Fw: [MR] Honour to John Fornow

[Donald Wagner]

Greetings!!

Angus, thanks for your open and public honesty.  Self-examination is 
probably the best tool a fighter has.  Glad to see you are putting it to 
good use.

With that said, I do believe you are being hard on yourself.  It isn't 
easy to be a perfect fighter.  Calling blows isn't the easiest skill to 
learn, and invariably, you will find yourself making mistakes on what 
are really marginal blows.  Every fighter has his own acknolwedgement. 
 Sometimes it gets out of line, strong or weak, and your comrades should 
help to right it as you fight in practice.  It is important to be on 
your toes during a tourney, but again, every fighter has the chance of 
honestly calling a blow incorrectly.  The consequences in a tourney, 
however, are significantly more than at a practice and should be considered.

Every fighter has a range of blows that are marginal.  The most skilled 
and experienced has a smaller, and the lesser skilled and experienced a 
larger, range of marginality.  This range, no matter how small, will 
cause you problems when a blow lands that isn't immediately telling. 
 You should call it the way you feel righ then, and if you find in 
hindsight that you have indeed called the blow incorrectly, honor may 
demand you apologize and explain yourself.  While you should make every 
effort to call every blow correctly, you shouldn't question your own 
honor over one fight or even expect other fighters to question your 
honor if you get it wrong.  As you saw from Lord Fournot's post, they 
are in the same boat.  It is a simple and understandable mistake which 
will not be your last should you continue in this vein.

Simply, if you don't have a fight that you regret, you haven't been 
fighting long.  Having a fight or two to regret does us all a lot of 
good.  It does keep us on our toes and effects the self-examination with 
which you are obviously familiar.

Falcone

>         ----- Original Message -----
>
>         From: SirWmLawrence at aol.com <mailto:SirWmLawrence at aol.com>
>
>         To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org <mailto:atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
>
>         Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 1:48 AM
>
>         Subject: [MR] Honour to John Fornow
>
>
>         Excuse me Good Peoples of Atlantia,
>         I am looking for John Fornow (I believe in the state of VA). I
>         need to apologize and do make known his acts of chivalry. If
>         he is not here and you know him please be sure he gets this.
>         Thank you.
>
>         Milord,
>         I have found myself bothered and upset reflecting upon our
>         battle at Coronation. For I feel I have done you wrong. On our
>         last attack, as you recall, I hit you in the head and you at
>         the same time drew a blow to the right side of body. You
>         declared a kill and asked if it was a double kill. In a
>         moment's thought I said it was "light...close but light." You
>         nodded, shook hands and walked away. Good sir, not long after
>         that I have doubted my call ... after all was I numb in the
>         area from the blow in the attack before where I called it good
>         and/or was it also the thrill of a 'win' after several
>         defeats? I thought it may have been light, but now, I do not
>         know. Even if it was 'light' it was clean, either way I feel
>         ashamed and uneased. Even now as I write remembering your act
>         of chivalry in our first battle...I was hit in my right arm
>         thus forcing me to fight one handed with my left (I'm right
>         handed). When I turned ready again for battle, you also
>         removed your shield and fou! ght one handed and you needed not
>         but you paid me the honour. Even though I was able to deal a
>         'kill' to you,(in the same fight) I find that the glory of the
>         win of our battle is nothing but salt in my wounds. In light
>         of the happenings, your acts of a noble man, and my wavering
>         thoughts, I am truly sorry. I have showed dishonor to you John
>         Fornow, to my king and queen, my knight, and the good people
>         of our fair kingdom. I am sorry and ask for your forgiveness.
>         You, milord are the winner of the bigger battle. I will always
>         remember your actions that day and learn from them.
>
>         I will take my leave now.
>
>         Angus of the Incept. Canton of Sarum Tor
>         AKA  William Lawrence, North Carolina
>
>
>         What then is chivalry? So strong a thing, and of such
>         hardihood, and so costly in the learning, that a wicked man or
>         low dare not undertake it.... Whoso would enjoy high honor
>         first must suitably display that he has well been schooled to
>         such arts.
>         -The Biography of William Marshall-
>