The Weekly Warfare   Musings martial from across the SCA

 

Translation by Rachel Barkley

An upward blow against a position of evasion

You should pace yourself toward that position by this reasoning. You should place the left foot forward, you should hold the raised sickle the right hand against the enemy, and you should plough up his neck from the right side.

But if he should pursue by the same reasoning, you placing forward the left foot and you will have raised the sickle at the same time, you should repel his attempt with the middle of your sickle. Suddenly meanwhile you should seek out his right elbow with the left hand by means of blocking and firmly you will lift upwards : you should drag the right elbow with the tearing-up hand[1] and if you will have pursued with the right foot, you should plough up the adversary’s neck from the right side.

But if the enemy holds the same against you, you should snatch up his inner right arm with the left hand and if you will have lifted it, you should beat back the formed blow of the adversary against you. If by the same reasoning you will have repelled yourself of the enemy’s blow, immediately you should attempt to plough his forward left foot and if you will have lessened him against you by tearing down, it is permitted to either wound him by ploughing up or to fell him[2].

Notes:

[1] There are two modifiers here, derepente and dextrum, but no nouns nearby. At a guess, the “tearing-up hand” is going to be the left. So Patiente is going to haul Agente enemy forward, possibly wrenching his right elbow as he does so. Hopefully, this would distract them enough for to untangle the sickle and strike them in the neck.

[2] Word used is prosternere, the same one used for felling an animal when one hunts.

 

 

Interpretation by Owen Townes

Setup:

Agente:
Left foot forward
Sickle extended in middle guard

Patiente:
Left foot forward
Sickle extended in guard

Play:

Agente:
Offside to neck

Patiente:
Block with sickle and raise
Grab Agente’s Right elbow with Left hand and lift up
Step in with Right foot
Offside to neck

Agente:
Block Patiente’s inner right arm and lift up
Plough up Patiente’s left foot