Articles — AAOEMA

A Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542

(A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword)

Being an excerpt from a forthcoming book By Terry Brown

Published here by permission of Anglo-Saxon Books Ltd

CONTENTS

Introduction.................................................................page 2

Description, Dating and Provenance,...................pages 3 - 4

Hand-written copy of verse..................................pages 5 - 6

Typed version of verse................................................page 7

.. Contemporary Two-hand sword image(s).. ................page 8

Transcription and discussion of verse.................pages 9 - 39

Poetry and Prose Versions................................pages 40 - 42

The Verse Modernised...............................................page 43

Afterword...................................................................page 44

Bibliography.......................................................pages 45-48

A transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) © Terry Brown November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

(This Paper deals primarily with the verse at ff. 84-85 of Harley 3542, henceforth referred to as, 'the verse'.)

It is an accepted convention in the study of WMA (Western Martial Arts) that if we are unable to make fechtbuch (fightbook) techniques work correctly it is because we haven’t understood the author’s intended meanings. I applied the same logic when transcribing the extant English two-hand sword texts1. Common sense tells us that period texts would have been clearly understood by their target audiences; If we, the modern audience, are unable to understand those same texts it is not because the methods they describe are too complex but that the ‘dictionary’ we have been using is lacking some important definitions. Therefore my first task was to make a thorough search in period prose, poetry, documents etc. for those missing definitions. Once found, those definitions enabled me to discover the poet's intended meanings in the verse. I further believe that those definitions will draw a clearer picture of English two-hand sword fighting methodology than has to date been possible.

The copyist’s use of independent minims in the letters 'n’ and 'u’ meant that I was unable to determine whether he intended cantel or cautel2. The verse contains many examples of independent minims, for example, ‘al l’ for an, ‘hal l ke’ for hauke, ‘s l l l yte’ for smyte and so on but in such cases the intended spelling can be worked out from the context of the pertinent sentence. Unfortunately this was not the case with cantel, or cautel because it is a hapax legomenon, that is to say a word that occurs only once in a body of text. It is therefore lacking any contextual settings that might have allowed me to determine the word intended and therefore its meaning.

The glosses I provide have been selected on the basis of giving pertinent martial meanings and applications. Finding those meanings has meant casting a dialectal net across a wide geographic area. In defence of this policy I proffer the observation that, by the time of the verse's composition, English dialects had already started the process of merging and so, in a sense, I was reflecting that process. Nonetheless I readily admit to the risks involved in this multi-dialect approach to transcribing the verse.

Finally, it should be noted that the rubrics were not originally part of the verse and were in fact added later, seemingly in the hand of Samuel Knott3. This means that we shouldn’t necessarily place too much faith in their pertinence to the subject matter of the folios and for that reason I have omitted the rubrics from my transcription.

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1 British Library MS Harley 3542 ff.82-85. British Library MS Additional 39564. British Library MS Cotton Titus XXV, f. 105r-v.

2 Thomas Wright and James Orchard Halliwell, Reliquiae Antiquae, 1845 uses cantel.

Alfred Hutton, The Sword and the Centuries, 1901, opts for cantel. Hester, The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde... (2005-6 Dissertation, York University) uses cantel.

3 Dr Laura Nuvoloni, Research Associate (Incunable Project), Cambridge University Library (given in private

correspondence, 17th December, 2009)

A transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTIONS and REFERENCES (courtesy of the British Library Board)

'The folios on the two-handed swords was copied within a booklet that is the second codicological unit in Harley 3542, a composite miscellany made up of three codicological units, i.e. booklets of origin and provenance:

Second unit, ff. 17-94 (gatherings ii-viii), imperfect at the beginning and at the end: ruled in brown ink (only bounding lines) for single columns of 28-31 lines (first across top ruled line), written space circa 165 x 110 (ff. 17-44) and 143 x 88 (ff. 44v-94v), written possibly by two scribes in an English bookhand (cursiva antiquior libraria/formata - Anglicana), initials (2-4 lines, 15 lines in the margin on f. 68) in red and black or (ff. 88v-90) in green, occasionally (ff. 28v, 44v, 68v, 69) with pen work decoration in black and red, titles in formal Gothic hand (littera textualis formata - textualis rotunda, ff. 25v, 44v, 55v), rubrics and paragraph marks in red, occasional cadels on first line (ff. 44v-94v), marginal diagram (f. 57v), blank space left for initials and rubrics added in red by Samuel Knott (ff. 82v-88, 90v-94v).

ff. 82-85. Instructions for fencing with the two-handed or great-swords, partly (ff. 84v-85) in verse; 15th cent. Middle English. Copy. Rubric (added later) 'The use of the Two Hand Sworde', inc. 'The ferste pleying & begynnyng of the / substansce of þe too honde swerde'. Text divided into three parts (ff. 82, 83v, 84v). For the text see A. Hutton, The Sword and the Centuries (London, 1901; rpt. as The Sword Through the Centuries, Mineola, 2002); L. Ehrsam Voigts and P. Deery Kurtz, Scientific and Medical Writings in Old and Middle English: An Electronic Reference, CD (Ann Arbor, 2000), nos. 940.50, 3506.50, 6753.50. For the verse section see C. Brown and R. H. Robbins, The Index of Middle English Verse. Supplement (New York, 1965), no. 3423; J. Boffey and A. S. G. Edwards, A New Index of Middle English Verse (London, 2005), no.3423.' © The British Library Board

Molcat.bl.uk See also:

Laura Nuvoloni, 'The Harleian Medical Manuscripts', The Electronic British Library Journal 2008, art. 7, p. 14, [http://www.bl.uk/eblj/2008articles/article7.html]. accessed 3 April 2009.

Linda Ehrsam Voigts, 'Wolfenbüttel HAB Cod. Guelf. 51. 9. Aug. 4o and BL, Harley MS. 3542: Complementary Witnesses to Ralph Hoby's 1437 Treatise on Astronomical Medicine'. http://www.bl.uk/eblj/2008articles/article10.html

For the full description of Harley MS 3542 visit the British Library website at Molcat.bl.uk.

Voights states that the three sections which make up MS3542, ‘have been bound together at least since the seventeenth century’. Further to this Voights, referring to the three bound sections, states:

...was part of a collection purchased from Burscough’s widow for the Harleian library in 1715 for £40

This means that the three sections of MS3542 were already bound together before Harley purchased them. In relation to this fact Hester1 makes an interesting proposal which is that the the owner of MS3542 was not only an academic but also an aspiring swordsman studying the two-hand sword texts. Hester then quotes Anglo2 to further reinforce that proposal:

The relevance of systematic personal combat training, wholly agressive and homicidal in purpose, has not even

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1 Hester, J., The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde... (Dissertation, York University, 2005-6) 2 Anglo, Sydney. The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe (Newhaven & London, 2000) p2.

been recognised let alone studied.The intellectual atmosphere has become so rarified that no body asks how duellists studied the arts of killing, who taught them, and where.

Anglo’s words are an important reminder that academics of former times would have regarded martial arts as both necessary and honourable; Art and Arms comfortably co-existed as desired accomplishments of the gentleman; It is in this latter context that Hester’s words are worthy of further consideration; The question of why a two-hand sword text was bound together with scientific/medical texts has sometimes been answered by the assumption they were bound together by Harley for the sake of convenience. However Voights' assertion as to the date of binding makes it clear this wasn't the case. I therefore think that Hester's suggestion could be valid. Perhaps the owner did indeed study the two-hand sword as well as medicine and astronomy, rather like, for example, Lippo Bartolomeo Dardi, swordsman, astronomer and professor of mathematics at the University of Bologna, who founded a fencing school in 1415.

DATING

The two-hand sword folios (ff. 82-85) are commonly dated to the second half of the15th century. However,Voigts suggests the late 15th or early 16th century while Nuvoloni gives the 15th century without specifying which part thereof. Hester on the other hand suggests the late 14th to the very early 15th century, giving the following reason:

Since the handwriting lacks any secretary influence, but is rather a very standard anglicana, I would set the date earlier: to either the late fourteenth or the very early fifteenth century.

If Hester's dating, which is not universally accepted, is correct it would prove to be extremely important to researchers in that it offers the possibility of ff. 82-85 being contemporary, or nearly so, with the earliest known European two-hand sword text, that being Cod.HS.3227a (Hanko- Döbringer fechtbuch of 1389).

PROVENANCE

The list of of Harley 3542 owners would seem to indicate that it has a West Country provenance:

Byaed (Thomas). vicar of Bockerill [Devon1]. Owned, 16th cent. Knott (Samuel). Rector of Combe Raleigh, co. Devon; d.1687. Owned and annotator. Burscough (Robert). Archdeacon of Barnstaple [Devon]. Owned, late 17th-early 18th century.

Hester supports this idea by pointing out that the word 'goede' occurs exclusively in the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire area3. As well as this we have Voights suggesting the following:

Perhaps the west country provenance of Harley 3542 may be of some significance, given Ralph Hoby’s identification with the Franciscan convent in Hereford

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1 Hester, J., The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde... (Dissertation, York University, 2005-6) 2 Hester cites, A Linguistic atlas of late medieval English v. 1, A. McIntosh (Aberdeen, 1986) p.413.

A transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

HAND-WRITTEN COPY OF TWO HAND SWORD VERSE (ff. 84 - 84)

I originally hand-copied MS 3542 in order to compare it to previous transcriptions and did not intend it for publication. However I now feel that its inclusion will prove of interest and help to portray the problems of transcribing such a text. I have not attempted to reproduce every letter in the style of the copyist, focussing instead on copying as exactly as possible at least one example of each letter. I have adhered to the layout and punctuation of the copyist. The scribal crossing-out (Line 35) has been left in place in this written text but omitted from the printed version. In places I found it difficult to determine whether marks were punctuation devices or manuscript injuries, in such cases I have included the marks. My forthcoming book will contain a true facsimile of the verse. 5

TYPED COPY OF TWO HAND SWORD VERSE (ff. 84-84)

Accurately reproducing the letter formations and symbols employed in the manuscript proved problematical because I have had to use those available to me via the keyboard. The Thorn, yogh, punctuation marks and superscript symbols used are not of course exact matches for those used by the copyist.They do however serve to alert the reader as to their presence in the manuscript.

man þt wol to þe tohond swerd lern boþe 1 close & cler/ he most have a goede eye 2 boþe fer & ner// & an in stop " & an owte 3 stop " & an hauke qãrter c A cantel " a doblet . an 4 half for hys fer// Too rowndys " & an halfe wt 5 a goode chere This ys þe ferste cownter of þe 6 toohond swerd sere// Bynde h‘ to gedere & 7 say god spede √ two q ̃rters & a rownde a stap 8 þu hí bede// a rake wt a spryng þer þu hí a by 9 de ~ ffalle § wt an hauke & stride no¥te to wyde/ 10 Smyte a r‘n$g qãrter owte for hys syde 11 Fal a pon hys harneys yf he wole a byde 12 com in wt a rake in euey a syde 13 An hole rownde & an halfe " Wath so ht be tyde 14 " iiij " qãrters & a rownd " & au‘turs stroke wyth 15 Bere up hys harnes & gete þu þe gryth 16 dobyl vp ly¥thy & do as y seye 17 ffal in wt an hauke & bere a goede eye 18 A spryng & a rownde & stap § wyth 19 spar no¥th ~ hauke yf he lye in þy kyth 20 smyte a r‘n$g qãrter sore owte of þy honde 21 A byde a pon a p‘dent & lese not þy londe 22 Smyte § þe lyfte foete & cleue ry¥t doune 23 Geder oute of þy ry¥te hond & smyte ~ hauke 24 rounde// ffresly smyte þy strokis by dene ~ and 25 hold wel þy lond þath hyt may be sene 26 thy rakys " þy rowndis " þy qãrters abowte 27 thy stoppis " þy foynys " lete h‘ fast rowte 28 thy spryngys " þy quarters " þy rabetis also 29 Bere a goede eye & lete þy hond go 30 ffy on a false hert þt dar not a byde 31 Wen he seyþ rovndys " & rakys r‘nyng by hs side 32 ffle not hastly for a lytil pryde 33 ffor lytil Wote þy adusary Wath h$ shal betide 34 lete strokys fast folowe aftr hys honde 35 And hauk rovnde wt a stop & stil þt þu stond 36 Greve not gretly þov þu be tochyd a lyte 37 ffor ~ aftr stroke ys betr yf þu dar h$ smyte 38 A gode rovnde wt an hauke & smyte ry¥t dovne 39 Gedyr vp a doblet & spare not hys crovne 40 Wt a rownde & a rake a byde at a bay 41 Wt a r‘níg qãrter sette hí oute of hys way 42 Thys buþe þ e lettrs þt stondí in hys sy¥te 43 To Teche " or to play " or ellys for to fy¥te 44 These buþe þe strokys of þy hole grovnde 45 ffor hurte " or for dynte " or ellys for deþys

wonde 46

Fremund Defeating The Danes, In John Lydgate's 'The Lives Of Sts. Edmund And Fremund'. Date; Between 1433 and 1444; probably c.1434. © The British Library Board, Shelfmark; Harley MS 2278, f.86v.

Apart from Fremund's classic two-hand strike in the centre of the image it is worth noting the somewhat unusual single-hand thrusting actions elsewhere; For example, the image depicted in the lower left showing a 'dagger type' downward stab against a wrestling opponent; Also the image in the lower right corner showing a 'couched' coup de grâce thrust against a prostrate opponent. The swords depicted in this illustration would seem to match the description, (noted by Hester), of a two hand sword as given by Dr Sidney Anglo1 and could be the type of sword that the target audience of the verse would have been familiar with:

The true two-hand sword may have a blade of four feet or more, and a grip of well over one foot; can weigh about six pounds;...

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1 S. Anglo, The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe (New Haven, 2000), p97

man þt wol to þe tohond swerd lern boþe close & cler/ [Lines 1-2] man that will to the twohand sword learn both close & clear/

clē r. plain, obvious. MED clē r. understanding. MED clere. clear. AT clere. evident. Palsgrave, John. Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse, London 1530 close. comprehend, grasp. MED close. secret. Palsgrave, John. Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse, London 1530 closed. covered, buried. Anonymous: The Towneley plays (1460), AT to keep close. to hide. Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et Anglicanae.Thomas Thomas, 1587 wol. will. CT þe. the, (thorn + superscripted 'e') þt. that, (thorn + superscripted 't')

The opening statement, 'man þt wol to þe tohond swerd lern boþe close & cler', is superflous as a fencing instruction and its main purpose seems to be to set the rhyme and meter of the following lines of verse; In this it serves the same purpose as the stopgaps1 found elsewhere in the poem. As the Gloss shows, the words 'close' and 'cler' have several contemporary meanings which, broadly speaking, offer two categories of transcription; The first category is one that reflects the range of skills of the art of the two-hand sword; Starting at the basic, or cler, level and going on to the advanced, or covered, level. This would give a transcription along the following lines

man that will to the twohand sword learn both covered and clear

A modern, idiomatic version being this:

The man that wishes to study the basic and advanced arts of the two-hand sword

The second category would see close catering for the fencing masters penchant for secrecy and it would therefore be used in the sense of 'secret' or 'covert'. In which case cler could be transcribed as, evident, obvious, or plain. Döbringer mentions secrecy (f.17r) in a list of abstract requirements such as feeling, knowing, daring, cunning, etc.. Using hte 'secrecy' approach would give:

man that will to the two hand sword learn both secret & obvious.

A third, implied, transcription would see close transcribed as 'deeply' to give:

'The man that wishes to learn the arts of the two-hand sword deeply and clearly'

Of the options I list above my preferred choice is:

The man that wishes to study the basic and advanced arts of the two-hand sword

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1 stopgaps. Words typically used at the end of lines to maintain rhyme and meter.

A Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

he most have a goede eye boþe fer & ner [Lines 2-3] he must have a good eye both far & near

This is a self-explanatory statement that one might profitably view in terms of Silver's1 Judgement of Distance and Measure inasmuch as it relates to the ability to fight effectively at all possible distances. I therefore interpret this as, 'he must be able to effectively judge all fighting ranges'.

& an in stop • & an owte stop • [Lines 3 -4] & an in stop & an out stop

The question that arises is this, did the author use the terms to mean parrying, or stepping? Stop, in Old English, can be used to mean, ‘engaged’, ‘came to close quarters’, ‘got to grips’, ‘closed’, 'stepped'; A good example being the Anglo-Saxon poem, the Battle of Maldon which was probably written down near the time of the battle itself (991AD).

Wōd þā wīġes heard, waepen ūp ahōf, L.130 bord tō ġebeorge, and wið þæs beornes stōp L.131

University of Virginia

Then one strode, battle-hard, lifted his weapon,

his shield as defense, and against that man stepped

Translation by J. Glenn, 2006, University of Central Arkansas.

In the modern idiom I render this as:

Then came a battle-hardened warrior who raised his weapon [and] shield for protection and closed with the thane.

The early 13th century work ‘Layamon, fl.1200: Brut’ (MS Cotton Caligula) uses to-stopen to give a similar meaning of 'stop' to that given above:

laðliche fuhten hatefully fought [L4885] hardeliche heuwen helmes þer gullen. hardily hewed helmets there rang [L4886] stercliche tostopen mid steles egge. sternly advanced with steel’s edge. [L4887]

In both examples we see an Anglo-Saxon usage of stop to indicate closing with an enemy. This is supported by the use of abe/und czutreten (meaning in-tread and out-tread) which are found in Hanko Döbringer's fechtbuch2 (folio19R), AD1389. Further support for the advancing/retreating hypothesis comes from Filippo Vadi's 15th century manual Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi in which he advises,... if he attacks, go back or let him find you near.3

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1 George Silver, Brief Instructions, 1599. (Sloane MS No. 376) 2 Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch or HS.3227a 1389.Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends, ARMA 3 Filippo Vadi, ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI. Translated by Luca Porzio & Gregory Mele. Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002.

It may seem surprising that fencing masters should emphasise the acts of stepping in and out of range but it is to be remembered that such actions are fraught with risk when facing a weapon- wielding opponent. Therefore the acts of advancing or retreating need to be accompanied by specific actions and positions of weapon and body which in turn relate to vital combat principles. It is therefore possible that references to such footwork in the verse were mnemonic by nature and intended to remind the trainee of the life-preserving actions and combat principles he needed to remember when stepping in or out of striking distance.

My analysis so far seems to indicates that the terms instop and owte stop refer to fencing related footwork rather than defensive movements of a weapon; However 'stop' can also be derived from Late Latin and can therefore have the meaning of, stuffing, plugging, blocking etc. as the following examples show:

He scholde into the mouthes throwen Of tho tweie Oxen that fyr blowen, Therof to stoppen the malice; The glu schal serve of that office.

Gower, John: Confessio amantis (1390-1393) ,Book 5, Lines 3609 -3612. TEAMS He should into the mouths throw Of those two Oxen that fire blow Thereof to plug the malice The glue shall perform that office AT

Stoppen euereche a streem...With stockes & stones & stynkande bestes

The siege of Jerusalem, (1390-1400) Lines 690-691, TEAMS Block every stream...With tree stumps & stones & rotting beasts AT

The schynand and fyry suerd, that stoppis oure gait to paradice;

The Meroure of Wyssdome, (1490), Johannes de Irlandia. DSL. Bibliographies The shining and fiery sword that blocks our path to paradise AT

I Stoppe on ones syde as one is a stoppar in a tenes play or at the foote ball

Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse, 1530, John Palsgrave I defend on one’s side as one is a defender in a tennis game, or at football AT

A later, 20th century, example of ‘stop’ being used in a martial context is to be found in the Law and Order Police Shield catalogue1. This catalogue contains several photographs depicting usage of the shield, one of which (see below) shows the rim of the shield being struck in to the throat of an armed assailant.Whilst this action can not be regarded as a stereotypical block it nonetheless represents stopping an attack by means of a pre-emptive strike. In fencing terms it might be regarded as a 'stop thrust'.

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1 Hiatt & Co., Ltd, Law and Order Police Shield catalogue, Birmingham, England, 1912.

A Useful Stop

The aforegoing examples could seem to validate transcribing 'stop' as parry, and this appears to be the view of both the Middle English Dictionary (MED) and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) The latter giving the following entry for 'instop':

[f. IN adv. 12 + STOP n.]. (app.) An inside guard.

The MED entries are as follows: instop (n.) [?From in adv. & stoppe n. (2).], A parry on the right side [cp.OD inside, A.1.b]. a1500 The man that wol (Hrl 3542 p.308:The man that wol to the to hond swerd lere bothe close and clere, He most have a goode eye bothe fer and nere, And an in stop and an owte stop and an hawke quartere.

outestop (n.) [?From out(e adv. or pref. & stoppe n.(2); cp. instop n.] A parry on the outer or left side.

Unfortunately the MED then confuses the situation even further with the following definition:

stop (n.) Pl. stoppes. [From stoppen v.] (a) A kind of thrust in fencing;

I would ask how, in a single given source, (Harley 3542, ff.83-85) can stop possibly be both a parry and a thrust? I would also point out that, even if instop and outstop are actually parries the MED definitions of them are incorrect; An instop would in fact be a parry to or towards the fencer's left hand side whilst an outestop would be a parry to or towards the fencer's right hand side (both actions being from the fencer's own perspective). The reason for this error becomes clear when one reads the same OED citation ( inside, A.1 b.) as seemingly used by the MED:

'1863 Archery, Fencing, & Broadsword (Rtldg.) 46 It is customary for adversaries, on coming to the Guard, to Engage, or to join blades, on what is called the inside, that is, the right side; although there are occasions on which it is advisable to engage on the outside, or on the left; otherwise called the Quarte or Tierce sides.'

Although confusing to the non-fencer the above description is nonetheless correct; When two right- handed fencers engage blades using an inside parry their blades will be positioned to the right of the other fencer's sword, from their own perspectives. However, the actual blade contact during the parry will occur to the left of each fencers sword from their own persepctives. The opposite will of course be the case when engaged in an outside parry Regardless of the validity of the MED's interpretation it is clear that they and the OED equate Harley's instop and owtestop with the much later terms inside parry and outside parry.The question is, are they correct to do so? For example Godfrey1 talks of Inside Stops, Inside Blows, Outside Blows, Inside and Outside Postures etc.. This clearly shows that Godfrey used inside and outside as directional prefixes to a multitude of fencing related actions whereas literature of the period in question shows that ‘in’ and ‘out’ were typically used

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1 A Treatise upon the Science of Defence. Godfrey, Capt.J. 1747

A Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

to define linear movement/steps from one geographic location to another. For example, 'within and without' a city’s walls as the following examples show:

‘This prince mak proclamatiouns out throwe his realme’. (This prince made proclamation through out his realm) AT

The Historie and Cronicles of Scotland, Robert Lindsay,

‘At yone gate I wil outryde’. (At yon gate I will ride out) AT

Ywain and Gawain,

‘mighte best in reke’ (might best go in) AT

Bevis of Hampton

The above usage survives to this day with the terms ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ having the same geographic connotations, as in 'go inside/go outside'. With this in mind it seems not unreasonable to suggest that ‘instop’ and ‘owte stop’ refer to fencing related footwork (stepping in and out of striking range) rather than spatial movements of a weapon (parrying left and right).

Further encouragement for the ‘geographic’ hypothesis can be gained by examing the words of, on and wastyd which are to be found in folio 83r:

...wt a sengyl qπ rter . & a sengil quart∂ wastyd wt a cartl stroke . & þs smyte þy coπte2 bothe of & on

The terms of & on appears to have been ignored by previous transcribers. This is unfortunate because they play a crucial role in determining the methodology of English two-hand sword systems; Their meaning also helps to solve the 'stepping' versus 'parrying' quandry which is why I have introduced them into the debate. Fortunately the words 'off' and 'on' are still extant in England today and, as any cricket fan will know, respectively mean to the right or left of the batsman when facing the bowler. 'Off' and 'on' would have had the same meaning to the reader of folios 83-85 as 'outside' and 'inside' had to swordsmen of later centuries, in other words 'off and on' mean 'right and left'.

An accurate description of wastyd will help further to verify my transcription of 'off and on'. I am of the opinion that wastyd has never been correctly transcribed and therefore the author's intended meaning has never been realised. For example Hutton1 transcribes 'wastyd' as, a blow well laid on. ARMA, cautiously it must be admitted, suggest 'a feint or strike thrown purposely short' neither of which, in my opinion is supported by valid etymological roots or period evidence. Hester2 interprets wastyd as a blow 'aimed at the waist' but I do not feel that this interpretation addresses the targetting issues as indicated by the term of & on.

I believe the correct transcription of wastyd to be 'wested' (see my glossary) and that the unusual spelling reflects a regional/dialectal accent. Its meaning in the verse is that of a strike to the West, that is to say from the swordman's own left side (normally the opponent's right side).

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1 The Sword and the Centuries, 1901. Hutton, A. 2 Hester, J., The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde... (Dissertation, York University, 2005-6)

Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

eastward/westward right/left. The True Bottom’d Boxer, 1825, by J.JONES AT wastyd. wested, to the west, a synonym for the left or opposite side. DSL westard/westhard. westward. ‘Ye'll navar get to the westhard of yandher falla’. A VotAMd westwarde. to the left as representing west on an astrolabe [quot. a1450], MED

Using my suggested transcription the poet's intended meaning immediately becomes clear. Original text:

...wt a sengyl qπ rter . & a sengil quart∂ wastyd wt a cartl stroke . & þs smyte þy coπte2 bothe of & on

Transcription: ‘...with a single quarter and a single quarter wested with a cartar stroke and thus smite

your attack both off and on’

Modernised version:

‘with a single quarter [from the right] and a single quarter from the left with a cartar stroke and thereby strike your attacks both right and left’

In light of my argument that of & on means 'right & left' should we not expect, if 'stop' means parry, to see the terms 'onstop' and 'offstop' employed instead of 'instop' and 'outstop'? I therefore propose that, & an in stop & an out stop should be given a meaning of, 'and a step forward and a step backward'. In modern terms I would present this requirement as, 'and have forward step and a backward step'.

& an hauke qřter [Line 4] & an hauke quarter

The Dictionary of obsolete and provincial English1 defines hauke as a cut or wound while Hutton2 gives it as a blow. Using these definitions I give this meaning, 'And a quarter strike'.

A cantel • a doblet • an half for hys fere // [Lines 4-5] A cantel, a double, an half for his fere

cant. side. MED cantel side-piece of a pectoral (breastplate). Bedford Inventories cantel side-piece of a pectoral. Catholic Encyclopeadia cantel crown of the head. ( late18th). DSL cantel blow to head. (c late18th). DSL cantel clasp at the top of a sporran. (late1700's) http://www.historic-uk.com cantle. crown of the head. Sc. perh. from Du. kanteel a battlement, used fig. OED cantel battlement. from Du. kanteel. DSL cantel edge, brink. from the Dutch. DSL

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1 The Dictionary of obsolete and provincial English, 1857. Thomas Wright.

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cantel upper edge/rim! ‘The ouer cantall of his scheild he claue’, Quotation, DSL [AT] cantelle corner of shield!in a cantelle he strikes. The Awntyrs of Arthur, L613.TEAMS cantle. a projecting corner or angle of land. Obs. OED cantle. a corner or other portion cut or sliced off; a sliver, a slice. Obs. OED cantus. corner. http://www.thefreedictionary.com cantle. the legs, chiefly of animals W. Riding Yorksh. Gloss, 1811 WILLAN, W. OED cantle the head. Northumbria. Halliwell, ADAPW cantle the leg of an animal. North. Halliwell, ADAPW cantle. the leg of an animal. North. 1847-78 Halliwell. OED cantel a piece of timber used as a brace or support. MED cantel a piece of wood placed obliquely to support a rafter. Bosworth/Toller. cantel obliquely, sideways. [cp. OF en chantel]. MED cant. sing softly. Scots Glossary, The Mudcat Cafe cantle. lilt. ME [from Old North French] Scots Glossary, The Mudcat Cafe canticle holy song or prayer. OED cantel for cantica. the Song of Solomon. MED cantelene holy song. c1450 (?c1425) St.Mary Oign.(Dc 114) 178/17 cantelys sacred songs. 1450 St.Mary Oign. (Dc 114)178/17. cantile sacred song. MED cant. toss lightly, cast anything a small distance. AGC(G)D cantel the protuberant part at the back of a saddle; the hind-bow. OED cantel a quarter, or the quarter-peece, of a garment. Randle Cotgrave, 1611 cautel to be on one's guard... http://dictionary.reference.com [dictionary.com] cautel. caution; prudence; wariness. http://www.thefreedictionary.com cautil. craftiness; deceitfulness, deceit, a stratagem, ruse, trick MED cautile. ruse/trick, ‘By crafte or by cautile’.GRom.(Hrl 7333) 122. (MED quotation). AT caunter cross lode. (deriv. of cant) Risdon's Surv. Devon p. xiii, J.T.1810. OED caunter a cross-handed blow. (deriv. of cant) W. Cornwall Gloss., 1880. OED

Cantel occurs only once in the verse and then only as part of a short list that is devoid of descriptions. The Middle English Dictionary suggests that cantle is a strike of some kind aimed at a corner or side of the body and/or that it might be an oblique stroke. Hester1 opts for 'a cut to the side'. Either Hester's or the MED's proposal would be acceptable given that they relate to typical definitions of 'cantel'. However the same logic can be extended to suggest defensive actions utilising diagonal sword positions such as the pendent which approximates to the German Hengen (hanging) guard. The term pendent was still in use in England more than two centuries later when Wylde refers to it as a quarterstaff ward2. Further conjecture based on a diagonal sword position might suggest an English equivalent of the German kron3 (Italian Corona). Perhaps, remembering the use of independent minims, we might consider that cautel not cantel was the intended word! This possibility arises because the third letter of the word in question is rendered as 'Ι Ι' thus making it difficult to determine whether 'u' or 'n' was intended. If the poet intended it as 'u' it would give cautel which can have the meaning of, trick, ruse, or stratagem. This would accord with continental sources such as Filppo Vadi's manual which mentions the need to know and use, 'tricks

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1 Hester, J., The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde... (Dissertation, York University, 2005-6) 2 Wylde, Zachary. The English Master of Defence, 1711. 3 The blade is held centered out from the lower abdomen at a 45o angle aimed at the opponent’s chest, throat, or face.

www.historicalweapons.com/swordsfencingterminology.html

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

and cunnings’ in his 15th century Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi1 (folio 3r).

A final, though less likely, suggestion is that cantel may refer to a holy song or hymn. Such a possibility is suggested by cantile (also see cantelys); Warriors traditionally offer devotions to God before entering battle. However, such a transcription would probably require ‘halfe’ and ‘doblet’ to refer to protective harness (A hymn, a doublet, and half harness for his companions). Crucially though there is no mention of a helm (unless one contrives helm from crown) or gauntlets which one would expect if the poet were listing harness requirements.

In closing I feel I must state my belief that there is insufficient evidence to reliably select ‘cantel’ as the word intended, much less ascribe to it an accurate martial meaning. I prefer instead to hedge my bets by saying is possible. I give the following reading,, 'A cantel/cautel, a double strike, a half strike for his companions'.

Two rowndys ۰ and an half with a good cher [Lines 5-6] Two rounds and an half with a good cheer

round. ‘His heer was by his erys ful round yshorn;’ (his hair was by his ears shorn round. AT)

The Reeve’s Portrait, Chaucer round. ‘to rounde or cutte of the heare.’ (to round or cut off the hair AT) Wm Thomas, 1550 round because of the compass he makes while moving around it's called the Round blow. Meyer rounde. tondo. Wm.Thomas, 1550 (Patterweb) half A half part of an object, an area, an aggregate, a quantity, a unit of measurement, etc.; MED half. either of two sides/ directions to the right or left of a person. MED halves. sides. Alliterative Morte Arthure, L1966 TEAMS sere halves. every side. Alliterative Morte Arthure, L1853 TEAMS fele halfes. many sides. Alliterative Morte Arthure, L2450 TEAMS half time. sword strike delivered with a turn of the wrist. Vadi, Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, Ch.142 half blow slower but harder than a wrist blow, faster but weaker than a quarter blow. Swetnam3 chere manner, Amis and Amiloun, L15, TEAMS blithe chere. good will. The Avowyng of Arthur, Line 799, TEAMS blithe chere good spirit. AT

The above glossary suggests to me that the 'round' strike should be regarded as a circular strike in the horizontal plane; In such a strike the sword orbits the body striking a target either on the left or the right hand side of the opponent's body. In determing the nature of the 'half' it may prove useful to consider the words of English fencing master Joseph Swetnam who describes three kinds of sword strikes, the wrist blow, the half blow and the quarter blow:

sometimes with a wrist blow thou maiest speed thine enemie when thou canst not hit him with a halfe blow nor with a quarter blow because there is in the deliuering of either of the two last blowes more time spent, for euerie blow exceedeth each other in force and in quickenesse

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1 Vadi, Filippo. ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI. Translated by Luca Porzio & Gregory Mele. Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002 2 Vadi, Filippo. ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI. Translated by Luca Porzio & Gregory Mele. Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002 3 Swetnam, J. The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence, 1617.

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009

The importance of Swetnam's words is that they not only name each kind of strike but also describe when and why they are to be used. His wrist blow represents the fastest of the three because it involves the smallest and therefore quickest physical action. In this it very clearly equates to Vadi's mezzo tempo (half time) which Vadi describes thus:1

'The half time is only a turn of the wrist, quick and immediate to strike ...often the turning [blow] breaks the other's brain with its good edge.

Vadi's words suggest that this blow is dedicated to head strikes and it is interesting to note that Swetnam's2 words imply his wrist strike serves the same purpose:

this wrist blow will hit thine enemie either head or face if his points lie anie thing open, or on either side of his head, if he doe looke ouer either of his weapons: for although he doe see it comming neuer so plaine, yet he cannot preuent it, if hee had Argus eies,

There is agreement then between two fencing masters from different times and climes that the wrist strike is a fast attack that targets the head (though I do not discount other target areas). Swetnam doesn't describe the half-blow in great detail but in discussing his wrist and quarter blows we can hopefully arrive at a better understanding of the half blow. Swetnam has this to say of the quarter blow:

the quarter blowe doth fetch a compasse about the head, that although hee come strong it is not so quick as many other:

This is an important description of a strike that is repeatedly referenced in ff. 83-85 and may be extremely useful in decyphering the methodology of English two-hand sword play. However, for the time being we look to Swetnam for clues as to the nature of the half blow; We know from his descriptions that the realm of the half blow lies between the wrist and, by extrapolation, the shoulder, thereby suggesting that it is a blow generated by and from the elbow(s). Given Swetnam's suggested targets for the wrist and quarter blows I do not think it unreasonable to propose that the torso would best target for the half blow, though I do of course allow for other targets. With these suggestions in mind we can now examine the application of 'two rounds and a half' which is obviously an instruction to carry out three separate attacks designed not only to keep an opponent under constant pressure but also to draw his sword into wide spaced defensive actions. Meyer's Doppel Rundstreich (Double Roundstrike) shows similar intent:3

This one do like this/strike the first one (the first blow) horizontally from your right

towards his face/but don't let it connect/but rather jerk your hilt (upward) while striking/ towards your left into the said guard of (left) Ox/and turn the (your) right

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1 ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI , c. x1111, f.13v Translated by Luca Porzio & Gregory Mele. Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002 2 The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence, 1617. Swetnam, J. 3 Translation provided by Jörg Bellinghausen, January 2007.

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side well towards the (your) left, following the hilt/but you shall not rest in this position even for a moment/but rather move your head down during the said upward jerking motion/and strike the other one (the second blow, J.B.) around your head towards his right (side) to his mid section or armpit/but don't let this blow connect either/but rather only let it get through up to his parry (if he has turned it against it) /and with this blow move again upwards to your right with your hilt/let your blade move back around/ and strike the third one completely through from your right horizontally through his foot (with 'foot' Meyer means the whole lower leg from the knee down).

The Bolognese schools used a similar tactic1 :

The Bolognese also show a variety of actions where they throw a horizontal cut from one line, snap around to throw its opposite, and then cut back down on the same line, breaking the original rhythm of the attack

Whether or not any of the rounds in the verse are intended as feinting strikes, as in Meyer, or are full-power attacks is at this stage immaterial, the important thing is that the basic nature of the round is understood. Using Meyer's description as a tactical template I propose the following sequence as one example of how 'two rounds and a half' could be employed:

Begin with a full anti-clockwise round to the opponent's upper right, followed by a full clockwise round to his lower left torso then, bending back the arms from the elbows, swing the sword 180 degrees backwards (in the same line as it entered) and then strike back to the opponent's upper left torso. In other words the 'half' is delivered by pulling the blade back to the half-way point of the previous round. Such an action would allow the blade to clear the opponent’s weapon and attack a different target on the same side. Tactically, the targeting I suggest bears more comparison with the Bolognese school than with Meyer. I would also suggest, given the over-riding philosophy reflected in the verse, that all three strikes referred to in 'two and a half rounds' should be delivered forcefully as first, second and third intention attacks rather than as two feints and one strike. Given the degree of force I suggest was intended at each stage of the sequence I propose that full steps or passes be used in conjunction with the strikes in order that optimum body mechanics can be utilised to generate speed and power. The final section of the instruction in question is, with a good chere has the modern meaning of 'with good spirit' or 'a confident manner'. It also rather cleverly serves as a stop gap for the following line.

Thys ys the ferst cowntere of the too hand swerd sere // [Lines 6-7] This is the first counter of the two handsword sere

This usage of 'counter' is derived from encounter or incounter meaning, to attack, to engage, to join battle. This is of crucial importance when determing the methodology of the English two hand sword system because it immediately reveals a much smaller reliance on the parry-riposte than previously appreciated. The word sere, in the context intended by the poet has the meaning of many or several though I opt for 'many'. The transcription then becomes 'This is the first attack of the two hand sword many', to which I give the modern meaning of, 'This is the first of many two hand sword attacks'.

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1 Description provided by Gregory Mele, co-translator of ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI, Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002

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Bynde hem togedere & say god spede / [Lines 7-8] Bind them together & say god speed

It has been suggested that the phrase bynde hem togedere refers to the binding of an opponent’s blade but this is not borne out grammatically or contextually. In my opinion the clue for its actual meaning is contained in the preceding line, ‘Thys ys the ferst cowntere of the too hand swerd sere’ (This is the first of many two hand sword attacks) and therefore ‘bind them together’ is a straight forward instruction to bind, or join, these many attacks together in combinations. This correspondes with similar instructions in other parts of the text, for example, Fresly smyte thy strokis by dene (fiercely strike your strokes together/in quick succession) which is discussed below. The expression, 'say god speed' simply means, in the modern idiom, 'ask for God's help'. Such an instruction is common in WMA period sources. It is also another example of the poet's use of stopgaps to balance rhyme and metre. In the modern idiom I suggest the following, 'Combine your attacks and pray for God's help'.

Two quarters and a rownde a stop thou him bede // [Lines 8-9] Two quarters and a round a stop thou him bid

The attacks referred to here are clearly understood, rather it is the word ‘stop’ that is of interest because it re-visits the issue of whether stop means step, halt, or parry. The latter choice seems less likely than one of the preceding two because no fighter would want his opponent to parry his attacks. Therefore the choice lies between 'halt' or 'step'. In reality it matters little which of the two is applicable because the poet is conveying to us that this particular combination is a good way to break up an attack and/or force your opponent on to the defensive and thus create openings for further attacks. With this in mind I give the following, preferred modern day transcription, 'Two quarter strikes followed by a round strike will force him to step away'.

A rake wt a spryng Þer yu hỹ a byde [Lines 9-10] A rake with a spring there thou him abide

I take Swetnam’s1 description and usage of 'rake', the reason for doing so is primarily that Swetnam was at pains to point out the defensive qualities of his ‘rake’ which equates nicely with the covering/defensive duties inferred in the verse. However it is also of interest to note that the ‘rake’ is also used as a covering strike when advancing, as in the following example, ‘Come in with a rake in every a syde’ (close in with a rake on each side). This is suggestive of a moulinet type action designed to attack and cover at the same time. That is to say slicing cuts delivered, Swetnam style, with the weapon held at such an angle and height that it simultaneously provides a covering line for the head and upper lines for advancing rather than retiring; This can be achieved with a close range slicing action but not with a a long range slicing action because the shallower angle of the sword would not only be unable to present a covering line during its action but would be somewhat easier to parry.The word ‘spring’ is also problematical in that it appears to be ascribed different meanings in different places in the text. It can mean springing, or jumping, backwards or forwards with the feet or it can mean

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1 The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence, 1617. Swetnam, J.

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

springing the sword forwards in a single hand thrust. The latter seems unlikely in this scenario in that it would seem strange to deliver a rake followed by a thrust and then ‘await’ the opponent’s responses. If the thrust hit home, or occupied the opponent’s weapon, a follow-up attack would be indicated. If the thrust failed then some other action, defensive or offensive, would be required. However, if in this instance, the rake is viewed as a defensive action it would then make sense to ‘spring’ or ‘fly out’ to a strong defensive position from which to await your opponent’s next action. Importantly, ‘there’ can be transcribed as ‘where’ which would then give us, ‘a rake with a spring where you wait for him’. This would then accord nicely with Swetnam’s defensive use of the rake:

but if you bee armed with a Bill or a Hooke, then in your halfe-close you may fall away turning the edge or your Bill or Hooke towards his legge, and so by a drawing blow rake him over the shins, and keeping up the But-end of the Staffe for the defence of your owne head, and so you may fall out of his distance, and recover your guard before he can any way endanger you.

Keeping the above suggestions in mind I offer thefollowing interpretation, 'jump backwards with a rake and await your opponent’s next move.'

ffalle ī wt an hau ke & stride noЗte to wyde/ [Line 10] Fall in with an hauke & stride not too wide

This is a straightforward instruction to advance and strike down with a hauk (a vertical or nearly vertical downward strike) coupled with an admonition not to step too far to the side as you advance. This echoes Döbringer1 who wrote:

you should also show reach in your fencing as is suitable and not step too wide (f.15v).

Smyte a r‘n$g qãrter owte for hys syde [Line 11] Smyte a running quarter out for his side

The usual transcription of r‘n$g (rennying) is as a racing motion of the feet as shown here:

The raches comun rennyng (The dogs came running) AT

The Avowyng of Arthur (L101). TEAMS

In period fencing terms the use of rennying in relation to footwork is best regarded as a synonym for speedy footsteps rather than a running action; For example Forgeng2 translates the German term einlauffen (running in) as, 'To close with an opponent in order to grapple or wrestle'. Rath and Rector3 interpret it as 'To duck under the opposing weapon'. ARMA 4 gives it as, 'To duck under

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1 Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends. (see ARMA) 2 THE ART OF COMBAT by Joachim Meyer, 1570. Translated by Jeffrey L. Forgeng 3 Glossary of the Kunst des Fechtens, compiled by David Rath, edited by Mark Rector (see www.angelfire.com) 4 Definitions and Study Terminology, ARMA (Association of Renaissance Martial Arts)

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

the opposing weapon or employ closing and entering techniques (Einlauff)'.

The inference from these translations/interpretations is that in German sources 'running in' means to get to very close-range; This indicates a quick stepping or leaping action rather than running, it also emphasises closeness not distance. Therefore 'Smyte a running quarter out for his side' is unlikely, in my opinion, to refer to an action whereby the swordsman runs or leaps to the side of an opponent to deliver a quarterstrike; Firstly because this action implies increasing the distance between antagonists not reducing it (as in the German models); Secondly, the greater the number of footsteps (as running implies) the greater the time an opponent has to react to the attack. At folio 82 is found the fifth lesson which I believe further supports this argument:

breke of γe erγe wt rēyng rowndis on ye hede.

This is commonly interpreted as ‘run forward with rounds above the head’ but the gloss I provide below suggests a different interpretation is possible:

breke foreward advance. Anonymous: The Owl and the nightingale, Cotton ms, (1190-1210) breke forwarde advance. Layamon, fl.1200: Brut’, 1205 AT breken in to break into the ranks of an enemy, invade. MED breken vp jump up. Anonymous: An anthology of Chancery English (1384- 1462) of from. c1400 (?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)1778: '..sprange of her mouthe' OED quot. on above, over. MED on. an axis or centre of revolution. DSL

Taking the words in order it can be seen that breke refers to a motion of the body and/or feet; That of means 'from'. While on refers to 'above' or 'over'. By combining these meanings I am able to propose the following interpretation:

'spring from the earth with running rounds above the head'

This suggests that springing or breaking from the earth involves a short two-footed jumping action or, as Döbringer1 put it, 'a short leap with short steps'. The Harley verse uses the plural rowndis so it follows that more than one spring from the earth is intended. In other words the instruction means that the swordsman is intended to close distance by springing (leaping) forward, more than once, whilst simultaneously delivering round strikes. I suggest this rules out the act of running forward because a person cannot both spring forward and run forward at the same time! On the other hand separate leaps would represent finite physical actions which would allow the swordsman to coordinate each action of the blade with each advance of the feet; The importance of coordinating hand (blade action) and foot (or feet) is attested to at folio 82:

these ben stroke & revle of þe " ij" hondswerd to make hys hond & hys foete a corde these are stroke & rule of the two handsword to make his hand & his foot accord AT

A virtually identical statement is to be found in Cotton Titus A XXV 2

and ever _e fote _e hande _e hye and _e herte to accorde.

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1 Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends. (see ARMA) 2 Cotton Titus A XXV. Eleonora Litta's transcription.

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

Restoring the abbreviations gives the following:

and ever the foot, the hand, the eye, and the heart to accord

The above lines reflect the universal concept of coordinating strikes with footwork. I suggest this offers further encouragement for ruling out running as the poet's intended meaning; This is because coordinating weapon strikes with footwork when moving at running speed is somewhat difficult.

Taking these factors into consideration I propose that the poet intended r‘n$g to apply to actions of the blade not actions of the feet as suggested by this 14th century example:

Thurgh him into the herte renneth Through him into the heart runs (pierces)

Confessio Amantis, Line 324, Book 1. TEAMS

Similar usages are also found in German sources:

Ablauffen (running off), Withdrawing the blade, before or after contact, by rotating it around the hilt.1

überlauffen (over-running), to attack the opponent agressively from above.2

I believe that Swetnam's description of a quarter indirectly supports the 'blade movement' contention because compasse as contained in 'the quarter blowe doth fetch a compasse about the head' means to travel or move and about means 'around'. This could justifiably be written as, ' the quarter blowe doth run about the head'. All factors considered I believe that 'Smyte a running quarter out for his side' means to change the angle of attack in order to strike to the opponent's side. It should also be remembered that steps with strikes are implied, unless otherwise stated, in period texts. A suggested scenario then finds a swordsman who is standing, for example, in a middle guard stepping foward to his right and simultaneously pivoting his sword around the wrist to attack his opponent's left side. My suggested transcription is therefore this, 'circle the sword around the head to strike to the opponent's side'. My interpretation does not preclude the simultaneous use of steps and passes whilst the blade is 'running'.

Fal a pō hys harneys yf he wole abyde [Line 12] Fall upon his harness if he will abide

fal. proceed/start/begin.Thai fal to werslyng..., Doug. vi x 36. DSL. AT fall (to þe fyghte). proceed, start, begin, go. The Alliterative Morte Arthure (1440). TEAMS. AT fall. to fall to, to fall upon, engage with. DSL

This line may be, as is commonly thought, a reference to a wrestling move but if so it seems to be remarkably vague and incomplete when compared to the rest of the verse; Or indeed to other contemporary prose descriptions of wrestling techniques. Of course such prose was written for a different audience and for different reasons, but the point is that the authors of period romances were adept at describing wrestling actions; One might therefore expect the expect the Harley poet, ______________________________________

1 Higgins Armory Sword Guild, Glossary of German Fechtkunst terms. Translated and compiled by Jeffrey L. Forgeng 2 THE ART OF COMBAT by Joachim Meyer, 1570. Translated by Jeffrey L. Forgeng

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a martial artist after all, to be capable of doing the same. Look, for example, at these wrestling descriptions1 from Hartmann von Aue’s, Erec, 9275-9315 (c.1180-1190):

Furiously [Mabonagrin] rushed towards [Erec] intending with all speed to seize [Erec] tightly to himself, lift him, and throw* him with his great strength, so that he would be shattered to pieces. But very fortunately Erec, as a child, had learned in England, it is said, to wrestle very well (as well as other useful skills). He was aided by the fact that it is is very hard to grasp armour with one’s hand when it is being worn. For this reason, he began to slip out of [Mabonagrin’s] grip, so that he was unable to carry out his intention. He seized [Mabonagrin’s] belt in front of him, and bent himself away from him below:** [Mabonagrin] made efforts to pull Erec towards him, but he did not succeed. Erec showed his strength. As [Mabonagrin] bent forward, [Erec] set his shoulder† so that it could be seen against [Mabonagrin’s] chest, so that he could not approach him. Quickly, he pushed [Mabonagrin] away from him and pulled him back again so fast that the huge man began to fall. Because of his weight, he could not prevent himself from touching the ground. Now the noble knight, Erec the wondrous, made [Mabonagrin’s] situation as difficult as he pleased. He knelt on his breast and gave him so many blows that [Mabonagrin] lost hope of surviving, lying under him, and abandoned all attempts to defend himself.

* More accurately, ‘thrust him down’ ** This may mean that Erec is moving his legs and lower body away from Mabonagrin to

prevent Mabonagrin from seizing him, in his turn, possibly around the waist. † Literally, his shoulder-bone.

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1 Single Combat and Warfare in German Literature of the High Middle Ages, 2008, by Rachael E. Kellet.

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As can be seen Hartmann von Aue very capably describes several wrestling moves; For example the sentence, ‘lift him up and throw him’ represents a clear, concise and complete, description of a wrestling move. A description that would be perfectly lucid even to non-wrestlers. The sort of lucidity that we should in fact expect to find employed by the Harley poet; After all, he has proved his scholarly and martial credentials beyond any shadow of a doubt. Given those credentials it would be strange indeed if he were unable to match the simple yet accurate descriptions in Erec, or for that matter, the following English sources:

And Gawayn bi the coler keppes the knight’ And Gawayn by the collar [gorget!] takes captive the knight The Awntyrs of Arthur, L618. TEAMS

He leapt upon him then He pull’d him down upon his knee

He leapt upon him, the he pulled him down on his knee. AT

Sir Lancelot du Lake, The Percy Reliques, P.200, Everyman's Library

ant seh hu feole the grimme wreastlere of helle breid upon his hupe ant weorp with the hanche-turn into galnesse

and saw how many the fierce wrestler of hell caught on his hip and threw into wickedness with a turn

of the haunch. AT

Ancrene Wisse, Part IV, L1243-1244. (Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 402), TEAMS

In fact the Harley poet ably demonstrates the ability to give clear, concise instructions throughout the verse, except, that is, for the two supposed wrestling sections, neither of which represent self- contained units of instruction! For example if we take, 'Fal apon hys harneys yf he wole abyde', to be a wrestling instruction we are given, in the modern idiom, something along the lines of, ‘Grip his harness if he doesn’t move’; It has an initial instruction but lacks a concluding action; The reader is being told to catch or grip an opponent’s harness and that is all; No instruction to ‘dash him down’, no specific instruction to grasp him by the belt, or grasp him around the neck, just the instruction to ‘Fal apon hys harneys yf he wole abyde’. This is demonstratably out of keeping with the structure of the rest of the verse; I am therefore forced to question whether ‘Fal apon hys harneys yf he wole abyde' actually alludes to a wrestling instruction? I propose that is is simply an instruction to strike the harness which reading at least represents a complete action. Needless to say, attacking the harness with the weapon is frequently mentioned in medieval sources. Indeed, when facing an armoured opponent striking his harness is a given action. George Silver1 validates the importance of attacking harness when questioning the usefulness of rapiers in battle:

Can they pierce his corslet with the point? Can they unlace his helmet, unbuckle his armor, ...

Further support for the non-wrestling hypothesis is available in an alternative meaning of, ‘fall upon’ a valid transcription of this being, ‘engage with’. This might be taken to mean grapple with the harness but at once such a meaning raises the previous objections in that it would be an action lacking either a qualified result or an ending. However by giving ‘fall upon’ the meaning 'strike with ______________________________________

1 George Silver. Paradoxes of Defence. London. 1599

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the weapon' it would represent both action and result. Further encouragement for this approach comes from the following contemporary description:

Than they fall to Þe fyghte foynes with sperys

Thrusting with spears they begin to fight. AT

Anonymous: The alliterative Morte Arthure, 1440. TEAMS This description makes it clear that in a martial sense ‘fall’ can mean, begin (to fight) We also have, ‘fall to’ meaning to commence or start, while ‘fall upon’ can mean to drop or descend upon; Indeed, such a transcription may be rather helpful in indicating sword position and therefore target as shown in this later source:

offer a pitch the outside of his head or right ear, then fall to the inside of his leg

Zachary Wylde, The English Master of Defence, 1711 Given the above uses of 'fall' I transcribe, ‘Fal apon hys harneys yf he wole abyde’ as, ‘strike his harness whenecver the opportunity arises’. In other words this is not an instruction to strike at a specific target but at any opportune target that presents itself.

Come in wt a rake in euy a syde [Line 13] Come in with a rake in every a side

This refers to a means of closing distance using rakes as defensive cover, in other words, 'When advancing defend both sides with rakes'.

An hole rownde and an halfe • wath so ht be tyde [Line 14] A whole round and an half, wath so it betide

wathely woefully. Alliterative Morte Arthure, Line 2090. TEAMS wathes harm. The Avowyng of Arthur, Line 212, STMEC wath danger, risk. AT waþe peril. ME wothely lethally. The Awntyrs off Arthur, L692. TEAMS

In a modern context I interpret this as, ‘one and a half rounds is a dangerous attack’ because the second part of the attack is facilitated by a fast change of line to attack in to the wide space created when the opponent defends against the first attack (the round).

• iiij • qurters & a rownd • a ventures stroke wyth [Line 15] iv quarters and a round, and a ventures stroke with

There are two questions that need to be asked about using ‘iiij quarters’, the first being this: Would delivering four consecutive quarter blows comply with the principles of the True Fight? Dobringer1 _________________________________

1 Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends. (see ARMA)26

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and therefore Leichtenaur, certainly thought so as can be seen by the following from the Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389:

When you have done the first strike [Vorschlag] then you shall without any delay do the [Nachschlag] and you should also stay in motion and do one thing after another. If the first [attack] does not work then the second, the third or the fourth will hit, and you shall not let the opponent come to blows.

Yet Döbringer’s words need to be considered in context because he is talking of the principles of Vor (before) and Nach (after). By this he means if the first attack fails then a second attack must be launched immediately after. In other words keep pressuring the opponent so that he is too busy defending to launch an attack of his own. In this scenario it follows that the attacker is free to launch a second and, if needed, a third and fourth attack. This approach is fine because, done this way, it will accord with the principles of the true fight; In fact based upon the terminology of the verse there is good reason to believe that exactly the same methodology was part of the arsenal of the English two hand sword fighter.

Nonetheless it cannot be taken as read that Döbringer’s ‘four blows’ equate to the verse's iiij quarters. For one thing Döbringer doesn’t specify that four blows must be used, only that four blows can be used if necessary. It is also important to realise that in the Döbringer scenario only the first blow is pro-active, the subsequent blows being re-active, that is to say that the manner and necessity of the subsequent blows depend upon the opponent’s reactions or lack of reactions as the case may be. In the verse the four quarters are pro-active; That is to say that they form a specific attack or strategy initiated by the attacker rather than being responsive to an opponent’s reactions. It is therefore necessary to ask if four, seperate, pre-planned quarter strikes would in fact comply with the principles of effective combat? The answer must be no because the idea that there would be enough time to safely deliver four separate, committed quarter strikes without reply or reaction from the opponent is not likely. Such an attack would involve pulling the blade back three times and striking in again three times after the initial attack; A skilled opponent would surely be able to take advantage of the lost times between those attacks.

If not four separate strikes then what else could it be? To answer this question it is necessary to ask what function or role is fulfilled by the iiij quarters that is not performed by other strikes or combinations in the verse/manuscript? There are, for example, rowndis or rounds, which I define as orbital strokes in the horizontal plane. There are also rolling strokes which I define as forward (clockwise) orbital strokes in the vertical plane, done on one side of the body or the other. Rakes I define as diagonal drawing cuts across the body line, either upwards or downwards. Every other technique is either done singly or doubly; None of these can be described as four quarters, this suggests the need to look for a different kind of delivery; A delivery in which four quarters are delivered with a continuous, pre-planned action. For this action we might consider something along the lines of Mertin Siber's schneller1:

Den Schneller tu mit Macht Zu beiden Seiten zweifach

Do the speeder with might

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1 A thesis on the fechtlehre from Handschrift M I 29 (Codex Speyer), University of Salzburg, Austria. By Jeffrey Hull

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To both sides twice.

The instruction to do the Sneller to ‘both sides twice’ is interesting because here is a German source giving the instruction to carry our four successive, proactive strikes; The iiij quarters are clearly intended to be proactive, that is to say pre-planned attacks and logicsuggests that the iiij quarters need to be performed with a continuous action as are the speeders to both sides twice. Although I make clear that there is no proof that the iiij quarters and the speeder to both sides twice are the same; Nonetheless the fact that both tactics consist of four consecutive, proactive strikes is an intriguing coincidence that is surely worthy of further consideration. In the case of the iiij quarters I propose that they be considered as round strikes delivered diagonally across the body line.

The nature of the round has already been discussed but the reference to doing the round with a 'ventures stroke' is somewhat intriguing and I suggest it may be similar in nature to a quarterstaff attack that Meyer describes as:

A good stroke in which you turn around1

Meyer's description of this 'turning attack' could easily be described as a ventures stroke in that both the English and the German attack involve turning the back to the opponent, hence the venture (risk). Bearing these factors in mind I interpet the line as follows, 'four consecutive quarter strikes then a round strike and a turning strike',

Bere up hys harnes & gete þu þe gryth [Line16] Bere up his harness and get thou the grith

bare. thrust. The Avowyng of Arthur L 422. TEAMS. to bere a rout. to receive a blow. DSL beres. thrusts. The Alliterative Morte Arthure, Line 1379. AT. TEAMS bere. push, thrust. The Knight’s Tale, 1387-1394, ACG vp bere. to lift up, raise. DSL

As can be seen there are a variety of transcriptions for ‘bere’, though the one that seems to command popular support in relation to the verse is that of ‘lift’. When this 'popular' transcription is applied to, ‘Bere up hys harnes’ it becomes, ‘lift up his harness’. If the second part of this line is then introduced according to the same ‘popular’ transcription we arrive at ‘lift up his harness and get you the girth’. Or in the modern idiom, ‘lift up his harness and grip him around the waist’. It is immediately clear that these instructions are confusing and lack any sort of conclusion; Are we to assume that lifting up his harness refers to bodily lifting the opponent from the ground? If so, what If so, what action follows next! Even if ‘do as y seye’ in the next line is taken to be the concluding instruction it would be superfluous since there can only be one thing to do once a man has been lifted from the ground and that would be a throw of some kind, so why not say so! Furthermore the question needs to be asked as to why the poet would, in effect, give the same instruction twice in that he tells the reader to lift up an opponent AND to grip him around the waist! The second of these

_______________________________

1 THE ART OF COMBAT by Joachim Meyer, 1570. Translated by Jeffrey L. Forgeng

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

two instructions indicates the first (why else grip a man around the waist!) and the first of the instructions, that of lifting a man up, indicates the second instruction, which is to grip him around the waist. It is quite obvious that these instructions are not only confusing but also lack any sort of grammatical or martial conclusion. Further to this is the matter of the transcription itself, we have already seen that other writers were perfectly capable of giving concise wrestling instructions So why did the author use the expression gete thou the gryth to qualify the initial instruction? ‘Get you the waist’ makes no sense whatsoever, we must therefore ask if this was the author's intended meaning! In like manner we must also ask why the author would tell us to ‘lift up his harness’, surely, in keeping with other wrestling instructions, he would have told the reader to ‘lift him up’, or lift up his body’! I therefore propose examining afresh the assumptions upon which the ‘popular’ transcriptions are based.

The first of these assumptions is that ‘gryth’ means girth; In other words that metathesis has been employed, but what if metathesis wasn’t employed! What if ‘gryth’ is ‘grith’ which means peace or security, and what if we ascribe to ‘gete’ (get) the common period meaning of ‘win’! This would provide a meaning of ‘win you the peace’. However this meaning would not make sense if allied to, ‘lift him off the ground’ because the peace, or security, would only last for as long as the opponent could be held off the ground.

The second assumption, based on the first, is that the author is describing a wrestling move but what if he is not describing a wrestling move! What if he was ascribing to bere the very common period meaning of thrust! This would give a transcription of thrust up (or to) his harness and win you the peace. Such a transcription would compare well withWittenwiller’s1 advice to, 'Thrust up into all pursuing', the implication being that such a thrust would halt the pursuit and 'win some peace'. It might also be noted that the transcription, ‘thrust to his harness and win you the peace’ would be representative of a complete martial action. I therefore propose the following transcription, 'Thrust to his harness and win you the peace', in the modern idiom I render this as, 'Thrust to his harness to halt his attack'. This bears a remarkable likeness to Wittenwiller’s advice.

My preferred transcriptions in relation to the preceding ‘wrestling’ sections would appear to leave the verse bereft of wrestling moves. However this may be accounted for by the author himself who, at the end of the verse section, states the following:

These buþe þe strokys of þy hole grovnde These are the strokes of the whole art AT

This transcribes as, ‘These are the strokes of the whole art’. Or, in the modern idiom, ‘These are all of the strokes of the art’. Taken at face value this means that only strokes of the sword are being described in the verse; It could well be therefore that the verse wasn’t intended to contain any wrestling instructions which might easily have been contained in another ms.

Dobyl up lyЗthy & do as y seye [Line 17] Double up lygthy and do as I say [do as you see?]

liЗht/liЗht active. ACDME light quick. The Awntyrs of Arthur, Line 469. TEAMS

___________________________________

1 Fight-Book of Hugues Wittenwiller (late 15th century AD) Translation by Jeffrey Hull. From a transcription by Didier de Grenier.

A joint project of ARMA and Arts d' Armes (see ARMA)

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lightly quickly. ACG. ligthy nimbly. AT

The commonly accepted transcription of this is, ‘Double up quickly and do as I say’; I would point out lythy might be translated as actively (nimbly!). with the closing clause, and do as y seye, acting as a stopgap. If the clause were not a stopgap and held some greater martial significance I might find myself querying why the poet, for this one line of the verse, suddenly switches to a first person narrative! I might, as a result, suggest an error and propose the reading of, 'do as you see' which I believe makes more grammatical and martial sense. However, because the line in question is of so little significance I am content to follow the common reading of it.

ffal in wt an hauke & bere a goede eye [Line 18] Fall in with a hauk & bear a good eye

Fall in with a hauk means to attack or engage with a vertically descending strike towards the head, neck or shoulders. Bear a good eye could have a similar meaning to Vadi's warning to be watchful when striking with a riverso fendente (Ch XI, Folio 12R):

...a careful eye to prevent the mandritto coming from below1

In other words beware the opponent striking from below as you strike in a higher line. Of course there is no requirement for the warning in the verse to be so specific because it could simply mean to be on guard, to be alert, or watchful for any counter-actions by the opponent. My favoured interpretation is, 'Begin the attack with a hauk but watch for counter-strikes from below'.

A spryng & a rownde & stap § wyth [Line 19] A spring & a round & step in with

There are a number of options to consider here; The first is to jump forward while delivering a round and then step in! This unlikely since the last action, stepping in, would be without a covering strike or defence. The second option is to spring forward and then step in while delivering a round; This too seems unlikely inasmuch as the leap would not be accompanied by either attack or defence thereby presenting the opponent an attacking opportunity. I suggest the most likely interpretation of spring as a fast single-hand thrust to occupy the opponent's mind and weapon; This occupying action would then allow the swordsman to step in and deliver a round strike in relative safety. I therefore propose the following interpretation, 'A single-hand thrust and then step forward and deliver a round strike'.

spar noЗth ā hauke yf he lye in þy kyth [Line 20] spare not an hauke if he lie in thy kith

Kyth means, ‘one’s country or district’ and I therefore regard it as a synonym for the area of ground

_________________________________

1 ARTE GLADIATORIA DIMICANDI , (c.xI. f.12r). Translated by Luca Porzio & Gregory Mele. Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002. 30

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covered by the reach of the sword. The transcription can then be read as, ‘‘Spare not a hauke if he lies in your reach'. In other words you are being instructed to strike opportunistic blows whenever your opponent comes within range of your sword.

smyte a rēnỹg qurter sore owte of þy honde [Line 21] smite a running quarter sore out of thy hand[s]

soore hard. ACG. AT sore involving great effort or exertion, with intensive force. MED sori hard, fierce, terrible. Sir Bevis of Hampton, L 3432. STMEC. AT

This transcribes as, ‘Strike a running quarter firmly out of your hand’. The crucial word here is, ‘rennyng’ to which I ascribe the transcription as previously discussed. I further propose that the action of a running quarter is that described by Swetnam when discussing the quarter blow. I give the meaning of, 'Deliver a hard quarter strike by pivoting the sword around your hands'.

A byde a pon a pēdent and lese not þy londe [Line 22] Abide upon a pendent and lose not thy land

The pendent or high guard, which is described by Wylde1 in the quarterstaff sections of his book, is the English equivalent of a German hanging guard; It is a guard where the hilt of the sword (or the butt end of the staff) is held above head height with the sword blade (or staff) depending diagonally towards the ground, hence the name. It is clear that the author of the verse was one of those who esteemed this guard because his words make it clear that he regarded the pendent as ideal for holding opponents at bay. I therefore give, 'Abide upon a pendent and lose not thy land' the modern meaning of, 'Defend with the pendent and do not give ground.'

Smyte ī þe lyfte foete & cleue ry¥t doune [Line 23] Smite in the left foot & cleave right down

Hester2 interprets this as a pass forward with the left foot followed by a strong downwards cut, this interpretation requires that 'smite' is a synonym for step. However I believe that such an interpretation is out of keeping with the terminology used throughout the ms because whenever stepping is indicated the preposition 'with' precedes 'foot', as in the following extracts:

[f.82] wt •iii•fete howterwards (with three feet outwards)

wyþ •ii• doubil rowndis berўg ĭ wt a stop (with two double rounds bearing in with a step) [f.82r] a qtrary hauke hamward born wt •ii• stoppis (a contrary hauke homward born with two steps)

wt an hauke beryng inwt þe foote (with an hauke bearing in with the foot) [f.83r] shalt walk in wt •iii• foete (shall walk in with three feet)

wt þy foete goyng (with thy feet going) [f.85r] wt a lusty stop (with a lusty step)

______________________________

1 The English Master of Defence, 1711, Zachary Wylde 2 The Use of the Two-Hand Sworde..., 2005-6 Dissertation, York University, Hester, J.

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Other ways of describing the act of stepping are also encountered in the folios; However, the crucial point to be made is this, if 'Smite in the left foot & cleave right down' meant to step forward and cut right down I would expect to see it phrased something like, 'step in with the left foot and cleave right down'. Or perhaps, 'cleave right down bearing in with the left foot'. ARMA1 suggest 'stomp' for 'Smite' and I feel that this is somewhat closer to the poet's meaning; However I take it a stage further than stomp in suggesting that Smyte ī þe lyfte foete actually means, 'kick in the left foot'. I suggest this because I believe any other interpretation of smite would be inconsistent with its use throughout the manuscript. Consider, for example, the following extracts from ff.83-84:

[f. 83r] smyte ī •iii• rakys (smite in three rakes)

& smyte þy stroke avēture... (and smite your stroke aventure) & þs smyte þy conter bothe of & on (and thus smite your attack both right and left) & smyte a large hauke vp to þe skye (and smite a large hauke up to the sky)

[f. 84] & smyte þy foynys... (and smite your thrusts)

& smyte a large sprynge (and smite a large spring)

In the aforegoing examples a clear object-subject, or verb-noun relationship can be seen; I believe that by applying this same relationship to the instruction, Smyte ī þe lyfte foete we can derive from it that 'smite' is the object (verb) and that foot is the subject (noun) it governs. I believe that this establishes, 'kick in the left foot' as a stand-alone instruction. I offer the following period example to reinforce my case:

with my fete j smott the soler a lofte over my hed iij strokis.2 with my feet I smote the solar aloft over my head iij strokes. AT

If my hypothesis is correct it means that, 'smite in the left foot and cleave right down' is actually an instruction to carry out two seperate but linked attacks; The first being a kick as in, 'kick in with the left foot', the second being a sword stroke as in, 'cut down to the ground'. The act of kicking during sword combats is well documented3.

Geder oute of þy ry¥te hond & smyte ~ hauke rounde [Lines 24-25] Gather out of thy right hand & smite an hauke round

gather. come into a state of preparation for action or effect. CD gather. to collect all one's powers or faculties for a strong effort. CD

I propose that 'gather out of your right hand' simply means to attack from the right hand side with a hauke. A hauke being a descending vertical, or near vertical, strike aimed at the head or neck of an opponent. The instruction to smyte ~ hauke rounde suggests a moulinet type of action with the sword being revolved or spun through 360o, or nearly so, using the hands, wrists and elbows to enable the action. I propose the following meaning. 'Strike a circular hauk from the right hand side'.

____________________________

1 The Harleian Project, ARMA (The Association of Renaissance Martial Arts) 2 The Vision of Edmund Leversedge, Som. Dor. NQ 13 (1905). 22-35. MED quotation 3 The manuscripts of Fiore de' Liberi, George Silver and Hans Talhoffer all advocated this tactic

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ffresly smyte þy strokis by dene [Line 25] ffersly smite thy strokes together

bidene. together, at once. ACDME. bydene. in succession. The Awntyrs off Arthur, Line 459. TEAMS bydene. together. Ywain and Gawain, Line 50. AT bydene. together. The Awntyrs of Arthur, Line 11. TEAMS by dene together. Century Dictionary, (Vol. VII) ffresly fiercely. AT

fresly is fiercely with metathesis of the 'r'. by dene, in the poem it is written as two separate words but is usually given as, bydene, bidene, bedene, etc.. It has the meaning of 'together', or in quick succession and when combined with fiercely is used by the poet to indicate the need for fast, powerful, consecutive attacks delivered without pause. In other words it is an instruction to keep your opponent under constant pressure. Similar advice is contained in Hanko Döbringer's fechtbuch1:

[f.21v] When you

have done the first strike [Vorschlag] then you shall without any delay do the [Nachschlag] and you should also stay in motion and do one thing after another. If the first [attack] does not work then the second, the third or the fourth will hit, and you shall not let the opponent come to blows.

[f.28r] And you shall cross strike [Twerehaw] to both

sides, to the ox [Ochs] and to the plough [Pflug] that is to the upper and the lower opening, from one side to the other, above and below continuously and without any interruptions so that you are in constant motion and the opponent can not come to blows.

I suggest the following interpretation, 'Fiercely strike your blows in quick succession'.

and hold wel þy lond þath hyt may be sene [Lines 25-26] and hold well thy land thath it may be sene

sene easy to see, visible, evident, manifest. OED sene expert, well-versed, skilful. DSL sene evident, Confessio Amantis, Book 3, L1924. KMMIP sene skilful, OED þath/thath that. scribal error! þath/thath though. OED

The key words of this instruction are þath (thath) and sene. The first of which, þath, is commonly ________________________________

1 Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389 Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends (see ARMA).

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held to be a scribal error intended to mean 'that'. The second word, sene, is usually given the more usual visual context. Combining these two meanings gives 'and defend well your land that it may be seen.' Or, in a modern sense, 'show skill in defending your ground'. However, þath (thath) is also a variant spelling of 'though' which would give, 'and hold well thy land though it may be seen'. However sene also has the alternative period meanings of, 'skilled, expert, well-versed' and if these two meanings are combined the interpretation then becomes, 'and hold well thy land though it may be skilfu'l. Unfortunately this makes little sense and it would require a certain degree of literary licence to construct a meaning, for example, 'defend your land well though it may [require] skill': A modern version of these transcriptions gives the following alternatives:

1. show your skill in defending your ground 2. defend your land well though it may [require] skill

Compare them with the following from Döbringer1: :

Thus you may learn with work and defend artfully,

Of the two options I favour the first, 'show your skill in defending your ground'.

A third possibilty is that the poet may have intended the line to be read in conjunction with the three lines that follow after (27, 28, 29) which possibility is discussed on page 35.

thy rakys • þy rowndis • þy qurters a bowte [Line 27] thy rakes, thy rounds, thy quarters about

about all over or around; in various directions; in a circuitous course; to and fro; OED about around the outside; on every side, all round. OED about in every direction, towards every side. OED about round the outside of; round in a circuit or part of a circuit of. OED

given the circular or part circular trajectory of rakes, rounds and quarters this line could simply be the poet's way of either reminding the student to cover all lines of attack and defence. Or it could be a reminder of the tactical purposes of the various strikes

thy stoppis • þy foynys • lete hē fast rowte [Line 28] thy steps, thy foins, let them fast rout

rout to beat severely. DSL rout defeat, put to flight. OED route gather. L9, Above All Thing Thow Arte a Kyng. TEAMS rowt/rout a stunning blow. ACDME rowt/rout to assemble under arms. DSL rowt/rout to strike a blow (to lay a rout on (upon) a person), DSL

stoppis I transcribe as steps, as previously discussed, and foins I translate as thrusts. The word _______________________________

1 Cod.HS.3227a, Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends (see

ARMA)

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rowte can mean assemble, strike, or defeat from these options I choose assemble. Assemble can have the meaning of gather together or combine together and I use the latter meaning to modernise the poet's instruction as follows, 'quickly combine your steps and thrusts'.

thy spryngys • þy quarters • þy rabetis also [Line 29] thy springs, thy quarters, thy rebates also

quarter a strike that compasse about the head. Swetnam, J., 1617. TNWSD rebate to parry a stroke or blow. [Late ME (1427), F. rabattre (12th c.)] DSL rebatt ---------------------------Ditto------------------------ rebattre, rebatre to beat again; to beat back, anglo-norman.net rebecquer back again. Cotgrave. 1611, Patterweb. reb['e]s, or rev['e]s backward, contrary, crosse. Minsheu 1599 rebours backward, oblikely, ouerthwartly, Cotgrave, R. A dictionarie of the French and

English tongues. London, 1611 rebouter (p.p.rebeté) to repulse, drive out. J. Florio, Queen Anna's New World of Words, 1611 reboter, rebotir -------------------------- Ditto ------------------------- rebotier; rebuter -------------------------- Ditto ------------------------- rebuke. We wil not counter with them and geue rebuke for rebuke. OED Quotation robecq. variant of rebecquer! meaning ‘back again’ AT robecke. variant of robecq meaning ‘back again’ AT roebuck. variant of robecke meaning ‘back again’. AT springe. leap. Gower, John: Confessio amantis (1390-1393), TEAMS. AT springes runs. Stanzaic Morte Arthur, L 267, TEAMS spring (the sword) one-handed thrust of the sword. AT

The line, 'thy springs, thy quarters, thy rebates also' would seem to be a reminder to include springs, quarters and rebates in with the three previous instructions. As to the nature of 'springs' it is not easy to state with any great confidence but I opt for single-hand thrusts; I make this selection because the use of this strike is amply attested to in other two-hand sword sources and it would seem anomalous for this source not to include it. I therefore modernise this instruction to read, 'as well as your single- hand thrusts, quarter strikes, and parries'.

Ber a goede eye & lete þy hond go [Line30] Bear a good eye & let thy hand go

I interpret this quite simply as, 'judge well and hit hard'.

ffy on a false hert þt dar not a byde [Line 31] fie on a false heart that dare not abide

I modernise this as, 'shame on a man who flees for fear'.

Wen he seyþ rowndys • & rakys r‘nyng by hs side [Line 32] When he sees rounds & rakes running by his side

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by to. The Avowyng of Arthur, L101. TEAMS

In a modern sense this line has the meaning of, 'When he sees rounds and rakes striking to his sides'. Thus making clear that this sentence is linked to the previous one (Line 31). It is also important because it helps to define the targets and angles of rakes and rounds.

ffle not hastly for a lytil pryde [Line 33] Flee not hastily for little pride

Here the poet means 'have a little pride in yourself and stand your ground'. This admonition works well in conjunction with the advice contained in the following line; This informs the reader that rounds and rakes aimed at an opponent's side will place him (the opponent) in danger. In a modern sense I would describe it this way, 'Have enough confidence to stand your ground'.

ffor lytil Wote þy adusary Wath h$ shal betide [Line 34] For little Wote thy adversary Wath him shall betide

abide stay, remain, await. ACDME abide to encounter, or sustain; to face, esp. in combat. OED wathely woefully. Alliterative Morte Arthure, Line 2090. TEAMS wathes harm. The Avowyng of Arthur, Line 212, STMEC waþe peril. MED wot know/ knows. MED

The word that has caused previous transcribers problems is wath which has been commonly regarded as a scribal error for 'what'. However I do not accept scribal error on this occasin because Wath carries the meaning of harm, peril, woe, etc., which makes more sense within the text than 'What'. I correspondingly choose to interpret this line as, 'For little knows your adversary peril him shall encounter' or in modern terms, 'Because your enemy does not know the danger he will be in'.

lete strokys fast folowe aftr hys honde [Line 35] let strokes fast follow after his hand(s)

This is usually taken to mean an after-strike to the opponent's hands after his attack has failed; It could refer to a specific action such as Hanko Döbringer's1 Krumphaw (crooked strike) which is delivered after stepping forward diagonally in order to be able to attack the hands from the side:

folio 25vGo crooked [Krump] with skill and throw

the point at the hands

However I feel that the word folowe indicates the first option of striking to the opponent's hands as he withdraws following a failed attack. This is perhaps not too dissimilar to the German concept of

_______________________________________

1 Cod.HS.3227a (Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch) 1389 Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends (see

ARMA)

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 (A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

nachreissen (travelling after). This concept advocates striking to an opponent's hands immediately after thwarting his attacks. I therefore translate this as, 'strike quickly at his hands when his attacks fail.'

And hauk rovnde wt a stop & stil þt þu stond [Line 36] And hauk round with a step & still that thou stand

This is a simple instruction to step forward whilst delivering a circular hauk and then to stand still (or calmly) and await the opponent's responce. At first glance this seems to be a somewhat strange instruction; However if the opponent, having been forced out of position, wishes to go on the offensive he will be forced to do so using False Times1 and/or Wide Spaces2. However, because the defender is standing still he will be able to strike or parry in the Time of the Hand3, thus gaining the advantage. This command also makes tactical sense if it is considered in conjunction with lines 37 and 38. See also my comments regarding Döbringer's Nachschlag4 (after strike) at line 38. I interpret this as, 'step forward with a round hauk then stand still'.

Greve not gretly þov þu be tochyd a lyte [Line 37] Grieve not greatly though thou be touched a light

The poet is telling the student not to worry about light wounds. Like the previous line this too can be a 'stand alone' instruction but can also be considered in conjunction with lines 36 & 38. My interpretation is, 'Do not worry if you receieve a small wound'

ffor ā aftr stroke ys betr yf þu dar hў smyte [Line 38] For an after stroke is better if thou dare him smite

This is a straight-forward statement telling students that an 'after stroke' is an effective tactic. I think it profitable to consider the poet's aftr stroke as being similar in nature and purpose to the Nachschlag (after strike) as described by Hanko Döbringer; The first example of Nachschlag is its use following a successful Vorschlag5 (first strike) in which the instruction is to, 'follow up the hit quickly'. Döbringer's second example of Nachschlag concerns its use when an opponent has parried the Vorschlag when he says, 'then you shall remain on the sword....then in an instant [Indes] should you do the after strike'. Döbringer's second scenario and the poet's injunction to 'stand still after striking' may have some similarity of purpose. Therefore I believe that the poet's words could be a mnemonic reminding the student to stand his ground if an attack is parried in order to be able to deliver a highly effective second strike. I render this line as follows, 'because an after stroke is better if you are brave enough to deliver it'.

___________________________________

1 False Time. Any action that begins with actions of body, foot, or feet as opposed to beginning with the hand. 2 Wide Space. This refers to a distance that is too great to be covered in the time available, whether in attack or defence. 3 Time of the hand. An action involving just the hand/arm. The fastest of the four true times 4 Folio 20V, Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. As at 1 5 Folio 20R, Cod.HS.3227a or Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch, 1389. As at 1

ATranscription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

A gode rovnde wt an hauke & smyte ryзt dovne [Line 39] A good round with an hauke & smite right right down

good Of full measure or amount; reckoned to the utmost limit;

without abatement; full; complete: CD

A good round means a full or complete round, therefore the sword will complete a full circular strike in the horizontal plane before the hauk is delivered. Smite right down translates as a full cut which travels from a high position, through the mid-point (or horizontal) down to nearly ground level. Smiting 'right down' echoes similar strikes in the German and Italian schools of two hand sword fighting. I give this as, 'Strike a complete round followed by a full hauke' with a full hauk being a strike that travels from the high line to the low line.

Gedyr vp a doblet & spare not hys crovne [Line 40] Gather up a doublet & spare not his crown

double repeat often, increase much, Th. Thomas, 1587 doublit dynt for dynt; [blow for blow].Asl. MS. I. 319/20. DSL Quotation gather come into a state of preparation for action or effect. CD gather to collect all one's powers or faculties for a strong effort. CD

The expression, gedyr vp is suggestive of physical preparation, the summoning up of strength prior to a powerful strike whilst doblet signifies a double strike although its exact nature is not known. I propose that the instruction to, 'spare not his crown' indicates that the English 'doublet' might serve a similar purpose to the German duplieren (doubling) an example of which follows2:

Mark when he strikes high to you from his right shoulder, then also strike similarly strong and high from your right to his head, if he displaces and stays strong on the sword, then drive on Immediately with your arms and thrust your sword's pommel under your right arm with your left hand, and with crossed arms strike the long edge behind his sword's blade onto his head.

On the other hand we cannot rule out something much simpler, such as two identical blows; As a final thought it is worth considering that doblet does not refer to a specific action but may be a generic term for any two strike sequence. I translate the meaning as follows, 'powerfully deliver two strikes to the crown of his head'.

Wt a rownde & a rake a byde at a bay [Line 41] With a round & a rake abide at a bay

bay The state of being kept off by the bold attitude of an opponent. The state of being

prevented by an enemy from making further advance. CD

The rounds function to strike at the opponent or his weapon which strikes are complemented by the rakes which are used to generate defensive cuts across the body. The importance of this type of combination is that rounds and rakes quickly and effectively convert into each other; By this I ________________________________

1 Cod.HS.3227a Hanko Döbringer fechtbuch (f.20R), 1389. Translation and transcription by David Lindholm and friends (see ARMA) 2 Goliath (MS 2020), recto 16. Transcribed by Grzegorz Zabinsky, translated by Mike Rasmusson.. (www.schielhau.org)

mean a round can quickly be changed into a rake (either upwards or downwards) and a rake can, in turn, be quickly be converted into a round. I interprete this line as, 'Use rounds and rakes to defend your ground'.

Wt a rēnỹg qurter sette hỹ oute of hys way [Line 42] With a running quarter set him out of his way

Arma describe 'a running quarter' as 'a passing attack' whilst Hester gives the essentially similar, 'passing forward quickly...'. However, I choose to use my earlier argument that 'running' refers to an action of the sword itself and not to the swordsman 'running' towards the target. This does not preclude a simultaneous step which can almost be taken as a given fact. I see 'setting him out of his way' as a powerful sword action that forces the opponent to give ground; Swetnam's method of delivering a quarter is intended to develop power; Therefore I use Swetnam's method in defining this instruction as, 'circle the sword about the head and deliver a powerful quarter strike to drive him from his position'.

Thys buþe þe lettrs þt stondỹ in hys syзte [Line 43] These are the letters that stand in his sight

lett(e)rure learning, literature. A Chaucer Glossary lettrure of armes learning of arms.[AT] Anonymous c.1370 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,

This I interpret as, 'These are the instructions that stand in his sight'. A more modern reading would be, 'these are the lessons he needs to learn'.

To Teche • or to play • or ellys for to fyзte [Line 44] To Teach, or to play, or else for to fight

This line's meaning is quite straight-forward in that the instructions contained in the verse will equip the reader, 'to teach, or to train, or else to fight'.

These buþe þe strokys of þy hole grovnde [Line 45] These are the strokes of thy whole ground

ground the foundation or groundwork for learning or skill, MED

I interpret this as, 'these strokes are the foundation of the art of the two hand sword'.

ffor hurte • or for dynte • or ellys for deþys wonde [Line 46] For hurt, or for dint, or else for death's wound

The poet's words indicate three different scenarios of use for the two hand sword. I suggest 'for hurt' is a reference to tournament fighting, 'for dint' refers to training and 'death's wound' obviously alludes to battlefield combat. This would give, 'for tournament, for training, or else for war'.

Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

Now I come to my translation of the verse from Middle English poetry to Modern English prose. I take many liberties in terms of adding, removing and replacing text in order to to provide simple, uncomplicated interpretations of the poet's words. I begin with a line by line comparison and end with a modern prose version of the original text: Translations are in bold text.

man that will to the two hand sword learn both close & clear, [1-2] man that wishes to study the basic and advanced arts of the two-hand sword

he must have a good eye both far & near. [2-3] he must be able to effectively judge all fighting ranges

& an in step & an out step [3-4] And have a forward step and a backward step

& an hauke quarter [4] And a hauk quarter strike

A cantel/cautel, a double, an half for his fere. [4-5] A cantel/cautel, a double-strike and a half-strike for his companions

Two rounds and an half with a good cheer [5-6] Two and a half rounds with a confident manner

This is the first counter of the two handsword sere [6-7] This is the first of many two hand sword attacks

Bind them together & say god speed [7-8] Combine these attacks and ask for God's help

Two quarters and a round a step thou him bid [8-9] Two quarter strikes followed by a round strike will force him to step away

A rake with a spring where thou him abide [9-10] Jump backwards with a rake and await your opponent’s next move

Fall in with an hauke & stride not too wide [10] Attack with a hauk but do not step too far to the side

Smyte a running quarter out for his side [11] Circle the sword around the head to strike to the opponent's side

Fall upon his harness if he will abide [12] Attack his harness whenever the opportunity arises

Come in with a rake in every a side [13] When advancing defend both sides with rakes

A whole round and an half wath so it betide [14] One and a half rounds is a dangerous combination

iv quarters and a round and a ventures stroke with [15] Four consecutive quarter strikes then a round strike and a turning strike

Bere up his harness and get thou the grith [16] Thrust to his harness to halt his attack

Double up lygthy and do as I say [17] Double up quickly and do as I say

Fall in with a hauk & bear a good eye [18] Attack with a hauk but watch out for counter-strikes from below

A spring & a round & step in with [19] A single-hand thrust and then step forward and deliver a round strike

spare not an hauke if he lie in thy kith [20] Strike a hauke whenever he lies in your reach

smite a running quarter sore out of thy hand[s] [21] Deliver a hard quarter strike by pivoting the sword around your hands

Abide upon a pendent and lose not thy land [22] Defend with the pendent guard and do not give up your ground

Smite in the left foot & cleave right down [23] kick with the left foot and cut down to the ground

Gather out of thy right hand & smite an hauke round [24] Strike a circular hauk from the right hand side

fiercely smite thy strokes together [25] fiercely strike your blows in quick succession

and hold well thy land thath it may be sene [25-26] defend your ground skilfully

thy rakes, thy rounds, thy quarters about [27] with rakes, rounds and quarters around the body

thy steps, thy foins, let them fast rout [28] quickly combine your steps and thrusts

thy springs, thy quarters, thy rebates also [29] as well as your single-hand thrusts, quarter strikes and parries

Bear a good eye & let thy hand go [30] Judge well and hit hard

fie on a false heart that dare not abide [31] shame on a man who flees for fear

When he sees rounds & rakes running by his side [32] When he sees rounds and rakes striking to his sides

Flee not hastily for little pride [33] Have enough confidence to stand your ground

For little Knows thy adversary Wath him shall betide [34] Because your enemy does not know the danger he will be in

let strokes fast follow after his hands [35] strike quickly at his hands when his attacks fail

And hauk round with a step & still that thou stand [36] Step forward with a round hauk and then stand still

Grieve not greatly though thou be touched a light [37] Do not worry if you receive a small wound

For an after stroke is better if thou dare him smite [38] Because an after stroke is better if you are brave enough to deliver it

A good round with an hauke & smite right right down [39] Strike a complete round followed by a full hauke

Gather up a doublet & spare not his crown [40] Powerfully deliver two strikes to the crown of his head

With a round & a rake abide at a bay [41] Use rounds and rakes to boldly defend your ground

With a running quarter set him out of his way [42] Circle a quarter strike around the head to drive him from his position

These are the letters that stand in his sight [43] These are the lessons he needs to learn

To teach, or to play, or else for to fight [44] To teach, or to train, or else to fight

These are the strokes of your whole ground [45] These strokes are the foundation of the art of the two hand sword

For hurt, or for blow, or else for death's wound [46] For tournament, for training, or else for war

The Verse Modernised

Man that wishes to study the basic and advanced arts of the two-hand sword must be able to effectively judge all fighting ranges. and have a forward step and a backward step and a hauk quarter strike. A cantel/cautel, a double-strike and a half-strike for his companions. Two and a half rounds with a confident manner this is the first of many two hand sword attacks. combine these attacks and ask for God's help. Two quarter strikes followed by a round strike will force him to step away. Jump backwards with a rake and await your opponent’s next move. Attack with a hauk but do not step too far to the side. Circle the sword around the head to strike to the opponent's side. Attack his harness whenever the opportunity arises. When advancing defend both sides with rakes. One and a half rounds is a dangerous combination. Four consecutive quarter strikes then a round strike and a turning strike. Thrust to his harness to halt his attack. Double up quickly and do as I say. Attack with a hauk but watch out for counter-strikes from below. A single-hand thrust and then step forward and deliver a round strike. Strike a hauke whenever he lies in your reach. Deliver a hard quarter strike by pivoting the sword around your hands. Defend with the pendent guard and do not give up your ground. Kick with the left foot and cut down to the ground. Strike a circular hauk from the right hand side. fiercely strike your blows in quick succession. Defend your ground skilfully with rakes, rounds and quarters around the body, quickly combine your steps and thrusts, as well as your single-hand thrusts, quarter strikes and parries. Judge well and hit hard. Shame on a man who flees for fear when he sees rounds and rakes striking to his sides. Have enough confidence to stand your ground because your enemy does not know the danger he will be in. Strike quickly at his hands when his attacks fail. Step forward with a round hauk and then stand still, do not worry if you receive a small wound because an after stroke is better if you are brave enough to deliver it. Strike a complete round followed by a full hauke. Powerfully deliver two strikes to the crown of his head. Use rounds and rakes to boldly defend your ground. Circle a quarter strike around the head to drive him from his position. These are the lessons he needs to learn to teach, or to train, or else to fight. These strokes are the foundation of the art of the two hand sword, for tournament, for training, or else for war.

Afterword

I would remind the reader that it has not been my intention to produce a how-to manual. My priority at all times has been to focus on transcribing and translating the original text rather than attempting to analyse the techniques the text refers to. Obviously there has been some degree of overlap in my task because sometimes a certain degree of technical analysis has been necessary to assist the transcription process. Nonetheless I choose to avoid further technical analysis at this stage because that task is for a later chapter in my book.

However I would like to make some comments on the style of fighting revealed by my transcription. For one thing the verse makes clear that this system is not, as is often stated, a 'hand sniping' style. Far from it, my transcription reveals this to be an agressive system of fence, one that, like the German school, makes use of fast, powerful, multi-strike attacks. Intriguingly it also makes use of aggressive defensive tactics; One imagines these are intended to regain control of a fight once the initiative has been lost. This is a system that emphasises speed, power, aggression and frequent changes of line in both attack and defence, this is not a 'wait and see' system.

I gain the impression that the English system bears similarities with both the German and Italian schools of two-hand sword combat. Certainly the English system shares the agressiveness of the German schools and certain methods seeming to be identical or similar to the methods of those countries. I am not implying that one school copied or learned from another because it is entirely possible that parralell evolution has been at work. On the other hand there is sufficient evidence for cross-pollination of skills to have taken place.

In closing this thesis I would suggest to the reader that there is much work yet to be done in this area of English martial arts. I further suggest that this work represents the beginning of a task not the end of it.

Bibliography

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Transcription of ff. 84-85 of Harleian 3542 A verse describing the use of the Two hand Sword) ©Terry Brown, November 2009 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Avowyng of Arthur Edited by Thomas Hahn Originally Published in Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications, 1995

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Acknowledgements:

I wish to acknowledge the academic, editorial, and technical assistance so freely given to me by the following friends and colleagues: Greg Mele, Jörg Bellinghausen, Jill Singer and Scott Brown.

A Transcription of the three Missing Sections of Additional ms. 39564

Being an excerpt from a forthcoming book By Terry Brown Published here by permission of Anglo-Saxon Books Ltd © Terry Brown December 2010

Many people have been introduced to Additional 39564 via Russell Mitchell's transcription of it. I must here, given the poor quality of the microfilm he worked from, pay tribute to the quality of his transcription and to the valuable insights I gained from our discussions about this manuscript all those years ago.

I have in places been able to amend some of Mitchell's transcription not only because I had the luxury of working with the scroll itself but also because I was able to read it using UVA and Cold Lamp. Even so such are the manuscript injuries and repairs that even with those aids there are still words that are difficult or impossible to read. In such places I offer my extrapolations which are marked in red text. These extrapolations will be explained in full in my forthcoming book. I make no attempt here to analyse the martial methodology or linguistics as these will be available in my forthcoming book along with original text abbreviations, suspensions etc..

The following is my transcription of the original text of the three 'missing' sections.

The 19th called the cross rakes with a quarter A proffer followed with as many cross rakes as you will then suddenly to his elbow smite a full quarter with another void and be at your stop

The 20th called the broken quarter with the foin A proffer a rake lifting up your sword as you will smite a quarter suddenly with your left hand thrust forth a foin to his breast followed with the left foot then set in your right leg with a full quarter another avoid and be at your stop

The 21st called the broken foin with the spring A proffer a rake with the full quarter then set in the left leg with the left hand bring the sword over the crown of your head as you void play a rabett then standing still break the same rabett above your head and smite a full spring at his legs with a full quarter another avoid and be at your stop

Description

39564. ROLL containing exercises in the use of the two-handed sword. Beg. " The fir[s]te floryshe. A quarter fayre before you." At the bottom of the recto and top of the verso of the roll are four con- cluding paragraphs, by the original hand, continuing the text from the last paragraph on the verso, and ending " be all youre stoppe. Amen, quod J. Ledall." Not mentioned by C. A. Thimm, Bibli- ography of the Art of Fence, 1891, F. Vigeant, Bibl. de l'Escrime, 1882, nor in the bibliographies of Egerton Castle (in his Schools and Maste.s of Fence, 1885, and his Fencing in the Badminton Library, 1893). The only known earlier works on the two-handed sword, in English,

are in Harley MS. 3542, ff. 82-85 (printed by A. Hutton, The Sword and the Centuries, 1901, p. 36, and ff. 84 b, 85 by Wright and Halliwell, Reliquiæ Antique, 1841, i, p. 308), and in Cotton MS. Titus A. xxv, f. 105. Vellum roll, 241⁄2 in. x 6 in. First half of XVI cent. Presented by Rev. Alfred Fuller. Courtesy British Library [catalogue Descriptions]

Classes on Monday Nights