More Downright Blows

After a bit more research, I've found some easily referenced text for Silver's works, and I've done a search for "down right" and "downright". Here they are:

Paradoxes of Defence:
"Surely, I think a down right fellow, that never came in school, using such skill as nature yielded out of his courage, strength, and agility, with good downright blows and thrust among, as shall best frame in his hands, should put one of these imperfect scholars greatly to his shifts."

"Whereby it grew to a common speech among the countrymen "Bring me to a fencer, I will bring him out of his fence tricks with down right blows. I will make him forget his fence tricks, I will warrant him."

Brief Instructions:
"In this forehand ward keep your distance, & take heed that he deceives you not with the downright blow at your head out of his open fight, for being within distance the swift motion of the hand may deceive your eye, because you know not by which side of your sword his blow will come."

Now, obviously that stuffs my theory of the editor changing the text as there is only one mention of a "downright" blow in Brief Instructions, and no mention of a "down right blow", whilst Paradoxes has both and in rather strange places.

I think the best evidence for the two versions of downright being the same though is the one my instructor gave to me: the first mention of "down right" that Silver makes.

"a down right fellow"

Now presumably Silver wasn't talking about a man that is down and from the right.....unless he meant someone who is depressed and right-wing?

Thank you, and goodnight.

Downright Blows

As part of my learning backsword, I've been reading George Silver's work for myself, which is a bit tricky seeing as it's written in what looks like very old English shorthand at a time before the dictionary was invented! It's interesting though, and it's given me a great new respect for my backsword teacher, and helped me understand his reasons for teaching things the way he does.

Something I've seen interpreted differently by other people who have studied Silver's works has been the "down right blow". Some people interpret this as a blow from Open Fight that comes down and from the right. I've even seen evedence for it presented in the form of another source that was translated from another language. In this source a description for a blow coming down and from the right was translated into English as "down right blow". Now my teacher interprets a down right blow, to be a "downright blow", so soemthing that is strong and forcefull. I've agreed with him because it makes sense to me, but I personally always attach a level of doubt to something until I've prooved it for myself.

Well last night I did. I was reading through Silver's Brief Instructions, and came across a section where he mentions facing Open Fight with Variable Fight. In that section he says to be wary when facing Open Fight as you don't know which side of your sword his blows will come from. Pretty definitive to me.

For me thats proof enough, but I do wonder why Silver says both "down right blow" and "downright blow". I've a theory for why this is, but I need to read more to see if it could be true or not.

The thing is, that all through Paradoxes of Defence I think Silver says "down right", and so far in Brief Instructions, the only mention I've found is "downright". I've a feeling that Silver meant "downright" to be the case in both, but that Paradoxes was edited and as this was a time before dictionaries the word "downright" was changed to be printed as "down right". Thats my theory at least, and I've no idea if people at the time would have actually seen a difference between the two. I'd find it odd if he was using two different terms that sound identical when said allowed though, would just cause confusion if it was the case.

I'll be more firm in my resoning if Silver never uses "down right" in his Brief Instructions, and only ever uses "downright". We shall see!

It does make me feel great noticing these things though!


P.S. Got a lovely new sword just after Christmas! I'll be sure to pop a nice review up as soon as I've taken a few pretty pictures.