72 MILITARY SCIENCES. 



ing is at once made, so the after-thrust must immediately follow. Stroke- 

 parade, however, must never degenerate into a blow, else you yourself 

 leave an opening. Contre-parades arise when you go round your adver- 

 sary's blade ; a light stroke-parade may also be united with them. They 

 are only in quarte, tierce, and seconde. The battement is a strong stroke- 

 parade, with which an antagonist is usually disarmed if he do not hold his foil 

 firmly, or at least an opening is made. There are quarte, tierce, and seconde 

 battements, which are made from the corresponding motions, and parry the 

 thrusts in the manner of the corresponding light parades. Ligades are bat- 

 tements in which at the conclusion you pass from one motion into another, 

 and thereby twist your antagonist's sword from his hand, or at least force 

 from him an opening, which you instantly make use of by an after-thrust. 



In the teaching of fencing the blades are first engaged or bound, that is, 

 in the prime-motion, laid softly against the blade of the antagonist, on the 

 inside or outside. Then the thrusts and parades are shown and made, at 

 first by " times," afterwards at will. The pupil is shown also how to pass 

 from the parade to the after-thrust and the contre-parade. Next follow the 

 feints. To feint is to make the mere show of a thrust, so as to mislead the 

 antagonist into the parade and thereby obtain on the opposite side an open- 

 ing for a real thrust. There are single, double, triple, and finally stroke- 

 feints. The last consists in binding with the forte of your own blade the 

 foible of your antagonist's, sliding briskly up that, making feint outside or 

 inside, and passing instantly to the thrust for which an opening may pre- 

 sent. Time and stop-thrusts are such as are given at the instant when the 

 antagonist, purposing a thrust, makes too much or irregular preparation for 

 it. An example of a stop-thrust (when the antagonist is permitted to 

 deliver) is the following : If we perceive that our antagonist delivers his 

 thrusts mostly over our arm, we wait for the moment when such a thrust 

 is to follow {pi, 27, fig. 20 a), set the left foot, while the left knee is straight- 

 ened as far back as possible, extend the right arm, twist the hand "en 

 seconde," and so let the antagonist deliver (fig. 20 b), keeping down the 

 head somewhat that the hostile thrust may pass over it. Counter-thrust is 

 the application of all that has been taught at the discretion of the pupil, and 

 shows whether he has understood it well or not. Hereby various artifices 

 come in play. Thus, for example, instead of a battement or ligade one 

 may disarm his antagonist when he has thrust tierce (fig. 23 a b), by 

 making a passade with the left foot (stepping in) and seizing his wrist at 

 the same time with the left hand, while with the blade in the right the hos- 

 tile weapon is pressed down or battered. Or, when the antagonist has 

 delivered in quarte (fig. 24 a b), bind the quarte thrust with counter-tierce, 

 making the passade with the left foot, force up with the left hand the right 

 hand of the opponent, and set your sword at his breast. Or the so-called 

 theatre-thrust (fig. 25 a b), if the opponent thrusts en seconde, press with 

 the flat of the left hand his blade away from your breast so that it passes by 

 on the right, while your own blade goes round below it. The left foot 

 makes the passade, the left hand forces up the opponent's right, his blade 

 passing under your left arm and bringing up your own blade again, by a 

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