William Fowler’s ‘Instructions for fencing’ and the Scottish context of Prince Henry’s Barriers (1610)

This article presents an edition of an unedited text by the Scottish writer William Fowler (1560–1612), found in the ‘Hawthornden manuscripts’ (Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, MSS 2053–2067), accompanied by a discussion of its circumstances and its role within Fowler’s literary production. The text is a translation of a short Italian treatise on fencing, composed by Fowler as part of the preparations for the entertainment known as ‘Barriers’, a tournament on foot staged in 1610 for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of James VI and I. Prince Henry’s ‘Barriers’ also featured ‘Speeches’ written by Ben Jonson and settings designed by Inigo Jones focusing on the idea of a united Britain. The ‘Instructions for fencing’ provides information on Fowler’s translation practices and on the state of contemporary fencing education and performance, while opening up new perspectives on Anglo-Scottish collaboration at the Stuart court, further problematizing the political dimension of Jacobean entertainments.