23v-a] ¶ Here begin the guards of the two handed sword, of which there are twelve. The first is the low Iron Gate, which is a very strong guard, and a good guard in which to wait for an attack by every kind of hand-held weapon, whatever its length, as long as you have a good sword that is not too long. And from this guard if you make cover with a passing step you move to the Narrow Game. Or you can exchange thrusts, striking home with yours. Or, as you step, you can beat the opponent’s thrust to the ground. And this guard can cover attacks from all angles.

[23v-b] ¶ This is the Guard of the Lady, from which you can make all seven of the sword’s strikes and cover them too. And from this guard you can break the other guards with the strong blows you can make, and you can also quickly exchange thrusts. Advance your front foot offline, and then pass diagonally with your rear foot. This will take you to a position where your opponent is unprotected, and you will then be able to quickly strike him. [12r-b] This is the Stance of the Queen, which can make all seven blows of the sword and can also cover all blows. She breaks the other guards through the great blows that she makes, and she is always ready for the Exchange of Thrusts: the foot which is in front advances out of the way and the one behind steps to the side. And her companion is made uncovered, and that one can immediately strike him for

3v-c] ¶ This is the Window Guard who is always quick, skillful and deceptive. She is a master at covering and striking. She threatens all opposing guards, whether high guards or low guards. She moves quickly from this guard to other guards to confuse her opponent. And she is a very good guard from which to make powerful thrusts, break the opponent’s thrust or exchange points.

3v-d] ¶ This is the Guard of the Lady on the left, and she is always quick to cover or strike. She generates powerful blows and easily breaks the thrust, driving it to the ground. Also, because of her skill in traversing, she can quickly enter into the Narrow Game, a game she is very familiar with.

24r-a] ¶ This guard is the Long Guard, which is full of deception. She is skilled in probing the guards to see if she can deceive her opponent. If she needs to strike the opponent with a thrust, she is well-suited to do it. As for the opponent’s blows, she knows how to avoid them and then strike back with blows of her own. This guard employs deception more than any other guard.

[12r-d] This is the Middle Iron Gate because she stands in the middle, and she is a strong guard but she doesn’t want her sword extended. She throws strong thrusts and beats swords upward with strength, and returns with a downward blow through the head or through the arms and then simply returns to her guard. But she is well-named “gate” because she is strong; she is a strong guard that cannot be broken easily without danger and coming to the narrow

[13r-a] This is the Shortened Stance, which wants a long sword, and she is a malicious guard which doesn’t have stability. Also, she always moves and watches to see if she can enter with her point and with a step against her companion, and more appropriate is this guard in armor than without armor.

[24r-d] ¶ This is the Boar’s Tusk, because it strikes the way the wild boar strikes. Sometimes it makes powerful thrusts from below up into the face, without stepping forward, and it returns along the same path with a downward strike to the arms. Other times as it thrusts the point of the sword high into the face, it advances the front foot forwards, then returns to its guard with a downward strike to the head or the arms. Then it quickly launches another thrust with another advance of the front foot. And this guard can mount a good defense against the Narrow Gam

[13r-c] This is the Stance of the Long Tail which is extended toward the ground. She can thrust the point behind and she can cover and strike in front, and if she steps forward and attacks with a downward blow, into the narrow play she enters without failure. And such a guard is good for waiting, because from her someone can enter into the others quickly

[13r-d] This is the Stance of the Two-Horned Anvil, which is so strongly enclosed that she always remains with her point toward the middle of the way. And she can do that which the Extended Stance can do, and this can similarly be said of

[12v-b] This is the Headband Stance, and some Masters call her the Stance of the Crown. She is good at crossing, and she is also good against thrusts because if a point comes attacking upwards, she crosses, stepping out of the way. And she also steps out of the way if a point comes attacking low, beating the thrust to the ground. Again, she can do it differently, such that in the attack of a thrust she returns her foot behind and comes with a downward blow through the head and through the arms and goes to the Boar’s Tusk, and then suddenly throws a thrust or two with an advance of her foot and returns with a downward blow from her own guard.

24v-d] ¶ This is the Middle Boar’s Tusk, so named because the boar has two tusks, one low and this one in the middle, by which I mean this one stays on the center line. And the Middle Boar’s Tusk can do whatever the Low Boar’s Tusk can do. Just as the wild boar strikes diagonally with its tusks, so you strike diagonally with your sword, in such a way as to displace your opponent’s sword, from which position, having uncovered your opponent, you can launch thrusts, or destroy his hands, head or his arms.

12v-c] This is the Stance of the Queen, which can make all seven blows of the sword and can also cover all blows. She breaks the other guards through the great blows that she makes, and she is always ready for the Exchange of Thrusts: the foot which is in front advances out of the way and the one behind steps to the side. And her companion is made uncovered, and that one can immediately strike him for certain