him. If the latter broke ground, retreated to the barrier, and was thrown outside the lists, he was declared vanquished; if he met the shock, the assailant always attempted to seize the sword-arm; and, when by dint of superior strength, one was thrown on the ground, the coup de grace was generally given through the openings in the armor, with the dagger that was carried in the right boot. This gladiatorial wrestling was fre quently of the most repulsive character; as in a duel which took place at Sedan, where the Baron d'Hoguerre having got his adver sary, the Sire de Fendilles, under him, and having succeeded in tearing off his helmet, beat him over the face with it, inflicting very severe wounds, and then tried to gouge him and to choke him by filling his mouth with sand,— which compelled Fendilles to cry for mercy, and own himself vanquished. One day, in familiar conversation at Compeigne, in the presence of the Dauphin, Vivonne observed to Jarnac : " I can't make it out, Guichot, how you manage to dress so magnificently with your means, for I know they are not very large." Jarnac replied that his step-mother, a young and beautiful woman, whom his father had lately married, was very kind to him; and that as her husband refused her nothing, he took care to be very attentive to her, obtaining by so doing as much money as he wanted. This answer was innocent enough; but the Dauphin talked it over with Diane, who, finding it a good opportunity for slandering the brother-in-law of Madame d'Estampes, reported that Jarnac had pub licly boasted that he had been guilty of in cest with his step-mother, and Prince Henry, when appealed to, did not contradict the rumor. When Jarnac heard this story, he was, naturally, wild with rage, and felt certain that the Dauphin was the author of the
scandal; but him it was impossible to reach. Therefore, he publicly declared that who ever had made the assertion, or who would maintain it to be true, was a scoundrel and a villainous liar. Prince Henry was known to be the author of the calumny, and the manner of the courtiers toward him showed they understood it to be so; but as he had neither the courage to maintain his words, nor the manliness to retract them, his posi tion and that of his mistress Diane was be coming extremely uncomfortable, when Vi vonne, to please her and to win favor from the prince, and thinking possibly that Jar nac would scarcely dare to risk almost cer tain death in a duel with so dangerous a person as himself, and ignoring all the inti mate friendship which had existed for years, proclaimed that he was ready to take up the quarrel, and that it was really in a conver sation with him that Guichot had boasted of his guilty intimacy with his step-mother, which he now denied. Jarnac appealed to Francis I. to afford him the right of a judicial duel to establish his honor and integrity; but Francis I., who was very fond of both the young men, was reluctant to have the two friends meet in mortal combat. He submitted it to his privy council, who were divided in opinion, and the King finally re fused it, stating " that a prince ought never to permit that to take place out of which no good could be expected to arise, as in a combat like this." As soon, however, as Francis died and Henry II. ascended the throne, Vivonne renewed the appeal. His letter was as follows : — "To the King, my Sovereign Master. Sire : Having learned that Guichot Chabot, being at Compeigne during the reign of the late King, had said that whoever accused him of having boasted of a criminal in timacy with his step-mother was wicked and vile; to that, Sire, with your good will and
