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| GUARDS AND COUNTERGUARDS
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| <p>'''GUARDS AND COUNTERGUARDS'''</p>
  
It is necessary for someone wanting to become a professor of the science of arms to understand many things. To give my lessons a beginning, I will first begin to discuss the guards and counterguards, or postures and counterpostures, of the sword. This, because coming to some incident of contention it is first necessary to understand this to be able to secure oneself against the enemy. To place oneself in guard then, many things must be observed, as can be seen in my figures: standing firm over the feet, that are low and the foundation of the entire body, in a just pace, restrained rather than long in order to be able to increase it, holding the sword and dagger strongly in the hands, the dagger now high, now low, now extended, the sword now high, now low, now on the right side, ready to parry and wound so that the enemy throwing either a thrust or cut can be parried and wounded in the same tempo, with the vita disposed and ready because lacking the disposition and readiness of that it will be an easy thing for the enemy to put it into disorder with a dritto, a riverso, a thrust, or in another manner, and even if such a person parried they would remain in danger. It is advised to let the dagger watch the enemy’s sword, because if the enemy throws it will parry that. Always aim the sword at the uncovered part of the enemy so that the enemy is wounded when throwing. This is all the artifice of this profession. Moreover, one must note that all the motions of the sword are guards to one who knows them, and all guards are good to one who practices, as on the contrary no motion is a guard to one who does not understand, and they are not good for one who does not know how to use them. This profession does not require more than science and exercise, and this exercise presents the science. Placing oneself uncovered in guard is artifice and done because the enemy disorders themselves when throwing and ends up in danger. Placing oneself covered is also artifice because in binding the enemy can be wounded. In this way it is understood that every guard aids one who has skill and understands, and no guard is valuable to he who does not have skill or understanding. This is enough about the guards. As for the counterguards, be advised that one who has knowledge of this profession will never place themselves in guard, but will seek to place themselves against the guards. Wanting to do so, be warned of this: one must place oneself outside of measure, that is, at a distance, with the sword and dagger high, strong with the vita, and with a firm and balanced pace, then consider the guard of the enemy. Afterwards approach him little by little with your sword binding his for safety, that is, almost resting your sword on his so that it covers it because he will not be able to wound if he does not disengage the sword. The reason for this is that in disengaging he performs two actions. First he disengages, which is the first tempo, then wounding, which is the second. While he disengages, in that same tempo he can come to be wounded in many ways before he has time to wound, as one will see in the figures of my book. If he changes guard for the counterguard it is necessary to follow him along with the sword forward and the dagger, always securing his sword, because in the first tempo he will always have to disengage the sword and end up wounded. It will never be possible for him to wound if not with two tempi, and from those parrying will always be a very easy thing. This is enough about guards and counterguards.
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<p>It is necessary for someone wanting to become a professor of the science of arms to understand many things. To give my lessons a beginning, I will first begin to discuss the guards and counterguards, or postures and counterpostures, of the sword. This, because coming to some incident of contention it is first necessary to understand this to be able to secure oneself against the enemy. To place oneself in guard then, many things must be observed, as can be seen in my figures: standing firm over the feet, that are low and the foundation of the entire body, in a just pace, restrained rather than long in order to be able to increase it, holding the sword and dagger strongly in the hands, the dagger now high, now low, now extended, the sword now high, now low, now on the right side, ready to parry and wound so that the enemy throwing either a thrust or cut can be parried and wounded in the same tempo, with the vita disposed and ready because lacking the disposition and readiness of that it will be an easy thing for the enemy to put it into disorder with a dritto, a riverso, a thrust, or in another manner, and even if such a person parried they would remain in danger. It is advised to let the dagger watch the enemy’s sword, because if the enemy throws it will parry that. Always aim the sword at the uncovered part of the enemy so that the enemy is wounded when throwing. This is all the artifice of this profession. Moreover, one must note that all the motions of the sword are guards to one who knows them, and all guards are good to one who practices, as on the contrary no motion is a guard to one who does not understand, and they are not good for one who does not know how to use them. This profession does not require more than science and exercise, and this exercise presents the science. Placing oneself uncovered in guard is artifice and done because the enemy disorders themselves when throwing and ends up in danger. Placing oneself covered is also artifice because in binding the enemy can be wounded. In this way it is understood that every guard aids one who has skill and understands, and no guard is valuable to he who does not have skill or understanding. This is enough about the guards. As for the counterguards, be advised that one who has knowledge of this profession will never place themselves in guard, but will seek to place themselves against the guards. Wanting to do so, be warned of this: one must place oneself outside of measure, that is, at a distance, with the sword and dagger high, strong with the vita, and with a firm and balanced pace, then consider the guard of the enemy. Afterwards approach him little by little with your sword binding his for safety, that is, almost resting your sword on his so that it covers it because he will not be able to wound if he does not disengage the sword. The reason for this is that in disengaging he performs two actions. First he disengages, which is the first tempo, then wounding, which is the second. While he disengages, in that same tempo he can come to be wounded in many ways before he has time to wound, as one will see in the figures of my book. If he changes guard for the counterguard it is necessary to follow him along with the sword forward and the dagger, always securing his sword, because in the first tempo he will always have to disengage the sword and end up wounded. It will never be possible for him to wound if not with two tempi, and from those parrying will always be a very easy thing. This is enough about guards and counterguards.</p>
| DELLE GUARDIE, E CONTRAGUARDIE.
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VOLENDO alcuno farsi professore della scientia dell’armi, gli è necessario conoscere molte cose, & per dare à queste mie lettioni principio, comincierò prima à trattare delle guardie, e contraguardie, ò vogliamo dire posture, & contraposture della spada; & questo, perche venendosi à qualche accidente di questione, è necessario conoscere prima questo per poter si contra l’inimico assicurare. A volersi dunque metter in guardia hanno da esser molte cose osservate, come si vede in queste figure mie; & è lo star fermo sopra i piedi, che sono base, & fondomento di tutto il corpo, in un passo giusto, & più presto ristretto che longo, per il poter crescere: tener la spada, & il pugnal forte nelle mani: il pugnale hora alto, hora basso, hora disteso; la spada hora alta, hora bassa; hora al destro lato in atto sempre di riparare, e di ferire, si che tirendo l’inimico, ò di punta, ò di taglio possi riparare, & ferire in un istesso tempo, con la vita disposta e pronta; perche mancando la dispositione, & la prontezza di quella, facil cosa sarà all’inimico il poterla porre in disordine, ò con un dritto, ò con un riversicco; ò con una punta, ò in altra maniera; e quel tale benche riparasse rimarebbe in pericolo. Egli è avertire che il pugnale guardi la spada nemica, perche se il nemico tira, quello pari, & che la spada miri sempre la parte discoperta del nemico; si che tirando resti l’inimico ferito. Et questo è tutto l’artificio di questa professione. Di più si deve notare che tutti li moti della spada sono guardie à chi li sà conoscere; & tutte le guardie perchi essercita sono buone; come all’incontro à chi non intende nessono moto e guardia; & perchi non le sà usare, non sono buone. Questa professione altro non ricerca che scienza, & essercitio, & questa essercitata dona la scienza. Il mettersi discoperto in guardia è artificio, e questo si fà perche l’inimico tirando si metta in disordine, & resti in pericolo: come anco il mettersi coperto è artificio, perche stringendo l’inimico possi ferire; di maniera che si può intendere, che ogni guardia gioua à chi intende, & conosce; & à chi non intende, & conosce, nessuna guardia vale; & questo è quanto alle guardie. Quanto alle contraguardie è d’avertire, che uno c’haverà cognitione di questa professione, mai si metterà in guardia, ma cercherà di mettersi contra le guardie; & volendosi mettere contra alle guardie, è d’avertire questo; che bisogna mettersi fuora di misura, cioè in distantia, con la spada, & il pugnal alto, forte con la vita, & con il passo fermo, e saldo; poi considerar la guardia del nemico; di poi andarlo pian piano con la spada stringendo alla sicuratione della sua, cioè con l’appoggiar la spada quasi alla sua, si che la copra, perche non possi ferire, se non cava la spada: la ragione è questa, che cavando lui fa due effetti: prima cava; ecco il primo tempo, poi ferisce ecco il secondo; mentre egli cava in quell’istesso tempo può restar ferito in molte maniere, come si vedrà nelle figure di questo mio libro, prima che habbi tempo di ferire; se egli si muta di guardia per la contraguardia bisogna seguirlo con la spada inanzi, e con il pugnal longo assicurando sempre la spada sua, perche egli sempre nel primo tempo, c’haverà à cavar la spada habbi à restar ferito, ne possi lui mai ferire, se non con due tempi; dalli quali ripararsi sarà sempre facilissima cosa: & questo è quanto alle guardie, e contraguardie.
 
 
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| TEMPO AND MEASURE
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| <p>'''TEMPO AND MEASURE'''</p>
  
One cannot know how to place oneself in guard, or against the guard, nor how to throw a thrust, an imbroccata, a mandritto, or a riverso, nor how to turn the wrist, nor how to carry the body well, or to best control the sword, or say one understands parrying and wounding, but by understanding tempo and measure which, of one who does not understand, even though they parry and wound, it could not be said that they understand parrying and wounding, because such a person in parrying as in wounding can err and incur a thousand dangers. Therefore, having discussed the guards and counterguards it remains to discuss tempo and measure in order to know how to, then to accommodate an understanding of when one must parry and wound. Therefore, measure means when the sword can reach the enemy. When it cannot it is called being out of measure. Tempo is understood in this way: if the enemy is in guard, one needs to place oneself outside of measure and advance with one’s guard, securing oneself from the enemy’s sword with one’s own, and put one’s mind on what he wants to do. If he disengages, in the disengagement one can wound him, and this is a tempo. If he changes guard, while he changes is a tempo. If he turns, it is a tempo. If he binds to come to measure, while he walks before arriving in measure is a tempo to wound him. If he throws, parrying and wounding in a tempo also is a tempo. If the enemy stays still in guard and waits and you advance to bind him and throw where he is uncovered when you are in measure, it is a tempo, because in every motion of the dagger, sword, foot, and vita such as changing guard, is a tempo in such a way that all these things are tempi: because they contain different intervals, and while the enemy makes one of these motions, he will certainly be wounded because while a person moves they cannot wound. It is necessary to understand this in order to be able to wound and parry. I will be demonstrating more clearly how one must do so in my figures.
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<p>''One cannot know how to place oneself in guard, or against the guard, nor how to throw a thrust, an imbroccata, a mandritto, or a riverso, nor how to turn the wrist, nor how to carry the body well, or to best control the sword, or say one understands parrying and wounding, but by understanding tempo and measure which, of one who does not understand, even though they parry and wound, it could not be said that they understand parrying and wounding, because such a person in parrying as in wounding can err and incur a thousand dangers. Therefore, having discussed the guards and counterguards it remains to discuss tempo and measure in order to know how to, then to accommodate an understanding of when one must parry and wound. Therefore, measure means when the sword can reach the enemy. When it cannot it is called being out of measure. Tempo is understood in this way: if the enemy is in guard, one needs to place oneself outside of measure and advance with one’s guard, securing oneself from the enemy’s sword with one’s own, and put one’s mind on what he wants to do. If he disengages, in the disengagement one can wound him, and this is a tempo. If he changes guard, while he changes is a tempo. If he turns, it is a tempo. If he binds to come to measure, while he walks before arriving in measure is a tempo to wound him. If he throws, parrying and wounding in a tempo also is a tempo. If the enemy stays still in guard and waits and you advance to bind him and throw where he is uncovered when you are in measure, it is a tempo, because in every motion of the dagger, sword, foot, and vita such as changing guard, is a tempo in such a way that all these things are tempi: because they contain different intervals, and while the enemy makes one of these motions, he will certainly be wounded because while a person moves they cannot wound. It is necessary to understand this in order to be able to wound and parry. I will be demonstrating more clearly how one must do so in my figures.''</p>
| DEL TEMPO, ET DELLA MISURA.
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NON per sapersi metter in guardia, overo contro alla guardia, nè per saper tirar una punta, un’imbroccata, un mandritto, ò un riverscio; nè per saper far nodi di mano, nè per portar bene il corpo, nè per meglio dominar la spada, si può dire di saper riparare, & di saper ferire: ma per conoscer il tempo, & la misura, le quali chi non conosce, benche ripara, & benche ferisca, non si può dire di sapere e riparer, e ferire; perche così nel riparare, come nel ferire può errare, & incorrere in mille pericoli. Havendo dunque trattato delle guardie, e contraguardie, resta trattare del tempo, & della misura, per sapersi poi accommodar à conoscer quando si deve riparare, e ferire. La misura dunque s’intende quando con la spada si può arrivar l’inimico; & quando non si può, s’intende esser fuor di misura. Il tempo si conosce in questo modo: se l’inimico è in guardia, bisogna mettersi fuor di misura, & andar con la sua guardia assicurandosi dalla spada nemica con la sua, & poner mente à quanto egli vuol fare: se egli cava, nel cavare si può ferirlo, e questo è tempo: se egli si muta di guardia, mentre si muta è tempo: se egli gira, è tempo: se egli stringe per venir in misura, mentre camina prima ch’arrivi in misura, è tempo di ferirlo: se tira, riparar e ferir in un tempo, anche questo è tempo: se l’inimico stà in guardia fermo per aspettare, andar à stringerlo, e come sete in misura tirar, ove è discoperto, è tempo; perche in ogni moto di pugnale, di spada, di piede, & di vita, come mutarsi di guardia, è tempo. Di maniera che tutte queste cose sono tempi; perche hanno in sè diversi intervalli; & mentre l’inimico farà uno di questi moti, senza dubbio bisogna, che resti ferito; perche mentre si muove, non può ferire. Et questo è necessario sapere per poter ferire, & riparare; il che più distintamente andrò mostrando, come si debba fare nelle mie figure.
 
 
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| [[File:Scola, overo teatro (Giganti) 04 Figure 01.png|400x400px|center|Figure 1]]
 
| [[File:Scola, overo teatro (Giganti) 04 Figure 01.png|400x400px|center|Figure 1]]
| The method of throwing the stoccata
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| <p>''The method of throwing the stoccata''</p>
  
Now that we have discussed the guards, counterguards, measures, and tempi, it is a necessary thing to demonstrate and give knowledge of how to hold the vita in order to throw a stoccata and escape since wanting to learn this art it is first necessary to understand how to carry the vita and throw stoccate that are long, as seen in this figure, and all is in throwing brief, strong, and immediate stoccate, withdrawing backward outside of measure. To throw the long stoccata, one must place themselves in a just and strong pace, short rather than long in order to be able to extend, and in throwing the stoccata stretch the sword arm, bending the knee as much as possible. The proper method of throwing the stoccata is after placing oneself in guard, it is necessary to throw the arm first, then extend forward with the vita in one tempo so that the stoccata arrives and the enemy does not perceive it. If the vita were brought forward first the enemy could notice it and, availing himself of the tempo, parry and wound in one tempo. In withdrawing backward one must first carry back the head because behind the head will follow the vita, and afterwards the foot. Carrying the foot back first and leaving the head and vita forward keeps them in great danger. Therefore, to learn this art well one must first practice throwing this stoccata. Knowing it one will learn the rest easily, and not knowing it the contrary. Be advised, Lord readers, that I will place this method of throwing the stoccata many times in my lessons at appropriate times. This I know makes the lessons better understood. It is not said of me that I say one thing many times.
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<p>Now that we have discussed the guards, counterguards, measures, and tempi, it is a necessary thing to demonstrate and give knowledge of how to hold the vita in order to throw a stoccata and escape since wanting to learn this art it is first necessary to understand how to carry the vita and throw stoccate that are long, as seen in this figure, and all is in throwing brief, strong, and immediate stoccate, withdrawing backward outside of measure. To throw the long stoccata, one must place themselves in a just and strong pace, short rather than long in order to be able to extend, and in throwing the stoccata stretch the sword arm, bending the knee as much as possible. The proper method of throwing the stoccata is after placing oneself in guard, it is necessary to throw the arm first, then extend forward with the vita in one tempo so that the stoccata arrives and the enemy does not perceive it. If the vita were brought forward first the enemy could notice it and, availing himself of the tempo, parry and wound in one tempo. In withdrawing backward one must first carry back the head because behind the head will follow the vita, and afterwards the foot. Carrying the foot back first and leaving the head and vita forward keeps them in great danger. Therefore, to learn this art well one must first practice throwing this stoccata. Knowing it one will learn the rest easily, and not knowing it the contrary. Be advised, Lord readers, that I will place this method of throwing the stoccata many times in my lessons at appropriate times. This I know makes the lessons better understood. It is not said of me that I say one thing many times.</p>
| Del modo di tirar la Stoccata.
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HORA che trattato habbiamo di guardie, & contraguardie, di misure, e di tempi, è cosa necessaria dimostrare, & dare ad intendere come s’habbi à portar la vita per tirare una stoccata, & salvarsi; poiche à voler imparare quest’arte è necessario il saper prima portar la vita, & tirar le stoccate longhe, quanto si vede in questa figura: & il tutto stà nel tirare le stoccate longhe, & preste, & forti, & subbito, ritirarsi in dietro fuori della misura. A tirare la stoccata longa, bisogna mettersi con un passo giusto, & forte, più tosto curto, che longo, per poter crescere, & nel tirar la stoccata allongar il braccio della spada, inchinando il ginocchio quanto si può. Il vero modo di tirar la stoccata è che doppo l’essersi messo in guardia, bisogna prima tirar il brazzo, & poi crescer inanzi con la vita in un tempo, che così la stoccata arriva, che’l nemico non se ne avvede; che se prima si portasse inanzi la vita, il nemico se ne avvederebbe, & così servendosii del tempo potrebbe riparare, & ferire in un tempo. Nel ritirarsi indietro bisogna prima portar indietro la testa, poiche dietro alla testa seguirà la vita, & doppo il piede, che portando prima indietro il piede restando la testa, & la vita inanzi, restano in gran pericolo. A voler dunque imparar bene quest’arte, bisogna essercitarsi prima à trare questa stoccata, che sapendo questa facilmente imparerà il resto, come per lo contrario non sapendo, avvertendo Signori elettori, che questo modo di tirar la stoccata la remetterò molte volte in nelle mie lettioni secondo verrà il tempo: questo saccio per dar ad intender melglio la lettione, che non mi sia detto, che dico molte volte una cosa.
 
 
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| Why begin with the single sword
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| <p>''Why begin with the single sword''</p>
 
 
In my first book of arms I proposed to discuss only two kinds of weapons, that is, the single sword and sword and dagger, setting aside discussion of certain others. If it pleases my Lord, I will illuminate all sorts of weapons as soon as possible. Because the sword is the most common and most used weapon of all I wanted to begin with it, since one who understands playing with the sword well will also understand the handling of almost every other kind of weapon. Since it is not usual in every part of the world to carry the dagger, targa, or rotella, and as fighting with single sword occurs many times, I urge everyone to first learn to play with the single sword, despite everything one might have in frays, such as the dagger, the targa, or the rotella, since occurring as it many times does that the dagger, targa, or rotella falls from his hand, a man would have to defend himself and wound the enemy with the single sword, and because one who practices playing with the single sword will understand just as well how to parry and wound as one who has sword and dagger.
 
| Perche cominci dalla Spada sola.
 
  
IN questo mio primo libro d’armi ho proposto di trattare di due sorti d’armi solo; cioè di spada sola, & spada e pugnale, reservando di trattare in alcuni altri che piacendo al Signore, manderò in luce quanto prima d’ogni sorte d’armi. Et perche la spada è la più commune & la più usata arma di tutte le altri, ho voluto cominciare da essa: poiche chi sà bene giocar di spada, saprà anche maneggiare qualche poco ogni altra sorte di armi. Ma poiche non si usa in ogni parte del mondo à portare il pugnale, la targha, ò la rodella; & occorrendo molte volte à combattere à spada sola; io essorto ogn’uno ad imparar prima à giocar di spada sola, con tutto che nelle questioni havesse il pugnale, ò la targha, ò la rodella; poiche occorrendo, come spese volte avviene, che cadendo di mano il pugnale, targha, ò rodella, si possi l’huomo difendere, & ferire l’inimico con la sola spada; poiche chi s’essercita à giocar di spada sola, saprà così bene riparare, & ferire, come s’havesse spada, & pugnale.
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<p>In my first book of arms I proposed to discuss only two kinds of weapons, that is, the single sword and sword and dagger, setting aside discussion of certain others. If it pleases my Lord, I will illuminate all sorts of weapons as soon as possible. Because the sword is the most common and most used weapon of all I wanted to begin with it, since one who understands playing with the sword well will also understand the handling of almost every other kind of weapon. Since it is not usual in every part of the world to carry the dagger, targa, or rotella, and as fighting with single sword occurs many times, I urge everyone to first learn to play with the single sword, despite everything one might have in frays, such as the dagger, the targa, or the rotella, since occurring as it many times does that the dagger, targa, or rotella falls from his hand, a man would have to defend himself and wound the enemy with the single sword, and because one who practices playing with the single sword will understand just as well how to parry and wound as one who has sword and dagger.</p>
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Revision as of 23:38, 12 July 2020

Nicoletto Giganti
Born 1550-1560
Fossombrone, Italy
Died after 1622
Venice, Italy (?)
Occupation
Nationality Italian
Citizenship Republic of Venice
Patron Cosimo II de Medici
Influenced Bondì di Mazo (?)
Genres Fencing manual
Language Italian
Notable work(s)

Nicoletto Giganti (Niccoletto, Nicolat; 1550s-after 1622[1]) was a 16th – 17th century Italian soldier and fencing master. He was likely born to a noble family in Fossombrone in central Italy,[2] and only later became a citizen of Venice as he stated on the title page of his 1606 treatise. Little is known of Giganti’s life, but in the dedication to his 1606 treatise he counts twenty seven years of professional experience (possibly referring to service in the Venetian military, a long tradition of the Giganti family).[3] The preface to his 1608 treatise describes him as a Mastro d'Arme of the Order of St. Stephen in Pisa, giving some further clues to his career.

In 1606, Giganti published a popular treatise on the use of the rapier (both single and with the dagger) titled Scola, overo teatro ("School or Fencing Hall"). This treatise is structured as a series of progressively more complex lessons, and Tom Leoni opines that this treatise is the best pedagogical work on rapier fencing of the early 17th century.[4] It is also the first treatise to fully articulate the principle of the lunge.

In 1608, Giganti made good the promise in his first book that he would publish a second volume.[5] Titled Libro secondo di Niccoletto Giganti Venetiano, it covers the same weapons as the first as well as rapier and buckler, rapier and cloak, rapier and shield, single dagger, and mixed weapon encounters. This text in turn promises two additional works, on the dagger and on cutting with the rapier, but there is no record of these books ever being published.

While Giganti's second book quickly disappeared from history, his first seems to have been quite popular: reprints, mostly unauthorized, sprang up many times over the subsequent decades, both in the original Italian and, beginning in 1619, in French and German translations. This unauthorized dual-language edition also included book 2 of Salvator Fabris' 1606 treatise Lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme which, coupled with the loss of Giganti's true second book, is probably what has lead many later bibliographers to accuse Giganti himself of plagiarism.

Treatise

Research on Giganti's newly-rediscovered second book is still ongoing, and it is not currently included in the tables below.

Additional Resources

  • Giganti, Nicoletto; Pendragon, Joshua; Terminiello, Piermarco. The 'Lost' Second Book of Nicoletto Giganti (1608): A Rapier Fencing Treatise. Vulpes, 2013. ISBN 978-1909348318
  • Leoni, Tom. Venetian Rapier: The School, or Salle. Nicoletto Giganti's 1606 Rapier Fencing Curriculum. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9825911-2-3
  • Mediema, Aaron Taylor. Nicoletto Giganti's the School of the Sword: A New Translation by Aaron Taylor Miedema. Legacy Books Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1927537077

References

  1. Leoni, p xii.
  2. Lancellotti, Francesco Maria. Quadro letterario degli uomini illustri della città di Fossombrone. In Colucci, Giuseppe. Antichità picene, XXVIII. Fermo, 1796. p 33.
  3. Calcaterra, Francesco. Corti e cortigiani nella Roma barocca. Rome, 2012. p 76.
  4. Leoni, p xi.
  5. This treatise was considered lost for centuries, and as early as 1673 the Sicilian master Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini stated that this second book was never published at all. See La seconda parte della scherma illustrata. Palermo, 1673. p v.