Sutor, Jacob (1612). New kunstliches Fechtbuch. Frankfurt-am-Main: Johann Bringern Draft translation of longsword section 2014 Jeffrey L. Forgeng
2 Firstly, the divisions of longsword combat are the beginning, middle, and end. The beginning is the Approach, as one approaches toward the opponent before him; and the approach happens initially using cuts from one of the guards, such as the chief guards and the secondary guards. 1 The chief guards are four, namely High Guard, Ox, Fool, and Plow. The secondary guards are Wrath Guard, Longpoint, Breakwindow, Unicorn, Crossed Guard, Key, Irongate, Change, Side Guard, and Hanging Point. 2 The cuts with the sword are principal or chief cuts, secondary cuts, and master cuts. 3 The principal cuts are High, Low, Middle, and Wrath Cut. Secondary cuts are Short, Squinting, Clashing, Crooked, Rebound, Winding, Blind, Crown, Knuckle, Plunge, and Change Cut. Master Cuts are Wrath, Crooked, Thwart, and Scalp Cut. The middle is the handwork, when in the bind one presses one s adversary in the fight with all skill. The secondary or handwork in the middle is the greatest art, involving diverse skills in the binding of the sword, winding, changing, chasing, deceiving, slicing, doubling, running off, striking around, slinging, sliding, pulling, snapping, parrying, wrestling, running in, transposing, throwing, and crowding. Here also belong the openings, which are four, like the four chief guards in the division of the man and the sword; so too the 1 M1v 2 M2r 3 M10v
3 correct stance and footwork. The end is the Withdrawal, by which a fighter may pull away from his opponent without harm. The sword s parts or sections are the pommel, point, crossbar, hilt, grip [or] handle, and the edge. 4 The division of the blade is the forte, foible, short and long edge, that is, front and rear. The sword s forte is the part from the crossbar or hilt to the middle of the blade. The foible goes from the middle to the point or end of the sword. The long edge is the full edge from the fingers straight upward, facing the opponent. The short or half edge is the one turned toward you, or between your thumbs facing the combatant (it is also called the back of the sword.) Furthermore, the sword is divided into four parts. The first is the haft or grip, including as the crossbar, the pommel, for wrestling, running in, gripping, throwing, and other things. The second part is the forte, for slicing, winding, pressing, and whatever pertains to it. The third is the middle, between the forte and the foible, around the middle of the sword. The fourth part is the foible, for changing through, snapping, slinging, and whatever else pertains to it. The man is divided into upper and lower, and each is divided into right and left, as can be seen in the figure to the right. 5 In attacking the opponent s head, upper means the scalp of the head; and lower means the neck and chin on both sides. Finally, the guards or guards involve a necessary, graceful, and suitable posture and bearing of the whole body and sword, and are divided into upper, lower, right, and left. From the guards arises the fight, beginning, middle, and end. 4 M4v. or supplied by M. 5 M3v
4 [Image M6r] The man on the left side lies in the guard of the Ox, which is the man's upper half and of two types, left and right. In the right-hand Ox, stand with your left foot forward, hold the sword high, the hilt at the right side of your head, so that your point is directed towards your opponent's face. In the left-hand Ox, stand with your right foot forward, hold the sword high, the hilt at the left side of your head, etc. 6 The man on the right side lies in the guard of the Plow, which is the man's lower half and also of two kinds, left and right, and which is just a thrust from below. For the right-hand Plow, stand with your right foot forward, hold the sword with the hilt by your forward knee and direct the tip or point at the opponent's face, as if you want to thrust at him from below. In the left-hand Plow, stand with your left foot forward, etc., and hold yourself as in the right-hand version. 7 6 M6v. Cf. T67:13. 7 M6v. The right and left versions for both guards appear to refer to the position of the sword, not that of the feet.
5 [Ill. M7r] The figure on the left hand lies in the guard called the High Guard 8, thus: stand with your left foot forward, hold the sword high above your head so that the point goes straight upward. 9 The figure on the right is the guard called the Fool's Guard, thus: stand with your left foot forward, hold the sword with the point stretched out before you toward the ground, toward your forward leg, so that the false edge is facing upward and the true edge downward. 10 8 Sutor's upper guard was more commonly known to the German's Vom Tag or "From the Roof" guard. His version is a variant that became more popular as armour fell out of fashion. Compare this to the Vom Tag of Ringeck (c.1440): Stand with your left foot forward and hold your sword at the side of your right shoulder or above your head with your arms extended. 9 M6v. Cf. T67:1. 10 M7v. Cf. T67:16. It is not clear whether these guards have a version on the opposite side.
6 [Ill M8v] The man on the left lies in the guard called the Crossed Guard 11 thus: stand with the left foot forward, hold the sword with crossed hands with the point before you toward the ground. 12 The man to the right lies in the guard called the Hanging Point, thus: stand with the right foot forward and hold the sword in front of you with your arms extended, so that the blade hangs somewhat downward toward the ground. 13 11 This is a kind of low hanging guard. Earlier masters use this name to refer to a tail guard. Interestingly, a cut up from a tail guard will end in Meyer/Sutor's Crossed Guard. 12 M8r (under Eisenport). Cf. T67:18, 23. 13 M9r. These two guards appear to correspond to one another.
7 [Ill M12r] The figure on the right is the guard 14 called the Rebound Cut, which has double 15 and single versions. The single Rebound Cut is this: when the adversary strikes at you from above, then counter his cut with a Cross Cut; 16 as soon as it connects, pull the sword back around your head, strike from your left with the outside furthermost flat of your blade at his ear, so that the sword rebounds back. When it rebounds, pull it back around your head and strike with the Cross Cut at the left side. 17 14 Sutor uses the term Leger here, which means a stance or guard, but the technique he describes is clearly a cut. 15 See p. 14. 16 The Cross appears to be delivered from the right. The Cross is one of the Liechtenauer tradition's Meisterhau. It is described in Ringeck thus: The Zwerchhau counters [literally "breaks"] all downward strikes made from above. Do it like this: If he strikes an Oberhau at your head, "jump" [make a large, explosive step] to his left side with your right foot, while you jump, turn your sword, so that your hilt is high in front of your head and your thumb is down (on the flat of the blade) and strike at his left side with your short edge. So you catch his strike with your hilt and hit him simultaneously on the head. Compare this to Sutor s Schielhau (p. 8). 17 Meyer 1:13r.
8 The rest of the page repeats the description of the Hangetort. 18 18 This is clearly a printing mistake, since a hanging guard is definitely not depicted. The printer may have mistaken this for the Langenort - a thrusting guard with the arms outstretched, which is similar to what is shown in the plate.
9 [Ill M13v. Cf. 8v?] The figure on the left lies in the guard called the Squinting Cut 19, thus: place yourself in the Upper Guard or the Guard of Wrath, with the left foot forward; when your adversary strikes at you, then also strike back at him, but in the cut turn your false edge against his cut, and strike in at the same time as him with inverted hand, step with your right foot towards his left side, and at the same time quickly get his head with it. 20 19 Again, Sutor uses the term Leger (guard/stance) when is really describing a type of cut. 20 Meyer 1.11v. Cf. T67:3? A apparently steps into his defence with the right foot.
10 [Ill M17r] The figure on the right lies in the guard or guard called the Change, thus: stand with your right foot forward, hold your sword stretched out by you at your [left] 21 side with the point or foible toward the ground, so that the false edge is facing towards the adversary. 22 The figure on the left lies in the Key, thus: stand with your left foot forward, hold your sword with the hilt and crossed hands lying crosswise in front of your breast, so that the false edge rests on your left arm and the point is directed at the adversary's face. 23 21 S: right. 22 M8r. Cf. T67:2 23 M9r.
11 [Illus source not identified. Cf. D/d, G/b, N/a. Separate images?] The figure on the right lies in the Reverse, thus: bind your opponent against his left on his sword; when the swords touch, push the pommel through under your right arm, at the same time withdraw your head fully from his stroke towards your right; then draw his sword or arm with crossed hands downwards in front of you; thus you will force him such that he can work no more, while you will make yourself enough space to work. 24 The image on the left lies in the Cross Cut, thus: when you bind with an opponent from above, or strike at the same time as him, take note whether he is looking to wrap around with the Cross Cut, in which case, come before him with the Cross Cut under his sword on his neck. 25 24 Meyer 1:19v 25 M58r, illustrated 20r.
12 [Illus M3r] The image on the left lies in the guard of the Longpoint, thus: stand with your left foot forward, hold your weapon with outstretched arms far in front of your face, so that your point stands against your opponent's face. 26 So that you may now recover from that laying on, step and strike from your right high above in against his left ear; then as soon as he draws back, let your sword sink downwards with the false edge by his left, and meanwhile move your pommel and hilt upwards, and strike him promptly with the false edge against his right ear, such that the hands come crosswise in the cut. 27 26 M7v. 27 Meyer source unidentified.
13 [Illus M41v] At the beginning of the fight when you come into the upper guard, let the sword sink before you downwards towards your left side, draw it around your head, step and strike a horizontal Middle Cut against his left to his neck or temple; as soon as it touches, draw it back around your head, strike the second horizontal Middle Cut from your left against his right also towards the neck; as soon as it touches, then strike thirdly a high cut with the true edge straight from above. These three cuts must take place very quickly one after another. Then if you have more space, raise your pommel upwards toward your left, pull the sword around your head, attack with the flat or false edge near your left from below through his right against your right outwards in a cut upwards, so that your sword flies back around in the air; strike with the false edge down from above with crossed hands by his right ear, falling short; in passing strike with the false edge a Wrath Cut toward his left side; and thus you will withdraw yourself from him. 28 28 M33r.
14 [M34r] The figure on the left lies in the guard called the Anger Guard, thus: stand with your left foot forward, hold your sword on the right shoulder, so that the sword hangs backwards from it ready for a cut; furthermore, use here all the tricks from the guard of the Ox, except with different motions and deceit of the opponent. 29 If your opponent strikes from above toward you, then step and strike his incoming cut through away from you from your right with a crosswise Middle Cut with the true edge, so that your sword flies around with the false edge against his left ear; by which let it withdraw again, draw at once from your right to your left around the head, step and strike him with the flat from your left to his right ear horizontally through the middle line. 30 29 M7v. 30 M35r.
15 [Illus M37r] As soon as your opponent in the beginning of the fight brings his sword into the air to work, then position yourself in the right-hand Ox Guard (this is how one must do the double Rebound Cut); pull the sword around your head, strike with the inside flat from your right straight away against his sword, so that your pommel in the cut touches underneath on the spindle; however in the cut step with your right foot right around his left, and as soon as it touches then move it upwards; then snap against the left side outwards at the same time, strike quickly outward with uncrossed hands around into the same opening, as with the furthermost flat. 31 Also, if you can reach your opponent in the opening from the Ox Guard, then pull your sword around your head, strike with the outside flat from your right straight horizontally to his left ear, then quickly pull back around your head, strike with the outward flat from the right side also horizontally against him; after both of these cuts, fight as you think best. 32 31 Meyer 1:13r 32 M36v.
16 [Illus 43v illus to 43r] If your opponent binds you with outstretched sword on your sword, note as soon as they touch, and then quickly change through underneath, snap the weak flat at him from the other side to his ear, etc.; from these follow very good tricks; reflect on it. 33 If your opponent strikes you at the opening of the fight from below, then strike him from above on his sword; see that you come with the Cross Cut forward under his blade, but if he had come to you with the Cross Cut underneath yours, then let your sword hang entirely over his, draw it thus with your shield downward from you; you can thus reach his head behind his sword with the false edge. 34 33 M42r. 34 M43r.
17 [Ill M52r] If your opponent strikes you a Cross Cut from underneath, so that you cannot get under his sword with a Cross Cut, then get his Cross Cut by pushing on your shield, push your pommel over your right arm fully away from you, turn the true edge outward towards him over his sword from underneath to the head etc. 35 Also, when your opponent strikes a Squint Cut against your Long Cut, then he opens his right side; therefore do not let him come onto your sword, but change through underneath; strike him to his right in crossing through, far in from your left. 36 35 M58v. 36 M52v.
18 [Ill M49r] When your opponent in the opening attacks you, then step and strike from your left with the false edge and crossed hands to or over the right arm; in this Crooked Cut step right to him, turn your sword and force it out downwards to your right side; but if he works upward with the arms, so that you cannot bring him down, then go with the pommel from inward between his two arms, release your left hand from the hilt, and grip the blade of your sword and force it upward. This happens such that the left hand is free so that he pulls out in vain; meanwhile force him to move upward with the slice on his arm; do not let him get free for any further work. 37 37 M48v.
19 [Ill. M17r] When your opponent has got in under you unexpectedly with his sword, so that the two of you come very close together, then toss your sword back from you, and quickly bend down before him, and grip his legs with both hands; pull them toward you, and he will fall on his back. 38 38 M62v.
20 [Illus M52r (reversed)] When you and your opponent through closing have come so near together that it must come to wrestling, then step with the right foot between his legs, release your left hand from the sword, and let your right hand grab through out around his body, holding onto the sword under his right arm, and with the left hand grab him from the inside through his right foot, the lower the better; make sure that you have stepped with your right foot right between his legs, so that you can assist the cast with it by blocking and moving out; and lift him with a jerk, and cast him behind you on his head. 39 39 M63r.