ABSTRACT
T he number of misconceptions on defensive actions in rapier play is truly overwhelming. Many historical painters, and such writers as Edmond Rostand, Walter Scott and even Alexander Dumas, describe seventeenth-century duels that are in keeping with the practices of a modem fencing school rather than any form relevant to the actual period. Although these tales of swashbuckling and daring -deeds are exciting, they are not accurate to the period.
