“As I am not ignorant, so I ought to be sensible of the false aspersions some authorless tongues have laid upon me in the reports of the unfortunate passage lately happened between the Lord Bruce and myself; which, as they are spread here, so I may justly fear they reign also where you are. There are but two ways to resolve doubts of this nature—by oath, and by sword. The first is due to magistrates, and communicable to friends; the other, to such as maliciously slander, and impudently defend their assertions. Your love, not my merit, assures me you hold me your friend, which esteem I am much desirous to retain. Do me, therefore, the right to understand the truth of that act, and in my behalf inform others, who either are or may be infected with sinister rumours, much prejudicial to that fair opinion I desire to hold amongst all worthy persons, and on the faith of a gentleman, the relation I shall give is neither more nor less than the bare truth. * * * * * “To our seconds we gave power for their appointments, who agreed we should go to Antwerp, from thence to Bergen-op-zoom, where, in the midway, a village divides the States’ territory from the Archduke’s, and there was the destined stage; to the end that, having ended, he that could might presently exempt himself from the justice of the country, by retiring into the dominion not offended. It was farther concluded, that in case any should fall or slip, that then the combat should cease, and he whose ill fortune had so subjected him was to acknowledge his life to have been in the other’s hands; but in case one party’s sword should break, because that could only chance by hazard, it was agreed that the other should take no advantage, but either then be made friends, or else, upon even terms, go to it again. These three conclusions being by each of them related to his party, were by us both approved and assented to. Accordingly we re-embarked for Antwerp, and by reason my Lord (as I conceive, because he could not handsomely without danger of discovery) had not paired the sword I sent him to Paris, bringing one of the same length, but twice as broad, my second excepted against it, and advised me to match my own, and send him the choice, which I obeyed, it being, you know, the challenger’s privilege to elect his weapon.