elow, and if
he takes the Time, parry above and risposte below. This Thrust is very
good against a Man that's disorder'd, who coming to the Parade above,
gives room to hit him below.

CHAP. XXI.

_Of several Guards, and the Manner of attacking them_.

Tho' all the Guards are Good when well defended, yet they are not
equally good; because we ought not to look upon any thing as good, that
does not procure us some Advantage, and an ill placed Guard, instead of
being favourable, requires a great deal of Skill to be of any Use at
all, being farther from a Posture of Defence, the midling Guard only
carrying with it such a Disposition of the Point and Wrist as is
sufficient to defend the Inside, the Outside, the Upper and Lower Parts
of the Body with the Sword: For as to the other Guards, whether Flat,
High, or Low, or holding the Sword with both Hands, they leave some
Part uncovered, either by reason of their Height, or their Line.

_To attack a strait Guard._

No Man of Skill or Reason will give a considerable Open without a
Design, and as the People who hold such a Guard as I am going to
describe, have their several Designs, you must be cautious of them, in
order not only to make them useless to them, but advantageous to
yourself.

Some Men hold their Swords strait or flat,[3] whether 'tis because they
are more used to Disengagements than Parades, or to take Advantage of
the Superiority of their Stature, or of the Length of their Sword, to
avoid the Attacks and Engagements to which the other Guards are more
exposed; for you can hardly engage or feint on this Guard, the Point
being too low; so that to attack him, you must bind the Sword, which you
must do after placing yourself within his Sword, binding his Blade under
yours, when he is out of Measure, to take, with more Ease, the Feeble of
his Sword, crossing it with yours, raising your Hand in _Seconde_, and
carrying the Point low, whilst gaining Measure, you form a little Circle
with the two Points, and raising them up again, you push _Seconde_
within, with the Body low.

Tho' it be almost impossible for the Enemy to disengage, when you have
bound his Sword as I have described, it may happen that if some of the
Circumstances were wanting, he might disengage and push, which ought not
to hinder you from making your Thrust; because your Sword may very well
hit him, passing under his, which cannot hurt you, because of the
Lowness of your Body.

The Bindin