CCXI sociable letters written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

LXVIII.

MADAM,

I Am Sorry that Sir C. A. is Kill'd, and as Sor∣ry that V. A. hath Kill'd him, for by Report they were both Worthy and Right Honourable Persons, which causes me to wonder how such two Persons could Fall out, for surely they were such men as would be as Unwilling to Give an Offence as to Take an Affront, and if the Offence was Unwillingly given, as by Chance, they be∣ing men of Honour and Merit, would not be Grieved, at least, not Angry at or for it: but many times a Third man will make a Quarrel betwixt Two others, and leave them to Fight it out. You may say, that sometimes Quarrels cannot be Avoided, although they be betwixt two Noble Persons, as for Example, two Dukes, about the Preheminence of Place, none know∣ing which of them had the First Place, and nei∣ther Yielding, must needs Fight to Decide it; but such Cases are not often put to the Trial, or ought not to be, for Heraulds are for that pur∣pose Judges. But these two Noble Persons which you mentioned in your last Letter, what∣soever their Quarrel was, the one is Kill'd, the other Banished; and now to speak of such Quarrels as generally cause Duels between Pri∣vate Persons, they are either about Words, or

Women, or Hawks, or Dogs, or Whores, or a∣bout Cards or Dice, or such Frivolous, Idle, or Base Causes; I do not say All Quarrels, but Most, for some are more Honourable, but of all Sorts or Causes of Quarrels, Drunken Quarrels are the most Sensless; As for the Manner or Fashion of Fighting, Duels in my opinion are not Proper, for in this Age in most Nations they Fight Private Duels, somewhat after the man∣ner of a Publick Battel, as three against three, or at least two against two, also they Fight with Pi∣stols and Swords, with their Doublets on, which serves instead of an Armour, and for the most part a Horse-back; first, they shoot off their Pi∣stols at each other, and then they come to the Sword, if they be not shot Dead before their time comes to Fight, for Shooting is not a direct Fighting, because they must stand at some Di∣stance to take Aim, which in my opinion ap∣pears Cowardly, to Pelt at each other, as if they were Afraid to come near each other; besides, a Child may have so much Skill & Courage as to shoot off a Pistol, and may chance to Kill a Man, but a Child cannot tell how to use a Sword, or ma∣nage a Horse; also a Peasant or such mean bred Persons, can shoot off Pistols, or Carbines, or Muskets, but they have no skill to use a Sword, nor know not how to manage an Horse, unless a Cart-Horse, & that better in a Cart than when a∣stride: 'Tis true, Peasants or Common Souldi∣ers will fight with Force and Fury like as Beasts, and Kill their Enemy with mere Strength, but

not with pure Valour, for they fight as in an Uproar, and will knock one another down with their Staves, or But-ends of their Muskets, which is more a Club or Clown-fighting; and if they have Swords, they fight with the Pum∣mel, not with the Point, for they know not how to use it, neither is it fit they should, wherefore the Gentlemen are too Strong for them, for the Gentleman's point of his Sword hath the Ad∣vantage of the Clown's Club; and the onely Grief to Gallant, Valiant Gentlemen in the day of Battel or Duel, is, the fear they should be Kill'd with a Bullet, against which they can shew no Active Valour or Well-bred Skill. The last Observation concerning fighting Duels in this Age, is, in choosing of Seconds, and the right Use of Seconds in all Ages that I have heard of, unless these Later, is, to be Overseers, Witnesses and Judges, wherefore they ought to be Up∣right, Honest, Judicious, and Skilful men, and Worthy, and Honourable Persons, for they are to Judge whether their Quarrel requires Blood, and may not be pass'd over without Dishonour; also they are to see that each man may be Equal∣ly Armed, and that there be no Untimely Ad∣vantages taken of each other; also they are to Help or Assist them when they are Wounded, as to Bind up their Wounds, and they are to witness to the World how they Fought; But in this Age, the Seconds are so far from being Judges, Overseers, Witnesses, or Helpful Friends, as they become Duellers themselves,

Fighting for Company, not for Injury or Wrong done to each other, and for Fashions sake, which is an Unjust, Irrational, Inhuman, and Wicked Fashion or Practice; neither is it Manly or No∣ble, but Base and Beastly, as to Fight without Reason or Injury; wherefore Pistols and Fight∣ing Seconds ought not to be. But, Madam, if any should read this Letter besides your self, I should be found fault with, it being not Fit, nor Proper for a VVoman to Discourse or VVrite of Duels or VVars, nor of Horses or Swords, or the like, but pray, if you hear any say so, tell him, that I have a greater Privilege than other VVomen in this Discourse, for my Husband hath been a General of an Army of 30000 men, and hath fought Battels; also he is Master of those two Arts, the Use of the Sword, and the Manage of the Horse, as there is not any man, nor hath never been, so well Known, Skil∣ful, and Practised, as he, so that he is the best Horseman and Swordman in the World; also two of my three Brothers were Souldiers, or Commanders in War, and well Experienced in that Profession, and my Father was a Sword∣man, who was Banished for a time, for Killing a Gentleman in a Duel of Honour. Thus have I been Born, Bred, Lived, and Married, all with Sword-men, and to my greater Honour, all Va∣liant men; and so leaving this Discourse, I rest,

Madam,

Your faithful Fr. and S.