V. Low Tierce is a flank-guard; the arm is shortened, the hand is depressed six inches; the opposition is to the outside, and the point is held vertically or almost vertically, as the attack demands.
VI. Carte (1st Guard) has been described (p. 40) under “Engaging Guards,” as defending the inner lines, chest and stomach. For the purposes of parrying, the arm is withdrawn till the elbow, almost touching the belt, forms an equilateral triangle with the hilt and the left side.
VII. High Carte is a head-guard like high Tierce: the hand is raised to the left of the left eye, and the blade, crossing the face at an angle of 45°, carries the edge up, and the point to the right.
VIII. Low Carte is a stomach guard. As in Low Tierce the arm is shortened, the hand is depressed six inches; the opposition is to the inside, and the point is held vertically or almost vertically, as the attack demands.
In practice the advanced swordsman will confine himself to Tierce and Carte with their natural modifications. He will consult his own feelings about the head-guard, abolishing Prime in favour of High Tierce or High Carte, and he will prefer Low Tierce or withdrawing the leg (rassemblement) to using Seconde. Of these movements the simplest are always the best. When parrying, the sword-arm must invariably be drawn for defence nearer the body, and the grip should be sensibly tightened to receive the cut. No strength is necessary when making the parries: I cannot accept the “Sforzi” or guard-forcings of the neo-Italian broadsword school, dry blows upon the blade, which, intended to disarm, are essentially dangerous.
The Guards or Parries will be practised like the Cuts, first in the “Second Position” (Guard), and afterwards in the “Third Position” (Lunge).
Section III.
THE MANCHETTE OR FORE-ARM PLAY.
§ 1. Preliminary.
The recruit is now sufficiently advanced to begin the system of Manchette, which, as it is the most valuable part of sword-drill, has been practised the least, and should be practised the most. A swordsman thoroughly trained in this section does not allow the opponent to deliver a cut. It is certain that hand and wrist, short-arm and elbow, are capable of as many different attacks and defences as the whole body: these are the parts most prominent, most exposed, and consequently most readily made the point de mire. Yet this true and simple secret of the broadsword has been universally neglected, or rather not worked out: in England we content ourselves with the parades technically called retrogrades, that is, withdrawing the limb from the assault, by shortening the arm and, sometimes, by retiring the right foot either near to, or up to, or behind the left heel: even this evasion which cannot expect to pass for a Guard, is not described nor figured in the official ‘Infantry Sword Exercise.’[15] In France, and even in Italy where most subjects are exhaustively treated, Manchette is dismissed with a few careless words. The Manuel gives to the Coup de Manchette only these few lines: “Exécuter un enlevé (vertical Moulinet from above downwards) en arrière à droite, et arrêter le sabre vis-à-vis le milieu du Corps, le tranchant en dessus, le poule légèrement à droite; diriger l’enlevé de manière à empêcher en arrêtant l’avant bras, l’exécution d’un coup de tête.” Capitano Settimo del Frate (p. 50, Istruzione sul Maneggio e Scherma della Sciabola) in one of the latest works on swordsmanship contents himself with the following desultory observations: