Picture of the Times.--Endeavours to check the Spirit of Duelling.--The celebrated “Edit des Duels.”--Severe pains and penalties.--Courts of Honour instituted.--Prize Medal for a Poem against Duelling.--Ecclesiastical frays.--Fighting with Crucifixes, Prayer-books, and Missals.--Private Outrages in high life.--The great Condé and the Comte des Rièux.--Duel between the Duke of Beaufort and the Duke de Nemours.--Between the Comte de Coligny and the Duke de Guise.--Between the Comte de Rochefort and the desperado Bréauté.--A singular Challenge.--Duel between La Frette and De Chalais.--Case of the Marquis de la Donze, Duel between the Counts de Brionne and d’Hautefort.--Quarrel of the Dukes de Luxembourg and Richelieu--And of the Prince de Conti and the Grand Prior of Vendôme.--A gambling duel.--Meeting between La Fontaine and an Officer.--Association for the Abolition of Duelling.--Its decline traced in the progress of Civilization.--The Point of Honour.--Coustard de Massis.--Defence of Duelling.--Frequency of Duels in the United States of America accounted for.--Montesquieu’s recapitulation of the grounds on which the erroneous views of the Point of Honour were based 151
DUELLING IN FRANCE DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
Profligacy of the Court during the Regency of Philip d’Orleans.--Disregard of the edict against duelling.--A duel about an Angola cat, fought at Paris in open day.--Duel between the Abbé D’Aydie and a clerk.--Between Contades and Brissac.--Efforts of Louis the Fifteenth to check duelling.--Duel between the Duke de Richelieu and the Count de Gacé.--Between Richelieu and the Count Albani.--Between Richelieu and the Prince de Lixen.--Between Du Vighan and the Count de Meulan.--“La botte de St. Evremont.”--Exploits of St. Foix.--Duel between Bricqueville and La Maugerie.--Rousseau’s denunciation of duelling.--Notions of honour that prevailed at Versailles and the Tuilerie 183
DUELLING IN FRANCE DURING THE REIGN OF LOUIS THE SIXTEENTH.
State of the court and country on his accession.--Duelling chiefly confined to the soldiery.--Duel between the Count d’Artois and the Prince de Condé.--Between the Prince de Condé and Vicomte d’Agout.--Exploits of the Chevalier d’Eon.--And of the Chevalier St. George.--Efforts of Louis to reform his court.--“Le beau de Tilly.”--His observations on duelling.--Humorous duels.--Between Ney and a fencing-master.--De Tilly’s description of the Court of Honour.--Outbreak of the Revolution.--Duel between Charles Lameth and De Castries.--Resolution of the municipal body of Paris against duelling.--Proceedings in the National Assembly against duelling.--Speech of Camille Desmoulins.--Cause of the hatred in which duels were held at this time 205