Manuals of Swordsmanship
VincentioSaviolowas a popular Italian fencing master in Elizabethan London who taught at a fencing college established in 1576. His book VincentioSaviolo: His Practice in Two Books. The First Entreating the Use of the Rapier and the Dagger. The Second of Honor and Honorable Quarrels (London, 1595) takes the form of a dialogue between Vincentio and his student, Luke, and was dedicated to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (1566-1601). Essex was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth and one of the court’s most dashing noblemen – perceived as a model of English masculinity – until his ignominious fall from grace and subsequent execution.
Illustration from Saviolo’sPractice. The markings on the floor, like the ‘mathematical’ fencing that Mercutio derides (“a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic”: 3.1.89-90) shows the number of paces between the combatants as well as the width of the stance required in order to execute the manoeuvre.
Vincentio:… Besides, in these assaultes, when he is without your right side with his right foot, hee might offer a stoccata(i.e. a thrust or stab)from the outside of your weapon, and if you breake it with your Rapier, hee may pull his point vnder yours, and withallremoue toward your left side with his right foot, and giue you a stoccata in the belly, turning skil|fully his Rapier hand, so that his fist bee toward his left side. Also if you should deliuer a stoccata to your enemie, and that he should breake it with his Rapier, immediatly you might remoue with your lefte foot, your lefthand, waiting on the weapon of your enemie, and giue him an imbroccata(i.e. a pass)or foine(i.e. thrust or lunge)vnder or aboue his Rapier, and may bee master of his weapon. But if your enemie strike a mandritta(i.e. a cut from right to left)at the legges, if you strike it by with your weapon, he may giue you a venew(i.e. a stroke or wound)either by stoccata or imbroccata. Therefore it is not good for anie man to vse these things prescribed, because, as I hauealreadiesayd, he had need to vnderstand well his times & proportions, and to know howe with skill to shifte and moue his bodie, & to be readie and nimble as well with his foot as hand, otherwise, by his ownemeanes he may be wounded or slaine: so that he had need to bee verie cunning and perfect in these matters, wherevpon many good masters do practise their schollers in these assalts to make them readie. But I will let them passe, and will satisfie you concerning the skil of this ward(i.e. a parry), which you haue required to know…
George Silver wrote a counterblast to Saviolo whom he viewed as a foreigner misleading Englishmen and bringing them to their premature deaths. Silver’s Paradoxeswas also dedicated to the Earl of Essex
From: George Silver, Paradoxes of defence wherein is proued the true grounds of fight to be in the short auncient weapons, and that the short sword hath aduantage of the long sword or long rapier…. Together with an admonition to the noble, ancient, victorious, valiant, and most braue nation of Englishmen, to beware of false teachers of defence, and how they forsake their ownenaturall fights …By George Siluer Gentleman (London, 1599).
In contrast to the images that accompany the fencing manuals, Silver’s combatant is outside (notice the sprigs of grass around his feet) rather than in a fencing hall, and wearing a breastplate – ready for a pre-scheduled encounter at arms.
FENCING(Right honorable) in this new fangled age, is like our fashions, eueriedaye a change, resembling the Camelion, who alterethhimselfe into all colours saue white: so Fencing changeth into all wards saue the right. That it is so, experience teacheth vs: why it is so, I doubt not but your wisedome doth conceiue. … [T]ruth is ancient though it seemeanvpstart: our forefathers were wise …: they found out the true defence for their bodies in short weapons by their wisdome, they defended them selues and subdued their enemies, with those weapons with their valour. And (Right honorable) if we will haue this true Defence, we must seeke it where it is, in short Swords, short Staues the halfe Pike, Partisans, Gloues, or such like weapons of perfect le~gths, not in long Swords, long Rapiers, nor frog pricking Poiniards.
The reason which moued me to aduenture so great a taske, is the desire I haue to bring the truth to light, which hath long timelyen hidden in the caue of contempt, while we like degenerate sonnes, haue forsaken our forefathers vertues with their weapons, and haue lusted like men sicke of a strange ague, after the strange vices and deuises of Italian, French and Spanish Fencers. I was also moued, that by it I might remoue the great losse of our English gallants, which we daily suffer by these imperfect fights …
there is no certaine defence in the Rapier, and that there is great aduantage in the short Sword against the long Rapier, or all maner of Rapiers in generall, of vvhat length soeuer….
YourHonors in all dutie,George Siluer.