Here was a prospect of amusement such as was dear to the heart of the
Countess, who, needless to say, had arranged the plot. Jermyn needed no
invitation to make a third at the feast of love. That was precisely
what he had come for; and although Howard played the host with admirable
dignity to the unwelcome intruder, Jermyn ignored his courtesy and
brought all his skill to bear on fanning the flames of his jealousy. He
flirted outrageously with the Countess, kept her in peals of laughter by
his sallies of wit and scarcely-veiled gibes at her companion, until
Howard was roused to such a pitch of silent fury that only the presence
of a lady restrained him from running the insolent intruder through with
his sword. Nothing would have delighted her ladyship more than such a
climax to the little play she was enjoying so much; but Howard, with
marvellous self-restraint, kept his temper within bounds and his sword
in its sheath.
Such an outrage, however, could not be passed over with impunity; and
before Jermyn had eaten his breakfast on the following morning, Howard's
friend and second, Colonel Dillon, was announced with a demand for
satisfaction--a demand which met with a prompt acquiescence from Jermyn,
who vowed he would "wipe the young puppy out." The duel took place in
the "Long Alley near St James's, called Pall Mall," and proved to be of
as sanguinary a nature as even the grossly-insulted Howard could have
desired.
On the 19th of August 1662, Pepys writes:--
"Mr Coventry did tell us of the duel between Mr Jermyn,
nephew to my Lord of St Alban's, and Colonel Giles
Rawlins, the latter of whom is killed, and the first
mortally wounded as it is thought. They fought against
Captain Thomas Howard, my Lord Carlisle's brother, and
another unknown; who, they say, had armour on that they
could not be hurt, so that one of their swords went up to
the hilt against it. They had horses ready and are fled.
But what is most strange, Howard sent one challenge
before, but they could not meet till yesterday at the old
Pall Mall at St James's; and he would not till the last
tell Jermyn what the quarrel was; nor do anybody know."
If no one else knew of the cause of the quarrel, certainly Jermyn did;
and never did man pay a more deserved penalty for dastardly behaviour.
Lady Shrewsbury's delight at thus ridding herself of two lovers, of both
of whom she seems to have grown weary, may be better imagined than
described. Although Jermyn was carried off the field of battle, to all
appearance a dead man, he survived until 1708 when he died, full of
years and wickedness, Baron Jermyn of Dover.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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