Consulting Swordsman
This section is very interesting as it describes the seven blows of the sword, and divides one of them (the thrust) into five, which makes eleven in total (like the eleven plays of the sword in one hand). It is also admirably specific in terms of the lines of the blows, and in some cases, … Read more
So how do you hold a longsword then? Simple really: any damn way you like. Fiore shows us six distinct grips, and there’s no suggestion that these are the only possible grips- not least as, whichever interpretation you follow, the guard bicorno is generally agreed to be yet another way of holding the sword (I’ll … Read more
[Note: I have since updated my interpretation of this passage, thanks to a lengthy conversation on my podcast. You can read about the updated interpretation here. I’m leaving this post unchanged as it marks a specific point in the interpretation process.] O lordy. Here we go. This page alone blows every other longsword treatise out … Read more
As I see it, the sword in one hand section is very clearly a short and simple version of the system, foreshadowing Viggiani’s Lo Schermo (1575. Available in translation by Jherek Swanger here: buy it. It’s essential reading for any scholar of Italian swordsmanship of any period.). This parry from the left is so fundamental … Read more
F21v continues with the tenth play of the sword in one hand, like so: Questo mi trassi per la testa e io rebater la sua spada. Io so vegnudo aquesto partido. Anchora ti faro volare voltare per non aver fallito. E la spada te mettero al collo, tanto son io ardito. [The underlined “volare” is … Read more
Continuing on from last week…. If you’re coming late to the party, you should start here (where I explain what this project is all about, describe my decision making in the transcription and translation, and so on). Unless you are already familiar with Fiore, and are looking for a specific play, then starting at the … Read more
Happy New Year! and what better way to kick off 2019 than by stealing your opponent’s sword? Continuing on from last week… If you’re coming late to the party, you should start here (where I explain what this project is all about, describe my decision making in the transcription and translation, and so on.) F21r … Read more
Merry Christmas! In an unprecedented fit of organisation, this post was actually uploaded about two weeks ago, so don’t worry, I’m not working today, I’m opening presents, cooking an unfeasibly large amount of food, and probably already stuck into a bottle of wine. I hope you’re having a great day. But I decided on posting … Read more
One very good question that has come up in the comments on my Fiore Translation project, is why focus on the Getty MS? It’s the manuscript that’s had the most attention, the most work done on it. Why not focus on the Pisani Dossi, the Morgan, or the Florius? In case you are new to … Read more
Continuing on from last week with the Sword in One Hand: Folio 20v, first two plays: This is where the rubber meets the road: the first sword on sword action of the book! Personally I love the dagger stuff too, but pretty much everyone comes to class for the SWORDS! Recall the situation: the Master … Read more