Re: Re: EquipmentFiddling

From: Jane Williams <janewilliams20_at_...>
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:30:09 +0100 (BST)

> Jane:
> > Trouble is, the saucepans would make a nice
> dramatic
> > CLANG but wouldn't do a lot else. The armour would
> > certainly slow him down while you used your
> "Cobb's
> > Traverse" ability, though. (Go on, Google it. It's
> a
> > documented bit of 1600s footwork, I'll tell you
> that
> > much.)
>
> Oh yeah? I don't have a "Cobb's Traverse" ability.

I bet you do. You may not call it anything so exalted, but I bet you've got it.

Here you are: George Silver in his Paradoxes of Defence, 1599.
"This Cob was a great quarreler, and did delight in great bravery to give foul words to his betters, and would not refuse to go into the field to fight with any man, and when he came to the field, would draw his sword to fight, for he was sure by the cunning of his traverse, not to be hurt by any man. For at any time finding himself overmatched would suddenly turn his back and run away with such swiftness, that it was thought a good horse would scarce take him. And this when I was a young man, was very much spoken of by many gentlemen of the Inns of the Court, and was called Cob's Traverse and those that had seen any go back too fast in his fight, would say, he did tread Cob's Traverse."

Should you wish to read the rest of what Mr. Silver has to say, there's an on-line copy here: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/paradoxes.html

> I do, though, have a mother of a soapstone pan, my
> favourite possession.
> http://www.fantes.com/soapstone.htm

Ooohh.... wants.... but not as a weapon, thank you. Come to think of it, that's probably one of the few Silver doesn't discuss.



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