Thus it could be said that a soldier differs from other men, not through knowing how best to employ a sword or bill, but by knowing how best to recognize his advantages in any situation, and by knowing how to defend himself with judgement with anything whatsoever, and to attack with security. True fencing consists of nothing else, and anyone who thinks he can learn this art by practicing many specific blows with the point and the edge is fooling himself. Because not only do you learn little through these particular exercises, but there are so many distinct circumstances in this art, and they vary so greatly, that it’s impossible to hastily take part without a comprehensive grasp of all the advisements and principles of the art; and they are based solely upon offense and defense, and not specifically on the unaccompanied sword, or dagger, targa, shield, spiedo, or bill. You won’t always be handling one of these weapons when you have to attack or defend yourself, but instead sometimes you might have to defend yourself from a spiedo with a stick, or with a chair against a sword, or with a cape against a dagger. And in such instances most don’t employ mandritti or riversi for defense, but rather that knowledge of the advisements already listed, and this knowledge, being naturally present in one’s spirit, may be augmented and ingrained by the art, thereby making a man secure and bold, so that he dares to enter into any great danger, and knows, upon seeing the nature and position of a weapon, what it can do and the ways in which it can attack and defend. And from this judgement arises the knowledge of what he has to do, and how to apply himself against it.
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