Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/80

 70 FENCING considered as synonymous with the former, probably denotes a long, ordinary, old-fashioned cutting sword. But by a rapier is now always meant a sword for the thrust, in contradistinction to one adapted for cutting. The small sword or rapier is undoubtedly very ancient, although there is reason to believe that it was not brought into general use until armour for protecting the body began to go out of fashion. Since that time the art of fencing has always been considered as a gentlemanly accomplishment, and in many parts of the Continent it is cultivated with the greatest zeal and assiduity. Some have maintained that the weapon was not used in England before the reign of Elizabeth ; and Darcie (Annals of Elizabeth} informs us that one Rowland York, who appears to have betrayed Deventer to the Spaniards in the year 1587, was the first who brought into England &quot; that wicked, pernicious fashion to fight in the fields in duels with a rapier called a tucke only for the thrust.&quot; Stowe also mentions that long tucks and long rapiers began about the twelfth or thirteenth year of Elizabeth, and. that &quot; he was held the greatest gallant that had the deepest ruffe and largest rapier. The offence,&quot; he adds, &quot; to the eye of the one, and the hurt unto the life of the subject that came by the other, caused her Majesty to make proclamation against them both, and to place selected grave citizens at every gate to cut the ruffes and break the rapiers points of all passengers that exceeded a yard in length of their rapiers, and a nayle of a yard in depth of their ruffes.&quot; 1 But at whatever time the small-sword came into use in this country, it is not surprising that, when once intro duced, it should have been cultivated as the most equi table instrument of duelling. Before this period meetings for the purpose of single combat were utterly revolting to all notions of fairness. No regard was paid to equality of arms or numbers; advantages, however unfair, were seized whenever an opportunity offered ; and the ferocious passions, instead of being curbed, had fuller scope given for their gratification. &quot; The duellist of former times,&quot; says Sir Walter Scott, in a note to The Lady of the Lake, &quot; did not always stand upon those punctilios respecting equality of arms which are now judged essential to fair combat. It is true that in formal combats in the lists, parties were, by the judges of the field, put as nearly as possible in the same circumstances. But in private duels it was often otherwise.&quot; The practice of deciding duels with the sword maybe con sidered as now extinct in England. When the rapier was looked upon as an indispensable part of a gentleman s dress, the facility of immediate rencounter which it offered gave oc casion to frequent and dangerous brawls, by which the public tranquility was disturbed, and the lives of peaceable citizens sometimes sacrificed. Since arms have ceased to be worn, such an objection can no longer be urged against the art of defence; and it may perhaps be questioned whether it ever had much weight. The practice of the foil is here considered as applied to the most laudable purposes, namely, the enjoyment of salu tary recreation and the acquisition of a graceful and un constrained deportment. The beneficial effects of moderate fencing to persons of weak constitutions, or of studious and sedentary habits, have been attested by medical practi tioners of the first eminence. To the public speaker, the practice of the fencing-room has been found to impart an ease and freedom of gesture attainable by no other exer cise. For while the use of the foil and the broadsword 1 In The Two Angry Women of Alingdon, a comedy printed in 1599, we find the following pathetic complaint : &quot; Sword and buckler fights begin to grow out of use. I am sorry for it ; I shall never see good manhood again. If it be once gone, this poking fight of rapier and dagger will come up ; then a tall man, and a good sword-and-buckler man, will be spitted like a cat or a rabbit.&quot; diffuses ease, elegance, and grace all over the body, and im parts to the look and gesture an appearance of intellectual vigour, it teaches invaluable lessons of patience and self- command, and contributes to discipline the temper. &quot; Per haps there is no exercise whatever,&quot; says Mr Boland (Theory and Practice of fencing), &quot; more calculated for these purposes (developing and cultivating bodily strength and activity) than fencing. Riding, walking, sparring, wrestling, running, and pitching the bar are all of them certainly highly beneficial ; but, beyond all question, there is no single exercise which combines so many advantages as fencing. By it the muscles of every part of the body are brought into play ; it expands the chest, and occasions an equal distribution of the blood and other circulating fluids through the whole system. More than one case has fallen under the author s own observation, in which affections of the lungs, and a tendency to consumption, have been entirely removed by occasional practice with the foil.&quot; We now proceed to give such definitions as appear to be requisite for conveying a general idea of the science of fencing, referring the reader for the necessary details to the numerous manuals published on the subject. Attacks and Parades. After the first positions have been acquired, the modes of attack come to be considered. Attacks are made in three ways : first, by a quick thrust proceeding merely from the wrist, the arm at the same time being elevated and advanced, with the point directed towards the adversary s breast ; secondly, by what is techni cally called an extension ; and lastly, by longeing and re covering. The parades, in which consists the defensive part of the art, naturally follow the attack. A parade is a defence of the body, made by an opposition of one s blade to that of an adversary, in such a situation as upon his attack to prevent the point of his sword hitting. The parades are eight in number, viz., six simple, called quarte, tierce, circle, octave, prime, quinte, and two round or counter parades in quarte and tierce. Thrusts, &c. The next division of the subject includes straight thrusts, simple disengagements, and bindings of the blade. A straight thrust is used as an attack, when an antagonist, from his position on guard, leaves sufficient opening to enable him to be touched upon that side of the body on which blades are joined. When such an oppor tunity offers, the wrist must be suddenly raised, so as to bring the &quot;forte &quot; of one s sword to the &quot;foible&quot; of the adversary s; after which longe immediately on the same line to his breast, observing, however, to preserve a correct opposition. In fencing, &quot;opposition&quot; signifies the art of covering the body at the time of delivering a thrust, on that side where the foils happen to cross, in order to prevent an antagonist exchang ing hits. The disengagement is made either as an attack, or as a return after defending one s self from a thrust, and is executed both under and over the wrist or foils. A dis engagement over the arm may be parried with tierce or prime, and, if made low, by the parade of circle; from the position of octave by quarte or, if the thrust be delivered low, by circle; from the position of quinte by prime as the readiest defence, but quarte and tierce are also correct parades against this thrust. There are three different ways of binding the blade. Of these, &quot; tianconnade &quot; is the principal, as it is sometimes a safe attack when any other mode would be attended with considerable danger ; it is also made as a &quot; riposte.&quot; The attack of flanconnade is commenced when the blades are joined in quarte, and it is parried either by octave or quinte, or by the parade of quarte. The return over the arm, after the parade of circle, is parried by prime or tierce, or by changing quickly to the counter in quarte. The return over the arm, after the parade of prime, is parried by prime or tierce, or, if made at a considerable distance, by the counter in quarte.