Some longsword devices from Meyer, several featuring "the Rose".
Device from Nebenhut (Side guard), in this case on the right: If your opponent cuts at your opening..., then spring out with right foot to his left and cut with crossed hands above and behind his blade at his head.
The instruction to cut at the head is strange here, as the step to the right is insufficient to avoid the initial attack. Meyer goes on: If you do not wish to wrench toward your left, pull quickly up with crossed hands, and strike with the outside flat strongly around from below at his left ear.
The rotation about the opponent's head to wack them in ear is natural and fast.
Devices from Mittelhut (Middle guard). Meyer hasn't defined this posture yet, but in the dusack he says it is the end position for a Mittelhau. It seems the sword points backwards. Meyer has introduced this posture now, because he says, "...the Rose can be more fitly taught from no other guard." The Rose is also not defined, but seems to involve circling the opponent's sword, and thus to be a type of Durchwechseln (Changing through). Patrick's note: I have subsequently done some work on Rose and will have more to say about it later.
1. ...when an opponent comes before you who holds his sword extended before him in the Langort...then send your blade in a circle around from the Mittelhut right around his blade, so that your blade comes almost back to your initial Mittelhut; from there swing the weak powerfully outside over his arms at his head.
It's not clear from Meyer's description if there's any blade contact. Is the intention to collect the opponent's blade on the way through? That might be why it's important to come almost back to the initial position, to properly have the opponent's weapon offline. Speaking of which, what counts as "almost back"? Starting and finishing with the weapon pointing back seems to obscure, rather than elucidate.
2. If he cuts from above (during the Rose), then take his sword out with the Short edge (after you have completed the Rose, so you're back in Mittelhut). This worked fine.
3. Starting in left Mittelhut, if he cuts from above, then step to your left and at his head with the short edge. Follow up with an Unterhau from your left to his right arm.
This worked fine. Starting with the right foot forward, then void is more complete than in the Nebenhut example above. Could Meyer have had his left/right confused?
Devices from Langort (Longpoint): More fertile ground for the "Rose". Rather than dealing with an opponent starting in Langort, Meyer treats both sides obtaining Langort by binding (so probably not too close together).
1. In the Onset, bind on your opponent's sword with an Oberhau, and as soon as he goes back up again from your sword, then cut at his chin from below between his arms while they are going up.
This seems straight-forward, although getting into a position where this seems a likely exchange was difficult. Possibly this is a response to a poorly timed Striking Around.
2. ...as soon as the sword connect in the bind, then break through below with the Rose between you and him, and cast the short edge in at his head on the other side.
Seems simply a matter of dropping the point/lifting the pommel to change through to the other side.
3. Or after you have broken through below...with the Rose, then wrench his sword sideways.....Ends in a short-edge cut to the head (with crossed hands).
Simple variant ending to device 2.
Next week: We will revise these devices, as I have some suggestions about the plays from Mittelhut. We will then complete the devices from Langort. I have a hypthesis about the Rose that I'm keen to test.