FENCING. Specifically, the art of attack and defense with sword or rapier, but frequently employed so as to include the use of such weapons as foils, singlesticks, broadsword, quarter-staff, bayonet, lance„ etc. It has also been well defined as the philosophy of gymnastics. There is not much evidence to justify the assumption that fencing as an art was practiced before the ad vent of the rapier in the sixteenth century, al though it has been conceded that some crude sys tem of fence must have been necessary for the proper play of the luiche d'armes or poleaxe, a weapon about five feet in length, and used with both hands. The knight depended as a rule on the strength and temper of his armor for defense, and on the force and accurate thrust of his lance for attack: but the employment of a shield to ward off attack, by sword or other weapon, sug gests that some form of fence was known. The swords in use at this time were the heavy two handed swords (Fig. 1), the bastard sword (a Leavy weapon. which, however, might be used with one hand), and the ordinary single-handed sword. Each type was made with double edges and a point. From the middle of the sixteenth to the middle of the seventeenth century was the most prolific period in the variety of weapons intro (hived, and also the period from which fencing may properly be said to date. The most im portant weapon of the group was the long Span ish-Italian rapier. with its adjuncts, the poniard I Fig. 3) or the cloak (Fig. 4). It was prac tically a development of the cross-hilted sword, and arrived at its most perfect form early in the seventeenth century, when the 'swept' hilt gave place to the 'coup.' Armor was no longer worn, so that combatants fought stripped to their shirts, and, owing to the deadly nature of a rapier-thrust, were compelled to cultivate the art of fence. Italian fencing masters were in demand, but, owing to the length and general unwieldiness of the weapon, their instruction was far from the complex method it afterwards became. In avoiding an opponent's rapier, recourse would be had rather to change of position with the body than to changing positions of the weapon itself, and parries with the dagger were equally few. The period of the rapier has deseribed as the most quarrelsome period in history. During the reign of Louis X1 1 1. of France, the rage for dueling became more viru lent than ever, and the use of the rapier, and con sequent knowledge of its practice, grew he wide spread, with the inevitable result of considerably altering the style and size of the rapier. The hilt gradually took the shape of a cup, and the blade was so shortened and lightened that the possibilities of attack and defense were vastly increased. and a weapon for the left hand came unnecessary. The parry, and as a natural consequence the feint, which with the previous heavy and unwieldy weapon had been impossible, became now an absolute necessity, and combined with the lunge marked a great advance in the art of fence. The 'lunge,' or forward movement of the leading foot, was first suggested so far as is known by a celebrated Italian fencing-master of the sixteenth century, di Grassi, whose work published in 15i4, and translated into English by 'J. G., Gentleman,' in 1594, was long regarded
as an authority. At this time such footwork as was practiced consisted of passes, or steps for ward, backward, or to either side; with the addi tion of voltes and demi-mites as needed, during which the swordsman was required to keep the knees as nearly straight as possible. The univer sal prevalence of dueling (q.v.) during the eigh teenth century brought about further improve ments in the weapons, and finally evolved the slender feather-weight rapier now known as the small sword. The elementary circular, or counter parry, proved to be of sufficient value to compel sword-makers to alter the shape of the blade, by fining down its excessively broad forte, and mak ing it taper gradually from hilt to point; thus, the 'walking-sword' of the closing decades of the eighteenth century became as light and supple as is the fencing-foil of the twentieth century. Among the many famous fencing men of this period may be mentioned the Chevalier de Saint Georges, the half-breed Son of a rich planter of Guadalupe; the French Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont ( 1 728-18 1 0), so long believed to be.a woman; and Angelo, the founder of a family for several generations conspicuous in the annals of fencing in Great Britain. Since the days of armor, up to the eighteenth century, protec tion for the face or other parts of the body in a fencing-bout was unknown, and all the great fencing masters of the rapier reeom mended (mo•mous buttons—in many instances, it is recorded, as large as a tennis-ball—which, being affixed to the point of the weapon, afforded a measure of protection to an opponent. During the earlier part of the small-sword period it had also been the custom in the males d'armes for a fencer to withhold his riposte after making a successful parry, in order that his opponent might have time to recover from his lunge. and escape any possible injury to his face. The elder La is said to have been the original advocate of protection for the face. but his idea met with a very indifferent reception from the reliving fraternity, who vehemently denied the -necessity of such protection on the part of them selves. When first introdueed the mask was of solid metal, in which openings were made for the eyes, and thus left exposed the very parts that most needed protection. An accident, by which a prominent instructor lost the sight of an eye, soon demonstrated the necessity of eye-envering, which in time led to the present. meshwork mask. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the use of the glove, plastron, sandals, and mask had become general, and while gentlemen no longer carried the walking-sword, a form of it still holds sway in France, in the (We de Combat, the favorite weapon of duelists throughout the world.