hand or by the middest of his arme and and if you will thrust as you are in your warde you may or else with retiring Moreouer if your enemie turne his dagger point toward his right side charge him on that side with a punta riuersa to his face remaining in your warde or retiring as you please Againe if he lying in that warde carry his point out of the warde of your dagger any whit a little too high charge him close and holding forth your Dagger you may suddenly take his point with your Dagger or if you will you may by remouing the right foote a little forward giue him a stoccata but keepe stedfast your dagger hand as I taught you before least otherwise he make an imbroccata to your face Againe if he carrye his point any whit too much toward your right side turn your body on your left side in a good ward charging him on the right side and bring your right foote cleane without his right foot and hauing so doone thrust your rapier vnder his about the middle and so make a passata vpon him or you may charge with a riuersa to his throte or such like either abiding in your warde or suddenlye scaping away with your body If you perceiue he holde his rapier farre out and not turned charge him below turning your body on the right side and turne your dagger point somewhat lowe vpon your enemies point and hauing gotten this aduantage being within measure thrust either to his bellye or face as you shall best see cause L. I finde now that after a man hath the arte hee must also haue great exercise and practise to bring his bodie to a true frame But as you haue hetherto shewed me to charge mine enemie in due time so now I praie you teach me to defend my selfe when my enimie chargeth me V. If your enemie charge you and haue gotten anie aduantage of you either with his foot or turning of the bodie or rapier or dagger or by what meanes soeuer seeke to put your selfe in a sure warde and retire a little keeping your selfe still in gard least else by retiring if you moue vp your bodie or dagger your enemy might by dexteritie and quicknes offend you greatly but whilest hee chargeth you couet to turne your bodie to one side or other as you find the point of your enemies rapier and euen at that instant that he moueth his foot in charging you as you finde him open in any place so seeke to offend him and beware as I sayd before in what sort you retire for somtime there is a fit time when you thrust to retire and some times not therefore take diligent heed thereunto Moreouer when he hath gotten aduantage being in his ward if he wold thrust a stoccata to you vnder your dagger you shall be nimble to auoide it by turning your daggers point downward you shall answere him with a stoccata or imbrocata or punta riuersa as you shall finde opportunitie but if he make an imbrocata aboue your dagger you may auoide it by lifting vp a little the point of your dagger and by turning the wrist of your hand to the left side for that his imbrocata shall go cleane without your left side you may make a thrust to him as you shall finde him open in anie place Againe if hee make an imbrocata to your bodie you may giue backe a little with your bodie and beat it awaie with your right side may make to him a punta riuersa to his bodie or face likewise if he be towards your right side thrust at your face you may yet beat it awaie answere him with a punta riuersa or a passata Againe if he make an imbrocata aboue your dagger beware that your rapiers point be within his and make vnto him a meza-incarta turning the pointe either to the belly face or throate but you must with greate agilitie turne your point bodie on your right side Againe if he make a blow to your head at the instant that he moueth his hand make you sodainly a stoccata vnto him and if you be in a good ward you may make a punta riuersa to his thigh but if he make a blow to your leg stand fast in your warde with your bodie farre out and in his thrusting come forwarde with your right foote whereby you shal cause him to leese the greatest part of his rapier and turne your dagger point low receiuing the blow on the same and you may make vnto him either a stoccata to the face or a riuersa to his necke or arme Again when he thrusteth to your leg remoue your right foote to your right side as it were making a circle so offend your enimy as if he make a riuersa to the head you may take it vpon your rapier dagger passing with your left foot turning your rapier hand making a stoccata and if you will you may by passing receiue the riuersa vpon your dagger onely but looke you carrie your dagger point aloft as I haue told you before Againe if hee make the riuersa to your leg you may sodeinly passe with your left foot to his right take the riuersa on your dagger for thereby you get the strength of his rapier and are master of it and may easily strike him Again if he make anie violent blow at your head retire a litle on your lefte side receiue it with your rapiers point passing with your left foote turning your point to his face clapping your dagger on his rapier all other blowes and riuersaes you may easily receiue on your dagger but it behoueth you to receiue thē with the point of your rapier otherwise your enemie might thrust his rapier between your rapier dagger especially if he cast his hande vpward and his pointe downward therefore take heed how you thrust for these are all good times If your enemie come furiouslie vpon you to assault you keep you still in your gard and in his comming neere to you thrust at him for he is neither in ward nor yet standeth firme and the more resolutely he commeth vpon you the more he is in danger and the woorse is it for him because hee may easily with a little pricke bee slaine but courage ioyned with skill and knowledge is verie good Againe if a tall man should assault a little man this ward is exceeding good for the tal man because if he charge the other the tall man thrust being within rech he loseth his point the litle man may giue him a stoccata or make a passata at him but if the tall man know how to put himself in ward thrust he might haue great aduauntage by the length of his reach in thrusting a stoccata and retiring with his bodie Againe if your enemie woulde make a passata on you with his left foote when you finde him to remoue woulde beate your weapons
obseruing time the first offerer is in danger to be slain or wounded in the coūter time especially if he thrust resolutelye but if you be skilfull and not the other then may you gain time and measure and so hit him sauing your selfe then the more furiouslie your enemie commeth on the more he runneth headlong vpon his owne danger Some are of opinion that they can hit him that shall hit them first but such as haue neuer fought or if by chance in one fight they haue beene so fortunate let them not thinke that Summer is come because one swallow is seene Mee thinketh more commendable for a man to defend himselfe and not offend his enemie than to hurt his enemie and bee wounded himselfe for when you shall perceiue the danger that insueth by euery assault without time and measure you wil change your opinion arid some others there are that hold it a shame for a man to retire L. In deede it is accounted disgracefull to giue ground because therein a man seemeth to feare his enemie V. There is difference betweene retiring orderly and running backward for to hit and retire is not discommendable though the other be shamefull hee that holdes the contrarie vnderstandeth little the danger of weapons L. And I praie you what good doth retiring V. If you be assaulted on the sodain your enemy hauing gained time and measure so that you are in euident danger to bee slaine had you rather die than retire a foot L. Some are resolute rather to die than yeelde an inch V. But if such knew they should bee slaine that so small a matter would saue their liues I doubt not but they would retire with both feete rather then faile Many talke as they haue heard and not as they know whereupon I will recite a Combate perfourmed by a great Captaine called Signior Ascanio della Cornia L. Truly I haue heard of one such but I know not whether it were he that was a master of the Campe in that great armie of Don Iohn d'Austria against the Turke V He was the very same but to come to the matter touching the opinion of the ignorant this Captaine being entred the listes against his aduersarie in the presence of many Princes and great men which listes enuironing the circuit appointed for the Combate and being touched by either of them the same person is helde vanquished as if he had beene driuen out was very furiouslye charged by his enemie and sought at the first onely to saue himselfe by retiring which the other perceiuing began to scoffe at him bidding him beware of the listes wherewithall the Captaine espying aduantage made a resolute stoccata cleane through his bodye and so slew him now whether of these think you wonne most honour L. In my iudgement Ascanio who entertained the furie of his aduersarye till in discretion hee found oportunitie to execute his purpose V. I am glad to heare you of that opinion for wee see the like in martiall policye where oftentimes retraites are made of purpose to drawe the enemye either into some imboscata or place of aduantage and such as are most insolent and presumptuous are easiest drawne into those plots who runne headlong on their death like beastes In like sorte hee that vnderstandeth the true vse of his weapons will suffer his aduersarye in his rashnes vntill he finde time and aduantage safely to annoy him And sithens I haue begun to speake of combates I wil recite one other perfourmed in Piemont in the time of Charles the 5. betweene two Italians and two Spaniards as I haue heard it deliuered by diuers Gentlemen present at the action A Spanish Captaine more braue in shew then valorous in deede to insinuate himselfe with the Emperour began in scornfull sorte to finde fault with other nations and among the rest with Italians where the Spaniard had neuer had foote of ground if the Italians themselues had not beene made instruments of their owne conqueste but to let that passe this Spaniard hauing in woords disgraced the Italian nation it came to the Italians eares whereupon two Italians the one of Padua and the other of Vicenza wrote a cartell vnto the Spaniard which was carried by him of Vicenza who finding the Spaniard accompanied with diuers Gentlemen deliuered him the cartell which he receiued saying that hee would go to his Chamber and read it whereunto the Vicentine replyed that he should read it ere hee departed and that it was a cartel Which the Spaniard hauing read in presence of the whole companye asked the Vicentine whether he or his fellow would maintaine the cartell to whome the Vicentine answered that the woords repeated in the cartell was a lye and that hee was present to auouch it wherewithall hee offered to draw foorth his sworde and so the Spaniard and his companion accepted the combat against the two Italians of which matter the Emperour hauing aduertisement conceiued displeasure against the presumption of the Spaniard and so place of combate was prepared in presence of many great personages the combatters being entered the listes one of the Italians who were both in their shirts onely rent of the lefte sleeue of his shirt which the Spaniard beholding saide hee needed not take so muche paine for he meant to haue cut of his arm sleeue and all to whom the Padouan replyed that he meant to haue cut of the Spaniards head firste and therefore prepared his arme for the purpose wherwithall they encountred all very furiouslye so that the Vicentine was first wounded who crying out to his fellow that he was hurt the Padouan comforted him with hope of better successe to come and began warely to keep his garde but the Spaniards presuming on the victorie charged them so much the harder without regarde till at length the Padouan finding his time with a resolute stoccata ranne the one through the bodie and with a sodaine riuersa cut the others neck almost quite in sunder and so they were both slaine together I haue induced these examples for two causes the one for that many contemne this art and make no account therof and the other because there are some so insolent as they seek nothing but to sowe discension between frendes and allies which if they were restrained it might saue the liues of many men for as wee see in the last example there wanted not much to haue caused a generall mutiny between the Spaniard the Italian through the insolencie of the Spaniard if the Emperour had not drawne the matter to a shorter triall by forbidding any one to offer the first blow amongst them vpon paine of death pronouncing the Italians victors that had acquited themselues in so honourable sorte Therefore you may see how dangerous the company of these quarrelsome persons is who doe lesse harme with their swordes then with their tungs for as the Italian prouerbe is La lingua non ha osso ma fa rompere il dosso that is the tung
sortes of Souldiers as well foote as horse adding moreouer that man of armes hauing beene in honorable and continuall exercise of warre and liuing in all pointes as beseemeth a man of armes challenging a particular Captaine of foote is not to be refused nor may he refuse any souldier seruing on foote And I am of opinion that a Captaine of foote might challenge a Captaine of horse but onelye that for the most parte those places are bestowed on noble personages and the conducting of men of armes is also bestowed on right honourable men and therfore in this case all conditions are to be considered and the qualitie of the enterprises that they haue for a Captaine of foot may haue so honorable a degree or be of so honorable familye that there could be no cause to refuse him And this which I haue spoken touching captains of foote of horse and of men of armes of also to bee vnderstood of footmen twixt themselues and horsemen also be they either men of armes or light horse For besides their degrees of greatnes in warre their degrees of nobilitie which wee haue spoken to before in our treatise of noble men if any they haue are to be considered and according to their greater or lesse inequalitye they are equall or vnequall which rule beeing generall giuen may by men of vnderstanding easilye bee applyed vnto particular cases With what persons a Knight ought to enter Combate and with what he ought not WE haue long waded through this spacious discourse of chiualrie seeking to set downe who ought to be denyed Combate which matter is so large and copious as if a man would particularlye to euery mite discourse thereof it would containe a greater volume then I intend to make in the whole subiect of Duello but it sufficeth me to haue pointed at the fountaine where water may bee fetcht and to conclude with my opinion touching the dutie of a Knight I haue in the beginning of this chapter touched two principall heads that is who they are that ought to be cleane thrust from combate and who are onelye to be refused for in those two almost all controuersie of persons that enter or not enter Duello are as it were conteined forasmuch as the wicked and infamus persons ought to be refelled by knights and they may be refused who for condition are vnequall and if a man would aske why we haue not said that in these two heads all are contained but almost all it is for that which we haue before spoken of learned men and cleargye men who are farre from the lists not as refelled nor as refused but as priuiledgd and as such to the qualitie and estimation of whose condition it is not meete neither to challenge nor be challenged to proofe by armes because their studie and exercise is far from the valour of the minde And to returne to our heads before propounded I say that to refel the infamous and wicked is the dutie and band of chiualrye for a knight is bound to do so that he doe not bring in to the exercise of armes persons vnworthye to appeare amongst honourable persons whereof by their own fault they haue made themselues vnworthye Nor is there any credite to be giuen them in the proofe of armes who are not receiued in ciuile testimonie neither are dishonourable persons to enter into battailes that are vndertaken for honour sake And if any Knight should make a quarrell with any person vncapable of Duello the Lords as I haue said before as well in right of chiualrie as not for to suffer the field to be dishonored ought not to graunt the combate The refusall is not of band of chiualrie but of will of Knights because that if a man will not enter combate with one of lesse condition then himselfe hee may lawfully doe it appointing a meane champion to decide the quarrel But if a man would not respect degree but would in person fight with one who for his condition or other defect were not his equall he could not be said to do wrong to chiualry but rather to honour it forasmuch as chiualrie is not the account of condition but of valour And in the disputations of artes and more nobâ—e sciences no mans linnage is respected but his worth and therefore a man of base or high degree may bee valorous and the honour of the listes is not so much for ouercomming one borne of noble familie as one that is knowne for a valiant man Againe as great men account it no shame to bee called Knights with meaner men so they ought not be ashamed to come together to doe the oath of chiualrie and if a man borne of a great familie haue no respect to iniury another I know not why by reason of his noblenes in blood he may refuse to defend the same and to maintaine it against him whom he iniured and in case that combat were to follow vpon it my iudgement is that the iniurer or offender howsoeuer we terme him is to answere the other in person And therefore as I thinke it a discommendable thing for an honorable person to agree to make himselfe equall to a person that for his vices were odious albeit he descended of a noble race so I repute it a knightly course not to bee too curious in the differences of conditions especially when they are not so diuers as may seeme that the frog striues to be equall with the Oxe according to the tale Again I will adde another case that as I wil commend him that should not so much respect the condition as the valour of him with whom he had quarrell so I would blame him that being of a base estate would compare himselfe with euery great man and would not acknowledge nor content himselfe with his owne condition And this I speak not onely of those that are borne meâ—nely but of those also that being borne of noble blood are yet of a priuate condition and in question of honour would be equall with right honourable personages for if they esteeme so much of themselues for hauing blood and being in their families of great Lords they are to consider that those Lords haue innobled those houses and that they haue receiued their nobilitie from Lords and if they haue receiued it from them they are by so much lesse then they by how much hee is greater that giueth another man nobilitie than he that receiueth it Touching the appointing of Champions WE haue shewen great inequalitie of noble men wherby the lesse cannot binde the greater to answere him in person but because no mans greatnes can make it lawfull for him vniustlye to oppresse the lesser without leauing him sufficient meanes to reuenge himself and no man ought to make the shadowe of his nobilitie a pretence to be able secretlye to commit defectes without yeelding reason for them It is very necessarye that as in them there is respect for the degree of nobilitie so also it should bee of honour