is glove in
all its forms, which upon mature reflexion, his grace looked upon to
be such an affront, as was not to be born, wherefore he desired his
lordship to meet him at Valenciennes, where he would expect him with a
friend and a pair of pistols; and on failure of his lordship's coming
his grace would post him, &c.

The servant who delivered the letter, did not keep its contents a
secret; and lord C----d was taken into custody, when he was about
setting out to meet his grace. All that remained then for his lordship
to do, was to send a gentleman into Flanders, to acquaint the duke
with what happened to him. His grace upon seeing the gentleman,
imagining him to be his lordship's second, spoke to him in this
manner; 'Sir, I hope my lord will favour me so far as to let us use
pistols, because the wound I received in my foot before Gibraltar,
in some measure disables me from the sword.' Hereupon the gentleman
replied with some emotion, 'My lord duke, you might chuse what you
please; my lord C----d will fight you with any weapon, from a small
pin to a great cannon; but this is not the case, my lord is under an
arrest, by order of the duke of Berwick.'

His grace being thus disappointed in the duel, and his money being
almost spent, he returned to Paris, and was also put under an arrest
till the affair was made up by the interposition of the duke of
Berwick, under whose cognizance it properly came as Marshal of France.

The duke's behaviour on this occasion, so far from being reproachable,
seems to be the most manly action of his whole life. What man of
spirit would not resent the behaviour of another, who should boast
of favours from his wife, especially when in all probability he never
received any?

His grace's conducting the quarrel, so as to save the reputation of
his duchess, by not so much as having her name called in question, was
at once prudent, and tender; for whether a lady is guilty or no, if
the least suspicion is once raised, there are detractors enough in
the world ready to fix the stain upon her. The Scots lord deserved the
severest treatment, for living in strict friendship with two persons
of quality, and then with an insidious cruelty endeavouring to sow
the seeds of eternal discord between them, and all to gratify a little
vanity: Than such a conduct nothing can be more reproachable.

Not long after this adventure, a whim seized the duke of going into
a convent, in order to prepare for Easter; an