The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel JackDefoe, Daniel
General
The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories, English; England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Picaresque fiction
“I think not, sir,” said I; “nor, had I found you in bed with my wife,
would I have quarrelled with you; for if my wife will let you lie with
her, it is she is the offender. What have I to do with you? You could
not lie with her if she was not willing; and if she is willing to be a
whore, I ought to punish her; but I should have no quarrel with you. I
will lie with your wife if I can, and then I am even with you.”
I spoke this all in good humour and in order to pacify him, but it
would not do; but he would have me give him satisfaction, as he called
it. I told him I was a stranger in the country, and perhaps should find
little mercy in their course of justice; that it was not my business to
fight any man in his vindicating his keeping company with my wife, for
that the injury was mine, in having a bad woman to deal with; that
there was no reason in the thing, that after any man should have found
the way into my bed, I, who am injured, should go and stake my life
upon an equal hazard against the man who has abused me.
Nothing would prevail with this person to be quiet for all this; but I
had affronted him, and no satisfaction could be made him but that at
the point of the sword; so we agreed to go away together to Lisle, in
Flanders. I was now soldier enough not to be afraid to look a man in
the face, and as the rage at my wife inspired me with courage, so he
let fall a word that fired and provoked me beyond all patience; for,
speaking of the distrust I had of my wife, he said, unless I had good
information I ought not to suspect my wife. I told him, if I had good
information, I should be past suspicion. He replied, if he was the
happy man, that had so much of her favour, he would take care then to
put me past the suspicion. I gave him as rough an answer as he could
desire, and he returned in French, _“Nous verrons à Lisle_;” that is to
say, “We will talk further of it at Lisle.”
I told him I did not see the benefit either to him or me of going so
far as Lisle to decide this quarrel, since now I perceived he was the
man I wanted; that we might decide this quarrel _au champ_, upon the
spot, and whoever had the fortune to fall the other might make his
escape to Lisle as well afterwards as before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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