Fabris Rapier and Dagger Sequence (1606)

This sequence is built from techniques in Salvator Fabris' rapier manual, De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d'Arme (Of Fencing, On the Science of Arms), which was published in Italian in 1606. His principles were considered fundamental to the rapier's use through the end of the 17^th century.

The following techniques from Fabris' manual were used to construct this sequence:

Plate 73, p. 136 (1-3).
The next quarta hits against an opponent in seconda who has himself meant to hit over the dagger. Both were in terza; you have made an opening by slightly lowering the dagger arm and approaching it to your sword; the adversary seeing the opening has turned from terza to seconda, disengaging his point, and has thrust over the dagger. You, who have given that opportunity in order to entice him to that side, have parried and carried the right side so far forward that you have not only hit, but also assisted the defense by avoiding with your body; your left side has been carried out of line at the moment of yor hitting. Further the change of the hand to quarta has brought your sword away from his dagger. Whilst the adversary was advancing without union between the weapons, your sword has penetrated with the forte before his dagger could find it; and thus you have made the hit. Or it may be that the adversary's sword was on the inside, and you have tried to find it with your dagger, in order to force a disengage; he has disengaged and seized the time to make a thrust of seconda above; you have parried and hit with a counter-time as shown. Plate 73.

Plate 75, p. 138 (4-6).
The next plate shows a hit in quarta made close to the adversary's arm between his weapons, but low against a terza intended to hit over the dagger. Both combatants were in terza; you have made a feint of hitting in terza against your adversary's right shoulder; he has parried with the dagger and entered with the right foot in order to hit in terza in that time under the feint; at the same moment you have changed from terza to quarta, and by simply dropping your point have hit under his dagger hand, which has passed in vain; for when he tried to parry your point, it had already dropped. You have also turned the point of your dagger downwards and parried his sword, whilst your body has been carried out of line in the extension. The arm has remained high, showing that, although you parry below, you should not drop the arm because the time would be long and would cause danger above. It may happen that you have found yourself with your point over the adversary's dagger and in quarta, and have disengaged over his dagger with a feint of hitting his right shoulder; he has parried with his dagger and turned in terza, thus dividing his weapons and leaving an opening between his two hands, so that by simply dropping your point you have hit the part uncovered. Plate 75.

Plate 76, p. 139 (4-6).
Now is shown a hit with a guard of prima, made in defending yourself from a cut directed at the head with a parry in the form of a cross, that is to say with the sword and dagger joined together. Your adversary was in a guard of prima or seconda; you have tried to engage his sword on the outside with a guard of terza; the adversary has seized that time and tried to hit with a cut of mandritto at the head, while you were trying to engage his sword. You, being in terza, have brought the hilt of your sword and your dagger together [sic], raised your hands in a cross, and parried with complete protection; in the same time you have thrust the point of your sword towards your adversary's chest over the hilt of his sword, lunged and thus hit with a guard of prima; your adversary's sword is excluded between your sword and dagger in such a way that he can free it only with difficulty. This manner of defense is very strong; there is no danger of your weapons being disordered by the shock of the adversary's sword, however great its impetus; moreover the head is completely defended on both sides at once. Since the lunge is short, you must advance the feet and pass, in order to reach the adversary before he can free his sword. One may say that it is a perfect guard. Plate 76.

Plate 80, p. 143 (6-7).
Now follows a defense in quarta accompanied by the dagger against a cut of mandritto at the head. The quarta is directed between the adversary's weapons. He was in a guard of seconda and you have tried to engage in terza on the outside and with your dagger in union to exclude his sword. The adversary has seized the time and made his cut at the head, thinking he could hit the part uncovered. With your weapons in conjunction you havae simply changed your hands from terza to quarta and parried with the edge of the dagger which is gernerally below; for in this way, as we have already said, the defense is strong, the adversary's sword kept further away, and the hands more united; you have also brought the forte of your sword into that line, which not only defends and makes the parry safer, but also covers the part below the dagger, so that, if your adversary had made a feint of cutting at the head and changed to seconda in order to hit the left side, while you were raising your dagger to parry, the forte of your sword in this position would still have defended your left side. In addition to these two good results you would also have hit in the same time for your adversary could not have parried without abandoning his plan and changing to seconda; this would have changed the front of his body, so that he could have defended himself, but could not have hit, since you would have covered all that line. Plate 80.

Salvator Fabris. De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d'Arme. Copenhagen: 1606. A.F. Johnson, trans. (n.d.). Joshua Pendragon, ed. (n.d.)