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These are the writings of Hans Lecküchner from Nürnberg
on fencing
with the Langes Messer, which he has formulated and written
himself, the text and the explanations, for the high born Prince
and Duke Philip Pals-grave of the Rhine, Steward, Elector and
Duke of Bavaria.
The Foreword
If you will mind,
regarding
fencing with the Messer,
learn
things that grace you,
that
flatter in jest or earnest.
Then
you may startle
and awaken
the masters artfully.
Here begins the foreword to the Langes Messer. One who wants
to fence with the Messer shall learn the right arts and act
according to these written arts and skills. Then he will stand
his ground in front of princes and lords. Corresponding to
his arts he shall be better paid and he shall not show his
skills to other masters or teach them. For there are many masters
of the sword who don't know about the art of fencing with the
Messer and don't discover it properly. Those who can use these
skills, they will find many serious pieces to surprise the
masters and decide artfully that they will be hit, pushed,
thrown forward or held tight against their will.
One who only displaces,
will
be harmed by any art.
After the Master has spoken the foreword, he gives you a
good lesson. This is the first. When you come to the man in
the Zufechten, you shall not stand and wait for his strikes.
Those fencers who aim to displace things, they will be harmed
gravely. If they like to displace and therefore
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don't use proper arts, and when they don't do anything but
displacing, they will be hit and weakened in all their doings.
Indes, before and after, these words
are the
base of all arts.
Test
for weakness and strength cunningly
if you
want to fence artfully.
Here the Master speaks and names the base of fencing with
the Messer as Indes, Before and After. You shall understand
that you need to remember those two things; the before and
the after. Additionally the weakness, the strength and the
Indes, for this is the base of all fencing arts. If you listen
and understand these things and don't forget the Indes in all
the pieces that you do, then you will be a good master with
the Messer and teach princes and lords to let them succeed
with their arts in jest and in earnest.
This
is the before: If you are faster with the strike than he, so
that he has to displace it, bring the Messer in front of you
immediately or into another piece and don't let him take the
offence. Then you have bound him in the before. If he is faster
than you with the attack or the strike and you must displace,
react immediately with the Messer or another piece, then you
regain the before with the after. This is the before and the
after.
Most
of all, you shall also know about the strength and the weakness
of the Messer. Remember: from the cross to the middle of the
blade, that is the strength. From the middle to the point,
that is the weakness. How you shall fence with this and what
the Indes is; that's to be taught in the following.
Learn six strikes,
from
one hand against the arms.
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Place the left hand on the back,
to your
chest if you want to reach out to the weapon.
Here the Master teaches how to pose and behave when fencing
with the Messer. First, you shall fight with one hand in Messer
fencing and have the other hand on your back. If you want to
fight with the empty hand, like taking his Messer, grappling
or trapping the arm, then turn the hand from the back to the
chest to push it over his arm from the inside. Second, there
are six hidden strikes named and mentioned in the text. Many
good pieces evolve from these, for those who know to execute
them properly and use them skilfully. How you shall execute
them with three pieces will be taught below.
Zornhau, Wecker,
Entrüsthau, Zwinger, Gefer and Winker
Here the Master identifies the six hidden strikes and how
they are named to make it easier for you to understand the
pieces based on them. He says the first is called Zornhau,
the second Wecker, the third Entrüsthau, the fourth Zwinger,
the fifth Geferhau and the sixth Winker. Those are six and
there are additional main pieces as you will hear in the following.
The guards, displacing,
the Nachreißen, the Überlaufen and Absetzen,
the Durchwechseln,
Zucken,
Durchlaufen,
the cuts, pushing,
Ablaufen,
Pnehmen,
Durchgehen,
Pogen, taking the Messer,
the Hängen and winding to the openings
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Strike the blows: learn arduously.
Here the Master names the other main pieces; they are seventeen.
First
are the four guards. They are addressed where the text speaks
of guards.
The second
piece is called displacing. This is addressed when the text
speaks of displacing.
Third
is the Nachreißen. This is addressed when the Nachreißen
is mentioned.
Fourth
is the Überlaufen. This is addressed where it says lauf über.
Fifth
is the Absetzen. This is addressed where Absetzen is mentioned.
Sixth
is the Durchwechseln. This the master addresses when he speaks
of wechsel durch.
The seventh
is called Zucken. This is addressed when he speaks of Zucken.
Eighth
is the Durchlaufen. This is addressed where it says lauf durch.
Ninth
is the Abschneiden or the four cuts. This is addressed where
the cut is mentioned.
The tenth
is called pushing the hands. This is addressed when he speaks
about pushing.
Eleventh
is the Ablaufen. This is addressed when he talks about the
Ablaufen.
Twelfth
is the Pnehmen. This is addressed where it says pnimm.
Thirteenth
is the Durchgehen. This is addressed where it says geh durch.
Fourteenth
is the Pogen. This is addressed when he speaks of the Pogen.
The fifteenth
is called taking the Messer. This is addressed when it says
take the weapon.
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Sixteenth is the Hängen. It is addressed when Hängen
is spoken of.
Seventeenth is the Winden with the Messer. This the master addresses when he
says wind to the openings.
These are the main pieces, there are twenty-three.
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