The Art of Defense: on Fencing, the Joust, and Battle Formation, by Giovanni dall’Agocchie (Paperback)

Giovanni dall’Agocchie’s Dell’Arte di Scrimia, Libri Tre… (1572) consists of three books, each dealing with a separate aspect of combat. The first and longest is the last major work published in the so-called “Bolognese swordsmanship” tradition, which still used the cut extensively, before it was supplanted by the rapier. It is laid out methodically, presenting the use of the sword alone, or with a dagger, or a cape, proceeding guard by guard, first defensively then offensively. The second book is a discussion of jousting, including advice on training and equipment. The final book discusses arranging infantry into formations, based on troop numbers, and the derivation of square roots for that purpose. This book is a complete translation of dall’Agocchie’s work, and includes a full revision of the translator’s earlier partial translation.