"Unless I know my man, or have come to an understanding with him
beforehand, I have very little faith in a prolonged concatenation of
parries, ripostes and counter-ripostes, and here again I should try to
relieve the mind, as much as may be, from an unnecessary burden, by
getting rid of complications instead of multiplying them.
"I look at it in this way. If a fencer has to concern himself with the
different lines in which he may be attacked, he must be in a state of
continual suspense. He will be continually asking himself whether the
attack is coming in the inside line or the outside, in the high line
or the low. Thus, in order to parry to advantage and correctly he must
wait until his enemy's object is clearly disclosed. Take the case of a
simple attack promptly executed; it is obvious that the attacker must
gain a considerable start. True, there are a few fencers, but very
few, gifted with so fine a sense of touch, that they can divine their
adversary's intention, and read his inmost thought.
"Less gifted mortals should be content with a parry which mechanically
traverses all the lines. Such a parry must of necessity encounter the
adverse blade forcibly in whichever line the enemy has selected for his
attack. When once you have acquired this universal parry the strain is
lessened, your mind is more at ease, you are more sure of yourself and
feel that you can act with certainty and decision.