Hi Eddie,
Rob's pretty much covered it.
The Getty version of Fior di Battaglia is written in north-eastern vulgar Italian and it says (loosely translated):
"We are Colpi Fendente (Cleaving Blows), and in the art our function is to cut the teeth and go to the knee with reasoning. And every ground (low?) guard which is done, we go from one guard to the other without trouble. And we will break the guards with intellegence. With the blows we will make a blood sign. We, Fendente, will not wait to injure, and we return in guard at every movement.
We are the Colpi Sottani (Under blows), and we start from the knee, and go until the centre of the forehead, through the path of the Fendente. And in that path we climb; by that road we return; or we will remain in Posta Longa.
We are called Colpi Mezzani (Middle Blows), because we go in the middle of Colpi Soprani (High Blows) and Sottani (Under). We go with the right edge (true edge) to the right, and with the false edge to the left. And our path is from the knee to the head.
We are the cruel and mortal Punte (thrusts). And our path goes up the middle of the body, starting from the ------- to the forehead. And we are thrusts with four functions, which are two Soprane (high), one on one side, the other on the other side, and two low ones in the same way; one on one side, the other on the other one. And one in the middle, which is Mezza Porta di Ferro, or Posta Lunga and Breve."
You might also find this useful from my site:
http://www.fioredeiliberi.org/gallery/album27 All the best,
Matt
