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Difference between revisions of "Henry de Sainct Didier"

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| '''THE TREATY CONTAINING THE SECRETS OF THE FIRST BOOK ON THE SWORD ALONE, MOTHER OF'''
 
| '''THE TREATY CONTAINING THE SECRETS OF THE FIRST BOOK ON THE SWORD ALONE, MOTHER OF'''
  
all fencing, which includes sword and dagger, cape, targe, buckler, rondel; two handed swords; and dual-wielding swords with portraitures that show the weapon in hand for throwing strikes to defend and offend at the same time, both offensively and defensively, which is very useful and advantageous to become a skillful noble and disciples of Mars; written for the art, order, and practice.
+
all weapons, which includes sword and dagger, cape, targe, buckler, rondel; two handed swords; and dual-wielding swords with portraitures that show the weapon in hand for throwing strikes to defend and offend at the same time, both offensively and defensively, which is very useful and advantageous to become a skillful noble and disciples of Mars; written for the art, order, and practice.
  
 
''Written by Provencal Gentleman Henry de Saint Didier.''
 
''Written by Provencal Gentleman Henry de Saint Didier.''
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| LETTER TO THE KING.
 
| LETTER TO THE KING.
  
SIRE, It does not please me to say how many are to be praised for those who strive, as they say, to help or even perfect the nature of reducing confusion to order, and in such a way that the face of it appeared rough, sick, and inaccessible; was made easy, accessible, and approachable by them. Even though the only harm that results from confusion and disorder, and among other things that are proper to the Gentlemen make them quite recommendable. Why would I turn my pen elsewhere to show you that to restore a battle that is in disarray, to put it back in its previous order, that a leader must be familiar with two things. To make certain decisions to save time and the place, where and when to stop the broken ranks and by a feint to divert the enemies, while the remaining troops reform and regroup. That decision cannot be acquired, even the reason for it cannot be believed without the second point that I the leader must make is truly necessary, which is having the experience of things, from which arises the aforementioned decision. SIRE, whoever wants to put art or doctrine back in order to avoid confusion lest in the end it will be wasted, decision is required, arising from the experience seen through the exercise of the said art which I have from having served in battle, very much for your grandfather as well as for your Majesty, for twenty years in Piedmont and elsewhere. I can justly attribute to myself having used my life to experience such arms, so much so that accumulating such evidence may have allowed me to to perfect the art and the practice of them. So seeing how confused and disordered they have been and are for today by everyone shown and practiced, have in my mind figured some model or idea, which as an example, I make sure that the order will not only be good so the art that consists of it will be completely restored, and will reach closer to perfection which I have longed for, both because of my powerlessness and extreme poverty (the enemy of good spirits) as well as to be prevented from serving you, kept hidden and buried among my papers in my office where the Muses after martial efforts made me, and hope that will keep me company. But I now have the desire to give you a most humble and pleasant service, far from the zeal that all my life I have had to fencing and to those who enjoy them and who make a profession of them have allowed little, that in this time when Mars gives us some respite, I have not been emboldened to present myself to your Majesty, something not worthy of such a great Monarch, but very suitable for the exercise of a common man, both in war and in peace, namely a treatise on the sword alone, mother of all fencing, that I wrote according to my opinions, which contains six points that I declare had never been organized and their proofs, both by reason and by effect attached to the end. SIRE, this here will contain this little work, which is like a summary or collection of the first book that I still have beside me. If your Majesty appreciates this, with God giving me the grace to live, I hope by means of your Majesty to later enlighten others. Therefore, you who is first and foremost to drive skill to the nobility, I thought you who is the patron of fencing worthy of this treatise, begging you most humbly where and when it would be reputed by other, to please take my ardent affection, which for a long time has been dedicated to offer you the most humble and pleasant service in payment for employing me for something of which this concerns, and I will be more than happy with endless opportunity and will, more than great to pray to the Sovereign Rector of the Universe to give you a long and happy life, and for the boundary of your Empire to only be the Sea.
+
SIRE, It does not please me to say how many are to be praised for those who strive, as they say, to help or even perfect the nature of reducing confusion to order, and in such a way that the face of it appeared rough, sick, and inaccessible; was made easy, accessible, and approachable by them. Even though the only harm that results from confusion and disorder, and among other things that are proper to the Gentlemen make them quite recommendable. Why would I turn my pen elsewhere to show you that to restore a battle that is in disarray, to put it back in its previous order, that a leader must be familiar with two things. To make certain decisions to save time and the place, where and when to stop the broken ranks and by a feint to divert the enemies, while the remaining troops reform and regroup. That decision cannot be acquired, even the reason for it cannot be believed without the second point that I the leader must make is truly necessary, which is having the experience of things, from which arises the aforementioned decision. SIRE, whoever wants to put art or doctrine back in order to avoid confusion lest in the end it will be wasted, decision is required, arising from the experience seen through the exercise of the said art which I have from having served in battle, very much for your grandfather as well as for your Majesty, for twenty years in Piedmont and elsewhere. I can justly attribute to myself having used my life to experience such arms, so much so that accumulating such evidence may have allowed me to to perfect the art and the practice of them. So seeing how confused and disordered they have been and are for today by everyone shown and practiced, have in my mind figured some model or idea, which as an example, I make sure that the order will not only be good so the art that consists of it will be completely restored, and will reach closer to perfection which I have longed for, both because of my powerlessness and extreme poverty (the enemy of good spirits) as well as to be prevented from serving you, kept hidden and buried among my papers in my office where the Muses after martial efforts made me, and hope that will keep me company. But I now have the desire to give you a most humble and pleasant service, far from the zeal that all my life I have had to fencing and to those who enjoy them and who make a profession of them have allowed little, that in this time when Mars gives us some respite, I have not been emboldened to present myself to your Majesty, something not worthy of such a great Monarch, but very suitable for the exercise of a common man, both in war and in peace, namely a treatise on the sword alone, mother of all weapons, that I wrote according to my opinions, which contains six points that I declare had never been organized and their proofs, both by reason and by effect attached to the end. SIRE, this here will contain this little work, which is like a summary or collection of the first book that I still have beside me. If your Majesty appreciates this, with God giving me the grace to live, I hope by means of your Majesty to later enlighten others. Therefore, you who is first and foremost to drive skill to the nobility, I thought you who is the patron of fencing worthy of this treatise, begging you most humbly where and when it would be reputed by other, to please take my ardent affection, which for a long time has been dedicated to offer you the most humble and pleasant service in payment for employing me for something of which this concerns, and I will be more than happy with endless opportunity and will, more than great to pray to the Sovereign Rector of the Universe to give you a long and happy life, and for the boundary of your Empire to only be the Sea.
  
 
   
 
   
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|-  
 
|-  
 
|  
 
|  
| ''The following six points are required to understand and above all to best execute the secrets of the sword alone and all other weapons that are dependent.''
+
| ''The following six points are required to understand and above all else to best execute the secrets of the sword alone and all other weapons that are dependent.''
  
The first is to know how many types of steps there are in the art of said fencing, to choose the best, and to give an explanation.
+
The first is how many types of steps there are in the art of said fencing, how to choose the best, and to explain why.
  
 
| ''S’ensuivent les secrets de ceste espée seule, & de toutes les autres armes qui en dépendent, pour lesquels entendre, & sur tout mieux executer, six poinct sont requis.''
 
| ''S’ensuivent les secrets de ceste espée seule, & de toutes les autres armes qui en dépendent, pour lesquels entendre, & sur tout mieux executer, six poinct sont requis.''
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|-  
 
|-  
 
|  
 
|  
|The fifth is namely to all those who make or will make the profession of teaching the said fencing: being able to defend and offend at the same time some strike or strikes that one can throw, and thus if they do not know how can they teach their disciples.
+
|The fifth is namely for all those who make or will make it their profession by teaching the said fencing: being able to defend and offend at the same time some strike or strikes that one can throw, and thus if they do not know how can they teach their disciples.
  
 
| Le cinquiesme, sçavoir, à tous ceux qui font, ou feront, cy aprés profession de monstrer audites armes : soy deffendre & offencer à un mesme temps de quelque coup ou coups qu’on peut tirer, & par ainsi s’ils ne les sçavent comment les pourront ils monstrer à leurs disciples.
 
| Le cinquiesme, sçavoir, à tous ceux qui font, ou feront, cy aprés profession de monstrer audites armes : soy deffendre & offencer à un mesme temps de quelque coup ou coups qu’on peut tirer, & par ainsi s’ils ne les sçavent comment les pourront ils monstrer à leurs disciples.

Revision as of 19:16, 1 March 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 it's 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. The technique.
  34. La tuition est un synonyme de « garde », « défense », très souvent employé à cette époque pour appuyer le mot « défense ».
  35. Proposition de correction pour « Provost »
  36. Proposition de correction de « du–sixiesme »
  37. Proposition de correction pour « persent ».
  38. The triangle represented here is not correct. The one marked 65 seems to better reflect the proposed movement.
  39. Proposition de correction pour « le ongles ».
  40. Le triangle représenté ici n'est pas correct, celui cotté 65 paraît rendre mieux compte du déplacement proposé.
  41. Dupuis thinks 75 represents this correct and that 73 is incorrect.
  42. Proposition de correction pour « Lieutent ». La marque indiquant une contraction a probablement été omise.
  43. 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.
  44. The Prevost shown at the portraiture does not correspond to the text since he is on the right foot
  45. Proposition de correction pour « dh’aut »
  46. Sic.
  47. Le prévôt représenté ici ne correspond pas au texte puisqu'il se tient sur le pied droit.
  48. The Prevost of 80 isn't on the left foot as written but is coherent with 78.
  49. Le prévôt de la figure 80 n’est pas sur le pied gauche comme écrit et mais reste cohérent avec la figure 78.
  50. It is meant to read as Prevost here.
  51. Il faut évidemment lire ici « Prevost ».
  52. Proposition de correction pour « suprint »
  53. Sic.
  54. Suppression du doublement de l'esperluette dans « sa cuisse gauche, & & tous ».
  55. Sic. Au XVIe siècle, le genre des mots était encore indécis.
  56. The author is announcing here another edition to augment his book which has never has been written.
  57. L’auteur annonce ici une prochaine édition augmentée de son oeuvre qui n’a a priori jamais eu lieu.
  58. Proposition de correction pour « ou ».
  59. Proposition de correction pour « mostré »
  60. Du latin médiéval « inquinatum » signifiant « pour combien »
  61. lit. bark or shell, outer layer. Idiom similar to "Don't judge a book by its cover.
  62. A vidimus is a certified copy of an earlier act
  63. of King Charles IX
  64. It must be either Pierre or Jean Brûlart who both served on Parliament
  65. If the seal is appended to the document with a strip of parchment, it is called a "queue". If there is a double strip, it is then called a "double queue".
  66. Dilection : attachement, amour pur.
  67. Un vidimus est la copie certifiée d'un acte antérieur.
  68. Il doit s'agit de Pierre ou Jean Brûlart (tout deux avait une charge au Parlement) qui signe pour le roi.