The Weekly Warfare   Musings martial from across the SCA

Translation by Rachel Barkley

A Lower and and Upper Incision

In mutual combat, if you have prepared yourself in advance like an athlete for the competition[1], remember that you should fix forward the right foot and against the adversary you should control the grain sickle with the right hand. You should protect under your right arm with the left hand, thence you will step in with the left foot and you should pursue by means of ploughing up the right arm of your enemy from this lower point.

If you will have placed forward the right foot against him at the same time, and you will have held the sickle in this position of infliction with the right hand[2], you will repel him with your sickle, you turning your left flank, him protecting with the left hand below the right arm. Meanwhile, the adversary’s right hand having been seized with your left, you will plough up his neck down from the left flank of the enemy with the sickle.

If he attacks you from above similarly, you will grasp his right hand with the left hand a second time[3] and if you will have avoided his attempt, you turning your left flank, you will graze his left arm with the sickle and then you will retreat back. But if the adversary will have yielded backwards, you will pursue the enemy by pressing with a double step, and plough up his head.

Notes:

[1] Latin: “si te athletice prepararis ad certame”  This phrase shows up throughout this section, but not in others, contributing to the impression that Mair was consulting different sources.

[2] “the position of infliction”: a guard with the sickle arm extended and the sickle ready to strike

[3] Still not sure about the use of a second time.  Field test it.

 

 

Interpretation by Owen Townes

Setup:

Agente:
Right foot forward
Sickle extended
Left hand protecting under Right arm

Patiente:
Right foot forward
Sickle forward
Left hand protecting under Right arm

 

Play:

Agente:
Step in with Left foot
Attack Patiente’s Right arm with rising offside cut

Patiente:
Hook Agente’s sickle and pull to Right,
Rotate body to Right to follow
Seize Agente’s Right hand with Left hand
Deliver downward onside strike to neck

Agente:
Grab’s Patiente’s Right hand with Left hand
Rotate body to Right to free Right hand
Cutting Patiente’s Left hand[1], and withdraw

Patiente:
Retreat from Agente’s cut to Left hand

Agente:
Pursue with passing steps and strike Patiente’s head

Observations and Notes:

[1] A quick cut from the wrist during the withdraw