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How one shall fence to the four Openings

 

While up until now, artful reader, my attentive clarification of all serviceable elements of sword fighting, such that each would be seriously raised by diligent practice, will be sufficient guide to understand all parts set after here, therefore I will now go forward to show, in one Stance after another, how one will behave therein and also how all fencing from it shall be. While forward you will come to judge all your strikes and actions from or against Man's four divisions, following on you must similarly be prepared to address the four openings, necessary to go on to the onset of Fencing from the stances. That I properly report on this part, I will now set out and give the following example:

In the pre-fencing when you come near to your opponent, then strike out in front of him from your right, through his face one time, twice, thrice, so that in the third strike before him (see that you keep your left foot forward) come into the long point, from there let the forward part of your blade flow off to your left, and just then with your blade level and sinking below you, pull back under it with your grip above you, step and strike first from your right against his left ear, as soon as the strike hits on, then quickly twitch to fly off again, and strike the second from below diagonally against his right arm, however in this strike keep your cross high over your head, and step to him with your left foot a little to his right together with your strike from below, and hit on with this as well, should you nimbly move your sword over you to your right, and thus from your right strike to his lower left opening, as the right is pulled or hit then twitch off again to over your head,  and strike the fourth seriously against his right ear, from then traverse over and pull out.

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