VINCENTIO SAVIOLO his Practise Jn two Bookes The first intreating of the vse of the Rapier and Dagger The second of Honor and honorable Quarrels LONDON Printed by IOHN WOLFE 1595. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE MY singular good Lord Robert Earle of Essex and Ewe Viscount Hereford Lord Ferrers of Chartley Bourghchier and Louain Master of the Queenes Maiesties horse Knight of the most noble order of the Garter and one of her Highnesse most honorable Priuie Councell HAuing of late right Honorable compiled this simple Discourse of managing wepons and dealing in honorable Quarrels which I esteeme an Introduction to Martiall affayres I haue thought good to dedicate the same vnto your Honor as vnto him whose bountie most bindeth me whose valour inforceth all soldiers to acknowledge you the English Achilles whose fauouring good literature celebrateth your name for the students Mecenas whose benigne potection and prouision for strangers maketh you reported off as theyr safe sanctuary This work I must needs confesse is farre vnworthie your Lordships view in regard eyther of method or substance and being much vnperfecter than it shoulde haue beene if I had had copie of English to haue expressed my meaning as I would But I humbly beseech your good Lordship to accept this Booke howsoeuer it be as a new yeeres gifte proceeding from a minde most dutifully affected towards you that wisheth and prayeth that your Honour may inioy many good and prosperous yeres and is presented by him that is and will be readie euerie yere daie and houre to liue and die at your Lordships foot to do you seruice Your Honors in all dutifulnes Vincentio Sauiolo TO THE READER THE meanes whereby men from time to time haue bene preferred euen to the highest degrees of greatnes and dignitie haue euer bene and are of two sortes Armes and Letters weapons bookes as may most plainly bee proued out of antique and moderne histories Let it not seeme strange vnto anie man that I haue placed Armes before Letters for in truth I haue found by obseruing the course of times and by comparing the occurrents of former ages with those which haue fallen out and followed as it were by succession in later yeeres that the first Princes and patrones of people did obtaine their titles and dominions by force of Armes and that afterwards learning vertue did as it were by degrees grow and succeede for the making and establishing of good orders customes and lawes amongest them And then did common-wealths begin first to flourish when their Princes were like Minerua whom the Poets fained to bee the goddesse not onely of studies but also of Armes inspiring wit into schollers and fauoring those that follow warres Wherefore knowing that such men as endeuour themselues to attaine vnto the excellencie of anie art or science are worthie both of praise and preferment because they seeke for that onely true nobilitie which is in deede much more to be accounted of than birth and parentage I haue beene induced for the satisfaction of such and other like noble spirites desirous to imploie either their studies in the profession or their liues in the practise of the arte militarie to bestowe my paines in the writing of this Treatise concerning the Art exercise and manneging of the Rapier and Dagger together with the ordering and mouing of the bodie in those actions A thing I confesse in shewe the least peece and practise as a man might saie of the arte Militarie but in verie deed to most important excellent and noble practise thereof For when I consider with myselfe how some Authors doo write that hunting hauking wrastling c. are things in some sort belonging vnto Militarie profession for that men thereby doo both make their bodies strong and actiue and also learne to marke the scituation of hils woods lakes and vallies together with the crooked and turning courses of riuers It seemeth vnto mee that I may with farre greater reason saie that the Arte and exercise of the Rapier and Dagger is much more rare and excellent than anie other Militarie exercise of the bodie because there is very great and necessarie vse thereof not onely in generall warres but also in particular combats many other accidents where a man hauing the perfect knowledge and practise of this arte although but small of stature and weake of strength may with a little remouing of his foot a sodain turning of his hand a slight declining of his bodie subdue and ouercome the fierce brauing pride of tall and strong bodies Moreuer it doth many times come to passe that discords and quarrels arise amongest souldiers and Gentlemen of honor account the which when they cannot be accorded compounded by lawe learning and perswasion must bee determined and the truth thereof tried by armes and combat And therefore he that is wise carefull of his safetie and prouident against danger will be at all times stored and furnished with this honorable vrgent necessity and instant shortnes of time he shal be constrained to expose himselfe vnto euident danger Wherefore vpon these occasions and also for that I haue bin thereunto requested by sundrie Gentlemen my good friendes I haue endeuoured to expresse in this discourse and to make plain by pictures all the skill and knowledge which I haue in this art Exhorting all men of good mindes and noble spirites to learne and purchase the same not to the end to abuse it in insolencies and iniuries but to vse it in cases of necessitie for the defence of iust causes and to the maintenance of the honour of themselues and others For whosoeur will followe this profession must flie from rashnes pride and iniurie and not fall into that foule falt and error which many men incurre who feeling themselues to be strong of bodie and expert in this science presuming thereupon thinke that the may lawfully offer outrage and iniury vnto anie man and with crosse and grosse tearmes and behauiour prouoke euerie man to fight as though they were the onely heirs of Mars more inuincible than Achilles not remembring how it hath oftentimes happened that a little wretched man of stature by skill and reason hath ouercome a vast mightie man of person and ouerthrowen the vnweldie masse and burthen of his bodie vpon the face of his kind liberall mother the earth This manner of proceeding and behauiour doth plainely shew that these men although peraduenture they haue learned the vse of the weapon haue not yet beene fufficiently instructed in the Arte of Armes For by the rule and precept of this Art men are taught by how much they are resolute in courage and skilful of the vse of the same weapon by so much the more to shew themselues virtuous humble and modest both in speech action and not to be liers vanters or quarrellers for those which in this sort demeane themselues notwithstanding their skill or courage do commonly carry away wounds and dishonor and sometimes death I haue seene and
spyes doe remayne with the enemy or haue become spies on both sides or such as hauing taken oath or haue not serued out their full pay do runne to the enemie or not hauing taken oath doe go to the enemie at such time as both parties are in armes for this fact is of the nature of treason because that thou making semblance to bee in my fauour and I trusting thee when time is that I stand most in neede of thee thou becommest a rebell against me Moreouer such are to be denyed the fielde as in battaile haue abandoned their leaders or ensignes or either by night or day shall haue forsaken the gard of the enemye or Prince that was committed vnto him To these we may also adde freebooters and all such as for any military disorder are banished Likewise all theeues robbers ruffians tauerne hunters excommunicate persons hereticks vsurers and all other persons not liuing as a Gentleman or a Souldier and in conclusion all such as are defamed for anye defecte and are not allowed for witnessses in Ciuile lawe are comprehended in this number And of these I saye that not onelye they are to bee refused vpon challenging another man but all honourable persons or Gentlemen should abandon their companye and whosoeuer should fight with them should iniurie himselfe making himselfe equall with dishonourable persons But it is very meete that hee that will refuse another vpon his infamye should be sure that the other is faultie thereof or that it is so apparant as hee cannot deny it for otherwise he should turne the quarrell vpon his owne backe and then shal be forced to proue it And as it is not lawfull for such manner of men aboue recited to challenge another so if they be once challenged aduantage cannot be taken against them of in famie nor is it meete to accept a mans excuse that should say he knew it not before for whosoeuer will challenge another ought aduisedly to consider that he bindeth himselfe to such matter as hee must not repent himselfe of But I do not include in this that if after the challenge he should commit any infamous act whether he were Challenger or Defendant he should not yet be refused Moreouer if an honourable person should challenge a defamed person or contrarywise he being challenged by a base person should accept of the challenge which is not onely an act of priuate interest but a preiudice to the degree of gentrye in this case it is the office of the Lord of the field not to suffer this combate to proceede nor to graunt them letters of combat Touching those that doe not answere or doe not appeare in the field WHen a man is challenged to the fielde he is to answere by wepons and not by words vnles the challenger bee such as with reason he is to be refused prouided alwaies that a man cannot by ciuile lawe defend himself that the quarrel deserue combate But where these respects want whosoeuer being challenged doth not answer or without cause dooth not accept the letters of the fielde or accepting them not hauing a sufficient excuse doth not appeare is to be reputed dishonourable in euerye man of woorths iudgement and the challenger at a conuenient time is to appeare in the fielde to vse the accustomed solemnities For the day before the combat the Padrino is to come before the Lord of the fielde and tell him that his champion is come to proue his quarrell and for that cause hee as his procurator doth appeare to see if the contrarie party be come and if he intend to capitulate or bring to passe that they may be in the greater readines against the next day protesting that his Champion is in readines and is to beseeche the Lord of the fielde to cause enquirye to bee made if either hee or some bodye for him be present and that if there be no notice of his comming he will make open proclamation that whosoeuer is there for the contrarye parte should appeare for if hee doe not appeare it shall proceede against him as one contumacious and that hath fayled of his dutye which the Lord of the field is not to denye the other and on the day appointed hee is to appeare in the lists at a conuenient hower where his Padrino offering him to the Lord and shewing that his Champion is come to fight is to make a newe instance for a new proclamation touching the quarrell which hee is likewise to doe at noone and at the euening and withall shall make shewe of his armour and of his horse wherewith he came furnished to fight whereby hee shall haue cause to accuse his aduersarye of contumacye and to demaund that his Champion bee admitted to run the fielde and to bee pronounced victor and that the other bee condemned of contumacy of failing and vanquished in the quarrell And that hee pronounced vanquisher maye vse such tearmes against him as by the order of gentrye is permitted all which thinges the Lord ought to graunt him and the Gentleman shall go about the fielde three times with an honourable pompe of his Horse and armour and sound of Trumpet and shall carrye with him the letters which being done hee maye likewise carrye the portraiture of his aduersarye And whatsoeuer hath beene saide of the Challenger may the Defendant in like case doe What is to be doone vpon the alleadging of any impediment for not appearing in the fielde WE are now to consider what course is to be taken if any gentleman do not appear in the fielde at the appointed time nor doe not prooue a lawfull impediment that hindered him in which case I affirme that first if the impediment happen at such time as notice might bee giuen thereof before the contrarye party should appeare himselfe to the fielde it is then to be admitted vpon defraying the others charge and paines and vpon the iustification to him of his lawfull excuse offering himselfe also at conuenient time to procure a new field and to satisfie any losse which the contrarye party should suffer by meanes of prolonging of time But if this let should fall out so suddenly as in no sorte there could any knowledge be giuen of it before the very day appointed yet is the excuse to bee approued so as the impediment be lawfull and then is hee likewise to defraie the charges of him that appeared for if I make agreement with thee to meete thee on such a daye at such a place and for such a cause and I be there present and thou bee hindered whereby I am put to a new charge there is no reason that thy commoditie should returne a discommodetie and a losse to me But excuses of lawfull impedement should be great infirmities tempestes or waters that maye stoppe passage the warre of a mans countrie or Prince or against infidels and such like accidents which any indifferent iudge may think lawful Imprisonment also is a lawful excuse vnles it be such as a
man at all times may be freed of for Gentlemen that are to goe into the field ought by all meanes to auoyde euery occasion that may hinder them from their intent for whosoeuer in matters of honour dooth not seeke all that hee can to salue his honour or hath other respect at all than to his honour maketh a great breach of his honour and therefore whosoeuer should procure himselfe to bee commaunded to staye by his Prince is to bee adiudged as one that procureth his owne imprisonement Againe I doe not allow it as a lawfull meanes to prolong time if after a quarrell be once concluded a man should take vpon him any newe charge of office for I would thinke this sought after to that end and is not to be approued good because that being bound in honor hee is first to satisfie that before hee goe about new matters And yet I graunt that if in this meane time be it by succession or good fortune any lordship or great title should befall a man by meanes whereof his aduersarie that before was his equall is now become farre his inferiour in such case this accident is to be taken for a newe and iust impediment not so much to winne time as to fight in his owne person for in this case the quarrell begunne should bee perfourmed by a substitute or Champion as wee tearme him In how many cases a man may ouercome in the Lists THe successe of fighting in the Listes may happen diuerslie for somtime it may be that the Combat enduring to the Sun set the Challenger may neither ouercome the Defendant nor yet bee ouercome by him in which case the Defendant is to bee adiudged the vanquisher and to be absolued of the blame obiected him by his aduersarie and the Challenger shall bee accounted the vanquished and an ill Combatter and maye be refused if afterward hee challenge anie man vpon anie other quarrell but yet hee shall not bee the Defendants prisoner vnlesse hee shall ouercome him And in this one case onely the Defendant fighting and not ouercome doth ouercome the other Other cases are common both to the Challenger Defendant whereof one is in killing his aduersarie another is when a man yeeldeth bee it in whatsoeuer kinde of wordes A third is when a man dooth expresselye disclaime from the quarrell confessing himselfe eyther trulie accused or to haue falselye accused and last of all is the running out of the Listes Of which sortes of loosing the fielde euerye one is by so much the more shamefull by howe much the mose I haue placed and set him downe in his lowest place or roome and to bee slaine in the fielde as it is lesse shamefull so it is farre more daungerous and hurtfull It may also happen that a man by strength maye ouercome his aduersarie or his enemie and binde him or in such sorte holde him in his owne power as euerye one that seeth maye iudge that if he will he may kill him and thereby end the fielde for holding him in such sorte and requiring him to yeeld and the other not agreeing it is certain he may lawfully kill him but if hee shoulde not kill him and thereby the daie bee spent it may bee doubted whaâ— iudgement should in this case bee giuen But if the Defendant bee the better there is no question to bee made but hee is to bee pronounced vanquisher although there coulde not bee so full a iudgement giuen of his ouercomming as we haue spoken of before And if the Challenger shoulde bee hee that shoulde chaunce to haue the Defendant in his power the matter coulde hot so easily bee determined of But in this case theyr Articles are chiefely to bee considered which maye bee drawen in such manner as without anie adoo at all the matter maye bee resolued For if in them it bee expressed and sette downe that the Challenger is not to bee helde vanquisher vnlesse hee either kill or make the Defendant denie his accusation in this case hee cannot bee accounted vanquisher but if it bee concluded that the Defendant bee not accounted vanquished except hee bee slaine or denie his wordes I woulde not then condemne him as vanquished and yet I woulde saie that the Challenger had well discharged his parte beeing in his power to haue killed his enemie And if the Defendant woulde renue this quarrell on anie other daie I doo not thinke it in anie wise lawfull that it shoulde bee graunted him And if in case there shoulde not bee anie wordes in their Articles touching this pointe the one holding the other in his power as I haue sayde before mee thinketh hee is lesse to bee adiudged and taken to bee his prisoner than if hee had yeelded himselfe vnto him and so voluntarilie to haue become his prisoner but that hee shoulde bee sentenced to bee vanquished and ouercome and the vanquisher were deuoutly and reuerently to bee esteemed and honoured as one that onely satisfieng and contenting himselfe wyth the victorieâ— dyd not seeke or desire cruelly to imbrue his handes in his enemies bloud Touching accidents that happen to the victorie of the Lists HEE that is ouercome in the Listes is therevpon the others prisoner and hee is to haue both his armor garmentes horse and other furniture whatsoeuer which hee brought with him into the Listes as ornaments for his fighting and this is the right case in this matter for the spoiles of the vanquished are the vanquishers Ensignes The person of the vanquished by an honourable custome hath ben giuen by the vanquisher either to the Lorde of the field or to some other prince or noble man whome he serued or followed Which custome albeit I commend and wish euerie one to follow it yet I must confesse that the vauquisher maye if hee list vse his owne discretion and hold has prisoner which no man canne denie him because hee is to serue him but not in base offices nor in anie other but such as belong to a gentleman and the prisoners taken in the Lists may bee constrained to discharge the expences of the Combat and they maye be ransomed for money euen as Gendemen taken in the warres The diuersitie of olde and new customes concerning the vanquished I Must not omit to tell you that that which I haue before spoken of prisoners hath rather ben brought in by custome of Gentlemen since they began to enter quarrels vpon their honor than by anie auncient institution of Duello For by the lawe of the Lombards he that was ouercome in fight was hot geuen as prisoner nor yet pronounced infamous for euer performing any after-quarrel but diuersly sentenced for that fault whereof hee was accused For as it appeareth plainelye in writing whosoeuer accused for manslaughter was ouercome lost one of his handes and whosoeuer was condemned of adultery was adiudged to die And touching the witnesses who for consummation of their wordes did combat the vanquished lost his hand and his other companions dyd redeem their
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