Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/82

 72 F E N F E N which he can come into the position of the guard, when opposed to an adversary ready to take every advantage of his inexperience. &quot;Whilst advancing into distance, it is also an object of importance to have one side of the body secured by the position, particularly that side to which the antagonist s blade is opposed ; so that, if he commence an attack during this movement, he must quit the blade in order to direct his thrust or feint at any opening afforded him by the position of his opponent ; and the opportunities of attack being few, his designs will thus be the more easily discovered. Tn short, the commanding an opponent s blade almost obliges him to effect some change in the relative situations of the contending parties, before he advances into distance ; and as the necessity of such previous move ment must be foreseen, any attempt of this kind is favour able for making an attack on him. And, generally, whilst standing in the position of the guard, it is an advantage to have one side of the body covered, and to command the foible of the adversary s blade. Straight thrusts and simple disengagements, executed with quickness and vigour, should frequently be attempted, even though they do not succeed in hitting; and this should be particularly attended to in fencing with a stranger. Quick simple thrusts are almost the only certain way of ascertaining his favourite parades, and consequently of knowing by what feints to attack him with a probability of success. The suddenness and rapidity of the attack will inevitably extort from him the secret of his favourite defence. Many masters of the old school, and some, too, of the present day, have treated disarming as of importance in the art ; but from its inutility, not to mention danger, in the field, it is now considered incompatible with good fencing, and indeed no better than a trick. The only advantage of disarming is that of annoying the person disarmed ; for, sword in hand, it is rendered nuga tory by the use of a sword-knot, with which, it may be presumed, every person at all acquainted with the weapon will take especial care to fasten it to his wrist in a serious affair. As the manoeuvre may therefore be defeated by the most ordinary precaution, attempting it can serve no other purpose than to cause heavy and unpleasant play ; whilst the strength it requires for its execution is a drawback, and affords an adversary favourable moments of attack during the time an attempt is being made to bind his blade. As far Lack as 1692 a very curious book on the subject of fencing was published by Sir William Hope ; it is now very scarce. In 1780 a Lieutenant M Arthur published a work on fencing, which he dedicated to the duke of Argyll. Several modern works of merit have appeared on this subject ; one of the most valuable and complete is Roland s Treatise on the Theory and Practice of the Art of Fencing. FENELON, BERTRAND DE SALIGNAC (11589), Mar quis de La Mothe, a French diplomatist who was ambas sador to England during the reign of Elizabeth. At the request of Charles IX. he endeavoured to excuse to Elizabeth the massacre of St Bartholomew as a necessity caused by a plot which had been laid against the life of the king of France. For some time after the death of Charles IX. Fenelon was continued in his office, but he was recalled in 1575 when Catherine de Medici wished to bring about a marriage between Elizabeth and the duke of Alengon, and thought that another ambassador would have a better chance of success in the negotiation. In 1582 Fenelon again arrived in England, charged with a private commission from the king of France, chiefly with the view of obtaining the liberation of Mary queen of Scots on the promise of a French alliance ; but Elizabeth saw reason to doubt the king s sincerity, and Fe nelon had to leave England without gaining his purpose. He died in 1589. Fenelon is the author of a number of writings, among which those of general importance are Memoires touchant TAngUterre ct la Suisse, ou Sommairc de la negotiation faitc en Anglctcrre, ran 1571 (containing a number of the letters of Charles and his mother, relating to Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, and the Bartholomew massacre), published in the Memoires of Castelnau, Paris, 1659 ; Negotiations de La Mvthc Fenclonct de Michel, s-icur de Maurissiere, en Anglctcrre; and btptchcs de M. de La Mothe Fenclon, Instructions au sieur de La Mauvissierc, both contained in the edition of Castel- nau s Memoires, published at Brussels in 1731. The correspondence of Fenelon was published at Paris in 1838-41, in 7 vols. 8vo. FENELON, FRAxgois DE SALIGNAC DE LAMOTIIE (1651-1715), archbishop of Cambray, and one of the most celebrated names in the intellectual and ecclesiastical history of France in the 17th century, was born at the Chateau de Fe nelon in Perigord, August 6, 1651. The family of Salignac or Salagnac, to which he belonged, had been ennobled from the middle of the 15th century, and pro duced already many distinguished names. The father of the future archbishop was Count Pons de Salignac, of whose second marriage, contracted in mature years, Francois was the only child. From his birth he was of a delicate and sensitive temperament ; and, greatly beloved by his old father, he was educated at home till he was twelve years of age. He received, according to one of his biographers, &quot; a simple Christian education devoid of anything remarkable.&quot; But he must have been lucky in his tutor or of rare aptitude for learning, for he seems then to have laid the foundation of his admirable scholarship and love of letters. After a short time at the college of Cahors, he went to Paris to complete his studies under the Jesuits at the College du Plessis. There his great gifts soon drew to him distinction, and, like his rival Bossuet, he ventured to preach to an ad miring audience at the age of fifteen. His father seems to have died before this time, and his uncle, the Marquis de Fenelon, who had assumed the care of his education, with drew his charge from what might have proved injurious seductions, and placed him in the seminary of St Sulpice under the saintly Trouson. His uncle was himself a re markable man. Distinguished as a soldier and a statesman, he became no less distinguished for his piety and moral heroism. In conjunction with M. Olier, the founder of St Sulpice, he inaugurated and became the first president of an association for the suppression of duelling. The association was composed only of men whose valour was unimpeachable, and whose oath binding them to refuse any challenge or take part in any duel could not therefore be mistaken. The Marquis de Fenelon and his daughter, who became Madame de Montmorenci Laval, wife of the Marquis de Montmorenci Laval, both exercised a decisive and happy influence over the young Fduelon. Many of his early letters are addressed to his cousin, whom he looked npon as a sister the only one he had ever known. But the head of St Sulpice, M. Trouson, shared with these relatives the task of his higher education, and no one, both now and afterwards, enjoyed so much of his confidence. &quot; Great as is my freedom and openheartedness with you,&quot; the young student writes to his uncle after being placed at the seminary, &quot; I must confess without any fear of making you jealous that I am still more unreserved with M. Trouson ; if you could hear our conversation and the ease with which I lay bare my heart to him, and with which he teaches me to know God, you would not know your pupil, and you would see that God has very marvellously helped on the work which you began.&quot; F^nelon s first aspirations were towards a missionary life. The congregation at St Sulpice had established a missionary society at Canada which many of its pupils had joined, and he wished to follow their steps ; and when this project failed he still more earnestly desired to undertake a mission to Greece. In one of his letters, dated October 9, 1675, he draws a glowing sketch of his desire to visit &quot; the