To Encounter with the Two Hand Sword

And as for ye first contenance of ye . ij . höd swerd . thou shalt walk in wt. iij . foete to thy adursary wt a bold spyrte & a mery herte wt a sengyl qrter . & a sengil quartr wastyd wt a cartr stroke and thus smyte thy conter bothe of & on & lete thy hond & thy foet a corde to geder in goede afense.

And as for the first countenance of the two-hand sword, you shall walk in with three steps to your adversary with a bold spirit and a merry heart, and strike a single quarter. Follow that with a wasted single quarter, and then a carter stroke. In such a way, counter both off and on your opponent’s blade, and let your hands and feet accord together in good offense.

The Second Counter

(T)he . ij . conter ys wt a doubil quartr wt thy foete goyng . & a dobyl quartr wastid in to a step & in wt thy foete & smyte a large hauke vp in to ye skye . wt a doubil snache.

The second counter: Strike a double quarter backing up. Make a double-wasted quarter, and the step in smiting a large hawk up to the sky. End with a double snatch.

The Third Counter

The . 3 . lesson of ye countr ys . a rake on eche foete goyng till thou come to thy adusary .wt a doubil quartr wt hole defence born wt an othr dobil qrter wt hole defence breke in & a sygne a toche wt a large sprynge & smyte wt fers stroke menyd wt hole defence & so smyte ys cowntr bothe of & on . & bovrel thy strokis of eche of thy cowntris.

The third lesson of the counter: Perform a slice with each step until you reach your adversary. Maintain a whole defense and strike a double quarter. With another double quarter, keep your defense solid. Break into your opponent’s guard with a large, feinted spring. Then strike fiercely with a guided stroke. Make your counters both off and on the opponent’s blade, and be sure to make the counter-strokes hard.

The Fourth Counter

The. 4 . cowntr ys . ij . halfe roundys. Wyth a tnye foyne . beryng in ye foyne wt a qrter . & an hauke at ye skye wt a snache wt thy hole defence born a for the . & ths cowntr most be smete wt tnsposyng of thy erthe of bothe fete for surenesse of defence.

The fourth counter: Make two half-rounds, and then open the way for a turning foin with a quarter. Strike a rising hawk and make a snatch, with your whole defense borne before you. This counter must be smitten while switching the feet for sureness of defense.

The Fifth Counter

(T) he . 5 . cowntr is an halfe rownde of ye secnde foete . & than smyte . ij . dobil haukys & bothe sides hole . & brokë enter hÿ wt ye ferst foete . wt a dobil qrter . & so smyte a cartr stroke but tne hym wt a stroke auëture wt hole defence . & thvs smyte ths cownter bothe of & on . & lete thy eye . thy foete . & thy honde a corde in thy defence ye cause of stroke auëture is callyd . for a ma tnyth hys bak to hys enmy.

The fifth counter: Strike a half round off the back foot, and then strike two double hawks to each side, one whole and one broken and passing forward. Enter in with the front foot and strike a double quarter. Then make a carter stroke, and turn your adversary with a turning strike, while holding your defense. Keep eye, hand and foot coordination. The “turning strike” is so called because it turns your back to your enemy.

The Sixth Counter

(T) he . 6 . cowntr ys beryng in wt. iij . foynys on bothe fete . & loke thou t¨ne hond & foete & smyte a large qrter . & ber in a stop wt thy bak nakyd born . & smyte a large hauke wt fers hert & draw hym sor vp to ye skye.

The sixth counter: Step in with three foins on both feet. Turn your hands and feet, and make a large quarter. Bear in a step with your back exposed and smite a large hawk with a fierce heart and draw him sore up to the sky.

The Seventh Counter

The. 7. cowntr ys menyd . iij . menyd foyns & träspose hä bothe goyng & comyng. & smyte thy foynys wt in thy sengyl quartr . & at ye last quartr smyte a large sprynge wt a lusty stop a fore & then a chace foyne.

The seventh counter: Make three guided foins while alternating forwards and backwards steps. Mix these foins in with a single quarter. Strike a last quarter and then make a one-handed thrust with a large step forwards. End with a chase foin.

The last four counters have been lost--never copied by the scribe who wrote down the other bits of the Harleian Manuscript. It is at this point that the mnemonic rhyme "The Man that Would" follows in the text, although its chronological origin is actually earlier.