could and retiring backe to escape them but beeing compassed round about and seeing no way to escape death but by the death of those that assailed them when they perceiued that neither intreatie nor protestation nor anye thing could moue the reuengfull Gentlemen to holde their handes euen after so many iniuries before that by them offered as hauing gone about to violate their sisters hauing beaten their father and hauing obtained punishment for themselues by the Maiestrates with a yeeres imprisonment being content with nothing but their liues at length after they had retired much and sought all meanes to auoyde the fight they began to set aparte all respectes abandoning their liues wherevpon laying about them withall strength and no lesse courage in short space they slew the Dukes Nephewes both and another Gentleman and hurt diuers of the others that accompanied them onely one of the Boggiarini beeing harmed with the losse of three fyngers The fight being ended one of the Boggiarini getting on a Millars horse escaped the other three purposing to saue themselues in a Monasterie were taken and put in prison afterward their cause being brought before the Councell of Venice an vncle of the gentlemen that were slaine vnder-tooke the patronage and defence of the poore cuntrymen they beeing in truth guiltlesse and making a speech for them obtained so much that they saued their liues howbeit they were banished out of all the territories of the Venetian seignory The ende of these gentlemen that were so pittifully slaine maye be an example to all others how to behaue themselues towards men of meaner degree In the same cittie of Padua happened another cause not much vnlike to this between a Gentleman of Brescia and a Baker This gentleman hauing many houses in that citie in one of which a baker was tenant vpon some small occasion gaue the baker warning to prouide him another house the baker being an honest man got all his neighbours to intreate the gentleman to let him continue his tenant but their intreatie serued not and the poore man to his vtter vndoing was thrust out of his house which so greeued him that hee vowed his Landlords death who hauing had some notice thereof tooke as great heed as he coulde continually comming home before night least by his late being abroad he might be endangered Thus two yeeres being past hee began by little and little to wexe more carelesse thinking in that space a man might forget any wrong but the poor baker had not so forgottē that great iniury for I haue heard many say that the offender writeth in the sand but the offended in marble so this baker meeting the Gentleman late in the night hastilye runneth into a shoppe where Cheese and such like thinges were solde where borrowing a knife maketh after his olde Landlord and ouertaking him cutteth his throte so that the Gentleman within fewe howers dyed and the Baker was bannished by the Maiestrates because they could not otherwise punish him he being fled I haue read in the historie of the last warres in Persia how Mahomet Bassa Generall of the Turkishe Empire tooke a certaine pension from a Souldier who for his valour had well deserued it and bestowed it on some other whom he better thought of wherupon the souldier being with great reason offended feigned himself madde and the better to effect his purpose seemed to think that he had entred into some order of Mahometan religion and so came dayly into the Bassaes chamber mumbling out his praiers whereat hee and all the rest about him laughed but the souldier vsed this so often till espying fit opportunity he slew the Bassa and being taken and brought before the great Turke was by him giuen to the Bassaes slaues to do their pleasure with him for hee had confessed the whole matter vnto the Turke Before the ouerthrow of the Turkish Nauie which was in the yeere 1571. the Sates of Venice had a little before sent Sfortia Palauisino their Generall into Slauonia by land and into other Easterne partes with that authoritie as in time of warres Generals vse to haue he being arriued in those places espied opportunity to take a certaine Cittie called Margarita in a countrie wherefore hee leauyed an armye with all speede and marching towarde the Cittie planted his ordinance and began to batter the walles of the same Cittie At the assaulte wherof he bare in his hand a kinde of pickaxe with a thing like a hammer at one end and a long pike at the staffe ende able to pierce any bodie armed with a curats which kinde of weapon is much vsed by the Sclauonians Croacians Turkes Albanoies and Hungarians with this pickaxe did Sforcia Palauicino encourage his souldiers to strike those that returned from the assaulte or were not so forward as they ought to haue beene and among others would haue stricken a certaine Venetian Gentleman whose seruant presently stept before his maister to Sforcia with his peece in his hand and bad him holde his hand for that hee whom he went about to strike was a gentleman of Venice and his maister and therefore willed him to take heede of touching him purposing if Sforcia had not retired from his maister to shoote him through with his Peece Sforcia noting and admiring the fellows valour and fidelitie in hazarding his owne life to saue his maister from wrong earnestlye requested the Gentleman to let that his seruant bee his promising to shewe him much fauour which the Gentleman both to gratifie Sforcia and to aduaunce his man to preferment did and Sforcia made him a Captain and wonderfully enriched him insomuch that in fewe yeeres after he became a great man It is a grosse follye for men to scoffe and iest at others is what case soeuer it be neither ought those men who by nature are framed comely and tall to be girding at those vnto whome nature hath not been so beneficiall There be many that being carried away with plausible conceite of their owne manhoode and strength by reason of the propernes and greatnes of their well shapen bodies despise men of lesse stature thinking that in respect of themselues they be nothing and that if occasion were offered them to fight with them they thinke they were able to minse them as smal as pye-meat not knowing that men are not measured as woollen Cloth by the yarde or that little men haue oftentimes ouerthrowen great fellowes In consideration whereof I will recount vnto you that happened in Italye in the Cittie of Boulogna When the Emperour Charles the fifth came to be crowned by Pope Clement the seuenth This Emperour had in his traine a great Moore like a Giant who beside his tallnes wanted no valour and courge beeing wonderfull strong he enioying the fauour of so great an Emperour was respected of all men and particularlye of diuers Princes which accompanied the Emperour which brought him to such a proud conceite of himselfe and his owne worthines ascribing the good fauour of all
noted in diuerse partes of mine owne countrie and in other places of the world great quarrells springing from small causes and many men slayne vppon light occasions Amongest other things I remember that in Liesena a citie of Sclauonia it was once my chance to see a sodaine quarrell and slaughter vpon very small cause betweene two Iialian captaines of great familiaritie and acquaintance There was in the companie a foolish boy belonging vnto one of be Captaines who going carelesly forward approching neere vnto the other captaine began to touch the hilts of his sword wherevpon the captaine lent the boy a little blow to teach him better maners The other Captaine the boies master taking this reprehension of his boy in worse parte than there was cause after some wordes multiplyed began to drawe his sword the other Captaine in like sort betaking himselfe to his rapier did with a thrust run him quite through the bodie who falling downe dead vpon the place receiued the iust reward of his friuolous quarrell And to confesse the plaine truth in this point it is not well done either of men or boyes to touch the weapons of another man that weareth them Neuerthelesse a man ought in all his actions to seeke and endeuour to lieu in peace and good agreement as much as may be with euerie one and especially he that is a Gentleman and conuerseth with men of honorable quality must aboue all others haue a great regard to frame his speech and answeres with such respectiue reuerence that there neuer growe against him anie quarrell vpon a foolish worde or a froward answere as it often hath and daily doth come to passe whereupon follow deadly hatreds cruell murthers and extreame ruines Wherefore I saie and set downe as a most vndoubted truth that it is good for euerie man to be taught and instructed in the Rapier and Dagger not the rather thereby to grow insolent or to commit murther but to be able and ready in a case of iust necessitie to defend himselfe either at the sodaine or vpon defiance and in field assigned for at that time it is too late to looke backe and to intend this studie as many doo who hauing appointed the time and place for fight doe practise some point or other of this arte the which being so lightly learned and in such hast doth afterwards in time of need proue but little helpfull or auailable vnto them But this knowledge doeth more particularly appertayne vnto Gentlemen and souldiers that professe and followe warres for they more than other men will for the credite of their calling and the honor of Armes dispute and determine with the point of the sword all points that passe in controuersie especially amongest themselues who had rather die than not to haue reason and satisfaction for euerie worde of preiudice and disgrace offered vnto them Now in this case I am to exhort and aduise men of all sortes and condition as well the skilfull as the vnskilfull not to bee in anie wise too suspitious nor to catch as they saie at euerie flie that passeth by for in so dooing they purchase to themselues endlesse trouble and enter into actions full of danger and dishonour but rather to shunne as much as they can all occasions of quarrell and not to fight excepte as hath bene sayde vpon a iust cause and in a point of honor And to the end that euerie man may know what to doo and bee able to practise as much as hee knoweth at the request of certaine Centlemen my good friends to make the world witnes of my gratefull minde towards them for the many curtesies which I haue receiued at their handes since my first comming into this Countrie out of those preceptes which I haue learned from the most rare and renowmed professors that haue b n of this Art in my time and out of that experience which I haue obserued in diuerse fraies and fights I haue composed and framed this little worke containing the noble Arte of the Rapier and Dagger the which I haue set downe in manner of a Dialogue c. VINCENTIO SAVIOLO HIS PRACTISE I Haue long and greatly desired my deare friend V. to learne this noble science and especially of you who did put the first weapons into my hands wherefore seeing so good opportunitie is so fitly presented I coulde wishe that wee might spende this time in some discourse concerning the Arte of the Rapier and Dagger to the end that I might thereby both the better retaine the title which I haue alreadie learned and also adde some new lesson thereunto V. Ceâ—tes my louing friend L as wel for that I haue found you to be a man of a noble spirite as in regard of the great loue which I beare vnto you as also to the end that hereafter when time shall serue you may be better knowen vnto sundry Gentlemen my good friends I am content to yeeld vnto your request and therefore demand boldly any thing wherein you desire to bee resolued L. Sir the loue which you beare mee I know to bee exceeding great and therefore haue no doubt that you will fayle me in anie part of your promise for the which fauour I acknowledge my selfe infinitly beholding vnto you I shall desire you therefore according to your iudgement and skill to resolue and instruct mee in such doubts as doo occurre vnto me for I knowe and many noble men and Gentlemen do likewise know that you are exquisitly able not only to resolue vs of anie doubt readily but also to instruct vs in this science perfectly V. Sir I desire nothing more than to please and satisfie you and such other Gentlemen my good friends and therefore you may expounde questions at your pleasure L. From my first yeres I haue liked this noble Art but now doo much more loue it hauing seene such diuersitie of this exercise together with the danger thervnto belonging and since I came to be your scholler plainly perceiued how that a man in one moment may be slaine And therfore I giue God thankes that in some measure hee hath giuen mee the knowledge of this science and I hope through your good helpe to bee more fully informed therein Wherefore I desire you to tell me if there may be giuen anie certaine instruction and firme rule whereby to direct a man to the true knowledge of hereof V. Since my childhoode I haue seene verie many masters the which haue taken great paines in teaching and I haue marked their diuerse manners of playe and indangering wherefore both for the particular contentment pleasure of the Gentlemen my friends and for the general help benefit of many I haue changed fiue or six sundry maner of plaies taught me by diuerse masters and reduced them vnto one by my no little labour and paine and in this will I resolue you and geue you therein so direct a rule and instruction as that therby being my scholler you may attain vnto
it is no meruayle if diuers persons giuing themselues wholye to the bent of their owne indiscretion and wante of iudgement esteeme of thinges cleane contrarye to their nature and qualitye For if a man frame himselfe to leade a ciuill and temperate course of life some will saie hee is a foole if hee be not quarrell-some hee is a cowarde if no gamester hee is of base education if no blasphemer an hipocrite if neither whore-monger nor baude hee is neither man nor courteous but altogether ignorant of the rules of humanity and good fellowship A lamentable state is that where men are so misled by ignorance and selfe loue as thus to ouersmoothe and colour their vices and imperfections with the names of vertues and to thinke any action currant that is doone by them and authorysed by their vnresistable swaye and distempered appetites What is become of the gentilitie and inbredde courtesie of auncient noble Gentlemen where is the magnanimitye of the honourable Knightes of fore-going times whose vertues as they are recorded in histories wherin we read of them so ought to haue beene lefte to their posteritye that in them we might see the image now forgotten of auncient true Nobilitye But since all thinges fall to decaye it is no meruaile though vertue I speake with all due reuetence and fauour bee not found but in few for surelye there be many in whome nothing remaineth but the bare tytle of nobilitye in that they be Gentlemen borne who in their manners wholy degenerate from their auncestors and make no account either of honour or dishonour giuing themselues to such pleasures as their vnbrideled appetite leadeth them vnto Neither can I ascribe any reason to this their slyding from vertue vnto vice contrarie to the course taken by their honourable auncestours but this that whereas while their fathers liued their bringing vp was committed to tutors of good government and discretion their parentes beeing dead they withdrawe themselues from their vertuous kinde of life leauing and reiecting the sage counsailes of their instructors and cleaning to their owne deuises To whom if they amend not and take a better course will lighten shame and destruction Wherfore by way of aduise I wish all men to auoid euill companie which for the most part is the cause of great and infinite losse as well of honor and life as of goods and possessions and to followe vertue bearing themselues with a sweet and curteous carriage towards euery man by which course they shall gaine commendation and credite and shall be esteemed of all men and auoiding all such occasions of dislike as may be offered obtaine a good and honorable reputation Doth not God forbid a priuate man to kill his neighbour as it is manifested in sacred scriptures against Caine to whome God saide that the bloud of Abel his brother cryed from the earth for vengeance against him shewing therby that he abhorreth murder and wil reuenge it in due time Moreouer he created vs naked without anie thing naturally giuen vs wherwith to offend or hurt wheras other creatures haue some of them hornes others clawes others strong and sharpe teeth and others poyson And thus were we created of almightie God to to the end we might liue in peace and brotherlye concorde as the sonnes of God and not as the children of the Deuill who are the inuentours that found out the vse of weapons therewith to offend their neighbours and to maintaine the authoritie of their father the Deuill who was a murderer from the beginning and taketh pleasure in the destruction of men raising discention between families cities prouinces and kingdoms Vpon which occasion the necessary vse of armes hath gotten such credit in the worlde as Kings and Princes haue nobilitated some with the name of Knights for their excellencie therein which name is made noble and that vpon great reason for such men as haue purchased nobilitie by conquering kingdomes for their Princes more respecting their honour and countries good then any other thing and esteeming lesse of life then of death in regarde of preseruing that honor vnblotted which belongeth to Knights ought not in any wise to be destitute of high reward In so much that armes being doubled by so many valorous men it were a great shame for one of noble of-spring not to be able to speake of armes and to discourse of the causes of Combats not to know how to discerne the nature and qualitie of wordes and accidents which induce men to challenges not to bee acquainted with the manner of sending cartels and challenges and how fitlye to answere the same and in a word not to haue so much experience in these affaires as to accorde the parties challenging and challenged bringing them from their hostile threates to louing embracementes and of quarreling foes to become louing freends al causes of disconcontent beeing taken away on either side The ignorance wherof hath in these times bred great mischeefe for many thinke that an iniurie being offred in deed or worde the matter may not with their credits be taken vp before they haue fought not regarding if they bee iniuried indeed that they ought first to examine what hee is that hath doone it and vpon what occasion hee might doe it if in woorde what qualitie the person is that spake iniuriously and whether hee deserue an answer or no. For a man beeing carried away with chollor or wine maye chaunce to vtter that for which his fury being past he will be willing to make any satisfaction wherfore it were fondly done by him that would fight vpon euery worde Neither can I be induced to thinke that there is any iniury which is not accompanied with villanie for which with due satisfaction all cause of fighting may not be taken away But if the iniurie be such that either murder be committed by trecherie or rape or such like villanies then is it necessarye to proceede in revenging it as in due place I will more largely declare In the meane time I thinke it necessary to set foorth some considerations of circumstance belonging to this subiect of quarrels not because I take vpon me to teach or correct any man for that belongeth not to me but onlye by way of aduertisement to warne gentlemen to auoide all dangerous occasions growing for want of fore-sight And firste considering the little vnderstanding and small discretion of manye with the dayly danger which such men runne into by indiscretion it is fitte for a man to consider his owne estate for if hee bee a Gentleman borne hee ought euen for that respect with great regarde abstayne from any acte whatsoeuer whereby his woorthye calling may be stayned hee ought to embrace myldenes and curtesie as one that hath a hart of fleshe not of stone more enclyned to clemencye then to crueltye to the ende his conuersation bee acceptable by reason of his sweete and louing behauiour he must also be in minde magnanimous not base or abiecte as one ill borne