Two different polite forms of the conditional conjugation

Question

I've noticed some dictionaries give two different results for the polite form of the conditional form, I'll use the verb 戦う for example.

I am familiar with 戦いませば but not with 戦いますれば.

Some dictionaries give just one, others give both.

Is there a difference in these two in anyway?

Are both frequently used?

Answer 1

Neither is common. In fact, 戦いませば and 戦いますれば are almost never used in modern Japanese. You have to use 戦いましたら.

• I sometimes hear stereotyped samurai in samurai dramas say 戦いますれば. It's indeed "if (someone) fights" said in a polite way. It's "stereotyped samurai-ish speech", but I don't know whether old people actually talked like this. People never use it today except as a joke.
• いませば is occasionally found in archaic Japanese documents, Bible translations, hymn books, and so on. But actually it's 在【いま】す followed by ば.
• 戦いませば, ございませば, ありませば, etc. should be extremely rare, and I would say it's nearly wrong (but apparently a few people seem to use ございませば...). If used, it would leave a very literary, archaic, and/or odd impression.