CHAP. XIII.

Of Feints.

Feints are much used in Fencing, whether it be by reason of their Number, their Ease, or the Success that attends them, gaining more Time and Light than

The Number of Feints is so great, by reason of the many Guards and Parades, that I should find it as difficult to describe them, as the Reader would to comprehend them without Experience; so that I shall confine myself to those from which the rest derive, which are, strait Feint, Feint, and double Feint.

By strait feint, is meant a Motion or Feint to Thrust on the Side on which your Sword is, which is to be done on the Inside, the Wrist in Quart, a little higher than the Point which must be near the Adversary's Sword, that you may be covered, whilst you endeavour to get an Opening. This Motion should be attended with a little Beat of the Right-foot, keeping back the Body. If, at the Time you feint, your Adversary does not stir, you must push Quart: if he parrys with his Feeble, you must immediately disengage to Tierce; and if he parrys high you must cut in Quart under the Wrist.

The Feint, to which I give no other Name, it being the most used, and to disQuart to Tierce, with a little Beat of the Foot, keeping the Body back: the Wrist must be raised in Quart, and the Button a little lower than the Pommel, near the adversary's blade; by which means you are covered, and can make your thrust swifter. If the Adversary does not stir at the feint, you must go on strait with the Tierce: if he parrys with his Feeble, you must Disengage and thrust Quart, and if he parrys with his Fort, you must push Seconde.

Several masters teach to make this feint from the inside to the outside, with the Wrist turned in Tierce; and indeed they are seemingly in the right; a feint being a likeness of the beginning of a Thrust; and that likeness cannot be better shown than in the Figure of the Thrust: but the smart motion of the Point, causes the Adversary to stir, the Figure of the Hand no way contributing thereto. You are to consider which is the most proper, not only to make the Adversary answer you, butQuart to Quart there is no Motion; but we have two instances to the contrary. First, that a Man of experience has his Wrist and the bend of his Arm free, so as to thrust strait in Quart, tho' in the same Figure; and secondly, if there be a Motion preceding the Thrust, as in a Disengagement, or a Cut under; this Motion is sufficient to help the swiftness of the Feint, and of the Thrust: in short, the Motion from Quart to Quart, being quicker than feinting from Quart to Tierce, and returning in Quart; it ought to have the preference, swiftness being the Line of Fencing. The only Feints that should be made in Tierce, are those that are marked from below above to return below, and from above below to return above.

The double feint is in two Motions, so that in order to push within the Sword, you must be without; and making a little Motion in Quart within, with a little Beat of the Foot, you feint again without closing the Measure, keeping back the Body in order to be out of the Adversary's Reach: if he parrys with his Fort, you must cut under in Seconde, and if he parrys with his Feeble, disengage to Quart within.

As there are in this Thrust three motions of the Sword, viz. the two Feints and the Thrust; the Foot must make as many, in order to answer the Motions of the Hand.

There are two other Ways of making these Thrusts: The one by an Interval between the first and second Motions, joining or uniting the other two; and the latter between the second and third Motions, joining the two first. Though both these Methods are good, I prefer the latter, which puts you in a better Condition, not only to avoid your Adversary's Thrust, but also to chuse your own; the Interval giving you a favourable Opportunity of doing both.

A Feint is the Likeness of the Beginning of a Thrust: It is made to put the Adversary off his Guard, and to gain an Opening. In order to take Advantage of the Time and Light which you get by your Feint, you must take care to avoid an Inconveniency into which many People fall, by uncovering themselves in endeavouring to uncover the Adversary.

Of cutting over the Point of the Sword.

In order to cut over the Point, within from without, the Wrist must be turned towards Tierce, which gives it a swifter Motion. When your Point is over your Adversary's, you must turn the Wrist in Quart, pushing with your Fort to his Feeble: Though this is a regular Way of cutting, what is most essential to perfect the Thrust is wanting, that is to say, the Motion that should precede it, which is commonly a Half-thrust or Feint, by which, two Advantages are gained: First you discompose your Adversary, and secondly, your Thrust is swifter, being by so much the more vigorous, as the Motion previous thereto is so. At the Time you make a Half-thrust or Feint, you must make a little Beat with the Foot, bearing back the Body to break your Adversary's Measure.

The Cut from the Inside to the Outside, has commonly more Success than that from the Outside to the Inside, the Adversary going more readily to his Parade on this Side Quart, the Fort of the Sword before you, in order to be covered, and your Point very near the Adversary's Sword; you must beat a little with the Foot, bending the Body back a little, and as the Adversary is going to parry with the Feeble, you must pass your Point quickly over his, pushing in Tierce, with your Fort to his Feeble.

Though all Thrusts have the same following Ones; the Cut has them more easy; it's Motion from above to below, disposing it better than the Disengagements, if the Thrust be from the Outside to the Inside, and that the Adversary parrys with his Fort to your Feeble: Besides the Recovery in Guard, which is common after all Thrusts, you must, upon a Parade with the Fort, if it be without stirring the Foot, or in advancing, join: And if the Adversary makes this Parade in retiring, he gives you an Opportunity of cutting in Quart under the Wrist, and on his parrying with the Feeble, you must return in Seconde, bringing forward the Left-foot a little, in order to procure a Reprise or second Lunge.

Quart, and if with his Feeble, return in Tierce, that is to say, make an entire Circle. These Cuts are to be made in one or two Motions; in the first you are not to stop, but in the other, you make a short Interval by a little Beat with the Foot.

The Thrusts following the Cut from the Inside to the Outside, before you know your Adversary's Parade, are made thus: If 'tis with the Fort, you must return with a Cut in Seconde, under the Sword, advancing the Left-foot a little; If he parrys with the Feeble, you must return by disengaging to Quart within, advancing the Left-foot, as before: Some People return a Cut in Tierce, in Quart, by another Cut over the Point, of Quart in Tierce, and so on the contrary Side.

When you foresee the Parade, you may at once cut from the Inside to the Outside, and under in Seconde; or return within, according as the Parade is made with the Fort or Feeble. You may also make these Redoubles by a little Interval over the Sword, beating with the Foot.

See the Chapter of Reprises.

The Cut may be made not only after a Half-thrust, or strait Feint, as I have said, but also after an Engagement, Lunge, or Pass, and in Risposting, which is the best and most used; because that is to be done only in recovering to Guard, or by bringing one Foot behind the other, or springing back; To the first you must Rispost with the Foot firm, and to the other by closing the Measure.

Of the Reprise, or redoubled Thrust.

The Term Reprise signifies a succession of Thrusts without Interval, or with very little. It may be done in three Manners; First after having pushed without recovering, Secondly, in recovering or being recovered; and Thirdly, when the Enemy steals Measure.

The first and last of these three Reprises may be called Redoubles.

The first Reprise is made after having pushed Quart, the Enemy having parryed with his Feeble, you must return in Seconde, advancing the left Foot a little to make the Action easier to the right Foot, and tho' it be not necessary to advance it unless the Enemy retires, it serves for an Ornament, and to give more Vigour to the Thrust: But if as soon as the Enemy has parryed he Risposts, you must only redouble with the Hand, the Body low without stirring the Feet, and join. If he Risposts under the Wrist in the Flank, you must either parry crossing his Sword as you recover, opposing Seconde.

Upon the Rispost of the Enemy, you may also redouble, volting strait, or cutting in the Flank according as he raises his Hand more or less in his Rispost, in order to facilitate your Volt; you must immediately after your Lunge follow a little with the left Foot.

The second Reprise is made, after having pushed Quarte, when in recovering to Guard the Enemy advances, without being covered, or that suffering the Superiority of your Sword, he gives you room to thrust in Quarte, if he disengages, you must go off in Tierce, if he forces your Sword with his Feeble, you must disengage to Tierce, and if with his Fort cut Quarte under the Wrist.

In order to get time for this Redouble, you must make a half Thrust, immediately getting out of Measure, either with the Body Simply, or by the first Demarche backwards, or by leaping a little back; if the Enemy advances it will be either strait or making a Feint, or on your Sword; to the two first you must push strait Quarte, or Seconde, lowering the Body or volting, and Tierce.

The third Reprise is made when the Enemy upon your pushing Quarte breaks Measure without or with parrying; to the one you must redouble in Quarte, with your Fort to his Feeble, which is done after a strait Thrust, Feint, Engagement, or Rispost; and if the Enemy parrys, you must likewise redouble forwards by a Disengagement, or a Cut under or over according to his Parade, or as Opportunity offers. To redouble forward, or make several Reprises following with ease, you must as often as you thrust follow with the left Foot.

The Reprises on the Outside.

If you push in Tierce and your Adversary parrys with the Fort, you must redouble in Seconde, and if he parrys with the Feeble disengage to Quarte, advancing a little the left Foot that the Right may have the Liberty of a second Motion.

If the Enemy after parrying Tierce shou'd Rispost strait or under, to the first you may disengage and volt, and to the other volt strait, advancing the left Foot a little in Lunging, in order to have the Liberty of Quarte; if after having pushed Tierce, on your Recovery to Guard, you find you have the Command of the Enemy's Sword, or that he advances uncovered, you, must in these Cases push strait in Tierce if he disengage you must take the time and push Quarte, if he comes to your Sword with his Fort, you must cut under in Seconde, if with his Feeble, disengage in Quarte, it is also good after having pushed Tierce to recover with your Sword high, giving Light under, and if the Enemy pushes there, you must take the Time opposing with the left Hand, or Parry and Rispost.

It is good likewise for a Decoy to make a half Thrust and recover with the Sword quite distant from you Body, and if the Enemy comes to your Sword, you must disengage and thrust at his Open, and if he makes at your Body, you must volt or oppose with the Hand and thrust where you have Light.

The Reprises or Redoubles in advancing are made in Tierce by the same Rules as those within are. That is to say, either strait, or by disengaging or cutting over or under,

All these Redoubles may be made on a Rispost as well as on other Lunges.