and the
Others with the Means of preserving their Honour and Lives.

I begin with those, who defer letting their Children learn 'till they
have attained a certain Age, Growth and Strength. If these three
Qualities would enable them to put this Art in Execution immediately, I
acknowledge that they ought not to begin 'till they possessed them; but
it is by long Experience and Practice only, that they can become
perfect; so that except they begin young, the Employments for which they
are designed, may not give them Time to arrive to it; besides, by
beginning in a tender Age, the Body is more easily brought to a good
Air, and an easy Disengagement; being more at Liberty, and less used to
Faults, which it would naturally fall into for want of being cultivated.

Others say that it is needless to learn when the Disposition is wanting,
which is an Error; for a Body that is well disposed by Nature, can
better dispense with the Want of Improvement, than those that she has
taken less care of; these requiring a constant Labour, to acquire what
the others have almost of themselves; and tho' they cannot arrive to a
perfect Agility, yet their Bodies will be better disposed to act, and
their Lives not so much in Danger.

Some assure you that the knowing how to Fence, makes a Man quarrelsome,
and thereby exposes him to dangerous Consequences, without considering
it is a natural Brutality, Honour, or Danger, which obliges him to
attack another, or defend himself, which he would do without having
learned, with this Difference; that though he have the same Brutality or
Courage, the Issue of the Battle is not the same; and if he have
Occasion to defend himself, would it not be better for him to be able to
do it, than to leave his Life to an uncertain and dangerous Hazard.

Others say that it is enough to learn one Exercise at a time; that a
Plurality of different Lessons fatigues the Mind and the Body: But as
one Science disposes the Mind for the others, they having a Sort of a
Correspondence one with another, so Exercises favour one another as well
in regard to the Posture of the Body, as to the Freedom of Motion;
besides, that learning them one after another, as each Particular would
take up as much Time as all in general, this Length of Time would be too
great for any one almost to succed in them.

Many People say that with Sword in Hand the Rules of the School are not
observed, and that 'tis sufficient to have a good Heart: It is ce