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Difference between revisions of "Henry de Sainct Didier"

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m (→‎Treatise: Fixes.)
m (→‎Treatise: smash down - > beat down)
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''Here is the defense of the first counter of the fourth strike for the Prevost against the said Lieutenant.''
 
''Here is the defense of the first counter of the fourth strike for the Prevost against the said Lieutenant.''
  
And to do this, this said Prevost must be on the step of the left foot and when the said Lieutenant throws a high right-hand at him, in order to counter the Prevost needs to cross and smash down at the same time, and without a moment to waste, be the strong on weak, turning the fingernails on the sword guard up to present a thrust at the throat or the eyes of the said Lieutenant, keeping the left hand right of his nipple as shown above at the portraiture marked number 42.
+
And to do this, this said Prevost must be on the step of the left foot and when the said Lieutenant throws a high right-hand at him, in order to counter the Prevost needs to cross and beat down at the same time, and without a moment to waste, be the strong on weak, turning the fingernails on the sword guard up to present a thrust at the throat or the eyes of the said Lieutenant, keeping the left hand right of his nipple as shown above at the portraiture marked number 42.
  
 
''Here is the defense of the first counter, derived from the said fourth strike for the said Prevost.''
 
''Here is the defense of the first counter, derived from the said fourth strike for the said Prevost.''
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''After having declared the second counter by the said attacking Lieutenant, stay to treat and declare the second counter for the defending Prevost.''
 
''After having declared the second counter by the said attacking Lieutenant, stay to treat and declare the second counter for the defending Prevost.''
  
And to do this, the Prevost must be on the left foot and at the same time without a moment to waste after having thrown and defended the said first counter and continuation, he then returns to the cross and smash down the second counter which is the high backhand of the said Lieutenant, and also must be strong on weak, keeping the nails of the sword hand down, and presenting a thrust at his neck, keeping the left hand below the sword arm as shown next to this writing at the said portraiture and figure marked number 44.
+
And to do this, the Prevost must be on the left foot and at the same time without a moment to waste after having thrown and defended the said first counter and continuation, he then returns to the cross and beat down the second counter which is the high backhand of the said Lieutenant, and also must be strong on weak, keeping the nails of the sword hand down, and presenting a thrust at his neck, keeping the left hand below the sword arm as shown next to this writing at the said portraiture and figure marked number 44.
  
 
''Here is the end of the defense of the second counter of the said fourth strike for the Prevost.''
 
''Here is the end of the defense of the second counter of the said fourth strike for the Prevost.''
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The reason why I remove the said thrust is, since the racket has no point, and thus one would not be able to make a thrust.
 
The reason why I remove the said thrust is, since the racket has no point, and thus one would not be able to make a thrust.
  
It is true that sometimes we strike and smash down with the racket, when the ball comes straight to the face or higher, which is that we return the ball, and we smash it down with the racket when it comes from high or to the face keeping it straight, and leaning neither on the right nor left, and yet in this said game of tennis, there are only the aforementioned two strikes, right-hand and backhand. But it is necessary to multiply them properly to 4 targets, from high and low, for example right-hand from below, and right-hand from high, backhand from below, and backhand from high, and thus it is necessary to be very dextrous and graceful to know how to strike because they strike at each other as they do with said fencing. And knowing how to strike skillfully, we must observe the words of our ancestors who are skilled tennis players, (who said) whoever leaps to forsake the volley, will never be an esteemed player, it is necessary to take heed here, which is that when you can volley, you should never wait for a leap. The reason is that with a leap, several accidents can occur, yet on the volley, never, if one is well trained, and is safe.
+
It is true that sometimes we strike and beat down with the racket, when the ball comes straight to the face or higher, which is that we return the ball, and we beat it down with the racket when it comes from high or to the face keeping it straight, and leaning neither on the right nor left, and yet in this said game of tennis, there are only the aforementioned two strikes, right-hand and backhand. But it is necessary to multiply them properly to 4 targets, from high and low, for example right-hand from below, and right-hand from high, backhand from below, and backhand from high, and thus it is necessary to be very dextrous and graceful to know how to strike because they strike at each other as they do with said fencing. And knowing how to strike skillfully, we must observe the words of our ancestors who are skilled tennis players, (who said) whoever leaps to forsake the volley, will never be an esteemed player, it is necessary to take heed here, which is that when you can volley, you should never wait for a leap. The reason is that with a leap, several accidents can occur, yet on the volley, never, if one is well trained, and is safe.
  
 
The accident that can happen to the said volley is to crack the wood of the racket, but this is not an accident, instead it is a fault committed by the one who made the wood, and not from the inside of the racket to the ball. For this reason I want to warn those who are not yet sure of the leap, who practice the said volley, because it should never be done, but they are the ones who fail it, and if it is necessary, we still have recourse to the said leap, and yet who can, must always take said volley, and not said leap.
 
The accident that can happen to the said volley is to crack the wood of the racket, but this is not an accident, instead it is a fault committed by the one who made the wood, and not from the inside of the racket to the ball. For this reason I want to warn those who are not yet sure of the leap, who practice the said volley, because it should never be done, but they are the ones who fail it, and if it is necessary, we still have recourse to the said leap, and yet who can, must always take said volley, and not said leap.

Revision as of 20:45, 22 January 2021

Henry de Sainct Didier
Born 1530s (?)
Pertuis, Provence
Died after 1584
Paris, France (?)
Occupation Fencing master
Patron Charles IX of France
Influences
Influenced Salvator Fabris (?)
Genres Fencing manual
Language Middle French
Notable work(s) Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule (1573)
Translations Traducción castellano
Signature Henry de Sainct Didier sig.png

Henry de Sainct Didier, Esq. was a 16th century French fencing master. He was born to a noble family in Pertuis in the Provence region of France, son of Luc de Sainct Didier. Sainct Didier made his career in the French army, ultimately serving 25 years and seeing action in Piedmont, Italy from 1554 - 1555. He wrote of himself that he "lived his whole life learning to fight with the single sword" and eventually "reached a point of perfection" in his art. Apparently he became a fencing master of some renown, for in ca. 1573 he secured a royal privilege for a period of ten years for treatises on a number of weapons, including the dagger, single side sword, double side swords, sword and buckler, sword and cloak, sword and dagger, sword and shield (both rotella and targe), and greatsword. Unfortunately, only his treatise on the single side sword, titled Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule ("Secrets of the Premier Book on the Single Sword") and printed on 4 June 1573, is known to survive; it seems likely that the others were never published at all.

Treatise

Additional Resources

  • Hyatt, Robert Preston and Wilson, Devon. "The Single Sword of Henry de Sainct Didier." Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts. Ed. Jeffrey Hull. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-58160-668-3
  • Sainct Didier, Henry de. The Single Sword of Henry de Sainct-Didier (Traicté Contenant Les Secrets Du Premier Livre Sur L'Espée Seule). Trans. Robert Preston Hyatt and Devon Wilson. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1581607048
  • Slee, Chris. Secrets of the Sword Alone. LongEdge Press, 2014. ISBN 978-0646926353

References

  1. Pristin : ancien, antérieur
  2. Insertion du « a ».
  3. Dupuis describes this as a wooden board placed in the back wall of the tennis court which, if hit by a volley, is scored immediately. In modern tennis, this board is replaced by a grid.
  4. « L'es », habituellement orthographiée « ais », désigne une planche de bois placée dans le mur du fond de la salle de jeu de paume qui, si elle est touchée par un coup de volée, donne le point immédiatement. Dans le jeu de paume moderne, cette planche est remplacée par une grille. Il est possible que cet « ais » ait donné le terme anglais d'« ace » que les étymologies modernes confondent avec l'« as » du jeu de carte. Voir la définition d' « ais » de l'Encyclopédie de Diderot et d'Alembert.
  5. L’esteuf : ancien nom pour la balle.
  6. précéder. « Préaller » subsiste en français sous la forme « préalable ».
  7. Il s’agit très probablement du maître d’arme italien Fabris Salvator de Padoue (1544-1617). Voir la note sur Fabris Salvator de Vigeant p. 162 et aussi les références à ses publications (Vigeant p. 55-56)
  8. Version alimentaire de l’adage « blanc bonnet et bonnet blanc ».
  9. Transcription la plus sûre du texte : « gran d erre »
  10. Serviteur du grand prêtre venu arrêter Jésus au Mont des Olivier et dont l’oreille coupée a été immédiatement guérie. Selon la lecture du passage, il est parfois pris pour celui qui soufflète Jésus.
  11. Un des anciens nom de l’abeille.
  12. Sens incertain ; peut-être s'agit-il d'une mauvaise graphie de « filial ».
  13. drillant : étincellant, brillant (dictionnaire de Nicot).
  14. Correction du texte d’origine donnant « peid ».
  15. Cette correction sur les images d'Henri de Saint-Didier indique que celles-ci ont été réalisées avant la version finale du texte.
  16. Le « o » de troisiesme est curieusement placé en exposant.
  17. Suppression du doublement de l'esperluette.
  18. Dupuis states the original says left but is incompatible with the rest of the text and the engraving.
  19. Proposition de correction de l’édition originale qui donne « gauche », en incohérence avec la gravure et le texte plus bas qui confirme que la posture du Lieutenent est identique à celle de la section précédente où c’était bien le pied droit qui était reculé.
  20. Deuxième remarque de l'auteur sur les gravures montrant que le texte a été retouché après réception des gravures. À comparer avec une remarque similaire faite dans le i.33.
  21. per Dupuis's transcription, it's literally "backhand" as opposed to the technique before named "renver" for whatever reason Didier thought to use a different word this time. I've included a hyphen to differentiate but I think it's supposed to be the same.
  22. Correction du texte d’origine donnant « Leiutenent ».
  23. In modern fencing, dérobement is a fencing term for disengage.
  24. Correction de l'édition originale qui omet lors d'un changement de page le début du mot « haute »
  25. The position of the hand illustrates the fingers down, in opposition to the text.
  26. La position de la main illustrée a les doigts au-dessus, en opposition avec le texte.
  27. Proposition de correction pour « bessoin »
  28. Proposition de correction pour « avan-main »
  29. Proposition de correction pour « couté »
  30. Proposition de correction pour « Vola ».
  31. Proposition de correction pour « ongle »
  32. Sens inconnu.
  33. La tuition est un synonyme de « garde », « défense », très souvent employé à cette époque pour appuyer le mot « défense ».
  34. Proposition de correction pour « Provost »
  35. Proposition de correction de « du–sixiesme »
  36. Proposition de correction pour « persent ».
  37. Proposition de correction pour « le ongles ».
  38. Le triangle représenté ici n'est pas correct, celui cotté 65 paraît rendre mieux compte du déplacement proposé.
  39. Proposition de correction pour « Lieutent ». La marque indiquant une contraction a probablement été omise.
  40. On pourrait compléter : « ...et le mettre en 4 ». L'illustration 73 est incorrecte puisque le pied gauche est resté sur la semelle 1 et n'est pas placé sur la semelle 3 (à gauche) comme demandé ; la position des pieds de l'illustration 75 correspond à ce qui aurait dû être représenté.
  41. Proposition de correction pour « dh’aut »
  42. Sic.
  43. Le prévôt représenté ici ne correspond pas au texte puisqu'il se tient sur le pied droit.
  44. Le prévôt de la figure 80 n’est pas sur le pied gauche comme écrit et mais reste cohérent avec la figure 78.
  45. Il faut évidemment lire ici « Prevost ».
  46. Proposition de correction pour « suprint »
  47. Sic.
  48. Suppression du doublement de l'esperluette dans « sa cuisse gauche, & & tous ».
  49. Sic. Au XVIe siècle, le genre des mots était encore indécis.
  50. L’auteur annonce ici une prochaine édition augmentée de son oeuvre qui n’a a priori jamais eu lieu.
  51. Proposition de correction pour « ou ».
  52. Proposition de correction pour « mostré »
  53. Du latin médiéval « inquinatum » signifiant « pour combien »
  54. lit. bark or shell, outer layer. Idiom similar to "Don't judge a book by its cover.
  55. Dilection : attachement, amour pur.
  56. Un vidimus est la copie certifiée d'un acte antérieur.
  57. Il doit s'agit de Pierre ou Jean Brûlart (tout deux avait une charge au Parlement) qui signe pour le roi.