About four in the morning his Lordship waked and got softly up, without (as he thought) being observed; and dressing himself, buckled on his sword, and fixing two agate flints in his pistols, charged them; but recollecting that the Duke’s second would probably desire to see them loaded, he drew the charge. By this time the General was awake; and observing his Lordship taking a book out of his pocket, he thought it improper to interrupt him. His Lordship then kneeled down at a small jasper table, and seemed to pray with great devotion for a quarter of an hour, often repeating, just loud enough to be heard, the errors of his youthful days, and fervently supplicating the Almighty not to impute them to him; after which he awoke the General, adding, that as the morning was cold and rainy he did not wish to delay his Grace. By the time they were accoutred, De Lee requested to view his Lordship’s sword, when he examined the point and handle most cautiously, and then returned it, adding, that he wished it was going to be employed in a cause more serviceable to his country. His Lordship replied, that it could be matter of little consequence, let the event be what it would. On their departure the General desired to know if there was any thing he was desirous to communicate, upon which he placed in his hand a letter addressed to the Right Hon. the Countess of E——, desiring that he would deliver it to her when alone, and not upon any consideration to put it into another hand.
They arrived somewhat before the appointed time, and took several turns from the tree to the lodge, his Lordship several times expressing surprise at his Grace’s delay, though it was not more than two minutes beyond it. His Grace then arrived, attended with one second only. He bade his Lordship a good morning, and hoped he had not waited for him long; then pulling out his watch, said that he had hit it to a point, adding, that he would rather die than break his promise upon such an occasion. His Lordship returned the expression, and said, that though they had waited a little, there was sufficient time left to despatch the business they were upon. To which his Grace replied, the sooner it is despatched, the more leisure there will be behind. In the interim, the seconds were pairing the swords, and each one loading his adversary’s pistols. They then agreed to the following terms, viz.:—
1. That the distance of firing should not be less at each time than seven yards and a half.
2. That if either should be dangerously wounded on the first discharge, the duel should cease, if the wounded person would own that his life was in the hands of his antagonist.
3. That between the firing and the drawing swords, there should be no limited time, but each should endeavour to make the first thrust.
4. That if either should yield, as in the second article, during the engagement with swords, whether by a wound, false step, or any other circumstance, then the engagement should cease.
To which four articles both parties assented. His Grace stripped off his coat, which was scarlet, trimmed with broad gold lace, when his Lordship’s second stepped in to unbutton his Grace’s waistcoat, to see justice done to the cause he had espoused; on which, with some indignation, his Grace replied, “Do you take me to be a person of so little honour!” The same ceremony was performed on his Lordship, who had already pulled off his coat, which was crimson, with broad silver lace, and both the combatants being ready, Lord B—— added, “Now, if it please your Grace, come on.” His Grace fired and missed, but my Lord B——, perhaps from more experience, and knowing that battles were seldom won by hasty measures, deliberately levelled at him, and wounded his Grace near the thumb. They both discharged again, when his Lordship received a slight wound in his turn. On which they instantly drew their swords, and impetuously charged each other, each of them seeming rather to meditate the death of his adversary, than to regard his own safety. In the first or second thrust Lord B—— entangled the toe of his pump in a tuft of grass, and in evading a lounge from his antagonist, fell on his right side, but supporting himself on his sword hand, by inconceivable dexterity, he sprang backwards, and evaded the thrust apparently aimed at his heart. A little pause intervening here, his Grace’s second proposed to his Lordship a reconciliation; but the ardent thirst after each other’s blood so overpowered the strongest arguments and reason, that they insisted to execute each other forthwith, whatever might be the consequence. Nay, the anger of his Grace was raised to such a pitch of revenge, that he, in that irritated moment, swore if, for the future, either of the seconds interposed, he would make his way through his body. Then, after all remonstrance had proved ineffectual, they retired to their limited distances, and perhaps one of the most extraordinary duels ensued that the records of history can produce, fairly disputed hand to hand. The parrying after this interval, brought on a close lock, which, Monsieur Des Barreaux says, nothing but the key of the body can open. In this position they stood, I dare say, a minute, striving to disengage each other by repeated wrenches, in one of which his Grace’s sword got caught in the guard of his Lordship, which circumstance his Lordship overlooked, so that this advantage was recovered by his Grace before the consequence which it might have brought on was executed. At last, in a very strong wrench on both sides, their swords sprang from their hands. I dare say his Lordship’s flew six or seven yards upright. This accident, however, did not retard the affair a moment, but both seizing their weapons at the same time, the duel was renewed with as much malevolence as ever. By this time his Lordship had received a thrust through the inner side of his sword arm, passing forward to the exterior part of the elbow; his, at the same time, passing a little over that of his antagonist; but, cleverly springing back, I think partly before his Grace had recovered his push, he ran him through the body a little above the right pap. His Lordship’s sword being thus engaged, nothing was left for his defence but a naked left arm; and his Grace being in this dangerous situation, yet had fair play at almost any part of his Lordship’s body, who bravely put by several thrusts exactly levelled at his throat, till at last, having two fingers cut off in defending the pushes, and the rest mangled to a terrible degree, his Grace lodged his sword one rib below the heart, and in this affecting position they both stood without either being able to make another push. Each of them by this time was in a manner covered with blood and gore, when both the seconds stepped in and begged they would consider their situation, and the good of their future state; yet neither would consent to part, till, by the great loss of blood which his Lordship had sustained, he fell down senseless, but in such a position that he drew his sword out of his Grace’s body; recovering himself a little before he was quite down, he faltered forward, and falling with his thigh across his sword, snapped it in the middle. His Grace observing that he was no longer capable of defence, or sensible of danger, immediately broke his own sword, and fell on his body with the deepest sigh of concern, and both expired before any assistance could be got, though Dr. Fountaine had orders not to be out of the way that morning. Thus fell two gallant men, whose personal bravery history can scarcely equal, and whose honour nothing but such a cause could stain.
During the civil wars that brought Charles’s head to the block, duelling became a very rare occurrence, and this circumstance is attributed to the following causes by an ingenious writer on the subject:[[3]]—“These civil wars were not of a nature calculated, like those of France, to increase the rage of the duel, but rather to suspend the frequency of its practice. As it was not a struggle (latterly, in particular) between two powerful factions of the nobility and gentry one against the other, but of the commonalty against whatever was called royal, noble, or honourable in rank and fortune; the consequence was, that the gentry, and those who had been accustomed to look to their own swords for revenge in personal affronts, would have disdained to have settled points of honour by private duel, with antagonists of such ignoble birth. The general course of their thoughts being also bent on the repulsion of the common enemy of the order of gentry, they became more closely united within themselves, and were less in the habit of paying a scrupulous attention to all the supercilious dictates of a captious honour.”
During the Protectorate duels were unfrequent from causes somewhat similar amongst the upper classes, while the lower orders were inspired with a religious zeal and a fanatic enthusiasm, which would have induced them to consider assassination scarcely a greater sin than a duel. Yet we find that Cromwell, in 1654, passed an ordinance for punishing and preventing duelling. In this enactment it was provided, that all persons sending, carrying, or accepting a challenge, were to be imprisoned for six months; and persons who were challenged, and who did not declare it within twenty-four hours, were to be considered as acceptors. When death ensued in a duel, it was to be considered murder; and persons using provoking words or gestures, to be indicted, and, if convicted, to be fined, bound to good behaviour, and to make reparation to the party injured, according to the quality or the nature of the offence.
There was, however, a preparation for a purgation by single combat, in a doubtful case, in the reign of Charles I, A.D. 1631. “The Lord Rea, a Scotch Baron, impeached Ramsay and Meldrum for moving him to join a conspiracy. They denied it positively, and no witness could be produced. Ramsay, a soldier, offered to clear himself by combat that he was innocent, and the appellant, Rea, accepted the challenge. The King was desirous it should be put upon the duel, and the judges were consulted. According to their advice there was a Court of the Constable and Marshal appointed, and the Earl of Lindsey special constable for the purpose; and the proceedings between Rea and Ramsay in that Court were very solemn, multitudes of people attending the novelty. The business, however, was afterwards made up by the King, through the Marquis Hambleton, whose servant Ramsay was, and the Lord Rea returned to his command under the King of Sweden in Germany.”[[4]]