afte r a k ind of examination ca llled“ Playing his Prize ,

” whichcons ist ed of bouts at ce rtain weapons , supe rvised by the mas te rs ,and these we re , no doubt , the orig in of the Prize F ights,

”

which Pepys Obse rved i n the days of Charle s II . : but de ve lopment moved ve ry slowly sti ll . Only by ted ious degre e s did the

deadly form O f fence wh ich A gr ippa i nvented for the we apons ofhis day spre ad throughout Europe , a nd be come gene ra l , a s swords

manship a n d fenc ing spre ad among a ll c lasse s . The rap ie r p laype rfect ed a t the e n d O f the s ixteenth century kept. a gre at dea lof cutting with its use of the poin t, a s the famous due l be tweenJarnac an d Chata ignera ie suffic iently shows ; it a lso kept a greatdeal of use of the le ft hand, e ithe r w ith a dagge r or with a

I t back to Tybalt .”

The rea son of th is was that the rapie r was

a long and heavy weapon ; its re al s ize may be gathe red from

the O ld rule that“ with the po int at your to e the cross shou ld

reach as h igh as your hip bone .

”This meant that a we apon

which nearly a lways r esulted in severe wounds when used inattack was not h andy enough alone to prov ide an effiC Ie n t

de fence , a nd the le ft hand, with or withou t a dagge r, had to

be brought in to pla y to protec t the swordsman . This at once

involved the disadvantage that adve rsar ie s, doubly weapone d,must pe rforce stand ve ry square to o n e anothe r, and would riskmany chance s of grappl ing and in -fight ing,

” at which the

be tte r fence r might be worsted by a muscular opponent ; science ,in fac t, ma de far less diffe rence than it doe s at pre sent . A more

accurate a n d more comple te system became a nece ssi ty . SO the

point by degre es supe rseded the edge entire ly . On e weapo n was

found suffic ien t both for attack an d for de fence ; for the point

kart m en at t he i r di stance , an d the fence r, using o n e hand forbalance , did al l that wa s poss ible , by standing s ideways, to efface

th e surface O f his body open to attack .

It is,pe rhaps

,s ign ificant that the e ra which produced the

pe rfect ion Of fe nc ing , the crown ing maste rpie ce O f the r ipes te,

was also the age whe n due llting with the sword we nt out offash ion in those countrie s whe re the nationa l skil l had notrende red i t pract ical ly innocuous . The history of fi rearms pro

vide s an example of a s im il ar se r ie s Of ca usat ion s . WhenGe ntlemen of the Guard fi red first , an d the O ffice r’s cane pressed

down the i r muske t barre ls on a mark some fi fty pace s distant,the s laughte r of the vol ley would have made mode rnhuma nitar ians turn pale . But in the se days of the repe atingrifle an d the Mause r magazi ne , on e a rmy has hardly t ime to se e

the manly counte nance s of it s foe s throughout a whole campa ign,and, re lative ly, ve ry li ttle bad blood has bee n spil t whe n al l isove r . It ha s remaine d for the days of “

sc ie nt ific hygiene ” tocount more victims kil led by dise ase than. fe l l in ac t ion . SO the

sword wa s in dange r of becoming a me re symbol, though always

a bri lli ant symbol,for the mart ia l poe t,

C lang ing imperiousForth from T ime

’

s battlementsH i s anc i ent an d tr i um ph i ng song .

Pe rhaps th is is why,both i n F rance an d E ng land, the mi litary

authoritie s have shown a creditable anxie ty to remove i t fromthe vu lgar sphe re o f pract ical uti l ity, an d the s ix ~ shoo te r ha sentire ly replaced i t i n the Unite d States, and me anwhile the

subt le pe rfe ct ion of foi l play s te adi ly came more a n d more in tofavour . Emanc ipated from the bonds of too strenuous utilitar ians ,

f ree d from the fe tte rs of a n e ncyc lopaed ic scholast ic ism , ye t

x Prefa ce .

glowing, s ti l l, wit h the romance of all its glor ious past, the

subl ima ted sp ir it o f good swordsmanship throughout the ages

se eme d to float ove r the fe nc ing - rooms of the last d ec ade ofthe n ine tee n th century ; for he re , even in E ngland , the discove ryo f the French due l l ing sword

'

(or ép ée de comba t) had givenrenewed zest to prac tice with its e lde r s iste r, the foil . E ve n

the e xqu is i te art and laudable enthus iasm o f a Camille Pré vos t

could no t , howeve r, recommend to the average mil itant male apursu it wh ich he regarded a s a m e re academic e legance , wi th ve ryl ittle re fe rence to the s e r ious i ssues of pe rsonal comba t and nopre tence to the employment of a se rvice able weapon . E ngl i shmenasked for some thing more pract ica l , and in épée play they have

found it . The l a te W . H . C . Stave ley , whose recent a nd

unt ime ly loss a l l E n gl ish fe nce rs have so s ince re ly mou rn ed ,

wa s first -rate with the fo i l be fore h is épée and sabre play hadre ached i nte rnat ion a l form , a nd he was as e age r to p rese rvethe qual i t ies of the fo i l a s he was to fight the foremos t w it h, thesword . Cap t . Hutton , too , who die d within a. few days of his

you nge r comrade,was a p re s ide nt of the Amate u r Fe nc ing

Ass oc i at ion whose pl ace wi l l be d i fficu lt to fi l l , for he gu idedmode rn de ve lqpm e n ts with an e xp e r ie nce d the p as t that waswe l l -n igh une qual le d

,and the swordsmansh ip of the l as t th i r ty

ye a rs owes much to his p r e se nce and e xamp le .

But though ou r amate ur fe nc i ng champ ionsh ips, with foi l ,épée , and s ab re , a re n ow re gul a r ly c ar r ied out e ach ye a r, i tm ay be fe a red that the a rt o f swordsmansh ip remains a mys te ryto the l a rge r p art of the inhab it ants of the se is le s, and tha tfew of the gre at sport ing publ ic know the me an ing of the l i ttleTudor rose (commemorat ing Bluff K ing Ha l , as afore sa id )which hangs at the watch -cha i n of those who h ave re p re sented

E ngland i n an Inte rn at ion al Tourname nt . Ye t the re was at ime whe n E ngl ishmen , sword i n hand , could face the re st ofE u rope w ithout fe a r , e ithe r i n the fe ncing - room or on “

the

fi e l d of ho nour . The y had at fi rs t bee n a long t ime le arn ingth a t the Cont ine nt had re a l ly got some th ing to te ach t hem ;

hav ing at l ast le arnt i t , the y p rocee ded to outdo the i r maste rs .

Bu t the y gave up the game a s soon a s the y d ropped we a r ingswords . Pra ct ica l dange r appe aled to t hem ; a rt ist ic rec re at ion le ft them cold . The y had l aughe d due l l i ng out of fash ion ,both w i th stee l a n d p istol ; the y forthwith gave up going to

t he fe nc ing- room . Ange lo ’s work se eme d l ik e ly to be whol lyfo rgotten with in s carce two ge ne rat ions of his p r ime . A few

m en on ly— Burton,Chapman

,Hutton

,E ge rton Cas t le ,

the two

Pol locks,pe rhaps a short h a l f -dozen more— saved foi l p l ay f rom

comple te obl iv ion in Lo ndon. dur ing t he long ye a rs of ecl ip s e .

The fol low ing d i a logue ,of wh ich the fi rst pub l icat ion began in

the page s of the F ield , is f rom t he h and of Sir R ichard Burton ,that cur ious blend of the mys t ic a n d the ath le te , of the exp lore rand the l ingu ist , of the an t iqua ry a nd the schola r . A man who

Pre a ce . x i

fe l t as s trongly as it has bee n e ve r fe l t the pass ion he c a l ls the

w ild a nd fie ry j oy wh ich accompan ie s actua l d iscove ry ,” Burton

equa l ly de l ighted ‘ in the subt le r e xp res s ion of inte l lec tu a l , te m

pe rame n t a l , e ve n psych ica l emotions ; and was the re fore ve rype cu l i a r ly qua l ified to de sc r ibe “

the Sent ime n t of the Swo rd .

”

H is ske tch of Shught ie ,

”on e of the cha r ac te rs in his co n

ve rsat ion , is p robably in te nded as a port ra i t of the wri te r (o rone s ide of h im ) by h imse l f . H is d i a logue

,wh ich throws se ve ra l

cur ious s ide l ights on M id -Victo r ian soc ie ty ( i n ve l vet smok ingc aps and wh iske rs ) , is v a luable not me re ly for it s sounddoc t r ine s of sword smansh ip , but fo r its re ve l at ions of h is own

characte r and pe rsonal ity . I t has been edited by Mr Forbe sSie veking, a sk i l led upholde r of the fo i l , to whom London owe d ,some doze n ye ars ago , an e xh ib i t ion of first -ra te fo i l p l ay i nthe Portman R ooms that wa s not su rp ass ed e i the r in exce l le nceor in inte re s t unt i l the f amous e ve n ing whe n the King saw Pin ian d his Ita l i an champ ions vanqu ished in the Empre ss Roomsby K i rchhoff-e r , Mé r ign ac, and the flowe r of France . That wasa t yp ica l e ncounte r , for wh ich t hose who had see n Cami l lePrevost

’

s e le gant c l ass ica l ism on the fo rme r occ as ion we re morethan ha l f p repa red . The pass ing of the sce pt re f rom Ita ly toF rance had be e n foreshadowed a l re ady . It may n ow be t akenas an accompl ished f ac t .F i rs t- rate fo i l p l ay has i nv ar iably bee n t oo de l icat e i n its

essence ,too id e a l i n its a im , too unp ract ica l in its cou rteo us

f rag i l i ty fo r the major i ty of E ngl i shme n . I t is t he fe u nda t ign

of the knowledge of a l l we apon p lay , a nd your t rue fo i l p l aye rneed ne ve r be at a los s in a sc rimmage , e ven i f he be ars buttha t unromant ic symbo l of c i v ic resp ectab i l i ty— the s i lkumbre l l a . But in i tse l f the fo i l ha s a lw ays appe aled to a ve rysm a l l m inor ity of ou r count ryme n . The scor ing was comp l ica ted , rest r icted , and l i able to much m isconcep t ion , save by thera re and tyrannous e xpe rt . The somewhat art ific i a l ce remon i esatte nding it had too Contine ntal a flavour for your insula rathle te , who l iked to know both whe n he h it his fe e and whe nhe had bee n h it h imse l f . An d so the Wh i r l ig ig of t ime ha s

brought ye t othe r changes . Fe nc ing has e xpe r ie nce d amiraculous R en a issa nce in th is country ow ing to the in t roduc

t ion of t he pool syst em an d the épée de comba t , the t r iangu l a r lyfluted r ap ie r of the F re nch due l l is t

,w ith it s semic i rcu l a r cu p

h i lt , its l igh t b lade , a nd fo i l h and le , its gr im s imp l ic ity ofme thod,

i ts v i rtua l reprod uct ion of the cond i t ions of the du e ],its st r ictly bus ine ss l ike a n d obv ious sco r ing . The fi rst poo l e ve rhe ld he re i n publ ic w ith th is we apon wa s i n the Ste inway Hal li n 1900 . By 1903 the fi rs t E ng l ish fe nc ing te am that e ve r cross edthe Chann e l compe te d i n P ar is i n the Inte rnat ion a l Tourn ame nt . Much to the su rp r ise of the i r compat r iots they we re notl ast , fo r a v icto ry ove r the Be lg ian s se rved as an ant ic ip ato ryatoneme n t fer los t G rand Chal len ge Cups at l ate r Henleys .

xi i Prefa ce .

In 1906, only t hree ye a rs aft e rwards , the E ngl ish t e am foughtFrance to a ‘de ad he at in the fin a l at Athens for the fi rst t imei n any open in te rnat ion a l e ve nt . I t is n o t too much to hopefor e ven g re ate r honours in the future . The popul ar ity of then ew sport— for n ew it is , i n it s fi rst dec ade s t i l l— wou ld h avefa i r ly as ton ished R icha rd Bu rton, and , we may safe l y add , havethoro ughly d e l ighte d h im ,

for he knew al l about the poss ib i l it iesof the épée , as d id a few othe r E ngl ishmen in the l att e r ha l fof the n ine te en th century ; but i t ne ve r became re al ly popu la r t i l lafte r 1900

,a n d n ow we he ar so gre a t an author ity as J . Joseph

R e naud,across the Channe l , s ay ing th at “ fo i l p l ay is de ad .

We do not be l ie ve that the fo i l w i l l e ve r d ie wh i le sword smansh ip rema ins a l ive ; bu t it is a fact that the épée has g iven animpu lse to E ng l ish fe nc ing of wh ich the fo i l has ne ve r in itswhole h istory be en c ap able . Non cu ivis con tingit adir e

Cor in thum ; not a l l may we a r the Tudor rose of E ngl ish swords

mansh ip , bu t score s more than e ve r cared to pe rfe ct t hemse lveswith a foi l may now le arn s ome th ing of the j oys of swordsmansh ip , may fee l the fine th r i l l o f that sen t imen t da fer when you rblade s eems l ike a ne rve outs t re tched from the e age r po int ofi t to your own he a rt and bra in , when your oppone nt

’

s st ee lbe wrays h im a s i t p a lp it ate s w ith the t remor of his st ruggl ingw i l l and ad ve rse ene rgy . In any we athe r

,i ndoors or out of

doors , a t a ny hour , at any age , th is game of game s is at yourse rv ice . To beg in i t w ithou t fo i l p l ay as an introduct ion we reas fut i le as le arn ing s l ide s be fore fixed se at s i n row ing , bu tonce the p re l im in ar ies a re mas t e re d an épée pool become s thetrue combat of pe rso na l it ie s, the keen revea le r of tempe ramen ts ,the me rc i le ss a rb it rament of sk i l l . I t ch ange s with e ve ry pa i rwho st and up m a n to man . I t can be twe nty m inutes of theha rde st bod i ly exe rc ise e ve r known

,and it. may be e ithe r a

se r ies of s ing le m a tches or a combine d te am fight i n se ts offou r or s ix . The da ys of An ge lo have come back aga in , witha d i ffe re nce : the t rag ic comed i ans of the due l h ave s i len t lyvan ished into l imbo , a n d o ne of the be st spo rts i n mode rnE urope so und s i n the r ing of gl it te r ing s tee l .

THEODORE ANDREA Coox .

Janua ry , 1911 .

CONTENTS.

Pre faceForeword by E ditor

TH E F i a s '

r E VEN ING .

I . Int roduct ionII . Point and Edge amongst Ancient s an d Primitive Peoples

III . History an d Development of Sword !

IV . E arly Fencing Treat ises an d Technica l it ies—Simplificat ion— Ital ian School and Name s of Parries

Natural Parries . .

Lines and Attack andDefenceV . How to Teach Fencing

TH E SECOND E VEN ING

The AudienceII . Fencin g for WomenIII . E ngl ish Dilet tant ism

IV . Treatise s— The Alphabe t and Language of the SwordV . Fencing in XVth and XVI th Centu ries—E arly Italian ,

French , an d Ge rm an WritersVI . Spanish Schoolvrr. E arly Neapol itan an d It al ian SchoolsVIII . Giuooo M is to of Mode rn Ital iansIX . Bologna City an d FencingX . Blasco F lorio on Spanish , Neapol itan ,

andSici l ian SchoolsXI . Ariosto an d Tasso on Due ls

lFren ch Syst em

XII . Aspect s of French F encingXIII . Locke on Fencing

XIV .

Bazancourt on the Strength of a Swordsman

XV !

The Natura l an d Artificial Systems

TH E TH IRD EVE N ING .

I . Bayone t Exe rcise

I I . Attacksfand Parries , Simpl e an d Compound

1

1k}

Same E lucidadV . Cardinal V irtues of Sword

xiv Con ten t s .

V

‘I l

.

Pract ica l Demon st rat ion of Lesson

VI I I . Axioms of the Science.

TH E FOURTH E VE N ING .

1 . P1 e ludeI I . Me thod of Inst ruct ionI I I . Disadvantages and De la ys of Old Systems

V Buffon an d Style— in Fencin g

VI . He resy

V‘III

.

}Plas tron -work

TH E F IFTH E VEN ING .

I . The Assault : I ts Axioms and Facul t ies

I II Upper an d Lower Lines

Girard Thibau st and Face Thru st s

The R et reat

VII . The Universal Parry— Indi vidual ity in theVIII . The R ipost an d R emise .

IX Summing-up

TH E SIXTH E VEN I NG .

L e Sen t imen t da F

Giving the Sword

L e Sen t iment da R egard Thibaust

Combination of Both Sent imentsThe Pressio F lancon nade

,Battemen t

,an d Croisé

The Academic v. The Natural Fen ce rGrace and Insp irat ionOrigin of the Foil ; the Plas tron and Mask ; Jacke t , Shoe ,

and Glove ; Leather Armour

X . Fe in t s

TH E SEVENTH E VEN I NG .

F renchman v . NeapolitanAt t acksA F ata l Habit—R emain ing on Guard—Bayonet ExerciseThe Step Thrust and Time ThrustBottes Secrets ? and Coup de Jam a c

Misjudging an E nemy— Cowardice and Ne rvousnessThe Unbut toned Weapon

. The Ga ucher, or Left handed FencerSelf con sciousness and Sa voir fa ire

Con ten ts .

TH E E IGHTH E VEN ING .

Pre ludeThe R e lative Me ri ts of Sword an d PistolE ngl ish Fee l ing about the Due lFenc i ng and Pe rsonal Util ity

Dut ies of a SecondPa rrying wi th the Le ft Hand. a nd othe r I rregular Parrie sR espons ibi l it ie s of a SecondThe Corps -d-C’orps

— Fair Play

R ight to R es t in the Due l— The Po int of HonourA Success ion of Due ls

TH E N INTH E VEN ING .

I . Means of Attac k and De fence—Youth and Age

Length of Arm

I I I . Degrees of Proficien cy in Arms

IV . Neophyte ’s Prepara t ion

' for Due lThe Instinct ive Pos ition : Beau ty on Guard

V Phrenology an d Characte rDefend and Threaten ,

”i .e . , R et reat an dExte nd Sword

VI . Lunge to the R earVI I . Advice to Pupil of Moderate S kil l I nVI I I . An alys is of Process— Masterin g Opponent ’s SwordIX . The Man of San guineX . Where Both Combatant s Equal ly Ski lled—Dist rust You r

Adve rsaryThe Foil that and the Point Kins

XI . Conclus ion

XV

THE SEN’

I‘

IMENT OF THE SWORD.

A COUNTRYHOUSE DIALOGUE.

FOR EWOR D .

TH E MANUSCR IPT of the fo l low ing D i alogue wa s

entrusted to m e by the l ate Lady Burton som e t ime afte rSir R ichard Bur ton ’s de a th i n 1890

,toge the r w ith the notes

an d memoranda he le ft for the continuat ion of his Book of the

Sword . It w i l l , I hope , be of inte res t as the work of on e ofthe gre ate st t r ave l le rs , finest sportsme n , and st rongest p e rsona l it ie s o f the Victo r i an e ra ; but it w i l l appe a l more esp ec i a l ly tolove rs of the sword a n d foi l , who have incre ase d so vast ly i nnumbe rs s i nce Bu r-t o n wrot e . Fo r i t conta ins the maturedop in ions upon the ar t and me thods of offe nce an d de fe nce in

E ngl and a n d on the Cont ine nt of on e who was t hroughout hisl i fe n u ardent s tudent of the theory, an d an ac knowledgedma ste r of the prac t ice , of t he art of swordsmanship .

We have Bur ton ’s own st ate ment (L ife, Vol . I . , p . 134) t hat

he began his long pract ice wi th the sword se r ious ly at the age

of twe l ve , somet imes tak ing thre e lessons a day,an d he neve r

missed an opportun ity of study in g the f enc ing or fightingme thods of whateve r country he wa s i n , savage or c i v i l ised . In1850 , at the age of twenty- e i ght, he was devoting h imse l f tofenc in g at Bou logne .

“To th is day ,

” wr i tes his widow , the

Burton u n e -deux,a n d notably the m a n che t t e ( the upward s l ash

disabl ing the sword arm an d s aving l i fe i n affa i rs of honour ) ,are remembe red ; they e arned him his brevet de poin te for theexce l lence of his swordsmanship , and he became a ma itr e

d’a rmes .

”This diploma he placed afte r his name upon the t it le

page of his Book of the Sword . In 1853 he published A Com

p lete Sys tem of B ayon et E x ercise, which , at first pigeonholed atthe War O ffice , wa s subse quently adopted in the army .

Bur ton’

s or iginal t it le for his work was The Sec re ts of theSword, sugge sted by the Baron de Bazan cou nt

’s volume L es

S ecr e ts de l’

E pe’

e, published i n Paris i n 1862, f rom which

he quote s free ly in the following pages, and so we ll

B

2 The Sen timen t of the Sword .

know n in E ngland by Mr C . F e l ix Clay’

s fin e t ran sla

t ion ( i l lustrated by Mr F . H . Townsend) , wh ich has foresta l led

th is t i t le h e re . The o n e chos en in its pl ace .

“The Sent imen t

of the Sword,pe rhaps suggests even be tte r to non -fence rs

Bur ton ’

s i nt imate sympathy w i th and affect ion for the we aponand its correspondence with his own nature , wh i le to swordsme n

an d fence rs i t br ings home le s en t im en t da fer i nvented by ou r

“swee t enemy F rance ” for th at inne r fee l i ng Of the fo i l , thatmagne t ism of the bl ade ,

th at sense of touch or tact ” wh ich

no othe r express ion in any l angu age so h app i ly conveys .

I have ventured to omit a few passages f rom Burton’

s workwhich time ha s rende red Of less l i ve ly inte rest , a n d have al lowed

myse l f the l ibe rty of a few notes whe re the text se em ed tor equi re i t, or the t i tle of an e arly fencing work has be en givenin fun’ A . FORBES SI EVEH ING .

12, Seymour St reet , W. ,December, 1910 .

THE F IRST E VENING .

Ne che poco 10 vi dis (is. imputar sono ,

Che quan to io pass e dn r, tutto v i done —Amosro.

I .

I N the lon g world j ourney of the t r ave l le r , who is someth ing

of an explore r , the re a re two l ights . The gre ate r is th at w i lda n d fie ry j oy which accompan ies actua l discove ry ; the lesse rl i ght is the mild an d t r anqu i l enjoym ent sn atched f rom rudel i fe an d spent amid the r adi ance an d f r agrance of c iv i l isat ion .

9t

II .

On e evening , many strange rs be in g in the smoking - room ,

our talk happened to touch upo n the sword. Se aton was

ce rta in that the E ngl ish wou ld neve r be a fenc ing nat ion , th atthe Poin te was the invent ion of mod e rn Co nt ine nta l E urope ,

th at the F rench school is the on ly sys tem worth le arn ing , an d

so forth— the usu al commonplaces of swordsmen .

I d i ffe red with h im upo n sundry de t ai ls . It is h ard to say

what a nation cannot do ; two centur i es ago E ngl and couldte ach mus ic to that a l l -c la im ing Ge rman race— why should she

not teach i t again ? The Greeks a n d R omans used the po intal though the i r w e apons we re r athe r kn ives th an “ long kn ive s ,a n d the Turk ish yatagh an , the Malay kr is , the Afghan“charay (1) the Kabyle. flissa and the Alge r i an dagge r ,

( 1) A conge ner of the Egypt ian flesh-kn i fe sword (Book O] theSword

,page

(2) See Book oi the Sword,page 164 ,

for i ll ustration .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

art of arms fe l l so low that many a we althy c i ty in

E nglan d had a fenc ing maste r ” who combined the noble

fun ct ions of d anc ing maste r— some t imes of d ent ist . The e ffectof the “ muscu lar movement ” has made the fo i l r ise aga in in

the marke t of popular i ty , but i t is too often used as a m e re

s ingle -st ick might be—the s in gle -s t ick , l ik e the quarte r -st aff , a

we apon for Gu rths an d Wambas .

“ Ple ase don ’t abuse the s ing le—st ick,”Shught ie inte r rup ted ;

i t once saved my l i fe .

”

Nothing newe r th an to he ar h im spe ak of his adventures , a s

he was that r ar i ty, a l ion who se ldom roared . The smok ingroom at once se ized the occ as ion for ins ist ing th at the whole

tale be to ld . The words had f al len from h im in adve rt ent ly ;he cou ld n o t wi thdr aw them , an d so with a res i gned a i r he

beganOnce upo n a t ime , as the story books s ay, I was tr ave l l ing

amon gst the Gal la who at fi rst h e ld m e i n h igh honour ;few had eve r se en the ‘ hot-mouthed we apon ,

’an d those who

had knew on ly bal l , so when I made a flying shot they cr ied‘ Wak , wak, the man from the se a brings down the bi rds f romhe aven ! ’ Presently the marve l w axed s ta le , an d my savagefr iends , in th is matte r ve ry l ike the c i v i l ised, began to treatm e a s on e of themse lves —wh ich me ans I was going ve ry f astdown a deep s lope , with a deep drop at the end. My ‘ longkni fe ,

’

a s they cal led my bre ad sword , a lso sank in public

e ste em wi th it s owne r . On e day a ce rta in ru tfler , a fe l low ofthe bul ly type , showed his en tou rage how e as y i t wa s to beatm e with spe ar an d t arge ; I laughed i n his f ace , a n d he p re

pared a t r i a l . My Abyss in i an se rvan ts we re sore ly f r ightenedi f you f ai l , we

’re al l down among the de ad m en .

’ I chosea stout , sol id st ick , a n d made my boaste r t ake on e the l engthof h is assegai , not wish in g to trus t h im with the spe ar -h e ad .

We s tood oppos i te e ach othe r ; I cu t ostentatious ly at his f ace ;he guarded with his sh ie ld, an d my st ick was brok en , with ar esounding thud across his— we l l , his fl ank

,low down . A roar

of l aughte r s ent h im flyin g in a fury to snatch up h is w e apon ;I cocked my gun , a nd the bystande rs in te rfe red. But my name

wa s made for eve r a n d a day. So I don ’t abuse s ingl e ~st ick ,nor do I eve r shoot the ‘ kat t a , the sandgrouse , which savedu s dur ing the sam e j ourney f rom a tortu r ing de ath by showing a spr ing of wate r .

”(4)

I ventured to asse rt i t was e xcep t ion al ly r are to fin d , a s inth is smoking- room , two out of te n who have made the sword ’

s

p rinc ip les the i r s tudy .

( 3) The Gal la is a . fierce pa storal nomad tr ibe of E aste rn i nter-tropicalAfrica . Se e L ife of Burton , I . , page 260 . The same sto ry is told inBurton

’

s D iary on page 203 of Vol . I .

( 4) Th i s journey is descr ibed mos t v iv id ly on page 215 of Burton’

s

L i fe , Vol . I .

The Fir st E ven in g. 5

Such ass e rt ions cou ld hardly be disputed, but the aud i tory .

e spec i a l ly those who did not fence or intend to fence , we re

loud,a n d I thought inv idious ly loud , i n the i r pr a ise of

“we t

bo bs a n d dry bobs ,” of out-of-doc r exe rc ises an d sports,

ath le t ics,boat in g , rowing , f rom cr icke t to foxhunt ing .

I shou ld be the l ast man in the room to decry them ; but

do not le t u s be Phar isees , who can see no goo d beyond a

ce rt ain pale . Ath let ics ar e the gre at p re rogat i ve of the North

a s a re gymnas t ics of the South , and th is is o n e of the mainre ason s why the North a lways be a ts the So uth— has always

be aten i t,f rom the days of Be llovesu s an d Bre n n us , to those

of Kaise r We issbart .” and al low m e to pre dict a lways wi l l

be at i t .“Unl ess , cr ied Se aton . some avatar , some i ncarn at ion of

Mars l i ke Alexande r o r H ann iba l , Caesar , or Napole on Buon aparte , throw in his sword to t urn the sca le . But , happ i ly , i twould t ake hal f a m i l le nn ium to bre ed such m en .

”

Out-of—dcor exe rc ises gi ve bo d i ly st re n gth , we i ght , an d

st atu re , endur ance ,ne rve , an d p luck ; tel l m e how many foo t

pounds two race rs can r a ise , and I w i l l !po in t out the w inne r i n

the long run .

But the use of the sword is some th ing more : look at the

fin e he al th a n d the longevi ty of the m a t tr e d’a rm s -I doubt i f

the poe t or the mathemat ic i an exceed him i n th is matte r ofgre at ind iv idual importance .

Our study also is the m e ans adapted to an e n d . H e whoca n h andle a r ap ie r we l l can le arn the u se of any othe r we aponin a few days . It te aches h im fl ex ibi l i ty of muscle

,qu ickness

of eye , j udgm ent of dis tance , an d the consensus of touch withsight , on e of the princ ipal sec re ts of the sword . I f he pract ise

cons ecut i ve ly , a s much with the le ft a s with the r i gh t s ide , i tobvi ates that se r ious de fec t of tr a in ing on ly on e -hal f of thebo dy to the de tr im ent of the othe r . Do you know why m en

who lose the i r way i n the Arab i an des e rt , on the pra i r i es an d

pampas of Ame r ica,

on the R uss i an s teppes , or i n the

Austr al i an bush walk round and round,desc r ib in g i r regu la r

ci rcles an d broken ovals , t ill they droop a n d drop an d die offatigue , pe rh aps with in a mi le of the h idden camp ? S imp lybecause when the bra in is m orbidly

’

fix ed upon on e obj ec tmusc le as se rts i tse l f , and the stronge r r ight runs away w iththe we ake r le ft .

“ I ’m not qu ite sure , Shught ie obj ected,th at m en do not

some t imes wande r w idde rsh ins or aga inst the su n .

’

Moreove r , I cont inued,without not ic i ng the remark of the

obj ector gene r al ,” th ese a re the davs wh en the

“s i l ve r

st re ak ,” our oft -quote d inv io l ate sea ,

” must not be e xpe cte dto di tch an d m e a t u s , e spec i a l ly a s we s e em l ik e l y to burrowunde r i t in a me asure which I gre atly fe ar wi l l tu rn out

“ Yes ,”

cr ied Se aton ,“ with pe ace -a t -any-pr ice pol icy, some

B 2

6 The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

be fore our unre adiness ha s t ime to move a co rps . Noth ing

proves so we l l the gre atne s s of E ngl ishmen , nation al ly a n d

i nd i v idua l ly, a s the i r wonde rfu l succe ss , de sp i te th e ir v ar ious

gove rnments .

An d n ow,when “

1a force pr ime l-e droit,”when E urope

s tands up l ike Mine rv a in her panoply re ady for the t r i a l bywhat sc iol ists cal l “ brute strength , I wou ld see the oldnation

,E ngland , t ake a lesson from her f a i r a n d gal l ant

daughte r , Canada . It is r e al ly re f resh ing to re ad of four'

mil l ions be in g able to arm ne ar ly h ands . We a re f astre turn ing to the se fin e o ld days

, st i l l p rese rved i n As i a an d

Africa , whe re eve ry f ree -born man wa s a born man - a t - arms ,

when eve ry c i t izen wa s a soldie r , an d ou r fal l i ng back on thewisdom of antiqu i ty in th is , a s i n othe r matte rs , is not on e

of the least cur ious fe atures of the age . I would make Professor Se rge an t pa rt a n d parce l of eve ry school . Th is ha s be entr ied parti al ly a nd ha s f a i led, because the boys t ak e l i ttl ei nte re st in learn ing the du l l course of “

s i tt ing up a n d“squad

work ,” wh ich the a rt less tuto r proposes a s the ar t of arm s ;

but when the parents shal l set the ex ample , the sons wil lfol low them .

“or; le pere a passé , passe r a bien l

’

enfant , bu t the soo ne r

dr i l l is i ntroduced pe rforce in to ou r publ ic schools,the be tte r .

“The worst of fenci ng ,

”said Charl ie , the _

Oxon ian,

“is th at

on e must begin f rom on e ’s ch i ldhoo d , l ik e r idi ng ; on e must

work for years to be a tole r able h and ; i f o n e does n o t ke ep i tup , i t becomes as rusty as runn ing or swimming .

”

Parenthe tical ly, I knew that my fresh -ch e ck ed a n d s toutfr amed Oxon i an had bee n an inve te ra t e sportsman from his

gre ene st ye ars , an d th at even n ow many an hour dur ingvaca t ion wa s given to otte r hunt ing . H e could also wh ip astre am a n d th row a quoi t admi rably— in fact , he had spentupon th ese an d othe r recre at ions t ime an d to i l enou gh to makea comple te swordsman . But he was le ad ing up to my po int ,so I to ld h im bluntly enough he was wrong .

Pardon m e , I’

ve turned ove r a tre atise or two in the

l ibrary , an d they made m e fe e l smal l ; re al ly , i t is l ike re adi ngup geome try or alchemy

,or any othe r secre t sc i ence .

”

IV .

Now we come to the gist of the matte r . Yo u a re qu i ter ight about the tre at ises . They a re produced mos tly by orfor m en far more used to the company of Capta in Sword (5)th an th at of Capta in Pe n . Though som e mas te rs i n the oldenday we re h ighly educated m e n

, an d,l ate r s ti l l , oth e rs h av e

( 5 ) Ca pta in Sword. an d; Cap ta in Pen , a. poem by Le igh H un t , 1835 .

The F irst E ven in g. 7

wr i tte n comed ie s , the pre t ens ions of the mode rn schoo l a re le ss

to lit e ra tu re'

than to mora l di gn i ty . For instance :

Le m a itre d ’a rme s do i t avoi r un e condu i te i r rép rochable ,

u n e humeur éga le , de l a bonté , de l’indu lgen ce sans f a ib le sse

il doit surtout é t re j ust e e t imp art i a l , c’

e st le moye n pou r 111 1

d’

obt en ir l’

est im e publ ique e t l a confi ance de ses eleve s .

“L e professo rat es t u n sace rdoce ; e t ls maitre d

’armes n o

doi t j amais l ’oublier .

L e maitre d’armes devr a i t é t re non seu lement um model e dc

te nu , de dign i té , de maintien , de pol i tes se e t de co urto is ie ,mais enco re u n modele d’

hon n eu r .

”

Th is does not much he l p on e wi th a fo i l . Aga in , the ar t ofarms is a subject

'which,l ik e chemis try , cannot be le arn ed from

books ; even i l lust rat ions give only the de t ached s tanzas of the

poem Ch ie f of a l l,th ese a re the words of the p rofe ss iona l

m en who tak e a pr i de i n mak ing an d mult ip l y i ng di fficu lt ies ;a s maste rs th ey must know e ve ryth ing , a n d a s authors they

must show what they know. With them the noble art becomes

an abstruse sc ience , a ve r i table mys te ry of wh ich they a r e the

Magi , the pri ests . It is we l l , i ndeed, when e ach on e doesnot modi fy the pr inc ip l es of al l othe rs a n d propound his ownsystem . Without such show of e rudi t ion th ey wou ld expect tobe cal led ignorants .

Lastly , l ike the L econ s d’A rm es (Paris , 1862) of the good

Corde lo is the boo k too often becomes a me re puff .A few l n E ngl and a n d e lsewh e re h ave tr i ed to s imp l i fy the set re at ises , with the e ffect of a ske l e to n dr i l l book . These alsoh ave unduly neglected pr inc ip le s , or , r athe r , p r i n c ip es , a n d

the resu l t has been a me re tax upon the m emory,res embl ing

those abstr acts and manu als of h istory , al l n ames and date s .

which no bra in-fi a t le ast , no ave r age bra in beyond it s teenscan remembe r .

The voice of Se aton n ow made i tse l f heard.

I agre e with you he re . It is my op in ion that the affectedn ames a nd the en d-less h ai r -spl itt ings of the fenc ing boo ks makeup a m e re j argon . Why t alk of the hand i n ‘ pronat ion

’ orin

‘supinat ion ? Can ’t you say

‘ na i ls down ’ or ‘ n a i ls up ’ ?

We had trouble enough at schoo l to l e arn the di ffe rence betwe en

p ron u s an d sup in u s , I’m sure . Why must we be taught such

technical it ies as Avoir de la m a in,des doigts , des j am bes , dc

to tet e,de l

’épa u le, cha sser l es m ou ches , pass er en a rmer e ,

ca ver, fa ir e cap ot , te cliqu e t is , ép e

'

ron n er an d score s of thesame kind ? The y remind m e of my crabbed Madras m a j or,

( 6) On e of the rarest books on fenc ing happens to be the poem La

Xiphonom ie by Lhoma ndlie ,a pupi l of Tex ie r de la Boéss iere ,

the Br i t ish Muse um having no copy .

(7) Many of these te rms are st i ll curren t in the Sa l le d’

Armes . The

de fin it ions ma y be found in M . La Boés s iere’

s Tra i te'

de Z’

Ar t des

Armes (pp . 153

8 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

who knew some thre e hundred native name s for horse fu rn i tu re ,a nd could tu rn them upon any hapless sub . he wanted tospin ,

’ or pluck ,’

a s you cal l i t he re .

Bu t eve ry art an d e ve ry . sc i ence must h ave it s ownvocabul ary - it s own s l ang, i f you l ike . An d why not fenc ing ?

I , for on e , am sure th at many of the hard words a re of u se i nfixing the th ings fi rmly in m emory . An d I ’m ce rta in ,

”sa id

Shught ie , s lowly and de l ibe rate ly,“that st r ange a lphabets he lp

to fix strange te rms i n one ’

s m emory . My he ad could n eve rhe ld Sanskr i t , H ebrew ,

Arabic f rom on e of your n ew- fangled ,Romanised th ings al l powde red i n to po ints , accents , a n d i tal ics .

Hungar i an an d Sl av are bad enough , espec i a l ly Sl av ; i t isbe auti fu l in nat ive costume

,an d uncome ly and barbarous in

Latin dres s . When I want to learn a n ew l angu age I u se

my eyes , my e ars, a n d even my tongu e ; I read ou t loud , an d

I re ad standi ng, i f poss ible ,by way of d ist ingu ish ing s tudy

f rom the common way of wast ing time ove r p rinted s tuff An d

the want of alph abe t wou ld add a month to my work .

A re we not digress ing a tr ifl e ? I suggested. Granted the remust be techn ical words for technica l th ings ; but eve ry arthas enough of them without inventing su p e rflu it ies .

What I most obj ect to in the olde r a n d be st t re atises is theeccentr ic man i a of incre as ing an d m u lt ip ly in g passes an d

parr ies , attacks and repl ie s (r ipos tes) , the baggage of th e se

cal led “ romantic,”

the cl ass ica l a n d profess iona l schoo ls ofa rms . I obj ec t , .also , to the am ou r -

p rop r e wh ich th inks on ly of

fa ire école, of inventing it s own system . L . J . L a faugere , a

pr act ical foi l of note,gives (Tra it e

’

d es Arm es,1825) 1272 th rusts

and combin at ions , wh ich remind o n e of those vene r ables andreve rends who calcul ated how many ange ls cou ld st and upona needle point ; beyond th is wh at ca n man po ss ibly invent ?

H is ecce n-t ric it ies in h igh attacks engende red by way of reac t ionthe escrim e t err e -d- t err e An d what I esp e c i al ly rep roachthese ge nt leme n w ith is the i r e xce ss of method and orde r ,making the i r books the most we ar isom e th in gs afte r the New

gate Calendar . They re ad l ike a l ist of chess problems ,

handfu ls of de t ach ed i tems

“Scatte red pe ar ls , the Pe rs i ans wou ld more pol ite ly cal l

them ,

” remarked Shught ie .

-Placed be fore you w ithout the connect ing and car ryingth re ad .

L e t u s begin at the beginn ing . Afte r engagement , orcross ing blades , the swo rdsm an

‘

m ay be attack ed,or he may

attack , i n any of th es e fou r di rect ions , techn ical ly cal led thel ines of de fence an d offence .

1 . On the r igh t of his sword h and ben e ath the hilt == the lowl in e outs ide .

( 8 ) A term borrowed from the Ma nege a rt : m ight be trans latedground-game fencing.”

The F irst E ven in g. 9

2. On the l e ft of his sword hand bene ath the hilt z the low

line i ns ide .

3 . On the r ight of his sword hand above the hilt = the h ighl ine out s ide .

4 . On the le ft of his sword hand above the hilt = the highl ine i ns ide .

E vidently the sword , unless descr ibing a c i rc le , can protec tonly on e of these l ines at a time , an d the othe r th re e remainunguarded.

E ach l ine ,the re fore , re l ies upon two parades (pa r r ies ) , wh ich

may be reduced to h al f , as the d i rect ion of the blade is thes am e i n both ; a n d the only diffe rence is i n the n a i ls be in gturned upwards or downwards . The parries we re named bythe Ital i an schoo l . afte r the Lati n numbe rs , an d we haveadapted them from the French . These a re (1) p r ime (or fi rs t

pos i t ion ) , so cal led bec ause i t is th at n atura l ly a n d n ece s

s a r ily taken by a man drawing his sword f rom the scabbardwhich hangs to the le f t s ide ; (2) seconde ; (3 ) t ie rce ; a n d (4)carte or qu arte (ca r t e da n s l es a rm es ) , as i t is techn ical lyca l led .

These four a re the natural or e lementary parr ies or pa sse s ;bu t many fi rs t-rate fence rs u se on ly two , t ie rce a n d car te ,

withthe modificat ions of h igh an d low t ak ing the place of p r ime

a n d seconde . E xcuse m e, but i t is hardly poss ible to spe ak of

the art w i thou t u s ing these te rms , ye t we a re pe r fec tl y awarehow unple asant they are to the public e a r . I expected a bookabout the sword,

” once sa id to m e a Lo ndon publ ishe r , an d

n ow you send m e a th ing fu l l of carte a n d t ie rce .

”Thus d id

that eminent man of type put the car t be fore the horse .

”

! Wil l you expla in , asked Char l ie,i f ‘ low carte ’ me ans

the h and he ld low, or the po int di rected low ?”

I n the schools, a s you may se e in the famous La Boessiere

(pl ate ca r t e ba sse me ans po int low an d hand h igh . Butthe re is a di ffe rence of op in ion ; some mas te rs re fe r i t to the

hand, and othe rs to hand and po int when in the same pos i t ion .

Pr ime an d seconde ye arly become r a re r ; the fi rst because ofits many r isks i n case of fa i lu re , and the second because i tcauses the po int to devi ate abso lute ly from the l ine of di rect ion .

Wary swordsmen affect them only aga inst thos e who run in,

”

or to force the bl ade wh ich l inge rs too long on the lunge .

Anothe r s imp l ificat ion , probably du e to the fac i l i ty wh ich i tis the f ash ion of ou r age to cu lt ivate , has been apparentlyborrowed f rom the Ital i an school . The o ld ti e rce ,

with na i lsdown , an d the carte , wi th n ai ls up , a re res e rved for ce rt a inconventiona l exe rcises ; they embarrass the le arne r , an d thev

waste t ime i n execut ion We n ow adopt the p os izion e m edia

a s a gene ra l guard, the thumb upwards , p r ess ing upon the

( 9) There has been a tendency of late years in th e modern Frenchschoo l , led by the class ic Cam i l le Pr ovos t , to rev ive the use of Tierce

10 The-

Sen t im en t of the Sword .

conve x s ide of the grip , a n d the l i tt le finge r downwards , the

so lo requ is i te prec aution be ing an add i t iona l“ oppos i t ion ,

”or ,

a s some cal l i t, an gu lation — that is to say, pre ssure upon

the oppos ing bl ade . Th is may be cal led the natura l pos i t ionbecause al l the musc les a re comparat i ve ly at rest ; turn the

hand o n e way or the othe r , a n d you h ave tens ion or extens ion .

A low an d su l len murmur made i tse l f he ard ; i t came f rom

the d i rectio n whe re Se aton was s i t ting .

The re ar e fou r othe r pa rries a n d passe s which a re affected

by the tre a t ises , as l ate as the n ine teenth centu ry . Some ofthem a re n ow so rare ly used, even i n books , that many afencin g maste r e i the r knows them only by theory , or ha s ave ry hazy ide a of them . You n e ed not le arn them— I quote

the names on ly to complete my l is t . Th es e a re (1) qu inte , forwh ich the mode rns u se

“low carte (2) s ixte , also cal led

carte su r les armes (2) septieme,of wh ich noth ing remains

but its class ical parry, the demi -c irc le ; and (4) octave or

seconde , with the na i ls turned up , some t imes used to force i na weak guard.

I can tabu l ate the whole e ight W i th in a minute

INSIDE OR LEFT . OUTSIDE OR R IGHT.

1 . Pr ime ( low l ine ) . 2 . Seconds ( low l ine) .4 . Car ts (high l ine) . 3 . T ier-cs (h igh l in e ) .5 . Qu inte (diem i -c ircle , h igh l ine ) . 6 . Sixte ( h igh l ine ) .7 . Sept ieme ( low l une) . 8 . Octave ( low l ine) .

This conta ins eve ry guard,thrust , an d parry that has eve r

be en devised, or that eve r w i l l be dev ised by man ; you can

add no more to i t than to the forms of the syl log ism , or tothe orde rs of arch itecture . It is the less form idable , a s on lyon e -half is necessary to be le arned , an d only a qu arte r isgene ra l ly used.

Pe rhaps , i f you wi l l a l low m e to define ce rta in othe rtechnica l te rms , thus they w i l l more e as i ly be grasped bymemory .

“Disengagement , the r eve rse of engagement , is with

drawing beyond measure By m e asure (m esu r e, m isum ,

( le s m a a s) we unde rst and the distance wh ich separates twoadve rsar ies . It is of thre e k in ds1 . The . short me asure (

“ wi th in me asure when the

s trong (for t e) , or lowe r ha lves of the bl ades ne arest the h i lt .m e e t a n d cross .

2 . Normal , or m iddl e m easure,wh en the swords j oin i n the

centre of both .

( 10 ) Since Burton’

s day t he word dis engagement ”zlS sole ly used

!or the French de'

gagemen t ( Ita li an cavagion e) , wh ich me ans pass ingyour pom t under the adve rsary ’

s blade from t ierce to car te or v iceversa. Since his day ,

too, s ixte has come largely into use in p lace oft im es .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

12 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

But I must again not ice Char l ie’

s remark that fenc ing , l ike

r iding , must be begun wh en the boy is bre eched . This is a

long subj ec t

Which .wi l l le ad us into the smal l hours, quoth Shught ie

wi th inte nt ion .

“ Bear wi th m e t i l l you fin ish your l ast p ip e— a ponde rousme ersc haum ,

by the by— pe rfec tly bien cu lot tée . Th e ave rage

i nte l lect, we may say,le arns most dur ing its fi rst t en years ,

a n d after fifty i t gene ra l ly fa i ls to ass im i l ate a n ew i de a .

What the usual run of mank ind want to maste r qu ick ly , an d

thoroughly to re ta in , must, I own , be stud ied i n youth ; butthe re a re many exce pt ions— m en with a ll the qua l ificat ions n ece s

sary to success save on e , an d tha t is opportun i ty . I remembertwo inst ances i n p art icu lar . A . had passed th i r ty be fore touching a foi l ! at th i rty-five he wa s a first - r ate fence r . B . wa s a“ gunne r , who had neve r mounted anyth ing but a donkey ,an d that in his R amsgate days . H e s l ipped ove r the horse

’

s

he ad at his fi rs t leap , his s econd tr i a l threw h im upon the

pomme l, an d the th i rd found h im in the saddle . I did not

wi tness the process, but I did s ee h im win ce rta in we l te rstakes , when he rode l ike a profess ion al .Then

,again , the re a re degrees an d degrees . The col legi an ,

who wants only to unde rstand the Pentateuch , do es not re adafte r the f ash ion of his n e i ghbour who i ntends to become aHe brew professor . I f m en re fused to r i de un less the y could

r iva l Lords Wate rford an d Cardigan,they wou ld be doomed

n eve r to sit on p igskins . F ence rs l i ke the i n im itable Ch eval ie r de Sa int-George s of Guada loupe , c a l led the phém

’

x des

a rm es of the las t, an d Lord Henry Seymou r in the presentce ntury— not to me nt ion those n ow l iv i ng—spe nt long ye ars i nphys ical toi l , i n deep medi ta t ion , an d i n pure devot ion to the i rart . But of what use wou ld be such exce l len ces hers l ign e toanyone i n th is room ? R athe r a source of trouble than ofpleasure a n d profi t . I knew a Braz i l ian who laid ou t al l

his money in buying a diamond fabulous as to numbe r ofcarats , a nd who was ne ar ly starved bec aus e he could n ot

se l l i t .

You have forgotten to te l l u s, urged Shught ie , thatyour in imitable Saint -Georges wa s twice butto ned a n d so undlybe aten , once i n London by an E ngl ishman

,Mr Goddart ( in

fore ign books cal led a n d agai n by an Ita l i an, the

ce lebrated Giuseppe G ian fa ldon i, of Leghorn . The f amousCreole was tr ave l l ing f rom France to Italy, a n d at an academy

( 11) A biographical sketch of Cheva lier Sa int-Georges ,w ith h is

portra i t, is g iven in Ange lo’

s Trea t ise on the Abili ty and Advan tagesof Fenc ing (Fol . 1817, London ) an d a Not ice H is tor ique by M. LaBo é ss iere in h is Traite

’

de I’

Art des Arm es ( 1818 , pp .xv i

. Sa intGeorges hav ing been a pupi l of the e lde r La Boéss iere .

The First E ven in g. 13

he rece ived two buttons to o n e . An account of the r en con tr e

a s publ ished at Leghorn by the V ic tor’

s brothe r inI own ed not to h ave he ard of i t be fore .

The n we a re to unde rstand you ,” asked Claude , that i t

is as e asy to le arn fenc i ng as r idi ng ?”

The Can tab was thorough ly at home on horseback , an d he hadth at s l i ghtly parenthe t ica l form of leg wh ich be trays in fan t in c

acqua int ance with the s add le ; indee d, the length of body and

the shortness of the extremit ies had suggested to his f r iends

the sobr ique t “ Jock .

”

I should say fenc i ng wa s as e asy a s r id ing for most m en ,

whose s ight is good an d whose n e rves ca n be de pended upo n .

Of course , we must not push the compar ison be tween fe nci ngand r id ing too f ar .The fi rst po in t to try wi th the p up i l is to flash the sword

be fore his eyes . If he w inks ne rvous ly , and i f no p ract ice wi l lcure h im of w ink ing . he wi l l neve r be a pe rfec t swordsman or

a first -r ate shot .“ I ’m ce rta in of that, i nte r rupted Shught ie . In Uppe rInd i a a Si kh w i l l swing his Open hand across a strange r

’

s f acewithout touch ing i t , and cry

‘ You a re a so ld i e r ! i f the eye s

do not bl ink ; i f they do ,

‘ Chi ! you a re a pe asant ,’ or , wors e

st i l l , aWhat I mean is that the W inke r can neve r depend upon a

s imple parade an d r ip os t e, upon that“t ic -tac ,

” wh ich is thehe ight of goo d, clean fenc ing . But an o ld maste r w i l l te achh im to supplement his we ak point as the stamm e r docto r walkshis pa ti ent round the di fficu lty , an d he may even be able to

ge t beyond m ed iocr i ty— no e asy task .

My c iga r’s fin ished, said.Se aton , with inte ntion , bu t no ma l ice .

My fr iend had begun r iding and fenc i ng ear ly i n l i fe ; hewas short of statu re an d long of back , his nose was prom inent ,a n d his h ai r , moustache , an d regu lat ion wh iske rs were , hisfr iends sa id, auburn , his unfr i ends fie ry . Such sangu in etempe raments usua l ly have strong op in ions , a n d the i r stronges ta re about themse lves .

My lecture is ove r . Briefly , i n six we eks m en with gooddispos it ions can do some th ing ; with a ye ar

’

s work they oughtto mak e palpable and re al progres s i n the noble art of arms .

Bu t they too often go to a me re sc io l ist of t i e rce a n d ca r t e , orto the danc ing-ma s te r ; fenc ing -mas te r Fo r the ser i

s tudior um the coach is al l in a l l , an d I can p rove i t .“Adv ice to people about to marry ! ” murmured Shught ie .

(12 ) There is early l iterary author ity for th is comb inat ion : Thoin ot

Arbea u’

s (Tabourot’

s ) Orchesographie publ ished in 1595 , is not on lyt he ear lies t pr inted Da nc ing-Master , bu t also compr ised mé thodeet théor ie en forme de d iscours e t tablatures pour appaendre ati re r des armes ct escrimezr —but th is t i tl e -page prem ise only rea l isesa s word -dance per forman ce !

14 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

On se e ing h im for the fi rs t time a s tr an ge r wou ld be apt to

exc l aim , That’s a hard- look ing man ! ” a n d, afte r he a r ingwhe re he had be en a n d what he had done , the s tr anger wou ld

be apt to add,“H e

’

s j ust the man to do i t .” Hard, indeed,

was the characte r of Shught ie’

s we athe r—be aten fe atu res —hard

a s his he a rt was sof t . High ch eek bone s , grey eyes , se t de ep incave - l ike socke ts, shin ing forth a fie rce l ight , with prominenteyebrows j utt ing ove r them lik e a pent -house ; forehe ad low

a n d s l ightly re treat ing , nose th ick an d anyth ing but cl ass ica l ,a be ard fal l i ng to the waist, an d gr izz ly , short -cropped hai rwh ich

,they say, prevented his becoming bald ; an uppe r l i p

c lothed with a l arge mou stache , st i ff but not br ist ly— that showsthe rough son of Neptune —

ye t hardly la rge enough to h idethe se tting of the l ips , a nd j aws vast an d squ are , a s i f se ttleddown into a somewhat humorous war with the wor ld, a t the

same t ime showing none of the futi le pugnac i ty of the Ce l t .Such wa s the countenance . H e was a tal l ish man ,

whose v astbre adth of chest an d shoulde rs made h im app e ar be low middl es ize . The tou t en semble of f ace and figure was intende d , sa idthe j e alous , for a born pugi l ist . Such m en , who voluntar i lyassume the be arsk in , a re apt to growl , and some t imes to barba growl with a vene rable quotat ion from Mr Punch . (13)Pe rhaps, gentlemen ,

”sa id Lord B . ,

with even more thanusua l k indness,

“ to -morrow even ing Capt . Burto n w i l l give us

a ske tch of his cur r icu lum ?With al l the ple asure i n l i fe ! But I would warn you th at i tw i l l be a s an improv isatore , not as a professor . An d n ow goo dn ight . Sea ton , have you brought your p la stron ? (14) Shught ie ,do not mistak e in your dre ams that othe r v al ley for the v al leyof the Ni le ! An d unde r cove r of these feeble shots I e ffectedmy escape .

TH E SECOND EVENING .

I .

I HAD spent part of the morn ing i n the l ibra ry , whe re a

few tre at ises , old and n ew,had re f reshed my memory in

m atte rs that had faded f rom i t ; ye t I fe l t somewhat ne rvousa s the smok ing hour drew n e ar , l ike a le c tu re r who had notthoroughly prepare d ‘his le c ture ,

a professor unprov ided wi thal l his note s . As i t was the re for e unde rs tood th at my int roduction would n o t only de al w i th ge n e r a l p r inc i pl es ,

but a lsobe some what h istor ical , the March ioness a n d he r two da ughte rsk ind ly dec l a red the i r intent ion of j oin ing u s .

( 13 ) I think Burton here ske tches h is own po rt ra it in Shught ie : com

page

r

i t W1th the other pa i nted by La dy Burton— pages 166 -7 of he r. 1 c .

( 14) The plastron is the fenc ing m as ter ’s th ick ly padded sh i eld or

guard worn on the bre ast to rece ive the pupi l ’s thrus ts .

The Secon d E ven in g. 15

The only face which changed expre ss ion at the announcementwas Shught ie

’

s ; his code did no t admi t of shag and cave ndish ,

or e ven long me e rsch aums or short br i a r - roo ts , i n the i ndoo rsoc ie ty of f a i r dames , and his tas tes we re too f ar gone forsuch babe ’

s die t a s Syri an or Turk ish , H ava n n ahs and Mani l l as .

The gal l an t Se aton was charmed by the prese nce of his futu re

pupi ls,and so ,

I may add , we re al l the res t o f u s . The March ic ness ha s ofte n been m istak en. for the e lde r s iste r of he rdaughte rs , and Ladie s Margare t and Mary wou ld ce rta in lyhave been ca l led Minn a a nd ' Br e nd a in the She tl ands . Minn ashowed tr aces of I r ish or r athe r Ce l t ic blood i n the s i lky bl ac kha i r , the da rk~frin ged grey eye , and the ta ll ben di ng figure .

Th is is nowhe re more conspicuous than on the nor th e rn co as t o fTe ne r i fe , at love l y Orotava , whe re so ma ny Ir ish Cathol ics

se ttled dur ing the old pe rsecu ti ng days . Brenda , with a we al thof dul l go ld locks a nd a complex ion de l ic ate as an in fant

’

s ,

wa s always c a lled “ Anglo-Saxon ,” wh ich , i n the la nguage of

expe rt s, me ans Anglo -Scan din av i an as oppos ed to Anglo-Ce l t ic .

I t is not so e asy to se ttle down into pl aces when mascu l inebrusque r ie is tempe red by sof te r m ate r i al . A large a rmchai r ,a “

Sle epy Hol low ,

”extr a s lee py , was p l ayfu l ly proposed a s

my ca thedra , but fi rm ly and uncompromis ingly re j ec ted ; the

harde s t c an e chai r is .l i ke st the saddl e , a nd the sadd le is the

prope res t se at for man . At length c igars an d c igare tte s we rel igh ted, the trays s tood upon the s ide -table , the doors we rec losed, an d a so lemn s i le nce i nv i ted— I w i l l n o t say e ncouragedm e to begin . You wi l l h ave be fo re h e ard the Voice of

S i lence soundi ng f rom her th ron e , and you know that Si lencei n prose as in poe t ry is, strange to s ay, se ldom s i lent .

II

My l adies, my lords and gentlemen“ Be fore you procee d with the proem , s a id the March ioness

,

pe rhaps you wi l l k in dly le t m e know what you th ink offenc i ng for wome n .

The t ime ly int e r rupt ion re sto red my composu re as the fi rstround of appl ause ma kes the young lec tu re r fe e l f ree an d

e asy . Se aton , I fancy , sme l t battl e f rom a f ar ; he r a ise d his

nose defi antly ; the e rectn -ess of his sp ine added a quarte r cubi tto his stature , a n d he fl apped

,so to spe ak , his wings .

Without not ici ng the mo ra l e ffec t in dr awing out char acte rand i n confi rming courage , or the d i ve rs ion

, e xci tement , a nd

noble emulation of the e xe rc ise ,I be l ie ve fe nc i ng

,wh ich of

cours e inc l udes extens ion moveme n ts , to be the ve ry bes t pl as t icexe rc ise i n the world- in f ac t

, the pri nce of c al is then ics foracqu i r ing grace , e ase

,an d the fu l l u se of the l imbs . It wou ld

take ha l f the e ve ning to recoun t an d account for its good e ffectsin t r a in ing , stre ngthen i ng , an d deve lop ing the muscles ,

i n

16 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

se tt ing up the figure ,i n O pen i ng the che st , an d i n coun te r

act ing the habi ts l e arned i n the le sso n room ,so —I wi l l me ntion

on ly o ne . It make s the gai t e a sy an d the carr i age grace ful ,

a s that of the E as te rn} woman whose youth p asses i n po is i ng

the wate r j ar . Do not we s ay i n E ngl and ,

“Str a igh t a s a

da i rymaid , or a F ulham s tr awbe rry gi r l” ?

It give s abundant exe rc ise with in a shor t t ime,no smal l

recommendation dur ing “the se ason ,

” when we have so l i tt le

to do and ye t so l i ttle t ime to do i t in . R e al ly , an hour a daymay e as i ly be borrowe d f rom the r id-e or the walk , a n d the

good resul ts wi l l appe ar in sound s le e p , unt rouble d by dre ams .

“ I th ink we ha ve read some th ing abou t th at al re ady ,Shught ie obse rved wi th s ign ific anc e ; bes ides , da n c i ng, howeve r ple as an t , useful , an d hyg ie nic

,does n o t dc ve 110 p the arms

an d uppe r muscle s . In the l adies’ fenc ing room , howe ve r , the

mas te r requ i re s pecul i ar qua l ific ations . H e mus t make the

exe rc ise amus ing as we l l as p ro fit able ; he should in sp i re hispupi ls wi th the whole some ambit ion of becoming accomplishedfe nce rs , which , of course , the y w i l l not be .

”

H ow unk ind ! ” s a id Lady Ma rgare t . An d why not ? Ihave re ad of a ce rta in Donna Mar i a who se r ec re an t love r fledfr om love a n d Lisbon to Goa ; she fo l lowed h im an d ch al lengedh im with sword a n d dagge r , but he pre fe r red to marry he r .

”

Donna M ar i a-s a re r are , a nd on the whole h app i ly so . Yourma i n di squal ific ation is the h appy want of we i gh t of muscul arstrength . The es sent i a l diffe rences of the s e xes a re i n bodi lyforce and in the qua l i ty wh ich phrenologis

‘

t s cal l de struct iveness

,

”the source of powe r . Wome n wr i te ch arming poems and

nove ls , but wh ich of th em e ve r succe eded i n sat i re or incar icature ?

I I I .

It is the custom to re present fe nc ing as an aff a i r of sk i l l ,a me re turn of the wr ist . Noth ing can be more e r roneous .

Moreove r , I h ave n eve r foun d a woman wi l l ing to go throught he preparatory work , how-eve r t r i fl ing i t is in my system .

A ll want to fe nce loose,e ven be fore the y know the rout ine of

the room , or e ven t ier ce f rom ca r te.

“I s not that par t of the national charac te r ? ” Lady B .

ask ed.

I should say so . The E ngl ishman, who as a ru le prepar es for

the bus in es s of l i fe wi th a pati ence of m e thodical t r a in ingce rta in of succ ess , is wh ims ica l to a degre e abo ut his aecomp l ishments .

” In th is he contrasts st rongly w i th Cont inenta ls .

The fore igne r wi l l sp end a ye ar obedi en tly , not to say tame ly ,in mas te r ing the mus ic a l scale . A fte r a month t he Br i to nins ists upon le arn ing a bravu r a song . The n in p aint ing we

insu lars begin l and scape or po rtr a i ts be fore we know how tomix the colours . I t is the same with sculptur e , wi th mod e l l i ng ,

The Secon d E ven in g. 17

an d with othe r branche s of what a r e ca l led “the fin e arts .

Th is res ul ts f rom art be i ng to u s , I may say wi th c an , toProte s tant ism in ge n e ra l , a p as t ime , not a s tudy , a de vot ion , are l ig ion . In the Un ite d St at es , Whe re E ngl ish fe e l i ng is of amore luxu r i an t

,not to say rank e r , growth than i n the

c l imate o f our mode r ate l and , a nd whe r e soc ie ty is E ngl ishwi th the we ight taken off i t , I have he ard an eminen t s tat esman

(the l at e Mr Seward) congra tu l ate h imse l f th at his fe l low

countryme n did not waste the i r t ime upon daubing and

fidd ling ,”

as he ca l led pa int ing and mus ic .

“ I ’m ce rt ai n we have he re a part i a l t ruth , sa id Shught ie .

Dil e ttan tism and am a t eu rsh-ip a re the bane s of what you a re

p le ased to ca l l , i n outr age of al l res pec table au thor i ty , the

Angle -Scan d in av i an a n d Anglo -Ce l t . H e c r ibs a few hours

f rom bus i ne ss,he re ads a few books on a rchi tec tu re or antiqu i

t i es,

a nd s t ra i gh tway he becomes an a rch i tec tu ra l or anan t iqu ar ian au thor i ty . H e doe sn ’ t show to advanta ge amongs t

m e n who ’ve be gun the study in the i r boyhood , an d who ’veposs ibly inhe r i ted i t f rom fathe r and gr andf athe r ; he

’

d s tandout fa r be t te r i f m e n loc ked at his ledge r or his cash book .

Di le ttan ti sm is ve ry we l l i n its way as tha t gre at po l i t icalcompromise ‘ hal f a loaf ,

’ but i t w i l l boas t i tse lf to be the

Whole . I for on e , whene ve r they te l l m e t hat Mr So—a nd -so

writes poe t ry dur ing his le isure hou rs , always fe e l antipathe t icto Mr Se - ande o , and as for re ad ing his poe ms the

sen te nce en ded i n a shudde r .

Shall we come to the po int ? asked Lord B .

IV .

I do not p re pose to en te r upon a course of fenc in g . Yo ixwi l l find that i n the thousan-d-and -o n e tre at i se s of which we

spoke las t n ight . L e t m e particula r ly recommen d i n the F renchschoo l those of Professors L a Boé ssiere an d espec i a l ly ofMM . Gomard (16) and Gr imer the most noted p la s trons ofthe i r day, who fit ly r epres en t the fi rst th i rd of t h is ce ntury .

In E ngl ish re ad good o ld Ange lo an d for mode rn Ital i anMarch ionn i Of cours e

,I p rote s t aga ins t th e i r exce ss an d

( 15) Beesswre (M . La) : T7'0 i fé de Z’

Art dos Ai m es (i l’

usage desl ’rofesseurs ct. dos Ama teurs . 181 8 . Par i s . (Twenty pla tes . )( 16) Pes s ell ie r, A . J . J . (d'it Gemard) : La Theor ie de l E scrime ,

ensetgn é e pa r un e m é thode s imp le ,basée'

sur l’

obserm l ion de In

n a ture,&c . Par is . 1845 . Twen ty plates . (W i th an h istor ical intro

duct ion . )

(7) Augus t in Gris ie r : Les Arm es e t lo Due l . Par is . 1863 . W itha preface by Alex . Dumas . Draw ings by E . dc Beaumont . an d portra i tof author by E . Lessa l le . ( I st ed .

( 18) Alberto March ionn i : Tra t ta lo dz’

Sche rm a. some it nuovo

s is tema di giuoco m is io di scuola i ta l iana e francese . 1847 .

F i renze . (L ithographs and woodcuts .)

18 The Sen t imen t of the Sword .

wantonne ss of ru les , th e i r w as te of prece pts, th e i r barbarous

l uxur i ance of fe i n ts an d t hrusts , of parades and r iposts , of

counte r r i pos ts and combinat ions— in fac t , aga ins t al l th e“s tuffing of th e i r schools , or r athe r of the i r schoo l bo ok s .

We al l know th at a ve ry few pages on bo tany , for ins tance ,extrac ted from a we ary ing amoun t of mathematica l defini tion

a n d barbarous nome ncl ature ,wi l l supply the beginne r w ith

cert a in so und princ iple s . H e be ars th ese i n memory , an d thus

dur ing his da i ly walks he bu i lds s lowly bu t sur e ly upon sol id

found ations ; he a ss imi l ates h-is mate r i als by gradua l m ental

d ige st ion , and a lmos t unconsc ious ly afte r a few ye a rs he be come s

botanis t enough for a l l prac t ica l purpo se s . The s ame powe rs

wi l l make h im a geologis t,a m e teorologist , or anyth ing e lse .

So far so good,

”s a id Se aton .

“We al l know how d i fficul t

i t is to hand le a l ance ; we l l , in Indi a I le arnt i t e as i ly enoughby ne ve r r id ing out w ithou t a boar spe ar and by ‘ prod-d ing ’

at eve rything in the way.

”

It is the same with the sword, an d I di ffe r comple te ly f romthose who at tach gre at impo rtance to v ar i e ty an d compl icat ion of p l ay . The l att e r is a pos i ti ve ev i l , bec ause i t distr ac tsthe though ts , and al l must own that , howe ve r use fu l in the room ,

i t is absolute ly value less i n the fi e ld. H enc e we have s e ts offe in ts for the p la s tron an d n ot fo r the a ssau l t , a nd movementsfo r the as sau lt

,not for the combat . And what more common

than to re ad : L es coups dés i gnés c i-de ssus pe uvent se tent e ro ne on deux fo is dans au assaut , mais j amais en du e l , car ils

présentent de grands dange rs .

”(19)

The exce l lence of a fence r co ns is ts i n a j ust apprec i a tion ofhis own powe rs a n d thos e of his adve rsary

,i n re ad ine ss of

j udgm ent , in qu ickness of h and,wr ist , and fo re arm ; in stabi l i ty

a nd regul ar i ty of pos i t ion, and i n the d p ropos or p ropr ie ty

of h is movements , whe the r att ack ing , parrying , c tr r i pos t ing.

The alph abe t of the sword, al low m e the bor rowed express ion,

is absolute and i nvar i able as th at of l anguage . Fo r le tte rswe have ce rta i n c a lcul at ed pos i tions re sult ing f rom the natur alequ i l ibr ium of ou r bodi es ; for words , a few s imple mov eme nt swh ich are inst inc t ive to al l , such as cont r ac ting and e xte ndingthe arm ; for phrases , e asy combin ation s of the two fo rm e r .

Th is l anguage ha s its ques t ions and answe rs , and with knowle dge o f the vocabul ary we shal l find i t h ighly e xpre ss i ve . Ineed not enl arge upon th is ; my int e l l i ge n t audie nce knowenough to carry ou t the ide a Wh at I shal l at tempt is to showhow mind should agi tate matte r

,wi thout which al l fe nce rs

would be a s dul l and re gu l a r a s the fines t p ie ce of mach ine rye ve r invente d .

This , then , wi l l be my fi rs t obj ect , to prove how s impl e and

( 19) Th is is on e of the pract ical d i fferences be tween fo i l play and thecpé e de combat .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 The Se n tim en t of the Sword .

wa s shaped l ike on e of those And re a F e r raras wh ich a re

hung in the hal l . I ts s tra ight , b-i -concave blade had a centr alg roove

, the incava tura ,” wh ich the Ne apol it ans ca l l “

scan n

olla tu ra ,inscr ibe d with the make r ’s n am e . It was of ex agge

rated we ight , length , an d bre adth , probably to a llow for

wastage i n gr in ding an d r e -gr in di ng ; the be aut i fu l ly ch ise l ledshe l l (or guard) was a l i ttle sh ie ld, an d

, though the sh arp po in t

was the re , the double edge wa s s ti l l much u sed . F ina lly, as

par rying had not become an art,the sword wa s supplemented

by the dagge r , by di ffe r ent forms of shields , or s imply’

by a

c loth wound roun d th e le ft arm . You have re ad Wal te r Sco ttan d you remembe r the u se of the t arg-e .

What Ach i l le Ma rozzo re a l ly did du r ing his ca re e r of hal fa centu ry was to show that the spada sola might be u sed .

an d t hat the dagge r in the le ft han d wou ld s e rv e a s a sh ie ld .

H e had no guard prope r ly so cal led , but in cha pte r 100 hegive s the lunge , cur ious to say, with face ave rted . Agr ippa

(1568) (21) de fine d the lunge , an d inve n ted the fou r gu ardsprime , secon d-e , t i-e roe , and car te .

Gras s i (1570) (22) cunn ingly dev ised the four l ines —high .

low,ou te r , an d i nne r . Salvator F abr is (1606) (23) n amed a n d

figured the mode rn gua rds ”; bu t he a lso used the t e rm for

off ens i ve movem ent s (the lunge ) as we ll as for de fens i ve or thee ngag ing guard prope r . To Gigant i (1608) (24) we owe the

counte r -parade s, the flanoon n ade,and the taglia ta , coupe, or

cu t ove r the bl ade .

Th i rty-seve n ye a rs afte r Ach i l l-e Marozzo the S ieur He nr i deSa in c t -Didi e r (25) modifie d the work of Grass i an d dedicatedto Charles IX . his Tra iot é C on t en a n t l es S ecr e ts ( lu ' P r em i e r

L ivr e su r Z’E sp é e S eu le . H e was fol lowed by anothe r Fre nch

man , L ian eo u r who began as fe n c ing mas te r in 1680, an d

(21) Cam il le Agripcpa (Mi la nese ) : T'

ra t ta to di Scien tia d’

Arme,con

mi dia logo di filosofia . 1553 . R oma .2nd ed i t ion, 1568 . (Portra i t

o f author and fifty-five copper-plates in text . )(22) G i acomo di Grass i (d-a. Mode na ) R agion e di adap rar sicuram en te

t’

Arme si da offesa come da difesa . 1570 . Venet ia . Translatedi nto E ngl ish by J . G 1594 .

( 23) Szi lva tor Fabr is : Sc ienza e Pra l ica d’

Arme . F 0 ] . 1606 .Copen

hage n . (Portra its of Chr i st ian IV. of Denmark and] the author , and190 copper -plate s in text . )(24) G igan t i , Nico lette (Vene t ia no) : ScOla overo tea tro n el qua ? sono

rappresen ta l e diverse man iere e modo di pa rere e di ferire di Spadasala , e di Spade e pugna le . Obl . 1606 .

Vene t ia . (Portra i t andforty - two coppe r plates . ) 2nd ed i t ion . 1608 .

( 25 ) Sa inot-D id ie r, H enry de (Gent i lhomme Provencal) : Trai te'

, &c .

1573 . ( Portra i ts of author an d Charles I X . and s ixty-four woodcuts . )

(26 ) We rnesson de L ianeour : Le mais tre d’

Armes ,nu l

’

exercice d ;l’

espe'

e seul e dons so. perfect ion . Obl . 1686 .Par is . (Portra i t of

author and fourteen copper-plates by Perelle . )

The Secon d E ven in g. 21

d ie d i n 1752 ; an d by a hos t of othe rs , who formed the FrenchSchool . Th is system fina l ly abandoned the rude an d home lycu t for the refine d a n d f ata l thrust , which pre se n tly foun d itsway al l ove r the c i vi l ised world .

The e ar l i es t regu l ar an d or igina l tre at ise i n Ge rman knownto m e is E in n eue K itn s t lich F echtbu ch in R app i er , &e . , byMichae l Hund t , the F re yfe chte r of Ze i tz (1611) (27)E ngland se ems to h ave le arn t the ar t abroad unt i l 1755 , when

the Livornese,D

’

An ge lo gene r al ly call ed Ange lo,opened

his sa ll e i n London .

VI .

I t is cur ious to fo l low s te p by s tep the mighty changes wh ichto ok p l ace i n the e ar ly days of swordsmanshi p prope r , what

some cal l the f ati gu ing de ve lopment of the sc ie nce of arms .

Not a few wri te rs h ave as sumed th at ou r mod e rn sys tem beganwi th ext reme s impl ic i ty ; th at it was an infant which had e ve ryth ing to le arn , a ll th ings to d isco ve r , wh i lst othe rs e pine thatou r schoo ls

,afte r de ve lop ing into complex i ty , a re n ow re turn

ing to th e i r o lde r form . The contr ary is a matte r of history .

My re ad i ng conv inces m e , as I shou ld h ave expec ted , tha t inth is

,as in othe r a rts , s impl ic i ty is the reduct ion of a mass of

compl ic ations ; we begin w ith combinatio ns an d de ta i ls wh ich

we e nd by throw ing away . Le t m e quote a fami l i a r ins tance .

The pe t ard wh ich ho isted i ts own enginee r was a cos t ly ,c lumsy , an d a rt ific i a l bi t of mach ine ry . Now we hang a bagof powd e r to a gimle t an d we blow down the gate s of Ghazn iw ithout affordi ng sport to the spectators .

I cannot do j ust ice to my subj ec t w ithout a few words about

the schools . Of the fi rs t or Span ish we know l i t tle exce pt thati t begat the Ita l i an Th is vene rable i n st it ut ion is n o t , a s

(27) Th is was a quarto p t bl ishcd at Le i pz ig , but it had been me

ceded long before in Germany by the ear l iest treat ises on fenc ing .

Talhoffer’

s Fech tbuch aus dlem Jahre, 1467, Gerich tl iche und andereZweikampie da rs tellend . Ed i ted by G . B ergse ll (Prag . W ith268 plates . Fech tbuch a us dem Jahre , 1459, from the Ambras er Codex ,

w ith 116 plates ; a nd Fech tbuch aus dem Jahre . 1443 , from t he GothaerCodex ,

w ith 160 pla tes , were publ ished in 1889 by the same ed itor .O the r ve ry e a rly German works are Andrea I ’a u-rn fe indt

’

s (Freyfee l i fe rzu Wiisu) . E rgrundung rit terlicher Kun s t dier Fech terey ( 1516 , W ien) ,treat ing of the du o-handed sword , a nd transla ted into French in 1538

under the t i tle of Noble Sc ience (les Joueurs d ’

E spe’

e ; and H ans Lebkomme r’s Leckii chner

’

s) work Der a l i en F ech ter griindl iche

Kuns t w i th engrav ings by H ans Brosamer , afte r the draw ingsof Albert Dure r ; a nd Joach im Meye r’s (Freyfechter zu Stra sburg)Grz

‘

ind liche Beschre i bung dcr F reyen , &c. , Ku ns t des Fech te n s

1570 . Strasbu-rg) , introduc ing the rapier , w ith nume rous woodcuts .

(28) Ange lo’

s L’

E cole des Armes was first publ ished in London in1763 , w i th forty-seven coppe r-plates .

(29) Burton would sca rcely have wr i tten thus afte r read ing Mr

En e rtou Cas t le ’

s Schools and Masters of Fence. where in the Sp an ish

22 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

som e say,r ap idly disappe ar ing , its connec t ion wi th the past

be ing gr adual ly but su re ly s eve red ,a nd Spa in s t i l l p rese rves not

a fe w traces of p ris tine rus tic i ty . You wi l l appr ec i ate them bya glance a t the olde r t re at ises wh e re the fie ld is cove red

with mathematical di agr ams , with l i ne s and w i th tangen ts ,

chords an d c i rc le s, an d segments of c i rc le s , as i f a l l the

problems of E ucl id had be en thrown at your fee t . S im i la r ly ,

the maps of that age a re we bbed wi th rhumbs (31) l ike sp ide r’

s

to i ls .He re

,the n

,we trace the or i gin of those p ecu l i ar ga in in gs

of groun d wi th the le f t foot foremos t , those s tepp in gs as ide and

obl ique springs,those vau lt ings and vol tes , that stoo p ing wi th

or wi thout the suppo rt of the unarmed han d , an d that s l ipp ing

down which may sti l l be s e en prac t ise d by first -r ate Nea pol it anfence rs, Gene ra l Bosco , for instance .

VII .

The e ar l iest fo rm which a l l systems, but e spec i a l ly the

Hispano-Ital i an , pre fe rred , was the comp l icat ion of espada

y ( logo—

sword an d dagge r . Th is two -handed exe rc ise longhaunted the fenc i ng-rooms , a n d gre at ly mod ifie d the i r p ra ct ice .

The st i le tto se rve d for off ence a s we l l as fo r de fe nce ; it wasmade to parry in ce rta in l ines and to de l i ve r , not a r iposts , bu t

an attack upon an attack . Thus i t wa s a pr ime obj ec t to lockthe swords ”

a n d to c l ash the h i lt s (in coccia tn ra ) , thus mak ingway for a han d-to -hand th rust w i th the shorte r we apon . The

remains s t i l l l inge r i n the It al i an pos i t ion of gu ard whe n thedagge r is abs ent ; the le ft hand is he l d hor izont a l ly extendedacross the midd le of the che st , not in the a i ry curve of theFrench school , and it is e vidently intended to t ake p art i n theparade . The advantage is that by throw ing it back a gre ate rimpe tus is secure d for the lunge ; on the oth e r h and , i t is ap tto br ing the le ft shou lde r forward

, caus ing incre ased exposurewhe n standing on guard. In pract is ing , and more espec i a l ly i nse r ious r en con tres , at Nap les , the seco nds a lways de te rm ine howfa r the le ft hand may be use d ; for ins tance , whe the r it mustbe confined to swee p ing away the thrus t , or i f i t shou ld be

school occupies s ixte en page s ; but Mr Castle’

s opin ion of i t as hav ingn o pe rmanent influen ce upon the ar t o f fenc ing does not dfitfer subs ta n t ia l ly from Burton

’

s . The Geome tr ica l School of Fence , greatlyas i t affecte d and exercis ed

'

our E l izabe than an cestors , has now com

pletely passed i nto obl iv ion , except as a ma t ter of h i story and exceptin s o fa r a s i t may surv ive in Spa in

‘

or Ita ly, as suggested by Burton .

Such as those of Ca rranza ,Don Lu is Pacheco de Narvae z ( con

t.mua lly a l luded to by Ben Jon son) , and , last and greates t in its fut i lemagn i ficence ,

the Acndc’

mz’

e de l Epe’

e of G irard Th ibaust , bas ed uponIts myste r ious c i rcle . The l ink between the last named and thepres ent work is that Thibaus t first speaks o f le sent im ent de l

’

es pé c .

( 31) R humbs or“rhombs ” were the l i nes of nav igat ion drawn

on maps a nd charts by ea rly geographers .

The Secon d E ven in g. 23

a l lowe d to grasp and re ta in the bl ade . H ence i t ofte n in

voluntar i ly led to unfa i r p l ay ; a hand accustomed to se ize the

sword not unf requently did so ins t inct i ve ly , with co ns eque nces

re gre tted t i l l the end of l i fe .

In the Ne apol it an guard the he e ls a re l ate ly, a t least , in the

pos i t ion of the French , wh ich usua l ly measu res two to two anda ha l f of the fe nce r ’s foot - lengt hs . The r ight arm is outst re tched

ne ar ly to the fu ll extent, le av ing less ope n ing than the e lbow

bent a t the sa ign ée, and the dome d she l l of the r ap ie r , often

4in . i n d i ame te r, and d e r is ive ly ca l le d a p la t d ba rbe by the

sat i r ical r i va ls, acts l ike the umbo (boss ) of the Gulf Arab’s

sh ie ld , and adds to the d ifficu lty of attack ing . The po in t facesthe opp onent

’

s bre ast, n ot his eye , the rule of the F rench school .

As the extended are a is much more e as i ly fat igued , the cross

bars connec te d w ith the ba it and the sh e l l g ive a fi rm gr ip byadmitt ing the two fi rst finge rs, and , - fin a lly, fo r add it iona lsuppo rt , a s i lk ke rch ie f or a band age b inds the othe r digitsand the wrist to the hand le .

The French have neve r i ncl ined to th is system . They com

p l a in that it is barbarous and ungrace fu l . The y dec l are , witht ruth, tha t the kerchie f and the crossbar p reve n t a l l de l icacy ofd ig ita t ion , the re ve rsemen t of the hand and the supp leness ofthe wr ist ; th at the r ig id i ty of the grasp re duces the movementsto a few r ig id extens ions an d contract ions d esp ise d by the

Nort he rne rs ; and they h ighly d isapprove o f the as ides,the

sl ipp ings down , the efi acem e n ts , and othe r i rregu la r i t ies wh ichhave surv ived the o ld mathemat ica l schoo l— in f ac t, they lookupon them a s some th ing uncanny, unfa i r , a lmost d is loya l .The Ita l i ans rep ly to these obj ect ions th at the pr ime obj ec tof fe n c i ng is , as Mol iere e xp res se s i t, Touche r e t n e p as l

’

etre— the fi rst and best d efin it ion of the sc ience that can be g iven .

They uphold the supe r ior i ty of the i r'

s ty le by p rov ing its abso

lute p ract ica l ut i l i ty . Th is is p art of the nat iona l characte r ,which is neve r recogn ised by pass ing st range rs . The I ta l i anis a Janus , the mode l of a. two—s i ded race . The f ace wh ich fi rstst r ikes you expre sse s the romant ic and poe t ica l , the gush ing an d

the se nt imenta l , almost the ch i ld ish ; beh ind i t an d f a r be low i tthe re is anothe r countenance , whos e characte r ist ics a re the

ba ld es t re a l ism , the hardest mat te r of fact . The i ron pu rposewhich runs through Dante ’

s“ Comedy ”— why that absurd ity

the Div ine‘

Z—d ist ingu i shes i t from the ep ic poems of thewor ld . Compare i t , for inst ance , with P a r adise L os t .

An d the Ita l i ans prove the i r po int , an d exp l a i n the p iquewh ich dr ives F renchmen to speak of lcs a n cien s er r em en ts de

.

’

école I ta l ien n e— in fact , to abuse the mothe r system . Dur ing

she fi rst quarte r of the pres ent century , es pec i a l ly in the d ays) f Murat, when due ls with the smal l sword we re wee kly occure n ces in Southe rn It aly , the F re nch ra re ly recorded a v icto ry.

i t is true that the i r adve rsar ies gave themse l ves the mos t pe rfec t

24 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

tra in ing. They found i n the op en a i r a ve ry ne cess ary chan ge ;

afte r the comparat ive darknes s of the Sa l le d’A rm es

,the

dis tance a lmost a lways app e a rs les s than it rea l ly is, and thus

an i nfe r ior fence r , aware of the d i ffe rence of me asure , may get

the bette r of a bette r m an . Inste ad of confin ing themse l ves tothe stuccoed floo r and the res ined p arque t, the y pract ised uponstony ground and upon s l ipipe ry grass, and , by way of accus toming the eye to the true point , no t to the button , they sc rewed ona goad (52) about ha l f an inch long , wh ich it was ve ry adv isable

to par ry . E zperto crede .’

The care e r of the ce lebrated Count C .,who ende d l i fe in a

p istol due l w i th an E ngl ishman, was typ ica l of the t ime a n d

country . Ce rta in pecul i a r it ies of make a n d manne r had madehim a k in d of butt i n soc ie ty, and soci e ty, a s i t of ten does , wenttoo far . C . sudden ly d isappe a red , and for three ye ars wa s sup

posed to be trave l l i ng— he had t rave l led only to a back stree toff the Toledo, whe re he spe nt d ay and n ight in p ract is ing an d

studying the sword . At l ast he as sudde n ly re appe ared , a nd

wa s gree ted with a shout and a cry of E cco il nos tro be l lo C . 1

The fa r ceur who utte red the words re ce i ve d a sch iafl’o, and the

re su l t was a due l, in wh ich he had the worst . This wa s

fol lowed by others , and I need hardly go on w ith the sto ry tothe bi tte r en d. W

'

i th the smal l sword Count C . was s imp lyin v inc ible .

VIII .

Of late years the It al i ans have modified the i r system by theso -ca l led Giuoco misto. The i nve nto r was a fin e old sworde r ,Albe rto Marchionn i , who d ied abo ut 1870 . At the age of fi ftee nhe began se rvice with the F rench E mp i re , whose

“ leg ions hadmarr ied Victory

”; afte r t en ye ars he re t i red ,

and was chos enmaste r of the R eale Scuola di Marina at Geno-a, with the bre ve tof H is Sard in i an Maj es ty . H e then went to France , whe rehe “

found a l l s ave his own country ,”

a n d fina l ly se tt le d atF lore nce , whe re he op ened a ce lebrate d sa l le, and worked outthe n uova sis tema . H is T ra ta tto d i Sclzcrma ,

published i n 1847,is sa id to be an oper a or igin a le ; but expe rts dec l a re th at it wa s

gre atly ass isted by a ce rt a in e x - l ieute nant and p rofessor ofarms , Samp ie r i , of F lorence , whose n ame is quoted in thesupp lement, not o n the t i t le .p age .

March ion n i , or ig ina l ly a fence r of the French school , be ganthe study of the Ita l i an compara t ive ly l ate i n l i fe , an d fl atte redh imse l f th at he had combin ed the advantage s of both . I do notl ike his sys tem , bu t I must own that i t has me r i ts , e spec i a l ly

( 32) Th is an t ic i pa te s the poin ts d’

arré t”int roduced

‘

a few yea rsago by t he French in to the é pée comp et ition s in Pa r is , and sin ce

.

mverso

a l ly employed, in var ious improved forms . to ass i st the judgesm scor ing encounte rs wi th the épée .

The Secon d E ven in g. 25

tha t of s imp l ic ity . (53 ) To ske tch e ven an outl in e would le adme dee p into unseemly t echn ica l it ies ; but I have made e xte ns ivenotes upon the subj ec t , wh ich , though st i l l in manusc r ipt , a re

e nti re ly at your se rv ice . The system has become gene ra l inUppe r It a ly

,whe re , howe ve r ,

“ hos t i le r en con tres”

a re nowadays usua l ly se t t led w ith the sabre . As the po int is f ree ly use d ,in add it ion to the e dge , noth ing can be more i l log ica l ; a curvedwe apon w ith a centre of pe rcuss ion thus t akes the p l ace of thes t iff , s t r a ight sword , not the bent w i re of the Frenchman, whos espe c i a l i ty was the thrust . Pe rhaps broadsword is chosenbec ause i t is, ge ne r a l ly spe ak ing , less morta l than rap ie r, buti f so , why use the point ?

IX .

H as anyone in th is room eve r be en a t Bo logna , whe re the

L ambert in i, f athe r an d son , t each the can als m ista ?

I was the re l ast ye ar,

” answe red Shught ie , and you seemto forge t, or, rp e rhaps, you don

’

t kn ow , that Vit to r io, the so n ,

went to R uss i a i n June ,My d e a r Shught ie , why wi l l you be e ve rywhe re ? Why not

le ave us some p lace unv is ite d by “ Mas te r S . ,the gre at

tr ave l le r ” ? Howeve r, you w i l l correct m e i f I have wronglyapprec i ate d the “ City of the Lean ing Towe rs, the home of

'

Ach i l le Marozzo , the le arned inventor of a l l mode rn fenc i ng ,not to spe ak of the Carracc i and Dome ni ch i no, of Galvan i , an dof Mezzofant i .The re is a some th ing in the p res ence of Bologna th at so fte ns

the so u l ; a ven e rable , t ime -honoure d aspect, a more med ite va l

Tours, wh ich appe a ls to fee l ings not we a rable upon the s lee ve ;a solemn i ty of vas t , ru inous ha l l and immense des e rted a rcade ;a pe rsp ect ive of unfin ished church a n d med iaeva l p al ace , re l icsof the poe t ica l p ast, with its old -t ime qu ie tud e a nd pr iv acy ,which have p rojecte d themse lve s into the p ros a ic p re sent . Youwi l l find the t imbe r support s of the o ld E t ruscan temp le st i l ll inge r ing in these “ grand and awfu l t imes ” of ours . Youle arn w ith p leasure tha t you can los e yours e l f i n the long , l abyr in thin e s t re e ts , wynds , and a l leys , such contr asts w ith the

painful rect angul a r regu l a r i ty of New York an d Buenos Ayres .

The a rt ist ic Gree ks pre fe r re d s tr a ight l ines of thoroughfareinte rsec t ing on e anothe r ; but the y had a s the t ic re asons fo r t hep l an which led to the pr incip a l temp le , and they app l ied i t tothe i r m in i ature offic i a l towns , whe re i t must have comp are dp le asant ly w ith the l a rge , i r re gul a r suburbs beyond the wal ls .

( 33 ) Fencers of our gene rat ion w i ll remem ber the adm i rable ex

position of“m ixed play made by the Cava l ie ro P ini in the Empress

R ooms aga inst K irchhoffer, the French champ ion . The fo i l the

Fre nchman broke on P in i ’s breas t is pre se rved in the Sword Club, inDurham -street , Strand . A fragment of it fe ll a t the King ’

s feet in thehea t of the i r assault .

26 The Sen t im en t of}

the Sword .

The mode rns have adopted it, and , adapting i t to a vast sca le ,we have produced not a copy , bu t a caricature . Br iefly , to

desc r ibe the e ffect of the a r istocrat ic o ld c i ty , the rur a l cap ita lof the Emil i a,

” you have only to remembe r th at of Mancheste rand B irm ingham

,and to conj ure up into imag inat ion the d i rect

reve rse . I t is a noble med iaeva l cast le dwa rfing the brand -n ew

semi -de tached v i l l a .

“ True , 0 k ing ! But what ha s th is poe t ica l and unip a t r io t ic

d escr ipt ion to do with fe nc ing ?

Noth ing, I rep l ied, my Shught ie ; a liqu a ndo bonus dorm ita t .

Pardon aga in !

Blasco Flor io a h ighly d ist ingu ished mod e rn wr it e r (1828)on the us e of we apons , thus ske tche s w ith a mast e r hand the

cha racte r ist ics of the seve ra l schools, a n d, though the ide a is thes ame , ye t a l l vary l ike the phys iognomy a nd the l anguage ofthe i r d iffe rent races . I w i l l not adopt the ugly mod ificat ions ofLambe r t in i .

Of the Span ish schoo l , he writesThe Span ish schoo l , ne glect ing a l l e legance , an d re su lt less

expend iture of fo rce ; with a p l a in , t rue guard ; w ith the bodywe l l po is ed , a n d with the arm whol ly exte nded towards the

obj e ct of a im ; with a l l the se l f -cont a ined grav i ty and thoughtfu l se r iousnes s p rope r to an act ion wh ich rep res ents the Due l lo ;handl ing a sword with a mos t so l id blade a n d a she l l -h i lt a rmedwi th cros sbars ; abandon ing e ve ry movement wh ich savours ofthe cu t ; th is system , I say, loo ks only to de fend ing i tse l f , and

to offe nding by the shortest, the mos t cove red, and the mos tcautious ways with the le as t possib le outl ay of st rength a n d

with the le as t was te of space . Unhapp i ly,th is noble and most

ancient schoo l m ay now be sa id to have d ied the de ath ; mode rnSipan i a rds u se the French s ty le .

Of the Ital i ans we re adTh is system may be d iv ided into three we l l -marked

branches . The re is (1) the I ta l i an , p rope r ly so ca l l-cd , an d

extend ing throughou t the Pen insul a ; (2) the Ne apol it an be longsto the so uth ; a n d (3) the S ic i l i an is pe cu l i ar to the gre atTr inacr i an Is l and. F lor io asse rts that the Ital i an schoo l of hist ime happ i ly ble nded, a s was the characte r of the nat ion , F renchvivac i ty w ith Span ish grav i ty , wh i lst its we apon and it s guardshe ld the j u ste m i l ieu be tween those two extreme s of rac i a lcharacte r . The Ital i an p roper a ims at co ve r ing the shorte std istances with the le ast expe ndi tu re of st re ngth , an d at touch

( 34) The works and ed i t ions of th is wri te r be twe en 1820 and 1866 fill

one a nd a ha lf pages of Mr Car l Th imm ’

s Bibliography of Fenc ingand Due ll ing Burton quotes from his Discorso sul l

'

u t il i ta della

Scherma ( l s t ed it ion . La Sc ienza della Scherm a appea red in1844 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

28 The Sen t im en t of t he Sword.

(vi . , 42) .is a lso pe rfect, and in Can to x ix . ,11, he shows all

the finesse of ar t

E con la spada sua ta Spada trovaNem ica , e

’

n disviarla usa cg m prova .

Again,of fe int ing (vi . , 42)Or qui fer ire accenna, e posc ia al-trove ,

Dove non m inacc io, fe r ir s i vede ;

The dynamics of the sword ,” t ime , d ist ance , fo rce , an d

ve loc i ty , are we l l e xpressed i n the due l betwee n the noble

Ita l i an an d the fierce Circass i an (xix , 11)

E di corpo Tancred i ag ile e sc ioltoE d i man ve locissimo e di piede

Sovrasta a lui con l’

alto capo ,e molto

D i grossezza di membra Argan te eccede .

Compare with vi . , 42

Oiascuno a i colpi moveLa des tra , a i guard i l

’

occh io , a i pass i il p iede ;Si reca in a t-t i var i , in guardie n ove ;

We fin d e ve n the use of the “ he lo ”(h a ! ) cal led in mode rn

It aly da r de l le voc e ”(v i . ,

Con la voce la spada ins ieme estolle ,

and the pre paratory e xtens ion movem ents before the combat

(sto ccat a a l l’ar i a) , whe re Argante

Nuda ha. la spade , e la solleva , e scote ,

Gr idlandio, e l’

ar ia e l’

om lyre invan percote ( vn .

,

an d the pr im itive pract ice of str ik ing w i th the pomme l

(xi i . , 56)E p in r istretta

Si fa. la pugna : e Spada opt a'r uon giovaDans i co

’ pom i , e infe llon it i e crud i .

We can hardly wonde r th at the “ i ncomparable Ta sso ’

s

due ls a re length i ly quoted i n every It al i an “Tr attato ,

”and

that Baron R osa ro ll (1805) (35) boasts h imse l f to be a pup i l ofTasso .

”The unhappy poe t wa s a pract ical man as we l l a s a

theor i st . In his biography (Giov . B-atta Manse , Chap . x i .

Ven ice , 1815) we re ad how he de fende d h ims e l f s i ngle ‘ hande daga inst four brothe rs ; how he wounded two ,

and how probably he would have put the re s t hors de com ba t had the

popul ace n ot inte rfe red . (36)

(35) Scorza R osaroll author (w i th P ie tro Griset t i) of La Scienza de lleScherma , 1805

, Mi lano (de n fold ing plates ) , a nd of Tra t ta to de lla

Spadancia o sia del la Spada Larga , 1818, Napol i .( 36) The fol lowing a re trans lat ions of the mos t importan t of the

above passages from Gerusal emme Li’bera tiz

St i ll pa rrcy ing stroke w i th stroke , be tr iedAll po ints of sk i ll to turn the assai-l img sword as ide .

—J . H . WHIFFEN x ix ., 11 .

The Secon d E ven in g 29

To resum e our notice s of the schoo ls . Conce rn ing the

Scherma Se tte nt r ion a le ,”we re ad

Fenc ing,be ing an » indvigen , so to speak ,

of the tempera te cl im-es ,

whe re we find great mob i l i ty, qu icknes s, an d read ine ss of body a nd

m ind , shows that of the extremes . The man of the north , hav ingstrong muscles and an equable tempe r, the re sult

,says Caban is , of

grea t cold , shows b ll lt feeble a nd de pressed sens ib i l i t ies . H ence he

shows fe int ing, rapid i ty of act ion,and e last ic ity of movement ; nor

can we say that the Tcuton s or the Scand in av ians have any schoo l ofthe i r own . The i r proper exerc ises are those of the he ro ic ages ,

wres tl ing and pug i l ism , wh ich comb ine few corporeal movements withwe ight and grea t exert ion of? thew an d s inew. Those few wh o studyfenc ing have wholly adopted the French school . In London , howe ve r,a sa lle was Ope ned by th e famous Anton io F rancolan za , of Ca tan ia ,

the last de sce ndant of the we ll -known Sic i l ian fenc ing mas te r . InGe rman y a nd H ungary, a nd gene ra l ly in the prov inces border ing uponTur key , the favour ite weapon is the sabre , and the people have beconwmos t dexterous in its use .

The F re nch system is thus descr ibedThe French fencer

,armed w i th a blade lack ing she ll a nd cross

bars , is unable to adopt some attacks and not a few de fences ; hemust eve r come to the pa rry , an d in order to ease h imself he mustcarry the body and the right a rm eccentr ical ly curved . By way of

l ighten ing h is wea pon as much as w ible , he holds i t l i ke a stick ;hence h is style , ignor ing economy of space , is fi tted ra ther for cutt ingthan for thrust ing . He is obl iged , an d often inepport une ly,

to

ge t with in measure ; to lose the advantages of t ime an d sang-from,

a nd consequen tly to m iss the proper object of fenc ing , to touch a nd

not be touched .

Cl ose at h is surest ward ea ch warr ior l ieth ;He w ise ly gu ides h is hand , h is foot , h is eye ;

Th i s blow he provet-h , that defence he tr ie th ;He t raverse th ,

re t ire th , pre sse th n igh ;Now s tr i kes he cut , and n ow he fa ls ifie l-h ( fe ints) ;Th is blow he wa rde th , that he lets s l i p by ;

And for advantage oft he lets some partD iscovered seem ; thus art del ude t h a l

' t — FAIR FAX , v i . , 42 .

R a is ed with his vo ice h is sword a loft —Bon n , v i . , 42 .

Tancred of body act ive was , an d l ight ,Qu ick , n imble ,

ready , both of hand an d foot ,But h igher by the head the Pagan Kn ightOf l imb fa r greater was , of hea rt as sto ut .

Tancned la id low and trave rs’

d in h is fight ,Now to h is ward re t ir d an d 110W st ruck out .

Oft w i th h is sword h is foe s fie rce blows he broke ,And rather chose to ward th an bear h is stroke .

—FAIR FAX. x ix , 11 .

No room have they to fo in ,no room to lash ;

The i r blades flung back , l i ke but t ing rams they bound ,

F ight w i th the h i lts , w i ld , savage , rag ing , rash ,

And sh ie ld at sound ing sh ie ld , and he lm at he lme t dash .

—B0 nN, x i i . , 56 .

0 2

30 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

I n h is frankness an d good fa ith he falls into the Opponen t ’

s sn ares ,

and thus he loses the meed of subtle ty , of toil ing art by art .

”

F inal ly , cons idered w i th respec t to t he pnett in ess of its movements , the

rhythm a nd man n er ism of its pract ice , an d the att itudes of its guardand other act ions, h is assaults

,instead of imaging the due l , resolve

themse lves into a ga llant show of ce remony wh ich borders upon ther id iculous .

Th is ce lebrated passage ha s bee n much commented upon , an d

i t can hardly be cons ide re d f a i r . The F rench do not,

an d

n eve r did, u se th e i r swords l ike st icks ; i n f act , a rt ificia l ity ha s

eve r be en,t i l l l ate ly , the i r mai n de fec t . “ Parm i nou s ,

l’

adre sse trop re che rchée dans l’us age des a rmes , dont nous

nous se rvons a l a gu e r re , e st devenue r idicu le ,”

says Monte squ ien . Of the v ivacity of the i r attack we have a nc ient tes t imony : Propr ium gal l ican i usus pugnare cas s im ,

”a n d long

ago it was remark ed of the Gaul

I mipe to fu n e l le t ut t agl ie pr ime

Ma. d i leggie r poi langue e s i re pr ime .

In Mont a igne ’s d ay the F re nch s tud ied a rms in Ita ly a n d

s ince that t ime they h ave often tr ied to“n apo lit an izza rs i .

”

The o ld French guard bore two -th i rds of the we i gh t on the

le ft leg, an d the body s l ightly thrown back , an imm ense e r ror ,which we h ave pe rp etuated to the pr ese nt day. In lunging ,

aga in , the r igh t h and was h e ld h igh above the he ad,re nde r

ing i t n ecessary to loose n the two smal le r finge rs a n d r isk ingan easy disarm . Of course , the schoo l had first -r ate fence rsde sp ite al l the se disadvant ages ; but I may a sk

,what would

the y have been w ith out al l these se nse less compl ic at ions of theo ld c l ass ical school ?

XII .

The re a re phas e s i n the mode rn F r ench syste m whichrequ i re some a l lus ion . The fi rst is fencing cons ide red i n the

l ight of a grace ful rathe r than a manly exe rc ise ;“ a school of

deportme nt,”

a s we re the unive rs ities , the l ine al offspring of thesa l le . I have se en old Ange lo (38) at Oxford bring his foi l to the

( 37) We trave l into Ital ie to learn s the art of fenc ing, an d prac t i se i ta t the cost of our l ives before we know i t ; i t were requ i s i te , accord in gto t he order of true d i sc i pl ine , we shou ld prefe rre the theorike beforethe pract ikc. We be tray our a.ppre n t issa .ge .

— F lor ie ’

s Mon ta ign e , i i . , 37.

( 38) Th is would be Hen ry Angelo the younger ( 1780 fen c ingmaster and super intendent of sword exerc i se in the army , son ofHe n ry Ange lo the e lder ( 1760 author of the R emin iscen ces (1830 )a nd Ange la

’

s Pic-n ic and head of the academy from 1785 , andgrandson of the or iginal Ange lo (1716 a lias Domen ico AngeloMa levolt i Tremamondo , who Opened h is fenc ing school in Soho ( 1759)a nd publ ished in 1763 L ’

E cole d’

Armes . I n 1770 the sai ls d’

a rmcs wasat Carl is le H ouse , overlook in g Soho-square ; then was moved to OperaHouse-bu i ld ings , H ayma rke t ; next to Old Bond -s t reet ; and final ly ,

byH enry Ange lo t he youn ger to St . James ’

s -stree t (1830 -1896)— t heprem ises now occupied by Sandow .

The Secon d E ven in g. 3 1

salute , an d,bowing profoundl y to some unde rgr aduat e wi ld

from the woods, pronounce with magiste r i a l emphas is,

“Th is ,

sir , is an academy of pol i teness a s we l l as of arms ! ” Fe n c

ing was cons ide red an “e legant appendage to a gymn as i um .

It had its rules l i ke the count ry d ance or the quadr i l le , an d

a l l éca r ts we re put down as bad taste . Indeed, its n atu re was

almost chorograph ic, it s combinat ions a nd int e rlac ing move

ments , pure ly a rt ific i a l an d in a rt ist ica l ly showing art , made

the glor ious exe rcise look t r i v i al and efi'

em in a t e . I t s h ighes tdeve lopments always suggeste d a te rr ific comba t de theatr e

on the French stage— for the E ngl ish,wi th r are except ions

,

have pre fe r red the h ange r , use d l ike a walk ing st ick for

thr ash ing ” purposes . H ow popul a r the same Jud ici umDe i

”s t i ll! is in Par is, we may j udge from the fact that M

d’

E n n ecy, who wr ites dramas for the Po rts Sa in t-Martin , cone ludes 198 with sword

,168 with p istol , ten with h atche ts , and

e i ght with kn ives, thus showing the comparat ive f avour an d disf avour of the we apon s ; and when a Frenchman would descr i beangl ing , he n atura l ly re presents i t a s

“ a due l be tween th e

man an d the fish .

”

“ At any r ate , inte r rupt ed Seaton,i t doe s the i r ar t ists

a good t urn . Se e t he pe rfe ct t ruth of ‘ A Due l i n the Snow .

’

Our poo r fe l lows mus t dr aw upon a n o t too l i ve ly imagin at ion .

In on e of the i l lust r ateds I actual ly saw two me n represente dat the Bois de Vincenn es , whe re the re is le ss pol ice th an inthe Bois de Boulogne , prepar ing for bus i ne ss . And how do

you th ink t hey stood on guard ? In pr ime , faughTh is was spoke n w ith ine ff able contempt . I resumed . As

i n the rhythmical the at r ica l due l , the express ion of fencing wasfound i n a s e r i es of fam i l i a r pase s , parr ies, an d r i postes ; i nme thodical advan cin gs an d re tir in gs , an d, gene r al ly in profound vene ration for academica l lege nds . The fi rst pr inc i p lewas the e levat ion of the hand— la m a in hau t e— in orde r thatthe for t e of the blade might the ore t ical ly command the foible

of the adve rsary ’s . If you butto ne d your opponen t a dozentimes , car rying the hand in lunge lowe r than the he ad, youwe re a tir eu r a m a in basse e t a bra s ra ccou rci . Anothe r MedoPe rs i an law was n eve r to touch above the shou lde r bl ade nor

be low the waist ; you passed what wou ld have be en a mortalthrus t to the th roat or to the stomach ; the adve rsary said, not“ touche t ” but “ trop has ! ” or “trop h aut !” I sh al l ret urn

to t his “prec ious r idicu le .

”

Which is the esse nce of first -r ate swordsmansh ip , sa id the

ind ignant Se a to n , who cou ld n o longe r ke ep s i lent .

The seco nd aspect of fenci ng repre sents i t a s a sc ience to be

studied in al l its de t a i ls , to be que s t ioned for it s sec re ts , to

be reduced in to a regul ar system . Lik e al l sc ience s, th is

demands spec i al gi fts , an d without a pecu l i ar organ is at ion andc 3

32 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

a grace of intu i t ion , the pr iv i lege of the heave n -born swordsman

,a ided an d worked out by conscient ious study and im '

pe r ic us l abour , constant w itha l an d un in te r rupte d, no mancan expect to arr ive at r eal an d remark able force . F ence rs ofth is ca l ibre have at al l time s been , and w i l l eve r be

,r are ;

such incontes table supe r ior i t ies show l ike gre at conste l l at ionsamongst

!

those stars, the j oli es forces cou ra n t es , the ave ragefirst -r ate rs . The l ast gene r ation of Frenchm en probably carr i edthe i r art to it s apogee , and i t would be e asy to quote a numbe rof unprofess ion al m en , who he l d the i r he ads h igh amongst themaste rs of the world.

The th i rd asp ect is fe ncing co ns i de red pure ly as the ar t ofdefending one se l f , an d of offendi ng the enemy . H e re the

t radi t ions of the sa ll es a re valued on ly as th ey su i t the stude n t ’sindi v idu al i ty ; he mod ifies them for an d to h imse l f

,inste ad of

doing , as his fath e r did, the reve rse . H e ruth le ss l y s acr ificesornament to uti l i ty ; he re j ec ts compl icat ion an d combin at ions ,the sup erflu it ies introduced by t ime an d profe ssors , which are

admirable with button-ed fo i ls , but wh ich fly from the point .

The play becomes a se r ious an d th re aten ing struggl e ; it s

cha racte r ist ic is the unfore se e n , l’

imp r évu , t o wh ich the fi rs tNapoleon attr ibut ed such myste r ious powe rs , a n d which has

e ve r s ince been the characte r i st ic of F rench— I may say

E urope an— pol i t ics . In ste ad of gr ace fu l p ass an d le arn edparry, blade m e e ts blade with rude v igour

,bent only upon

finding an unguarded spot . It is the f r ay , not the spo r t .It is a fight , the more impress i ve because sci ence offe rs heromnipotent a id , and her myr i ad re source s a re accepted onlyso fa r as they add to the powe r an d e ffic ie ncy of the man .

It is str ange ,” obj ect ed Lady B .

,

“ th at you E ngl ishmenbrought up abro ad can h ardly sp e ak of a foi l w ithout t ak ingoff it s button— mental ly and i nst inct i ve ly .

”

H ence , I cont inu ed, acknowl edging the remark with asal

’

am , the di ffe rence be tween the two m e thods, the anc ient

a n d the mode rn F rench system ,we wi l l cal l them .

The on e would prese rve in tact an d pure of a l loy, a s of p ro

gress the academical tr adi t ions of bygon e days ; a n d wouldt ouch or be to uche d, wou ld win or lose ,

l ike the o ld Austr i anmarshals, by norm a n d ru le . It re poses upon author ity ; it

ha s , l ike o th e r matte rs which shal l be n ame l ess , an infa l l ibi l i tyof it s own . It begs the world to st and st i l l

,because movement

is i rksome to i t . I ts mot to is , Thus f a r you shal l go, sir , an d

no fart he r . Like F ree Trade , it would be a benefi t to on e

a n d a l l , i f on e an d al l wou ld on ly adopt it— unfortun ate ly th eywi l l not .The othe r fl ies to the oppos i te extrem e , an d to a ce rt a in

e xte nt does we l l , bec ause extreme s de fine the so -ca l le d golde nme an .

”I t woul d. chan ge e ver ythin g

, th e bad to the good ,t he

The Secon d E ven in g. 33

good to the be tt e r , de sp i te th at subtle suggest ion of SatanOh , e xcuse m e l— l e m ieu x es t l

’

en n em i da bien . It look s uponal l that is o ld with susp icion

,as fitt ed for its own day

,unfi t

for ours . I t be l i eve s i n rea l ism,u t ilit ar ism , progre ss , de ve lop

me nt , and its d ev ice is Sic it ur ad astr a .

”

Thus was the fenc ing room a picture of mode rn soc ie ty,a miniature of the wor ld. F rom the days of Locke (39)the gre at mode rn school of thought, which practical ly make sactual sens ible expe rience , with its legitimate infe rence s

,

the sole source s of human knowledge , though excee d ing ly repu l

s ive to the major i ty of mank ind , has ste ad i ly ga ined ground .

( 39) The following is the locus class icus upon fenc ing from the grea tUt i l i tar ian

’

s work Of Educa t ion On t he whole , he seems

rather to d iscourage the. a rt for fea r of foment ing quarre ls and duels .

and the last paragraph shows that he did not foresee fencing wouldsurv ive due ll ing ,

As for fenc ing , it s eems to me a good exercise for he a lth , butdangerous to the l ife , the confidence of the ir sk i ll being apt to engagein quarrels those that th ink t hey have learned to use the i r swords .

Th is pres umpt ion makes them ofte n more touchy tha n needs , onpoints of honour, and s l ight or no provocat ions .

Young men in the i r warm blood are forward to th ink they havein va in learned to fence ,

if they neve r show the ir sk i l l a nd courage ina duel , and they seem to have reason . But how many sad traged iesthat reas on has been the occas ion of, the te ars of many a mother can

w i tness, A ma n tha t cannot fence w i l l be more ca reful to keep outof bull ies

’

and gamesters’

company , and wi ll not be hal f so apt tosta nd upon p unctil ios , nor g ive a ffronts or fiercely j ust ify them whengiven , wh ich is tha t which usually makes the quarrel . And when aman is in the fie ld , a moderate sk i ll in fenc ing rather exposm h im tothe sword of his enemy than secures h im from i t . And certa in ly aman of courage , who cannot fence at al l , and therefore w i ll put a llupon one thrust and not stand parry ing

,has the odds aga inst a

moderate fence r, espec ial ly if he has sk ill in wres tl ing. And the refore , ii a ny prov is ion is to be made aga inst such a cc idents , a nd aman be to prepare his son for due ls ,

I had much rather m ine shouldbe a good wrestler than an ord inary fencer ; vhich is the mos t agentl eman can atta i n to in i t , unles s he w i ll be constantly in t he

fenc in g school and every day exerc is ing . But s ince fenc ing a ndr id i ng the great horse are so ge nera lly looked upon a s necessaryqual ificat ions in the breeding of a gent leman

,i t w i ll be hard wholly

to deny an yone of that rank these ma rks of d is t inct ion . I shall leaveit

, therefore , to t he father , to cons ider how far the t em per of h isson

, and the stat ion he is l i k e to be in ,w i ll a llow or encourage him

to comply w i th fash ion s , wh ich , hav ing very l i ttle to do'

w i th c iv ill ife, were ye t formerly unknown to the most warl i ke nat ions , a ndseem to have added l i ttle o f force or courage to those who haverece ived them ; unless we w i ll th ink mart ial sk i ll or prowess havebe en improved by duell ing, w ith wh ich fencing came into, and w i thwh ich , I presume , i t w i l l go out of the world.

34 The Sen t imen t of the Sword .

The l abours of Hume , Adam Smith , Benth am , a n d John Stu artM i l l a re gradua l ly est abl ish ing ut i l i ty a s the te st of mora ls ,a nd the re fore of law, a nd the re fore of fe nc ing . An e ve rincre as ing success te nds to we ld i nto o n e mass our knowle dgeof phys ica l nature a n d our acqua intance with the mora l wor ld,

fe nc ing inc luded . F rance ha s br i l l i antly oppose d i t w ith the

ep i the ts of ignoble an d on e - s ided ; Ge rmany has se ve re lydenounced i t and sc ie nt ifica l ly attempte d re futat ion . In E ngl anda lso i t ha s se en many re act ions , a n d e ve n with in its l im its the rea re mighty controve rs ies as to the t rue nature and app l icat ionof it s pr incip le s . I ts be st supporte rs own that i t has ne ve rbee n , a nd ne ve r pe rhaps wil l be , popula r ; and ye t , s tr ange t osay,

i t advance s with g i ant st r ides , and it th re ate ns to makeexpe r imenta l ism a n d ut i l i t a r i an ism the f a ith of the c i v i l ise dwor ld .

Solemn s i lence No . 2 . It was not pe rhaps the pe rfecte sthe ra ld of j oy .

”

“ My op in ion is , quoth Se aton w ith e xt ra a sse rt ion,

“ thatthe art of arms is anothe r k in-g re t i red f rom bus ine ss— a poo rold Le a r s tung by his se rpent ’s te e th . The throne is a n ew

Towe r of Babe l — al l talk a nd bustle and no unde rstandin g . This

on e wants t o spe ak a pr i vate a n d part icul ar l anguage . The

ge ntle l ege nds a n d te stame nts of ou r gre at m e n on ly warm upthis mode rn van ity . We change about a n d whee l about, andcal l i t p rogre ss ; it

’

s the progre ss of the bl inde d came l t urn ingits mi l l . Th is de c l ine a n d f a l l of swordman sh ip is gre at ly thefau l t of the profe ssors . At fi rst t he y d isda ined the moveme nt .a n d then burst into r age when too l a te , somewhat l ike poorColone l Syke s and the Ind i a House . I t’ l l be the ru in of theart , an d n ow eve ry m an

’ll be his own art ist .

Sure ly you go too far , I inte rpose d whe n my sangu ine

a n d chole r ic f r iend s topped to recove r bre ath a fte r his commale ss burst of e loquence . You spe ak t rue , but n ot the whole

t ruth . E ven in the man i a of re volut ion , had you looke d intothe salle of my old profe sso r Pons (40) you would have found a

( 40 ) The ce le bra ted Professor Charles Pons ( 1793-1885 ) flour ished as a

ma itre d’

armes in Par i s , was teache r of the“ Cent Gardes of

Napo leon I I I and was the master of many we ll -known amateurs ,

i nc lud ing the Baron de Bazancourt . H is portra i t is given inL

’

Escrz’

m e F ra ncoise (May 20 , and his sa lle d’

a rmes ,

fi rst in the R ue St . Honoré , then in the R ue des

Pyram ides ,was t he first sa l le in Par is to be t urned into

a cl ub . It was subseque n t ly,

me rged into the Sa lle Mim iague ,

now in the R ue St . H onoré . pres ided over by the wel l -known ProfessorR oulcau

,ass isted by h is two sons . Adolphe and G eorges ,

the latte r ofwhom made so tine an assault wi th M . Cam i l le Provost in London att he Portman R ooms in 1899. Pons was run through the body by afoil a t an a ssault in London in 1840 , and on his recovery ded ica tedt he fo i l a nd the fenc ing j acke t he we re as an ew-voto in the Conventof the Annunc iat ion at Mentone (see a letter from his grand -nephew

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36 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

on its s ide . It a ims r athe r at recons t ruct ing th an at abol ish ’

ing ; i t would n ot suppre ss, i t would supp leme nt .H ear the vo ice of on e of it s maste rs (41)The t rue st rength of a swordsman cons is ts les s in the charmof his manne r , in the academic grace of his pose , i n the mag iste r ia l regul ar i ty of his movements , than in his j udgme nt , hisspontane i ty , and his qu ickness of attack and de fe nce .

When a fence r has once maste red the few fundament a l rulesupon wh ich his science , l i ke a l l othe rs , is based ;When his hand and a rm, i n pe rfect un ison w ith his body .

have acqu i red the prope r degree of muscu la r equ i l ibr ium ;

When h is s inews have le arne d the d i fficu lt task of app lyingthe exact force requ i red ,

ne ithe r more , wh ich wou ld throw h i ssword ou t of l in e , nor le ss , wh ich would de l i ve r h im intothe hands of his enemy ;When he app re c i ates the fu l l s ign ificance of what can be

e ffected by a s tep forwards or a s tep backwa rds ;When he is aware of the dange r incur re d by compound

a ttacks, and’ can re ly fo r s imp l e at t acks upon his h and and hiscoup d

’

osz'

l ;

When he has lea rne d what nature ha s g iven to h im andwhat she ha s re fused, whe re he is l ike ly to f a i l and how he is

l ike ly to succe ed ;Then , I say,

a l low h im to t ake the p ath to wh ich his inst incts

t end , a nd to u se accord ing to his insp i rat ion the f ru i t of his

studie s .

On the other hand , do not say to h imHe re is the narrow c i rc le be yond wh ich you sha l l not st i r , thef ata l bourne of a l l you r act ions, of al l you r ide as .

You fin d i t eas ie r , for some phys ica l re ason— I hop e nothe pat ic— to attack , parry , a n d r ipost, with the body bent for“

wards f rom the waist . No matte r ; s it st ra ight upon yourhaunche s l ike a mi l it a ry r ide r . A l lons , r edr essez vou s ! The

Academy s ays : Je n’adm e ts p as que d ans n u coup d ’armes

on doive porte r le corps en avan t ; ce tte pos i t ion es t dange reuse ,

inut i le pour atte indre son adve rsa i re , e t déf avorable pour se

re leve r d e l a j ambe d roi te apres avo i r at taqué .

” What can bemore contrary to common s ense ?Th is was more t han impat ient Se aton cou ld he a r . The

A cademy,”he cr ied ,

“ is not h a l f s e ve re enough upo n your m ad

f re aks . Th is is a French R evolut ion you p ropose— a me rerat io nal ism without t rad it ion , a break ing w ith the pas t and noeye t o the future . In pract ice we a l l h ave the f au l t of le an ingthe body forward . Loo k at the mass of e v ide nce col l ected byCapt . Geo rge Chapman (F oi l P r a ctice, die , pp . 14 You

( 41) T his is a free rend er ing from Bazancon rt’

s Secre ts dc l’

Eprfe

(F i rst even ing , Ch . v i i . , pp . 32-34 of Mr C . F . Clay ’

s translat ion) . Inhis preced ing three aspects of fe nc ing and elsewhere. Burton a lsofollows Bazancourt

’

s lead more or les s close ly .

The Secon d E ven in g. 37

would ra ise th is v ice i nto a v i rtue , you wou ld te ach it to yourpup i ls— you a re immora l , you a re dange rous .

”

We must both ke ep our own op in ions . But to resume my

quotat ionYou pre fe r to keep out of d is tance , a n d you find that a

close r approach p re occup ies you r mind , embarrasses yourthoughts, and subj ect s you to the surp r ise of a swi ft lunge ,which com -es upon you l ike a fl ash of l ightn ing . Not at a l l ;you must t ake y our pl ace with in the reco gn ised l im i ts— that is,with in re asonable re ach of the oppone nt

’

s we apon .

You fe e l yourse l f ove rwe ighted in the match ; your adve rs ary

has the be tte r of you in s t ra ight thrusts , i n dégageme nts , inuppe r—cuts (coupes ) , a n d in the more comp l icated att acks ;your sole de fe nce is to w ithdraw your bl ade f rom his , so a s to

leave h im no base of ope rat ions , as i t we re . On the contrary ,you must offe r h im your sword , i l fa u t don ner Ie fer . Such is

the ru le , such is the l aw ; on ly bad swordsmen and ferr a illeurs ,who thrus t w i ldly r ight a n d le ft , atte mpt to do othe rw ise .

Your hand ha s not the he ight of the cl ass ic fence r , you some

t imes th rust w ith a bent a rm , a n d you even st r ike low— ih the

stomach , fo r inst ance . Ce rta in ly in a due l noth ing cou ld be

more fata l , ye t the sa l les d’

a rmes te l l you that it is bad form .

The re fore the mis take mus t n o t be re pe ate d .

“ Amen quoth Se aton .

I suppress the d iscuss ion wh ich took pl ace upo n th is occas ion ,and I shal l do the same wheneve r the de bates , wh ich we re e ve rrecurr ing , f a i led to fix themse lve s upon my memory wh i lstwrit ing out my notes next morn ing .

XV .

All the se a re pre j ud ice s , pure a nd s imple . The assau lt isthe image of the fight ; i t is what d r i l l is to batt le . Only yourart ifici a l systems of a rms a l low

'

on e sty le i n the fe nc ing school ,anothe r in the fie ld . Such “

company manne rs ,”

as my nu rseca l led some th ing of the k ind, a r e not adm iss ib le . The y a re

shams, they a re snare s, the y a re de lus ions .

The natura l system , based, I have sa id, upon ut i l i ty and

expe r iment , a l lows eve ry man his l ibe rty of act ion . It does notpre tend nor atte mpt to te ach h im grace a nd ne atness of ex ecut ion , i f his inst inct a n d his ind i v idua l i ty find the se qu al i t iesfact i t ious an d fore ign . Le t you r pup i l form h ims e l f a fte r h is ownimage as far as you ca n with consc ience . I f you force h im tocopy , to resemble you , i t w i ll mak e h im only an e as ie r v ict imto a l l the or ig ina ls of vour trad i t iona l system .

As a maste r , i f you fence with h im ,t ake advantage of his

f au lts—’

t is the re adiest way of corre ct ing them .

As an adve rsary , i f you fin d his p lay dange rous , withoutbe ing p le as ant to the e y e , try to comb ine both advantages ;pe rhaps he may be induced to im itate you .

38 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

The s tudent of arms shou ld a t once be encouraged by the

amp le st l ibe rty in choos ing the s ty le which su its h im best . Youwi ll s ee i t d awn dur ing the fi rst hour afte r he has he ld a swordi n hand

, and it is so l i tt le poss ib le for on e man to t ake the j us tmeasure of anothe r man ! H ow often we con found with wildhobb ies and eccentr ic i t ie s th at wh ich does not sat isfy ou r ide as ,a l though i t ha s been founded upon the t rues t sc ience ; how oftenwe desp ise as the me re s t ignor ance the f ru i t of inte l l igent s tudy .

Someo ne has ca l led ind iv idu a l m a n the m icrocosm an d the resto f cre at ion the macrocosm . I fee l mys e l f the macrocosm .

R ank me taphys ica l he re sy , quoth Shught ie .

When you, O Seaton, find yourse lf hand to hand with thesesons of the n ew system , you doubt less know tha t they be long to

on e or the othe r of two spec ies .

The first . Your adve rsary has adopted his own and peculiarform of attack and d e fence ; af te r a cou rse of re asoning a n d of

se l f- examinat ion he has found what is bes t for h imse l f a n d whatis wors t for you . H e m ay have be en nurse d and fledged i n thesa l le d

’

a rmes, but he has whe tted and sharp ened his own beakan d t a lons , and i f you oppose h im w ith any academic bana l i t i esyou must expect to suffe r from p eck and te ar .The second. Your opponent acts without j udgment, be ating,

as it we re , the blades, whipping the air, making futilehalf attacks ; lunging when out of dis ta nce ; stoppingyou a t the moment most dange rous to h imse l f ; par ry ing, now

dul ly , then w ith a convuls ive force ; uns te ady in the le ft leg andne rvous with the r ight foot . In de a l ing w ith such pup i ls of the

mode rn or ind iv idual me thod you w i l l h ave no d i fficulty . The

pract ised chess p laye r, howeve r th i rd ra te , is a lways maste r ofun instructed gen ius , howeve r lofty . With your expe r ience an d

dexte r i ty you at once dr i ve h im into a corne r, a n d his i ns t inctswi l l p robably le ad the s i l ly b i rd i nto the fi rst g in wh ich youdraw from your pocket .With your . system ,

”cr ied Seaton

,I shall find nine of the

latte r to one of the forme r k ind .

”

‘

Tis the same with yours ! But beware of my tenth .

XVI .

H e re , then , l adi es and ge nt lemen , is the d i sputed quest ion ,the great quarre l of the two systems, the Artificial and the

Natura l . It is i nve te rate a s the Wars of the R ed R ose w iththe Wh i te R ose , an d i t much reminds m e of the oft -quotedShie ld with the gold and s i lve r s ides . I might on a forme roccas ion have fi tted it into its own l itt le n iche of ou r n inet een th century ed ifice , but th at you w i l l do more sa t isfactor i lyfor yourse l ves .

Th is t ime the expre ss ions of grat i tude we re warm e r and

The Third E ven in g. 39

the memory ; and a l low m e to thank you for the exemplarypat ience an d long -suffe r ing shown th is even ing :What w i l l the re be to -morrow ? Lady B . asked .

I can hard ly say. It is imposs ib le in such matte rs to fo l lowout a re gula r o rd e r, and the re a re ce rt a in d igres s ions wh ichhave legal r ights upon a speake r . And af te r say ing so muchupon the p r incip les of the schoo ls, the log ica l sequence wou ldbe the i r p ract ice .

“\Vha t ! log ic even in fenc ing ! ” sa id Lady Marga re t re

proachfu lly.

Logic i n eve ryth ing ; on ly le t us be care fu l to set upon a bas iscf its own the log ic of th ings as d ist ingu ished from the log icof words .

An “ Oh l ike a s igh we lcomed th is unhappy but emphat icobservat ion .

I s ee ,

” remarked Lo rd B “ that to -morrow even ing it wi l l

be man’

s fate to be a lone .

Solemn s i lence numbe r four . The con se nsus of those con

ce rned wa s st ronge r th an any express ed asse nt .

fl

A t any rate , I sha l l hope be fore long to hea r some th ingabout you r reg iment of Amazons ,

”sa id Lady Mary , the blonde ,

by way of softening the blow . But the face s of Se aton andShught ie we re sore to look upon .

The cosmopol ite , afte r the cand le s we re l ighte d a n d the doo rwas c los ed , growle d th r ice , p icked out a br i a r root , and re t i redto the darkest corne r , p romis ing to turn off the ga s with in aqu a rte r o f an hour . I le ft h im a lone without the Amazons .

TH E THIR D EVENING .

I .

DUR ING the day I ha d re flec te d upo n the e as iest a n d

neates t way of e xp l a in ing my me thod of s im p l ifica t ion

my conv ict ion th at s imp l ic ity a lone makes t he bel le ma n iere .

In my youth I had t r ied the same with cava l ry d r i l l,n eve r

be ing abl e to unde rstand why in thes e days, when a rms of p rec ision and rap id fire a re un ive rs a l , ranks shou ld be doubled .

From my own system of bayon e t e xe rc is e I had ext racted a fews imple movements , wh ich could be conta ined on a page of notep ape r , and ye t wh ich would enable the sold ie r to d e fend h imse l f aga inst most come rs . It is e v id ent that the s ame can be

done with fencing .

I I .

At last the smok ing party m e t , an d I address ed it f rom mycan e ~bot tom ed cha i rYou have be e n to ld that fenc ing , str ipped of its f act i tiousornaments an d f re ed f rom the l umbe r a n d rubbish of the sa l les

40 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

d’

a rmes , with the i r compl icat ed a nd i nnume rable d e ta i ls , is afa r e as ie r matte r to le arn than m en ge ne ra l ly suppose . The

process of s imp l ifica t ion is not n ew ; many wr ite rs recogn isedonly four e lementary pass es and p ar r ies , n am e ly , Secon de ,

T ierce , Carte , and Octave , to which some adde d a fi fth, Septime .

We may fu rthe r reduce the e lements to two , an d, do what wewi l l, we cannot extend them beyond fou r . L e t us t abu l ate themthus

1 . Attacks

(a ) Simp le at t acks .

(6) Compound at t acks .

2 . Parr ies

(c) Simp le p arr ies .

(d ) Compound or counte r p arr ies (pa radescon tre) .

thus we h ave the fol lowing

S imp le At tacksSTRAIGHT THRUST (e spec i a l ly i n ca rte with ar ight-handed man ) .D ISENGAGEMENT, or pass ing the po int unde r theopponent ’s blade .

The CUT OVER (taglia ta ,or pass ing the

po int ove r the blade

Compound AttacksONE , Two

The BEAT, fol lowed by stra igh t thrust .The BEAT, with disengagement .The liemen t, or B INDING the opponent’s swordfrom h ighe r to lower l ine .

S imp le Parr i esT IERCE (h igh l ine outs ide ) , when tole rably sure of

the adve rsary .

CARTE (high l ine i ns ide ) , when tole rably sure ofthe adve rs ary .

SECONDE . Carte basse (low ca rte ) .

Compo und Parr iesCOUNTERS o r dem icircles (ha lf c i rc les i n t ie rce and

carte ) .

FULL CIRCLES (e spec i a l ly us e fu l to the im pe rfectswordsman ) .

Th is ce rta in ly does not look‘

l ike the many -headed hydrawh ich is supposed to requ i re a He rcu les .

“Bu t you

’

ve for got ten ,

” int e rrup ted Char les , an imm e nsenumbe r of lunges an d parr ies . Hard ly poss ible to wr ite suchs tout fol ios as thos e upsta i rs on a s imple express ion l ik e th is .

”

Sa i d Shughtie : I se e tha t ou r neo logis t ic and prog ressi vef r i end has done what he proposed to do wi th th e San skr i t

The Third E ven ing. 4 1

de clens ions— reduce d them from te n to two or th re e , the rebyworse confus i ng the i r confoundedne ss .

”

“ Yes ,” added Se ato n ,

“his s imp l ic i ty has become s i l ly .

Can’t he se e that a var iety of moveme nts is the be st p ract ice

to atta in exce l lence in a few ?

I have forgotte n t hem with mal ice prepense , because Ibe l ieve them to be use fu l on ly to the te ache r , not tothe le arne r . I look wpon them a s part of the p rofes s ion , a n d

profess ions mus t l ive . J e n’

cn vois p a s la n ecessi té is hard ly af a i r re j o inde r to i l fa u t vi rre . The surgeon ofte n adv ises yout o p art w ith a leg or an a rm —d id you , by the by , eve r se e aon e - le gged or on e -a rme d docto r ?

III .

Bu t , suppos ing the te ache r to t e ach a l l thes e comp l icat ionswith bon a fides , as doubtless be ge n e ra l ly does , I then obs e rvethat they a re ca lcu late d only to embarrass the i nte l l igence of hispup i l . The more you s imp l i fy the me ans of act ion in t he u se

of weapons the more re ad i ly they a re le arned and the moree as i ly they a re execute d . Sure ly th is is se l f-evid ent , e ve n to

you , O Se aton !R emark , a lso , that I h ave g ive n you a ful l— pe rhaps an u h

ne cessar i ly fu l l— l ist of a ttacks, parr ies , a n d r ipos te s . Manymight re asonably be re t rench ed , because they a re me re modifi

cat ions o f the s ame movement .Thus

,for inst ance ,

“On e , two , is a co up le of s imp le d is

engagem ents, the fi rst executed i n the l ine of t ie rce , we w il l s ay,

an d t he second i n ca rte .

On e , two , th ree , pa r pa ren these, is becoming obsole te (1) onaccount of the r isk wh ich a lways accompan ies a comp l icatedat tack , g iv ing room for a t ime th rustThe battemen t (be at) an d s tr a igh t thrus t , aga in , is a s

ev ide ntly a comb inat ion . I do not m ent ion the froissemen td

’

ep c’

e or s l iding parry , wh ich is n ow used only in the p rel imina ry sa lute s . I t is a f avou r i te w ith schoolboys for d isa rming the antagon ist ; bu t on

“

the fie ld you cannot thru st at a manwith naked hand, and in the sa l le d

’

a rmes you a re bound , byc ourte sy , to p ick up his we apon for h im . Forme r ly , when fo i lswe re capped with le athe r , not w ith gutta -pe rcha knobs ,

some pue r i le d exte r i ty wa s a lso shown in lock ing the buttons

( 1) One ,two

, three lS ‘

Si lll largely used ih -

t he lesson , a nd fa irly.ften in the assau lt .

(2) A t ime thr ust ( coup de tempS) is an attack made w i th oppos it ionm a compl icated attack , and intended to

'

in te rcept the l ine ,when

such an attack is meant to fin ish . Ba dm inton Fencing.page 91 .

( 3) The froi ssemen t , on lroisse. is executed by rubb in g or scra pingone

’

s foil along the opponen t ’s .

42 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

a nd in screwing the fo i l out of the opponent ’s grasp . Disarmings

,i n fact , a re fi tte d on ly for the the atres . I may add th at

these and othe r me thods a lways fa i le d i f the fe nce r he ld the

nand le prope r ly . H e shou ld accustom h imse l f to f ee l h iswe apon wi th his l i ttle finge r an d it s ne ighbour . R emembe r ,a lso ,

that grasp ing the grip or putting any s trength in the- fore

fingers a n d thumb not on ly t i res the wrist , but a lso makes thepoint wande r . Some m e n have a t r ick of l ay ing the indexa long the handle , but I ne ve r found the i r fe nc ing good sty le ;i t is e ven adv ised by maste rs, who forge t that s tr a in ing the

muscles is the ch ie f re sul t of the e xce pt ion a l pos i t ion . At besti t can be us e fu l on ly to re l ie ve for a m in ute the s inews f at igue dby te ns ion i n on e d i re ct ion .

It would be be tte r, too, i f we sl ightly al te red the hilts ofou r swords . Throughout E urope the pomme l en d droops down ,when evidently it should be turned up so a s to fi t into the

commissure of the wr ist and g ive gre ate r leve rage . You w i l lsoon fin d th is out by cutt ing at an obje ct w ith a l l you r mighta n d miss ing i t ; i f you a re ho l d ing in your g love le ss grasp ano ld t op -he avy c ava lry s abre

,with its short , round handle , the

lat te r is sure to loose n th e hand. The cu t -ove r (coupe) , aga in,which should be done i n on e movem ent

,not in two, and with

blade whistl ing l ike a Wh ip, is me re ly anothe r form of the disengagement intended for the same en d, an d rece ived with the

same parry . You must n ot forge t that the fundamentals are

the straight thrust and the d isengageme nt, an d that the furthe r

you recede f rom th em the worse for you . Le t m e warn youve ry s tronglly aga inst a success ion of two or even three cuts -ove r

(coupes) , which raise the point from it s prope r normal pos i t ionopposite the adve rsary

’

s eye , an d whl ch offe r a tempting oppe rtun ity to a low thrust . You wil l find in the books fancy e volu

tions cal led coups de trois and even de qu a tr es mouvemen ts ; al lowthem to remain the re .

The liem en t de l’

epee , bind ing the bl ade ,l i ke the fla n con n ade ,

the cr ois é an d othe rs of the i r k ind,are valu able ch iefly when

the adve rsary keeps his point, a s some cautious m en wil l do,scrupulously d irected towards you, and pe rhaps exte nds his armwith the benevolent intention of making you spi t yourse l f.These seve ral twistings of the sword

,afte r engagement has taken

place , offe r the sol id advantage of holding down and commandmg his blade i f he pe rmits you to occupy it , and if you havemore muscle than he has, should he parry, as often happens,W i th the midd le or th e “ fee ble of his bl ade ,

you may fo rce in

( 4) Liemen t ( b ind ing the blade ) is executed by pass ing the po int overthe opponent

’

s sword w i thout los ing touch of h is blade, stra ighten ing

the arm and lung ing in one movemen t . w i th strong oppos it ion .

Flanconnade is the liemen t d’

octave . Croisé , or twis t , is br ing ing th eadversary

’

s bl ade from an upper to a lower l ine,when the other

’

s

nowt is too low—Badm inton Fenc ing,page 53 .

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44 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

gallant little snip would take no denia l . H e waited t i l l he saw

my point we l l out of l ine , and then he at m e , ducking his headl ike a charging bull , an d following his sword, which went fast

enough .It ran m e c lean th rough the wrist , an d, but for a

turn of‘

the musc le s, I might have had a spare inch or two inmy right breast . Afte r which he

‘confounded himse lf ’ in

e xcuses , and p le ad ed that i t was for the j us t ification of‘so n

honne ur .

’ I neve r fe l t so fool ish in my l i fe . My only pl an

was to t ie up my arm ,to pack up my box , to pay down my

mone y, an d to bolt be fore the town heard of the adventure

Bes ide s, it might have be en no j oke . Imagine what a death foran office r and a gentleman l

I resumed.

You will bear in mind that, throughout its attacks an d parries,the sword can fol low only these fou r l ines : 1, h igh l ine ( la lign eha n te, la l in ea a lta ) , thre atening the noblest parts of the body,the uppe r torso co ve red by the p l ast ron ; 2, low l ine ( la lign e

ba sse,la lin ed. ba ssa ) , the lowe r p art of the p las tron' and

“ be low

the be l t ” i n pugil ism ; 3, outs ide l ine (16 dehors , la l in en. d i fuor i) ,profess ionally called tie rce , which menaces the shoulde r a n d the

Hank ; and 4, inside l ine (Ie deda n s , la. l in ea di den tr o) or carte ,aiming at the bre ast and the stomach .

Thus, by reducing to its s imp le st express ion this imbrogl ioof technical te rms, of fe ints a n d double fe in ts, of true engagemonts an d false engageme nts, of menacés ”

and“coulés,

” of“oroi sés

”an d

“flan co n n ades ,

” of press ions ”an d

“dérobe

ments ”o f r epr ise s ”

a nd“ remises ,

” of parr i es an d ha l fparrie s, we obtain two distinct advantages , both equally to bevalued.

The pupil ’s mind se e s more cle arly the foundat ions of al lpractice , and can at once analyse any combination wh ich offe rsi tse l f . Th is is not so e as i ly done by our typ ical E ngl ish ruleof thumb , and the gr e atest en emy to e xce l le nce i n arms is

that hazy ide a of its princ iple s that satisfies so many students .

Furthe r st i l l . The han d refl ects the luc id i ty of the thought

in the pupil of a good school it ne ve r fal te rs ; i t goes straightto the poin t ; i t cannot str ay , and i t ga ins imme n se l y in free dom ,

readiness, an d faci l ity of execution . Hence result the five mostimportant qual ities, which repre sent the cardinal v irtue s of thesword. These are , i n due orde r of precedence :

Ne rve , a lza s pre sence of mind .

(5 ) Couié is gl id ing the blade a long the adversary ’

s w i thout pressureor scraping . Dérobemen t iis qu i tt ing the adversary ’

s blade by dronpmz the po int a few inches be low i t .( 6) I t is inte rest ing to see how Burton has been influenced in th is

part of h is subj ect by Baza ncourt’

s book ( see pages 44 -56 of Mr C . F .

C lay ’

s translat ion) .

The Third E ven in g.45

Judgment, e spec ially of distance , combined with sharp eye

s ight .

Quickne ss of movement in hand and body .

The tact of the sword nice sense of touch) , and

R egularity .

Combined in' a h igh degree of exce l lence , they form the com

ple te swordsman .

V .

Pres ence of'

mind I nee d hard ly e xp l a in . Judgment is

a te rm which make s you shr ink ; i t sugge sts , l ike common

sense ,”

spec ial gifts, trained and matured by long exper ience . I

me an by i t noth ing more than that ordinary amount of in te ll i

gence which ave rage m e n bring to whate ve r they do . E ach we l lreasoned le sson wil l add some th ing to your j udgment, and the

prec ision begotte n by pract ice wil l g ive i t the pe rfect ion of

wh ich i t is capable . Inde ed , the beginne r is advised n ot t o

preoccupy h imse l f w ith“ j udgment,

”as such process tends to

c loud the lucidi ty of thought .Judgment in arms displays i tse lf chiefly by distrust of the

adve rsary ’

s movements and by a wise prudence in your own ;

by div ining what is mos t l ike ly to de ce i ve him ; by the mute

inte rrogation of the sword, and by the j ust appreciation of diffi

cu lt ies, gene ral and special . I ne ed hardly te l l you that ahundred m en wil l show a hundred styles . Judgment of distance

is the great secre t of a ll hand-to-hand weapons, from the dagge rto the l ance . It must not be confounded with j udgme nt ofdistance a s taught in muske try schools, ye t both are maste redby the same proce ss— practice aided by theory and pe rfecte d byappl ication .

Quickness, mean ing n ot only of the hand, wrist , and forearm ,

but of the whole body, is undoubtedly an immense mer it , bothin the attack and de fence , the r ipost e an d the re tre at . “

Slowa nd sure

, chi va p ian o cu sa n o,do not apply to our art . The re

a re write rs who hold quickne ss to be the ve ry commencementof the fenc ing le sson, a s i t is the capital point of the fence r .List en to on e of the best I be l ieve tha t we mus t guardagainst the usual style of instruction, which consists in repeating ove r and ove r again , Go s lowly ; study quie tly the thrustsand parries ; attend to your pos it ion ; separate your movemen tsby mentally counting on e , two, an d so on ; don

’ t hurry ; quickness will come in due t ime .

’ It is doubtle ss use ful to trainthe hand by lesso ns w ith the pl as tron , but i t is not use fu lto train it in to s lowne ss . The pupil, afte r be ing made to unde rstand the mechanism , the analys is, an d the me aning of eachmovement

, should at once begin to practise it a s quickly andsharp ly as poss ible . A tardy,

‘dawdl ing ’

style is so con

ven ien t , and so seduct ive , by the fac i l ity with whi ch it e ffects

(7) Sec Bazancourt (Clay’

s transla t ion ,page 47, et

46 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

e ach movement, that it will soon react upon the j udgment andacquire al l the force of a habit, making inte ll igence idlene ss .

If,unde r pre text of train ing the hand and decompos ing the

movements, you al low this habit a chance of ex istence , you willsow the ge rms of a de fect which may presently become in

e radicable . It is your work to oppose it .

“When the child begins feebly to totte r ove r the ground,stumbl ing and threatening e ve ry moment to fal l, you do nottake i t in your arms ; you suppor t i t, but you al low it to walk .

By degre es the bones are strengthened, the u se of the muscle s islearned, an d the two -ye ar -old treads firmly as the young bird fl ie s .

“Such a ch i ld is the pup il . As his sc ie nce and e xpe r ie nce

grow in st ature , so wi l l many we akne sse s and de fe cts cas tthemse lve s off , a n d fina l ly they w i l l e as i ly be rect ifie d by re asonan d j udgment .

“ But qu ickne ss is pure ly a mechan ica l and mate r i a l p roce ss ,wh ich cannot be re asoned out , wh ich cannot be ana lyse d , wh ichca n be p roduced .

“Fe ed, the re fore , the fire ,

i nstead of a l low ing it to die outfor want of fue l .

“ Do you th ink that i t w i l l suffice to s ay at a g ive n moment ,Now do qu ickly what you have so long be en do ing s lowly“ I t is a n ew orde r of ide as t o wh ich you a re int roducing

your pup i l . Those a re f re sh obstacle s wh ich you oppose to his

progre s s .

”

I made the fi fth v i rtue R egu l ar i ty —a poor word for wan tof a better . You wi l l un de rs tan d by it the cons ens us , the

union , of a l l the bod i ly moveme nts, the corre sponde nce of theeye with the hand, for ins t ance , the supp leness of the wr ista n d fore a rm , a nd the cc - re l at ion of forces re qu i red . Th is

is e spec i a l ly the myste r ious g i ft wh ich d ist ingu ishes the goodshot , the bi l l i ard and quoi t p l aye r , the cr icke te r

,the t r ape ze

gymnast , a n d othe rs o f the s ame category . I t is born w ithman ; some have the i r p int

,othe rs the i r ga l lon , but few a re

whol ly w ithout i t , wh i lst those who po sses s the donum dei t o

a remarkable de gre e at once t ake the h ighes t p l aces i n the i rse ve ra l pursu its .

But though n a sci tu r n on fit , th is R egu l ar i ty is su sceptibl e ofgre at culture . I ts de ve lopme nt de pe nds upon da i ly stud i esconducted unde r t he care fu l eye of the mast e r . The le asttende ncy to assume a bad habit— n ot those so ca l led in t he

sa l les d’

a rmes , but a hab it wh ich does not be long to the pup i l’

s

ind iv idua l i ty— shou ld be poin te d out , comme nte d upon , a n d

corrected . I t is hardly f a i r to e xp ect th is amount of t ime an d

trouble f rom‘

the ave r age te ache r , who afte r a ce rta in num be rof ye a rs must fin d the ave rage pup i l exce ed ing ly flat and s t a le .

But the s tude nt ca n , a s usua l in a l l s tud ie s , do much forh imse l f— te n , in fact , to Mr Profes sor

’s on e . H e wi l l . a s a loc ke r

The Third E ven in g. 47

on when oth e rs a re tak ing the les son,ca re fu l ly note the i r

de fects a nd obta in the i r measu re by compa r in g them with the

mast e r . H e wi l l app ly these obse rvat ions to h imse lf a n d

eas i ly hit upon the way of cure . Th is, to o ,is the bes t t re at

me nt of t r icks such as tu rn ing the toes i n or out , open ing themouth

, st iffe n ing the finge rs of the le ft hand , squar ing the le fte lbow , an d so on . But the pup i l must not be too ped ant ic withh imse l f. The r ight foot

,for ins tance , by academical rule ,

should be p laced s tra ight to the f ront . I f he le arn that he

ga ins base a n d st rength by a t r ifle of dev i a t ion , why shou ldhe not do so ? I have found i t a good p l an at t ime s to p ract isebe fo re a p ie r -gl ass .

It is e arly in the e ven ing, Lord S. said, and I shouldmuch l ike to se e you put your pract ice into action .

”

Wil l ingly , repl ied I . As a volun tee r te ache r of sundr yfr iends my proc e ed ing has been as fol lows : For the fi rst monththe t ime requ i red is ha lf an hour a day . p rov ided tha t the reis noth ing to unte ach . Afte rwards th re e ha l f hou rs a wee ka re suffic ient . The e ar l iest les son s a re de voted to e xp l a in inga n d demons t rat ing the cap ita l import ance that res ide s i n themutua l de pendence a nd in the pe rfe ct e qu i l ibr ium of t he

movements ; i t is, in f act , a n e ssay o n‘ re gu la r i ty .

’ I makemy ne ophyte s tan d on guard, adv anc e an d re ti re , l unge an d

recove r h imse l f w i th ap lomb and w ithout cross ing— that is tosay, p laci ng t he r ight foot out o f l ine , the d i rec t ing l ine , t hel ign e dir ect r ice , the Ge rman G e/ech ts l in ie ; oth e rw ise he wi l lsure ly stumble , and pe rhap s f a l l . The de fect is somet ime sfound in exce l lent fence rs, and whe n chron ic i t cannot becured.

“ What is the d i rec t ing l ine ? aske d se ve ra l voice s .

The pe rpe n dicul ar dr awn from the le f t h ee l of a r ighthande d m a n through the hee l a nd toe s of the r ight foot ,to be p re se rve d both irf guard an d dur ing the l unge . The o ld

ru le was to se t off at r ight angle s f rom the base,formed by

the le ft foot . We mode rns are more l ibe ra l ; some a l ign theforward he e l w ith the ho l low of the othe r foot , an d othe rs ,I myse l f included, with the ank le bone .

The most ord in ary in te l l ige nce wil l le a rn by these fi rst le sson sthe me chan ism of the var ious pos i t ions and act ions—a mechan ismbased upon the nature an d inst inct of ou r organ i sat ion .

Try the e xpe r ime nt upon Char les, Lord S . suggeste d .

I would rathe r not . H e has a l ready,he te l ls m e , taken

a few lesso ns . I want someo ne who is utte r ly innoce nt offe nce . I f the R e v . Mr O’

Ca llaghan ha s no obj ect ion to be

use d as a demons tr at ion , he wi l l be my cho ice .

Mr O’

Ca llaghan , curate and chap la in, was a born spor tsman ,

a lthough bred to a bl ack c loth . H e gave l augh ing ass ent ,

48 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

remark ing , howe ve r , tha t he wou ld p robably be a ve ry

awkward e xample . _

I repl ied, Pe rh aps so ,dur ing the firs t qu art e r of a n hou r .

Such is the common law, and none may c l a im immunity f romit

.Jose ph ine he rse l f can hardly have made gr ace out of the

goose -step . Please to loo k at m e an d to place yoursel f onguard . Th is word a lone e xp la ins the e n d and obj ect of the

p roces s .

To be on gua rd, to gu ard yourse l f , that me ans to assum e

t he prope re st pos i t ion for de fence and i ts complement , offence .

Now that the he e ls a re p arted by the prope r d ist ance , say

two foo t-le ngths ; of course i t d iffe rs wit h e ve ry man . Ben d

your kne es ; in o the r words , s it , as i t we re , without s i tt ing

down —so . You must expect the pos it ion to cramp you at fi rst,so wou ld a few mile s of sadd le -work afte r a ye ar of wa lk ing .

Bu t the more you bend the spr in g, the gr e ate r w i l l be the recoi l ,an d the more sudde n an d r ap id wi l l be your moveme nts .

Your r ight arm acco rd in g to the sa l les should be ha l f bent ,be cause ove r - te ns ion of the musc les would fat igue i t . Afte ra t ime you w i l l choose your own me asure . As a gene r a l ru le

in the F rench school the pomme l of you r sword is oppos i te the

r ight bre as t, with the point to the adve rsary ’

s eye . In th is

pos it ion i t ca n mos t e as i ly be brought t o cove r a l l the l ines

wh ich re qu i re watch ing . Late r on — if you de te rm ine t o be asword sman— you w i l l a l low the pe nchants a n d i nst incts of yourorgan isat ion

,the conven ience of s ight , for inst ance , to mod i fy

the se academic d ict a . The important po int is to p rese rve the

ap lomb of t he body and to u se the l imbs e as i ly w i thout gen e ors t i ffness .

I now advance upon you . You natura l ly re t i re . To do

th is a n d to ke e p your d ist ance t he re is on ly o n e way . Youmove back the le ft foot more c r

‘

les s , a n d you a l low the r ightimmed i ate ly t o fol low it . I a lways ins ist at fi rst upon a fu l lstep , not a k ind of shuffle backwards , a s i t is o n e of thebe ginne r ’s d ifficult ies . Stam p , p le ase ! It w i l l g ive rhythm to

your move -ment an d e nsure a good pos i t ion .

I n ow r et i re ,an d you advance upon m e . It is the s ame

ope rat ion , only re ve rsed . Do not r a ise the fe e t so h igh, youwaste t ime ; nor ye t d r aw it a long the ground , wh ich m ightcause a s tumble . You w i l l fin d advanc ing much e as ie r thanre tre at ing . An d, aga in , a s a beginne r , a lways st amp ; it makesthe body s it fi rm a n d mot ionle s s on the le ft .Br avo ! You move l ike a profe sso r . Bend your kne esa l itt le more , a n d when you pract ice a lone— for I se e that youw il l be a swordsman— be nd them a s much as poss ible . The

academic l aw is that the kne e should be on a p lumb - l ine withthe inste p . As regards the le ft leg, a st r ing d ropped f rom the

h ip bone should fa l l a long the th igh,the oute r kne e , the lowe r

leg, a n d the ank le bone . Few m e n go be yond or outs i de of

The Thi rd E ven in g. 49

th is imag inary pe rpend icu la r ; many in s ide h tha t is to say, t he

knock -kne ed fe nce r is more common than the bow - legged . Botha re f au lts , bec ause they t ake f rom the powe r and sp r ing ofthe lunge ; but they a re mos t ly matte rs of organ isat ion , a n d

cannot be a l te re d w ithout a d amag ing p rocess .

The rule for the body is to be bo l t upr i ght upon the h aunche s ,e as i ly a n d without st iffne ss . I f , howe ve r , you fe e l i nc l ine d

to bend , bend forward ; but n eve r backwa rd— the system ofthe old Fre nch school . Whe n t he body is ca rr ie d to the f rontyou w il l of t en s ee the mas te r l ay down h is fo i l an d se t the pup i lup l ike a sculptu red torso w ith bo th hands . Th is is d anc ingmaste r ’s fe nc ing . The re is no harm in the forward pos i t ion ;i t does not incre ase e xposure , be cause t he angle which itassume s d im in ishe s the are a of surface , a nd to a ce rt a in e xtentprote cts i tse l f by g iv ing add i t ion a l t rouble to the adve rs ary

’s

po int . I t is a lso a so ve re ign remedy aga inst low th rusts . Onthe othe r hand, bend ing backwards is an absolute de fect ; i t is

ru inous to a l l qu ickne ss , both in attack a n d i n r iposte . Be s ides ,i t a lways e xpose s you to a t ime thrus t . Do you fee l t i re d ?

So much the be tte r . I t shows that your pos i t ion is e asyan d natu ra l ; tha t the muscle s a re not cont racte d ; and thatcramps do not p ar a lyse your movements . You w i l l not forge tto ke ep your le ft shou lde r we l l to t he re ar so a s to show on lya profi le to the adve rs ary . In due t ime you w i l l be able to

t ake some l i be rt ie s i n thi s matte r , and,indee d, the re a re firs t

rate fence-rs who show two th i rds of f ront ; but t hese a re m en

whose we l l - tr a ine d muscle s obe y l i ke l ight n ing e ve ry orde r ofthe bra in , a n d who ca n esc ape the th rust by an a lmost impe rce p t ible amount of shr ink ing . A nd, remembe r

,shou lde r a lways

low, an d no e xtr a s tren gth appl i ed to i t , or you w i l l“coun te r

f rom the shoulde r ” and str i ke wi th your point the groundinste ad of the adve rsary .

Such , then, is the pos ture of de fence . R es t you rse l f wh i ls tI pass to the offens ive part .

You might attack your adve rsary by runn ing into h im ,

a s happened to ou r f r ie nd Se aton , or by a sp r ing , a buckj ump , l ike the

“Turcos ” in P u n ch, w ith

‘

both legs to the

fore . I once saw an exce l len t swordsman su rp r ised i ntobe ing touche d by th is s im ia n p roce ss

,but the u sua l , nay ,

the invar i able , pl an is sharp ly to lunge— that is , to shoot ther ight foot f rom gua rd som e 18in . forwards , shav ing the ground ,

an d s imu ltaneous ly to s t r a ighte n a n d s t i ffen , not to h a l fstra ight en , a s the id le apprent ice ofte n w i l l , your le ft leg. Donot make any fa lse movements with the r ight fe e t be fore youadvance i t . Th is is ca l led in te chn ica l l anguage tr icher , and

D

50 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

i t warns the adve rsa ry o f your in te ntion . R emembe r the goldenru le of the l unge —two moveme nt s

,n ot on e . The fi rs t : R a ise

the r ight a rm , dep re ss ing at the same t ime the le ft . No . 2 :

Move the r ight foot and e xtend the le f t leg. I f the fi rst p re ce dethe se cond your a im w i l l be wi ld . Make your p ass eve n an d

re gu la r , as i f car ry ing a gl ass of wate r t o your adve rs ary ’s

bre as t . The be tte r to confi rm the l unge ,I ofte n t e ach t he

demie - al longe— the r igh t arm r a ised as to make th e pas s , thele f t leg e xt ended W i thout furthe r movement .At fi rs t you must be ca re fu l to ke ep the le f t fee t fi rmly on

the grou nd ; i t is ap t to tu rn a n d to d rag a n i nch or twoforwa rds

,wh ich , bes ides hav ing a s love n ly look , a lte rs your

d is tance without your be ing aware of i t . When lung ing,re st

upon the maj or arch of the le ft foot , formed by the he e l an dthe cush ion beh ind the big toe . Th is fi rm base g ive s immobi l i tyto the le f t leg,

which is apt to be shak en by the v igorouste ns ion of the how. The cap of the r ight knee bone must bepe rpend icu la r to the instep , or , i f you p re fe r i t , to the toe -t ip ,

as the schoo ls d i re ct .Wh e the r your a tt ack be simple or compound, eve r remembe rwhat I he re re pea t : The movement of po int an d ban d, toge the rw ith the e xte ns ion a n d e le vat ion of the a rm , m ustmthough a lmost impe rce pt ib ly , the act ion of the body a n d the

le gs . Th is is an invar i able ru le . I f your lowe r l imbs beg in themove you lose equ i l ibr ium ; your l unge wi l l g i ve not ice t o theadve rs ary, and your point wi l l wande r f rom the mark . Gre atfe nce rs some t ime s reve rse the p roce ss by way of tou r de force .

The poin t i n the French schoo l shou ld be l an ced out, as i twe re , and be wi thdrawn insta ntly, l ike the cat’s c laws. An d

do not forge t th at the reco ve ry ,”the re t urn to gua rd, mus t

be a s prompt and sudden as the l unge . You have f a i le d in yourswoop ; l ike the hawk , you a re i n a pos i t ion of the gre atestd ange r f rom the hem , a n d t he soo ne r you re t i re f rom it thebe tte r . Noth ing can be worse than a s low and dawd l ing ”

ret re at , wh ich e ncourage s the enemy to attack you wh i lst i nd iso rde r by what is te chn ica l ly ca l led a r ipos te en temp s p erdu .

E ve ry sa l le d’

a rm es wi l l show you me n who a re fond ofrema in ing a t the lunge , t ry ing the d ange rous and obj ec t ion ablethrust ca l led remise de ma in

,which , except unde r ce rta in we l l

defin ed c i rcumst ances , is pe rm iss ible on ly to gre at a rt is ts

fe int ing a t c lose qua rte rs and e ngag ing in la bour ra che,

po ign a rdin g t he adve rsary , and d isp l ay ing what I ca l l t he

pug i l ism of the sword . The whole p roce ss is thorough ly outof characte r . The attack should cons ist s imply of a rap id

l unge a n d an immed i a te re turn to guard .

So much for the offe ns i ve p art o f the proces s . Mr

O’Ca llaghan ,

I am gre at ly obl iged to you . Do n ot forge t myp red ict ion .

“ I would ask a que st ion , Char les s a id .

“I s i t ne cessary

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52 The Sen timen t of the Sword.

“ I ’m ce r ta in,Shught ie s a id, that they a re wrong . Have

the c loak i f you l i ke,i t may a lways be use fu l , but hold your

bowie -po i n t to the fore as i f i t w e re a sword . Why , man ,you ’ve quoted Ach i l le Marozzo, and a l re ady you forge t his

p r inc ip le s . The re a re two common ways of us ing the kn i fe

unde rhand and ove rhand . Unde rhand is r are , be ing e as i lys topped ; ove rhand, i f you t reat it as I wou ld, may be rece i ved

'

upon the point . An acqu a intance of m ine had a th i rd way ,wh ich was not w i thou t its me r i ts . H e re j o iced in the sobr ique tof ‘

F l a t - foote d J ack ,’ be ing, or r athe r hav ing bee n , o n e of

H e r Grac ious Majes t y ’

s h ard naval barga ins . The Argent ine

ga rgo t t i’

s not a bad pla ce fo r kn i fe pract ice . The F l a t- foo tedin his cups would qua rre l w i th his own

,ha t ; hence many a

d i fficul ty . When cu chi llos a re d rawn Sefio r Sp an ia rd, o ld orn ew hem isphe re j has a s i l ly h abit of show ing off . The wor ldmus t see the curve d be auties of his de adly blade . I t

’

s l ike the

T a r tar pr ince,who by h e ral d i n forms the k ings of the e ar th

tha t the y may d ine , a s he ha s fin ished his me a l of m a t e’

s mi lk .

A n d it’

s qu ite un l ike the se ns ib le Japanese ,who , hold i ng the

scabbard i n the le f t hand, d raws his sword with so l i tt le less

of t ime that he opens h is man from be l t to shoulde r .

”

A ve ry o ld manoeuvre of the It a l i an an d Ge rman schoo ls ,I int e rpose d .

“ We l l ,” resumed Shught ie , wh i le the part icu l a r Don was

i n ten t upon h is gambado , F l at-foo ted Jack sudde nly le t fly ath im a pe rfe ct ly s tr a ight thrust w ith a common wh itt le some

6in . long , a n d worth whe n n ew 4d . H e wa s on ly care fu l toput his thumb a long the bone handle . Of course , eve ry blowk i l le d . I should be a fra id to n ame the numbe r of ou rcountryman ’

s tr iumphs .

”

Th is was a long spee ch for Shught ie . I knew that he wou ldnot re ad i ly do i t aga in , and re sum ed .

Such the n , is the rule of the sword— we wil l drop the kn ifeand it 18 based upon nature an d truth , upon practice and experi

e nce .

And what , you ask, is its prope r obj ect ?In the de fens ive pos it ion of guard to al low the l imbs the irful le st l ibe rty of action and to cultivate a s much as possible theease an d the e lastic ity which res ide in them .

In the offens ive action the oppos ite is required ; he re we mustdeve lop and util ise all the powe r an d the momentum , the vigour.we ight

,and spe ed of which the body is capable .

I se em to be talking me re truisms— “the truths of M . de la

Pol isse .

” But you se e a maste r i n e ve ry school dai ly a n d hourlyprotesting against the awkwardness of his pupils ’ guards, againstthe c lenching of the hand, the tens ion of the arm , the stiffnessof the shoulde r, in fact the wilfu l and s in ful expendi ture offorce , without once explain ing to them , so c learly that theyne ve r can forge t it, the e ssen t ial diffe rence be twe en the com

The Third E ven in g. 53

ple te repose of the guard and the vivid mu scular action of theattack .

To show how natural is our pos it ion , attempt in any manne r tochange i t . The re are many ways , but al l wil l equally fail . Takeon e for instance , and stand up

,l ike the o ld Spaniard, with knees

unbent . This at once th rows the whole mach ine out of ge ar ;you cannot without gre at difficulty pe rform the s imple st movem ent of att ack , de fence , or re treat . The body has lost itsaplomb ; it can no longe r make sure of hand an d arm ; i t insistsupon devan cin g them or upon l agging tardi ly beh ind . Se e how

s light a change causes the v irtue to depart from you .

The houghs, the popl ite al muscle s , are the two springs whichproj ect the body an d which , prope rly managed, give it rapidityof motion . Whe n you c le ar a fence or a ditch you imitate the

grasshoppe r, not to mention the more l ive ly animal that can

hop ove r its own St . Paul ’s . When you drop from a wall ormake a low j ump you also bend the houghs to prepare for thefe e t touching the ground, othe rwise you suffe r from the j arringshock . H ow many m en have be en inj ured and even ki l led bysuddenly stepping into a hatchway imprudently le ft open ? Ifprepared they cou ld have managed without difficulty twice orthre e time s the amount of fal l .I ins ist upon the se facts, which are the axioms, the groundwork of our sc ience . My pupils a re always taught the i r absolutenecess ity and the i r re lat ions a s cause an d e ffect , or, if you ple ase ,sequence , consequence , concatenation . Upon this point

E le ven - forty p .m . Shught ie briefly e j aculated.

— I wil l only say that instinc t has he re been our e arliest guide ,and that expe r ience has tended to explain an d consecrate the

princ iple s . But I addWhen sufficient practice shal l have made the se movementsfamil iar to you , when you fe e l the e ase an d rap idity whichresult from them, and when vc u a re consc ious that they havegiven, with the patience of assured strength , a n ew l ife to yourthews an d s inews , then you have a r ight to venture upon ce rtainmodifications . If, afte r care fu l comparison a n d many e xpe ri

ments,you find that your indiv idual ity crave s for departure from

the beate n path of e lementary rule , do so without fear, but doso with j udgment . The be st guard an d the best lunge a re

those which allow body an d l imb to act with the fulne ss of free

dom,pre se rv ing at the same time a pe rfect equil ibrium . Pos

sibly some peculiar ity of conformation— a ve ry long arm, forinstance , or a remarkably short leg— may suggest importantchanges . But remembe r tha t the margin of de vi ation is n o t

large ; it is a narrow path , an d a precipice yawns on both s ide s .

Be ar in mind that al l exce ss is more or le ss faulty, e spec ial lywhen it decl ine s from grace an d be auty .

An d I confess to disl iking a rugged or grote sque fence r,although his thrusts may te l l and his parrie s do the i r duty . A

thoroughly we l l formed and se t up phys ique—~ 0 f course , when inD 2

54 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

youth and health— must be e legant —p a ssez moi lo mot . If not

the re is some fata l de fect which tailor or dre ssmake r has suc

ceeded in conceal ing from al l eyes but those of the phys iologist .Su r cc

,messieu rs , bon n e n u i t !

TH E FOUR TH EVENING .

1.

I T was e asy to see f rom the fi rst aspect of the smok ingroom that it was aga in to be a soir e

’

e, when p ipes wou ldpredom inate . The fi rs t ha l f hou r was passed ,

natura l lyenough , i n t a lk ing ove r the e ven ts of the day. What addedan imat ion to the d i a logu e wa s the f act that on e e lde rly gent leman , a v is i to r from town , e v ident ly cons ide red h ims e l f ha lfshot i n conseque nce of a country f r ie nd having fi red across h im .

Wh en g iv ing my reasons for not j o in ing i n the E ngl ish battu e,I

forgot to ment ion the ch ance of los ing a n eye or the u se of ane a r . So , be fo re the days of the i ro n hors e i n Indi a , a f r iendaccounte d to m e for his longev ity by the f act that he had neve rbee n expos ed to r a i lway t rave l . H is i de a suggested the manwho re fused to take such hot an d rebe l l iou s l iquors i n his bloodas te a and coffee , but ne ve r re fuse d wh isky , toddy , or icedpunch .

Inv i ted to addre ss the assembly . I l it my we ed and spokea s fo l lowsWe wi l l cont inu e , 0 S ignor i , the mode of instruct ion whose

fi rs t p age only is known to you— that is, to mos t of you . Iente r , i t w i l l be obse rved , i nto t h e minutest de ta i ls , withoutwh ich , i n fac t, you might a s we l l consu lt a t re at ise .

My pup i l— I regre t that the R e ve rend Mr O’

Ca llaghan is

not he re— a l re ady knows the d i ffe ren t pos i t ions of the body ,an d has p ract ica l ly le arned to app rec i a te the re su lts to wh ichthe i r u se le ads .

Dur ing the ve ry next séance I wou ld pu t a fo i l in his h anda lways suppos ing th a t his i nte l l igence equa l le d that of theave rage Chu rch m i l i tant— and te ach h im the th rusts an d the

s imp le par r ies . E ve ry day ’

s work would be d iv ide d in to threesect ions, e ach of e ight to t en an d even fi fte e n minute s, and l ate ron I shou ld e ven a l low the p at ie nt to s it down be fore th is te rmhas e l aps ed . I n the fenc i ng schools you se e m en who th ink theya re

“ blown afte r a th i rd of the t ime . The bes t fence rsa lways save thems e lve s du r ing the assaul t be fore the y becom e

thoroughly t i red, an d the p l ay become s wi ld ; the rep ose of the

guard , prop e r ly unde rstood, g ives great re l ie f , a n d a l lows muchlonge r cont inuance of e xe rt ion .

Would you g ive you r h a l f hou r at once , or sep ara te i t bylong inte rva ls ? ” asked Shught ie . I ’m ce rt a in that the l atte r

The Fou r th E ven in g. 55

is the be st p l an when le arn ing the e lements of a l anguage— a

pure work of m emory . A man who labours two or threesuccess i ve hours a t h is vocabu l a ry is to m e l ike a school lad ofe ight , who s tudi es th ro ughout a th i rd of the day.

”

Your ru le is good for l anguage s, and you have founded i tupon the be st of re asons ; but swordsmansh ip ha s l ittle to workthe memory . My pract ice is neve r to le t the pup i l go onfencing when I s e e that he is fat igued . Bu t I a lso neve r leth im s it down t i l l he requ i res res t . The thrusts an d s imp lepar r ies a re , I ve nture to remind you ,St ra ight thru sts,Disengagements a nd cuts ove r (coupes ) i n t ierce an d i n ca r te,

Parr ies i n tier ce and in ca r te,

Circ le s a n d d em ic ircles .

The passes de ve lop the regu la r i ty of bod i ly act ion , the parr ie sg ive force a n d supp lene ss to the wr ist . You must be care ful

,

howeve r , not to depend only upon the wr is t ; i n the c i rclesespec i a l ly the re should a lways be a s l ight rotatory mot ion ofthe e lbow . In fact , you shou ld fe e l that you have a n e lbow . Aman in pe rfe ct h ea lth ne ve r fe e ls tha t he ha s anyth ing ; werecogn ise ou r l imbs only when the re is some th ing unsoundabout th em .

I make my acolyte advance a nd re t i re t i l l he finds i t e asyas wa lk ing

, skat ing , or wa ltz ing . From his debu t I demandfrom h im the utmost v ivac i ty of movement an d rap idi ty ofe xe cut ion . It must a lways be we l l unde rstood that s lowne ss is

the on e s in wh ich cannot be e ndured ; i t is the imp lacable enemyof anyth ing l ike exce l lence ; i t is the infdme wh ich must becrushed . The be st way to pun ish a l azy lunge or a dawdl ingrecove ry is a st iff th rust in the lowe r r ibs, with the hand low ,

so as no t to a l low the bl ade to be nd . Th is should be repe ated

each t ime the fau l t occurs . Whateve r the profe ssors may say

a n d th ey a l l say the s ame th ing l— I p r ize exact regul ar ity farle ss than r ap id i ty of execut ion , an d I st rongly obj ect , e xcept inspec i a l mat te rs , to what is ca l led “

de compos ing the move

ments . My obj ect is to make even the fi rst le ssons so l ive ly ,so emot iona l

, that the le arne r has not t ime for the en n u i whichattends the beg inn ing of studi es . It is , of course , n ecessary topoint ou t the rocks upon wh ich he may d ash , a nd to save h imf rom the wi ldne ss an d extravagance of movements wh ich must

accompany unsk i l led qu ickne s s .

I wou ld be more urgent upon th is po int of rap id exe cut ionamongst E ngl ishmen than amongst F re nchmen or Ita l ians ,because a ce rt a in ponde rousness of moveme nt ,

“the stat

e lylounge of the E ngl ish gent leman ,

”s lown ess decorated W i th the

Orde r o f the Garte r , ha s be come an ins ip id nationa l boast ,a

Dund re ary manne r of supe r ior ity . I accustom my pup i l to

spa re h imse l f when t i red,by re l aps ing into the repose of the

gua rd , so as to be be tte r p rep are d for r ap id act ion when re

D 3

f

56 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

qu i red , an d, above a l l th ings, I ne ve r spe ak to the int e l l igenceat the cos t of bod i ly act iv ity .

Then I pass to the p ar r ies and compound attacks . I haven amed them to you , and you w i l l know both how they a re

composed an d how few the y a re .

And h e re a l low me to remind you once more that the mode rno r natu ra l sys tem has introduced an import ant s imp l ificat ion inwhat use d gre atly to exe rc ise ” pup i ls and re t a rd the qu icknes s of the i r movem ents . The o ld me thod made the h and, i n

t ier ce, a s i n p r ime a nd secon de, tu rn the knuck les up an d the

na i ls down,whi lst ca r te reve rsed the op e r at ion . Th ese move

me nts ap pe a r to u s me re comp l icat ions , the i ne v i t able effe ct ofthe m a it re d

’a rmes . We n ow make the s ame pos i t ion se rve for

both , on ly remembe r ing to offe r more oppos i t ion to the oppos ingbl ade . We neve r turn the hand i n the s tyle of ou r f athe rs ,exce pt when we wou ld mas te r and force th rough t he e n emy ’

s

guard by a k ind of d agge r th rust . You w i l l bear th is i n m ind ,e spec i al l y wh e n fenc ing w ith a le ft -handed man . I f youattack h im in ca r te , you run your he ad aga ins t his wal l ; a lwaysat tempt h im by his fe eble s ide— tier ce .

I d is l ik e the change ve ry much , c r ied Se aton whoappe ared th is even ing a t r ifl e more exc ite d th an usua l . Youtake away on e of the be aut ie s of the guards . Th is is anothe rs te p from the s imp le to the s i l ly . Such le ve l l ing doct r in es maytend t o make a l l m e n equal— be fore the sword . I can ’t s ay th atthe y su i t m e .

”

“ I hope,

”suggested Shught ie qu i te grave ly, that you a re

not do ing to swordsmansh ip what“

the J apane se p ropose to dowith E ngl ish— to reduce e ve ryth ing i rregu l a r to the regu l ar ; tosay, for inst ance ,

‘ I catch , I catched, I was catched ,

’et hoe

gen us om n e . I ’m su re th at i r regu la r i t i es, l ike e xcep t ions , a re

the mos t p iqu ant be aut ies of l anguage , espec i a l ly of ou rs .

Your d is l i ke , O Se aton , is an aff a i r of sent im ent . The changeha s bee n made , an d ha s be en accepte d .

To re sume . The counte rs , the double counte rs , and the turnsof the sword a re the mos t use fu l of exe rc ises , because theywork , or , as the F re nch s ay,

th ey “ bre ak ,”the wrist i n a l l

d i rect ions , g iv ing it a t once supp lene ss and s t rength . I woulda lso remind you th at , though ca r te is the e as i est and the mos tnatur a l p arry , the cen tr e de qu a r te , f rom le f t to r ight , is f a rmore d i fficul t , because i t re qu ires more Oppos i t ion t han the

con tre de t ierce, consequen t ly i t demand s much longe r p ract ice .

I shou ld adv is e the asp i r ing swordsman to g ive i t five minutesto on e of the othe r . I n the forme r the muscle s se em to act

aga inst the gra in , i n the l atte r ‘ th ey p l ay n atur al ly . Th is isnot the case , but we a re more accus tome d to d raw the armstowa rds the body than to the re ve rse movement .At the e n d of the lesson I ca l l the se r ious attent ion of my

pup i l to the fau lts wh ich e ach hal f hour has d eve loped .I

The Fou rth Even in g. 57

show h im whence the y a r i se , the d ange rs to wh ich they musti nev it ably le ad, a nd the e as ie st me thod of p rese nt cure a nd

futu re p re vention . H e may then p r act ise a lone i f he p le asesand br ing m e h is res ults .

I f , for instance , he i ncl in es, as many do ,towards the i r re

gu la r p ract ice of sudden ly d ropp ing the hand or of d raw ingback the a rm, a s fo r a s tab , I shou ld make h im attack an d

r ipe st in t he h igh l in e s , e ven in the he ights of the c l ass ic ists,’

unt i l his wr ist is forced to acqu i re a ce rt a in amount of e le va -f

t ion , and vice ver sa . The pe rfec t swordsman may , i t is t rue “t ake such l ibe rt ies with his a rt as the poe t int roduces a h i atus ,the mus ic i an a d isco rd . These blem i shes i n p l aces become

be aut ie s , but the gre ate r the a rt ist the more p rudent ly he wi l lu se them .

And , in the matte r of the h igh r igh t hand, he ld above the

he ad , F rench p ed antry has done it s wors t . The old pos i t ionof the I tal i an , o r, r athe r , the Ne apol itan , lunge wa s on a p lanewith the r igh t shoulde r . The

“ mixe d school ,” aga in, t r ims

be twee n the two . E ve ry French m a itr e d’

a rmes wi l l ins ist uponwha t he c al ls e levat ion , a s i f i t we re a s in e qu a n on in goodfe nc ing . A sk h im why ? Because w ith a low hand you expos ethe upp e r pa rt of th e body . T e l l h im ,

with my comp l im ents ,that you do nothing of the k ind.

III

He re , then , is the whole of the le sson which has bee n made

such a bugbear to the un in i t i ated .

“ I saw, Shught ie sa id , quot ing the Arab p rove rb, amonste r f rom afar ; ne are r i t became a m an , ,

a nd pre se ntlyI found i t to be my brothe r .

”

Ye t profe ssors st i l l lose themse lve s i n a daeda lus of att acks ,par r ies , a nd r iposts, t hrough wh ich noth ing but the Ar i adne

’s

c l ue of l i fe long l abou r can gu ide the unhappy wande re r . Got o any cont inenta l fe nc ing school of the o ld s ty le , and you w i l lfind the more advanced pup ils pass ing through a ha l f -hour

’

s

course o f combinat ions , me re t r i a ls of inge nu ity , s imp le

mult ip l icat ions for the purpose s of mult ip l icat ion , of wh ich at ithe is ne ve r used i n the a ss au lt , nor a fi fth in actua l combat .

The maste r w i l l te l l you that they have the i r me r its , an d th is

is t rue to a l im it ed e xte nt . Hop -scotch may do some good

to the embryo ope r a d ance r . But the se r ious d is advant age is

that they le ave no t im e for repe ated pract ice of t he smal lnumbe r wh ich is re a l ly wan ted, and in wh ich I try to pe rfectmy pup i ls . On e of the most succe ssfu l sportsmen w ith big a n d

dange rous game e ve r known to m e used to work w i th s tee l

t ippe d bul le ts a t fi fty p aces , ne ve r fa rth e r , a n d for good re ason ,t i l l he wa s ce rta in of a sh i l l ing . An d you w i l l know who wins

at bi l l i a rds— not the man who now an d the n make s a br i l l i antstroke that de l ights the ga l le ry , but he who n eve r m isses an

58 The Sen timen t of the Sword.

ord in ary pocke t a n d cannon . Moreove r , a ve ry l im ited numbe rof movements gre atly fac i l i tates the i r e xe cut ion to the be g inne ra n d s i nks de ep in t he matte r of h is mind . When he ha s passedin to the advanced s t age he may p le ase h imse l f , a n d eve n winthe p ra ise of the wor ld by the var ie ty an d the mobi l i ty of hisplav . I t is e nough for m e to see that my pup i l unde rstandsthoroughly what he doe s , and that his hand be comes the f a ithful e cho of his thought . The young ide a so taught cannot fa i lto shoot s tra ight a n d to shoot f a r .

We n e w approach anothe r se ct ion of my subj ect , upon wh ichI am in comp le te d is accord w ith a lmost e ve ry te ache r a n d e ve ryt re at ise . The l atte r w i l l not e ven re ason with the pup i ldur ing the fi rst month , and actua l ly re fuse to te ach h im the

n ame s of t ie rce a n d carte , le st , l i ke the re cru it , he shouldconfound his r ight h and w ith his le ft , an d the ide a of anyth ingbeyond the p l astron lesson s e ems to g ive them the hor rors . On e

we l l -known T r a it é (La Boessiere’

s ) g ives fifty- four le sso ns be forecoming to the loose fe nc ing , an d, suppos i ng that e ach t akes awe ek to maste r

,you e n d the ye a r . We a re , e ve n so , warn ed

aga inst the f au lts a r is ing f rom (163 lecon s trop p r e’

cip itées . The

Fre nchman is n o t the only on e who has wr itte n a chapte rupon the dange r of p remature as sau lts ” —

a ngl ice, of fenc ingloose too soon . Br ie fly , I beg in my pup i ls w ith in a month ors ix weeks .

Se aton had sn iffed the f r ay f rom afa r ; he nce p robably the

unusu a l re st le ssne ss which had be en remarked .

“ I e xpected this h ideous he re sy ! ” he c r ied .

“ More thano n ce I

’

ve s ee n i t come and pass by . I n my day we we re t aughtto be l ie ve that the p rofe ssor who e ve n al lows , much more whoe ncourage s, loos e fenc i ng in beg inne rs des t roys a caree r . I t

’

s

t he wors t form of condescens ion , to u se a d a inty word . Itspoi ls good gifts ; i t waste s p re l im i n ary s tud ie s ; i t st ands inthe way

‘

of a l l p rogress . A re you Spe ak ing in parable s , Sir ?

Or,p erchance you a re qua l i fy ing for a l ine in the Budge t of

Paradoxe s ? Afte r a dozen r id ing lessons you do not se nd aboy to p l ay polo , or to dance a quad r i l le the we ek afte r heputs

‘

on his first skate s, do you ? An d what did you yourse l fs ay about the bravu ra song an d the p ract ice of pa int ing , of a rtin gen e ra l ? You should be s ent a s consu l to T r ies te , or anyothe r p lace of d isc ip l i ne . be fore you

’ve thoroughly cor rupted

the youth of th is unhappy land !

A noble rage had made h im forc ible , f ace t ious , p roph et ica l .

Du ca lme, I sugges ted . Le t us avoid attr ibut ing ev i l mot ives

a n d fore cast ing h igh ly unp le asant cont ingenc ie s .

Pe rm it m e to resume my sent iment in ve ry few words . I

do n ot a l low my pup i l to fence loose be fore he knows t ie rce a n d

carte ,but w ith m e he lea rns them e as i ly . I do n o! cram h im

w ithout consu lt ing his in te l l ige nce ; a n d I do n ot - as you do

ke ep h im back whe n he longs to go forward . My system

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60 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

ass aults, a s you agre e to te rm them, exe rc ise such pe rn icious

e ffe cts an d se w the se eds of so many faul ts ? R ight or wrong , Ipe rs ist in th inking that if they do harm , the harm comes fromyou

, the mas te rs . An d i t is my conviction that, prope rly direc ted,they do good.

E xcuse m e i f I quote m y own ca se . Afte r months and some

t imes ye a rs of ex i le ,whe n my sword -!p l ay has be en confined to

a bout at broadswords with a cape ring Hindu or to a trial of

s ingle stick with a muck -runn ing Malay, i t ha s been my fate tore turn to this world. R e l igiously, e ach time , I begin the le ssona n d the m a r , wh ich is le fon d et la ba se dcs a rmes

, l ike a l ittle

ch ild, and shun the temptations of the assaul t for a month or so,

ti l l r igh t an d le ft hand have remembe red the ir forme r cunning .

But the re is some moral courage in this proce ss, se r emettre aux

a rmes , as the F rench say ; do not doubt it . Th e drea riness ofthe lecon reminds m e of that on e road in some Brazi l ian townwhich the nece ss i ty of walking exe rc ise compe l led m e con scien

t iou sly to tread day afte r day, and it requires n o little pe rseve ranceto pe rs ist in the consti tutional when you know the fa ce of e ve ryrut a nd the form of eve ry p ebble upon your be at . And whyshould I e xpe ct the ave r age man to do what is i rksome even tothe o ld p ract ised hand ?

In short, I make no d i fficulty about indulging my pupil as

soon a s poss ible . All vary in capac i ty for work and in capabil i tyof progress . But as a rule

,afte r a month , more or le ss, of regu

lar study, wh en my acolyte has learne d to unde rstand the sma l lnumbe r of movements which have been de scribed to you, andwhen he execute s th em with vivac ity an d re lative regular it ywhy, I put on my mask a n d plastron

, and bid h im come on an d

do his be st . A s the ladies are n ot he re I may confide to youthat acolyte s of that pe rsuas ion have some times insisted uponattacking m e with in the we ek, an d have shown themse lve s aughtbut gra te fu l fl in de ed

, most re calci trant . almos t threatening tocall m e out— when debarred of such enj oyment .

’

This is the

bravura song without knowing the scale s .

IV .

I ne ed ha rdly say tha t we must e xp ect the fi rs t attempt-sat loose fenc ing to be loo se i ndee d,

awkward .as a re a l l t hee arly e fforts of an inte l l igence which has j ust fre ed i tse lf from the

sh e ll . It wil l be a rudimental affair,faul ty

,and ful l of extreme s

,

not unfrequently grote sque , violent, or fe eble . But why is themaste r the re except to se t matte rs right ? And what is the u se

of the le sson , unless i t gives the opportun ity of so doing ?Moreove r, on e advanta ge mus t not be conce aled. The pupil

ha s be en le ft to h imse l f - not Scottice, I hope ; he has be enre le ased from the tramme ls of a system ; he has come out in hisown a n d prope r colours . If the ma itr e d

’

a rmes de se rve the name

he wi ll care ful ly note the ge rms of future gifts an d de fects for

The Fou rth Even in g. 61

encouragemen t a n d correction . H e will hardly le arn this so we l lfrom the behav iour of the acolyte unde r the le sson .

Our rude beginne r, l ike the young bird try ing it s wings, se ts

ou t clums ily upon his first j ourne y ; stil l, he has s ta rted in l ife .

Alre ady he shows what part of the le sson has become part ofh imse lf an d what portion has be en thrown aside a s lumbe r ;we obse rve that th i s th rust is of h is pre d i lect ion , that p ar ry isonly troublesome to him H is indiv iduality appears, rash orprude nt

,s low or pe tulant, ste adfast or wave ring . You are study

ing his instincts, his characte r, which he doe s not dre am of con

cea ling, a nd which , pe rhaps, he could not conceal if he would.

L e t m e quote a gre at mast e r an d a distinguished amateurupon th is subj ect

L e s e ffe ts de l’

ese rim e donnent l ieu aux plus curieuse s obse rvation s . Buffon a dit (by the by, he did not) (1)

‘

L e s tyle c’

estl ’homme .

’ On pourra i t pre sque di re auss i qu ’

en e scrime‘le

jeu c’

es t l ’homme .

’L e caractere s

’

y revele tout e ntie r— fran cli iseou mauvaise foi, nonchalance ou act iv ité, timidi té ou audace ,orgue i l ou mode st ie , fine sse

,astuce , ruse , e n u n mot, toutes les

nuance s du cara'

ctere , meme le s plus faible s , se font j our au

mi lieu de s péripétie s de la lutte .

“L

’

e scrim e a auss i sa moralité . La lutte des amours propre sn ’e st pa s moins v ive que la lutte ma térie l le de s épées

, e t le s

caracteres se m od ifie n t , en bien et e n mal , 21 cc contact e t a ce

frottement . Sou s l ’empire de la su r - exci tat ion ne rveuse produitepar le s exe rc ises violents

,l’

e sprit oubl ie souvent la pol ite sseappr ise e t accoutumée : les gens bie n él evés restent touj oursconve nable s s ans doute , mais eu x -meme s subissent l ’in flu en ce dece s courants pass ionnés . L e s dé fauts de chacun deviennent beaucoup plus apparents . L e moral iste e t l

’

obse rvat eu r, qui m’ont

v u au dehors qu e de s gens re vé tis d’

u n ve rnis uniforme le s

trouvent la transformés : plus be aux , plus grands, plus pe tits ,o u plus la ids ; te ls qu

’ils se n t rée l lement . L e s u n s, dominés par

u n e sor te de fu r ia irréfléchie , se préc ip iten t e n aveugle s su r l alame immobile da tireur qu i le ur e s t oppose ; d

’

au t re s, calmes,

modérés,ple ins d’une ardeur réflé chie mais inébranl able , n e don

( 1 ) What Buh'

ou d id say was Le s tyle c os t (13 l’

homme mem e . But

he is gene ral ly m i squoted even by le ad i ng Fre nch wr ite rs ,and I

cannot but thi nk tha t the cons tan t adopt ion of th is m is -vers ion byBuffon

’

s own countrymen shows e ither tha t there is very l ittled i fference in mean in g be tween the two ve rs ions ,

or that the m is

quota t io-n corresponds more clea rly to the r ight d efin i t ion in the

m inds of thes e bes t able to j udge . Some of the ed i t ions sanp iess the

do from the passage in Buffon’

s Discoztrs de recep t ion at l’

Acade’

m ie,

and thus , accord ing to some cr it ics , make Buffon say exactly t he

oppos i te of wha t he intended , viz tha t what is a man’

s own inhis wr it in g is the order a nd the movement wh ich he puts intohis thoughts . Al l the rest m ay be borrowed , bu t th is lucidus ordo

or style is the man ’

s own . (Seei

Vapere a u’

s Dict ionna ire un iverselle desLi t té ra lures ; art . Bu tton . )

62 The Sen tim en t of t he Sword .

n ent r ien au hazard, reche rchant pour le s de jou cr le s proj e ts deleur adve rsa i re , le s de v inant p a rfo is a l

’a id e d ’

un ca leu l in te ll i

gent , souvent p a r u n e sorte d ’

in tu it ion qu i e st ls p r iv i lege desvr a is t i reurs .

A n d the pupil ’s gain is this . No amoun t of plastron ing willdo for him what that quarte r of an hour ha s done . H e

see s n ow what he is le arn ing ; he a t once appreciate s

the bene fits of j udgmen t,of regulari ty , and of quickness ;

he fe e ls the thril l of emulation , the j oys of v ictory .

the gr i e fs of de fe at ; he knows that inste ad of gr ind ing onin his dul l round he is moving forward . An d dimly he real isesthe presence of that Unforeseen which fal ls as a shadow uponeve ry pace of his path , whilst he recognise s the necess ity of training his mind to mee t i t l ike a man an d a swordsman .

We are not approaching the Subl ime an d Beautiful, I hope ,said that most practical Shught ie .

The assault is, in fact, I continued, disdaining his snee r, thele sson by the side of the lesson , and n o on e can doubt that itis a most beneficial change .

F or wha t do the Arabs say ?“The lecture is on e ; the talk

about the lecture ”(that is practice )

“is a thousand .

”

V .

Do you know,asked Lord B . with a smile , that you a re

not only a h e re tic, that you are a downright infide l ? ”

Ce rta inly, as regards these old and obsole te tradi t ions . And so,

al low m e modestly to obse rve , was the mighty Bacon . I onceheard of an Anglo -Indian office r who, having read for the firsttime a trans lation of the No

'

vum Orga n um i n Pe rs ian , asked whocould be the impe rtinent fe l low who had dared to fal l foul of“A ristu,

”as he cal led Aristotle . But in my turn al low m e to

question you . Must n ot the r ight always begin with on e man ?

Do you find anyth ing wrong in my reasoning ?“ I cannot say that I do .

”

Have you not fe l t al l th is yourse l f, and do you not be l ie ve thatthe protracted lesso n adds anothe r st ing to the bit te rne ss ofbeginning , causes the Art of Arms to look irksome , which is worsethan te rrible ?

“ You must not make Captain Se aton conside r m e your abe ttorin R adical ism .

!

Communismbrev ity .

l”

e j aculated that office r with sentent ious

Pe rmit m e to borrow an a necdote from the brill ian t butd iscurs ive p ages of on e who th inks a s I do

“ In a se r ies of witty an d humorous art icle s , M . De sba ro lle s,

on e of the most artistic an d l ife - ful l nature s that e ve r be longed

( 2 ) Viz ,lazanco urt (of. Clay

’

s transla t ion , p .

The Fou r th Even ing. 63

to my acquaintance , recounts how, afte r having s tudied the swordwith a F re nch ma i t re d

’

a rmes, in Ge rman y I be l ieve , he re turnedto Paris . The re he at once repaired to the salon of pe rhaps themost ce lebrate d profes sor of his day , M . Char lemagne towhom he brought le t te rs of introduct ion . As usual , the rooms

were crowded with amateur sommi t és .

M . De sbarolles was polite ly asked to take a foil and prov idedwith a vis -d-vis . H e went through the assault in prese nce of thegre at man , an d, having acquitted himse lf, a s be supposed, in

supe rior style , he quie tly awaited the compliments his due .

Sir,’said the authority, wil l you pe rmit m e in v irtue of my

age to offe r you a word of advice ?’

Ce rtainly ; I shal l be grate ful .’

Ve ry we l l ! Work at the plastron for a whole twe lve mon th sbe fore you allow yourse lf a single assaul t .

’

“ M . De sbarolle s pleasantly de scr ibe s the shock of revulsedfee l ing wh ich the se words caused, but— he adds— the counse lappeared s ince re and possibly good ; he fol lowed i t, an d he neve rfound cause for repentance .

“ I should h ave hope d from h im mo r e o r igina l i ty th an tohave taken such adv ice a n p ied d e la l e t t r e ; and i n a l l case sI affirm that the process i tse l f on ly

_de l ayed the gre at art is t in

becoming the adm i r able swordsma n he was known to be .

”

Capta in Se ato n w i l l p robably urge aga inst m e someth ing as

fol lowsYou own that for the ass au l t you wan t supple ne ss of wr ist

,

qu ickness of execution , ac t iv i ty of body , and pre sence of mind .

We l l , the n , you w il l le arn t them bes t unde r the han ds an d bythe les sons of an able precep to r . H e has only to m e asure outhis instruct ions accord i ng as you r equ i re them , and ,

above a l lth ings , n o t pe rmit you to ru n be fore you can walk .

Don ’t appe a l to m e , s aid the pe rson a l luded to . Fo r the

sake of sav ing t ime an d t rouble ,I he r e j o i n i ssue with you

upon your Opin ions , pr iva te a nd publ ic , o n e an d a l l . ”

Fort ifi ed by th is assuran ce , I shal l t ake the l ibe rty of thusrep ly ing to Cap t a in Se ato n , or rathe r to my own ide a of

Capta in Se aton :Thanks for your gene ros i ty ! I want bre ad, and you give m e

boi le d r ice . Grame rcy for your offe r of fa ct i t ious ene rgy ; ofqu ickness by word of comman d ; of m e rg ing my indi vidual i tyin to anothe r ’s ; of p inn ing my fa i th upon the ve rba m agis tr i .

Truly I shal l go f ar by th is tr a in ing of a n i nte l l igence , wh ichis une r r ing only bec aus e i t wa lks i n le ading s tr ings unde r the

( 3) Charlemagne , b . 1759,d . 1857, was professor of fenc ing in Par s

from 1815 to 1841 . H is portra i t, show ing a certa in resemblance to

Lamart ine ,is g iven in L

’

E scrime F rancoise (J uly 5 .

64 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

mas te r ’ s hand ,a n d i t depe nds upo n the in dications , a lways

j ust , a lw ays tru e , of his sword . I t w i l l be a ple asure tore semble the man who, s afe in his swimming be l t , pe ace fu l ly

s tud i es his own mov em en ts,h is spec ific grav i ty , his sty le an d

form of swimming,c arin g l i ttle for the f act that i f you r emove

the corks he would at once d is appea r unde r the wave s .

F a r f rom m e to de ny that the pl as tron t ake s an importan tp art i n forming a fence r . It g ives al l the me ch an ism ofmate r i a l execution . But our f r ie nd Pl-astron c la ims to be so

h i gh a nd pu iss ant a se i gn eu r that his fl ag must prec ede al lothe rs , th at his r igh ts a re un iv e rsal , an d th at he may tresp ass

with impun i ty upo n the e st ates of h is ne ighbo urs .

What we re ply to h im is once for a ll . You a re base , be i ngmechanica l ; your ve ry inte l l igence is that of a ca lculatingmach in e . What you have n e ve r

‘ don e , cannot do , neve r w i l l do ,

is to ne rve h eavy h e a rt an d br a in aga ins t th at K i ng of Te rrors ,the Unknown , that spectre wh ich , omnipresent and Prote an inform , often me lts away with its co ld bre ath the mos t be aut i fu lthe or ies and the wi se st combinat ions of mank ind .

“Are you h aunted by L

’

I m p r e’

vu ? I s i t you r Fylgj a orfo l lowing sp i r i t ? ” aske d Shughtie . Sure ly it

’

s not f a i r toca l l up on e ghos t tw ice in a s ingle e ven ing ! ”

\Vh»e re as the ass au l t is for the sword what to a young manfi rst ente ring l i fe a re l i gh t an d ai r an d r ich hor izon ,

and j ourneys promi s ing the exc i tement a n d the adve n tures for wh ichhis sou l ha s long s i ghe d . I t

,cal ls upon h im to br ing his

pe rson al i ty to the f ront , to in sp i re h imse l f wi th his ownind i v idua li ty ; i n a word, to he h imse l f , and not to rec it e page

afte r page from the dulled lesso ns of othe rs .

A nd ye t out of de fe rence to my f ri en ds I say th is much forthe plast ron . Most fenc in g mas te rs n eglec t on e of its mos timportant use s . As soon as the pupi ls have ma de a mod icumof progres s towa rds the ne ces sary re gul a r i ty

,le t e ach in h is

tu rn put on the l e ath er j acke t and give the le sson to hisfe l lows . It w i l l teac h them tole rance for those who a re fe eble rthan thems e l ve s . I presume the fenc ing schoo ls ne glect th isu se fu l p ractice bec ause i t is was t ing t ime

, an d be c ause the

par ents who ha ve p aid the mas te r e xp ec t al l the t e ach ing tocome from h im . I t is wonde rfu l how a few hours of g iv ingle ssons wi l l fix the mechan ism of fenc ing in your memory . Ican compare i t only w ith wr i ting

,wh ich makes a man exac t,

afte r he ha s fi lled h imse l f by reading a language .

‘

Ye s, said Charles, a n d the re is at Oxford a sha rp

w i tte d unde rgrad— the y s ay the re always is on e— who ha s made

that system pay . H is colle ge tutor adv ise d h im to take apr i va te coach , a n d so he took a pr i vate pup i l .At any rate , in the fencing salon

, c i t e the Lancastriansys tem for e ve r I h ave on ly o n e caut ion for the young m aste r ,which . ind e ed , is of ten equa l ly neces s a ry to the o ld mas te r .

The Fou rth E ven in g. 65

Avoid adva nc ing the che st to rec e i ve the th rus t : it is i n j ur ious ,becau se i t tr a ins the eye to e r rors of di stance .

VII .

The smoking -room showed a pos it ive unwill ingness to agreewith m e . Poss ibly Se aton , hav in g long be en the only authori tyupon the subj ect, had succe eded in inoculating the he are rswith his ideas . I had spoken qu ite enough about the assau ltindeed, far more than would have been necessary e lsewhe re— ye t ,

in v iew of the sa id mute opposi t ion offe red to my favouritetheory, I de te rmined not to spare a s ingle de ta i l .Pe rhaps you w i l l fin d th is i te rat ion— we l l , unple asant , and

this presenting e ve ry face t an d angle of the question the reve rseof amus ing . But my obj e ct is amiable ; I would imbue yourthoughts with that conv iction which is in mine , an d I wouldinduce even the most obdurate to try the que stion fair ly in hismind .

Seaton only fixed his eye s upon m e . H e reminded m e ofanothe r Anglo-Indian friend whose characte ristic was comba t iveness an d whose chie f menta l pabulum was contradict ion . I wasmomentarily puzzled to know what he would do when a bad

sore throat arre sted the action of his vocal chords . H e looked atm e and nodded— tha t was e nough .

If you knew,I continued, how ma ny s trik ing instance s of

my asse rt ion be ing true have passed be fore m e ! Hardly afenc ing schoo l in a great E urop e an c i ty but p res ents the

edifying spectacle of seve ral advanced scholars sti l l working atthe plas tron . It is a ple asure to se e the se grac i le youths courting

the warlike godde ss ; they a re unive rsal ly pronounced to besuperbes . They have balance of body, e last ic i ty of l imb

,accuracy

of hand ; al l is in the highe st state of train ing . The y followthe professor’s blade through a learned se rie s of fe ints an d

counte r - fe ints, attacks an d demi - atta cks, parade s trompée s,r iposte s and contre - r ipostes . Not a fault, n ot a de viation fromline ! They are walking trea t ises of the Art, which the i r mas te r.j ustly va in, turns ove r for you to admire .

But when it comes to the real struggle , the l ive ly image ofwar, these scholars are no longe r the same . The ir supe r ior ity inthe lesson degene rate s in the assault . The i r mechanical dexte r ity,n o longe r having the same base , the accustomed poin t de dep a r t,is paralysed. The y know too much an d they do n ot knowenough .

For the assault is no longe r the le sson . The adve rse blade nomore presents itse l f with the precis ion to which the scholar isaccustomed ; the contact of the swords has not that de l icacywhich was reflected i n the pupil . Con sequently he is in popularparlance “ al l abroad.

”H e vainly se eks the regular graduation

of passes an d parrie s so long famil iar to him ; he finds he re we l lorgan ised attacks

,the re extravagant movements, while in fact he

is quite unprepared for e ithe r the on e or the othe r .

66 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

Ins te ad of the straight macadam, the king’

s high road,along

wh ich the scholar was wont luxurious ly to roll, he suddenly

debouches upon a goat path, narrow, rough , stony, and often so

obscure that he must grope his way without se l f-con fiden ce tosupport his steps . Ye t pe rhaps even in the assault the “ plast roon e r is correct and grace ful by me re force of habit . H e

mu st, howeve r, despite his sc ience and h l S abil it ies, which havein certain points been ove r -cu ltivated, expect frequent de featsat the hands of many a less e rudite swordsman

, the t ireu r m a l in

trained to the habit of combat, accustomed to face its p é r ip éties ,and familiar wi th that strange tongue which spe aks equa l ly we l lthe idiom of e ve ry indiv idual ity .

These remarks have been m ade by eve ryone famil iar with the

sa l lcs d’

a rmcs, though m e n a re often too indolent or incurioust o hun t out the cause s of such things . I am pe rsuadedtha t such show scholars, such patte rn pupi ls, such golda nd s i lve r exhibi tion medals of the maste r have simplybe en spo iled by ove r- le ssoning . If, instead of cultivatingto the h ighe st degre e the monotonous mechanism of the pla stron

,

they had inured themse l ve s to the changing fortunes of themask, they would have become a t the same t ime correcttheorists a n d dange rous practic ians .

I wil l not pre tend to say that chance , or Whateve r you p le aseto cal l i t, ha s not made ce rtain and sundry exceptions

,but we

cannot found a rule upon what is not subj ect to rule .

VIII .

We have n ow passed through the lon g avenue which led tothe bu i ld ing , an d we t re ad f re e ly and fi rmly upon the vastarena which m en cal l the assault ; that is to say, the image ofbattle , the t r a ined an d gl adi ator i a l st ruggle ; d i fficu lt , fu l l offeve r a n d p as s ion , be twe en the m en who br ing to the i r a id

eve ryth ing that th ey know , a nd whateve r t he y th ink l ik e ly toturn in the i r f avou r the sca le s of combat .A s regards myse lf, I neve r take up a foi l for a se r ious assault,

e special ly to mee t a strange r, without a real emotion , a sensation that makes the heart be at qu icke r and the brain “

lookal ive . An d I do not doubt that all m en of the same tempe ra .

me nt as myse l f fe e l some th ing of the k ind It is no d isadvantage , although pe rhaps for the first minute the foil mayn ot be quite so steady as usual . Possibly, i t is a greate r advan

tage than is usual ly be l ie ved. I envy the un impress ionable be ingwho, without an addit ional pulse -beat, without the least sensation of chil l in hands an d fee t, stands up to address the Chambe rs ,the theatre , the banque t, or the Chr ist ian Young Man . But i tis he whose head throbs an d whose heart thumps against his

( 4) Burton m ight have pl aced th is passage between inverted commas

(ci . Cl ay’

s Bacancourt . D.

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68 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

To suspec t the ambuscade which he prepares for you ; to un ite

the prudence which trips up his fraud with the ene rgy andaudacity which drives in his force ; to inspire h im with a rash

se lf confidence that make s h im sure of success ; to turn the

obstac les which if attacked would rende r v ictory almost a s

fatal a s de fe at ; to fe i nt and manoeuvre upon the centre whenyou would mass al l your strength to assaul t the fl ank ; to showweakness whe re you a re strong , thus inviting the enemy to

bru ise a nd break h imse lf upon you ; to de feat cunn ing by plainde aling, which is often the highest form of dece it, a s honesty is,comme rc ial ly speak ing, th e be st pol icy ; to dissimulate yourapproaches, so as to surpr ise an d demoral ise , by the suddenimpe tus of the attack, and , pe rhaps, the n a p lu s u ltra of practicalwisdom ,

to contrive a safe retreat when fortune does no t th inkprope r to favour you .

A re not the se , and have they n ot be en from t ime immemorial,the rule s an d maxims which have gove rned the great warr iorsof the world ?

Such is the science of the fie ld of batt le ; 1t is also that of manindividually con tending agains t man . And why ? Simply becauseve rsati l ity of resource s, stratagem , a n d sc ience may change n ame ,bu t must e ve r pre serve n ature .

These a re the words of wisdom to be impresse d upon the

pupil ’s mind . The rest be lon gs to i nspirat ion, to that subtlesp iri t of intu ition wh ich emanates from the grave o f many ade ad trial, which warns u s

, which guides us, an d which eve rredoubles i tse l f by rising h ighe r as the occasion demands .

But th is “ famil iar ” cannot be made a s l ave of the r ing bythe me re study of facts and forms ; i t yie lds only to the exe rcis ingof lucid inte l l igence devise d by sc ience and exper ience .

If the glorious gift of unde rs tanding, afte r be ing pol ished an d

pe rfected as fa r as teach ing and train ing pe rmit, be de alt out

in such humble rations that it can div ine noth ing, cannot follow

the course of e vents as they fly, cannot inspire itse l f with

the opportun ity be fore too late , then, I say, expect noth ingfrom i t . A deaf e ar will be turned to your voice , and the wordsof counse l had be t te r remain unspoken .

I find so l id truth in the se words : L’

escrim e exige des facultésvariés, ce lu i- la seul y de viendra supérieur, qu i se ra d

’une con st itu

t ion phys i que avant ageuse , qu i a u n morale sol ide uni ra l ’ in te llige nce , ls coup d

’

ccil, l’a-propos, l a sensibi l ité du touche r, qu i j c indra

au sang froid, qui pe rme t de prévoir e t de concevoir, l’

impé tuosz’

té

reglé e qui exécute , e t e n fin , qu i saura me ttre d’accord to utes le sfacultés dive rse s pour en forme r l ’en sem ble de son jeu que lquesu n s moins bien doués pourront devenir des tireurs difficile s , sansj amais etre des tireurs sérieu x ; d

’

au t res, e nfin

, se lon le degréd

’

in fe riorité de leurs facultés phys iques,reste ront plus ou mo ins

dans l a pos it ion du pa ra llyt iqu o qu i v e lu t ma rche r . Lors meme

qu e le préj ugé du due l aura completeme nt disparu de n os moeurs ,

The Fif th E ven in g.69

l’

esc rim e subs is te ra comme le pl us noble exe rc ise auque l puisse nt

se l ivre r ceux qui a iment cc qui e st be au , savant e t utile .

”

He re is the po in t whe re the two me thods, the two systems,the o ld a n d the n ew, the art ificial and the natural, begin to

branch off from e ach othe r . In the forme r, the pres id ing geni us

is routine , in the latte r inte l ligence ; that is provisional, th is is

pe rpe tual . (1)Linnaeus and De Candolle , mutte red Shught ie

If I could lead you into a fencing schoo l as it was some half

a cen tu i y ago, and show you the ce remonious assaul ts of thatday, you would find that our pre sent form ,

e ven amo ngst those

who are careful to re ta in, a s far as poss ible , its ac ademical

tradit ions , can only be descr ibed a s revolutionary, a s subve rs ive .

“The In te rnational ! ” e j aculated Seaton .

Imagine what i t was when e ve ry man wore , upon the breastleathe rs of his fenc ing j acke t, a fin e , big he art of red cloth , whichtold the world whe re the th rusts we re to be and not to be . A

point de nting any othe r part of the garment was cons ide red, notonly a failure bu t a blunde r ; i t was not me re ly condemned bythe rule of arm s, i t was ove rwhe lmed with contemp t . Circle s,equally l imi ted , we re t r aced ou t for eve ryth ing i n the sha pe ofattacks , par r ies , a nd r i pos tes A n d as the m a i tr e d

’

a rm es,

though re ti red i n to bou rgeo is l i fe , wa s a lmos t inv ar iably anold sold ie r , the d isc ip l i ne of the sa l l e d

’a rm es wa s i n t he h an ds

of a r igi d Sir Mart inga le Martine t ; a n d its ru les a n d regu l ations we re ke pt sacred wi th th at h ie r a t ic conse rv at ism p rope rto o ld soldiers— shal l I say of t hat day ?

The assault without buttons wa s the n , moreove r, a fa r more

popular way of whi l ing away a dull morning hour than i t isnow amongs t Contine ntal s, e spec ial ly m ilita ry m e n , lawye rs ,an d wri te rs for the p res s . Thus , man y a disputed th rus t, ha lfin or ha l f out of the fin e , big red he a r t , was made a p re textfor s ett l ing disputes whos e true ra ison d

’

et re was to be ke ptf rom the world. In thos e days a lso i t was the habi t to wea rin the fenc ing salon a ce r t a in ru ffl in g a ir , which s a id c le a r lyenough “ You h ave onl y to ask m e !

” or that even mo reunple asant affec tat ion of wi ldness wh ich suggests

“ Wh enroused, I am more dangerous th an othe r m en .

”

In the south of F r ance i t wa s the custom to mak e p assesin the uppe r l ines ,

e as i ly done by hold i ng the wr is t h ighe rthan that of the adve rs ary . H ence ,

when both to uched on e

would excla im ,

“J

’

ai lo h aut , j’a i r a i son ,

”an d his c l a im was

admitted . The s ame was the case th roughout I taly .

( 1) I n the forego i ng and hereafter Burton follows Bazancour t moreclosely than he has before done . a nd m uch of the d ialogue is a freetrans la t ion .

70 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

On the other hand , i n Pa r is the re wa s a system to be

r esumed in the se words : “J

’

a t t aqu e ,j ’ ai ra iso n , voua dev iez

pa re r ,”

a n d th is was cons ide red unanswe r able i n the cas e ofa t ime th rust .

Prese nt ly the ace of he a rts d is app eare d f rom . he game . Ath rust i n the u pp e r o r lowe r che st , and even bene ath the arm

,

was admitt ed— unde r p rote st . St i l l , a point i n the s tomach ,e sp ec i al ly i n the low e r stomach , was co ns ide re d to be what theGe rmans cal l a Sahn '

e in - s toss or a Sa u -hieb. Good heaven s ! !

sa id the gal le ry ,“ whe re must we go to find his blade ? The

next th ing he wi l l do is to t i l t at u s be twe e n our shoulde rs .

“That

’

s unfa i r , sa id Se aton , rous ing h imse l f a fte r a crossk ind of s i lence ,

“ me re pe rs i fl age . The bu l l’s - eye had its use ,

a n d we ’ve lost by be ing l aughe d out of it . It d i recte d eye

an d hand, i t a lso made m en a im at the ce ntre . I f the y fa i leda l itt le , the th rus t wa s s t i l l good. In you r mod em schoo l I ’mobl iged to kee p a sh arp look -out upon my le f t h ip .

”

A n d why shou ld I not d isable your le ft h ip i f i t ca n be

don e ? —wh ich , of cou rse , i t cannot be without expos ing a l l myche st to you . What more f ata l th an a th rust i n the bus ven tr e ?

An d ye t , cur ious to say , a po int in t he th igh or in the fore armwa s pe rfe ctly a l lowable on the fie ld,

wh i ls t it was i n admiss ibleto buttone d fo i ls , to the comba t d a rmes cou r teoises . Be s ides , howca n you t race the l 1n e whe n a nd whe re not to touch ? Howmany m e n have been ki l led by a pass in the bac k afte rrunn ing in to a corp s

-d-corps and then shrinking instinctive lyf rom the point ?

Th is cur ious demarcat ion be twe en the re a l th ing a nd it s

shadow acted badly by le av ing you unp rep ared aga in st thebl ind a n d i r regul a r ons l aughts of unsk i l fu l h ands . The soon e r ,the re fore , i t was abolished the be tte r . The swordsman then ,a n d the n on ly , stood i n r eadi ness to res is t ignorance , a s we l las to guard aga inst the le arne d combinat ions with wh ich hewa s f am i l i a r .

“And the o ld sty le acted we l l , s a id Se aton , by te aching

the pup i l the sup e r io r n ece ss i ty o f gua rd ing his v ita ls . Many am a n has s aved his l i fe by al lowing his ant agon ist

’

s sword toentangle i tse l f i n h is a rm or leg whi lst he re turned the th rusti n a more decorous p lace .

”

III .

It was st i l l e vident that my audi tory was only ha lf conv inced ,

i f even so much , a n d that a s eco nd home thrust wa s re qu i red .

A s usua l , I be gan w ith a fe int, so as not to le t them se e the

point .H ow ofte n you he ar i n the sa l les d

’

a rmes I do th is in anassau lt ; I shou ld neve r attempt i t i n the fie ld .

Now th is is playing, me re Skylarking , with the foi l . If the

act ion be re a l ly good i t is fi t for bot h forms of combat , a n d r ice

The Fif th E ven in g. 71

corsez. On the othe r hand, you a re right to encourage eccen t ri

c i ty o f fence when de a l ing w ith a man whos e pe cu l i a r sty leyou would study. You a re ne ve r thoroughly safe unt i l you h avele arned to de fe nd yourse l f aga ins t any attempt wh ich m ighthave a fata l re su lt .I cannot ins is t too st rongly upon th is po int . So not to admitthrusts i n the low l i nes f rom fl ank to s tomach is , accord ing tom e

,noth ing but a vu lgar e r ror

,with the d ange rous cons e

quen ces common to a l l e rro r . I f we j udge f rom the re su l tsand I do not see what othe r measure of va lue we can haveth is desp ised , th is inte rdicted po int me r i ts some th ing of our

Who wa s i t th at sa id , as ked Shught ie , his p l an was whenwant ing an or igin a l and i nte res t ing book to run his eye downthe p ages of the I ndex E xpurga tor iu s ?

It is not th at I h ave any theore t ica l fondn ess for low th rusts ;they a re i n o n e point, a t le ast , e ssent ially v ic ious i f they exposeal l the uppe r p ar t of the body . But I fe a r them , and the re foreI re spect them . It has bee n my lot to cross swords with a lmos teve ry k ind '

o f fe nce r , a n d e xpe r ie nce ha s t aught m e the ful l r iskof not be ing p repared for the se dange rous exce pt ions .

“ I suspect,”

said Lord B . , that you mus t br ing more reasonto be a r upon Capt . Se aton be fore he conse nts to r a ise the

excomm u n icat iop .

”

L e t m e t ry . The many fence rs who a re in the habi t of prese nt ing the point whe n they bre ak o r s te p backwa rds a lmos talways d rop the hand so a s to th re ate n the lowe r l ine of theadve rsary ’

s body . The few,aga in , who lunge to the re a r, a nd

bend the body backwards , inste ad of re t re at ing f rom you rattacks , accord i ng to ru le , a re a lmos t sure to do the s ame . Ineed hard ly say th at the m an who is ignorant of the sworda lways beg ins by us ing i t to s tab unde rhand , w ith wr is t lowa n d pe rhaps i n old tie rce . H e is probably righ t

,whe the r he

knows i t o r not . The sk i l fu l fe nce r, aga in , w i l l ce rta i n lyattempt to make a point by a low th rust whe n , j udging f rom the

academica l e le vat ion of h is hand, you do not exp ec t i t .The stomach , the re fore , mus t be de fe nde d qu ite as care fu l ly

as the che st ; a nd the same re ason ing w i l l show you the p ro

pr iety of attack ing in the low l ines thos e who ne gle ct to p re p arefor you .

I co nt inuedU t silvm foliis pron is m u tan tur in an n isPr ima cadun t ; it a ve rbo rum ve tus in te r it aet asE t ju ven um r itu florent modo nata v igen tqu e .

And what is t rue of le ave s and words ap p l ies e qua l ly to fe nc i ng .

Cld Girard Th ibau s t , of Anve rs, who is o n e of the worth ie s ofthe rapie r, consecrates whole page s (A cadémie de l

’

E spe’

e ,

72 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

MDCXXVII I . ) to a p le asant thrust , wh ich he ca l ls L e coup dc

poin ts do ns l’

oci l droit, the re by d ist ingu ish ing i t f rom the s l ash ,wh ich wou ld a lso br ing about the same happy re sult . Andhis pr ince ly fol io offe rs a m u l t itu t e of i l lus t rat io ns to thos e whowou ld mas te r the prope r way of bl ind ing an e nemy .

The adve rsary attacks you ; you p ar ry ; he doubles h imse l fup , as i t we re , a nd your r ipe s t touches his mask , his back , orh is arm .

“The mask ! the back ! the arm ! ” s ays your

antagon is t, recove r ing gua rd i nd iffe re nt ly , a n d a i r i ly de not ingw ith his s in iste r finge r t ips the p lace of d ishonour . And the rea re many who go on lung ing a s i f noth ing had occur re d.

The mask , s ir ! But do you re fl ect th at th is th rust mighth ave p assed th rough your bra in , wh ich wou ld have be en qu iteas e ffect ua l a s p ass ing th rough your lungs ? That othe r wou ldha ve i nt roduced s ix i nches of cold s tee l i n to your back . The

third wou ld have p inned your arm to your bre ast . You p l aceyou r face ,

your back , your arm whe re you r bre ast shou ld be . Itouch what is be fore m e

, an d I fee l , you may be ce rt a in , amply

sat isfied w ith the resul t .Do you re a l ly be l ie ve that we re the buttons removed from

the fo i ls you wou ld cons id e r i t equ iva le nt to rpa rrying or to

e scap ing a th rus t, th is subst i tut ion of on e part for a nothe r ?

That you a re ou t o f d ange r bec ause you only e xpose your head,your back , or your neck to be dr i l le d through ?

Cer tes , i t is the he ight of desp e rat ion to r isk blow for blowwhen both you a nd you r adve rsa ry suffe r equal ly . To u se

such me ans as the s e shows th at you have no e the rs at your d is

pos a l ; ye t i t must a lways be borne i n m ind th at you must u se

what you have .

“ All r ight,

”cried Seaton , with bitte r irony , introduce face

blows, an d pre sently we shal l h ave occiput stroke s . It is pe rhaps

happy for re forme rs that, l ike revolut ion ists, they neve r know,

a n d ne ve r can know, how fa r the y’

re going ; in fac t, what they’re

really doing .

”

By way of an e scape from a ve ry tickl ish topic, I pursued : And,

as we have mentioned the eye , i t may be a s we l l to lay down the

proper u se of i t, be fore be ing subj ected to Mr Thibau st ’s proc ess,bien en ten du .

Some maste rs te l l you to watch the adve rsary ’

s eye , and tointe rrogate his eve ry glance . But the man cunning of fence will

soon find that you re ly upon his look, and he wil l take advantageof your s implici ty by looking at the prec ise place whe re he doe s notintend to strike . Othe rs say, Ke ep your sight fixed upon the

button on the point of the sword. But the su n may be shin ingupon the blade , or the morn may be somewhat dark for the

button to stand we ll out . My plan has eve r be en to distribute

my v is ion e qually , so that my bow may have two str ings, and

The Fif th E ven in g. 73

long pract ice has made the proce ss so natural, that I cannot saywhat I am looking a t .

The eye for e ve r !”came from the prope r quarte r .

V .

I now p roce ed with p le asu re to anothe r he resy of my pr ac t ice .

What fe roc ity of he re sy ? ”Shugh t ie groaned

!

t he manmight hai l from Arabia F e l ix .

‘

You will re ad in the fenc ing books ; Un e foise n mesure , les v ra is t ireu rs n e doivent marche r n i rompre

d’une demi -seme l le , mais de leurs places fa irs franchement

des attaques qui peuvent é tre précédée s d’

engagem e n t s, e t de

que lque s pe t ites attaque s au fe r avec finesse , qui do ivent fin irpar u n coup tiré a fond .

”

My advice to e ve ry pupi l is exac tly the re ve rse .

Wheneve r you a re attacked, re treat, i f i t be on ly a hal f pace .

The re is e ve ryth ing in favour of the practice , nothing against it,except in the bad opin ion of your adve rsary . H e ce rta in ly wil lfind cause to complain .

L e t u s cons ide r the many advantage s which re sult from it .

R ompre n’

est p a s p a r er , I read. But by bre ak in g— that is to

say, by re tiring, I increase the e fficacy of my parry . I am moreassured about it, because i t is n ot my only re source , my las tcard. A n d the re tre at of the body doubles the v ivac ity of thehand.

If the attack has be e n made more rap id ly than the parry, byre treating I parry twice ; first, with my sword, which ove rta ke s ,if it cannot accompany, the e nemy ’

s blade ; secondly,with my

body, which, by re tir ing, pre se rve s its distance , a n d causes thethrust that would have re ached m e , had I stood s ti ll , to fal lshort of its aim .

The re t re at is i nvaluable against s imple a ttacks , be cause i ttakes from them the i r é la n an d rapidity of e xecution .

The re treat is invaluable against compound attacks, fe in t ings,an d so forth, because , by remain ing in place , your hand ofte nacts too fast, an d your blade only beats the air . It is also the

surest way to avoid the body stab de l ive red by shorte ning the

arm . In the latte r you may, it is true , stop the adve rsa ry by atime thrust, but in the fie ld most probably both wil l fal l

,beca use

it places h im beyond reach of, a n d safe from, e ithe r surpr ise sand tir er de su rp r ise is a favourite plan with some m e n . It alsosaves him from thos e blind and savage attacks in which ce rta innatures seek a chance of success .

This part of our sys tem immense ly increases the fence r ’s se lfre l iance . A t the same time , i t dimin ishe s the confidence of hisopponent ; the latte r, afte r succe ss ive fai lure s, is l ike ly to losehead, always a gain to you , and pe rhaps to rush forward witha compound attack . In th is case you me e t h im hand to handwith a

“Ce ntre de T ie rce or “

de Quarte , and,if your wrist

be strong an d dexte rous, you may make his sword str ike the i

E

h

74 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

ce i l ing . E ve n if he does not rush,he is most l ike ly to ' throw

himse lf open in some way .

To advance upon the sword is always the most dange rous actiona n d the most difficu lt part of the Art of A rms .

It lose s time ; i t uncove rs o n e s ide by cove r ing the othe r , an d

it cannot be e ffected without somewhat shaking the play . Itis only comparative ly safe for a ve ry short man against m en

much tal le r than h imse l f .

I“Nor must you think the re tre at, as some do, inj urious to theripost ; on the contrary , i t make s the latte r at once sure r ande as ie r .

It often happens that afte r a lunge free ly made the‘ lunger

remains for a time without recove ring h imse lf, attempting secondthrusts, or r em ises de m a in , stra ight thrusts on the s ide whe rethe parry took place . The two adve rsaries are n ow at quarte rsso close that the ripe st ca n hardly be made without shorteningthe arm and expos ing the bre ast . A step backwards save s a ll

th is .

Noth ing pre ttie r, noth ing more artistic, I fre e ly own ,than the

parry a nd r ipost, de l ive red with the fe e t motionless as a statue ’

s .

That t ic ! t ac ! movement is the he ight of art . But againstfence rs of diffe rent s tyle s , pe rhaps dange rous withal, you mustnot often attempt such tou r s de force ; othe rwise , l ike the manwho hunts tige rs on foot, your discomfitu re is only a matte r oft ime . You may do i t, as you may not be t , only when you are

pe rfectly ce rtain of your coup . To make i t the systematicbase of your play is, I be l ie ve , unre asonable as i t is dange rous .

And if,”said Charle s, laugh ing, the adve rsary do the same ,

you ’ l l soon fin d yourse lves not only out of sword reach , bu t outof p istol shot . ”

The re su lt wil l be thre e advantages to you , a thing ce rtainly notto be despised.

F i rstly, i f your opponent ha s had the same thought, or has

rece ived the same advice , it is a te stimony in favour of the

manoeuvre .

Second ly, his rap id re tre at c le arly shows you that he also’

dre ads surprises an d clos ing - in movements, that his chance s of.

success wil l not be sought in th is orde r of ideas , an d that his

a t tacks will be prudent an d re asoned .

Thirdly, and e spec ially when preparing for actual combat, the se

few seconds of pre amble al low you to se ttle your equi l ibrium , todraw upon your se l f-con fide n ce , to face withou t emot ion thatsword point which threatens you , an d to al lay the fi rst involuntarymovement of anxie ty which , in such case s, the strongest nature

must endure for a moment . Moreover, you have be en able toe ntrap your adve rsary in a comprehensive glance of obse rvation ,a n d to draw your own concl us ions from his pos i t ion , from his

handl ing of the sword, and from the gene ral way in which he

off e rs battle .

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76 The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

What answe r h ave you to a l l t h is , Capt . Se a to n ? the

Marqu is aske d .

But Se ato n threw up hands a n d eye s to the ce i l ing . This

t ime indignat ion made h im spee chless . H e was not e qual tothe occas ion ,

”as s a id the Cal i forn i an of a thous and oaths whe n

h is cart wa s bogged .

“ I th ink ,” art icu lat ed Shught ie without removing his br i ar

root ,“ tha t i t wou ld n o t be d ifficu lt to inte rpre t our fr ie nd

’

s

thoughts . H e wou ld e xpre ss some th ing of th is k ind .

“Th is he re sy,

!

which st r ikes at the ve ry root of a l l t hat isgre at a n d good in swordsman nat ure , doe sn

’ t ga in d ign ity bybe ing ana lysed . I t

’

s in the ca te gory of R oya l R oads , ofSome th ing -mad e -e as ie r , of Th is -and -t hat -without-a -mas te r , ofSo -a nds o -t aught- in -a -month .

“Le t u s s ee what th is pe rson proposes to do . H e wou ld

confine his a tt acks, s imp le and compound, to e ight , and of the sehe holds on ly fou r to be abso lute ly necess a ry ; in f act , here duces the supremacy of the fo i l to the hum i l i ty of the broadsword . H e treats the parries as caval ie rly, and he dismisse sf rom the s e rv ice cal lous ly

,a s i f he we re a L ibe r a l Gove rnme nt ,

a l l but se ven , characte r is t ica l ly a l low ing the on ly four good

p lace s to his e spec i a l f r ie nds . Tot a l , e ight moveme nts out ofwhat he h imse l f state d to be t we lve .

“ Aft e r th is you ’ l l not be asto n ishe d to he ar t hat his pup i lle a rns the whole a r t and myst e ry , the tota res scibi lia, in am onth . We

’ l l a l low anothe r we ek for t h is p rec ious ide a ofre t iring inste ad of parrying . We

’ l l e ven be l ibe ra l an d throwin s e ve n more days fo r fin ish ing lessons ,

’a s the s inge rs s ay

fo r F re nch po l ish , in fa ct . 8 0 th at th is ind iv idua l p roposes todo i n s ix we e ks what t ook our f r iend Se aton a t le as t s ix ye ars .

Such th ings may be , but the y’re not p robable . The wor ld

would have he a rd of t hem be fore .

“ Me n have fe nce d e ve nbe fore A .D . 1500, as we ’ve be e n to ld w ith much e rud i t ion . The

wor ld, I don’ t do ubt, wi l l he ar of it . It s t r ikes m e that , l ike

a young membe r o f the House of Commons who har angue s a nd

spe c ifies a n d d i v ides his o r at ions intop l ace a t

‘te a -fights ,

’ you a re t a lk ingbook ; but I fe ar le st the world will say

“ D idn ’t you vex the du l l e a r of ae ve n ing l ast we e k wi th c rotche t s about happ iness —how e ve rybe ing , human or othe rw ise , comes in to the world w ith a ce rta incapa c i ty for enj oyme nt wh ich can ’t be incre as ed a n d c an ’t bedec re ase d

‘3— how eve ry be ing, human or othe rw ise ,is e qual ly

ole st absolute ly i n equal measure , though one ’

s always in

ex tr em es a nd the othe r ’s not —how th is re sults f rom cre ationbe i ng gove rned by an unknown x , p rove d onl y to e x ist byits e fforts , the unconsc ious, or rathe r the non -consc ious , thoughtan d wi l l wh ich work out the wor ld -

procem‘

2— how it’

s th is formof inst inct , n o t our vulgar re ason , th at makes al l of us want

The t t h E ven i n g. 77

to be r iche r , he a lth ie r , wise r , or more f amous , whe n the s amevu lgar reason teache s that the posse ss ion of t he glbbe wou ldn

’ t

add a mi l l igram to our happ iness , and much of t he s ame k ind ?And what did I reply ? Sir, you see the whole world

runn ing afte r we a l th and f ame , an d so forth . We l l , then , a re

they a l l wrong a n d you a l l r ight ? You may be c le ve r as

Volta i re , j eu n e homme, but , l ike h im , you can ’t be c leve re r than

eve rybody . I s ay the same of the fe nc ing crotche ts . Go to ,man ! the world wou ld have he ard of th is be fore .

”

I t was a wondrous t i r ade , cons i de r ing that he ne ve r w ithdrewhis p ipe

,an d actu al ly puffed betwe en the se nte nce s . Hardly

fa i r of h im , howe ve r , to quote the ph i losophy of the uncon sc ious

a nd to mix up my l ay se rmon w ith fenc ing . Th is , I suppose ,

threw m e off my guard .

Have I not sa id be fore t hat a fte r a t housand , poss ibly amil l ion , of fa i lure s and e r rors . on e s ingle inte l l ige nce— s ome

man who has n e ve r be en hea rd of, a m an whos e nam e the worldwould mos t w i l l ing ly le t die—s t r i ke s into t he r ight path .

Gal i leoA groan broke f rom e ve ry s it te r , a we l l -defin ed and se ve r a l

groan .

I hastene d to change t he subj e ct . The movement of the e arthan d t he c i rculat ion of the blood a re worn ou t . But I ret a in myown op in ion upon the subj ect of happ iness , d it to of s imp l i fy ingthe sword, ditto of re treating during the parry .

A bright thought struck e, I would show the be n ightcds

who disagre ed with m e how t e se ven days of French pol ish ”

so rude ly snee red at could be turned to exceptional adva ntage .

But afte r such a rebuff a long exord ium was necess ary be forecoming to the po int .It is hard to be l ie ve

,I continued,

in a long conca t enat ion of

attacks and parr ies , r ipos ts an d counte r -r ipos ts , un le ss uponthe st age or be twe e n two fe nce rs who have pre v ious ly se tt ledwhat to do . An d when I he a r of due ls that t ake hal f an hourbe fore fi rst b lood is d r awn , i t is e asy to s ee th at the fight is o n lv

for fi rst b lood . The twe l ve fought i n F rance in 1873 a ve rage donly e ight m inutes e ach .

“Ye t ,

”said Shught ie , I have re ad of an assau lt wh ich took

p l ace i n Nap les be twee n two firs t - rat e m e n— the Princ ipe d i

Carusa and the Cava l ie rs Ach i l le Cip r i an i— who fenced wi thouta thrust go ing home t i l l the y cou ld no longe r hold the fo i ls .

Yes , I re j o ined , but i t wa s cons ide red a m ir acle of sk i ll ,pre se nce of m ind , and pre voyance .

In swordsman sh ip a l l manne r o f‘

p reb ccup a t ion is an add it io n a l we ight . It is l ike we ar ing s abots inste ad of d anc ingbotti ne s ; he nce anothe r necess ity for s imp l ificat ion . The fence r

E 2

78 fl he Sen t im en t of the Sword .

who fi rs t st ands be fore h is adve rsary is t r av a i led i n m ind aboutthe l i ne of assau lt : is it the out e r or the inne r , the uppe r orthe lowe r that is most l ike ly to be chose n ? H e wi l l p robablyw ait t i l l the antagon is t cle arly de v e lops his i nte nt ion

, and thushe e xpos es h ims e l f to a d isadvant age . I f the at t ack be s imp le ,

a nd i f the hand conduct i t r ap idly,the attacke d g ive s away the

chance that re s id es in a we l l—j udged onse t ca rr ie d out w iththoughtfu l a rde u r . We ra re ly fin d , eve n amongst the o ldes tswordsmen , th at e xcess i ve tact wh ich a lone ca n d i v in e the in t ent ion of the adve rs ary , an d ente r , as it we re ,

into his thoughts .

The pe cul i a r g i f t a lso ofte n accompan i e s ot he r a n d dete r iorat ingqua l it ie s . So we some t ime s note an a rt i st

,who can make a

firs t - rate l ikene ss, but who cannot pa int a port ra i t .What , th en , is the reme dy ? We mus t e v ident ly s eek some

parry which , m echanica l ly trave rsing all four lines,

can notbut me e t the e nemy ’

s sword whateve r d i re ct ion th i s may happ ent o t ake . When such compre h ens i ve de fe nce is found , appre

he n s ion a nd an x i e ty ca lm down , a n d the wande r ing thoughtsr ange themse lve s wi l l i ngly und e r orde rs of the wi l l ; the re is

no more unce rtain ty ; indec is ion is at an en d .

The s imp le st a n d by f a r the most n atura l of the un ive rsalp arr ies is t he comple te c i rc le de scr ibe d by t he sword po int ,wh ich , i n the l anguage of the fenc ing schools, p icks up eve rythrust . Of cou rs e , i t is double , a s it may be begun from t ie rcea s we l l as f rom carte . I t may be va r ie d at t ime s by compound

counte rs— for instance , ce n tre dc t ier ce a nd ce n tre de qu a r te, or ,vice versa , ce n tre de qu a r te a nd cen tr e de t ier ce . A s you must nota llow the adve rsary to discove r the mechan i sm of t he parry ,you w i l l occas ion al ly try a s i ngle counte r , say of t ie rce , fol lowedby an oppos it ion i n ca rte . I shou ld adv is e you to res e rve foryour gre ate s t ne e ds that in wh ich you succe ed be st . And k ind lydo not forge t what I sa i d conce rn ing the re l at i ve f ac i l ity o f the

ce n tr e de t ierce (su r les a rmes) ve rsus the ce n tr e de ca r te (cla n s

les a rmes) .“ Afte r he re sy , cr ied Se aton , we now arr ive at char l a

t an ism i n a l l it s i n tegr i ty . What can be e as ie r than to evade

such gr ind—organ , windmi l l - l ike act ion ? Whe re is your c i rc le i fat tacke d by a c i rc le and a d is engagement ? ”

Of course , nowhe re . Parri-es can be dece ived— what parry

cannot ? says an author ,‘ v it de loya les per

fid ie s .

” What p ass cannot be parr ied ? I f you shou ld h appe n

t o i nve nt an imposs ibl e thru st or an inf a l l ible parry— mind , I

do not doubt your powe r of so doing— t ake out a p ate nt at once ,become o n e of the mi l l ion a i re s of the wor ld, and found a

Se atonv i l le .

I s a id the othe r e ven ing that a fe nce-r’s force cons is ted , accord

ing to m e,f a r less i n the va r ie ty of his p l ay and i n the comb ina

t ions of his fe i nts than in the so undne ss of h is j udgme nt an d i n

the qu ickn e ss an d v ivac i ty of h is h and. Th is is so t rue that

The Fif th E ven in g. 79

a lmost a l l swordsme n , p rofe ss ionals as we l l a s amate urs , have

ce rtain favouri te forms of attack, parry , an d ripost . Thesea re , as it we re ,

bosom friends , to whom they eve r recur in thehour of ne ed . An d it sure ly w i l l not take more than a few

le sso ns to find what movements a re the most approp r i ate to the

fence r ’s phys ique an d mora ls .

Amidst t he d ive rs phases of an ass au lt the s ame pass es andparr ies ofte n be ar bu t a m in imum of re semblance to o n e

anothe r . The fact is, they a re varied in form and modified inact ion accord ing to the ind i v idua l i ty wh ich use s them a n d thatupon wh ich the y a re used . Inde ed ,

th is is the ma in s ecre t ofthe i r force .

I wou ld addre ss the se remarks to any inte l l ige nt— a nd un

p re j ud iced— st ude nt of a rms .

Le t u s t ake a s an i l lustr at ion the s imp les t of al l pa r t iest ie rce and carte .

How many time s does not this e leme nta ry movement va ry ?How many t ransformat ions c annot i t assume ?Light as a fe athe r w ith th is man , s tu rdy a n d v igorous w iththat ; idle a nd fl acc id , o r e ne rge t ic a n d eve n v iole nt ; h igh orlow , conform ing i tse l f to e ve ry e x ige ncy and re spons i ve to eve ryapp eaL

Fol low the movem en ts with your eye . Now the blades partsudde nly , as i f se ve red by re puls ion ; the n , magne t ical lyattracted,

the o n e holds down a nd dom inates it s oppone nt .It is a p re pe r app rec i a t ion of th is endle ss va r ie ty in act ion , ofthese infinite nuance s in the same movement, which constitutesthe t rue swordsman .

I re pe at to yo u : he who conte nts h imse l f w ith rec i t ing the

burden of his memory , howe ve r flu ent ly , howe ve r corre ct ly , wil lneve r be anyth ing but a pup i l o r a pa rrot— let h im choos ebe twe en the two .

Tha t th rust was se ve re . I re sumed

Amongst the o ld bouqu in s which s le e p pe aceably upon the

uppe r she l ves of the l ibra ry I found on e , d at ing f rom A .D . 1600 ,

conta in ing the se l in e s“ Car com bie n qu e la loy de suivre le s mouveme nt s na ture ls

doive e st re in v iol abl e , toute fo is il faut ente nd re qu e l a n ece s

s ité n’e n a nul le , e t qu ’

e l le e nfonce tou te s loys , que lque stablesqu ’

e l les puisse nt e stre .

”

It would hard ly be f a i r to abu se th is unpre j ud iced maxim bye nl arg ing a n d commentat ing upon i t , as i t has abuse d t he good

o ld Lat in p rove rb . Bu t in the a rt of a rms , me th inks , we mayuse it , a n d u se i t w e l l .A fte r t re at ing of the parry , we come to the r ipos t . Uponth is subje ct a few words suffice .

80 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

R emembe r that the p arry an d the r ipos t a re s is te rs— Si amesetw in s , i n fact— two -he ade d n ight inga les , which , once p arted ,wou ld lose the i r v i t a l i ty , the i r r a ison d

’

étr e .

The ripe st must be so conne cted with the parry that it maybe cons id e red its se cond p art , it s cont inu at ion , its conclus ion .

The re fore , a s a ge ne ra l ru le , make your r ipos t i n the l inewhe re you have m e t the sword, i ns ide or outs ide , above orbelow . The r ipes t by st r a ight thrust , they say,

soon be come smechan ica l . Ye t to change is to lose t ime , to waste in combin at ion what had fa r be tte r rema i n s ingle . It a lso f requent lyal lows your ad ve rsa ry to re cove r h imse l f , or , worse st i l l , tomake a r em ise ( le m a in . Above all th ings ne ve r shorte n the

arm , or you r r ipost w i l l be lost— it is throwing gold upon the

p avement .

E ve ry r iipost mus t h ave it s oppos i t ion— th at is to say, cove ring onese l f on the l ine of the ad ve rsa ry ’

s bl ade . Such is notthe ru le i n p r ime , bu t I h ave a l ready warn-cd you aga inst thatant iqu ated pos it ion .

Avoid as a ru le r iposts aga inst h a l f - lunges , be cau se th ey a re

e xpe cted a n d p re pared for .

I f you s uspe ct that the adve rsary , as often happen s in the

case of a coo l , o ld , wary sworde r , attacke d you w ith the obj ectof d raw ing you on , a n d espec i a l ly i f you remark that he cove rsh imse l f we l l upon that s ide , le av ing the othe r at a l l exposed,you may avo id the snare by a s ingle d isengageme nt or a cu t

ove r in the direct ion which he does not expect . But neve r riskmore than o n e .

Cult ivate i n the r ipost the utmos t poss ible s imp l ic i ty , com

b in ed with a l l the qu ickness of wh ich you a re capable . The

gre at se cre t of succe ss he re l ies in the p arry , to wh ich n ine

rp u p ils out of te n habi tu al ly app ly double the st rength re qu i red.

And th is fata l p rac t ice often becom e s so engra ine d th at whe nthey wou ld re l ie ve the i r muscle s the act ion becomes soft an d

s low .

A few words about t he r em ise de m a in —o n e of t he mos td ange rous of passes i f u sed by a sk i l fu l swo rdsman , o n e of themos t obj ect ion able i n the hands of ignorance . It is, in fac t , aform of redoubl ing— th at is to s ay ,

of mult ip ly ing th rust s be forere turn ing to guard . As a rule I te ach it l ate in the cou rse ,

bec ause i t is so l i able to gross abus e , a n d often i n ine xpe r iencedhands i t re su lts i n cou p pou r coup ,

wh ich , a s the t re at ise s s ay

t ru ly , d ishonou rs a fe nce r . The legit imate form is when the

adve rs ary , a fte r p arry ing you r thrust , removes his Oppos it ion ,e i the r f rom fut i l ity or w ith the obje ct of a r ipos t . You maythen e i the r make what is cal led a “ false re tre at — that is ,re tu rn ha l fway to guard—o r ,

be tt e r s t i l l , de l i ve r t he r em ise

f rom t he fu l l lunge . It is va luable aga ins t a man who he s i t ate sabout his r ipost , and some fence rs a re so fond of it that the yowe to i t h al f t he i r successes .

The Fif th E ven in g. 81

IX .

Wil l you a l low m e to t ak e a l ibe rty , I s a id to the da rk youthin the corne r , and a sk you to sum up the case a s i t now l ies

be fore the j ury ?

H e assented will ingly and withou t ma u va is e hon te .

You ’ve told us tha t the lesso n is a pre parato ry s tudy— a

copy of the mas t e r’s s ty le . The ass au lt is the pup i l’

s indiv i

dua l i ty brought out by h imse l f— the or ig ina l poem which gen ius

produces afte r it s apprentice ship of imitation .

“The only gene ra l, fundamental , an d unive rsal rule s that can

be give n a re those which in al l ages have gove rne d the attack

a nd the de fence .

“ In the attack , ene rgy control led by prudence and re asoning ;in the de fence , firmne ss

,astutene ss, and se l f-con fide n ce .

And n ow,passing from the e nsemble to the de tails of your

n ew or natural svstem .

The e rror of the sa l le d’

a rm es has be e n to proh ibi t passe s in

the lowest and in the highe st l ine s, debarring the pupil from the

practice of de fe nce ,and expos ing him pe rhaps to a thrust which

may be fatal .“ On guard, as much re laxation of musc le as poss ible . In the

attack, al l manage able vigour a nd mome ntum . When parry ing,the j ust amount of muscular force requ ired

m n o more — a n d notless .

A s a rule,parry with a step or a hal f s te p in re treat , so as to

g ive the p arry double secur i ty and the r ipos t more l ibe r ty ofaction. Parry with the fe e t fi rm only whe n you a re ce rta in ofwhat is coming on , whe n you have learned that your adve rsaryis e as i ly managed.

For gre ate r fre edom of thought and e scape from preoccupat ion , usua l ly employ a compound p ar ry th at cove rs a l l the fou rlines , a n d must me e t the sword of the adve rsary whate ve r be it sd i rec t ion . At t imes change i t, or the oppone nt w i l l d iv i ne theme chan ism of your ac tion .

F ix your look upon the adve rsary ’

s poin t and eye , not uponpoint or eye . Make your riposts in t he straight line , and avoide spe cial ly the compl ications which would admit remise s an d re

doubl ings .

“A s a rule , don ’t attempt the r em iss (36 m a in unle ss thev

adve rsary neglects his oppos i tion .

”

A murmur of applause was heard when the youth ce ased tospeak ; he de se rved i t for inte rpre ting my thoughts a n d re suming my words with so much abi l ity an d concisene ss .

The soone r you le ave E ngland the be tte r,”

cr ied Se aton ,mean ing m e

, or the noble art of fenc ing wil l be no more .

!

Afte r th is the re wa s noth ing to do but to se parate for then ight d l ’a ima ble.

82 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

My rap id re t re at ups ta i rs d id n o t qu i te save me f rom ase rmon duly de l ive red by Shught ie .

“ What is all this ? ”said he , with more than usual gravity .

A re you again at what our Irish friend used to cal l your‘ tricks .

’I s th is me re ly your common bante r of what you

modest ly cal l feebly inte l lectual fo lks , an d your fun in shockingwhat you look upon as the i r pre j udice s ? I s Se aton to be broughtlow with insomn ia , athumia, asthe nia, a n d othe r things beginningwith alpha priv .

, that you may make hol iday for an hour ? O rhave thes e he res ies , these pe rve rs ions of j udgme nt

,actua l ly

affe c te d your unhappy bra in ?

A curtain lecture is a comedy compared with th is , I cried ,rush ing wildly down the corridor .

TH E SIXTH E VEN I NG .

I .

TH E l ast d iscu ss ion‘

had be en s to rmy , a nd I confe ss to hav ing

fe l t somewhat n e ttled by the obstinate vis in er tioe of the moribundschool , that mass of a rt ificia lity, the gift of tradi tion a n d

authori ty . It reminded m e of a ce rta in o ld man of the (CentralA frican) sea .

Dur ing the fore noon I wa s asked what would probably be

the subj e ct fo r the e ven ing , a nd my rep ly was the tyranny a n d

usu rpat ion of ls sen t imen t ( I n fer . Pe rhaps the seduct i ve

ant i the s is or oxymoron had its e ffe ct , for the March ione ss

s ign ified he r h igh w i l l a n d p le asure to be p re sent wi th he r two

daughte rs— a se nt ime nta l fo il , sound ing in E ngl ish somewhatl i ke an oyste r in love . On the othe r hand, Capt . Se atondec l a red solemnly that he washed his hands of the whole aff a i r ,a n d that whate ve r hor ror of he re sy m ight iss ue f rom mymou th

,he would not be induce d to ut te r a wo rd. I suspect

that he had cons ti tuted as his spoke sman John Shught ie , whose

tempe r was more t r anqu i l , more s age .

At the accustome d t ime I took my wonte d place , and spoke

as fol lows

We wi l l be g in by de fin ing le sen timen t da fer , which can

hardly be ar t rans l at ion as“the se nt iment of the sword .

”

The word d’ou tr e ma n clze expresse s a some th ing be twee n sense

an d sent ime nt wh ich we do n ot poss ess . Pe rhaps le ta ct da fer

is a more inte l l ig ib le synonym .

“The F re nch is not on ly the natur a l l angu age of the chase ,

but tha t of love a nd of wa r , i n wh ich l ad ies should be wo n a n d

e nemies de fied .

” Without going so f a r as the misgu ide d Sir

Bri an de Bo is -Gu ilbe rt , we may , howeve r , own th at the Neo

Lat in tongue has made i tse l f a t home in the fe nc ing schoo l,

and we may use i t w ithout sus p ic ion of“ pe dant ry

” —the cry

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84 The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

to p ass es d r i ven home a t the s ame t ime , to the afireux comba t

dc gladia teu rs oit l es deu ce a n tagon is tes son t blesses it la fois ;th at i t le ads to what is te chn ical ly cal led p laqu er (that is , tos tr i ke t he antagon is t w ith the flat bl ade , not w ith the po int) ;and that i t p re ve nts the pup i l e ve r re ach ing the apogee of hisa rt —name ly the sen tim en t du fer .

II .

The ide a of de ve lop ing t h is de fe nce was sugges te d by acomical) dia logue i n the rooms of an o ld professo r, Constan tin , ofBoulogne , whe n a fr iend, who was qu ite of second- rate strength ,had bee n p lace d oppos ite an olde r h and, and a f ar be tte r fence rthan h imse l f . The l atte r

,I should add, wa s a lso o n e of those

many pe rve rse p eop le to whom cus tom an d routine re pres en tsupreme law.

My fr ie nd fe l l into pos i t ion , a nd afte r the fo i ls we re crossed ,

by way of s igna l to beg in , withdrew his blade e i the r pu rpose lyo r by acc i de nt, and managed to touch

'

his adve rsary se ve ra lt ime-

s in success ion .

“ Will you be ki nd e nough , sa id the vanqu ish ed on e , tog ive m e your sword ?

Why so ?

Bec ause i f you don’t g ive m e the sword how can youexpect us to fence toge the r ? ”

We wi l l fe nce as we can !”

No ! You ought to g ive m e the sword .

I see no ‘ ough-t ’ i n the e ase . You ’re try ing to touch m e ,

I ’m try ing to touch you . My p lan se ems to succee d we l l— al lthe be tte r re aso n for ke ep ing to it . ”

“ Poss ibly ,” re p l ied the rout in is t ;

“ but t h is can ’t be ca l led

fenc ing whe n you don ’t g ive the sword .

”

By th is t ime a l l the fe nce rs i n the sa lle d’a rmea had in te r

rupt ed the i r ass a ul ts a n d col le cted i n a l i t tle knot to he ar the

d iscuss ion .

“ Le t ’s s it down for a m inute , s a id my fr ie nd,

“ and se tt let he ques t ion qu ie t ly . Al low m e to ask whe the r you compla ino f my p asse s .

Not a t a l l ! ”0

O f my p arr ies ?

Not the le ast ! ”

Have I re tre ate d too much ? Have I ke pt too much w ith ind ist ance ?Ne i the r ! ”

Have I attemp ted by s tre ngt h to fo rce in your gua rd ?”

No IHave I att acked you ou t of my turn , or have I r isked our

bo th be ing touche d at the same t ime ?Ne ve r !Then what do you wan t more ?

The Sixth E ven ing. 85

I wan t you to g ive m e the sword ! ”

In orde r to be agre e able to you ? In orde r th at you maytouch m e whe n I

’m touch ing you ?

“ I don ’t s ay tha t, but it’

s not fenc ing whe n you don’ t g ive

the sword .

Some of the byst ande rs we re of on e op in ion , othe rs we re ofanothe r . But i t was imposs ible to d r ive the o ld hand f rom the

pos it ion wh ich he had taken up . L ike the Hindu Yogi whostands te n ye a rs unde r a tree , he wa s not to be moved .

i f

An d thus i t is,thus i t e ve r has bee n , an d thus i t e ve r w i l l

be , fortunate ly i n some se nse s for man , whene ve r the so -ca l le dsacr i le gious hand touch es the anc ie n t tr ad i t ions of anyth ing inart, in sc ience , or in anyth ing e lse . The mos t obtuse cannotbut fee l th at th is is the s ign a l for putt ing an e nd to the qu ie tl i fe of Old R out ine , and of turn ing h im adr i f t upon the w ide ,

cold world of re form , of nove l ty , of p rogre ss . H e res is ts , he

s truggles,he fights, because he fe e ls that you a re te ar ing h im

away from his l ine of p l ac id s ucc esse s , his p le asa nt habits , hisoccupat ions which have been le a rned by he art, and wh ich a re

regulated , l ike a p iece of mus ic , phras e a fte r ph r as e . We

cannot , the re fore , wonde r th at he loses tempe r— aga in s a id w ithinte nt ion— bu t that doe s not prove h im to be r ight . An d the

mass of soc ie ty h ates n ew th ings ; the y int roduce an e leme nt ofd iscomfort .

“ I th ink , sa id Shught ie ,“ that we have he ard th at be fore .

0 cobble r,do ke e p to your l as t !

“ A pun ? aske d Lady Margare t .

He ave n fore fe ndIII .

By not giving the sword, you oppose a n unexpec te d obs tac leto this dange rous tac t ; you e sc ape from the fascin at ion ; youbreak the spe l l . By neve r allowing the adve rsary h is customarybase of ope rat ions, you de fe at his manoeuvres ; you m ake himente r upon a n ew mode of tactics . An able gene ra l wil l al te r ,

’

his plan , an d se ek a triumph by beating you with your own

arms . But he fe e ls the d ifficulty ; he is no longe r upon plaiu;l

ground, mas te r of h imse l f, and assured of e ve ry movement .By giv ing the sword, you mus t a lways stand wi th in di stance I

of the point . That is to say, you must at al l times be exposed l

to an attack d e p i ed ferm e, whe n .it is mos t l ike ly to succ e ed , we

wil l say, by a s trong straigh t thrus t,or by a. dégagemen t de

1: .i lesse I t i s imposs ible , e ven for the most practised hand, tobe ce rtain of parrying such an atta ck, a n d,

if the me asurebe tween the points be somewhat short

, the be st fence r may fin d

himse l f but toned . Unde r such c i rcumsta nces thought,which

is e ve r on the ale rt, finds i tse l f troubled a n d exc ited , apprehens ion an d preoccupat ion work the brain, an d i t is vain to attemp tmaturing an atta ck .

86 The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

Wh en i t happens— you have been warned how rare ly— thattwo fence rs equally matched mee t to share the dange r, the n Isay to th em ,

In th is matt e r do as you th ink fit .

But in othe r cases, I say to the feeble on e , The act ofre fus ing to give your sword, combined with keeping youradve rsary out of dis tance

, compe ls him to advance for the

purpose of attack, a proc e eding not only dange rous in i tse lf,but also benefici al to you a s be tray ing his in te ntion . You are

thus no longe r in the pre sence of an imminent ca tas trophe ,l wh ich takes from you al l l ibe rty of action , al l coolness of

j udgment . You d isquie t your adve rsary by le avin g him in doubta s to which of the four l ine s you threaten ; you can consultyour own t ime and conven ience , a n d, when i t sui ts you toattack or to parry, you can sharply engage the enemy ’

s sword .

Ne ve r lend ea r to innuendos about don n er l’ép ée. You wil l

fin d th at i t is an in ar t i st ic ruse a nd we akn es s,a want of

taste , dign ity, and mora l gre atne ss .

”R eply that your obj ect

is to to uch , an d not be to uche d, and that th is is your main stayof de fence against coup s de vitesse gene ra lly, and e speciallyagainst a man who is s trong in the straigh t th rus t .I find in t his sys tem o n e real and abso lute good— it guarantee syour pe rsonal safe ty . The l ist of othe r advantages

.

which itpre sents would be long to rec ite . Old and wary swordsmende l ight in surprises, because they find such ruses eas i ly pa ssedupon young hands ; so the aged lion a n d the worn-out tige rbecome man -e ate rs . The middle -aged fence r, whose arms are

l ike i ron, affe cts those passe s wh ich enable h im, by maste ringthe c entre of your blade , or by gl iding from the strong to thewe ak kind

,such as the l i em e n t de l

’

ép e’

e, the p ress ion , the

ba ttemen t , the croise’

,and what are called in gene ral les a t taques

de l’

epee, to force in your guard. The se advan tages on youradve rsary’s s ide will n ot be annih ila te d , but the i r dange r will besens ibly dimin ished ; at any rate , the i r e xecution become s moredifficult, an d i t is accompanied by a far gre ate r amount of risk .

He re , howe ve r, a word of warn ing ! When I te ll you neverI t o give the sword , i t is not meant t hat you should uncove ryourse lf in orde r to ke ep your blade out of l ine . That would

indeed be an e rror .

IV .

I m us-t not le ave you unde r the impress ion th at th is partof the New or Natural system ,

nam e ly, not giv ing the sword,is use ful only to a fe eble fence r engaged with a skil ful andexpe rienced sword . The re is no re ason, a t le ast that occurs to m e ,

why ski l l an d expe rience should not ma ke equal u se of aninnovation against wh ich so much c lamour has be en raised .

I ts e nemies,I have told you ,

dec lare that i t utte rly destroys

the beauty and regularity of the play, that it lead s to wild

prac tice or prac tices ; that the style becomes harsh , i rregu lar,de

’

cousu , a nd that the dange r of s imul taneous thrusts is increas ed .

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8 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

e rrand wa s hop e les s ; a s ingle Pharaoh ’s magic i an aga ins t a

host of Mos e s , his poor rod wa s soon swa llowed up, and he

na r row ly esc aped the s i l ve r bu l le t a s the enemy of mank indwa s run th rough the body in G i l Bl as . But his t r a in ing of theeye was pe rfe ct ly succe ssfu l .

I remembe r unco nsc ious homage to the loo k be ing renderedby a gunn e r on bo a rd the Gri ffon

,an item of the Wes t Afr ican

Go lh u -Squadron , long s ince sunk or burnt . Mr R ichards , whohad t r a ined i n the E xce l lent, wa s t e aching cu t a nd s l ash to ave ry mi ld- look ing spec imen of the Brit ish l ion , whose expre ss ion of counte nance a s be regarded his adve rs ary wa s ch ar acte rist ic of benevole nce and p e rhaps of be ing somewhat bo red .

“ Don ’t look in th at way, m an !”

shouted the s tentor i anvo ice ; look at h im as i f you

’

d e a t h im ' ”

V .

Now se e the swordsman who combine s both “sent ime nts .

H e kee ps his adve rsa ry at a d ist ance , thre aten ing h im withag i le blade , wh ich gle ams l ike l ightn ing be fore h is gl ance ,a n d th row ing h im into confus ion with the ca lcu lat ed irregu

la r ity of its act ion . H is watchfu l look , fixed equal ly on pointa n d eye , que s t ions the coming moveme nt , d i v i nes the thoughttha t would conce a l its e l f , a nd pee rs i nto futu r i ty w ith a some

th ing o f prophe t ic st ra in . At the s ame t ime ne i the r eye norpoin t be t r ays to host i le scrut iny aught of its secre ts . In due

t ime and at e ase to h imse l f , when e ve ryth ing has be en we ighe d,disposed, a n d matured , th is tir eu r r ou e

’

wise liy fores e es both the

attack and t he r ipo st wh ich is t o fol low i t, pre sents his blad e , and

mee ts his lad ve rsa ry’

s ; so that by bold an d re solute ac t ion hewins th e day .

“ It appe a rs to m e, Lord B . s a id , th at you al low the

poor adve rsary no quarte r .”

“ Yes ,”Shught ie mutte re d, as the Luck of R oar ing Camp

s ays,‘ you see ,

i t a in ’t no square game . The y ’ve j ust put upthe ke e rds on t hat ch ap from the s tar t . ’ H e h asn ’t the ghos tof a chance , poo r wre tch ! But , a fte r a l l , you

’re bo und to le t

u s know what you do i f i n his turn the adve rsary w i l l not g ive

you the sword .

The answe r is e asy . The gre at a r t of swordsmansh ip cons ist s

i n l ay ing successfu l snares , such a s making you r oppone nt

expect the attack exact ly whe re i t is not inte nded . To dece ive

h is expec tat ions , to bre ak up what he combines , to d isap point

h is pl ans , a nd to n arrow his act ion ; to domin ate his movements ,to p ara lyse his thoughts, re pre sent the art, the sc ie nce , t he ski l l ,a n d the powe r of your pe rfe c t swordsman .

I rep ly ,“ I f the adve rsa ry wi l l not g ive the sword, force h im

to g ive i t . Th is is the prope r opportun ity for fe ints , thre ats ,a n d ha l f attacks wh ich would othe rw ise be misp l ace d . E ither

he p ar r ies them ,or he a t tempts a t ime th rust , or he proce eds

to stop you by pre sent ing t he poin t . In e i the r case he mus t

The Six th E ven in g. 89

offe r you his blade , and you accep t i t as a base for the p r ess ion ,

the fla n con n ade , the ba t t em en t, the crois é , the li em en t

, the

froissemen t d’e’

pée, or any pas s you see most appropriate to the

occas ion .

A word about these movements , wh ich a re mos t affe cted byshort m en , and wh ich , powe rfu l ly executed , shake t he anta

gon ist’s system , a n d some t imes reduce h im to the we akness of

a chi ld. The p ression , or we igh ing upon the adve rs ary’s bl ade , \

is becoming obso le te ; but I do n o t see the’

re a so n for r ank ingit be low its ne ighbours whe n ca re fu l ly ca r r ied out . The fla n

con n ade is the reso urce of a phys ica l ly s trong aga inst a we akman ; i t may be used aga i nst a le ft-handed fe n ce r ,

'

bu t theni t must be inve rted . The ba ttemen t i n the Ro mant ic Schoo l was

done by sharp ly t urn ing the hand in o ld ca rte , or n a i ls up , when

engaged t ie rce , a n d in o ld t ie rce (na i ls down ) whe n e ngaged

carte . Th is only adds to the d iffi culty , and my system is , act

by the e lbow sp r ing , wh ich inc re ases the le ve rage . The croisé is

e ffe cted by turn ing the adve rs ary’s bl ade f rom carte to seconde

or from t ie rce to demic i rc le ; i f the ha nd he not we l l e le vate d ,

the fe nce r runs the r isk of'

a ( l é robem en t on t he bl ade be ing

withdrawn from h im . I have se e n the fr oissemen t fol lowed bya d isengagement , which is , of course , s imp ly an abuse .

The se movements do not be long to my sys tem , but they mustbe stud ied a nd gua rded aga inst . And , remembe r, the re is

noth ing bad in fenc ing, p rov ided th at it succ ee ds .

VII .

In the use of arms , as i n wa r , you must expec t noth ing tobe give n to you . You must fol low t he good o ld p l an of tak ingwhateve r your fr ie nd cannot kee p , and , whe n the l ion ’

s fo rcefa i ls , t hen , a s the o ld s ay ing is , fol low the fox .

An d now I w i l l p lace be fo re you two p ictu res, a n d crave you r

j udgment of the contras t .The fi rs t is an ass au lt be tween two of those acad emica l

stude nts so de a r to the sou l of ou r fr ie nd Se ato n . Both a re i nthe h ighes t s ta te of t ra in ing, i n a r t as i n phys ique . They s tandfi rmly upon the i r fee t l ike “

s tone -ga ls ,” both equ al ly d isda i n

to re t re at , a nd conseque nt ly ne it he r need advance . In th ispe r i lous pos i t ion fe in t fol lows fe in t , par ry parry , p as s pass ;s imp le attack ends in compound at tack , a n d vice ver sa . The

body, pe rfect ly ba l anced , ha s n eve r moved f rom the pe rpe ndi

cu lar ; the admi rably taught finge rs and hand ,wr ist an d fore

arm , have added an extreme de l icacy to the n ice conduct of thesparkl ing blade . You fo l low the gl i t te r ing fl ight of the pointwith a manne r of marve l ; you a re at fi rs t lost i n admirat ion .

Bu t th is l ast s on ly t i l l the few fi rs t p asses a re de l i ve red a nd

parr ied . Then beg ins a se nse of we ar iness . Noth ing in th is

90 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

t r iumph of mechan ism moves or e xc i te s you ; the re is noth ingin these ca rpe t kn ights to make your finge r t ips t ingle or yourhand fee l for a sword . I t is i n t e re st ing a s a game of che ssbetwee n first - rate pl aye rs, an d th at is a l l .You have looke d upon that p icture , now tu rn to th is . The

pa i r is e qu al ly sk i l fu l and we l l matche d,but the system is

wide ly d iffe rent .R e mark the sty le . Ins t antly when the swords a re crossedwith in me asure both p l ace themse l ves in safe ty . F a r f roms tand i ng w i th fi rm foot a nd bl ade to blade , e ach choose s his own

d is t ance . With t he eye s of the lynx a n d the gl ance of t ra inedinte l l igence , they watc h , the y ques t ion , the y e xamine e achothe r . The re is a s l ight approach

, t he swords mee t , a lunge ,

qu ick as l ightn ing , fl ashe s (past you r look . The attack was

cunn ingly cont r i ve d and forc ibly carr ie d out ; bu t a sharp stepbackwards , pe rhaps a spr ing w ith both fe e t f rom the ground,r i t ra rs e i n s ta n cio

, a s the I ta l i ans cal l i t,a nd a parry which

makes the we apons gr ind , de fe ated the thrust , and p re p ared fora re tu rn of compl ime nt . It is a st ruggle betwee n s turdy com

bat an ts , rough custome rs the y wou ld be ca l l-cd i n the d i alectof anothe r exe rc is e ; supp le a n d subt le , arde nt and ene rge t ic as

the y a re sturdy , ca l l ing to the i r a id a l l the re sources of the i rar t

,the s tore s of the i r e xpe r ie n ce

,the know ledge of th e i r

powe rs, and the sugge st ions of the i r ind i v idua l ity .

You wi l l agre e w ith m e that th is is fe nc i ng in e arne st . Whatyou have be fore see n is cunn ingly p l ay ing at fence .

VIII .

The se i nnovat ions cannot f a i l to ga in ground ; they havesudde n ly enl a rge d , as mode rn sc ie nce eve r must do i n a l l thatshe attempts, a fie ld wh ich forme r ly had na r row l im i ts . As

ye t , howeve r, they a re recognised only by the gene ral remark“Fe nc ing ha s ga ine d i n d i ffi culty what i t ha s los t i n grace .

M : Un tel is a d ifficult swordsman .

May I a sk why on e of th ese qual i t ies should e xc lude the

othe r ? Would you own that the grac e fu l fence r is e asy to

conque r ? I suppose t hat you me an by d i fficu lt , hard to touch ,d ange rous i n h is p lay . We l l

,then , with a l l my love of an d

admirat ion for the grace of an Antinous, I shou ld much (pre fe r ,suppos i ng that the combinat ion we re be yond my powe r , the

v igou r a n d d ifficulty th at l ack it .But the whole ide a is founde d upon a mis take . Grace is the

re sult of form ; a n d man ly grace , robus t a n d e ne rge t ic , that ofthe athle te , th at wh ich d ist ingu ishe d our doughty ances to rs , is

the p roge ny of st rength un i te d w ith shape ly l ines . The boormay h a ve bo th , a n d be ung race fu l w itha l ; but we a re notsp e ak ing of t he untra ine d

’

man,who bows s e rv i le ove r his

mothe r e arth .

I wou ld r isk martyrdom at the hands of the theor ists , a nd

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92 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

he must be e xcused , even he who upon such a subject a i rs h isHorace , in the presence of the othe r sex .

IX .

A few words upon the subj ect of our too ls .

The or ig in of the fo i l is unknown . We ca n only s ay tha t i twa s at fi rst the Toledo or Sp an ish r ap ie r w ith “ bate d end ;

th at it is popu lar ly , an d pe rhaps e r roneous ly , att r ibuted toMae s tro R iccon i , of Si en a ; th at i t became gen e ra l i n the e ar lypart of the s eventee nth century , a n d th at short ly afte rwards itwa s provided with a button . But th is is a debate d mat ter,of which I have tre ated e lsewhe re . The Plas tron was

begun a s a n pet to cl i ca r ton e ; i t i s alluded to by Mo rs it a to

a nd a mod e rn wr it e r wonde rs i f m en did not pe rsp i re i nthose me d iaeva l t ime s . T i l l the fi rs t ha l f of the l ast ce nturythe wire s afe fo r the f ace had not be en adop ted . L e t me quotewhat L ’

E n cg/clop édi e of A.D . 1755 says upon the subj ect un de r theword Masque

“ On a que lque fo is poussé l a p recau t ion jusqu a me tt re un

masque pou r se gar ant i r des coups qu i pe uvent etre portés au

v isage , lorsqu’o n s

’e x e rce a l ’a rt de l ’e sc r im e .

‘

I l es t vra i qu ece ux qu i sont e ncore pe u ve rsés da n cet art p euvent b less e r leuradve rsa i re e n t i rant mal , ou se f a i re bles se r e n re levant u n e

bot te mal parée . Cepe ndant on n’

e n f a it auj ou rd ’hu i aucunusage .

”

The ar t icle e v iden t lv re -e choe s the ide as wh ich we re ge n e ra llv

admit te d at the t ime . To p u t on a mask was to show the

adve rs a ry that you fe a red the result of his awkwardne ss ; itwa s a p re c aut ion wh ich borde red upon the off ens i ve . Poss ibly ,a lso , beh ind i t lu rked the i nst inct th at i t is not man ly to t aketoo m uch care of on es e l f ; to R a reyfy (1) whe n you should bre aka horse . Th is wa s, in fact , what an Afr ican k ing sa id to m e

when I p rop osed a w ay of hand l ing trad e muske ts wh ich would

pre ve nt them from shatte r ing h is men’s h ands .

The wre tc h s a id Lady Ma ry ; I should so m uch

’

like tohe ar the s tory .

”

You shal l be obe ved when I have got r id of the mask . Inthose d ays of the good o ld school , wh ich p e rh ap s , Lady Mary ,you wi l l be surp r ise d to he ar is so f ar from e xt inc t that it showsmany s igns of v igorous l i fe ; i n those ant iqu ated t imes , st i l l refleet ed by our own , fe nc ing was a s e r ie s of fe ints, o f attacks , ofparries, and of riposts, previously cal culated an d comb ined

l ike “O pen i ngs in games of ski l l . On e m ove in evi tabl y

brought on anothe r . The man who dur ing the e arly p a rt of the

pe r formance ,the manoeuvr ing phase , dared, ins te ad of cur iously

fol low ing t he l abyr inth traced by the enemy ’

s blade , to lunge

R arey was a famous horse -tame r in the Late fift ies a nd earlySixt ies , whose sys tem was r idiculed i n Pun ch .

The Sixth Even in g. 93

with a home th rus t— in fact , to leap the hedge— would have bee nhe ld a n tudesqu e, a n ign o r e, an incremen ta l form of the

ignorant, and would have be en ignominious ly turned bac k to hisA B 0 .

Anothe r safe guard to both fe nce rs was t he c l ass ica l and

acad emic he igh t to wh ich the r ight h and was condemned by

p ubl ic t as t e . On e of the gre atest comp l iments pa id to the f a rfamed Sa in t George s by his f avour i te m a itr e d

’

a rmes , M . l aBoess iere , pére, was upon the e levat ion of his hand, and the

re sult— that he neve r touche d a man in the f ac e . Ye t towardsthe e n d of the Ch eva l ie r ’s short l i fe (he d ied f rom ne g le ct inghis he a lth at the age of fifty

-four ) the mask had gradual lygrown into fash ion .

I t was,howe ve r , only a t in p l ate, with pe ep -hole s, recom

mended by the p rofesso rs to the lowe r o rde r of schol a rsPre se nt ly i t so happe ned th at thre e ma itr es d

’

a rmes los t on e eye

e ach in r ap id sum io n . The wi re face s a fe wa s the n adopted ,

and M . La Boess iere, file, c la im s i t for his f athe r . But the o ld

regime groa ne d ove r the de gene racy of thos e l atte r d ays . And

st i l l i t groans . Now the fenc ing mask is— shal l I aga in s ay

wa s -worn e ve n at the Roman carn iva l to de fend the facefrom swee tme ats of chalk and l ime .

The or ig in of the le a the r j acke t remounts to the days ofde fens i ve a rmou r ; i t was the j e rk in used unde r the coat of ma i lfor comfort ; so the Turk ish t arbush , wh ich my fr i end the

good Shephe rd of Cai ro would c a l l a“t arbrush

,wa s the

nucle us of the tu rban i n the he ro ic age of the race .

I s trongly obje ct‘

to the s and a l , or fenc ing shoe , with a longproje ct ing le athe r

,wh ich is suppos ed to ass ist the r ight foot in

making a re sonan t sound . Prac tic e does th is with the comm oncr icke t ing shoe e a s i ly and loud ly enough , prov ided the so le isth in

,but not too th in for p rote ct ing the foo t . And thos e who

wish to avo id a p rofiiga te was te of musc le shou ld use t he e l ast icconn ect ions be twee n the he e l p iece a nd the sole i nve nted I

I be li e ve,by the la te Mr Dowie . They say that he

wa s not a l lowe d to p atent them bec aus e the y might be us e fu l tothe a rmy , so the a rmy is le ft w i thout its e las t ics and Mr Dow iewithout his p ate nt .F i na l ly , the hee l o f the le f t sand a l should be somewhat h ighe r

than the r ight, as i t s aves f at igue an d g ive s ap lomb a n d

mobi l i ty to the foot ; ye t many mas te rs de pre cate the use of i taltoge the r .The glove is most ly of two kinds, the common leathe r of

the Ital ian school, whose foi l has a she l l hi l t, a n d the paddedbac k rende red nec essary by the double loops of the F renchweapon . Both may or may not have wrist piec es of s tiff lea the r,an d for bro adsword thes e shoul d exte nd to the e lbow— ther ea re few things more unple asant than a cu t , e ven with a. bluntedge on the funny bone .

” Do not think these matte rs trifl ing ;

94 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

I have se e n bad wounds given by broken blades, when a l i ttlecaution might have prevented regre tta ble ac c idents .

Having digressed so far without be ing recalled by publ ic disapprobation, I wil l venture upon on e farthe r excu r sus . Againstthe n ew system of smal l a rms, which began with Minie, bodyarmour is he ld use less ; possibly the same wil l e ventually be thecase with plated ships, which wil l be band boxes bui lt in anynumbe r of compar tments . But for the white wea pon !

fl exible coats of mai l are sti l l made in al l the capit als of E urope ,and the re should be scant shame in us ing a precaution whichthe Duke of We l l ing ton and Prince Bismarck, to mentiononly two of many, did not disdain . In the F ranco -Pruss ianwa r plate s of th ick hide , l ite ral cuirasse s, with an angle to thefore , we re found use ful in

‘

de flect ing the conical bal ls of mode rnwarfare

,from the ch e st an d stomach . Fo r broadsword, e spec ially

in the E ast, where the crooked sabre neve r al lows a thrust, afew cu rbe ha in s may be so disposed a s to make the wea re ra lmost i nvu lne rable . A pair should cross the head ; on e on ea chs ide should run from the top of the j acke t or tun ic collar to theshoulde r and down the whole s le eve , and it would be be tte r tohave anothe r l ine more in front, de fend ing the col lar-bone ;your Oriental affec ts only two cuts, the shoulde r blow and the“ ku l am ,

” or le g s l ash . The l atte r is made va in by a chain

exte ndi ng from the hip to the foot .

Thus, th e l imbs a re adequate ly prote ct-cd against any ave ragedange r without the r isk of splinte rs, or l inks of iron be ing dr iveninto the wounds by s tray bul le ts . I n eed hardly remind youthat the cha ins to be of ful l u se must be sewn inside the cap

a n d dre ss , and that the le ss said about the i r prese nce the be tte r .

I have proposed these precautions, both the cuirass and the

chains, half a doze n times, a n d some day they will be adopted .

The following paragraph appe ared in most of the Londonpape rsCapt . R . F . Bur ton sugge s ts ce rta in pre caution s in fight ing

the A shantees i n the fol lowing te rms :‘ During the la st F ranco

Pruss ian war seve ral of my friends e scaped seve re wounds bywe aring in action a strip of hard leathe r, with a r ib or angleto the fore . It must be large enough to cove r h e art, lungs,and s tomach pit, and it should be sewn inside the blous e or tun ic ;of course , the loo se r the be tte r . Such a de fence wil l be e spec ial lyvaluable for those who must often expose t hemse lves i n “

the

bush ”to Anglo -Ashantee trade -guns loaded with pe bbles and

bits of i ron . The sabre is hardly l ike ly to play an y part in thepre sen t campaign

,or I should recommend my system of curb

chains worn across the cap , along the shoulde rs, and down the

a rm a n d legs .

’

That port ion of my audience , which may be called the Cigare t te ,

had listened with exemplary patience to what could have offe red

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96 The Sen tim en t of t he Sword .

Fre nchman aga inst m e , a Ne apo l it an . That he wa s comp le te lyworste d

,run through the body, r iddled l ike be e f p ique, was n ot

h is f aul t , but tha t of his school ; moreove r , be ing short armed,he wa s unprepared for the constan t stop - th ru st .

H e ca r r ie d h is d e fe at l ike a man and a swordsman , onl yremark ing , That ’s a l l ve ry we l l , but it

’

s n ot fe nc ing . Youtouch m e , bu t you don

’t fe nce .

” I saw that th is pos i t ion coul d

ne i the r be ass au lted nor flanke d nor take n in the re ar,

s a id a n revoir a n d prom ise d e ach othe r a ful l amod i ffe rence of op in ion in the smok ing-room .

The numbe r of gues ts was gre at e r than usu al , so

inde e d , tha t the p arty natu ra l ly d iv ide d i tse l f into two .

who took no in te rest in de tached obse rvat ions upon swo rdsm

sh ip we re grouped on the le ft of the Spac ious fi re p l ace .

t ime s, howe ve r, our party was re i nforced by a s tr ay sece ss ionwh i lst the othe r was not .

The mine de ve loped by an ene rge t ic and an inte l l igent swords

man who care ful ly cu lt ivate s his i nd iv idua l i ty , an d who g ivesh imse l f up to his i nsp i rat ions , is p ract ica l ly inexhaus t ible . The

de t a ils ne i the r shou l d nor , indeed , ca n be attempted ; theybe long to a man ’

s in tu i t ion , his se nt iments,his mora l and

phys ical organ is at ion . It is s imply imposs ib le to p rov ide ap u p il with t

’

d p rop os, te gé n z’

e d es a rm es e xce pt by actua lexpe r i ence

,but we may cons ide r the subj ect as a Whole .

I have spoken to you of pa rr ies and r iposts . You know whatca n be e xpecte d f rom the t act of the sword— the sen timen t de

l’

e’

pee— a n d the e lec t r ici ty of the look . You a re aware that the

i nte l l ige nce of man se izes upon Sc ie nce , the f ru i t of his s tudya n d e xpe r i ence , a n d compe ls he r to obey h im ; that in a l l t hecombinations which he in vents, an d the calculations which he

medi tates, he cross-examines he r, he pene trates into he r secre ts,a nd he f ash ions he r to his p rope r purpose un t i l he has won the

th ing he w il ls . I have po in te d o u t the sec re t of success—s e lfcon flde n ce , war ine ss , a n d ca lm and ca lcul a ted e ne rgy .

I t rema ins now to s ay a few words upon attacks . Attacks

made by advanc ing a re more d ange rous, let me re pe a t, t hanparr ies . You instinctive ly fe e l that you are exposed instead

o f mak ing the e nemy e xpose h imse l f . The gre at d iflicu lty,which only s tudy and e xpe r ie nce can sol ve , is to know howmuch may be r isked a nd to p roport ion your ve nture to the ga ine xpec ted . I nee d not warn you that in fe nc i ng , as in humanl i fe ,

Nu l lum n umen a des t s i a bsit p ruden t ial—

a golden ru le hardlye nough appl ied to t he many f a i lures wh ich seem to cumulate

e ve ry cond i t ion of succes s .

Ahem John Shught ie obse rve d w ith an unple as ant l augh .

Nor is it nece ssa ry to point o u t that prudence d i re c ted by

re ason is not to be confounded with indec is ion , but to p rudence

The Seven th Even ing. 97

you mus t add famil iar i ty with swordsman—l ife . I t is i ndis

pensable to le ave no s ty le untr ied , e ve n tho s e wh ich hard lydese rve the name , or, to spe ak more c learly, which a re utte rlyundes e rv ing of i t ; st i l l , these bast a rds e xist , and you must nota l low the m to boas t of v ictory , or to enj oy we l l - founde d con

fide n ce in the i r own resul ts . It is th is par t of our art , w ithout

wh ich no sworde r shou ld cons ide r h imse l f at the h e igh t of his

organ isat ion,that re qu i res s ix ye ars i nste ad of s ix wee ks .

It is due to the mora l powe r of the sword that those whoknow noth ing , or the me re e lements of it , shou ld not be pe r

m it ted to fancy themse l ve s capable , by me ans of me re e ne rgyor bl ind v ivac i ty , of succe ss ful de fe nce aga ins t a h and f am i l i a rw ith we apons . Confidence , the stre ngth of s tre ngth , should n o t

be l e ft to the share of ignorance at the expe nse of knowledge .

And ignorance can surp r ise only the o n e -s ide d man who ha saccus tome d h imse l f to noth ing beyond the regu la r rout ine ofpasse s and parr ie s .

A gene ral faul t which I see in the Sal les is the fol lowingThe habitue

’

s cross swords , f al l on gua rd, a nd p roce ed w ithoutre fle ct ion to he ap fe in t upon fe i nt , p ass upon p ass , thrus t uponthrust, attack upon attack, p arry upon parry . I j udge themat once . They may have rap id i ty of hand a nd fine ness o f

e xecut ion , but onl y the hal f the man , the so -cal le d phys ica lhalf, is e ngaged in the f ray . It is inord in ate ly ra re to fin d apup i l who ha s taught h imse l f (fo r the maste rs do not te achwhat we call ma lice) to ke ep out of me asure , now re fus ing to

give his bl ade , then g iv ing i t sudden ly and opp re ss ing t hat ofhis adve rs ary w i th confidence and re so lut ion ; who has le arnedby ind ispe n s able te nt at ive movements and cunn ingly de v ise ddemi -attacks to inte r roga te the swordsman oppos ed to h im ;

and who by cumulat ing arguments— by a Sor ites, as th e logicmen ca l l it— so confounds t he adve rs ary th at he ca n no longe rconce a l we akness or s t rength .

Man should im i tate the coc k a nd the bul l , a n d be w ise . See

the form e r in its poultry yard , the l at te r in its pas ture , how

they both be fore beg inn ing a fr ay obs e rve a nd me asure the foe ,

each se ek ing to secure some advantage , wh i lst the i r spark l ingeyes a n d wande r ing loo ks p ros pect the p l ace upon wh ich toplant the de adl iest blow .

Who taught them so

'

to act , i nste ad of rush ing pre c ip it a te lyupon e ach othe r ? What man te rms ins t inct , anothe r word forre ason , the forme r be ing the lowe r , the l atte r the h ighe r , act iono f a bra in , or sp inal marrow

,or ne rvous sys tem ,

or tou t

en semble, or whateve r the psychologist of the future shal ldete rm in e to be the ca u sa ca usa n s , with less grey matte r , orfewe r folds, or shal lowe r convolut ions, or , aga in , what eve r m aymake the d iffe re nce . So R e ason proudly looks down uponIns t inct and says ,

“ You a re a lowe r orde r of be ing ; you andI are not of the s ame flesh a n d blood . I

98 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

Me taphys ics ? ”Shught ie in te r rupted.

A thousand p ardons for so forge tt ing mys e l f ! We l l , th isInst inct , with a cap ita l I , is the te ache r , th is love of l i fe , th iside a of se l f -prese rvat ion wh ich ex ists in a l l organ ic nature .

An d f rom inst inct ives we re ason able s may take a use ful lesson .

You e as i ly unde rstand how much you d is turb by th is p rudentre se rve the movements of a man who is t aught ,

“As soo n as

you a re on guard, be fore your ad ve rs ary has t ime to th ink , ath im with a home th rus t ! ” Or of th is othe r , whose on lyt hought is to throw himse l f l ike the avenge r of blood upon hisopponen tHowe ve r l i tt le such he ads may be cap able of re flec t ing , bothw i l l soon succe ed in se e ing that the d istance be twe en you an d

themse l ve s , phys ica l as we l l as moral , wi l l p re ve nt anyth ingl ike a j eu de su rpr ise . I f they attempt it the i r moveme nts wi ll

he d isorde red ; they w i ll run upon the e xtende d sword,or , at

le ast , they w i l l show you that they a re coming on to the attack .

“H ow many ye ars do you t h ink i t ’ ll t ake at th is r ate ?

”

aske d Se ato n,

“ be fore n ew theor ie s ’ll ove rturn these so-cal led

nove lt ies , ove rturn and t urn t hem into vieil ler ies ?”

Such is the fate of e ve ryth ing . The form may , pe rhaps ,nay

, ce rt a in ly wil l , change , bu t the foundat ion , the rul ing ide a ,mus t surv ive , fo r the i de a is immort a l and et e rn a l

Emerg ing from the storm ,

Pr imaeval Fa i th upl i fts her changeful form ,

Mounts from her funera l p i le on w ings of flame ,

And sc ars and sh ines another and the same .

E h ?”s a id Shught ie .

He re is a fa i r p roof t hat the olde st syst em cont a ine d the

embryo of the n ew, as the n ew conta ins t hat of the newe r .It date s f rom some two ce ntu r ies ago

,and i t speaks t hus of the

marches or advances“ La ra ison pou rquoy on obse rve ce t te in éga l le quant i té de

pas est qu’on t ient , par ce moyen , l’

adve rsa ire tous iou rs e n

suspe ns e t ince rt a in de os qu e nous fe rons . Car s i nous

pours u ivons nost re act ion tou iou rs d ’une mesme man iere e t

avec me sme quant i té de pas , il pou ro it e st re qu e l’

e n n em y

fero it bien son conte qu ’ i l nous a t trape ro it , non se ulement en

l a p lace on il nous vo id , mais auss i e n cet te cu il scau ro it qu’

i lnous faudro it ve n i r ; ce qu i lu i es t , par ce moye n , em pesché .

”

On e would imagine that these words we re written not in

the se ventee nth century, but in our own . Ce rtainly, no profe sse r, howeve r first rate , could express h imse l f more c le arlyor more conc ise ly .

Ye t , as I be fore remarked, the weapo ns of those days wereve ry diffe rent from what we t

u se they we re he avy cu t -and - thrustbl ades , single or double -h anded . But the rules of j udgm en t andprudence and stratagem we re the same , and so wil l they betwo hundred ye ars hence .

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100 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

Or rathe r misused, I replied, which means much the same

th ing . The fac t is , the sto p th rust is rathe r instinctive thanre asoned, an d so i t e as i ly become s the resource an d the re fuge ofthose who cannot parry . But

,obse rve that i t is a most dange r

o us posit ion,from which it is ve ry difficul t to d islodge the enemy .

Spe aking Scie nce , I cannot for a moment support a style ofplay which is e ve r outstre tching the sword W ithout reason . But

that doe s n ot rende r it le ss impe rative upon u s to study how toe scape the di fficulty . Fo r which purpose le t u s analyse the

matte r .The t re atises div ide the coup de temps, or t ime - thrust , intothre e ; the coup d

’

a rr ét , or stop - thrus t, and the coup sur le

temp s . But a s the l atte r is worse th an use less, and gene rallyends i n both fence rs be ing to uched, I wi ll speak only of thecoup d

’

a rr é t an d the cou p de t emps, the t im efi thrus t prope r .

The coup d’

a rr ét , or ten sion d’

ép ée, is j ust ified only wh en theanta gonist advances upon you imprudently, when he indulgesi n long compound attacks, and when he shorte ns the arm— infact, gene rally when he expose s his body . Ye t i t is the p et

movement of those who , on se tt led princ iples, cleave to the

de fens ive . I admire th is s imple e xtens ion of the point whenne atly done , because of the j udgme n t and coup d

’aeil which i t

requires . But my approval is given sole ly upon the condit ionthat during the same assault the re must not be , as oftenhappens, a succe ssion of failure s . O the rwise i t is c lear to m e

t hat chance ha s been the only guide . Gre at sobrie ty is requi red

i n the u se of this pass , unless your antagonist lays h imse l f openby violent a nd disorde rly attac ks, by the j eu du r , a nd by co n

vu lsive movements which you have artful'

ly e xagge rated. As

a fe in t,you may be le ss sparing of i t, be ca use i t shows h im that

you a re on the ale rt, an d that he must n ot expec t to charge

you wi th goo d re sult .The coup de temps is a parry and pass of opposi tion taken at

the e n d of an attac k, wh en you have div ined the l ine which thesword wil l pre fe r . This antic ipation of the opponent

’

s lungeis taught in e ve ry school , but you rare ly see it used exceptby a skilfu l sword playing with a beginne r . It is the mostdange rous of its kind, le aving you utte rly undone i f you havemistaken the adve rsary— an d who in such matte rs must n o t

expec t to make mist ake s ? Again,i t ofte n lea ds to double

thrusts, when both are touched . I would will ingly se e thisobj ec t ionable movement ban ished from the schoo ls, e ven a s an

exe rc ise . I t n eve r can e qu al the t ru e p ar ry wh ich , i f a t fi rs tmisj udged, can at a ny rate be co ntinued or repeated . And foron e time -thrust of intrinsic value how much fa lse co in has beenput into c i rculation ?An eas y way of d iscouraging these fe in ts 18 by the lungs

backwards (s e ! endr e en a r ri é r e ) . It is done by sharp ly r e t i r ingthe le ft foot and incl in ing the body, so that the adve rsary

’

s sword

The Seven th E ven in g. 10 1

passes harmless ove r the head. This moveme nt has bee n fa lse lyrreported to be an upstart, an innovat ion du e to the system i

purpo sel y decorated with the sty le a nd t itle of R omanticism . It !is o ld, ve ry o ld ; and if it is not proved to have be en used by thsGreeks, i t is not, the re fore , t he more mode rn .

Briefly, wh eneve r you find an opponent who is a ddic ted tostopping you on al l occas ions

,ne ve r attac k h im

,without

vigorously mast e ring his sword, by a croisé , a ba t temen t, a'

licmen t d’e’

p ée, a p ression , or a fla n con n ade . Th is wil l reduce himt o impotence , if, at le ast, he is unwise enough to give you thesword. Or you may proc eed by a false engageme nt, your we akbe ing opposed to his s trong , or again by a dem i -at tack which issafe enough if free ly marked. E ithe r the adve rsary come s to the

parry or he extends the sword ; you th en take pos se ss ion of it,be ing care ful neve r to quit i t, and , above al l th ings, not to

fe int .I am spe aking sc ient ifically, you wil l obse rve , of the se variouss toppings .

” If a man says to m e ,

“ I know ve ry l i ttle offenc ing, but I de fend myse l f a s I ca n ,

he is we lcome to a ll the

faults he fanc ies ; inde ed,the se a re his right an d his only sc ience .

But the comple te swordsman mus t not make faults, or rathe rhe must avoid them as much as poss ible .

\Vha t is your opinion, said Lord B .

,of what

the F rench cal l les bot tes secretes , and why the y a re not taughtin the schools ? ”

The latte r par t of the que st ion is eas i ly answe red . If they we retaught they would no longe r be sec re t . But I haste n to say

that I do not be lie ve in botte segr ete, any more than in the

pa ra ta u n iversa le or in the Ph i losoph e r ’s Stone . P a r

pa r en these, the word botte has late ly been pronounced too triv iali

for the art of arms, an d we a re orde red to say coup ; the

Italians are not so fas tidious .

“Ye t the re must be some foundation for the i r existence , as the

idea is so gene ral ly rec e ived .

”

Pe rhaps I would rathe r say the poss ib i l ity of the i r existence .

It is a phantom wh ich come s s tr a ight from the Hispano -It al i anschool , which , a s has been s a id, is s t il l , though notably mod ifie d,

the base ,the poi-n ! de dep a r t . of our mode rn system .

In France we often he a r of a maste r who “ poss e sses ,they

say, sword bottes secretes .

” A cha l le nge has pamed, a n d o n e ,

pe rhaps both , of the combatants wi l l go to h im for adv ice , an d

both probably le a rn the same .

The se passe s , imprope r ly cal led se c re ts , a re me re irregu

la r it ie s that do not be long to e ve ryday p ract ice . So f a r Iadmi t them , but n o fa rthe r . The ign otum is not on ly the i rsole st rength , but the i r singl e chance of succe ss . R emove th is

F 2

10 2 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

f a lse pres t ige,and they w i ll become no t me re ly h armle ss to

you , but p roport iona l ly d ange rous to him who use s t hem .

I w i l l d iv ide them into two ca te gor ies —the at tacks and t hosethat oppose or fol low the attacks . Some t imes an adve rs aryw i l l dur ing the at tack suddenly w ithdraw his arm so th at youpar ry in the a i r , and t hen rush upon you , leap ing to the s idea nd thrust ing a t the flank . Or , afte r a fals e attack , he wi l lbend to the ground so a s to avo id the r ipos t wh ich p as ses ove rh is he ad a n d s tr i kes vou in t he low l i nes bec ause you are

unp re p ared for th is sudden d isapp e arance . Old “ dodges ,”

thes e—me re re v iva ls an d n o t surv iva ls of the fittest .

Othe rs,aga i n , be fore the ons l aught , ma ke a resonan t app el ,

utte r a loud ha ! ha ! o r a p ie rc i ng and v io le nt cry,an u r lo

l i ke the houp -la or the Pis tache i n the hunting fie ld,at the

same t ime withdraw ing the sword . The s t art pe rhaps causesan unwary adve rs a ry to s top invol unta r i ly , and thus he is

buttone d, no matt e r whe re , no matt e r how . O the rs , aga in ,a fte r maste r ing the blade , make a demi-vol te to the fore bybr ing ing the circola ta le f t foot in f ront of the r ight

,and thus

reve rs ing the pos i t ion of the body . It is a vene r able p ract ice ofthe I ta l i an schoo l , a t lea st three centur ies old .

So much for the attack . If , on the contra ry,t hese movements

a re d i re cted aga inst the a t t ack they a re s imp ly inve rte d . Forinst ance , I lunge f re e ly at my adve rs a ry, who ,

i ns te ad ofp ar ry ing, spr ings out of l ine to r ight or le ft . Noth ing is be forem e ; sword a n d body a re both abse nt ; my att ack is lost in thevo id, a n d t he oppos i te bl ade is in my s tomach or my flank .

Th is so—ca l led “s ec re t bout ” was s t i l l t aught dur ing my

boyhood i n the Fre nch sa l les d’

a rmes . Now i t would be l ookedupon a s i r re gu lar and a lmos t as i l legal .Aga in , my adve rs ary be nds to the ground , suppor ted by hisle f t hand , al lows ih y sword to p ass ove r his he ad, and th rusts mei n the low l i ne s . Th is Sba sso

,or Spa r i ta ,

wa s a lso a favouri tewith the Ne apol i tan schoo l , and , for aught I know , is so st i l l .An d, ye t aga in , my adve rsa ry be ats down my sword , makes ad emi -volte to the f ront , and be fo re I can spr ing backwards orre cove r my guard ra is es his hand i n old t ie rce and thrustsdownwards— the vene r able I m brocca ta .

I cou ld infin ite ly mu lt ip ly such i nst ances , but , a s you see ,

a l l these “ bouts p rocee d almos t by the s ame me ans,and

d iffe r only in de t a i l . And you w i l l unde rstand without demons tra t ion what a “ ne ck or noth ing game it is— how comp le te lya f a i lu re p lays i nto the oppone nt ’s hand . The sole d ange r ofthe se movements cons is ts in the resolut ion and the reckless ness

o f on e who r isks a l l upon a s ingle throw.

“ Ye t wouldn ’

t they be d‘

oubly dange rous i f use d by a s t rongman aga inst a we ak ? aske d Claude .

Doubtle ss , a lthough I shou ld hope t hat the st rong m a n woul d

not make use of them . I f he st ands be fore an ignorant fence r ,

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104 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

ha v ing qua r re l le d abou t a ce rta i n fa i r pe rson , fought w ithsword a n d sh ie l d en champ cZos be fore He nr i II . an d the lad iesof t he Cou rt (July 10 , V i vonne m ade an imbrocca ta , orbind ing of the sword , with th rust f rom h igh to low l ine .

Ja rnac , a m an of humble b i rth , who had taken le ssons f rom an

Ita l ian , got w ith in me asure a n d de l i ve red two hamstr ing ingcuts (fen dm te a l pop lite) r ight a nd le ft , an d his opponen t d iedo f rage with in two hours . The K ing, fur ious a t the loss of a

fa vour i te , ca l led i t a coup de tr e itre . H e was fol lowe d by hiscourt ie rs, a n d the e xp rem ion ha s pas sed into e ve ryd ay use .

But Ma rozzo (Chapte r LXXXV . ) had desc r i be d the pass as

a n rcviscio sega to per le gambe, a n d i n th is ve ry due l i t was

prov ided for a nd fore se en —the s eco nds had s e tt led tha t a

d agge r was to be ca r r ied by way of gua rd in the le ft borza cchin o

( j ack -boot ) . He n r i I I . , howe ve r , swore to forb id furthe r s ingle

comba ts , and wa s acc ide nt a l ly k i l led in the same ye a r bythe Co unt de Montmorency .

The only loya l app roach to a se c re t bo ut is some pe rsona lmod ifica t ion of a recogn ise d p ass . Such , for ins tance . are the

so -ca l led “ re trogra de moveme nts , passe s and pa r r i es wi th

the fore a rm w ithdrawn ins te ad of be ing e xte nded as usua l .The compl e te swordsm an stud ie s his own phys ica l powe rs an d

d iscove rs the u tmost use tha t ca n be made of them , thustechn ica l ly ca l le d the j eu de temperamen t . On e m an is s tronglym ade i n the uppe r works an d fines off be l ow t he torso . Th is ,the French shape , wi l l requ i re a d iffe ren t m e thod f rom the

oppos i te or Engl ish m ake . The short m an ga ins by s tan d ingupon the d e fens i ve

,by a dva nce s with in meas ure , by ba ttemen ts ,

cr oise’

s , a n d pa rr ie s in seconde . The ta l l m an lose s i n attempt :ing to im ita te h im ; he should keep long me asure a n d affect thet im e - th ru st . You w i l l e as i ly see how fa r thes e co ns ide ra t ions

ca n be ca r r ied . I have . for ins tance , my own mod ifica t ion ofam , deu ce , founded upon a he avy shou lde r a n d a n unusua lsup in a tor r a di i m agn u s , a n d i t has more than once done me

good s e rv ice .

Wil l you k ind ly le t us s e e i t ? ”asked Se a ton .

No , my Se a ton , I w i l l not !

VI.

And now , hav in g disposed of the bol te secrete, I must confe ssmy pe rfe ct d isbe l ie f in the many current ta le s anent m a itr es

( l’

a rmes k i l led by con scr its . Such e ve nts m ay h appen ; so inthe st re e t you m ay come to your d e a th by a t i le .

“And Abys s in ian Bruce , s a id Shught ie ,

“ d ied of a fa l lwh en le ad ing a lady downs ta i rs to d inne r .

”

The sto r ies h a ve ga ined cu r rency a n d crede nce t hrough theignorance of the n a r ra to r a n d the he a re r . Noth ing m ore

.

app ropr ia te for the br i l l iant , purpose les s s e a nove ls of Capt .M a r rya t than t o m ake Mr Midsh ipm an E asy qu i te sure of

The S eventh Even ing. 105

success with the sma l l sword , bec ause he had n e ve r le a rned to

use it . Nothing more na tu ra l fo r the e xc i t ing low-a rt mi l i ta ryromances of Mr Le ve r ’s fi rs t pha se tha n to show the Bri t ishEns ign ,

whose knowledge of we apons was p robably l imited to

a bout wi th s ingl es t ick , t r i umphantly d e fe a t the Fre nch capta in ,a fin ished swordsman . But a ru le of p roport ion , a page ofstat ist ics, would a t once , be l ieve m e , d isperse the i l lus ion wh ichha s be en

,and which st i l l m ay be , m isch ie vous .

Whe n i t doe s happen the fau lt is w ith the fe nce r who has notp rep a red h imse l f for the occa s ion . M any m e n a ttend the

schools fo r ye a rs a nd n eve r take the t rouble of t ry ing the

e xpe r ime nt how they wou l d act i f oppose d to a v igorous a nd

resolute m an who has ne ve r had a sword i n h and . The a ttack— I would ca l l i t the wi ld-be as t s ty le— whe n , as Ta sso sa ys ,T oglz

’

e i l fu ror l’

u so del a r te, m ay some t imes succee d bychance . I have he a rd of an Engl ish n ava l office r who, utte r lyignora nt of the fo i l , whe n p laced be fore

“

his opponent be gan to

use i t l ike a horsewhip , and succeed ed. A coole r a nd wa r ie radve rsa ry wou ld have sp itted h im l ike a la

i

rk.

Anothe r e xp lana t ion , ve ry pa tent and'

in te l l igible , espe c ia l lya fte r he a r ing Capt . Se a ton ’

s l i t t le acc iden t, is the fa ta l fac i l itywith wh ich the p ract ised swordsm an desp ises his ignorantad ve rsa ry . And we must not forge t th a t morta l we a pons leve l

to a sma l l e xte nt a ll d ist inct ions . The sha rpened po intresolute ly p re sented a t the face or the bre as t is a lways a m osti nte l l ig ible th re a t . The naked bl ade is a re a l i ty wh ich d

‘ispe lsmany .a d re am . Sc ience st i l l holds he r own , but p rudence a n d

s ang-f ro id , ene rgy an d an ima l co urage , coun t fo r much in t hes truggle .

Th is a ls o is a good opp ortun i ty for a word abo ut not m isj udg ing your enemy . Pe rh aps he tu rns p a le

, his hand t remble s,and his finge rs beg in to tw i tch a nd fidge t . Amongst savages ,ba rba r ians , an d eve n semi -ba rba r ians, l ike the va l iant F igg ,

”

the se wou ld be s imp ly s ign s an d symptom s of cowa rd ice . Butc iv i l ised peop les , i n whom the pure ly ne rvous, t he ne rvo—bil ious ,and the ne rve -sangu ine tem perame nts p redom ina te , a re not soto be j udged . The bra i n m ay be work i ng v io lent ly an d the

he a rt be a t ing w ith unp le a sant force , ye t the se tt le d purpose is

the re , an d the abnorma l s tat e wi l l last only t i l l rea l d ange rshows i ts e l f . And you wi l l p robably find you r m an fa r moreto be d re ad ed tha n on e of the u n im p res s ion able s who go to the

f ray a s the y go to the fe a st .H ow do you accoun t for the st range fact , aske d Shught ie ,

tha t the bra ve st of m en ha ve bee n ca l led cowa rds , Napo leonthe Gre a t, fo r i nstance , a fte r the Br idge of Lod i , and the Dukeof We l l ingt on , the he ro of a hundred fights . Poss ibly the s amewa s sa id of Alexande r a n d of Cae sa r by the fr e luqu ets of A th ensa n d Rome .

You must a l low much to e nvy,ha tre d , ma l ice ,

an d a ll manne r

106 The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

of uncha r i table ness . Bes ide s wh ich , m e n of the h ighe r an d

t he h ighes t tempe rame nts,who do not show ce rta i n ma rk s

of wha t is ca l led e uphemist ica l ly “ ne rvousne ss ”an d who a re

utte r ly de st i tute of phys ica l fe a r , a re e xcee d ingly ra re . I h avesee n on ly two who cou ld s it amongs t the p a tte r ing of bu l le ts a nd

the c la t te r ing c f swords w itho ut a shad ow of change , exte rn a lo r in te rna l . Eve ryon e remembe rs the story of the Cr ime anoffice r who , r

p a le an d t rembl ing Wh i lst l ead ing his company tothe bre ach , was l aughe d at by his comrades . and who tu rnedthe laugh aga in st them by s tan d ing his ground whe n the yfe l l back . The re a re many d iffe rent k ind s

,not a s ing le k ind , of

cou rage , a n d i n on e es pe c ia l ly , cons tancy unde r phys ica l pa ina nd eve n tortu re , wome n a re ge ne ra l l y far brave r than m e n .

Aga i n , the s ame i nd i v idua l w i l l va ry a t d iff e re n t t imes of hisl i fe . Roches te r , a wit a n d a he ro in youth , en d ed wi th the

re puta t ion of a wit an d a po lt roon . The oppos ite case is the

more common , whe n a t im id boy, poss ib ly d ep ressed by badhe a l th , i l l -t re a tme nt, or unwholesome cond it ions of l i fe , de ve lopsl i ke Abyss in ian Bruce i nto a m an of rema rkable d a r ing and

sa ngfroid . A f r iend of m ine a lways “conte nde d , to u se his

own phrase , aga inst the e ff-em in acy of c i v i l ised l i fe by act ingupon an in d iv idua l by- law :

“ Whe neve r you fe a r a th ing, doi t,

”an d the

“ th ing range d be tween a“te afight

”and a

comba t d ou tr a n ce . H e had anothe r more ques t ionable m ax im“ Always te l l the t ruth whe n you a re a f ra id of te l l ing it .An d doubt le ss famil ia r ity w ith d ange r has so st rong an e ffectupon some min ds . I n e a r ly youth I acted as

“ f r ie nd ” to a

brothe r ens ign whose “ ne rvous sta te ”wa s such tha t he had

to be a ss is te d out of bed. Th is a ll p assed away be fore his

second “ d ifficu lty, a nd he e ve ntua l ly became , in fac t , ra the r

a t ro ublesome fire -e a te r .“Tha t,

”s a id Lord B .

, is the na t iona l va l ue of hunt ing, offoxhunt ing ; i t keeps up the prac t ice o f - incurring mode rate

d an ge r . ”“ And Alp ine c l imb ing , glac ie r cros s ing , &c . , suggested

Shught ie .

“An d Afr ican t rave l , quoth Se a to n w ith a smile .

I can h a rd ly agree with the la tte r spe ake r , bec ause wha t isga ine d i n the hab it of d ange r is los t i n he a lth o f ne rve .

Th is led to a de ba te . As i t aga i n offe re d noth in g n ew,the

p roce ss of re port i ng wou ld be sup e r-e rogatc ry.

VII .

I re sume d when we had fin ishe d w ith ne rve s an d ne rvousness .

I t is a mistake of the mode rn schoo ls n ot to mak e more use

of the t rue rap ie r i n the le sson as we l l as i n the a ssau lt . The

we ight is d iffe re nt, the blade is broad , s tra ight, and com

pa ra t ive ly une las t ic, and the change of we apons g ives ap lomb

to the hand . In the pre sent day the re a re many s a l le s tha t

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108 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

succ i nctne ss ; the re e x ists abso lu te ly no ru le wh ich ca n be pe r

son a lly an d e xcept iona l ly appl ie d to the ga u cher . Al l you haveto do is to re ve rse your p lay w ith h im .

The n you do not th ink the d ifficulty so gre a t as it is ge ne ra l lysuppose d to be ?

”

The re is ce rta in ly a re la t ive d ifficu l ty, e asy enough to e xp la in ,but i t is not tha t o f the bo rn bl ind who on some !po ints can

n e ve r thoroughly unde rstand wha t the y c a l l “the s ighte d .

”

One of my fe ncing f r ie n ds , a le ft -hande d m an of co urse , use dto d ec la re tha t a ll the d ifficulty was the i nve nt ion of r igh th ande d m e n . The e p igram wa s ra the r w itty than wise ;ev idently so comple te a re ve rsa l o f the usua l sty le is a se r ious

obs tacle to thos e who h ave not the habi t of p ract is ing it .The re a l and so l id advantage of the ga ucher is ou r be ingmore fami l ia r wi th r ight-han de d m e n . Change th is cond it ion ,a n d the pa i r a re a bsolute ly ‘

equa l i n the i r chances of v icto ry .

Two first—ra te le ft -han de d fe n ce rs a re n e ve r a t home wi th e achothe r , a nd a droitier a lways fe ncing w ith gauchcr s would losemuch of his sk i l l aga ins t r ight-hand ed m en .

On the othe r h and , the se r ious d isadvan tage of the le ftha nded m a n , a nd o n e imposs ible to rem edy , is tha t he p res en tsthe more d ange rous s i de to the sword . Aga in , I doubt whe the rthe cond it ions which cause a m an to be le f t-ha nded a re no t

obs tac le s to pe rfe ct man ipu la t ion . I t wou ld be i nte res t ing to

se e a l ist o f firs t- ra te l e ft -handed p a i n te rs and scu lp to rs , swordsm e n and ma rksmen

,bi l l ia rd p laye rs, quoit p laye rs, and so

for th .

The ma itr e d’

a rmes m ay a lways a nnu l the in cogn i to of thele ft -hande d m a n by rep re sent ing h im a t t ime s in lesso ns tohis pup i ls . Some do so , a nd they do r ight . The pup i ls a lso ,should the y ha ve le isu re ,

must not n e glec t to work both s idesof the body .

I th ink you ad vised the s ame in bayone t e xe rcise ,

”Shught ie

rema rke d .

Ce rta in ly . The want be came e v ident to m e whe n I saw a

numbe r of m e n i n e ve ry reg iment w ith r ight shou lde rs pe r

m an e n t ly de press ed by a lways ca r ry ing the muske t on on e s ide .

And i t is cur ious to fe e l how much good t en minutes with thele ft ha s done to the r ight , e spec i a l ly a s re ga rds the le gs .

Me n a re so ap t to fi t themse l ve s into the grooves upon wh ichthey ru n smooth ly

, a n d to make hab i t some th ing more thana s econd n a ture . I know doze ns of good r ide rs who wouldfee l ve ry awkwa rd i f comp e l le d to mount a ta l l horse onthe off s ide , l ike a ta i lor, a s they say.

And from my youth upwa rds I h a ve eve r be e n a t wa r wi thhab i ts .

” Wh a t make s a m an old in what m ay be ca l led thep r ime of l i fe s ave h abi ts , without the se l f -confide n ce , the pugn acity, an d the an ima l sp i r i ts to oppose them ? Why a re mycon tempora r ies of Alma Mate r for the most p a r t bochi e r el li ,

The Seven th Even ing. 109

with ba ld he ads a nd gre y be a rds , w ith paunche d eye s a n d worn

cc u n te n a n ce s ? They have r isen be fore 9 a .m . ; the y ha ve

broken the i r fas t be twee n tha t hou r an d noo n ; they ha ve

lunched about 2 p .m . ; they h ave d ine d betwee n 6 a n d 9,a n d

they have found themse l ve s i n bed we wi l l s ay be fore midn ight .

W'

he nce , the re fore ,th is prema ture look of ant iqu ity ? Al l a re

unde r m idd le age , wh ich , howe ve r , suppose s m an to re ach the

century . The fact is tha t qu ie t domes t ic l i fe

Sha l l we not, sugge s ted Shught ie , re turn to ou r

gau cher s?

A thous and p a rdons ! C an anyone te l l me th a t the l e fthande d m an has at his d ispos a l a s ing le p ass or the shade of

a pa r ry wh ich doe s n ot be long to the r ight -han de d m an ?

Ce rta in ly not . Only the la tte r , th rough want of p ract ice , find s

gre a te r d ifficu lty in adj ust ing his th rusts, for the s imp le re aso ntha t the i ns ide of the a rm become s the outs ide an d vice e er sa

‘

.

The ga ucher a lso a lways a ttempts to draw you on in ca rte ,

whe re he is qu ite a t home ,a n d i f he be of fa i r force i t is

use less to at ta ck h im on th a t l ine or to e ncounte r his coun te rs

of ca rte . H is fo ib le is i n fie rce , a nd he cannot de fe nd h is

shou lde r a n d fl ank l ike his bre a st ; he is a lso more vu lne rable in

the h igh than in the low l ines .

These a re ge ne ra l ru le s known to e ve ry te ache r . But youmust not be l ie ve those who assure you tha t the le f t -h anded m a n

lacks va r ie ty of moveme nts ; th is de p ends upon his ind iv idua l i ty .

If a ll ga uchcrs re se mbled o n e a nothe r l ike the finge rs of thes ame hand it would not be d ifficu lt to lea rn them by he a rt .

IX .

No on e contrad ic ts m e , no one e ven d i ffe rs i n op in ion ” withm e . I sha l l not last long i f you g ive m e my head i n th is way.

I have t r ie d not to om it anyth ing wh ich m ay ple ase an d

int e res t those who love the sword . an d those who fee l tha t the ym ight love i t . My obj ec t has be e n to work out esse nt ia l po intsa n d l ine s , a n d w i l l ingly to ne glec t tha t mul t ip l ic i ty of d eta i lswhich wou ld ove r load t he p ictu re an d s ink the ensemble i n itscomponent p a rts . The se d e ta i ls, I re pe a t , a re the na tu ra lre sults of p ract ice a n d e xpe r ience ; the y a re conque re d , ra the rthan le a rne d , by the shoc k of ste e l w ith stee l , by the va r ie tyof sty le s wh ich off e r themse l ves for s tudy , a n d by the habi t o fmee t ing the sudde n a nd unfo re se e n d ifficu lt ies tha t m ay a t a ny

mome nt a r ise .

Look a t tha t debu ta n t ente r ing l i fe , eme rg in g from the

chrysa l is sta te of schoo l an d co l le ge i nto the butte rfly formca l le d ma n of the wor ld . H ow shyly he ente rs the room an d

acknowledges the hos tess a n d m ingl-se wi th the many .

“ Pooryouth ! he is mode st ,

”s ay the lad ie s with tha t p ity ing cha r ity

wh ich make s the grande d am e so e spe c ia l ly de lec table . By nome ans , mi lad i H e is suffe r ing from wha t, p e rh aps , h is se n iors

110 The Sen t im en t of the Sword ,

ha ve forgotte n , f rom se l f-consc iousne ss wh ich h aunts h im l ikehis gua rd ian ange l . H e , the gre a t unknown , to be so unknown !H e

,t he macrocosm , to be so ve ry microscop ic ! Soc ie ty would

wo rsh ip h im as a demi -god i f i t on ly d re ame d of his re a l,his

un app rec iable va l ue . But how te ach i t to the world ? H e

owns with a fl ush tha t he knows n o t— pe rhaps th is is the onlyth ing tha t h e doe s not know . So he flus hes a l te rnat e ly a n d

tu rns p a le when tha t a udac ious v i rg in looks stra ight be twe enhis eye s ; he stamme rs and says the wrong th ing, and he ta lksfo r ta lk ing sake . no t d a r ing to be s i le nt, whe n tha t j uve n i levete ran of a ma t ron amuses he rse l f w i th d rawin g h im out byway of ke ep ing he r hand in ; a nd he he lp less ly offe rs his a rm ,

ha t ing h imse l f an d he r a ll the more for such we akness , whentha t old sold ie r , tha t w idow who has se en bette r d ays

,t e l ls

him tha t she would w i l l ingly go down to supp e r .Now se e h im a fte r a s ing le ye a r . The v i rg in d roops a nd

d rops he r e ye s be fore a ste ady g la nce wh ich looks beyon d her ,wh ich says I know some th ing more th an you do .

”The pre tty

ma t ron be gins to th ink of h im— the fi rst po in t ga ine d— and

owns to he rse l f tha t he is ve ry n ice ,” tha t she wishes he wou ld

ca l l a l i tt le ofte ne r . And the dowage r , embolde ned by he r

fi rst succe ss , t r ies the m anoeuvre on ce more , an d duly fi ndshe rse l f anchored upon the a rm of a fa r younge r youn g fr ie nd .

Wha t has worked th is ma rve l of t rans forma t ion , o f me tamonphos is ? Our debut a n t has e nte re d in to the st ruggle of l i fe ,a nd f r ict ion has begun the work of round in g off his angula r i t ies .

H e has assoc ia ted w ith a host of fe l low-cre a tures , some be tte r,ma ny infe r ior— for he is st i l l youn g— to h ims e l f . H e has founda s tand in g point, and is no longe r wande r in g vagran t- l i ke aboutthe c i rc le . And the wor ld , which , goodness kn ows ! ca n lookd ee p e nough whe n the t rouble is j ust ified ,

conten ts itse l f wi threma rk ing tha t i n c ase an d savoir fa ire he has become one

of themse l ves .

I t is the same with fenc i ng . The a rt and fine sse , the tac t a ndd p ropos, come by themse l ves n a tu ra l ly a n d gradua l ly , as

fe a the rs grow upon the young bi rd ’

s w ings . I w i l l end withsay ing a grace ful th ing . Remembe r tha t the l esso n and the

p last ron are your fi rs t maste rs , and n eve r aba ndon them . This

would be un gra te fu l , a n d ungrac iousn e ss and ingra t i tude is a

flaw in the Pe r fect Swordsman .

TH E E I GH TH EVENI NG .

I .

AT th is se an ce Lord B . was not prese n t ; he was d in inga t on e of t hose feas ts of p l a in roa st a n d bo i le d an d flow ofhe avy port a n d she rry, the pre roga tive an d the high privi lege

of e ve ry Engl ish coun try gentleman who take s. an inte l l igentinte rest in his pa rty, his county, and his na t ive land .

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The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

Do you cons ide r th is a n advan tage or a d is advantage ? ”

Se a ton asked , e v ide n tly pe rp lexe d .

In my op in ion,i t is the on ly th ing which e xa lts, wh ich

e nnoble s fencing in the hour of ba ttle ; e ven the feeblest findunfore se en chance s of escape , protecting haza rds, strokes ofluck

,which pre vent the comba t degene rat ing in to manslaughte r .

I f the sc ience of a rms we re exa ct a n d m a themat ica l,adm it

t ing r igorous demons tra t ion :l ike a theorem of L apl ace ,

unp a r r iable pa ss could he inve nt e d , whe re is the m an

ce r ta i n of conque r ing his Oppone nt w ithout runn ing a

of r isk , would un ive rsa l ly a nd loya l ly d raw upon him ?“ And wha t ca n a n unhappy Engl ishman do

,

”sa id C

a l ias “ Jock,

” “ who knows nothing of e ithe r sword or

1 se e no difficulty . Do you remembe r the grea t Tom Cribb’

s

answe r to tha t pa rlous youth who a sked him wha t was the

be st posture of de fence : Ke ep a c ivi l tongue in your he adMany Engl ishm e n have l ived abroad in the m ost troubloustimes, an d ye t have had the tact an d good sense to ke ep ou t ofqua rre ls . Of course , the re are ci rcumstances which m ake it

'

absolute ly a nd impe riously necessa ry for you to fight or to

leave the to wn , i n which case on e

‘

of your com pa triots will

p robably ta ke your p lace . At i n my day, poor Cha rleyS .

, the be st of friends to eve rybody but h imse lf, organ ised a“

l i ttle c i rc le with the obj ect of ke eping up the na t iona l reputat ion . Whene ve r an Englishman was insulted by a fore igne r, hewas wa i ted upon by the comm i ttee , and polite ly reque sted e i the rto figh t or to run away .

And i f he re fused to do e ithe r ? ”

H e was s imply cu t by e ve rybody, which appea rs a suffic ient

pena lt y .

“Sti l l, I wan t to know how my ignoram us m anages to save

his l i fe ,” pe rs iste d C laude .

Som e , l ike D . C .

, unhappily a lso gone , ga l lantly took the

risk, and rece ived a thrus t in the a rm . Othe rs as a rule pre

fe rred the p istol, because e ve ry English gentleman shoots moreor le ss , an d the diffe rence of a ve ry few fe e t abso lute ly leve lsa ll dist inction . At twenty - four paces e ve ryth ing is in fa vour ofthe practised shot ; a t twe lve a la rge proportion ; a t six noth ing .

“But wha t abou t choice of we apons ? ”

”

E ve rywhe re the right res ide s with the cha l lenged . A m an ,fix

ing a qua rre l upon you , insults you ; you re turn i t by a blow,

p ro form é , a s i t we re , with your glove , a n d when he sends youthe ca rte l you pre fe r p istols .

Conn ecte d with t he i r op in ions upon p rov idence and des t iny ,the duel became pa r t of the n a t iona l l i fe . I t the n passed sou -th

wa rds t hroughou t Europe , whe re ne i ther counc i l,n or Pope ,

no r pr iest could a bol ish i t . A hund re d t imes an a thema t ise da n d pun ished w ith te r r ibl e se ve r i ty , the d ue l as ofte n re v ive d ,

The Eighth Even in g. 113

a n d re appe a re d unde r d iffe ren t sh ape s . I f you ask m e why ,I answe r,

“ Because it was nece ss a ry for the age .

”

At length , c i v i l isa t ion tr iumphed ove r th e j ud ic ia l or pure ly

superst it ious comba t, a nd th is orde a l became a mundane an d

secula r thing, to be tre a ted according to the fashion and t he

freak of time an d place .

In some countr ie s, an d a t ce r ta in epo chs, those who revived

the obsole te appea l to the God of Ba ttle , which, howe ve r, sad

t o say, Christian Europe re ta ins in time of wa r, we re subj ect

to long and crue l impriso nment, o r we re put to de a th ofte n wi thtortures . The same wa s the cas e with the seconds , who, i n

the Judicium De i, a ttended the i r combatants , an d, unde r ce r

ta in ca sua lt ie s , prote cted them with the i r shie lds .

Elsewhe re the due l le r, abus ing its impun ity , e spec ia lly in the

ages whe n swords hung by a ll s ide s— we se e a surv iva l in ou rCourt costum e

—ra n howling l ike a Bacchan te th rough the stre e ts

and squares . It was goo d taste to m e t tre flambcrge a u ven t , by

way of fi l l ing up, a s i t we re , a le isure hour, an d dwe l l ing for a

day in the mouths of m e n . The se ruffle rs drew unde r the lamps ,in the parks, e ve rywhe re , i n fac t , for a word , a r iband , a be t ,a n anonyma , a nothing . And the seconds, who ye ste rday mighthave been the best of friends, cu t o n e anothe r

’

s throa ts to -day.

Eve ry age se ems to have its own fol l ie s a n d supe rst it ions , itseccentrici ties and white horse s ,

”its pecul ia r phase of tha t

which in the individua l we should ca l l an obscure disorde r o f thebra in .

” But our t imes would look with anyth ing bu t favourupon the “

ra ffin é ,”the Mohock , who took a p r ide in d raw ing

h is sword or i n notch ing his s aw-hand les ,

“the same wh ich we

shot Cap t . Ma rke r .

”

Ye t wha t shows the ine radicable form of vita l ity re sid ing inthe pe rsona l appea l of the offended to the offende r is th is : a lmostth roughout the c ivil ised world , the due l , which a r ise s about a;

point of honour pure and s imple , which ha s for obj ect not thed ( a th of the antagon ist, but a man ’

s se l f-approbat ion a nd se lfe ste em, and whi ch cannot be traced in connect ion with anyth ingunworthy or unfi t for the eye s of the world , tha t form of obta ining sa t isfact ion has outlived e ve ry pha se of abuse

,both the

punishments threa tened to i t an d the excesses which me r itedthem .

Forg ive m e th is long pro logue , or, ra th e r, be gra te ful to m e

for not making it longe r . To condense so va st a ma tte r intoa few minutes ’ of spe ech is not an easy task .

“Thanks ! was the gene ra l exclama t ion .

III.

St range , sa id Shught ie ,tha t a custom so c le a rly u n

Christian a s the due lllo should obta in a lmost enti re ly amongs tChrist ians . The old Gre eks a n d Romans

,the Hindus a n d

Pe rs ians , the Egyptians an d Chine se had the i r chance re ncontre s,

114 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

l ike a ll semi -ba rba rians , they fought for‘ best m an ,

’ but theyhad no regula r due l . The Mos lem ,

i f obedient to his Apos tle

I won’ t say‘ prophe t,

’a vulgar e rror— wil l bea r a s

‘la p of

the fac e a nd run away rathe r t han li ft his hand upon a

brothe r re l ig ion ist. Aga ins t a Kafir, of course , the case is veryd iffe ren t, but then the Koran says openl y ‘

Slay them ’

the unbe l ieve rs)‘ whe reve r you sha ll] find them .

’The passage

ha s been often glossed ove r, but the re i t stands .

”

It is ra the r, I replied, ante -Christian than a nti—Christian ; Ican account for i t only a s a fragment of the Pagan temple , bui ltup into the Christ ian Church .

At a ny ra te , sa id Cha r les, we ’ve got r id of it i n England.

Wha t do you th ink wil l be the result at home ?

Simply n il . It had a lmost d ied out be fore the law was made so

stringe nt, and, s ince th e law has passed, the re have , I be l ie ve ,been a s ma ny duels be twe en Engl ishmen a s the re we re dur ingthe five ye a rs prec eding it . Of course , they we re fought a broad .

Upon such a subj ec t the re cannot fa i l to be diffe rence s ofopin ion . Our friends of the Ma nche ste r, util ita r ian , m iddlec lass school cons ide r tha t the abol ition has affected a pure and

unmixed good .

And no wonde r ! ” c r ied Se a ton .

“ These are gentleme n whoa re fa r from be ing n ice or touchy upon the point of honour ;‘ mildew ’

an d comme rc ia l mora l i ty are not da inty in suchma tte rs ; an appea l for sa tisfact ion is much more pleasantlypass ed on to a sol ic i to r tha n se ttled by a second . They remindm e of the t imid burghe rs of ce rt a in fore ign c it ies , who tormente ve ry dog with a muzz le fo r fe a r o n e in te n thousand shouldbit-e . The se p ékin s, the se ma nda r in s wish to j us tify Na poleo n

'

s

snee r about the na tion of shopkeepe rs .

”

Which was fa ir ly a nswe red by Pitt’s “n a t ion of stage -playe rs,

I re torted, a lthough , the actor be ing an a rtist , would, abroa d a t

le ast, rank h imse l f be fore the ép icier .

But the re is s t i l l a mode ra te opinion upon the subj ect inEngland which spe aks somewha t as followsThe due l is on e of t hose provis iona l a rrangeme nts which, l ike

canniba l ism , s lave ry, polygamy, a n d many othe rs, be long toce rta in stages of soc ie ty, an d which drop off as dec ayed and

dead ma tte r when , no longe r'

necessa ry, the y becom e inj uriouse xcresc ences upo n the bo dy soc ia l . Those who loo k only a t the

surface of th ings conside r thes e tempora ry institutions as unmixede vils, forge tt ing the immense amount of good which they didin the i r own day.

It m ay be qu e stione d whe the r we have not been prema ture inthus striking a t the e ffect be fore we can reac h the cause , inthrowing away the empirica l remedy be fore we have found the

sc ientific cure . The due l has be en abol ished , but the“court of

honour ” has not be com e a pa r t of our soc ia l system . And the rea re case s— sure ly I need not speci fy them— which de fy a ll courts .

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1 16 The Sen tim en t of t he Sword .

law wil l do u s no good abroad . All the world knows how fa r it

m ay go with John Bul l be fore he rouses h imse lf tho roughlty,dash es his ha t to the ground, pulls off his coa t, tucks up hiss le eve s, and roa rs

cre a ture s tha t he was a bou t to become a ve rywhen , somewhe re about 1850, he proposed a page

c rea t ion i n gene ra l ; he ta lked of paying off his a rmy, 0

his navy into emigrant transports, a nd

Shught ie , you exagge ra te ! I in te rposed .

No t ve ry much , ce rta inly not the la n guage of the peace -a t

a ny-price pa rty, be fore the n ation took the a la rm and volunt e e red

to a rm i tse l f, grea tly, I must say, aga inst the gra in of thosewho should have lent a hand . I a lso nea rly managed to get

into hot wa te r by propos ing a rifle corps , but tha t’

s ne i the rhe re n or the re . If you wi l l abuse yourse l f, j us tly or unj ust ly,you mus t expect your friends to adop t the worst v iew of you .

You can ’ t obj ec t to be ing j udged a fte r your own e stima te . All of

u s know how high a hand the Fre nch took in ha lf a dozenna t iona l a ffa i rs— look a t the Re cogn it ion of the Empire , the SuezCana l, the

‘ Cha rles e t George s ’ bus ine ss . And why ? Do you

be l ieve they fanc ied tha t the y co u ld be a t u s ? By no means !But they knew tha t a wa r is a lwa ys more or less popula r inFrance . ra re ly i n Engla nd , n ow a financia l ra the r than a com

m e rc ial na t ion , excep t whe n it ought not to be so ,like tha t

fata l Crimean blunde r . ”

“ We l l, we m ay say wha t we l ike , c ried Sea ton,but whilst

the pre se nt sta te of wha t the pape rs c a l l unprecedente d ma te r ia lprospe rity ’ ltas ts we mus t expect to see John Bull be low pa r in

the polit ica l Bourse of t he World . For my pa rt I only wonde rwha t wil l be the rea ct ion . For it must come , an d i t’ l l be a

‘

cau t ion .

’ And the first gre a t ‘shake ’ wil l br in g it .

The remark se emed to give genera l sa tisfac tion .

But wha t,”cr ied Shughtie ,

“ca n poo r John Bul l do without

an a rmy— for reg iment s he has , a rm y he has none ! ”

Sea to n was on his hobby in a moment . “ Wha t can he do ,you a sk? Why, on e of two th ings . Reduce h is force to ha lfa nd double its prospects— I don

’

t mea n but pens ion theold soldie r an d his family . So we sha lil ge t good m en,

not theskulke rs who disgraced u s in the Cr ime a by lying down in theRedan trenches . Don ’ t I remembe r the French taunt,

‘ You,

Johnny, Redan , no ! no ! Ma lakho ff, ye s ! yes !’

an d the growl ingreply,

‘ Wa te rloo , you begga rs !’The othe r plan , which of

course we sha l l come to, is a gene ra l co nscription , the Pruss ianfas h ion modified . I ’d begin wi th re viv ing the old mi liti a law,

an d ma ke e ve ry m an s e rve in the second l ine be twe en the age so f e ighte en an d twenty - six . At the first war I ’d make se rvice inthe firs t li ne compulsory o n

~

gentle or s imple . Please, some

body, stop m e , or I shal l go fa r into the sma l l hours .

”

I offe red him a Manil la .

The Eighth Even in g}. 117

And n ow we can proce ed with the j udic iary comba t,”

sa idCha rles .

You wish m e , in fac t, to cons ide r fenc ing with the point ofperso na l u til ity, which na tura l ly follows the as sault , and whichputs the colophon upon the a r t of a rms ?

We do .

”

I obey . The due l on on e s ide is a n a ssa ult compos ed of a

se ries of passe s and pa rries be twee n m e n who a re accustomed tothe exe rc ise of a rms , i n diffe re nt degre e s, i t is true , but stil l.

proc eed ing a fte r tole rably regula r principle s . On the oth e r hand ,it is a se r ious e ncounte r w ith points which thre aten o n e or twol ives . A s ingle home - thrust only is wanted , no ma tte r how , nom a tte r whe re

,rightly or wrongly de l ivered . He re , do not

forge t i t, in a ddit ion to s tra tagem ,a ddre ss , a n d sc ience , the re

a re othe r an d unknown factors —surpr ise

,bruta l s trength , savage

fe roc i ty, an d the fu rious ons laughts of ignorance .

The face a n d those p a rts of the body whose de fence in t hea ss aul t we u n j ust ifiably neglect ha ve blood wh ich your e nemym ay ca us e to flow . Your a dve rs a ry is not p icked ou t by

yours e l f . The choice o f chance , he m ay be short o r ta l l , s t rongor we ak , your infe r ior , your e qua l

,or you r supe r ior in

phys i que .

It is no longe r a p lay in.

wh ich pup ils se e k to d isplay the i rb r i l l iant sc ience , a s truggle of a ddress i n wh ich you exposeyours e l f volun ta r i ly to be to uched , pe rhaps tw ice or thr ice , a n d

thus i nsp i re your e nem y w ith a confidence wh ich ca uses you totr i umph in the e n d . We a re fa r from the pe a ce fu l t r ia l o fs trengt h execute d unde r the mas te r ’s e ye , accord ing to the

rules of a rt a n d w i th a rms of cou rtes y . This s truggle d iffe rs

f rom the a ss au lt e ven more th an the la tte r doe s f rom th e

le sson .

The m an who s tands be fo re you , who thre a tens you w ith h is

we apon , m ay be a consumma te swordsman , fight ing pe rhaps

for the fi fth or s ixth t ime wi th a l l t he a dvantage s wh ich a n

old camp a igne r mus t have accumula ted ; or he m ay ne ve r h a vet ake n a sword in hand , an d re ly sole ly upon h is e ne rgy a n d

upon his sang - f ro id , or e ven upon good luck , to se rve a n d sa vehim .

Are you about to engage an antagon is t who ca lcul a te s his

m oveme nts , a n d who ably keeps h is d is tance , advanc ing an d

re t i r ing a fte r t he ru les of a rt ? Or pe rhaps the m a n opposedto you wi l l count onl y upon a supreme e ffort of audac i ty , ofrecklessness ; he m ay d e fe a t a l l your ca lcu lat ions

,an d by

mak ing u se of his sword witlL the m e re a n im a l i ns t inct of se l fp res e rv-a t ion he m ay trample unde r foot e ve ry re ce i ve d pr inc iple of the art .

118 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

V .

*

I need ha rd ly spe ak of the p a rt wh ich the second ought totake be fore his fr iend is p laced in the fie l d . You w i l l re ad i lyun de rs tand how impe ra t ive it is for h im to e xhaust a ll me ans

of reconc i l ia t ion , of p re ve nt ing a host i le m ee t ing , a n d howe ve ry chance of an honourable se tt lem en t shoul d have bee ntr ied a n d found want ing be fo re he consents to a ttend a t the

supreme a rb i tra t ion of the sword .

The re a re m en who h ave ignored the fact th a t the y a re

gua rd ia ns a t once of a not he r ’s l i fe as we l l as of his honour ,a n d who , fa ntas t ica l ly to p rese rve the on e ,

have foo l ish ly orfou l ly r iske d the othe r . But such th ings ha rdly be long to ourt ime s . The profess iona l second , so brave with anothe r m an ’

s

s k in , is a ll but ext inct , e xce pt in comed ies , an d I on ly hopetha t we shal l ne ve r se e h im aga in .

The ch ie f muscle of a t rue man ’

s a rm is his fi rm be l ie f inthe goodness of his cause . Al l the powe r an d

,I m ay say, the

re l ig ion of the se cond l ie i n the ca lmness a nd fi rmne ss , i n the

j us t ice , loya l ty , a nd conc i l ia t ion wh ich he br ings to his mos tunp le as ant duty . I t. is a t ask tha t w i l l a lways win for h im ,

not p ra ise , but ob loquy , a n d his m a i n consola t ion w i l l be foundin the approval of h is own consc ience .

Spe ak ing p e rsona l l y , i f you a l low m e , gent lemen , when thedue l be come s i ne v it able , a f te r a l l my e fforts to se tt le a d ifficu l ty ,a n d whe n my conv ict ion is tha t fa ls e van ity an d dange rousamou r p ropr e a re more conce rne d in the affa i r th an woundedhonour , I shou ld not hes i tat e to e xpress my opin ion a n d to

withd raw . Due ls fought for the ga l le ry a re n ow cons ide red

e ithe r od ious or r id iculous ; they have p asse d out of ourmanne rs ; they be long to the l umbe r - room of the p a st .I sha l l d i ffe r f rom many , es pec ia l ly i n the “

S iste r Isl and ,upon t he fo l lowing po in t : In my op in ion j e a lousy or r iva l ryfor the a ffec t ions of a wom an is n ot a subjec t to fight about .

I f you want to se e who is the “ be tte r m an ,

” r ide s t i rrup bys t i r rup a t a 6ft . wa l l , t ry the mos t of twe l ve t ige rs on foot ,or go to the sources of the Congo R i ve r , but do not figh t forthe fa i r hand a fte r the fas h ion of all the lowe r an ima ls ; such

a ct ion s imp ly degra des a m an . You a re a lways bound inhonour to fight about he r, not for her, to take up a wom an

’s

cause .

Sa i d Shught ie : On e o f the pret t ies t th ings i n A fgh an ist an

is a chiva l rous cus tom,n ot taken from Europe . When a woma n

of rank is insu lte d or inj ured she se nds he r ve i l to the bra ve s t

ch ie f of he r acqu a i ntance . H is duty is to fight out he r qu a r re l

d en tra n ce .

”

* Se ctions VI . to XI be s ides expos ing Burton’

s own ide as , embodymost of Bazanco'urt

’

s rema rks in the Seven th to Nin th E venings of

his Secre ts of the Sword (Clay’

s transla t ion , pp . 153

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120 The Sen tim en t of the Sword.

t he comba tant , with sword as we l l as w ith p is tol , is to s tanda ga ins t a dul l foreground wh ich does not de fine a n d throwout h is figure . Ne ve r le t t he su n or the gla re fa l l upon h isface ; i t ma kes the blade s Spa rkl e , rende rs the coup d

’

oei l

unce rt a in,a n d inev itably resu l ts in hes i ta t ion .

Re membe r th a t we fight w ith the look as wsword . The l ook is thought ; i t w a rns us ofins t inc t i ve ly points out the adve rsa ry ’

s wea ks ti l l , the fix ity of the glance , the eye wh ich , l i ke the o lde ngod ’

s , does not w ink , t he s te adfast sur vey of the motion le sspup il , the l igh t of ba ttle a s i t is ca l le d , have a fa sc ina t ion ofthe i r own . Whi ls t the s te e l m enaces

,the e yes d iscourse i n

ques t ion s an d a nswe rs , an d th ey conve y to the bra in in form a

t ion wh ich i t coul d not othe rwise re ce ive .

Ne ve r a l low the sh irt to be remove d . The sudden e ffe ct ofthe a ir , espe c ia l ly in the ca se of on e un accustomed to i t , m ay

ac t upon the comba tants in ve ry d iffe re nt degree s , accord ingas the i r cons t i tut ions a re more or less impress ionabl e .

But i f on e of the two dem and it ? ”

R e fuse for the othe r . I t is the h abi t of the Fre nch ca sern e;

a n d i t should not be tole ra ted be yond the ba rrack ya rd .

May a glove be used ? ”

It is the custom , but custom is not law . Although many thi nkit a r ight» , i t cannot c l a im a l l the p r ivi le ges . Us ua l l y i t is

se tt l ed be fo re hand , whe the r fe nc ing gloves m ay o r m ay not beu se d . As a ru le they a re

,because they grasp the gr ip wi th

gre a te r ce rta in ty a n d rende r d isa rm ing more d ifficu lt . Bes i des ,the h and le of a fo i l or rap ie r is h a rd e nough to t i re or bl is te rt he d e l ica te na ke d h and , an d the finge rs in contact w i th itsuffe r from e ve ry ful l- toned pa rry an d from eve ry shock of theswo rds .

If , howe ve r , o ne s ide re fus e , the othe r cannot ins is t uponthe glove be ing accepted , or upon c la im ing tha t advant age fori tse l f .An obj ect ion , fo r i ns tanc e , might be sta rted tha t the glove ,fami l i a r to the p ra ct ise d fence r , is s trange an d use less to o ne

who has ne ve r worn it . Th is wou ld ra re ly be do ne , becaus e them a n whos e pa lm has ne ve r touche d a sword wou ld fee l it sroughne ss more than his e xpe r i enced ad ve rsa ry . At a ll eve nts ,whe the r the oppone n t choose or re fuse , you m ay use a k id .

glove , we l l cha lked to p reve nt s l ipp ing , or w ind a ke rch ie fabout your finge rs, a lway s , howe ve r, be ing ca re fu l no t toa n e n d h ang floa t ing s o as to emba rra ss the act ion ofe nemy ’

s blad e .

VI.

May the le ft han l be a l lowed to pa rry ? ” asked on e of m

audie nce .

I re p ly , in the Fre nch schoo l , (pos i t ive l y, No !

The E ight h Even in g. 121

Bu t i f both comba ta nts cem e n t ?

It is a conse nt wh ich ought ne ve r to be as ke d nor to be

grant e d . I am awa re tha t many p rofessors a re of a d iffe re n t

op in ion, an d tha t t he Comte de Cha te auv illa rd , an author ity

upon the subje ct, h as d ec la re d“Que le fa i t de pa re r a vec la

ma i n pe ut et re l’obje t d

’

un acco rd ré cip roque .

” Ye t tha t

chan ge s in noth in g my op in ion . I say c le a r ly and once for a l l,

S ince you ha ve e v ide nt ly the r igh t of acce pt ing or of re fus ing ,inva r iably re fuse .

”

But why ?

I n the fi rst p lace , i t does not be long to the schoo l ; i t is n ow ,

i f i t ha s not bee n , fore ign to its habits , to it s manne rs , a nd t o

its p ract ice .

It m ight,more ove r , be d an ge rous ly unf a i r to one s ide , who ,

l ike a n e normous ma j or ity , had n e ve r he a rd of such a th ing ,

whe re as the othe r m igh t ha ve made i t his care fu l st udy , w iththe u lt ima te v iew of us ing i t i n the fie ld .

In the Ita l ia n school , as I have a l re ad y exp la i ned t o yo u ,

tha t form of pa rry ing ,or ra the r o f pu tt ing as ide , the ene my

’

s

pass had its ra ison d’

etre ; i n al l othe rs i t be comes a n impe rfectand d a nge rous pa rody .

The Fre nch system throws back the le ft a rm i n orde r to

profi le the body a nd offe r les s surface to the enemy , I t cannotuse the le ft h and w ithout compromis i ng th is !pos i t ion— a t le as twi thout subve rt ing its p r inc ip les .

Furt h e rmore , I have v is i ted most o f the famous sa l les of theworld , a nd no mode rn p rofe s so r— a t le as t , a fte r La Boiss iere

(1818)—e ve r advoca te d p a r ry ing w ith the h and . In the numbe rle ss assaul ts witnessed by m e no schola r e ve r a tt empte d i t, norpropos ed i t to his a ntagon ist . Ne ve r , a t le as t , tha t I am awa reof , has m a i tr e d

’

a rmes taught i t to his pup i ls , e ve n as an e xcep

t ion which m ight p re sen t its el f, and aga inst wh ich it is w ise tobe forewa rne d .

Why, the n , whe n the assaul t ce ases to be spo r t , an d whe n l i feis in ques t ion , should you offe r or accept a convent ion wh ichthus t ra nsgresse s a ll re ce ive d cus tom ?Ye a rs ago I was fe nc ing a t the rooms of my fr ie nd M acL a re n

a t Oxford , a nd by way of surpr ise i nt roduced th is I ta l ian s ty leof parry . The re was a pe cul ia r expre ss ion upon the c ou n te n

ance of my adve rsa ry , and I a sked him wha t he thou ght of i t.To spe ak the t ruth ,

”was the re ply , I see no reaso n , whe n

you u se your le f t han d in tha t way,why I shou ld not come

down upon you r he ad w ith the pomme l of my sword !And he was p e rfe ct ly j ust ified by the t rad it ions of the oldPe nin su la r mas te rs .

I ha ve quoted the da n si co pom i of the grea t swordsmanTasso . R osa rol l a n d G r isett i (1803 , pa rt 2, chap . 3 ) g ives ru lesfor the colpo di pomo in. double -short me as u re , a nd a blow o n

the te mple would eas i ly k i l l .

122 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

You forget, quoth Seaton,“ tha t the old term ‘ pommel

ling on e ’s enemy a rose f rom this use of the hea vy knobs on theant ique sword gua rds .

”

I f we admit this pecul ia r i ty of the Ita l ian school , we ca n

ha rd ly obj ect to the othe rs , su ch as the pa rr ies of cont ention,

the volta a nd the circola ta (vault ing) , the inqua r to (spr ing as ide) ,the sbasso (s l ipp ing down ) , and the sp a r ita di vita ,

or efl’acemen t

da corp s, the in eoccia tu ra (h i lt c lashing) , the imbrocca ta (daggerthrus t) , an d the ba les tra ta (tr ipp ing -up ) , which gu a rd by themovements of the muscle, not by the sword .

Such a conces s ion might a lso, without an y cou n te rba lancingadvantages , lead to mor ta l e rrors and to fa ta l conseque nces .

Allow me to expl a i n . Between the Ope n hand which swe epsaway the thrus t a nd t ha t nervous con traction of the finge rswhich invo lun ta ri ly closes upon the b lade, the difference is

ha rd to define . The la tte r m ay be done a lmos t w ithou t in te ntion, and , i f the resu lt be a thrus t morta l to the adve rs a ry , itwi l l be fol lowed by l ife- lon g regre ts, by va in repent ance . Theve ry poss ib i l ity of such a n acc ident tak ing p lace , eve n once

i n ten thousan d times , should make us gua rd aga ins t acceptingan y convent ion tha t might lead to the fa ta l ity .

It is as bad for the second s as for the p r incipa ls . I t isd ifficult , not t o say imposs ib le, even where the p ractise d eye isconce rne d , to a pprec iate i n the rap id re ncont re of rap ie rs , i nthe l ightni ng-l ike exchange of pas ses, pa rr ies , and r iposts , whenthe blades , spa rkl ing in the su n , i nte rtwine as though they wereth in gs of l i fe , the d iffe rence of two moveme nts , one be ing theres ult of agre ement and the other a chance which sudde n lychanges the due l into mans laughter . The ques tion is so thorny

per se tha t with t he bes t wi l l it can ha rdly be so gra sped as

not to produce two widely d ifferent inte rp retat ions— and of thela tte r which of the two is r ight ? The fact upon wh ich both

re pose has passe d away , rapid as a. look , fug it ive as thoughtits e l f . Terrib le pos it ion in the p res ence of a fe l low crea turest retched upon the ground , cold an d inanima te , who might sti l lbe i n the vigour of youth an d l i fe ! Who wou ld accep t. a

respons ibi l ity so heavy a s this is ?

I am exhaus ting your pa tience i n desc r ibing the man y dutiesof the second upon the field

,a nd the minute app rec ia tion of

deta i ls which should ever be p resent in his thoughts . Yet,without going de ep into the ma tte r, i t wou ld be useless toattempt hand l in g it .Here is another point wh ich demands extreme a tte ntion .

When the swords have cros se d , the se conds , a rmed with foilsor canes , shou ld s ta nd with in reach of the comba tants , readyto int e rfe re in case of any i rregular ity . On e of the two m ay,

ne rchan ce , s l ip , s tumble ,take a fa lse ste p, be d isa rme d , or be

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The Sen t im en t of the Sword.

f r ie nd who has an ything to expect from soc iety . The lateR ouman ian p ist ol due l between Pr ince Sire tzo an d M . Ghika

end ed wi th the imprisonmen t of the seconds for two an d threeyea rs , when ot he rs esca pe with a few fran cs fine a nd a n omina limp rison men t . I f t his new v iew preva i l the due l lo i n Francew i l l go the way of the bowie kn ife and black room in theUn ited States .

VIII .

“ I ’d l ike to hea r , s a id Sea ton ,“ wha t you th ink ought t o

be done in the case of corp s d corps, when the p r inc ipa ls meetbody to body .

”

It is a mos t d e l ica te point,which should a lways be pre

v io us ly a rrange d be twe en the second s . You cannot s top thefight except by agreement, and i f you do not i t gene ra l ly endswith morta l wound s on both s ides , which a re ca l led en pa r t ie

double .

Here p rudence , resolve , and pe rfe ct fa i rness a re requ i red .

I f , for ins t an ce, one of the comba tants has thrown h imse l fv iole ntly upon the othe r , the blades should not be struck downbe fore the s ide which has endure d the attack sha l l a lso haveuse d his r ight of r ipost .But the re a re que s t ions a nd casua lties of pe rpetua l recurrencewh ich can be resolved only by the p rese nce of mind a nd by thej us t appre c ia t ion of the secon d .

In forme r days the cas e was othe rwise . Now it is not toomuch to expe ct tha t the second wi l l d isd a in to consult theinte re sts of his p rinc ip a l by turn ing a convent ion , loya l lyoffe re d and loya l ly accep ted , into someth ing favourab le to hisf r iend a nd unfa i r to t he othe r s ide . Such wou ld be , forinst ance ,

s udde nly a r re sting the rencon t re when a case spec ifica lly exp ressed threa te ns to occur but does not occur .

But if i t happen ? ”

Then eac h m a n consults his j udgment an d his conscience uponwhat his conduct should be . Some might peremptorily dema ndtha t the rencontre cea se ; oth ers that the comba tants return to

their p laces .

“ And now let me a sk you another question, sa id Shught ie .

I ’ve often hea rd a m an say If in a duel“ about a sma ll ma tt era dead thrust were made a t my princ ipa l ’s chest , my impu lsewou ld be to stop it . ’ I s he right or is he wrong ? ”

Evidently wrong . H is mot ive is amiab le, h is action morenatura l tha n rea so nable, but he has assumed the most crush ingrespons ibility . L e t u s follow it ou t to its pos s ible consequences ;what is ca lled Tra nsa tla ntica lly “ going the Whole hog ”

is nobad test of princ iple, howe ver opposed to our d istaste forextremes . The mortal’ th rus t has been stopped by the second ,not parried by the principa l . The fight cont inues a nd your“ friend’

s”

adversa ry is ki l led by the sudden chan ge of tha t

The Eighth Even in g. 125

cha nce which a t first stood in his favour . Wha t now says your

conscience ?The duel is a sad resource . but afte r you have honestly a nd

honourably done a ll in your power to prevent it, a llow fortuneto pronounce between the principa ls . You m ay take a ny means

in your power to diminish the fata l ity of the comba t, but above

a ll t hin gs fa ir play .

Shught ie pers isted . There are many who think that a point

or two should be s tretched in fa vour of a friend .

I am a fra id there a re . But this is the emotiona l a nd feminineview of a man

’

s duty . Once “s tretch the point ” and te ll me if

you can where it wil l end ?“I t

’

s clea r to me, rema rked Cla ude, tha t nothing wouldpersuade me to be a second with all these responsibi l it ies .

”

Many say the same . The part is, in fa ct, one of the mos t

serious tha t a m an can a ssume ; to take it up lightly is blameablein the highest degree . I do not envy the second who sleeps

soundly an d without sombre reflections throughout the nightbefore the a ffai r . H is consolation must be the firm re solve never

t o tra nsgress the str ictest l imit of a bsolu te right— for his friend

a s well as for the other pa rty .

You wil l now se e how ma ny gifts are required for a second

in a due l of swords . The fi rst is tha t tenac ity of look and certa inty of coup d

’

cci l wh ich res ult onl y from a long habit of a rm s .

The last is tha t energy of cha racte r which predisposes him to ta ke

an a ctive pu t ; the purely pass ive conception robs it of a ll its

force, a ll it s nobleness, a ll its dignity .

IX .

Wha t do you say to the disputed ques tion , If one ofthe combatants wa nts to rest, can he be forced to go on ?

”asked

Sea ton .

That aga in should a lways be settled either by prev ious a rrangement or by mutua l agreement . Otherwise unpleasant discu ssionsmay a rise . You have the right to compel h im , but how enforceit ?

“ Surely it would be repugnant to one’s feelings not to givebrea thing time to a m a n who’

s s inking with fa tigue, whosehand can’t hold the sword and whose brea th is gone ? ” said

Yet the right of ins isting upon continuing the encounter isthere, a nd for this rea son . Why is he more exhauste d than hisadversa ry ? Possibly, an d I should sa y probably , because he hasbegun the fight wi th effort, with vio lence ; he has u sed an

imprudent activity W ithout reserve an d without cons u lting hisst rength . The other side has had to support these incessa ntshocks a nd attacks ; it has better estima ted its mean s an d

resources , a n d it ha s rel ied upon the result , despite the manyrisks incurred . The moment of success is evidently when the

G 2

126 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

a tt acker, tired out by the number and impotence of his a ttacks,is able to offer the lea st res is ta nce .

And wha t do you propose ? Tha t he shou ld rest himself,reco ver breath , rega in vigour, retu rn to a ll his energy, a nd

pos sibly renew his violent onslaught . Where is the rewa rd ofyour prudence and husba nding strength i f the danger which youha ve a voided the first time should be forced upon you the second ?

Sti l l,

” C laude persisted, one could hardly strike a m an witha sword who can ha rdly hold his own .

Such is the feel ing of every gentleman . Yet in the Frenchba rr ier e style of pisto l duel a comba ta nt, a fter rece iving theadversa ry’

s fire,wi l l not be ashamed of adva ncing a n d of dis

cha rging his own weapon . Here the opponent isunpro te cted ; no thing can restore to the pisto l the ba l l whichhas discharged . In a rapier due l , on the other hand, howeverworn out a swordsma n m ay seem , a supreme exert ion of the wi llm ay _ra l ly his sca ttered forces , a nd enable him , dangerous st i ll ,to dea l a dea th blow .

But custom is often stronger than truth . W'

i th the innatesent iment s of chiva lry, the essence of the pu n don or , you wi l lfeel a repugnance

,a n incapac ity for taking a n advanta ge to -day,

when to -morrow under identica l c ircumstances you wil l cla im all

your rights .

The difference a ppea rs to me, sa id Shught ie , tha t with thepis to l you may miss ; with the sword you ca n ’t . There’s something cold -blooded in wounding a m an with a morta l weapon,whereas a pugi l ist has no scrup le in giving the knock -down blowthat ends the fight .”

I pursued . My memory recal ls another a rgument of a clas sicalfriend who quoted these verses of the ZE ne id

I lle pedum me lior motu fre tusque j uven ta ;H ic membris et mole va lens ; sed tarda tremen t i

Genua labant, vastos qua t it aeger anhel itus artus .

.E NE ID V.

So i t is with arms in the hands . Two men meet upon thefie ld . This has a ll in his favour but one thing ; he has height,length of a rm , rap id execution , sc ience of a rms . Tha t has on l ygrea t muscu la r vigour, a n d the advantage of wind . The com batis unequa l , a n d the tac tic of the fencer must be that of thewrestler .

Here the re are two wres tlers ; on e has every advan tage of size,strength , a n d weight ; the other has in his favour youth , suppleness , a nd agil ity . The latte r evident ly knows but one tac tic,tha t of wea ring out a supe riority from which he has been com

pe lled to run ma ny a risk . Would it be fa i r in the firs t torequire a suspens ion of the struggl e , a nd thu s deprive his oppon e nt of a n on ly chance ?I s i t rea sonable tha t one should be inv ited to sacr ifice a p a rtof h is chances when the othe r would add to his own ga in the

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128 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

I f anothe r rencontre be inev itable , an d be honou rably set tled

upon by both s ides , it can take p lace only a fter many hours

o f re st, or , better st i l l , on the morrow . At the s ame time ,shou ld the “ pa rty inte res ted ”— tha t is to say, the m an who

has fought— dem and a n immedia te sett lement of the ques tion ,the re is no mora l reason for not conced ing it . I should nevera l low my “ fr iend ”

to a cce pt it , save under very exceptiona lc i rcumstances , such as the a bsolu te nec ess i ty of a j ourney , fori f success fu l he would ce rta in ly be mis j udged by the world .

But there is one p rec aut ion wh ich is absolute ly necessa ry .

Under no c i rcums tances whate ve r shoul d the m an who is aboutto become an advers a ry be a l lowed to be p res ent , e ither as

specta tor or as s econd,at the comba t wh ich precedes his own .

Th e p r im a ry law, equ a l ity of chances, wou ld be t herebyutt erly v iola te d . The s imple act of look ing on ha s given h ima rea l , a n incontes t able adva nt age . W ith eyes sha rpened bynecess i ty he has wa tched his enemy , a t a t ime , too , when mostprobab ly the la tte r was the least capable of conce a l ing h is p lay .

“ Expl a in ! ” was the word .

In a rap ie r duel there a re two importa nt points to belea rned . The first is the adversa ry ’

s st yle an d knowledge ofthe sword ; the second is the na ture of his mora l organ is a tionupon the fie ld . It is evident w ithout a rgument how much youga i n by know ing whether the m an be fore you is impe tuous an d

fie ry or ca lm a n d cold ; i f he w i l l stand upon the def ens i ve orresolute ly proceed to the a ttack ; whether his p lan is to p a rryt he pa ss

,to ret i re , or to extend the sword— in fine , i f he is

energe tic or “ d awdl in g ,”

sk i l ful or unsk i lled ,“ d ifficult ” and

d anger ous or tame a n d phlegma tic .

By the mere act of be ing prese nt a t a fi rs t rencontre youknow a l l tha t as thou gh you had fence d with your advers a rya dozen times . You r confidence inc rea ses with your knowledge ,your ene rgy redouble s ; your presence of mind , untrammel ledby doubt, preoccupa t ion , or the ne cess ity of st udy , be longs toyou in its ent i rety . You have re ad the book , you have su rveyedthe coun try .

Though you be complete ly ignorant of a rms , a n d eventhough a s tudy of the sword , more or less superfic ia l , m ay noten able you amp ly to take advantage of the occa s ion , as a

p ract ised student would do ; s ti l l,the s imple fact o f hav ing

wi tnesse d the rencontre is enough to lay the terr ible pha ntomwhich we ca l l t he U nknown , to po int out to your intel l igencethe l ine which i t shou ld fo l-low

, an d to show you the certa inway to succ ess .

1

Your adve rsa ry , on the other ha nd , ignores a ll th is . He isuncerta in whether you a re p ractised or unpractise d ; whet herhe should a tta ck you or awa it you r att ack ; i f your na ture isre ceptive and im press ionable or stol id a n d aggress ive , cool orl iable to be ca rr ied away . He wa l ks l ike one bl indfolded ;

The Nin th a n d La st Even in g. 129

you a re the book w it h uncut lea ves , the unexp lored region .

It rem a ins for h im to d iv ine every thing , to lea rn everyth ing .

And as but la te ly I cla imed for the m a n who, in defau lt of

s tudy or acqu ired sc ience,enj oys such a dvant ages as well

deve loped lungs a nd abnorma l resou rces of musc le the p lena ryr ight of us ing his super ior ity as the advers a ry had not fa i led

to do, so in the s i t ua t ion wh ich we now conside r I unhes it a ting ly

rej ect anyt h ing tha t ma y des troy the equal ity of chances an d

m ay make the sca le incl ine to one s ide or to the other .

Under these c i rcums tances , were I a se cond , my fi rs t stepwould be an absolute refus a l to be p rese n t a t a rencontre so

i r regula r an d so unequa l .

TH E NINTH AND La s r EVENI NG .

I .

I N cons ideration of th e occa s ion— the melancholy occa s ion— we

were promised a visi t in the smoking - room , but n o t so ea rly a s

usua l— as sundry Phil iste r in es (feminine of the Ph i l ist ines) , who “

had been d in ing a t the castle, might not order the i r ca rr iages t i l llate .

I am t rying to remember, but I ca nnot, tha t the ga theringin the F ama tory was a t a ll rema rkab le for gloom or sadness .

The séa n ce began with the usua l’ l ight talk about current topics,an d when every ciga r an d pipe was under a full head of smoke,the subj ect of the fina l discourse was asked .

This evening I propose to spe ak of the comba ta nts themselves an d the mea ns of a ttack and defence which offer themthe mos t favourable chances . We wi l l avoid anything vergingupon the triste or the te rrible, and do our roaring very gently .

Indeed, the occasion is al ready sad enough to

My sentimenta l attempt— why will the hea rer a lways mis takethem — was nipped in the bud by a genera l;movement of hila ri ty .

Youth is so unp lea santly sanguine ; the time before it is so

interminab le, a n d the yea rs rol l on so sllowly. I t is onl y a fterahem —tha t m a n begins to find the stream ga in swiftness , breakinto a torrent, and rush madly past its banks towa rds the

sea— the eterna l sea . It is only t hen that he rea l ises an d

quo tes :Eheu fugaces Pos thume l Pos thume l

Labun t ur a nni .It is on ly then tha t he begins to review the past, to think ofwhat might have been

,of a ll that he might have done, to reca ll

to mind, to quoteAnd of the learn ed who with a ll his loreH as leisure to be wise !

Perhaps , oh, poe t ! the t ruest wisdom for prosa ic persona l u se , a tle a s t , i f n o t poet ica l purpose s , is never to look back upon the

130 The Sen t im en t of the

‘

Sword .

pas t, to ransack the -present for every poss ible enjoyment, an d

even a t e ighty to a nticipa te the future,to begin bu ilding a

house or a family or a for tune a t the age of seventy or eightywith mental eyes fixed upon the long an d brilli ant perspectivewhich spreads itse lf before them .

I have a young friend of e ighty - four who hopes t hat someone wi llshoot him when he grows. o ld . I was once dining a t the houseof a nothe r j eu n e homme of seventy

, a s ta tesman, a l i tté ra teur

,

an d a m an of the world, who had l ived, a s the saying is, everymoment of his l i fe . H is sleep wa s so so und tha t no o n e venturedto ask him in the morning how he had passed the n ight

,an d

his appet ite, even at breakfast, was a lways of the hea lthiest .Bu t a t tha t especia l dinner I cou ld not help rema rking to my

n eighbour that the host was hungry as a

’

hun t e r,”a n d in higher

than his usua l h igh spirits .

“Don

’

t you know why ?” whispe red M eph . I do ; he has

just received a lette r ann ouncin g to him the dea th of one of hisoldest an d best friends .

”

The a necdote is not amiable —l ike Fontenelle ’s ‘

point de sauceblanche — a nd I ha rdly know why it has fa l len from my lips . Yetit is true, true to the letter ; my belie f is that it portrays a

rea l ly wise m an . And did not the correc t Archbishop of Cambra i,i f we m ay trust his own m adriga ll, which, by the by

,was

suppressed p a r les n on n et tes record a simila r sentiment ?

Je an e , j e tais trop sage

E '

t voula is t rop sca ve ir.

Je ne veux a me n ageQue badin age

E t touche r a mon dernier ageSans rien prévoir .

Fenelon a lso had ev idently found leisure to be wise .

A long silence fol lowed . I wa s preparing some fina l remarks .

“that ! positively in a brown study ? ”sa id tha t vexatious

Shught ie .

“ One would a lmost suspect that the sweet youth ’

s

in love ! ”

Another burst of juveni le enj oyment, which had one goodeffect, that of rendering a ll further sentiment imposs ible . So Iresumed in my soberest an d mos t bus iness l ike tones .

Yesterday we settled the vexed question of wha t a secondis expected to do a nd not to do . I attempted to point o u t , a s

lucid ly an d as comp letely as possible,the qua l ities required in

your friends,

” their mu lt i farious duties an d precautions, the

pre l imina ry studies demanded -o f them, a n d the a nxious circumsp ec tion which must preoccupy their minds a t al l times a nd

upon every point. For the world will cha rge upon the irshoulders the grea te st part of the respons ibi lity, and the world

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132 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

it wa s more grace fu ll, mo re gentlemanly , more chiva lrous , and

it showed the old kn ight ly qua l ity of being perfect ly fami liarwith the u se of weapons . Bu t , however tha t might be . the

m an who used his sword like a spit, even though he succeededin pass ing it th rough his adversa ry ’

s body , wou ld have madehimse l f the laughing stock of men and a n obj ect of contemp t towomen .

We have changed a ll tha t ; the conditions of the age no longeradmit it . Ours has become a workaday world, a n d England isfast te aching the rest of mankind to quote he r pecu l ia rlyna t iona l and cha racterist ic proverb .

“ Time is money .

” We

attempted to int roduce the Turkish ba th, which , connected withce remoni a l) ablutions , in Turkey occupies the best pa rt of fourhours . Wha t wa s the resu lt ? The C ity m an drove off toJermyn - street or e lsewhere , undressed, sa t five minute s inthe tepida r ium ,

rushed into the ca l ida rz’

nm , osc i l la t ed betweenthe two for a qua rter of a n hour , lay fidge ting for anotherfifteen minutes in the fr igida r ium ,

hard ly wa ited till the firstp e rspira tion had passed off, rubbe d himself down , re -dressed, and

drove ba ck whence he came, in nervous anxiety lest he shou ldbe too la t e for a business let ter or a pa rt y of p leasure . After thisca n you wonde r tha t he execra t ed the Turkish ba th,

an d tha t

his friends sometimes a ttributed to it his apoplexy, his epil epsy,or h is pa ra lysis ?

And so it is with fenc ing . In these days young men have notime for it . Hence the a rt is neglected

,and it is very ra re

tha t both comba tants know how to ma ke the best u se of thea rm which they ho ld in their hands .

I now proceed to consider my fi rst hypothesis .

I V .

In France the m a n who knows noth ing of the sword, whethe rhe has never to uched a foi l , or he ha s , a t ra re interva ls,bea ten the a ir in the room s of some young friend

,when suddenly

forced to fight goes stra ightway to a professo r with the obj ectof obta ining some notion which ca n enable him t o defend his l ife .

The laws of so ciety pe rmit him to haunt the sa l le d’

a rmes ; hem ay spend every moment of the interva l in study, an d, i f the

due l be with pistols, he m ay frequent the t ir an d get useful h intsfrom the expe rts , who in Fran ce espe cial ly teach the ar t ofshooting . In Eng land we do not exactly consider such practicefa ir p lay .

You wi ll. here a llow m e a few words of d igress ion . Whena re a l ly good fencer is some wha t rus ty of hand , a fte r , we wi lls ay, f rom s ix months to a yea r of non -prac tice , I shoul d a dv iseh im to do noth ing of the k ind . I t genera l ly happens tha t thefi rs t time he touches a foi l h is movements

,though by no me ans

so cor rect, become mu ch more d ifficult a n d da ngerous . The

i rregul a r ities tha t mani fes t themse lves an d the rude v igou r

The Nin th a n d La st Even in g. 133

tha t b rea ks ou t more t ha n com pensa te for the abs e nce of closeness in p a ss an d pa rr y . U pon the same pr inc ipl e a m an ofte nshoo ts n o t ably his Ibes t a t the very open in g of the se ason , onSt . Pa rtridge h is day.

To return t o my you ng m a n . He wa lks st ra ight in fo thesa l le, a n d he says to M r Pro fessor , I wa nt you to te ach mesometh ing of fenc ing . I ’m to fight t o -morrow .

”

Do you know a nyt h ing about the swo rd ? ”

Ha l f nothing , I m a y say .

At a n y rat e , you kn ow tha t you mus t ho ld it by the ha ndlea n d try to touch the enemy w ith the po int - tha t ’s about a ll ,

isn ’t it ? ” rej o ins M r Professo r , wi th a queer k ind of smile .

He then ta kes down two bu ttoned foi ls , h ands one to his

visi to r, a n d beg ins the lesson .

As you im agine , th is rap id course of instruction la cksva r ie ty ; inde ed , it ca nn ot be , i t shou ld n o t be

,otherwise .

The who le point of the ins truct ion now cons is ts i n its s impl ic it y ,in it s be ing int el l igible a n d pract ica l . For the m a n who knows

noth ing the mos t ind ispens a ble cond it ions a re ca lmn ess a nd

sang - fro id . These qu al it ies acqu i re a grea te r va lue , be ca us ethey wil l ofte n be oppose d in one com ba t ant to exc i tement a n d

temeri ty in the othe r .Wha t the p rofe sso r mus t rega rd a bove a nd be fore a ll th ings

is the na tu ra l pos it ion , the a tt itude , of h is p up il . I t should

be determined in a gre a t me a sure by the pers on most concerned ; it m ay not be mod ified , exce pt for the ind ispens ablenec ess ity of action , such as a certa in rega rd to ba la nce a n d to

fa c i l i ty of us ing t he muscles . The ma in object is to g ive theimprovised swor dsm a n confidence in h ims el f a nd to tu rn h is

fa u lts an d imp e rfec tions t o the grea tes t poss ible a dva nt agerat he r t han a ttem p t to correct them .

I a ttach the u tmos t importa nce to not pu tt ing the pup ilout of conce it w ith h imse l f ,

”as ch ildren say, but , on the

cont ra ry , to i ncreas i ng h is se lfq e l ia noe by wo rd or deed . Al ittl e hum ou nimg will m ake him fe el a t home, an d t he effec twil l be a ce rt a in fr eedom of thought

,of be ha v iour , an d of

action . The erro rs an d i r regu la r i ties which ma y lead to thegreat es t da ngers should s imply be poin t ed o ut , a n d t he re sul tmust be le ft to h imse l f .Th e neo phyte is su re n ot to sit s tra ight upon h is ha un ches ;

he wi ll bend one wa y or the other , an d h ap py for h im i f theincl in at ion be to the f ront . He can then be taught in a few

min utes -to let the upper works—tha t is to say, the bus timpend over the lower . This, combined with the hand an d

the h il t , ar m a nd shoul de r , w il l serve as vangua rd a nd shiel dto tha t pa rt of the body where every thrus t is a lm ost alwa ysmorta l .

You ha ve been told tha t there is a something i ns tinctive evenin ou r modern a nd c iv i l ised sty le o f fen c ing . Th is is so true

134 The Sen t imen t of the Sword.

tha t i f a ll of you , even those who ha ve never touched a. fo i l ,were to a rm you rsel ves from tha t bun dl e in the corner a n d

were to s tan d on gua rd , n ot i n sport, but in rea l an d te rr ibleea rnes t, s uppos ing tha t Ind ia n mutinee rs were thundering at

th e door , you r pos it ions woul d gre a tly resem ble one a not her,wi th only the l igh t va r ieties resu ltin g from differen ces of*

phys ique .

“I

’

ve neve r touched a sword ! ” cr ied M r X,taking up a

foil ,“a n d I ’d l i ke to se e the re sul t .”

At tha t momen t en t ered the Ma rch ioness a n d he r da ughters ,a n d af te r a gene ral a n d com prehens ive su rvey of the room tookthei r a ccus tom ed sea ts .

I hea r tha t you a re a ll fighting duels, gentlemen , un der thepeace ful tu it ion of Capt . Bu rton .

”

As us ua l , they ma l ign me , La dy B“ Th e n Wha t is M r X doing ? Where is his enemy ? Who

is the other despe ra do ?Poo r Mr X sa t down , fo i l in han d . I rel ieved h im of his

weapon a n d tu rn ed to L ady Ma ry . Pray hea r my prayer !I t is on ly a l ittl e d iscuss ion conce rning fall ing on guard . Youa re goin g to ta ke l essons . Do le t t his be th e firs t . I wi ll pla cemysel f as i f about to a tta ck yo u , an d you will oppose me as

you th in k fi t The cha rm ing blo n ds , gr a n ds et gra ci euse cl a n s

ses mo in dr es m auvemen ts , l ike L a Bel le Hami lton ,s tood up a t

once, s l ightly flushing , a n d smi l ing k ind ly a ssent. I presented

the weapon , wh ich she took w ith tha t k ind of ha nd which a t

once a tt ra cts e ye a nd h e a rt , when the s tunted, et iol at edext remit ies of the H in du or H indi Venus ca use a cold shudder .

Le t us have ful l -s ized hands of perfect shape, a ccord ing to the

G reek and R oman can on , not the dwa rfed bea uties of the

Norm an—Sca nd inav i an mode l type . And how Ge t fre e poorFa ncy fr om those eyes of l iqu id blue , the turquoise of Sevres

porcela in , with t he soft l igh ts of you th a nd l i fe an d ha pp iness

sh in ing w it h in them ? Aga in , wha t a con t rast with the big ,owl ish o rbs of the nea rer As ia tic, th e Turkish , Egypt ia n , a nd

Syr i a n g irl , which a r e l a rge enough a n d black enough a n d

du l l enough for a“ book of beauty ”

! And that weal th ofgolden ha ir wh ich the good te rm flave sce n t an d beurr e fr a is ,

a n d the ev i l d ispos ed“ ba r ley s uga r We wanderers o f the

out e r E as t adore e very va r iety, from s imple blond an d bland

cen dre’ to the fn lvastr e, colou red l ike the l ion

’

s man e ; from the

blon d -fu lvide , a pp roa ching the true rufous , a nd the M a ryla n d,

pal es t of brown s , bes t worn rough an d d ishe vell ed , l ike the

a rt icle wh ich n ames it ; to the ru lide , wh ich Ra pha el deligt

to honou r,

an d—s hall I own it -*to the fierces t p elo rosso,

wh ich the wicked brand as“c a rroty .

”Compa re th a t glor ious

t inrt th a t gl it te r s as i f borrowed from the morn in g sun -be am,

wh ich seems to shed l ight upon the fea tures l ike a ha lo, an

a ur e ole , an d wh ich woul d only look du ll i-f gold powdered ,

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136 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

Ye s ; a n d a thousand than ks ! I f an other is wa nt e d I ca n

ha rd ly ve nt ure to ask aga in . But“I a lso ha ve somet h ing to ask you , so we m ay be upon

te rms o f equa l concess i on , was the reply,accomp an ie d by a

too e nchan t ing smile .

An d the be au ti fu l expe r i'me nt sa t down aft e r show ing us ata blea u viva n t— a v is ion of g race , a pe rso n ificati on of g i r l ishlove l iness—wh ich no m an i n that room w il l e ve r forge t i f hel i ves to the age of Mr Par r , se n .

I t was no me re compl ime nt to say tha t o n e woul d ha vesupposed he r not to h ave been a beg inne r . He re s ex told .

Women a re so much less awkwa rd t ha n m en , and. t he i r fin e rs e ns e of the fitne ss of t h ings , combine d with sup er io r powe rsof intuit ion, take s away so much of its ga ucher ie from the firsts t ep s i n phys ica l e xe rc ise . Se e the d i ffe re n ce be tween boy andgi r l e nt e r ing upo n the i r fi rst pos it ion s i n th e danc ing - room .

A nd i n the use of we apons wome n , at tho ug-h de fic ien t inbod i ly force , which to a ce rt a in e xte nt is the root of all

exce ll ence , fa r su rp a ss us as .a ru le i n s trengt h o f ner ves ,s imp ly because the i r mode o f l i fe is n o t so try i ng to the sys tem .

I la te ly gave bu t a s im p l e lesso n w i th p is toiels de sa lon to afa i r fri e nd a t Flor ence . She ha d ne ve r t ouched the we aponbe fore th at morn ing , a n d .in he r ne xt t uia l she made seve ra l

bul l ’s -e ye s .

Th is sam e n e rvous s t rength an d qu ie t l i-fe e xpl a i n why so

many of t he se x , es pec ia ll y t he blonde s, i n whom oxyge npre domi n ates ove r carbon , r e turn home f rom India

“ fa t , fa i r ,and for ty ,

”whe n t he i r husbands an d brot he rs we a r the l ight

m a hogany a n d mapl e t int s wh ich cha rac te r ised t he oldNabob .

V .

What, t hen, is the sole lesson , the only salut ary adv ice , wh ich ,

ac co rd ing to m e , a fenc ing mas te r can g ive to the man who

says ,“ In two hours or to morrow, as the case may be , we

fight ” ?

A short d igre ss ion , be fore I reply to myse l f . The m a itre ( l’

a rmes

can hardly be expected to be outs ide an d beyond the gene ra lrun of his profe ss ion , but an except ional m a n , who 15 somewhata physiognomist and— excuse the dreadful word l— an anthro

pologist— it has noth ing to do with anthropophagy— may dive

into the secre ts of his c l ient’s organisat ion with re sults whiche nable h im wonde rfully to conde n se instruction ; such a com pe n

di um,a mu l ium i n. p a r eo, wil l take the place of a dozen l essons

gix e n by an ave rage , or what Ame rican ci tizens be tte r ca ll anman .

I once went through a course of lecture s in phrenology, myde ce ased frie nd Dn D . be ing the instructor, an able fol lowe r of

Gal l , Spu rzhe im ,an d Co .

6

The Nin th a n d L a st Even in g. 137

Excuse m e i f I inte rrupt you , sa id Shughtie . I wa s ne ve rsa tisfied with tha t fu ll -fledged invent ion of the G e rman Geis t, an d

la te ly, turning ove r old bouqu in a, I h it upon the fil a rga r i la

P led osozyh ica , F ribou rg, 1503 ; i t conta ined a sku ll ma rked a n d

m apped much as those we re by Mr de Vea l— who ca lled h ims e l fMr de We e ] . A curious que stion whe the r it was known to G

i

a ll

Poss ibly,but to contin ue . My friend ’

s sha rp Ce l tic wits , he

was born a Ga llway bucke en , had bee n pro digiously sha rpenedby the r es a ngusm,

a n d by a fin e young family with fin e youngappe ti te s . H e was a perfec t s tudy in his profess iona l studio ,ga rn ished wi th the usua l l ine s of bana l pla s te r bus ts , Micha e lAn ge lo an d Mr Rush ,

Mr Will iam Pa lme r an d the Ve rtica l

Sec tion of the Bra in , R ev . Thos . Binney an d Mr G re en ac re ,

M rs Mannin g and the Id iot G i rl! of Cork , Profe ssor Owen an d

the Skul l of the Black Monkey . H e rece ived tributa r ie s se at e dbe fore his ta ble ,

whe re lay the compas se s an d ca l l ipe rs , the l is t ofprices (fe e 5s . ) for disc los ing to you the i nne r secre ts of yoursoul , and the ske lle to n pri nt ed pape rs to be fi l led up with yourpass ions , your se ntime nts , your pe rcept ion s , an d your re flect ions .

H is dissec t ion of the vict im commenced e ve n be fore the doorwas ope ned . Some knocked loudly an d dec idedly , othe rs softlyand with prote st, as i t we re . The se turned the handle withoutpre l imina ry, those apo logised for i ntruding : o n e too k off his ha t

when he cam e in . a nothe r wore i t, an d wore it on the s ide of his

head . In fact, e ve ryth ing was noted by tha t old man ’

s wa ryeye , from the first knock to the fina l a rr angements a bou t the costof the “

cha racte r . The biceps we re , of co urse ,fe lt , mea sured ,

and made the subj ect of the usua l com in on places an d

gene ra l i ties . But they we re e vidently the ma tt e r of the ve ryleast impo rtance .

I remembe r once saying to him ,a fte r witnessing two or three

of the se sc en e s, i n which he who consulte d the orac le divu lgedeve rything tha t he wished; to lea rn :Doc tor, the m a n be gins with the ends of his ha i r , a n d ends

with the t ips of his toes . G ive m e his boots , usua l we a r, a n d

they wi l l do my turn as we l l a s the bumps do yours .

’

The old m an subt lly looked a t m e ove r t he uppe r rim of histortoise she l l spectac les, a n d repl ie d, My de a r sir, e ve ry profe ss ionha s it s pro fe ssion a li t ie s .

”

A n d now to answe r myse lf . In the as sault we obe y ce rtainrules previous ly la id down , accepted, a nd le a rned by he a rt ; wedo not a ttempt to touch the adve rsa ry, sa ve unde r spec ifiedconditions . A mask cove rs the face

,a plas tron protects the che st .

But the fa ults which we would a void in the sa l le « I’

a rmes a re

u se fu l in the fi e ld to in timidate the opponen t’

s pract ice , an d tocause he si ta t ion in his movements . For fenc ing , no mat te r wha t

138 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

the mas te rs say, is pe rhaps the sc ience in wh ich ce rta ini rregula r itie s m ay, a t a given moment, be of the greate st adva ntage to thos e who comm it them Othe rwise , i t would be a song

to be comm i tted to memory, more or lless correc tly, an d he whoknows i t bes t would then have no th ing to fea r . If the ma itr e

d’

a lrmes a ttempt an ything l ike beginning a t the beginn ing, in

working up to a knowledge of pa sses an d pa rr ies, he is s implywrong . H e must foresee tha t the undeve loped inte l l igence be fo reh im wi l l be troubled by the na tura l emotion of the comba t, and

the le sso n must not add to that trouble . Alll he teac he s, in fact,should be clea r, s imple , a n d fac i le in comprehe nsion as in ac tion ,taking its source in tha t instinct of de fence which be longs to

eve ry na ture“ You’ re eviden tly qua l i fying for a professorship, or for theHouse of Comm on s , sa id Sea ton . I regre t to own tha t theCiga re ttes enj oyed the rema rk .

It is a se r ious subj ect which m ust n ot be t rea ted with l ightness ,I repl ie d in my mos t dign ified tone s .

The re a re ce rta in principles of prudence a n d personal securityso in variablte tha t to quest ion them would be madnes s . Theyapply to o n e an d a ll ; they a re the natura l base of e ve ry strugglebe twe en m an an d m an .

A s soon as the seconds have given the word , the pupil mustle a rn , by a sudden an d rapid moveme nt, to brea k bac kwa rds o n e

or two me asure s, so as to gua rd h ims e lf aga inst a poss ible su r

prise . A nd in the cours e of the comba t he must bre ak , ince ssa ntly break, but l ittle by li ttl e , not cove r ing too muchgro und

,an d no t llike on e who fe a rs , but like on e who awa its .

Neve r forge t the sole formula which a t such supreme moment

is at the disposa l of the m a n who cannot ca l l in sc ience to hisa id, the ru le upon wh ich he should concentra te his a ttentionb-reak an d extend, which mean s de fend yourse l f by thre a tening .

The re must have be en some th ing ludicr< u s in the idea of threa t

a n d menac e conne cted wi th the bright v is ion tha t had j ust

appea red to u s, for John Shught ie indulged in a low laugh . A s

I looked a t him reprovingly he cove red his recklle ssn es s by re

ma rk ing, I t’

s n o t so e as y to th rea ten when o n e doesn’t knowhow

Pa rdon m e ; the ve ry act of presenting the point suffice s . H e

who see s i t gl i tte r ing e ven m ot ionless be fore his e yes m us t fee l

it s presence preoccupying his thou ghts ; he dwe lls upon it the

mo re when he kn ows tha t the hand which gu ides it is withouttra in ing , obeys no law, see ks no fe in rt , but is e ve r the re l ike a

wa tch ful sen tine l a t his po st .To explai n myse l f more c le a rly I wi l l say : the retrea t isyour de fe n ce , the e xte nsion of

’

the sword is your mode of offencethe only mode pe rm itte d to those who have not st udied in the

schools .

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140 The Sen tim en t of the Sword .

same l ine o r by dise nga geme n t , fol lowe d by rec ove r in g gu a rdan d shor te n ing the a rm— is fa r p r efe rable to th is ha zar dousmove-me nt . Whet he r you win or lose de p ends upon the skillan d p ruden ce o f t he ad ve rsa ry . But

, at an y r a t e ,you a re

always firm in the de fence , solid upon your legs , an d in p e rfectequ il i brium , re a dy to re pea t the s ame moveme n t wh ene ve r theoppone n t adva n ces ; an d a fte r we a ryin g him out an d ind uc inghim to a t tem p t some da ng e rous a tt ack wh ich tho roughly fa il s ,th is ident ic al outst re tch-ing o f the poin t wil l d i rec t i t to h is a rm ,

to his shoulde r , o r to his bre as t .But if vou l un ge ba ckwa rds— th a t is to s ay,

!re t i re the le ftfoo t some 15in . , whils t the right cont inu es in position , a n d yourbodv is th rown bac k— wha t ben efi t do you expe ct

‘7

Yo u a re unskil ful in a rm s . Wh a t se cre t ins t in ct poin ts outto yo u «the ve ry mome nt of act ion ? For a fter t his mo vem e ntyou m us t recover you rs elf , and ra p id ly too ; you mus t re turnto gua rd w it hout a !mom en t

’

s l oss , and th is wil l be foun d by no

me ans e asy . Me a n while the oppon e n t , t ak in g a dvan tage o f

your ine xpe r ie nce an d t he d isun ion which cann ot bu t a rise int he u se of your lim bs, p re ss es yo u with vivac ity , an d perha pssecu res your swo rd .

Yo u e sca pe,we w i l l sup pose , this fi rs t d an ge r ; an d t ake

wa rn ing n o t to r e peat it , !howe ve r sore ly you ar e tem pt ed bythe . a t tac ks a n d the h al f att acks of you r adve rs ar y . You

re solve to re s er ve th e lunge backwa rds for an oppor tun it y .

But you c a nn o t do t his , esp ecia lly upon the fie ld , withoutj udgin g when i t c an be done s a fe l y , a nd j udgme n t in. a rmsimpl ies knowl edge . I am n ow conce rn ed on l y with t hos e who

ha ve ne ithe r o ne n o r the oth e r .The re fo re I shoul d s tron gly d issuade a m an who is n ot in

t he ha bi t of u s ing the sword f rom a ttem pt ing to lun ge backwa rds . It ma y be done by t he t raine d (ha n d , but lhe w ill use

the movemen t sp a rin gly , an d r a the r a s .a hor s d’

oeuvr e t han a

p iece de resis ta n ce . I t is a reve rsal of the norm a l ac t ion , an d

cons eque n tl y i t is oppos ed to the fi rs t pr incip le s of fen cin g .

VII .

I was mos t anx ious dur ing t ha t la st even in g to ma ke the

lec ture a s light as poss i ble , and to introduce a few bri llia ntflas hes o f wit a nd humour , as t hose of s i le nce we re re n de redim possible by the con d ition of t hi ngs . Probably the wil l t o dobloc ked the wa y ; m oreove r , a t this n in th séa n ce n o o n e seeme dwil l ingly to d iffe r in op in ion or e ve n to int e rrup t m e . I coul don ly con tin ue my su bj ect doggedly , t ru s tin g to a co n tin ge ncywh ich— ala s l— 4ne ve r came .

We h ave see n all tha t ca n be don e for a man who knowsno thing wha te ve r of we apon s , a n d whose on ly cha nce of sa fe ty ,in p res en ce o f o ne who does know , consis ts in the e xt reme ofs imp l ic ity . Le t us n ow p a ss to the pup il who h as al re ady a

sl igh t acqua in t ance wi th arm s . This is a very di ffe re n t case ;

The Nin th an d La st E ven in g. 141

the c i rc le of the less on grre at ly widens ; he has le a rn ed some

thi n g of the l an guage , an d we mus t show him how to ma ke thebes t use of it .To such a fe nce r I woul d say :

“ Ta ke the gua rd al rea dyadvised , bu t pl ay a li t t le with the sword , changing free ly f romone l ine to t he othe r , ran ging inside an d ou twa rds , high an d

low , so as to d iscomfort the oppone n t . Offe r n ow an d th en a n

a t tack in orde r to rega in Los t grou nd, bu t n e ve r commi tyou rse l f to a re al offensive m oveme n t un l ess you a re su re ofsuccess . It is th row ing awa y the sca bbar d ; it is bu rn in g you rships .

”

I would add : Som e t imes , but alwa ys accompan ying a ha l fo r a whole ure t re at , m ake a c ircl e w ith the sword or a coun te rof t ie rce an d car te s imult an eous ly , so as to tra ve rs e all the

l ince ;i

-then aga in ,

“as you we re

,

”with the poin t t hrea t en in g the

adve rs ary’

s fa ce . I f he a tt acks you free l y , an d in the highe rdirect ion , re t i re the l e ft foo t a l i t t le , wi thout , howe ve r , a ttemptin g the l unge backwa rds, an d withdra w the face and the uppe rpa rt of the body . The bes t way of recove r ing or re turn ing togua rd a f te r this is to sp ring to th e re a r with both fee t off thegroun d be fo re the oppone n t , i f he has e sc aped you r e xten si vemoveme nt , has t ime to push his advan t age .

“ Pra y expla in on e th in g ,”

Sea ton obj ecte d .

“ A few

e venings ago yo u told us that the p rin c ipal ru le , the fun d amen ta l l aw of the sword , is to p ar ry . Now you advise you rpup ils n ot to p a rr y a t all .

”

Yo u ar e r ight , a n d I am n ot wrong . Remembe r , p le ase , t hatwe we re th en ta lking of fen cing as t he sc ie nce , or ra the r as the

study, of a rm s . Now, ther e is no ques tion of the kind ; we a re

spe aking of those who can not p re te nd to any but ve ry mode ra te

Permit m e a compa rison . The“ od ious p rac t ice of ten

il lus tra tes n ew t h ings , pa ints them l ike a p ict ure— ocu lis subj ecta

fidelibus .

He re is a m an ove rboa rd . As usu a l wit h tha t p roviden tbe ing the Bri t ish se am an , he is he lp less in the sea ; he ca nn o tswim a st roke , a n d he is bou nd for the bottom as fas t as

poss ible . Do you thus addr ess him : Man , infla te your lun gs

gradua l l y an d ful ly ; don’ t Lose p resen ce of m ind ; s t r ike t he

arm s ou twa rds , a nd immed ia tel y fol lo w wi th the moveme nt ofthe le gs ”

? No ! you do no t . You cry ou t to him :“Ca tc h

hol d o f the ru dde r or the rope o r the p a te nt l ife -sa vingapp a ra tus ,

”a n d you t rus t tha t some th in g of the kin d ma y kee p

his head above wa te r till he is p icked up .

This is e xa c tly our posit ion . The da nge r is immi ne n t , a n d itis my du ty to sa ve you by any m e an s in m y powe r .

VIII .

C-e rt es , this m a n who in a few hou rs wil l be upon the fie ldof figh t might le a rn f rom me a va r iet y of n ew pass es a n d

l

142 The Sen t im en t of t he Sword .

pa rr ies , bu t they wi l l ha r dl y su ffice h im , except t hey be t hosewhich I have sa id tra verse an d cover all the fouir lin e s . Wha twou ld. be the r esul t of ove r - ins tru ction ?The adve rs a ry woul d fin d it chil d ’

s pl ay to dece ive thisnewly acquired knowledge eve r a hte rn a t ing be twee n the

two ext remes , soft , slow , an d“ da wdl ing ,

”or ra sh

,

em e tic, swe epin g in huge ci rcl es roun d t he sworligiht ly con tou r in g it s

“point . The neophyte ’

s bla de mee t in gn othing woul d bea t the air , a n d, carryin g with it his wrist an d

fo re arm , l e ave the ches t, in fac t the whole trun k , comple telyun cove red .

Su ppos in g al so th a t the opponen t has not m ade us e of thed isorde r which be cause d . The neophyte , se eing h is own

impo rt a nce , woul d ask hims el f t he me an s of avo id ing a sim ila rdan ger on a new at tac k . Th is hesit a tion is usu a lly fa ta l .When a m an he si ta t e s a bou t wha t he is to do or not t o do hismind becomes troubled an d exci ted ; he whips the w ind with hisbla de a s the d rowning ma n be a ts the wa ves , an d he ends eithe rby expos ing h imse l f to the th rus t which wil l end the comba t orby throwing himse l f upon the adve rs a ry ’s sword art the risk o f

be in g run th rough the body .

This is the reason why I shoul d never at tempt to teach an y

bu t an expe ri enced ma n movemen ts which he is incap abl e ofe xecut ing cor rectly . Now an a l yse the process which I ha ve

advised him to adopt .By bre aking ,

”or reti ring , he escap es the thrus t—o ne great

po in t ga ine d . To es ca pe the po in t, either by withdr aw in g the

body , by reti ring en regle, o r by a spri ng to the rea r , is n o t

parr yin g , I own , bu t it is the equivale nt of the pa rry, since the

swo rd doe s n o t reach you ; an d even i f it does the wound will

be sl igh t , fo r you ha ve ma de the adve rsa ry lose by you r ret rea twha t he exp ec ted to gain

‘by his at tack .

Fur the rmore , fee l ing th a t your poin t is eve r kept ste adilyoppos ite him ,

he does n o t ventu re to be impe tuous and to

assa ult you with al l the fr eedom of which he is capable . I f

car ried awa y by t em pe r he does so a t las t ; you h ave a t le as t

the chan ce of touching him , invo lunt a r il y an d acc iden tall y, it

is tru e , bu t p robabl y th at wou ld be a mat ter of lit tl e import anceto you .

“ I can ’t un ders t and one thing , sa id Sea ton why that

un happy adve rs a ry does n ’t ma st er you r swo rd , s in c e you ’reoffe ring it to him e very mom ent . ”

Doubt le ss tha t is wha t he ought to do, an d wha t !he wil l t ryto do . Can yo u suppose tha t the m a n who comes t o a fe ncingma s te r fo r advice abou t to m or row ’

s due l , own -ing his igno ra nceof his we apon , o r t ha t the pupil of a few wee ks can be ma d

enough to exp ec t the odds in his favour ? This woul d be too

con ven ien t ; this would make it mor e ra tion a l not to kn ow the

swo rd tha n to pass months a n d years in stu dv in g it Ign o ran ce

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144 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

will cons ist in its da sh,its suddenn e ss , a nd

impe tuos ity , which may astou n d the adv er sa ryto pa rr y W il dly with sword an d a rm . Only ,your swoop , a t le as t t ry to engage his sword byou r powe r , or to de flec t i t by a violent ba tteme

5 9 or down , insi de or out side .

agains t thrus t for th rus t an d ex

n othi ng rem ainsp rin g forwa r d in r igh t li ne withou t a mome nt

’

s hes it at ion .

Ce rt cs , eve n this s imp les t of moveme nts is much e as ie r tosp e a k of than to execute .

It is poss ible tha t you many succe ed . Chance a n d a m an ’s

s ta rt p l ay such a capita l p ar t in the dr ama o f l i fe . But if youfa il , t he blade which t ouche s you wil l ine vita bly bu ry its e l f up

to the hi lt , an d this l as t cons ide ra tion m a y, me thinks , sugges ta li t tle reflect ion—th row some cold wa te r u pon you r fire .

The re fo re I should ne ve r suggest this l ine of ac tion ; the

pe r i ls a r e too se rious . a nd immin e nt to be in curred wil l ingly .

It is pe rm iss ibl e only in the case of a man who knows no thingabou t t he swo rd, but who use s h is we apon wit h that e ne rgyand re sol u tion wh ich st rong an d fe a r les s nat ions de r ive f rom

the ve ry immine nc e o f the da nge r wh ich assa il s t hem .

X .

The second hypoth e s is, i n which both combata n ts a re

equa l ly “ profane — in the Ital ian , n o t the Ay-me r ica n sense

—n eed hardly be cons ide red ; t h e re is l it tl e to say about itwhich has not be en sa id conc e rn ing the artle ss opposed to the

artful fence r . It w i l l be enough to rem -ark that on e or both muste xpect t o suff e r , p e rh aps to enfer r er e ach o the r f at a l ly . Conce rn ing the th i rd,

which sup pose s both com ba tants to ha ve amodicum o f skil l , o r to be e qua l in swo rdsma nship , a few wo rds

will s uffice .

Th is is no longe r a cas e i n wh ich ignor ance a n d e xpe r ie nce

seek in e xt reme me asu res a chan ce of s afe ty . The st ruggle is

now mo re or le s s equ al , fo r , I re pe a t it , the sha rpe ned bl ade ,

which br ings ou t diffe re nces o f organ isat ion, oft e n le ve ls dist inc

t ions o f skil l . Th e fi rs t th ing to be born e in min d is the we l rEr

known say ing that in the affai rs of th is world man is savednot by fa it h , bu t by wan t of f a it h . Dist rust a nd suspe c t youradve rsary— such is your best gua rd .

I ne ed not recal l to your m inds— for the advic e has ofte n be engive n durin g the l as t few e ven ings—t he n ec e ss ity o f p rovidingaga ins t surpr ise , wh ich can be done e ffec t ive ly on ly bys ta nding ou t of me asur e un t i l . you see the mome n t for adva ncin gWit hin dista n ce .

If your adve rs a ry offe rs to shor ten the space which sep a rat es

yo u he m us t advan ce a n d p l ace hims e lf at a d is advant age . H e

m ay uncove r h imse l f to you r p rofi t ; a t any rat e , you wa t ch ]

The Nin th a nd La st Even in g. 145

him , you‘

haxrxass him , a n d your swo rd po in t e ve r p resente ds t ra ight at his face , bre as t , or flan k, alwa ys t hrea te n ing o n e o f

the four l ine s , re nde rs his ac t io n t ar dy and unce rta in . H e

must , by the ve ry cond it io ns o f .the case , forewa rn you of his

at tack , an d fo rewa rn e d is , unde r these c ircum sta nces , fo re .

a rm ed . You can not be su rp rised , an d you wi ll com e t o the

pamry mo re e as i ly and m ore e ffectuall y . The advance and the

ac t ion o f the ha n d a n d a rm wh ich accomp an y it have a lre adyre ve a le d to you what is the amo un t of the scie nce wh ich yo u

ha ve to enco un t e r .

Bu t i f yo ur opponen t rem a in obs t ina te ly upo n the pure lyde fens i ve , show ing you tha t he in tends to awa it the a tta ck, yo ufee l tha t som e th ing m ust be done . G a in ground by ha lfm easures, m asking the inten t io n a s m uch a s you can w i th thebody eas i ly seate d a nd e ve ry mo vem en t in equ i libr ium , so as to

spring back i f requ ired w ith al l your act i v i ty .

In o rde r to d imi n ish the dange r, ove r imm inen t , o f ga in inggro und, em ba rrass the oppone nt , a nd preoccupy his thoughts byfrequent m enaces, wh ich he m ay m is ta ke fo r the fo re runne rs o f

at tacks . Thus yo u fo rce h im to gua rd h im se l f, yo u pre vent h ista king the o ffens i ve , an d you a re able to sho r ten d istanceinsensibly, wi tho ut unnec e ssa ry exposure .

A t t im es fe init a s t hough yo u in tended to thrus t hom e, in o rde r

to le t h im exp la in h im se l f an d d ivulge to yo u h is pla y . Thus

you w i l l le arn whe the r he in tends to re tre a t , to parry, o r to

ex tend the swo rd . A m a n unde r such c ircum s tances m us t bepe rfec t ly sure a n d m a s te r o f h im se lf n o t to be tray h is “ l it t le

gam e” by inst inc t i ve a n d invo lunta ry m o vem en ts . Th is wo rd

o f a dv ice a ppl ie s gene ra lly to the we ak as to the s t rong, to

the sk il ful a nd to the unski l led .

Yo u have ban ished from yo ur m inds the phan tom ca l le d and

m isc a l led bot les secretes . As rega rds re fus ing the swo rd, a few

la st wo rds m ay be added .

The re a re m a ny ways o f coun te ra c t ing th is absence o f the

weapon , bu t a ll a re d i fficult , a n d e ach dem ands sk i l l and

pract ice . Most o ft en the a dve rsa ry, d isqu i e ted by a m o vem ent towh ich he is unaccustom e d, a n d va inly see king fo r a poin ts

( Ifappu i, hes ita te s, an d thus los es a ll h is rap id ity o f e xecut ion .

I f h is p lay is comp l ica te d you ext end the swo rd , re t ir ing a

ha lf m ea sure , an d fat igu ing, to rm ent ing, a nd e ne rva t ing the

hand oppose d to yo u .

I f h is m o vem e n ts a re s im ple , the opponen t wi l l drea d r i skingblow for blow . The m o re skil ful he is the gre a te r wilil be , o r a t

leas t sho uld be , hi s prude nce And, a s I sa id wh e n pre scr ib ing

for the as saul t , yo u ca n a lways le sse n th e dange r o f a fre e a t tackby a sha rp re t re a t , e ithe r o f ful l o r o f ha l f m ea sure . Thus yo urende r the parry e a s ie r, yo u increa se the d is tance , an d yo u

oppose , by a do uble preca u t ion , the rap id i ty o f the a dve rsa ry ’

s

o ffence .

146 The Sen t im en t of the Sword .

You m ay be to uched, bu t it w i l l be l ight lly ; a t an y rate

m ore l ight ly tha n yo u wo uld have be en by pa rry ing withfe e t . You m ay succe ed, on the o the r hand, in the pa rry ;have t hus sa ved yourse l f from the corps d corps, a nd the

w i l l g i ve m ore secur ity to your ripost .L e t u s n ow a ssum e the co n tra ry hypothes is .

Yo u a t tack, e ithe r because you re ly m o re upon the agi lit

your hand t han upon the ce rta inty o f your rep ly, o r becauseadve rsa ry, pe rs ist ing in h is de fence, const ra ins you pto t akein it iat i ve . H e re , t hen , prudence is your only sa fe ty .

The first a nd last rule m ust be ne ve r to vent ure upon o ffew itho u t ha v ing succeeded i n m aste r ing the we ak part o f

swo rd opposed to yo u .

Abo ve a ll t h ings, n o fe in ts ; I ha ve to ld you the i r dange rs . Th isis the essent ia l diffe rence be twe en the assault in play and theassault in e arne st , the fo i l that

“ but tons,”

and the po int thatki lls .

Allow yo urse l f only the most s imple pas ses, preceded by con

‘tro l li ng the enem y’

s b lade , e i t he r with m e re pressure or w i th a n

engagem ent , o r w i th a ba t temen t, whos e strength m ust dependupon the amoun t o f de v ia t ion requ i red . Th is process wi ll] bei gre a t ly fac i l ita te d i f the adve rsa ry g i ves you the swo rd .

I f, o n the cont ra ry, he pe rs ist e nt ly re fuse s it, your only planis to m aste r the d ifficulty by ag i l ity a nd addre ss

,fa irly compe l ling

him to change t act ics . F in ish yo ur a tta ck when th is t akes p lace,o r when the adve rsary , s t i l l anx io us to a vo id the engagem ent of

weapons, exagge ra t es his precaut io n, and lea ves h im se l f expose d .

In the lat te r case , simpllc s t ra igh t t hrusts a lmost a lways succeed .

Such is the gene ra l advice to whi

m an ’

s a t tent ion . A t the decis i vetho ughts should dwe l l only upon the sal ient po intsa t te n t ion , an d these m ay be resum ed in the words - se l f-confie ne rgy, and prudenceW

'

e l l,”sa id Charles,

“I suppose you

’re r igh t ; bu t howremem be r ing it a ll ?

”

R em embe r o nly ha l f, I repl ied, and yo u wi l l do we l l . Th

are so m any who rem embe r noth ing, who th ink o f noth ing .

X I

My lady, m y lo rd, and ge n t llem en, I re sum ed in the ofii

lectur ing sty le —Yo u have m ast e red “The Sen t im en t o f

Swo rd .

” Allow m e to thank yo u o nce m ore , w ith gra te ful hfo r the e xempla ry pat ie nce a nd long suffe r ing wh ich yo u ha v

brough t to th is sea n na and to those o f the las t we ek .

CONCLUSION.

Noon , on the day a f te r the las t e ven ing, saw the pe r iod o f a

visi t wh ich wi l l rem a in inde libly fixed upo n m y m em o ry .

Cast le wa s in tho se days separa ted from its

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INDEX TO PROPER NAMES.

Abbevi l le , 43

About , Edmond ,139

Abyssinia,4

A ca dém i e de l ’E pe’

e,22 ( n ) , 71

Ach il le Marozzo,19

,20

,25

,27

52,104

fE n eid,126

Afghan cha ra z 2Afghan is tan , 99 , 118Africa

, 6 , 87Agri} pa , Cam i l lo ,

20 an d noteAlexande r

, 5 , 105

Algerian Dagger , 287

Am azons,95

Am er ica, 5 , 15

Andrea Ferrara, 20

Ange lo , 21 (n) , 30 (n )Angl 3-Scandinavian

,17

Ce l t,17

Arab ,5 , 23 , 62 , 73 , 99

A1 abie,8 , 57, 59

Arbeau,Thoin c t

,13 (n )

Argante , 28Ariosto . 2 , 27Aristot le , 62A shan tee

,91

A s ia , 6 , 134

Aust ra l ia ,5

Aust ria, 115

Bacon , 19

Badm int n Fen cing, 41 (n ) , 12 (n )Bal uch

, 99

Bayonet , 1 , 3 , 19, 99 , 108Bayonne

,19

Bazan cou i t,1,34 (n ) , 62 (n )

66 (n ) , 69 (n ) , 118 (n )Be llovesus . 5Bentham , 34

B i rm ingham , 20Bisma rck , 94

Bois de Boulogne , 3 1

Vincennes , 3 1

7

Bolan Pa ss , 99Be legu 19Boseo , Gen era l , 22Boulogne , 1 , 84,

Brazil , 60Bre nn u s , 5Brosam er , Hans , 21 ( 11 )Bruce , 104 , 106Buenos Ayres , 25Bu tt on , 61 an d noteBurton , Lady , 1

h i p R d 1

Death , p . 1B ook of Sword, 1L ife of, 1 , 4 (n) , 14 (n)Bayonet Exercise , 1 , 99Modern Armour , 94

Caesa r , 5 , 1115

Ca iro , 93

Cambray , Archbishop of, 130Canada , 6

Ca rdigan , Lord, 12Carracci, 25Carranza , 22 (n )Ca rusa , Prime

,di, 77

Cast le , E . , Schools a n d M a s tersof Fen ce , 21 (n )

Cervante s, 19Cha lm ers , Dr . , 35

Chapm an , Capt . G . , 36 (n )Chara z

,Afghan , 2

Charlem agn e , Prof . , 63 and n otCharle s IX . , 20 (n )Chata igneraie , 103Cha ‘

eauvillard, Com te de , 121Chinese , 113 , 115

Chr ist ian I V . , 20 (n )Cipr ian i , Ca v, A . , 77C lay , C . F . , Dedica t ion , 2 , 36 (n ) ,4 4 (n) , 46 (n ) , 62 (n ) , 66 (n ) ,118 ( n )

Constant in , Prof. , 81Corde lois , 7Cribb, Tom , 112Cr imea , 106, 116

I n dex to Prop er Names . 149

D .

agge r, Algerian , 2, 22abom iy 95

Dante , 23

De Candolle , 69

De'

in it ion s of fencing t erm s , 10 ,

11

Desba rolles , M . , 62

Deux E pees Brise’

es , 35 (n )Dom en ichin ) , 25Don Luis , 22 (n )Dowie , 93

D1 ape r s H is tory of C ivilisa t ion ,

Duc d’

Aum a le , 3

Diire r, Albert , 21 (n )

E .

Egerton Cast le , 21 (n)Egyp t ia ns , 113 , 134:d

’

E nn ecy, 3 1

E n cyclopedic, 92

E scrim e Fra nca is e, 34 (n ) , 63 (n )

F.

Fabris , Sa lvator , 20 and noteFa irfax , 29 (n )F e

’

n élon , 130

Fe rra ra , Andrea , 20

F lissa,Kabyle , 2

Florence , 21 , 136Florio

,Blasco

,26

Florio’

s M on ta ign e , 30 (n )Foil P ra ct ice , Chapman ’

s , 36Font ene l le , 130Franco -Prussian Wa r , 91

Ga l ileo , 77Ga l l , 136 , 137Gal la , t ribe, 4Ga lvani, 25Ga lway, 137Genoa, 21Geom et rica l Schoo l . 22 (n )Ge rm ans

,

‘

70 , 115Gerus a lmnm e Lib , , 28

Ghika , 121

G ian t'

aldon i, G iuseppi , 12G igant i , Nie . , 20 and noteG il Blas , 88Gimme m is to, 24 , 25 (n) , 57

Goa , 16

Goddart , 12Gom ard

’

s Théor ie de l ’E scr im e ,

17 and not eGran deffe , A . de , 35 (n)G rassi , G . di , 20 an d n ote

G reeks , 2 , 25 , 101 , 113 , 134G rise t t i , P. , 28 , 121

G ris ie r , L es A rm es ct le D u el , 17a nd note

G uade loupe , 12

1

I ta l ia n Schoo l , 3 , 9, 21 ,note , 23 , 26 , 69 , 121 , 12

India , Upper , 1318 , 54

India House , 31,

22 and2

J.

Japane se , 52 , 56 , 115

Ja rnac , Coup de , 103 , 104Jonson , Ben , 22 (n )J udicium Dei , 113 , 117

K.

Kabyle flis sa , 2

Kafir , 114,

Kawasim , 99

Kirchofier , 25Koran , 111

K ris , Ma lay , 2

L

Laho e sswre rare , 1 (n ) , 9, 1 ’(n ) ,

17 and not e , 58 , 93 , 121Laho

'

e'

ssiere fils , 93Lafaugere ,

8

Lambert in i,25

,26

Lamoriciere , Gen . ,3

H

Ham ilton , La Be l le , 131

Hanniba l , 5He ide lbe rg, 1 5

Henr i I L , 101

Hcrgsell , G . , 21 (n )H e rve, M . , 139

H indu , 60 , 85 , 113 , 131H ispan o o l ta lia n Schoo l , 22 , 10 1Hom er , 27Hum e , 31

Hundt , Michae l , 21 and not eHunga rian , 8

150 The Sen t im en t of the Swor d .

Laplace,112

Lebkomm er , H ans ( Leckuchn e r ,21 (n )

Leghorn , 12 , 13Legouvé , 35 (n )Le lgh Hunt , 6 (n )Leve r

,104

Lhoma ndie, 7 (n )

Liancourt , W. de L e Al a is tre

d’A rmes

,20 and note

1111170 3 3118, 69

Lisbo n , 16Lo zke , 33 and noteLodi, 105Loyola , 19

Luthe r, 19

M .

Maclaren , 121Ma lakofi

,116

Ma lay kris,2, 60

Manche ste r , 26, 114 , 116AI a n chette

, 1

Ma udrica rdo,27

Manege . 8 (n )Manse , G . B . ,

28

March ionni, Albe rto , Tra ita to

Scherma,17 an d note , 21

Ma r ia,Donna ,

16

Ma rozzo,Achille , 19 (n ) , 20 ,

Marryat , Capta in , 10 1Mentone , 34 (n )Meye r , Joachim ,

21 (n )Me zzofant i , 25Michael Angelo , 19 ,

137Mil l

,J . S .

,25 4

Milt on,27

M im iagu e , Sa lle , 34 (n )Min ie

,91

Mi tche ll , R ob ,139

Moh r ck,113

Moliere , 23Monta igne , 19, 30 and not eMonte squieu , 30Montmorency , C te . de , 10 1

Morocco , 87Morsitato ,

92

Mos lem ,114

Mura t , 23

N.

Napoleon I . ,5,32

,105

,114

Na rvaez, 22 (n )Neapo litans , 20 , 22, 23 , 26,

New York,25

Ni le Va l ley,14

Norman -Scandinavian , 134Novum Orga n um ,

62

O .

Orchésographie , 13 ( n )Orotava , 15O

’

Tr igger , Sir Lucius , 131Oxford , 64 , 121

R aphae l,131

Rarey ,92 and note

Redan , 116Renan , 17Riccon i, Maes tro , 92Rocheste r , Earl of, 106Rom ans

,2,113

,134

Rom ant ic School , 89R osaroll , Baron ,

28 and note , 1Rouleau , Prof . , 34 (n )

Adolphe , 34 (n )Georges , 34 (n )

R uggiero , 27Russia , 5 , 115

P.

Pache go dc Na rvae z , 22 (n )Pa ra dis e Los t

,23

Pau rn fe indt , A . ,21 ( n )

Perel le ,20 (n )

Persians , 8, 62, 113Pini

,25

Pitt,114

Plast ron , 18 , 61Pons ( Spam ) , 19Pons , Prof . C . ,

34 and not e

Armand,35 (n )

Porte St . Ma rt in ,3 1

Possell ier’

s Théorie de l’E scrim e

17 and not ePrevost , Cam ille , 9 ( 11 )P un ch

,14

,49

,92 (n )

S.

Sa in ct -Didier , H . de , 20 and n ot

Sa int -Georges , 12 and note ,93

Sa lvat or Fabris , 20 and noteSampie ri , 24Sa ndow ,

30 ( n )Sanscrit , 8Schol l , Aurel ien ,

139

Scott , Wa lte r,20

Secrets de l ’E pe’

e (s ee Ba zan cour

and C lay )

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The largest FencingRoomin london.

INST R UCT ION IN AL L B R ANC H ES O F

FENC ING BY EXPER IENC ED P R O FESSO R S .

For te rm s apply to

Mon sieur TASSART , at the above address (la teFI R S T MAS TE R a t K I R GHHOFFE R

S c h o o l,P a r i s ) . Engl ish and Fren ch spoken .

T he School is fitted w ith special baths, shower baths(hot and cold) spacious dressing room s for ladies and

gentlem en , andall appoin tm en ts essen tial to com fort .

10 WARWICK STR EET,

R EGENT STR EET,

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SC H OO LS V IS IT ED .

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Te rm s on App l ica t ion .