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Various Discourses on the Most Noble Art of Fencing

MS 2031: Transcription, Translation, and Practical Analysis

Buy now and you’ll get two PDFs: the complete 89-page transcription, translation and practical analysis, plus the facsimile of the original manuscript scans for convenient reference while reading and training.

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MS 2031: Transcription, Translation, and Practical Analysis

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Various Discourses on the Most Noble Art of Fencing

MS 2031 is a tiny seventeenth-century Italian fencing manuscript—just ten folios—preserved in the Sächsisches Staatsarchiv in Germany and discovered by Chris Vanslambrouck. And it is fascinating. The anonymous author presents a coherent system of rapier fencing based on measure, finding and controlling the opponent’s sword, provoking predictable responses, and exploiting the resulting tempo. I went through the manuscript line by line, checking the transcription against the scans, translating it, and—most importantly—working out what the instructions actually mean sword in hand.The result is this 89-page critical and practical edition 

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The Transcription, Translation, and Practical Analysis includes:

  • the complete corrected Italian transcription and English translation
  • transcription and translation presented side by side
  • detailed analysis of 43 reconstructed plays, with practical drills
  • analysis of the system as a whole
  • comparison with Fabris, Capoferro, and Alfieri
  • a detailed parallel-text comparison with Salvator Fabris
  • discussion of the manuscript’s body mechanics, provenance, and possible authorship

The comparison with Fabris is particularly intriguing. There are striking similarities in both tactical principles and physical actions—but also important differences. 

This is intended primarily for historical fencers who want to understand MS 2031 sword in hand, as well as researchers interested in seventeenth-century Italian fencing.

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Join me in a webinar!

Learn in an online workshop with Guy. Includes a choice of dates, in depth workbook PDF, plus a live Q&A.

September's webinar: Foundations of Rapier, on the 19th and 27th.

The Vadi Collection

We have got brand new and exciting Vadi books for you!

Check out the collection and:

  • Download the FREE Spada Press facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, with English translation.

  • Buy the companion volume to the facsimile which contains an in-depth interpretation and commentary.

  • Listen to the facsimile read aloud in both the original Italian and in English.
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Find your thing

  • Do you like the theory?

    Want to know how to research, how to train, or how to write about historical martial arts?

    Theory and Practice 

  • Do you want step-by-step instructions?

    Choose to learn rapier or longsword from a workbook with video links. Make notes as you learn with these specially designed books.

    Workbooks 

  • Interested in the original treatises?

    See facsimiles of original sources, translations and Guy's interpretations.

    Treatises, translations, and academic interpretations 

  • Medieval Longsword

    Are you madly medieval? Check out the medieval combat collection!

    Longsword 

  • Renaissance Rapier

    Do you rave about the rapier? Learn Renaissance Italian martial arts, including the rapier fencing of Ridolfo Capoferro.

    Rapier 

  • Video Courses

    Do you learn best from video? Check out Swordschool's extensive selection of online courses.

    Online courses 

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Hardbacks and Facsimiles

Fill your bookshelf with beautiful hardback editions of Guy's works and affordable facsimiles of Vadi and Fiore.

All hardback purchases for which we have ebook distribution rights include a free copy of the ebook, so you can start reading while your books are being printed and shipped. After purchase, look out for an email from Bookfunnel with the title "Here's your free ebook version of "{title}" by Guy Windsor".

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Paperbacks

All paperback purchases for which we have ebook distribution rights include a free copy of the ebook, so you can start reading while your books are being printed and shipped.

After purchase, look out for an email from Bookfunnel with the title "Here's your free ebook version of "{title}" by Guy Windsor".

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Workbooks

Learn Armizare or Rapier in these practical ring-bound workbooks, available in left-handed and right-handed versions, to make note-taking easy.

All workbook purchases for which we have ebook distribution rights include a free copy of the ebook, so you can start reading while your books are being printed and shipped.

After purchase, look out for an email from Bookfunnel with the title "Here's your free ebook version of "{title}" by Guy Windsor".

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Audiobooks

All audiobooks are delivered instantly by email from BookFunnel, to listen to in their dedicated audiobook app.

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Ebooks

All e-books are delivered instantly by email from BookFunnel for you to read on whichever device you like.

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Online Courses

  • Master the Art of Arms

    Access to everything!

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  • Introduction to Historical Martial Arts

    The perfect place to discover the historical martial art that's right for you.

    Coming soon 

  • Medieval Italian Martial Arts

    Everything Fiore and Vadi

    Find out more 

  • Medieval German Martial Arts

    Medieval German wrestling, longsword and sword and buckler

    Find out more 

  • Renaissance Italian Martial Arts

    Bolognese swordsmanship and the rapier.

    Find out more 

  • Solo Training

    Train body and mind in historical martial arts when all alone.

    Find out more 
See all the courses and memberships

Bundles and Box Sets

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T-Shirts

Get your Swordschool T-shirts here!

We have a range of colours, fits and sizes in a carefully curated collection of the most stylishly swordy t-shirts you can find!

Click on each shirt to see its colour and size options.

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Latest News: 9th October '26

Hi,

Last week I released MS 2031, my edition of a previously unpublished seventeenth-century Italian rapier manuscript.

Since then I’ve fixed a formatting error that crept into the paid version, so if you bought it last week, you can download the corrected version from the shop. (You should already have got an email about it from me.) The free facsimile, transcription, and translation (which you can find on my blog) were all unaffected, which is exactly the wrong way round!

With MS 2031 out in the world, I’ve been able to turn my attention back to some of the other things that have been waiting patiently in the wings.

The Duel of the Hat

The Duel of the Hat has reached an important milestone: the second draft is finished, and I’ve sent it off to the editor (of DOOM!). It was at that weird stage where it didn’t need a great deal done to it, but I couldn’t see it clearly enough to actually fix it. MS 2031 wiped my Hat slate clean, and it only took a couple of days to finish the draft.

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