Sword and Dagger of Achille Marozzo

Instructions translated by Roland Cooper. Be Gentle.

NB. Marozzo uses “segato” and “traversato” without really defining them, to my knowledge. “Segato” means “sawing” or “slicing.” “Traversato” means “crossing”. I take “traversato” to mean an attack on an oblique line, i.e. across the line of attack, rather than along the line of attack. A traversato often targets the extended/extending sword arm.

Chapter 37. The first part: You attack your enemy

Set yourself with the left foot forward and the dagger in your left hand in porta di ferro stretta. The sword in your right hand is in coda longa e alta
Throw a falso at his sword or dagger hand, staying with your left foot forward.
Let’s say he throws a mandritto at your leg.
Parry your enemy’s mandritto with the true edge of your dagger, turning the point of your dagger towards the ground.
In one tempo take a large step to your enemy’s left with your right leg, throwing a mandritto at his leg that ends in porta di ferro larga with your dagger in guardia di testa.
Then your enemy throws a mandritto or roverso at your head, or a thrust.
Whatever the blow, strike it with a rising falso, and throw a mandritto at his leg, stepping forward with your right foot.
After that, throw a roverso to his sword arm, passing the right foot behind the left
Turn your dagger into porta di ferro stretta, with your sword settling into coda longa e alta

Chapter 38. The second part: Your enemy attacks you

Your enemy throws a mandritto at your head
Throw your right foot forward and parry the blow with your sword, and thrust the point of your dagger into his side. The parry is made with the arm well extended and the point looking at the ground.
Then throw a mandritto fendente, passing the right leg behind the left, your sword settling into cinghiara porta di ferro stretta and your dagger in guardia di testa.
Your enemy throws some blow at you, from above or below.
Advance your right foot to the enemy’s left and strike a falso into his blow, and give a roverso to his leg.
In one tempo, throw a falso dritto to his hand while passing back with your right leg, and your sword will end in coda longa e alta, and your dagger in porta di ferro stretta.

Chapter 39. The third part: A rule to make the enemy withdraw

I want you to attack your enemy with a stocadella.
If he doesn’t want to throw any blows, move your right foot to his left and throw a falso dritto from below into his dagger hand. Your sword should rest in coda longa stretta, and your dagger in guardia di testa.
Then your enemy throws a mandritto or roverso to your head or leg, or a thrust at your face.
Strike any of these blows with a mandritto traversato, passing back and across with your right leg, ending with your sword in cinghiara porta di ferro stretta and your dagger in guardia di testa.
If your enemy responds with a blow, pass your right foot forward, striking the attack with a rising falso followed with a mandritto segato that puts the sword into porta di ferro stretta and the dagger in guardia di testa.

Chapter 40. The fourth part: How to strike the enemy

Your left foot chases the right forward, beating a falso and cutting with a dritto to the leg or arms, or face.
He will have to throw a blow, from above or below. Let’s suppose it’s a fendente or a mandritto tondo to the face, or a mandritto sgualembrato.
Throw your right foot a little to his right and parry his blow in guardia di faccia with your sword point at the right side of his face.
In the same tempo, pass with your left foot and give him a mandritto with your dagger and a roverso with your sword that ends in coda longa e ditesa, with your left leg forward and your dagger in porta di ferro alta.

Chapter 41. The fifth part: to tire your enemy

Attack his sword or dagger hand with a falso.
When you deliver the falso the right foot chases the left.
Now he must throw a mandritto at you, to the leg or head, or a stocata.
In that tempo throw your right foot to your enemy’s left and strike a falso traversato from below into his arms or hands, with a roverso turning from above like a molinello. Your left leg follows behind your right and you set yourself in coda longa e stretta with the sword, and with the dagger in guardia di testa.

Chapter 42. On the sixth part: You are the attacker

I want you to throw a mezza mandritto to his dagger hand.
When he attacks your head, advance your right foot a few inches to his right and give him a roverso to the right leg, parrying his attack with your dagger.
For your retreat, throw the right foot behind the left, pushing a thrust to his face under your dagger, ending with the sword in coda longa e alta and the dagger in porta di ferro stretta, your left foot forward.

Chapter 43. On the seventh part: the footwork

He attacks your head with a mandritto.
Parry it with the true edge of your dagger, and as you parry throw the right foot strongly to your enemy’s left, giving him a solid thrust to the flank or a mezzo mandritto to the leg [part 8].
For your retreat throw a roverso tramazon like a molinello, passing back with your right leg.
Your sword will not pass coda longa e alta, and your dagger will go into porta di ferro stretta.

Chapter 44. Which speaks of the eighth part, about offense and defense

Note that if you throw a mandritto to the leg, your retreat will require a roverso with the right leg retiring.
The roverso comes from your left side, turning under your left arm, meaning a roverso squalembrato.
Look that your sword doesn’t pass coda longa e alta and your dagger rests in porta di ferro stretta with your arms and legs well arranged.

Chapter 45. The ninth part, when you receive a mandritto

If your enemy attacks your leg with a mandritto, know that you can parry it in the following ways:
First, you can parry it with the true edge of the dagger in front of the left leg, making a half turn of the fist.
Also you can parry it with the false edge without making a turn.
With both of these parries you can pass your right foot forward and push a thrust or throw a mandritto to his head or leg.
Against these mandritti, you can also make a mandritto traversato to his sword arm, pulling your right foot behind the left, crossing a little, with your sword falling into cinghiara porta di ferro stretta and your dagger in guardia di testa.
From each of these parries your retreat will need to be two or three steps back, making a half turn of the fist to settle with the sword in coda longa e alta and your dagger in porta di ferro stretta.

Chapter 46. Which describes how to counter an attack to the leg

He wants to hit your leg with a mandritto.
Send the false edge of your sword under his mandritto and then cut him with a roverso to his right side, your dagger going into guardia di testa.
For your treat, throw a rising falso, pulling your right leg back.

Chapter 47. Which deals with your being attacked with a mandritto

I want you to put the false edge of your sword under the same mandritto.
As soon as you parry, make a fendente to his head, stepping forward with your right foot, such that your sword falls into porta di ferro stretta and your dagger goes into guardia di testa.
For your retreat, throw your right foot behind the left, sending a thrust to his face under your dagger.
Make a half turn of the fist, settling into coda longa e alta with your sword and porta di ferro alta with your dagger.

Chapter 48. How one stands against a roverso

It’s worth considering if your enemy should throw a roverso to your head or leg.
In the tempo of his attack, I want you to strike your left foot against the right foot and let his roverso pass by.
When it has passed and cannot injure you, step forward strongly with your right foot and throw your own roverso to his leg. Your sword won’t pass coda longa e stretta, and your dagger will go into guardia di testa.
For your retreat, thrust under your dagger at his face, pulling your right foot behind the left and turning to the guard you did before.

Chapter 49. How to make your enemy withdraw

Throw a rising falso with your sword that forces your enemy to throw a roverso to your head or leg.
Parry this roverso with the true edge of your dagger, turning the point towards the ground.
Once you’ve parried the roverso, throw your right foot forward to his left side and throw a roverso sgualembrato to his head which falls on his legs and arms, such that your sword falls into coda longa e distesa, your dagger going into guardia di testa.
For your retreat, strike a falso or a stocata, passing your right leg behind the left such that you turn the sword and dagger as mentioned above.

Chapter 50. The final part of sword and dagger, with you receiving one who strikes a falso at your dagger hand

Your enemy strikes at your dagger hand with a falso.
I want you to make a half turn of the fist so that your dagger goes into coda longa e stretta, parrying his falso with the true edge of the dagger.
As you parry, advance the right foot, sending a solid thrust into his chest from below, or giving him a mezza mandritto to whatever leg he has forward.
For your retreat, take three or four steps back and set yourself in coda longa e alta with your arms and legs well arranged, and your dagger in porta di ferro stretta.

Chapter 51. On the statement of three or four steps

Know that in this place, where I made you take three or four steps back, I did it because, since you wounded your enemy, he worries that you might wound him again, so he will furiously try to wound you, but if you take these aforementioned steps back, his choler will leave him and he won’t be so bestial. Overall, don’t forget this.