[Book] Thee Arte of the Longsword as translated by Paulus Kal of Jhelom(?)

[Valonia]

Thee Arte of the Longsword
as translated by Paulus Kal of Jhelom(?)

[The following is an ancient text, translated and retranslated until some parts are difficult to read. It has, however, been recopied and reproduced faithfully, flaws and all.]

Heedest thou well, young Knight. ‘Before', 'after', 'weak', 'strong', 'meanwhile' -- upon these five words hinges the entire arte of master Liechtenawer, and serveth as foundation and core of all combat, upon foot or on horseback, unarmoured or armoured.

‘Before’ is the acte of offense. ‘After’, of defense. One must always striveth to be in the ‘before’ and thus in control of thee engagemente. In ‘after’ one responds to thine opponent. Thou must takethe cares as not to surrender control of the fight.

‘Strong’ and ‘weak’ are the binds of thy sword, and one needs must counter thine opponent with complementary reaction. Strength counter with weakness, and weakness with strength.

In the meanwhyle is the time twixt thine action and thine opponent’s, during whych the bladesman uses feeling to sense the pressure of his opponent. When thy opponent starts to act, the bladesman acts in the meanwhile and regains control before his opponent can finish his action.

The basick attacks are thee over hew, middle hew, and under hew. Overhew is to delivere the strike from above, the midde – a stroke delivered from side to side, while the underhewe is a stroke delivered from below.

Knoweste thou too the names of the Five Master Strikes:
- The Wrath, -a powerfulle stryke from the righte shoulder or above the head.
- The Crooked, a vertical hewe from above, accompanyed by a wide diagonal sideways step. This mayest break the Ox
- The Thwart – a high horizontal Hewe, to break the Roof
- The Squinting, dealt from the right shoulder or above the head, simultaneously striking downward with short edge. This strike mayest breache the Plough
- The Part – a vertical descending Hew that ends in the Fool

Knoweste thou too the names of the Guards:
- From the Roof – with thine sword held on the right shoulder or above thine head.
- The Ox – thine sword held to either side of thine head, with the point as a horn, aiming at thy opponents face
- The Plough – The sword to thine hip, with the point at thy opponent’s face or chest.
- The Fool – the point of thyne sword is lowered to the ground, beholding the appearance of foolishly exposing thine upper parts of the body to invite attack.

[The rest of the manual continues in kind, describing footwork, distancing, and how to avoid telegraphing one’s actions to their opponent.]

Heedest well, young Knight. These wyrds are marked for posterity, but action muste rank greater. Exercise without art is useful, but art without exercise is useless.