One of the things that Giovanni Dall’Agocchie’s Dell’Arte di Scrimia is best known for among today’s martial artists is his unaccompanied sword form. (This starts on 11recto – page 12 of William Jherek Swanger’s translation.)

What I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is Dall’Agocchie’s sword and dagger (or sword and cloak) form. That’s probably because he doesn’t explicitly describe such a form. But I believe that it is strongly implied in the text.  To prove that, we need to look at the order in which he talks about guards.

There are two main orderings of guards he uses, which I am going to call the “pedagogical order” and the “form order”.  The pedagogical order is used throughout the book whenever Dall’Agocchie is walking through a list of actions.  This includes discussions of defenses, provocations, and counters to provocations. All of these are described depending on your starting guard. First you get the defenses from coda lunga stretta, then the defenses from coda lunga alta, and so on.

The order in which the guards are worked through is always identical. When using this for unaccompanied sword, ignore the dagger position, and do not use the final guard (it is only used when you have an accompanying weapon):

• sword in coda lunga stretta, dagger in cinghiale porta di ferro
• sword in coda lunga alta, dagger in porta di ferro alta
• sword in porta di ferro stretta, dagger in coda lunga alta
• sword in cinghiale porta di ferro, dagger in guardia di testa
• guardia d’alicorno with the right foot forward, dagger in cinghiale porta di ferro
• guardia d’alicorno with the left foot forward, dagger in porta di ferro alta

The “form order” only appears twice in the book. When telling us “how to step in the guards” the order we get is:

• Advancing:
  • coda lunga stretta
  • cinghiale porta di ferro
  • porta di ferro stretta
  • coda lunga alta
  • guardia d’alicorno

• Retreating:
  • porta di ferro stretta
  • coda lunga alta
  • porta di ferro stretta
  • cinghiale porta di ferro
  • coda lunga stretta

Note that the retreating section is basically “unwinding” the forward section.

On 35recto (page 40 of Swanger’s translation) Dall’Agocchie tells us how to “step in guards” when we use the sword and dagger:

• sword in coda lunga stretta, dagger in cinghiale porta di ferro alta
• sword in cinghiale porta di ferro, dagger in guardia di testa
• sword in porta di ferro (stretta implied), dagger in coda lunga alta
• sword in coda lunga alta, dagger in porta di ferro alta
• sword in guardia d’alicorno, dagger in cinghiale porta di ferro

Please note:

1. While Dall’Agocchie does not give us explicit directions about what cuts and thrusts we are using here (as he does in the unaccompanied form), he does make it clear that the sword is moving from guard to guard in this section (for example, “But when your sword falls into porta di ferro…”).
2. He uses the same phrase as used to describe the unaccompanied form – this is “stepping in guards”.
3. He mentions the guards in the same order as the Advancing half of the unaccompanied solo form.
4. He ends by pointing out that this applies whether stepping forward or back.
5. This is the only time other than the unaccompanied solo form when guards are presented in this order.
6. This is the only time when accompanying arms are discussed and guardia d’alicorno is not discussed as two separate guards (one right foot forward, one left foot forward).

All of this adds up to my belief that Dall’Agocchie intended this as an accompanied solo form, to match the unaccompanied solo form presented earlier. I’ve never seen this mentioned in any of the Bolognese discussions online, but are any of you already practicing this form?

Giovanni Dall’Agocchie’s Dell’Arte di Scrimia describes a short and lovely solo form when concluding the section on guards. In the marginalia he names this “Stepping in the guards: how it is done”.

My first brush with Dall’Agocchie came through this solo form. Years ago I was working through the Order of the Seven Hearts ‘Bolognese Introduction‘. This document included the solo form, so I went through it a few times, had it figured out, then moved on.

But I kept coming back to it. The more I learned about swordsmanship – reading original treatises and modern interpretations, taking classical fencing lessons, practicing on my own, studying Destreza, what-have-you – the more I realized that I hadn’t ever gone through Dall’Agocchie’s solo form quite right. There was always some new angle I could apply to it.  I now understand that I will work on this for the rest of my life, and will always find something to improve.

I have a series of posts coming about this deceptively simple form. But before I say anything else, let’s end this introductory post with the master’s own words. (This starts on 11recto – page 12 of William Jherek Swanger’s translation):

{Stepping in the guards: how it is done.}
Gio. One steps with reason and art, and goes in all the guards to find the adversary. This can be done by beginning with either foot, on the diagonal or having one foot drive the other forward, according to the time and the need. Nonetheless, stepping with a pace neither large nor small is of greater utility, because thereby you can both advance forward and retire back without bodily discomfort, always accompanying the hand with the foot.
But you must be advised that the forward leg must be a bit bent at the knee, and its foot must point straight toward the enemy; and the rear leg will be a bit curved and with its foot somewhat on the diagonal, in such a manner that every movement will be full of grace. And so much for the fourth heading.

Lep. I would dearly appreciate it if you were to present to me better the way that one must follow in stepping in the said guards with the sword in hand, which I haven’t heard enough of.

Gio. Suppose you have your sword at your left side, in the act of laying hand upon it, and the heel of your right foot near your left one. Both your knees will be straight and not bowed, arranging yourself with as much grace as possible. Having done this, you’ll put your right foot forward toward your right side, and in that tempo you’ll extend your arm and do a falso, and a riverso sgualimbro; or do two riversi, the first tondo and the second likewise sgualimbro; thereby going with your sword into coda lunga stretta. And from here you’ll step forward with your left foot toward your left side, doing a falso and mandritto sgualimbro in that instant, and the sword will fall into cinghiale porta di ferro. And then you’ll go forward one pace with your right foot, and in that tempo you’ll turn a dritto tramazzone, which will end in porta di ferro stretta. Then you’ll advance with your left foot, doing a falso, and a riverso sgualimbro, and the sword will go into coda lunga alta. Then you’ll step forward with your right foot and in the same tempo you’ll throw a riverso ridoppio, stopping the sword in guardia d’alicorno. And being fixed in the said guard you’ll drive an imbroccata without any taking any step, and the sword will stop in porta di ferro stretta.
From here you’ll withdraw your right foot a pace, and all in one tempo you’ll execute a falso and a riverso sgualimbro, and the sword will return to coda lunga alta. Then you’ll draw your left foot back, and next turn a mandritto tramazzone, which will end in porta di ferro stretta. Then you’ll return your right foot back a pace, turning a dritto tramazzone in that tempo, with which you’ll fall [12recto] into cinghiale porta di ferro. And from here, you’ll draw the left foot back, doing a falso and riverso sgualimbro in that instant, and the sword will return to coda lunga stretta, and thus you’ll be returned to the same place with the same guards.

Lep. Why do you want me to step forward, and then return backwards?

Gio. Because you get good practice in changing guards as much forward as back, which is necessary in the art, and of very great utility; and so that you understand, this stepping is one of the chief things that you must practice if you want to have grace with weapons in hand.