Saturday, July 31, 2010

Good advice.

"The period of the rapier was, in good truth, the most quarrelsome period in history; the "point of honour" was carried to such an extreme point that men would fight to the death for almost any trivial reason, and sometimes even without any at all, but from pure light-heartedness, for the mere fun of the thing and for nothing else."

Alfred Hutton. The Sword and the Centuries.

"Do not upon Every tryfle make an Action of revenge, or of Defyance."

George Silver. Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence.

"For we all acknowledge that it is with the sword that Kingdoms are protected, Religions are defended, injuries are avenged and Nations achieve peace and happiness."

Salvator Fabris. As taken from Tommaso Leoni's translation, Art of Dueling.