Of Sword and Cloke, or Rapier and Cloke

For to difceyue the enimie with the cloake, it is neceffarie to know how many waies in may ferue the turne, and to be skilfull how to fould it orderly about the arm, and how to take aduantage by the largenes thereof: and farther to vnderftand how to defend, and how to offend and hinder the enimie therewith, becaufe it fales not out alwaies, that men fight with their cloake wrapped about the arm, and the fword in hand, Therefore it is the parte of a wife man, to knowe alfo how to handle the cloake after any other manner.

Wherefore one may get the aduãntage of the cloke, both when it is about his bodie, and when it is folded about his arme: The cloke being about the arme in this maner. When it chaunceth any man to bicker with his enimie, with whom he as at poynt to ioyne, but yet happelie weareth about him at that inftant no kind of weapon, whereas his enimie is weaponed, & threateneth him, then by taking both fides of the cloake as neare the coller as is pofsible, he may draw it ouer his owne head, and throwe it at his enimies face, who then being intanglerd and blinded therewith, may either be throwen downe, or disfurnifhed of his weapon very eafely by him that is nimble, efpecially if he haue to deale againft one that is flow. A man may after an other manner take the aduantage of the cloake which the enimie weareth, by taking with one hande both fides thereof, neere the coller; which fides being ftrongly holden, caufe the cloak to be a ginne or fnare about the enimies necke, the which ginne being violently haled, and plucked with one hande, he may fo forciblie ftrike him with the other on the face or vifage, that he will goe neere hande to breake his necke.

There be manie other waies whereby one may preuaile with the cloake, to the greateft parte whereof, men of meane iudgement may eafely attaine vnto. Therefore when one hath his cloake on his arme, and fword in his hand, the aduantage that he getteth thereby, befides warding of blowes, for that hath bene declared in the true arte is, that he may moleft his enimie by falfing to fling his cloake, and then to flinge it in deed. But to falfe the flingyng of the clok is verie daungerous, becaufe it may not be done but in long time. And the verie flinging of the cloake, is as it were a preparation to get the victorie, and is in a manner rather true art then deceit, cõfidering it is don by the [ftrenght] ftreyght or fome other fhorte line: neither for any other caufe is this the rather here laide downe, in deceite, then before in true arte, then for that when one ouercometh by theis meanes, he feemes not to conquere manfully, becaufe he ftrikes the enimie before blinded with the cloake, wherefore when one mindeth to flinge his cloake, he may either do it from and with his arme, or elfe with his fword: and in fo doing it is neceffarie, that he haue not the cloake too much wrapped about his arme: I faie, not aboue twice, neither to hold it ftreight of faft with his hande, that thereby he may be the better able when occafion ferueth to fling it the more eafelie. If therefore he would fling it with his arme, and haue it goe with fuch fury, and make fuch effect as is required, he muft of force ioyne to the flinging thereof the increafe of a pace, on that fide where the cloake is, but firft of all he muft incounter, either finde, either fo enfure the enimies fword, that by the meanes of the increafe of that pace it may do no hurte.

And it is requifite in euerie occafion, that he finde himfelfe to ftand without: and when either an edgeblow or a thruft comes, be it aboue or in the middle, as foone as he hath warded it with his fword, he fhall increafe a pace and fling his cloake, how foeuer it be folded, either from the coller, either from any other parte, or elfe to hale it off from his fhoulder, although it bee on his fhoulder: and in this order it is eafelie throwne, & is thereby the more widned in fuch fort, that the enimie is more entangled and fnared therewith.

Concerning he flinging of the cloake with the fword, I faie, it may be throwen either with the point, either with the edge: with the poynt when one ftandeth at the lowe warde with the right foote behinde, an the cloake before: In which cafe the cloake would be well and thicke doubled and placed on the arme, but not wrapped. And in fteed of driuing a thruft with the poynt which fhalbe hidden behinde the cloake, he fhal take the cloake on the poynt of the fworde, and with the increafe of a pace, force it at the enimies face. And in this manner the cloake is fo forciblie, and fo couertly deliuered and flinged, that the enimie is neither a ware of it, neither can avoyde it, but of force it lighteth on his face, by meanes whereof, he may be ftroken at pleafure in any parte of the bodie.

The cloake may be flong or throwen with the edge of the fworde, when one ftandeth at the lowe warde, with the poynt of the fword turned backewardes, one the left fide and the cloake vpon it, folded at large vpon he arme vp to the elbowe: but not faft wrapped about it, and whileft he falfeth a reuerfe, he may take the cloake on the edge of the fword and fling it towards the enimie, and then ftrike him with fuch a blow as fhal be then moft fit for his aduantage deliuer.

Manie other deceites there might be declared of the cloake, afwell of flinging as of falfing: but becaufe I thinke thefe to be fufficient for an example to frame manie other by, I make an ende.





Greetings,This is an unusual case, as there is a second part to the most recent blog which has been posted on di Grassi's Rapier and Cloak. Many people who read about di Grassi's Rapier and Cloak either only read the first part found in his manual or read on the second part. In order to understand the proper and complete operation of the use of the cloak it is necessary to have both. Thus what is presented below is di Grassi's information about the use of the cloak from "The Second Part intreatinge of Deceites and Falfinges of Blowes and Thruftes".As with the previous presentations the "long s" has been replaced by "f", and all of the spelling and punctuation has been kept as it was in the original. All of the previous mentions of the conditions of the previous presentations of di Grassi's work thus also apply to this one. Enjoy.Cheers,Henry.