FEN 
FEN'CER, f One who teaches or praCtifes the life of 
weapons, or fcience of defence. — A nimble fencer will put 
in a thrull fo quick, that the foil will be in your bofom 
when you thought it a yard off. Digby. 
Calmnefs is great advantage ; he that lets 
Another chafe, may warm him at his fire, 
Mark all his wand’rings, and enjoy his frets; 
As cunning/imccn fuffer heat to tire. Herbert. 
FEN'CIBLE, adj. Capable of defence : 
No fort fo fenfiblc, no wall fo lirong, 
But that continual! battery will rive. Spcnfer. 
FEN'CIBLES, f. Troops embodied for immediate or 
occafional defence ; not regular, but temporary folaiers. 
The firft of thefe corps were the fencible men of Argyle- 
fhire in„Scotland, who were railed the 21ft of July, 1759. 
Their fervice was reftriCted to the county in which they 
were railed ; and the adjutant and quarter-mafter were 
the only officers entitled to pay. 
FEN'CING, f. [ejerime, Fr.] The art of felf-defence; 
the fcience of fire (word.—The uradiice of fingle combat 
having prevailed among the ancient Goths, by whom it 
was confined to certain rules, academies were eventually 
inflituted. for teaching it in Italy, Germany, France, and 
Spain, after thofe countries had been fubjugated by the 
invincible fivords of that warlike people. Hence arofe 
duelling with the fmall fword in France, Spain, and 
England ; with the fword and dagger in Italy ; and with 
the broad-fword or fabre in Germany and the northern 
nations. After the invention of gun-powder, this me¬ 
thod of fingle combat in fome meafure gave way to duel¬ 
ling with piflols in molt of the countries of Europe, but 
principally in England ; for, on the continent, the fword 
is Hill often reforted to in deciding the point d’honneur, 
particularly in Italy and Spain. The broad-fword is now 
indeed adopted by all the European powers as a weapon 
of war ; and the feymeter, principally by the ealfern na¬ 
tions, the Turks, and the mamelukes of Egypt. This 
general avidity for the fword as a weapon of defence, and 
as part of the drefs of a gentleman, naturally fuggefted 
rules for ufing it with dexterity and effeCt; and thefe 
rules confiitute the art of fencing. 
A vigorous ufe of the fword requires a ftrong mufeular 
arm and nervous wrift ; for on the turn of the wrift alone 
the principal execution in fencing depends; and as-this 
art was introduced to us by the French, molt of its terms 
are dill retained in that language. Thus the five leading 
pofitions of the fword-arm, whether on tiie offenfive or 
defendve, are called prime, feconde, tierce , carte, and quinte ; 
from which are derived carte over the arm, low carte, and 
Jlanconade. There are alio three modes of entering, or 
making thrufts, from thefe pofitions, viz. ihjide, ovtfule , 
and parts below. The infide entrance comprehends the 
whole bread, from the left to the right (boulder ; and the 
art of giving the wound in this part, is confidered as the 
mod maderly and elegant accomplilhment in the fchool 
of fencing. The outfu/e entrance comprehends all the 
thruds above the wrid, made on the outlide of the fword. 
Entrance below embraces all the cuts^or thruds made under 
the wrift, from the arm pit both on the right and left. 
The fcientific modes of delivering thefe thrufts are as 
follow : the carte within is made with a drong polition of 
the wrift, the nails upward, and the infide edge of the 
fword, a little more elevated than the outer one. A tierce 
is made on the outfide of the adverfary’s fword, with the 
nails downward, and the two edges of the fword even. 
The prime is delivered with the nails downward, and the 
edges of equal altitude. The carte over the arm is made 
with the nails upward, and both edges of the fword even. 
The low carle is delivered below the wrift, the edge being 
turned the fame way as the carte within. The J'econde is 
alfo given under the wrift, with the nails downward, and 
the edges of the fword of equal height. The quinte is 
made with the nails upward, the point directed to the 
outlide of the adverfary’s wrift towards the elbow, and 
FEN 307 
the edges even. The Jlanconade is thruft with the nails 
upward, from the infide to the outfide of the adverfary’s 
weapon, binding his blade, in order to introduce the point 
under the elbow to hit his body: an effort which requires 
confiderable vigour and addrefs. Thefe are the leading 
principles of duelling witli the fmall fword, the ufe of 
which is almoft become obfolete among us, except for a 
court drefs, or the dignity requifite to be maintained by 
our fheriffs during their attendance on the judges of affize, 
or on other folemn occafions. The art of fencing, how¬ 
ever, is (till highly important among the other accom- 
pliftiments of a well-bred man; for befides that its prac¬ 
tice gradually invigorates the mufeular ftrength of the 
arm, its pofitions lead to the acquifition of courage, acti¬ 
vity, addrels, and a graceful deportment, with all that 
forms the engaging exterior of a gentleman. It alfo paves 
the way to the taCtical exercife of the broad fword, which 
having become,a mod convenient weapon of national de¬ 
fence, ought, ill thefe times, to be ftudied by us with the 
utmoft alacrity and perfeverance. 
Of the BROAD SWORD. 
The art of wielding the broad fword or fabre is chiefly 
conduced by fimilar rules to thofe laid down for common 
fencing, particularly in the aCtion or turn of the wrift, and 
in the various pofitions of defence or guard, which con- 
ftitute the fundamental principles of the fcience ; but in 
affailing an adverfary, inftead of inflicting the wound by 
a thrujl, it is moftly given by a ftroke or cut ; and thefe 
ftrokes are made in fix directions, four of which are dia¬ 
gonal, and two horizontal; and are commonly called the 
fx cuts. The aCtion of the wrift and fhoulder alone di¬ 
rects the blade; and they admit but of fix movements, 
from which every cut is derived, wherever may be its 
particular application to the body. For want of habit 
in the exercife of the wrift in the common occupations of 
life, the weight of the broad fword will at firft be found 
extremely irkfome. The aCtion of the arm bears no com¬ 
panion with that quicknefs of which the wrift is fufeep- 
tible; for the motions of tire arm are fo wide and cir¬ 
cuitous, that they are eafily counteracted. Hence it re¬ 
quires the ftriCteft perfeverance to acquire a fupplenefs in. 
the wrift and (boulder; for without this indifpenfible re¬ 
quifite no perfon can become a good fwordfman. The fix 
cuts are to be made with the broad fword, as projected in 
the following diagram : 
Cut 1, is made downwards, adopting the outfide guard, 
from right to left ; and admits of three motions: the firft 
is made by turning the hand towards A, and the point of 
the fword or fabre to fig. 1 ; the fecond is made by con¬ 
ducting the point from fig. 1, to fig. 4, taking care that 
